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?

Ponytail right on top of your head overnight. Known as a pineapple. It’s changed my life. My hair is only just to the top of my shoulders so I thought it was too short. Loads of it falls out of the pony but the difference is still amazing. I let it down and just wait ten minutes for it to settle and it easily goes 2-3 days now.

Another one for Only Curls & silk bonnets.

I use their shampoo & conditioner, scrunch dry, add in the leave in cream, then add the curl gel. Sleep in a silk bonnet. I only have to wash mine twice a week now; I can sometimes get away with once if I use their refresher in a spray bottle mid-week.

i save and get the giant bottles when they’re having a sale, you need so little that they last ages.

The best thing I did was get a proper curly haircut which was expensive but worth it.

I sleep in a bamboo buff from Bambonn which holds my curls in place. Occasionally pineapple it with a silk scrunchie and sleep on a silk pillowcase. This works great for me.

I don't use a silicone free shampoo as it didn't make any difference. I use shockwaves ultra hold mousse to style with a brush and then Alberto Balsam ultra hold gel scrunched in before diffusing, both are very cheap products. I've tried all sorts and didn't find that the expensive products made any difference, however I do think you need to find what suits your hair and maybe I've just been lucky!

My hair has never looked so good and I actually get stopped in the street about it!

It may very well be but it’s the best for my hair. I get fabulous curls that last for days using it whereas slightly less expensive products are not cost effective as I need to use more and more often to achieve a lesser result. My hair is my pride and joy, my best feature so I’ll happily spend the wee bit extra for only curls.

Agree with all of this - love the curl jelly range.

I diffuse my hair, it gets no volume otherwise and I can't be doing with it hanging around wet. I find the better you can make a washday turn out, the better it lasts (along with the protection at night).

Gel and scrunching the cast off when dry has been an absolute game changer for my hair - lasts so much longer

I’m a Boots Pink girl! I use it first and then Flirty Curls Scrunching Jelly over the top then scrunch when dry.

I can only get a second day if I don’t touch my hair much during the first day. If the curls look ok in the morning I’ll mist my hair with water and then give it a good scrunch and allow to air dry.

I’ve also discovered that my particular 2C/3A fine but thick curls really love protein. So I’ve been using a protein based shampoo bar and a leave in protein serum. This has increased my amount of second days.

Following with interest - I’ve tried several curly cuts but none of them have made much difference. Where are you finding these brilliant curly hairdressers?!

My hair looks good immediately after it dries but is a disaster by the end of the day; I think part of the problem is that I have so many different curl patterns from barely wavy at the back to full ringlet at the front

London. Mine is Grace of Unruly Curls :)

I wash about once a week with Kerastase Curl Manifesto shampoo and conditioner. Then diffuse dry with KMS Curl Up cream. Then every day when I have a shower and my hair has damp/wet bits I just put some cream in my hands, scrunch, diffuse off a bit and it’s good to go again.

There’s one in Oxshott, Surrey if you’re that way.

I use the boots Curl Creme too, but I actually add a bit of water to it to thin it down so it isn't so thick on the hair and covers better. The next morning I spray and scrunch the top layer with a spray bottle to revitalise it but not enough to soak all the way through and it's dries much quicker. My hair is thick too and can take a good few hours to dry.
I use Herbal Essences silicone free shampoo and conditioner, and I never brush my hair, just comb conditioner through with my fingers.