topic Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please? in Beauty

Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 23:52:50 GMT

Just recently decided to finally stop fighting Mother Nature. My mop grew back curly after chemo, and is finally at a good length for wash and wear hair. Length-wise it brushes the top of my shoulders.

Being low maintenance fits my lifestyle and would really like to keep a healthy head of hair- so I decided it's so much easier and better to allow nature to win THIS fight.

I SO dreaded all the heat tools.... It's been such a production to get ready in the AM which is only defeating my healthy hair goals. It still takes some effort to get it looking right, but we're comparing apples to oranges now.

Please share your tips, products, etc? I haven't done hair typing- think I'm more in between their descriptions on the curly hair forum- but have a true curl vs. wave- except in the bang area. Overall hair is pretty thick.. fine to medium texture. I do have blonde highlights and will continue to have my hair colored.

Since bangs and crown tend to go flat and aren't as curly as the rest (bangs hit the bottom of my ears) and I wear them to the side... what about curling clips?

I've noticed DevaCurl and Quidad have clips which claim to heighten the crown area and manipulate the way your hair dries.

Has anyone tried the clips.. and do they work? Or can I go to Sally's and buy an off brand?

Any/all tips/good products would be much appreciated.

(I used a cheap vegan paraben free shampoo and styling cream from Sally's- specifically for curly hair just recently, when I had this grand revelation- which happily looks pretty darn good! However the two products seemed loaded down with other unnecessary chemicals plus sulfates. It would be nice to use something gentle and healthy)

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

jazzbabe — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:27:11 GMT

I have clips from Sally's and they are basically the same as the Deva clips - no need to pay a premium price for clips. Good luck with enjoying your curls.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:37:54 GMT

That's what I was hoping jazzbabe. One last question.. do you buy the double prong clips.. in other words the ones that have two pieces of metal in the front?

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

WenGirl42 — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:44:58 GMT

My Deva clips are double-prong. But I totally agree the brand doesn't matter. The 3 things that have made the biggest difference for me have been figuring out 1) the right cut to enhance my curls (I got a Deva cut and can't recommend it highly enough! And I learned a lot about product and technique during my first appt.) 2) the right products (for me that means WEN CC in Fig or Cucumber Aloe and Deva gel.) 3) the right method of squeezing water out of my hair in the shower and then blotting it with an old cotton t-shirt...never a towel, which can cause frizz. And then clipping at the roots for volume. I hope this helps and you find out the best way to love your curls too!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

babs — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:53:16 GMT

Funloving, get ready to love your curls! Head back to Sally's & check out the As I Am line. No sulfates or silicones in what I use. The Coconut Co-wash comes in a tub & though I hated the packaging at first, I adapted to it easily.

Smells heavenly, cleans thoroughly, rinses out *easily* & doesn't dry hair out! I use coconut oil on my hair once a week as a mask & I just leave it up in a clip for 2 hours or so. I never believed that the co-wash would wash that out as easily as it does. I wet my hair, work the co-wash through & leave it in while I finish my shower. It rinses right out & hair is conditioned, no extra step, no prolonged rinsing.

I add a *little* of the co-wash as a leave-in, concentrating from ears down, then run what's left on my hands through the rest of my hair. I squeeze it into my ends. Tried their leave-in conditioner but prefer using just the co-wash as it has more moisture. I rake their Curling Jelly through hair concentrating again from ears down. Then I wrap my head in a *microfiber* towel, flip my head upside down & just scrunch the water out.

I leave the towel on for maybe another 10 minutes while doing something else, then I scrunch some more (upside down). By scrunching upside down, it gives me more lift at the crown & roots. Take the microfiber towel off & just let the curls air dry. Easy, easy, easy, & hair's wonderfully conditioned. The As I Am line is reasonably priced. Check out the reviews!

ETA~ For a change, I sometimes use Wen, but I try hard to stay silicone-free. I enjoy it as a treat now & again. I also use the Deva line, but quite frankly, the As I Am is the simplest & most effective for me & I'm all about simplicity!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

rac71 — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:57:38 GMT

First, congratulations on winning your battle. I hope your numbers stay good. Buy single-prong clips. I have tiny ones that came in packs of 12 and one set of 6 large ones with perforated clips. Over time, the metal can rust, so it's really not worth spending a lot. Also, your curls may not be permanent. Most of my post-chemo friends who didn't have curls before, don't manage to keep them past about a year or so. Don't waste your money on fancy Deva diffusers, either. An inexpensive diffuser "sock" is fine. These are also at Sally's. Sulfate aren't the enemy. Ev laundry soap has sulfates. It's the detergent that removes dirt and styling product residue. While I appreciate your dislike for chemicals, remember natural doesn't always mean healthful. Remember, even poison ivy, oak and sumac are natural. You might like Paula's Choice all-over hair & body shampoo. It doesn't have any unnecessary additives. Curly hair doesn't need special curling shampoos. My curly hair is very fine. I use Paula's shampoo and Eufora Hydrating Shampoo, which is very lightweight for fine and processed hair. I also use less than a pea-sized amount of Eufora Daily Balance (zero weight) conditioner. Personally, I break out in hives from non-paraben preservatives and many unnecessary fragrances and essential oils.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

suzyQ3 — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 01:18:16 GMT

Fun, I haven't gone through your battle, but I did decide about nine months ago to stop battling my very curly, frizzy hair. I think I am probably a 3b.

I'm using a modified girly curl method -- no silicones and no heat. I do shampoo about three times a week (hence the "modified"), but I use sulfate-free shampoos (SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus and also Curl Junkie Gentle Cleansing shampoo.

I use both companies conditioners and treatments as well. I don't brush my hair. I comb it with a very wide-toothed comb only in the shower and after I apply silicone-free styling products.

I gently blot my hair with a large microfiber towel meant for that purpose after I get out of the shower. I apply my silicone-free styling treatments, comb them through, scrunch it, and I don't touch it at all until it is bone dry. Then I softly scrunch out any crunchiness.

I personally did not have luck with clips. For height on the top, I just use my rat tail comb to lift after scrunching the sides and back.

My hairdresser has been wonderful throughout this process. When I switched to her, I had short hair with horrible layers that looked like shelfs. Now they're grown out, especially the top one that had just been a big, poofy frizzball. My hair is at the length I want it. She is now even very carefully and subtly adding some layers in the back but only a little way up from the ends -- just to help with the shape and to lessen the bigness, if that makes sense. Never, ever any thinning texturizing, btw.

For second- and third-day hair, I spritz or dampen my hair, apply a few drops of oil ( I use Ouidad Mongongo oil, but you could use Argan also) and sometimes a tiny bit of styling cream, and scrunch. That usually revives my curls fairly well.

It's been an interesting journey.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

jazzbabe — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 01:20:49 GMT

On 4/4/2014 Funloving said:
That's what I was hoping jazzbabe. One last question.. do you buy the double prong clips.. in other words the ones that have two pieces of metal in the front?

Double prong.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:17:36 GMT

Great stuff, everyone!!! I'll take time to really read through each and every response. Thanks so much! The deal is, I have 2 large bottles of Wen Six Thirteen I purchased when on sale and EZ pays. I think it'll still work fine, but I have noticed the cucumber aloe allows for more curl. I have a bottle of the CA Revitalizing mist which I put up (the hunt to find it is on) because it was bringing out curl during the time I was trying to keep it straight and sleek.

What a journey indeed! I agree a good cut helps. The kicker is my hair has only been slightly trimmed- I think he called it dusting- each time I've had it colored. Amazing it looks as good as it does simply by way it grew out naturally.

I'm really enjoying it.. and the freedom from all those heat styling tools! I hear you cut hair dry when it's curly. My guy is great with color, but think I'll seek out a salon who specializes in curls.

I plan to embrace them!

Thanks again ladies. You're always the very best resource and a huge pool of knowledge.

~~ Fun

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:34:25 GMT

On 4/4/2014 rac71 said: First, congratulations on winning your battle. I hope your numbers stay good. Buy single-prong clips. I have tiny ones that came in packs of 12 and one set of 6 large ones with perforated clips. Over time, the metal can rust, so it's really not worth spending a lot. Also, your curls may not be permanent. Most of my post-chemo friends who didn't have curls before, don't manage to keep them past about a year or so. Don't waste your money on fancy Deva diffusers, either. An inexpensive diffuser "sock" is fine. These are also at Sally's. Sulfate aren't the enemy. Ev laundry soap has sulfates. It's the detergent that removes dirt and styling product residue. While I appreciate your dislike for chemicals, remember natural doesn't always mean healthful. Remember, even poison ivy, oak and sumac are natural. You might like Paula's Choice all-over hair & body shampoo. It doesn't have any unnecessary additives. Curly hair doesn't need special curling shampoos. My curly hair is very fine. I use Paula's shampoo and Eufora Hydrating Shampoo, which is very lightweight for fine and processed hair. I also use less than a pea-sized amount of Eufora Daily Balance (zero weight) conditioner. Personally, I break out in hives from non-paraben preservatives and many unnecessary fragrances and essential oils.

rac71- Thanks for your congrats. I'm not out of the woods yet due to the aggressive nature of this beast, but I never live in fear- quite the contrary. The chances of recurrence go down almost 100% after 5 years. I rarely think of that, rather live in the present.. which I did before dx. That's the best any of us can do. Of course I'll continue to make plans.. but you know what I mean. Every day is a gift... for ALL of us.

Thought about that too- the fact curls are often temporary after tx. However, I always had curly hair before. Crazy.. I was fighting them back in high school- even resorting to ironing it stick straight. We're talking with a conventional iron and ironing board. I did that once with my then extremely long hair (longer hair helped keep curls at bay).. and that was one time too many. After many years of abuse, I still had some natural wave.. but fought it tooth and nail. Then went through a phase where I wanted curls and was buying all kinds of tools and finding methods to create them.

Funny how you want what you don't have. This time I'll let nature take its course and relish in whatever that is.

Edited because I'm always editing in my field of work. I need to break that habit here!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Catstamper — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:40:33 GMT

I recommend the book "Curly Girls" by the woman who started the Deva Curl salon, Lorraine Massey. It has lots of good info!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

betteb — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:44:18 GMT

Hi Fun I'm not curly, but I wanted to say hi.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:50:10 GMT

Hiya bette ... I sure miss you!!

Watch out....you have competition in enabling.. LOL. Are you doing OK? I still need your email address!!!

If you have Dreamon's email, please ask her to send you mine?

Catstamper- I ran across that book title while I was perusing curly hair info. I was tempted to buy it and now I will. Thanks!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

betteb — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:52:37 GMT

On 4/4/2014 Funloving said:
Hiya bette ... I sure miss you!!

Watch out....you have competition in enabling.. LOL. Are you doing OK? I still need your email address!!!

If you have Dreamon's email, please ask her to send you mine?

Catstamper- I ran across that book title while I was perusing curly hair info. I was tempted to buy it and now I will. Thanks!

ETA let me know when you got it

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

shoekitty — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:59:31 GMT

On 4/4/2014 jazzbabe said:
I have clips from Sally's and they are basically the same as the Deva clips - no need to pay a premium price for clips. Good luck with enjoying your curls.

I have the Deva clips, wowo they are kind of a rip off, hahah. But they work. I get wholesale (I have license). Are the clips as hard hinged as the Deva Curl clips? because those things are strong enough for a face lift, lol!

tried a little bit of mirror curls before the Deva Curl light gel a couple days ago.. Seemed to help. But today I got the WEN orange blossom oil, and thought I'd use a drop to tame frizzies before wash day. It seemed to relax my curl . I don't know if it will work. May stick to mirror curls or argon oil.

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:02:40 GMT

betteb - got it..!!! Can't believe I forgot it b'cause I can now (in my mind's eye) see it clearly.

Delete Away, Missy!!!!

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

betteb — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:03:59 GMT

On 4/4/2014 Funloving said:
betteb - got it..!!! Can't believe I forgot it b'cause I can now (in my mind's eye) see it clearly.

Delete Away, Missy!!!!

Got it.

I went back to work on Monday after being on layoff all winter

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:32:49 GMT

From the curly hair forum for Wen six thirteen, written after the recommendation on the forum. I have a bottle of Fig, but I'm loaded down w/six thirteen- plus it takes less product than the other formulas.

I think SAM is normally recommended for curly. I like to rotate products though, and want to try your recs!!! Probably more than anything it's the products I use after.. and need to stay away from cones for any oil-based products.

"First off- the smell is absolutely heavenly. Very calming and zen light. The cleansing conditioner is VERY rich and thick- it's a treatment. I love it! I have been using the wen FIG for months and now when I cleanse I mix 1 or 2 pumps in with the FIG and then use 2 pumps as my leave in. My waves are much more bouncy/springy and soft as anything. The reason I don't solely cleanse with 613 by itself is for fear I don't want to run out and not be able to get more! This is in my holy grail category for sure."

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

Funloving — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:36:19 GMT

On 4/4/2014 betteb said:
On 4/4/2014 Funloving said:
betteb - got it..!!! Can't believe I forgot it b'cause I can now (in my mind's eye) see it clearly.

Delete Away, Missy!!!!

Got it.

I went back to work on Monday after being on layoff all winter

Oh WOW... we need to talk. What's THAT like? Are you glad to be back in the work force?

OOOPS.. guess not.. the little emo-con looks like a frown to me.. haha.

We'll take this private now that I have your mail again....

Re: Calling All Natural Curly Tops. Help Please?

shoekitty — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:56:14 GMT

Funloving

Congrats on finishing treatment. I have had breast cancer, and am 11 years clean. After you have gone through breast cancer, life becomes easier I think. Maybe easier isn't the exact word.

I have had many, many friends with breast cancer and most had chemo. The hair situation after treatment is a draw of the cards! I have had friends who had straight hair, get curly hair for a while, and visa vera. Gray hair before treatment turned dark after treatment. The best is many ladies I know actually got thicker hair! Me I become curlier, and finer. It was nice until my gray hair caught up with me and made my hair frizzy.

The ladies on these boards have been life savers to me. There is nothing like experience from the mouths of those dealing with curly hair. My hair is so much work now. More work than it ever was. But the good part? Cancer free, so I go with the flow.

I started using Deva Curl no poo with my WEN. I use the micro towel drying method ( and tee shirts work aswell, I learned from Jazzbabe). The Deva Curl Light gel has been the one product I couldn't live without, but that is me. I don't comb my hair after washing. I do run fingers through a bit. I do the drying and gel while my head is tipped downward. Flip over, then let dry completely.