Wash And Go, To Grow And To Dazzle 2020 Challenge

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
What foams do you use now? I’m a foam girl! I like the mousse/foam to be thick and provide a lot of shine! My hair is highly dense in certain areas, so I need a foam that will work well all around. Nairobi seems to be the best for me so far.
I’ve never used Nairobi before.

I kind of have a love hate relationship with foaming mousses right now. The ones with excellent slip don’t provide the best hold. These usually use polyquaternium 11 as the main holding agent. The ones with pretty great hold are just as tangle inducing as using UFD on cold hair. This tangling is experience while applying and once cleansing out of the hair. These usually use polyquaternium 55 as the main holding agent.Then the ones that say to use on wet hair have basically zero hold, but leave the hair soft. So, I’m still trying to find out my favorite ones and the best ways to use them.

Hands down the best hold I have found is with Miche Beauty Set. It’s meant to dry under a hooded dryer and a wng with it can last 3 to 4 days. The Doux Mousse Def and Mielle Pomegranate and Honey Mousse are not too far behind.

Then the ones that look good on day one are The Doux Crazy Sexy Curl and Pattern Beauty Mousse. They look nice and won’t leave the hair too crunchy. They just don’t last long.

There are some that have great slip like both of the Lotta Body Mousses. They will glide through the hair effortlessly. My hair will look like it will have definition while the product is wet. As it dries, my hair will gradually turn into a giant curly fro. I don’t recall these being hard to remove from my hair but they won’t give me the definition I’m looking for.

I’m thinking about doing different techniques to give me either better definition, longer longevity or easier removal. I’m going to try double casting for the ones that just don’t provide enough hold to last a whole day. Double casting is applying the mousse again over the entire set after it has dried. Usually this is done the next day and can give the style more definition and longevity. I’ll probably use a lightweight leave-in as a base for the ones that don’t cleanse off easily.

I’m even trying to use them for their slip. This morning I used Just For Me Curl Peace Foaming Mousse under the Curl Slime. I used far less product than I have in the past. I usually use 9/10ths of the jar because the slime has no real slip and needs more to coat the hair from root to tip. This time I only used 1/4th of the jar. The definition is not as good, but it still looks nice and has more movement.

I know that the Curl Peace Mousse works well on dry hair, but I don’t know how it performs on damp hair. I’ll probably try that closer toward the end of this week. I get my wisdom teeth removed next Friday. So I’ll be using old faithfuls before going into surgery.

I hate walking around with wet hair and not having the proper time to fully dry. So, I’ll be back to playing around with foaming mousses soon. Maybe these new techniques will restore my love in them. Either way, I want to use them all up.
 

GGsKin

Well-Known Member
I finally washed my hair today. First complete wash and style since I returned from holiday on 26th. My hair was in desperate need of hydration and moisture so I decided to use clay to make my hair more responsive to the water and conditioner. After shampooing and detangling with a paddle brush, I massaged and smoothed on my clay mix (c.bentonite, DE and French pink, mixed with marshmallow root, camomile and hibiscus tea).

After about 1hr, I rinsed and use with CR Algae Renew in the steamy shower. I applied K18 leave-in, and after 4mins or so followed with Miche Sculp Gel, and diluted KCCC (genuine). Diffused dry.
 

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GettingKinky

Well-Known Member
I need to get better at styling my hair. I have no issues with washing/conditioning/detangling/applying stylers. But getting my hair to lay the way I want is another story. My doesn’t want to go towards the back. It always wants to fall forward and then it looks too heavy around my face.
I probably need to position it differently when I dry it. Or maybe I need a different haircut. I just want my hair to lay the way I want it to with out having to use bobby pins to hold it in place
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
I need to get better at styling my hair. I have no issues with washing/conditioning/detangling/applying stylers. But getting my hair to lay the way I want is another story. My doesn’t want to go towards the back. It always wants to fall forward and then it looks too heavy around my face.
I probably need to position it differently when I dry it. Or maybe I need a different haircut. I just want my hair to lay the way I want it to with out having to use bobby pins to hold it in place
I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

Do you have more density in the front?
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I need to get better at styling my hair. I have no issues with washing/conditioning/detangling/applying stylers. But getting my hair to lay the way I want is another story. My doesn’t want to go towards the back. It always wants to fall forward and then it looks too heavy around my face.
I probably need to position it differently when I dry it. Or maybe I need a different haircut. I just want my hair to lay the way I want it to with out having to use bobby pins to hold it in place
Do you dry it with the Bobby pins in place so it dries that way?
 

janaq2003

Well-Known Member
What are you fine haired ladies using? My daughters hair is not taking to the products I used for mine.. she needs a topper that’s not heavy like gel.. a nice holding mousse possibly?
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
What are you fine haired ladies using? My daughters hair is not taking to the products I used for mine.. she needs a topper that’s not heavy like gel.. a nice holding mousse possibly?
What are using the topper for? Is it for humidity resistance or to create a certain finish?
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
I stuck with doing wngs with UFD+ICH+ICV for several CCSs. I also cleansed my scalp with Pure Harmony Hair Bath during that time. Pure Harmony Hair Bath is not an all purpose. I don’t care what anyone else says. It’s only a step above Hydrating Cream Hairbath in terms of cleansing ability. It just lacks the detangling emollients that HCH leaves behind. I can not use it if I plan to wash my hair only once a week. My scalp looked so disgusting and I started developing really bad dandruff. No wonder Innersense promotes using their scalp scrub weekly.

Also, I do not find ICV to be humidity resistant. I don’t understand why it isn’t being used as a leave-in under hard hold gels. It seemed to only help further separate the curls when used on top. I realize I have a few products that have a very similar consistency in my stash, and I can hopefully start using them in similar ways.

With all the recent rainy and cold weather, I’m currently done with hair that stays wet for a long time even when drying it. I’m going to put down the UFD for a moment.
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
There are some positives. First, I’ve gotten some new goodies in the mail. I have Innersense I Create Defition, Trepadora BG Mousse, Abena’s ENBBA Naturals topper gel and a few stylers from ORS.

Second, I have to cleanse my scalp more often until I get this dandruff under control again. This means more opportunities to test out and use up products.
 

GettingKinky

Well-Known Member
I stuck with doing wngs with UFD+ICH+ICV for several CCSs. I also cleansed my scalp with Pure Harmony Hair Bath during that time. Pure Harmony Hair Bath is not an all purpose. I don’t care what anyone else says. It’s only a step above Hydrating Cream Hairbath in terms of cleansing ability. It just lacks the detangling emollients that HCH leaves behind. I can not use it if I plan to wash my hair only once a week. My scalp looked so disgusting and I started developing really bad dandruff. No wonder Innersense promotes using their scalp scrub weekly.

Also, I do not find ICV to be humidity resistant. I don’t understand why it isn’t being used as a leave-in under hard hold gels. It seemed to only help further separate the curls when used on top. I realize I have a few products that have a very similar consistency in my stash, and I can hopefully start using them in similar ways.

With all the recent rainy and cold weather, I’m currently done with hair that stays wet for a long time even when drying it. I’m going to put down the UFD for a moment.
I really liked the harmony hairbath. I used it for almost 2 years (that’s how long the bottle lasted me). I always followed it with Elucence moisture shampoo which I think is a very cleansing moisture shampoo so maybe that’s why I didn’t have any issues.
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
I really liked the harmony hairbath. I used it for almost 2 years (that’s how long the bottle lasted me). I always followed it with Elucence moisture shampoo which I think is a very cleansing moisture shampoo so maybe that’s why I didn’t have any issues.
I feel the same way about AG Balance. I recently finished a 12oz bottle that I've had since March of 2020. Maybe my scalp is too oily for Pure Harmony Hairbath to be used as a weekly shampoo. I think using it every 3 days could work better. I feel like I could use it daily and not dry out my hair nor scalp.

I was really hoping to like it. Besides my scalp issue was that it had no slip. I can easily run my fingers through my hair after using more cleansing products like AG Balance, Kinky Curly Come Clean and Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Shampoo. So I was surprised that PHH started leaving a slightly tacky feeling on my hair after the 2nd weekly wash much like a castile soap. By the 3rd weekly shampoo, it was pretty apparent it wasn't cleaning everything off very well. I do have a water filter shower head. I'm outside a lot with my hair uncovered. So it could be the elements getting in my hair contributing to this.

I agree that the Elucence Moisture Benefits was more cleansing while still moisturzing. It was a fav back in the day. However, I only wore my hair straight at that time and used it after a clarifying poo.
 

DVAntDany

Well-Known Member
I had to take some time and think about this. I believe that if a product is truly being used as a topper, you wouldn't need enough that it would weigh down the curls. When I use the combo of UFD+ ICH + PS or BG, ICH is not being used as a topper. It is my styler and the Trepadora gel is the topper for me.

I'm not the most creative when it comes to layering products, but I have noticed a few things. There are 2 main types of gels that I go for. Both have weight to them. One creates a plastic like cast and the other creates a crispy cast. The plastic casts gives my hair shine, pliability, and a soft feel when interacting with humidity. The main negative is that I can't separate the curls if I was too liberal with my application, and the curls became stuck together. The crispy cast gives a firmer shell around the hair until it dries. This means that I can superficially dry my hair on the outside while the inside is still very damp, but my hairstyle will not become distorted if I were to nap on it. The crispy cast also can be scrunched out. This allows my hair to gain some volume and to separate curls that are stuck together. If I scrunch it out too much, the shine is dulled down and puffier looking curls will be exposed.

I'm saying all of this because it makes a difference when used alone or as a topper. UFD gives a plastic cast. ICH gives a crispy-ish cast that can barely be scrunched out. PS gives a plastic cast. If I use PS on top, what it looks like freshly dried is my hairstyle. There is not separating curls or getting volume. BG gives a crispy cast. I can fully separate chunks of curls and move my roots. It is also super super resistant to the weather. ICV on top is super lightweight and crispy. I saw separation without the initial stiff crunch. This is probably why BG over a mousse doesn't last long. Both items are crispy and can be scrunched out easily just by sleeping on it.

After listening to several stylist talk about why they layered mousse and gels, many said it started with trying to get better slip without adding more water. Many of the BGC stylists don't like what MD does on top of UFD. Aishia noticed that using volumizing mousse as a middle topper gave volume and softness. So she would do UFD+ICH+Cloud+PS. I've heard some Pro Innersense stylists like using ICL (I Create Lift) as a base as well as a topper for tight textures. I can't really say what the difference is between using mousse under vs over. It looks as though volumizing foam used as a topper gives more airiness to the hair.

Then we have cream toppers. I did the whole reverse wng with CurlMix. It did provide more hold having the moisturizer on top vs on the bottom. I personally like mousse as a base and a cream gel like Mielle Rosemary Mint Daily Styling Creme as a topper. This creme can be used as a single product, but it doesn't glide through damp hair very well. When used on top of a mousse, I get the volume of the mousse but the shine and definition of the creme. I never really venture much in the cream department because they often leave my hair white. I also hear a lot of stylists talk about how creams can weigh hair down. So be careful with this.

Basically, I'm going to suggest any crispy cast gel or one where you can scrunch out the crunch. The crispiness I'm talking about feels and sounds like wrapping tissue paper once the hair is dry. So no matter how light weight or heavy the product is, you should be able to get expansion once the hair is full dry. The one caveat is that I don't know if others experience the same textural feelings on their hair. Most people say mousses/styling foams leaves their hair soft, but I experience the opposite. I know for a fact products work differently on my mom's hair than my own. So this ability to scrunch out the crunch is subjective. Based on my experience, Twist by Ouidad Weather Up Weightless Curl Defining Gel is my top pick for you. It has weight while wet to define curls, but dries light weight. It leaves a softer feeling crispy cast on my hair that I'm able to fully scrunch out the crunch. However, the amount I need to get really good definition as a one and done can leave my hair whitish like a cream. I haven't played around with layering it.
 
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