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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,079
Registered: ‎12-29-2014

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

I was just looking at old pictures and realized that I've been working with my wavy hair for two years. I was born with stick straight hair that suddenly started getting wavy so for me it has definitely been a struggle. My hair looked so bad and so frizzy when I first attempted to embrace my waves. I think my biggest mistake was following YouTube videos, though. Everyone always talks about applying products straight out of the shower, which does not work for at all. I have thin fine hair but it tangles like nothing else so I'm committing the ultimate crime by brushing my hair first before applying products.

 

I'm not following the Curly Girl Method 100% but I feel like I've found what works for me and I can get pretty consistent results at this point. I diffuse every time regardless of the weather. My hair takes forever to dry and I get much more defined waves with my Xtava diffuser.

 

I will never get a curly girl cut. I simply would never be able to commit to something like that. I have 2B waves and if I'm feeling lazy I like the fact that I can just brush my hair, air dry and it pretty much dries straight.

 

I like DevaCurl's products but lately I've been using Bounce Curl with good results. I also like the Innersense line. Definitely not cheap products but as long as they work it's worth it to me.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,079
Registered: ‎12-29-2014

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in


@Ms tyrion2 wrote:

I've been all over the globe trying different hair products. From drugstore to higher end.

 

My experience is mine alone, but here goes. There IS a difference in quality and performance. The higher end ingredients are much better for my curls.

 

I started with 2A, 2B waves. I am  now getting some 2C curls. I got a Deva haircut and began using higher quality products. 

 

So far, Deva, jessicurl and Ecoslay Orange Marmalade are clear and convincing winners. The Ecoslay gel is quite amazing. Big, loopy waves with some nice coils. 

 

My hair is extremely thick and coarse in texture.


 

@Ms tyrion2   Yes, the Ecoslay gel is great! Have you tried the banana mask from the same brand? I love that one.

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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,079
Registered: ‎12-29-2014

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in


@Grouchomarx wrote:

I struggle with naturally curly yet pretty much ugly hair. I blow it straight every day unless I'm not going out, then I let it air dry naturally. I have tried a million things to make it look good. The best result I've gotten is two pumps Moroccan oil followed by 1.5 pumps Devacurl coconut curl cream.  It takes forever to dry and then I end up scrunching it and playing with it.  One moment it looks good, the next I think it looks hideous. I cannot get okay with it. I was born with pin straight hair and it was that way all my life until in high school when I got perms all the time. Then straight hair came into fashion thanks in part to Beverly Hills 90210 and I started blowing it straight every day.  My hair never returned to straight, it is currently very curly and I really am annoyed and don't understand how this happened biologically.  If it was pretty I'd embrace it but it's like a 80's perm really.


 

@Grouchomarx   That's exactly what happened to me. I was also born with super straight hair, started getting perms and then when I stopped that and straightened my hair instead, it somehow became wavy. I remember feeling pretty impressed with my results at first when I decided to style my hair wavy so I asked my husband to take some pictures of the back of my head. Yeah, that looked horrible. It has been about two years now so I can get pretty decent results but unfortunately it takes a whole lot of experimenting.

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Posts: 7,745
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

@HSB1204 

@Grouchomarx 

 

Laughing because seeing the BACK of my hair is what convinced me to start smoothing.

 

It was like a big bush, no curl pattern....just a frizzy mess.

 

That will be the key for me. If I cannot get a decent curl pattern into the back of my hair, I'll have to go to Plan B (smoothing).

 

I hate feeling that taking care of my hair is like a second job, and that's what it has become.

 

But, let me say, I'm thankful to HAVE hair, so....onward.

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Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in


@Witchy Woman wrote:

@HSB1204 

@Grouchomarx 

 

Laughing because seeing the BACK of my hair is what convinced me to start smoothing.

 

It was like a big bush, no curl pattern....just a frizzy mess.

 

That will be the key for me. If I cannot get a decent curl pattern into the back of my hair, I'll have to go to Plan B (smoothing).

 

I hate feeling that taking care of my hair is like a second job, and that's what it has become.

 

But, let me say, I'm thankful to HAVE hair, so....onward.


 

@Witchy Woman   Yes, I especially remember one time when my husband had taken a picture of my hair and there was a giant tangled clump of hair in the back. I asked him why he didn't tell me until he showed me the picture but it's not like he had any idea what it was supposed to look like. Cat LOL

 

Product application definitely makes a huge difference and applying it on soaking wet hair works best for me.

 

I never thought I'd spend so much time figuring out my hair but once you get the hang of it, it does get better.

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Posts: 2,496
Registered: ‎01-23-2019

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

A friend of mine who also has naturally curly hair was telling me that blowing it out negatively impacts the curl and that the less you blow it out, the nicer the curl will look when left natural.  So maybe someday I'll take a week off with no blow outs and see if my curl pattern improves.  I always wonder why the back of the head is the epicenter of out of control hair!  I see it in myself and so many other people  It's like it's own entity unrelated to the rest of my hair.

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Posts: 2,910
Registered: ‎05-08-2017

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in


@HSB1204 wrote:

@Ms tyrion2 wrote:

I've been all over the globe trying different hair products. From drugstore to higher end.

 

My experience is mine alone, but here goes. There IS a difference in quality and performance. The higher end ingredients are much better for my curls.

 

I started with 2A, 2B waves. I am  now getting some 2C curls. I got a Deva haircut and began using higher quality products. 

 

So far, Deva, jessicurl and Ecoslay Orange Marmalade are clear and convincing winners. The Ecoslay gel is quite amazing. Big, loopy waves with some nice coils. 

 

My hair is extremely thick and coarse in texture.


 

@Ms tyrion2   Yes, the Ecoslay gel is great! Have you tried the banana mask from the same brand? I love that one.


 

 

@HSB1204 ,

Yes! Just received it. It is lovely. Great moisture and smells great.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,152
Registered: ‎02-05-2018

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

I started the Curly Girl Method about 14 years ago and have loved it. It did take me a while to find the right routine for me and I'm a product junkie, so I'm always trying new things.

 

My favorite resource, besides Lorraine Massey's book, Curly Girl: The Handbook, has been NaturllyCurly.com. That site started me on the Curly Girl journey and changed my life.

 

The one thing I really struggle with is vacation. When I left my house at 8:00 A.M., it was 80 degrees with 84% humidity. My water is also very hard. My entire routine and product line up revolves around humidity. When I visit my family in Canifornia, humidity is much lower and the water isn't soft, but it's nowhere near as hard as it is where I live. My hair is limp and blah because I haven't figured out how to deal with the changes.

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Posts: 7,745
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

Well, this morning, I finally had a chance to try the Devacurl products I purchased.

 

I got the orginal shampoo and conditioner and the Arc Angel gel.

 

Today is not humid, so....the results were really good given what my hair has been through in the last few years.

 

The curl is really strong on top, which makes sense.  It is shorter and has been cut.

 

All things considered, it seems promising.  I'm trying to commit to getting through the summer.  If I can do that, I can make it.

 

@Ms tyrion2 

 

I see you and another poster mentioned an orange marmalade product.

 

Do you use that at the end to keep the frizz halo down?

 

Also, I found Curlie Susie's recommendation of twisting and pinning hair that is still rather straight.

 

My biggest issue is fine hair.  I've got to make sure that the back is distributed so I'm not "bald."

 

Once I "break the cast" and fluff the roots, it seems better.

 

Now, I just have to get used to seeing myself with curly hair again.  I thought I looked more sophisticated with straight hair.  

 

The curls have a bit of a wild look to them.  It worked at 31, I'm not sure if it works at 68.

 

 

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Posts: 3,152
Registered: ‎02-05-2018

Re: Curly girls -- Please check-in

@Witchy Woman The best thing I've found for my hair in humidity is to use a curl cream under a gel. It makes my hair take 3x longer to dry, but it keeps my curls defiuned and frizz-free for more than one day.

 

I put the cream in my soaking wet hair, then add gel to my hand and mix it with whatever cream is left on my hands until it's a little milky, then appply the gel before I blot with an olf t-shirt and then partially diffuse or air dry.

 

I like Arc Angel, but it didn't work well for me in humidity. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel is my favorite gel for high humidity.