Help a curly girl out!

[ducksfizz]

So I’ve recently started finally embracing my curly hair - at age 37! I’ve tried various lotions and potions but settled on the cheapo £1.99 boots crème. It does the job well. BUT I’m having to wash every day because overnight it turns into a birds nest. My hair is also crazy thick so if I wash it at 7am it’s still wet at midday. What works to get another extra day or two between washes?

Have you tried just spraying it wet and rescrunching with more cream?

I like the umberto giannini refresh spray in between washes. Or I just wet my hands and smooth down each side of my hair a few times, scrunch and let it dry. Also, are you completely silicone free? I found ditching silicone helped a lot with stretching between washes.

Nope not tried spraying wet but I guess leaves the same long drying time so may as well just wash it?

Not silicone free shampoo no… maybe that’s next!

Silk pillowcase and bonnet - works for my 3 curly headed children

Are you sleeping in a bonnet? That's what I need to do otherwise my curls are ruined next day.

Everyone's curls need something different, but this is my routine:
Wash and condition with Only Curls,
Cream and gel with Only Curls on soaking wet hair,
Air dry, but I do "plop" with a cotton shirt if I need to get the moisture out quicker,
Once it's completely dry, scrunch out the gel cast,
Wear a silk bonnet to bed,
In the morning spritz with water and refresh with a bit more product.

Get yourself a bonnet!

I use diluted conditioner in a spray bottle to rehyrate my curls in the morning when I don't wash (only wash every other day)

You don't have to spray to wet wet in the morning. Just dampen it enough to reactivate whatever product you have used and push the flyaways back into the curl pattern they were in before. I can do this by putting my head under the shower (as it takes ages to actually get wet through) some people use wet hands (often with a little extra product on) some use a spray bottle with plain water or water and product diluted. Its should then look smart and dry in no time.

I cant do a bonnet, they fall off. I do pineapple to sleep, then look like a crazy person until it falls back into place! My hair is in a short bob.

If your hair is long enough out it up in a pineapple with a silk scrunchie. A silk pillowcase is a much. Spraying doesn’t soak your hair, just wets it enough to reactivate your products.

I’ve tried only curls and genuinely think it’s crazily overpriced. Boots curl crème is £1.99 and has the exact same result.

I only need to make mine a bit damp to get another day out of it - I either spray with water or a refresh spray - I've got the Umberto giannani one at the moment that someone else mentioned but have used cheaper ones. Or I just use damp hands, sometimes with a little bit of conditioner on. It's never quite as nice next day but is good enough. I've also got a silk (well, satin!) pillowcase, not sure if it makes any difference or not!

The boots curl creme is my go-to as well. I try lots of other things too but that's the one I always stick with. I often use a bit of moose and gel when I'm scrunching but can get away with just the creme.

Silk bonnet. You will wake up feeling fabulous. I have a curly child. Using a misting bottle (£5 Amazon) with water and leave in conditioner and curly cream in it, helps revitalise it in the morning. You can also really wet it with this and comb tugs out.

Merwaves is amazing. I've just embraced my curls and this has been fantastic. However, I have also found that once I had sorted my curves with merwave, Aussie curls shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner works just as well.
Before I embraced my curls I was washing my hair everyday, now I can go 3 days before needing to wash.

Silk pillowcase and Umberto Giannini curl jelly range. After years of straightening my hair I too have decided to embrace my curls. Curl jelly products work wonders for me. I only wash mine again when my curls get scruffy and use the refresh spray in-between.

i stick to only washing weekly but do rinse and rub in some conditioner daily.
then follow up with curl cream.
scrunch well when coming out of the shower.

It is overpriced, but I've found it's the best product for my hair and routine. The product my hairdresser recommended really needed me to diffuse and I just don't have the time. I tend to stockpile it when they've got a good offer on.

The most important thing when choosing your products is they need to be silicone and sulphate free.

Innersense products are great. They aren't cheap but last ages. I only have to wash once a week and just spray with water in between washes.

Go for a proper curly cut. Just took my DD12. Was £75 but it looked amazing and loads of advice, some of which we did anyway. She warned and conditioned with the only curls shampoo and conditioner. Then tied it up in a T-shirt rather than towel. Whilst still dripping she took a section at a time and brushed in some curl cream and also curl gel (both only curls and the gel was the lighter one). Once the section was covered in the two products it was scrunched. Took ages to do small sections at a time. Then the whole lot was diffused dry. Not much touching of the hair whilst diffusing.

she then said for bed to pop it in a pineapple on the top of the head with a loose scrunchie. Then sleep on silk pillow or cover in silk bonnet. In the morning soak the hair again just with water, scrunch and then diffuse again. Should last like this for a few days.

we have tried all the products over the years. Curly hair basically lacks moisture and needs more to drink!! The curl cream and gel hold the moisture in.

Edited to add. Never brush dry hair. Only comb through wet hair. Use the thinner bristles brushes to get product in through when wet.

Get the right cut. It’s transformed my previously wavy/frizzy/thick/wayward hair into a mop of beautiful, beachy curls.

Aveda botanical shampoo and conditioner (salons gave me samples that have lasted ages!), blow dry the fringe a bit then salt spray and diffuse the rest until about 80% dry.

Spritz with water in the morning, salt spray and shake out.

I wish the boots curl cream worked on my hair. When I use it I just look greasy and my hair feels sticky but at the same time frizzes. It does nothing for me at all.

I need a gel, only curls is expensive but lush. My other go to product (cheaper but not so well priced as the boots curl cream) are cantu custard and UG curl jelly.

If you go the sulphate silicone free shampoo rout you may find you have to play with your routine as you can get build up over time.

My go to shampoo is the faith in nature shampoo bars. Love it. I have yet to find a favorite conditioner. Currently using As I Am leave in.

You probably need something with hold like a mousse or gel
i sleep with mine tied up and a silk pillowcase and get 3-4 days

I tried Cantu for curls left my ends quite greasy. I use a milkshake brand got in my local salon its good leave in spray

I have a silk pillowcase and put my hair in a loose “pineapple” (ponytail right on the top of your head) overnight. I tend not to re-wet as that increases frizz, but scrunching a bit of the curl cream through dry hair helps to revive the curls and calm the frizz.

Blow-drying with a diffuser is really the only way to speed up drying time and maintain the curls. My Dyson dryer has cut my drying time from over an hour to about 20 minutes but they are very expensive. Like you if I tried to air dry it would still be wet by the end of the day - unless it’s very warm and sunny and I can sit in the garden.

Definitely ditch the silicone shampoo, it’s so bad for curls. I’d recommend a co-wash - Noughty’s One Hit Wonder works for me.