Curly hair....

[guineapigluver1]

This may sound silly, but I had been trying to find a shampoo and conditioner that wouldn't make my hair ultra frizzy, well my sister did some research for me and found out that curly haired and wavy haired people are NEVER supposed to comb, brush, blow dry (unless you use a diffuser), or shampoo their hair EVER (except for wavy haired people they are only supposed to shampoo once a week ). You are only supposed to use conditioner, and hair gel, and not just any conditioner or gel, here is a site that helped me tremendously: Naturallycurly.com: Where curls come to life!
I am also getting Curly Girls by Lorraine Massey at our library either this friday or next. To actualy clean my hair I used the sugar scrub technique, you mix eqaul amounts of brown sugar and conditioner and use you fingers to massage it into your scalp, working from root to tip, it works, and since right now I am finishing off he last of my Garnier Fructis shampoo it smelled nice, like fruity sugar. Their are different things you can use to clean your hair actually (I'm going to use the lavender one later)
Curly Shopping
I'm a corkscrew curly girl.
Curly Care

[Susan9608]

You're not ever supposed to wash your hair? I can't imagine. I have wavy hair. I shampoo every day, blow dry most days, and use a flat iron because the wavy stuff looks like crap. I've been doing it all wrong! I'm going to go check out these websites, but I don't think I"ll ever be able to not shampoo. I can't stand greasy head feeling. Ugh.

[auburnmare5]

I have very curly hair. I brush it every day. I shampoo and condition almost every day. I don't blow-dry or straighten it. My mom says it would make my hair frizzy (more than it already is) and make it very dry. I have never heard of somethin glike that!

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I am a Curly Girl Method follower! I can't remember the last time I used shampoo. It sounds gross but people are always surprised when they sniff my hair. You use conditioner to scrub your scalp with your fingers. My hair feels cleaner than it ever did when I used shampoo.

Curly hair is a whole different beast- it's not just straight hair that has curls. It is SO dry and shampoo dries it out more. The trick to beautiful curls is moisture (as you will read in the Curly Girl book). Also, as you said- no blow drying! You let it air dry with clips in it so that it doesn't get weighted down. You are allowed to use a diffuser or a low setting from time to time if you are in a hurry and can't wait for air drying.

Wavy hair is a different story- I think they recommend shampooing less or using gentler shampoo. I don't think you could pass a sniff test by not shampooing if you have straight or wavy hair because of the oil build-up. There is at least one chapter in the Curly Girl book about wavy hair.

ETA: I do NOT own a brush, and I have a comb that I don't use. You can use a comb in the shower, but I just use my fingers. Brushing curly hair when it's dry is the worst thing you can do! (but most people with curly hair already know that!)

[guineapigluver1]

Yeah, if you have wavy hair you can use a little shampoo once a week. You can make stuff to clean your hair too, I used the sugar scrub and it cleaned my hair pretty well. Now, I just have to find a conditioner and gel to work for me...

BTW You work the tangles out in the shower while your hair is wet.



Could you use a microfiber turban and let your hair dry in that??

[Ziggy&Herald]

This is a completely different world for me. I have long straight hair. It's down to my waist and straight as a board. It is very thick and I swear it weighs 10#. I never blowdry my hair. I wash, condition only the ends because it's so oily and towel dry. Then I brush and it's out the door. No waves, curl, body, nothing. I would love to have hair with some kind of wave or body!

[ArtisticRainey]

I have curly hair, and I use John Freida's Frizz Eaze products to calm it, but I think I'm going to have to stop as I can't get a confirmation that it's vegan. They don't specifically test on animals, but they can't garauntee all their ingredients come from cruelty-free sources.

Frizz Be Gone -- apparently this is good, and vegan! I will have to try it.

I usually shampoo my hair once/twice a week. Never brush it unless I'm going to hop into the shower right after I do. I do blow dry, however, but only if there's product in my hair. But without products it dries into a pathetic attempt at a 'fro that looks vaguely like a group of cuckoos have mistaken my hair for a nest to steal.

It just occured to me that I want to book myself in for a hair appointment as a treat when I finish university (Over! Completely! In two weeks! Can't face...real world...) but I'll have to bring my own stuff along as I doubt any products they carry will be suitable.

[Jane_G]

This is interesting. I have long, curly hair and I do wash it every night. I don't blow dry and I use a comb only right after I wash it. I was told to use a low suds shampoo, but I have to admit that I haven't found one that I like.

If you only wash your hair a few times a week; do you use any styling product on your hair when you do wash it? Doesn't the product make your hair yucky the next morning (bed head)? I use a leave in conditioner for curly hair that I really like.

I have found that if I go more than 2 days without washing my hair, it gets stringy. I have fine hair. I think that might be the problem. Most people with curly hair have a coarse hair shaft while mine is thin.

I'm interested to hear what everyone does on a daily basis to their hair.

[ArtisticRainey]

My hair is excessively thick in both shaft and hairs per square centimetre (so my hairdresser says...). Plus it grows are more on the back of my head than the front. 1 inch front growth per 4 inch back growth.

Anywho, I use Freida's Extra Strength Hair Serum right after I wash and just leave it in. Leaves my hair soft, shiny, and in good condition (I feel like I'm in an ad for the thing now). No stickiness/residue. Nada. I also use the Miracle Recovery Leave-In Conditioner sometimes if I need to catch the flyaway hairs. Again, no residue. And the Perfect Curls spray if I'm going out on a special occasion. That one does leave my hair in a mess the day after -- which corresponds with how the rest of my body feels after a night out.

[guineapigluver1]

Originally Posted by Jane_G

This is interesting. I have long, curly hair and I do wash it every night. I don't blow dry and I use a comb only right after I wash it. I was told to use a low suds shampoo, but I have to admit that I haven't found one that I like.

If you only wash your hair a few times a week; do you use any styling product on your hair when you do wash it? Doesn't the product make your hair yucky the next morning (bed head)? I use a leave in conditioner for curly hair that I really like.

I have found that if I go more than 2 days without washing my hair, it gets stringy. I have fine hair. I think that might be the problem. Most people with curly hair have a coarse hair shaft while mine is thin.

I'm interested to hear what everyone does on a daily basis to their hair.

Well, after using conditioner in the shower you scrunch in a clear gel in your hair or a cream (it really depends on you type: Naturallycurly.com: Where curls come to life!), I have yet to try it (My mom is going to a salon tomorrow to get a conditioner that I want to try, and I need to get her to order a starter styling kit), so I don't know. Here read this:
Introduction to the no-poo method - CurlTalk

[ellenvega]

Conditioner-only washing is popular among the long-haired folks, but I don't think I could get away with it.

My hair is sorta wavy, and I haven't used a brush in 15 years. I also only shampoo every 3 days. Took a bit getting used to at first, now I can't imagine shampooing every day. It's so hard on your hair!

[kathrynj]

Interesting. I have long, but very very fine, dry (but copious amount of) hair. I can never condition it enough, even conditioning treatments don't work anymore. leave in conditioners are great, but if I use as much as my hair wants, I get a greasy look and feel to my hair, and it makes it look a much darker blonde than it is.

Initially the idea of not shampooing, freaks me out, I am a once or twice a day shampoo girl, however then I read about the sugar scrub, etc, so I guess you use alternative methods to clean your hair. Maybe worth a try for the weekends and see how it goes!

[JarBax]

I too have curly, dry, rebellious hair!

I use oils in my bath for my skin anyway, and find this helps my hair too. I also use pure unadulterated coconut oil as a conditioner, which is magic and vegan!

[Jane_G]

Ok...let me see if I understand all this.

Everyday/night you rinse your hair with just water and then condition, or use a leave in conditioner.

You only wash your hair once or twice a week depending on how it looks/feels. What brands of shampoos do you use, and are they very expensive?

I'm thinking about trying it. The only problem I see is in the summer when I get sunscreen and sand gunk in my hair.

This really is interesting.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

According to the author of the curly girl method, you need to use the method for a couple weeks before you see noticable results because it takes a while to restore the moisture in your hair.

Another thing I do for moisture (and part of the curly girl method) is to NOT rinse out all of my conditioner. I usually just wring out the excess. It sounds as though it would be goopy- but if you truly have dry hair then it soaks up the conditioner like a sponge. The real key is a balance between conditioner and gel.

[frashy]

You guys are so lucky. I was unblessed with striaght, fine hair. I cannot imagine going a day without washing it! The greasy look is not only unattractive, but dirty feeling.

They say you arn't sapossed to wash your hair everyday, for any hair type, but that would be impossible for me to do. If I had curly hair, I would avoid the harsh ingrediants in shampoos such as ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and propylene glycol. It's better to use higher quality shampoos that contain sodium laureth sulfate, tea lauryl sulfate, and tea laureth sulfate. I would also buy a shampoo that is ment for curly hair, and any leave in product to help with the curls as well.

I used to want to be a cosemetologist, but then thought about all the people I would probably make cry from the bad haircuts.