2018 Hair Regimen Development: Design, Rationale, Revision, Reflection

So I do have a question for anyone who reads this:

What ingredients do you find that don’t work for you or your hair? It can be anything you find not fitting. Skin irritation, smell, dry hair, too greasy, too stripping, not cleansing enough, doesn’t mix well with other products or oils, etc.

I have a list of ingredients I just don’t like, but for now I’ll list one combination I straight up don’t like in products.

The ones I see whose ingredient list starts with
Water, Cetearyl Alchohol, Steramidopropyl Betaine (more than certain I spelled it wrong lol). In either order it still gives my hair this distinct feel I just don’t like.

It’s kind of like trying to shower without using any soap. That’s the feel I get on my hair. Like I tried to wash dirt ONTO my hair. And for whatever reason these ingredients are notorious for roughing up my cuticles when I see them side by side in the ingredient list, and they’re the first two ingredients I see.

Coconut oil
Shea Butter (really thought this was gonna work via the TMC hairdressing and to an extent it does but really only when I use it on dry hair. And with my current regimen I’m trialing I’m not really doing anything to my hair once it’s dry).

Both of these are hit or miss for me and I never know when or if they’ll work in any given product.

I’m learning not to use them alone under any circumstances.


Most protein makes me nervous too.
I don’t like products that are lavender scented, and most that are some sort of food scent are unappealing to me too.

Reflection

At the moment, products that are really working for me include:

1. The Mane Choice Ancient Egyptian Shampoo
   (it's pretty moisturizing for my hair, over time particularly)
2. Jane Carter Solutions Curls To Go! Untangle Me Weightless Leave-in
   (amazing, amazing, amazing slip . . . so it's amazing as a detangler [best I've EVER used], especially with the Denman D4 brush)
3. Shea Moisture Manuka Honey Leave-in Milk under Bronner Brothers Firm Hold Curling Gel
4. Malibu C Hard Water Shampoo
   (if used only occasionally to chelate, and not too often; otherwise, it's deceptively drying)
5. Jane Carter Solutions Shine On Curl Elixir
   (smells divine; gives insane shine)
6. Komaza Pona Hair and Scalp Treatment
7. Komaza Protein Hair Strengthener
8. Cantu Apple Cider Vinegar Dry CoWash
   (great for use when my natural hair is heat-straightened and I need to attend to my scalp)

I'm still looking for a holy grail deep conditioner. So far Shea Moisture's Manuka Honey masque is the best I've tried. I'm probably going to try the Naturall Club avocado deep conditioner at some point (the reviews just get me ).

I'm also probably going to try the new Shea Moisture gel for the coconut line (in the white tube). It gets good reviews for fine hair.

Today's Routine
I thoroughly rinsed my hair with water and then applied olaplex in sections. I left it on for a bit over 10 minutes because I got distracted. Them I shampooed and conditioned as usual. I used kckt as my leave in and then put hyaluronic acid and fractionated coconut oil on top. Once I got out of the shower I put shea butter on my ends.

This was my first time using olaplex (I've always been too broke in the past to get it). I really like it. My hair feels nice and strong the way it does after a protein treatment but it wasn't dry the way it usually gets. That also meant that it clumped really nicely. I think this will be a keeper. I plan to use it every other week.

I've also gone back to coconut oil as my main oil because my hair just seems to get along really well with it and it's affordable for me.

I think if things continue to go well I will bleach my hair again in February next year - the purple has grown out a lot and when my hair is pulled back you can't see it anymore.

I think I struggle the most with consistency and protein/moisture balance. I have also found this to be much harder as I am trying to use more natural products, as I have definitely noticed my hair thrives with more natural ingredients.

I need to start shampooing my every other week vs weekly, only problem is I know my hair needs to be cleansed/wet in the shower weekly just need to find a cowash I actually like that's not stripping or find a moisturising shampoo. I am thinking of trying shampoo bars or CRN sweet ginger cleanser. also stop waiting until wash day to do anything to my hair, start M&S during the week.

Weekly:
Cleanse: currently using Dudu Osum black soap shampoo but it is too drying to use on a weekly basis
R/O Conditioner: because I need something to immediately put moisture back in and help detangle, and use so much I don't want to waste good deep conditioner - Giovanni 50/50 or SAS conditioner
KEY: deep condition with heat! I noticed I get such a better condition by leaving on for longer (compared to the 5-10 min it takes me to detangle in the shower) and letting it soak in with heat. Currently using Mielle Organics Babassu Mint (supposed to be balanced so I'm hoping this will help with my protein/moisture) after Shea Moisture Manuka Honey mask changed their ingredients. I'm on the hunt for a super moisturizing and a balancing or protein deep conditioner

Towel dry to soak up excess water so my DIY tea spritz (green tea/hibiscus and/or chamomile/lavender) can really penetrate and soak in
Leave In: staple - Kinky Curly Knot Today. although I'm looking for a more moisturising alternative. in the past I had great success with Qhemet Biologics just expensive, thinking of revisiting this fall/winter
KEY: Shea Butter (whipped, usually with sweet almond oil and extra virgin coconut oil) to seal in all the moisture, smooth strands, and easily detangle and set my style. noticed this keeps my hair shiny and moisturized for longer.

Monthly: henna (nupur henna, coconut milk, honey, oil). I've noticed my hair loves henna but I always do it so sporadically, typically because it's such a process. I'm hoping now I have a hooded dryer can speed up the process by mixing the night before, and sitting under the dryer so only have to keep the mask on for 2 hours. I want to be more consistent and do henna masks/gloss monthly.

I'm open to suggestions, preferably silicone and sulfate free. particularly for a moisturizing shampoo and bomb deep conditioner.

I don’t know why it’s hard for me to remember that I need to put something in my hair after I’ve washed and conditioned it. Then I complain that my hair is dry. Well duh, I’m not moisturizing it.

New routine for the Fall/ Winter

I'll be wigging it Monday- Friday once I find a good wig that fits under my work hat and doesn't LOOK like a wig.

Ill be taking my hair down every 7 days, ( wash, treat and braid back up)

90% of my products include ayurvedic tones ( i'm back home babay)

New add on is chebe powder. I've added it to my henna for the last two treatments and it made the process so much better. I've also used the Stimugro Chebe leave in and oil. ( I wont repurchase them but will the chebe powder).

I’ve been doing a smoothing technique in the shower lately. Smoothing when I first wet my hair. Smoothing as I shampoo. Smoothing as I condition.

I’ve been losing way less hair in the shower and my hair is way less tangled. I can detangle with my shampoo or even before I start shampooing.

I bought a moisturizer from TGIN and a curl cream from TW. So hopefully I can start learning how to effectively moisturize and seal my hair.

SunkissedLife said:

I think I struggle the most with consistency and protein/moisture balance. I have also found this to be much harder as I am trying to use more natural products, as I have definitely noticed my hair thrives with more natural ingredients.

I need to start shampooing my every other week vs weekly, only problem is I know my hair needs to be cleansed/wet in the shower weekly just need to find a cowash I actually like that's not stripping or find a moisturising shampoo. I am thinking of trying shampoo bars or CRN sweet ginger cleanser. also stop waiting until wash day to do anything to my hair, start M&S during the week.

Weekly:
Cleanse: currently using Dudu Osum black soap shampoo but it is too drying to use on a weekly basis
R/O Conditioner: because I need something to immediately put moisture back in and help detangle, and use so much I don't want to waste good deep conditioner - Giovanni 50/50 or SAS conditioner
KEY: deep condition with heat! I noticed I get such a better condition by leaving on for longer (compared to the 5-10 min it takes me to detangle in the shower) and letting it soak in with heat. Currently using Mielle Organics Babassu Mint (supposed to be balanced so I'm hoping this will help with my protein/moisture) after Shea Moisture Manuka Honey mask changed their ingredients. I'm on the hunt for a super moisturizing and a balancing or protein deep conditioner

Towel dry to soak up excess water so my DIY tea spritz (green tea/hibiscus and/or chamomile/lavender) can really penetrate and soak in
Leave In: staple - Kinky Curly Knot Today. although I'm looking for a more moisturising alternative. in the past I had great success with Qhemet Biologics just expensive, thinking of revisiting this fall/winter
KEY: Shea Butter (whipped, usually with sweet almond oil and extra virgin coconut oil) to seal in all the moisture, smooth strands, and easily detangle and set my style. noticed this keeps my hair shiny and moisturized for longer.

Monthly: henna (nupur henna, coconut milk, honey, oil). I've noticed my hair loves henna but I always do it so sporadically, typically because it's such a process. I'm hoping now I have a hooded dryer can speed up the process by mixing the night before, and sitting under the dryer so only have to keep the mask on for 2 hours. I want to be more consistent and do henna masks/gloss monthly.

I'm open to suggestions, preferably silicone and sulfate free. particularly for a moisturizing shampoo and bomb deep conditioner.

Click to expand...

Did you find a DC? I don’t have any recs but I’m going to keep my eye out for some too. For me they also have to be easily accessible and fairly cheap. Right now I’m using a Maui Moisture dc because it’s under 10$. It’s the agave hair mask one but there are other types. They’re all aloe vera based.

For shampoos, one I’m currently using is an aloe vera shampoo by the brand Jason. It’s sulfate free. I think there are probably more moisturizing ones out there but since this is aloe vera based I figured it has to be beneficial in some way.

This morning, I cut off maybe two inches of thin ends. They were irritating me!!

My length goal is second to my ultimate healthy hair goal, so while I’ll miss the length right now, I’m not too upset about it.

I can not get the tgin daily hair moisturizer to work for me.

CurlyWhoCrux said:

This morning, I cut off maybe two inches of thin ends. They were irritating me!!

My length goal is second to my ultimate healthy hair goal, so while I’ll miss the length right now, I’m not too upset about it.

I can not get the tgin daily hair moisturizer to work for me.

Click to expand...

I use the TGIN daily moisturizer when my hair is stretched or straightened. It works the best then. I don't try to use it on my curly hair. How are you trying to use it?

faithVA said:

I use the TGIN daily moisturizer when my hair is stretched or straightened. It works the best then. I don't try to use it on my curly hair. How are you trying to use it?

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I’ve used it on both wet and damp hair. The directions don’t specify the state the hair needs to be in (unless I’m just not seeing it), which is why I’ve tried both. Both times my hair gets a bit rough, and the product is hard to work in. I’ve tried starting off with a little product emulsified into my hands, and I’ve tried adding more product as I go.

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I’ve used it on both wet and damp hair. The directions don’t specify the state the hair needs to be in (unless I’m just not seeing it), which is why I’ve tried both. Both times my hair gets a bit rough, and the product is hard to work in. I’ve tried starting off with a little product emulsified into my hands, and I’ve tried adding more product as I go.

Click to expand...

Ok. I understand. I would recommend not using it on wet or damp hair. I found it worked best when my hair was dry and I was wearing a stretched state that I didn't want to revert. There leave-in works better for wet/damp hair. Their moisturizer works better for dry hair.

faithVA said:

Ok. I understand. I would recommend not using it on wet or damp hair. I found it worked best when my hair was dry and I was wearing a stretched state that I didn't want to revert. There leave-in works better for wet/damp hair. Their moisturizer works better for dry hair.

Click to expand...

I’ll try it on dry hair sometime this week.

I've started wetting my hair almost every day , and I've seen a huge improvement in my hair. I think some day my hair may be able to go multiple days without getting wet, but that's probably way off. Maybe by the end of the year.

I've also started using leave-ins and some sort of styler (As opposed to just leaving in my rinse out conditioner as I used to do). I can't believe it has taken me so long to fully recognize that I need to use a leave in and styler diligently. Now I'm always on the look out for a quality leave in.

I'm not worried about hygral fatigue or moisture overload because my hair just isn't that hydrated to begin with.

The reason I started wetting my hair everyday is because I went back and read the MHM thread again (probably the fourth time I've gone through and read the entire thing), and I decided to give it a try. But it wasn't practical for my current lifestyle, so I couldn't keep it up. But I noticed improvements in my hair at the time which I attributed to frequent hydration.

I have a small stash (about 6 shampoos, 4 conditioners, 5 leave ins, 2 stylers, and 1 pomade) that I am currently working through; some stuff is unused and some stuff is almost finished and some stuff in between. I think that this will get me through February, and then I can try new products next month. I know for sure the shampoos will last, as well as the pomade.

Today, I washed my hair with SM Coconut and Hibiscus shampoo. Conditioned with Garnier Whole Blends Replenshing Conditioner. Applied a leave in from a line called Urban Hydration. And applied a Garnier Smoothing Styler. And then applied a small amount of Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade to my ends, crown, and edges. Twisted it up. My hair feels soft and my scalp feels nice too.

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I've started wetting my hair almost every day , and I've seen a huge improvement in my hair. I think some day my hair may be able to go multiple days without getting wet, but that's probably way off. Maybe by the end of the year.

I've also started using leave-ins and some sort of styler (As opposed to just leaving in my rinse out conditioner as I used to do). I can't believe it has taken me so long to fully recognize that I need to use a leave in and styler diligently. Now I'm always on the look out for a quality leave in.

I'm not worried about hygral fatigue or moisture overload because my hair just isn't that hydrated to begin with.

The reason I started wetting my hair everyday is because I went back and read the MHM thread again (probably the fourth time I've gone through and read the entire thing), and I decided to give it a try. But it wasn't practical for my current lifestyle, so I couldn't keep it up. But I noticed improvements in my hair at the time which I attributed to frequent hydration.

I have a small stash (about 6 shampoos, 4 conditioners, 5 leave ins, 2 stylers, and 1 pomade) that I am currently working through; some stuff is unused and some stuff is almost finished and some stuff in between. I think that this will get me through February, and then I can try new products next month. I know for sure the shampoos will last, as well as the pomade.

Today, I washed my hair with SM Coconut and Hibiscus shampoo. Conditioned with Garnier Whole Blends Replenshing Conditioner. Applied a leave in from a line called Urban Hydration. And applied a Garnier Smoothing Styler. And then applied a small amount of Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade to my ends, crown, and edges. Twisted it up. My hair feels soft and my scalp feels nice too.

Click to expand...

What improvements have you seen with wetting it every day? Why do you consider using a leave in better than leaving in your rinse out conditioner?

In January I started rinsing my hair every other day and then putting in conditioner. I am hoping over time my hair stays hydrated. For now I'm just leaving in the conditioner. I'm still debating on when I will try using leave in instead.

faithVA said:

What improvements have you seen with wetting it every day? Why do you consider using a leave in better than leaving in your rinse out conditioner?

In January I started rinsing my hair every other day and then putting in conditioner. I am hoping over time my hair stays hydrated. For now I'm just leaving in the conditioner. I'm still debating on when I will try using leave in instead.

Click to expand...

I’ve noticed that it’s easier to actually do my hair at each step from shampooing to sealing and everything in between. I can finger detangle and be sure that I’ve gotten out all my tangles because I can start finger detangling before I shampoo and then continue through the shampoo process to the conditioning process. My hair is softer. I'm seeing slightly more curl definition in my hair (I think my hair is like 3B/3C in curl shape or size, but since my hair is so dry there's not a lot of definition when wet and it's a lot of frizz the moment it's no longer soaking wet). My hair seems to hang longer in twists (I only twist my hair while I'm doing it --washing through styling--but I don't wear twists as a style. I bun my hair after I've added my styler). The overall appearance of my hair seems less dull/dry/frazzled.

I started rinsing out my conditioner as a way to make sure all of the shampoo is rinsed out that might not have come out during the shampoo rinsing stage. And also, so I can get any shed hair out one last time before I get out of the shower. And it could be because I rarely used a styler after my shower, but when I just used rinse outs my hair would feel both dry and producty/gross at the same time.

I also want to add that I am washing my hair everyday with either a sulfate or sulfate free shampoo, or a co-cleanser or something, which I know is an eyebrow raiser. This is also something I took from the MHM thread (not like verbatim but it occurred to me that the frequency of cleaning the hair is what allows water to get into the strand which is why this method was working for people IMO), and I recognized sometime last year that my low porosity hair responds well to being properly cleansed. So I just decided to see what would happen if for one week I just shampooed everyday. And my hair was perfectly fine, even better than it has ever been. I think applying three times as many moisturizing products counteracts the one cleaning product (rinse out or DC, leave in, moisturizing styler versus shampoo) is what's keeping this method working for me. I've been doing it for about a month now.

Sorry this is is so long and is more than what you asked for, but I feel like I am having a key game changing moment for my hair.

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I’ve noticed that it’s easier to actually do my hair at each step from shampooing to sealing and everything in between. I can finger detangle and be sure that I’ve gotten out all my tangles because I can start finger detangling before I shampoo and then continue through the shampoo process to the conditioning process. My hair is softer. I'm seeing slightly more curl definition in my hair (I think my hair is like 3B/3C in curl shape or size, but since my hair is so dry there's not a lot of definition when wet and it's a lot of frizz the moment it's no longer soaking wet). My hair seems to hang longer in twists (I only twist my hair while I'm doing it --washing through styling--but I don't wear twists as a style. I bun my hair after I've added my styler). The overall appearance of my hair seems less dull/dry/frazzled.

I started rinsing out my conditioner as a way to make sure all of the shampoo is rinsed out that might not have come out during the shampoo rinsing stage. And also, so I can get any shed hair out one last time before I get out of the shower. And it could be because I rarely used a styler after my shower, but when I just used rinse outs my hair would feel both dry and producty/gross at the same time.

I also want to add that I am washing my hair everyday with either a sulfate or sulfate free shampoo, or a co-cleanser or something, which I know is an eyebrow raiser. This is also something I took from the MHM thread (not like verbatim but it occurred to me that the frequency of cleaning the hair is what allows water to get into the strand which is why this method was working for people IMO), and I recognized sometime last year that my low porosity hair responds well to being properly cleansed. So I just decided to see what would happen if for one week I just shampooed everyday. And my hair was perfectly fine, even better than it has ever been. I think applying three times as many moisturizing products counteracts the one cleaning product (rinse out or DC, leave in, moisturizing styler versus shampoo) is what's keeping this method working for me. I've been doing it for about a month now.

Sorry this is is so long and is more than what you asked for, but I feel like I am having a key game changing moment for my hair.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the detail. I don't mind that it was long. It is interesting your hair likes shampoo every day.

I am interested in hearing about your progress after the next month or so.

I decided to try every other day since watching Anthony Dickeys videos. He says it's good to we the hair daily. Daily was too much for me but I knew I could manage every other day. I plan to give it 90 days before making any decisions.

faithVA said:

Thanks for the detail. I don't mind that it was long. It is interesting your hair likes shampoo every day.

I am interested in hearing about your progress after the next month or so.

I decided to try every other day since watching Anthony Dickeys videos. He says it's good to we the hair daily. Daily was too much for me but I knew I could manage every other day. I plan to give it 90 days before making any decisions.

Click to expand...

I think I’ve seen a video with him saying that. And also I watched a YouTuber who had done like 3 months of daily cowashing. Daily cowashing would just result in horrible build up for me but it worked well for her. Both of those videos also helped me to form the idea that I can wet my hair everyday, I just need to understand how to ensure it’s effective.

I will come back at the end of February with an update.

I’m interested to hear about your progress also, especially because I’ve tried the frequent wetting with only conditioning method (I tried it for a long time before I realized it didn’t work for me). I read in one thread you’re applying Crisco to your ends. This doesn’t give you build up?

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I think I’ve seen a video with him saying that. And also I watched a YouTuber who had done like 3 months of daily cowashing. Daily cowashing would just result in horrible build up for me but it worked well for her. Both of those videos also helped me to form the idea that I can wet my hair everyday, I just need to understand how to ensure it’s effective.

I will come back at the end of February with an update.

I’m interested to hear about your progress also, especially because I’ve tried the frequent wetting with only conditioning method (I tried it for a long time before I realized it didn’t work for me). I read in one thread you’re applying Crisco to your ends. This doesn’t give you build up?

Click to expand...

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I think I’ve seen a video with him saying that. And also I watched a YouTuber who had done like 3 months of daily cowashing. Daily cowashing would just result in horrible build up for me but it worked well for her. Both of those videos also helped me to form the idea that I can wet my hair everyday, I just need to understand how to ensure it’s effective.

I will come back at the end of February with an update.

I’m interested to hear about your progress also, especially because I’ve tried the frequent wetting with only conditioning method (I tried it for a long time before I realized it didn’t work for me). I read in one thread you’re applying Crisco to your ends. This doesn’t give you build up?

Click to expand...

I cleanse my hair every 10 days or so with Redken cleansing conditioner. I don't get build up in that time frame. My cuticles lay pretty flat so most things slide off my hair fairly easily making it harder for things to build up on my hair. I also do a mudwash before I henna so that takes care of any build up.

ETA: I thought about this last night.i dilute my conditioner either 6 to 1 or 8 to 1. I use about 1 oz conditioner to 6 to 8 oz of water. With that ratio it isn't prone to easy build up.

faithVA said:

I cleanse my hair every 10 days or so with Redken cleansing conditioner. I don't get build up in that time frame. My cuticles lay pretty flat so most things slide off my hair fairly easily making it harder for things to build up on my hair. I also do a mudwash before I henna so that takes care of any build up.

ETA: I thought about this last night.i dilute my conditioner either 6 to 1 or 8 to 1. I use about 1 oz conditioner to 6 to 8 oz of water. With that ratio it isn't prone to easy build up.

Click to expand...

I think for my hair...it likes the diluting of products too. Because it’s low po.
But I also think the coarse strands require more product. So it’s always a balancing act between a product being too watery versus too thick versus too little product versus too much product.

A reflexión/revelación:
Last night I wanted to try out a different use for a product. I have some of the Not Your Mother’s Curl Care products. There is one product that claims to be a 3-in-1 leave in, co wash, rinse out. I’ve been using it as a leave in on damp hair outside of the shower. Last night I wanted to try it as a cowash which then actually ended up as me using it as a leave in but applied in the shower on wet hair. I really worked it in because I was thinking I was gonna rinse it out. When I didn’t rinse it out and got out of the shower I realized that my curls were more defined than they normally are when I apply leave in out of the shower and possibly even conditioner in the shower.

Anyways what I realized is that I’m not working conditioner into my hair enough in the shower. I usually just apply it, rake it a little, and move on. I’m gonna try to be more intentional with my application and massaging in the product from now on.

CurlyWhoCrux said:

I think for my hair...it likes the diluting of products too. Because it’s low po.
But I also think the coarse strands require more product. So it’s always a balancing act between a product being too watery versus too thick versus too little product versus too much product.

A reflexión/revelación:
Last night I wanted to try out a different use for a product. I have some of the Not Your Mother’s Curl Care products. There is one product that claims to be a 3-in-1 leave in, co wash, rinse out. I’ve been using it as a leave in on damp hair outside of the shower. Last night I wanted to try it as a cowash which then actually ended up as me using it as a leave in but applied in the shower on wet hair. I really worked it in because I was thinking I was gonna rinse it out. When I didn’t rinse it out and got out of the shower I realized that my curls were more defined than they normally are when I apply leave in out of the shower and possibly even conditioner in the shower.

Anyways what I realized is that I’m not working conditioner into my hair enough in the shower. I usually just apply it, rake it a little, and move on. I’m gonna try to be more intentional with my application and massaging in the product from now on.

Click to expand...

Yeah, if your hair is lo po, it likes to have additional manipulation to get water/product into the hair. I can see how the extra massaging could help.

Reflection:

The more I try to work product into my hair the more the curls break up into skinny curls. I think this is just because the roots are still more dehydrated so while the Midshaft to ends will clump into fat curls the roots won’t clump at all. Which then prompts me to put more product in my hair to clump the roots. Which breaks up the clumps at the midshaft to ends. So hopefully daily rinsing will get these roots together.

Also I’m gonna try cowashing more days in the week. So I cowashed today with the 3-in-1 from Not Your Mother’s Curl Care line. This line...the sulfate free shampoo and the conditioner I like and because of it’s affordable price and ease of accessibility will probably repurchase, but the defining cream is not good at all. It only works on damp closer to dry hair which I can’t get down with. By the time my hair is damp to dry I want to be done with doing it, not just starting to do it because it’s hard to distribute products in my hair when it’s dry. And it leaves residue as it’s drying that makes my hair look gross until it disappears. I won’t repurchase this once I use it up.

I’ve found that I’m having a hard time finding stylers for my hair. And it seems to be across the board in terms of butters to creams to jellies to gels that I don’t know what kind of product will work on my hair. Gels do the best at immediately defining my curls but they don’t hold them and my hair begins to frizz and poof while I’m still applying products to other sections of my hair. Creams and butters don’t offer as great the definition, but the right cream or butter will make my hair soft. Some actually made my hair rough (which is another issue - not knowing how any of these consistencies will be like during actual application).

I ordered some cream and butter stylers from curlmart this week. My thinking is that even if they don’t define my curls they will seal in moisture better than gels so I can still have soft moisturized hair. Assuming they don’t make my hair rough, I will just use these products after my leave in and then bun my hair.


ETA:
My hair dilemmas stem from my hair both needing to be weighed down and not being bombarded with products that won’t absorb into my hair.

Since it’s a new month I thought I would come in with more reflection, revision, and rationale.

There’s some hair at the very back of my head that’s noticeably shorter than the hair that’s next to it (also in the back). I think when I do my buns I am going to keep this section twisted so it can’t tangle and break off.

When I split my hair in four sections (first down the middle and then each of those halves into halves) the two front halves curl more than the two back halves. I’m not sure what this means for my techniques and regimen now since I’m not wearing wash and gos, but will be something to be cognizant of moving forward. (Maybe when the back of my hair is fully curled [and the section that’s shorter grows out] I will recognize that as a milestone that yes my hairs overhall health has improved because the weakest link is now at a point that I like, if that makes sense).

My edges are really frizzy no matter what.

My hair is starting to get wet in the shower more easily than it has in the past. My hair is easier to detangle and I feel like I’m losing less hair. However I’m not entirely sure about this last one just because now I’m getting rid of shed hair more frequently than before so it makes sense that there’s less from daily removal than from removing every three days or so.

For March, I’m gonna rinse or cowash daily and then use a shampoo once a week and see how that goes. I might alternate between a sulfate and sulfate free shampoo each week or maybe add one in somewhere in the middle of the week if I feel like I need it. Then I’ll apply my leave in while still in the shower. When I get out of the shower I’ll apply the SM CES on top.

So far I haven’t seen any negative impacts of this regimen since I started in late January. My hair is better bcause of it. I just need to keep up with it to see exponential results.

Products I’ll be using:
Not Your Mother’s Curl Care shampoo and 3-in-1 conditioner.
TXTR by Cantu Strength and Restore Mask
Leave in (actually not sure what leave in I’ll use)
Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (if I feel like my hair doesn’t like the CES, I will repurchase the Camille Rose Aloe Whipped Butter Gel because that made my hair soft).

shawnyblazes said:

New routine for the Fall/ Winter

I'll be wigging it Monday- Friday once I find a good wig that fits under my work hat and doesn't LOOK like a wig.

Ill be taking my hair down every 7 days, ( wash, treat and braid back up)

90% of my products include ayurvedic tones ( i'm back home babay)

New add on is chebe powder. I've added it to my henna for the last two treatments and it made the process so much better. I've also used the Stimugro Chebe leave in and oil. ( I wont repurchase them but will the chebe powder).

Click to expand...

Yeah that didn't work out.

I have been protective styling though. so, theres that.

I have to wear a hat at work so It makes sense to keep my hair contained during the week. Protective styles like crochet braids make me lazy though...

I plan on going in kinky twists next though ,so we shall see.. Chopped off some hair in oct '18. In the very front so it will be noticeable if I try and twist my own hair.
I'll access how It looks when my hair is out.

Since mid January I have been testing out wetting my hair more often. Every other day I rinse, apply diluted conditioner and twist my hair up. Sometimes I oil my ends and sometimes not. I am 45 days in. I have noticed that my hair gets wet faster. When I take down my twist, my hair feels soft, smooth and pliable. With just diluted conditoner my hair feels as if I have done LOC. My twist separate easily and my strands don't stick together.

I am seeing fewer splits and less breakage. I am not sure if my shedding has changed at all.

I went 3 to 4 days without rinsing after applying my color and my twist were still moisturized which is rare.

I'm not sure if I see more curl definition but my hair is smoother. My hair around my edges is not so wiry and course.

This weekend I want to put in 2 strand twist and see if I can rinse and condition in the twist. If so I will have found my regimen at least through the summer.

When I cleanse I cleanse with Redken Cleansing Conditioner. I am still trying to see how often I need to cleanse and if I can just use the Redken Cleaning Conditoner or if I can use a mudwash or if I really need a shampoo.

Two things:

My hair easily attracts tiny lint particles from the air. I notice little (verrry tiny) pieces of lint/string on my strands even if I have rinsed it earlier that day. This is one reason I don’t like to dry my hair with any sort of fabric.

My hair has low elasticity, I think. I think maybe I should try a protein treatment to improve it.

marking my spot

Reflection:

I had two hair mode - either jumping on every bandwagon/product or total neglect. Realizing that slow and consistent care and less products are more beneficial for my hair.

Plaits (not cornrows or twists) is the best way to stretch texture and access to my scalp and strands.

I really think I'm on the right track with my hair these days, and so I just wanted to come into this thread and reflect a little bit.

So, on the last day of June, I did a reset wash and restarted the Curly Girl Method. Before this, I had already been daily or every other day cowashing, but I wasn't doing it well enough, and I wasn't applying much of anything once I got out of the shower. I could see some improvements to my hair when I did the cowash and then add gel as CGM dictates.

About two weeks into CGM, I realized that CGM was about more than just cowash and gel; it's about making sure one is hydrating their hair. It occurred to me that I should be trying, with each wash, to achieve a seaweed-type of feeling in my hair that indicates there's a lot of water in my hair topped off with a lot of conditioner. Before this realization, that wasn't necessarily the case. I was thinking that just a little water and a lot of conditioner was the key to healthy hair, and that's because I could never get a lot of water into my hair.

So, I started focusing on achieving that seaweed feeling, which really resulted on me focusing on getting a lot of water into my hair. This resulted in me creating a routine for my shower which consisted of using music to time all of the steps of my routine.

• Wet hair for the length of one song
• Condition/cowash for the length of one song
• Rinse for the length of one song
• Condition for the length of one song

I'm currently using two products: Suave Everlasting Sunshine Conditioner and Wetline Extreme Gel. I've used either Not Your Mother's Curl Talk sulfate-free shampoo or Suave Everlasting Sunshine Shampoo (sulfates) when I've decided to shampoo my hair. I like using the ES conditioner because it's cheap so I can use palmfuls and not feel guilty about it. And I love how it's proven to me that I don't actually need an expensive conditioner to get results, because the conditioner is just meant to trap in all that good water.

I felt like I was doing the MHM during the first week because I was doing this routine everyday. In the first couple of weeks, I stuck to this concretely. My showers/baths took a long time (because I wash my hair in sections). But there was a lot of turning the water on/off throughout the process.

I started noticing results fairly quickly.

• My hair clumps a bit better, both wet and dry
• My hair relaxes more quickly under water, indicating it's actually getting wet and weighed down by water
• My hair hangs more, despite also clumping/waving up more
• A bit more shine
• My hair is less tangled and just generally easier to deal with. In the first few days of this routine, I struggled because my dry hair wouldn't get wet easily, and it wouldn't detangle easily
• The entire process that I listed above actually takes less time now, because before I was using the music as a timer to force myself to slow down and give my hair time to actually respond to water and conditioner. Now, my hair is responding better to both, so it doesn't take a full song to get my hair wet, or a full song to properly detangle.

The more I do my hair, the more hydrated it becomes. I feel like by the end of the year, I'm gonna have a completely different head of hair.

I spend a lot of time on the curlyhair subreddit and it kinda discourages me that there are looser curlies and wavies who have spent years straightening their hair and seeing results quickly with CGM. But, I also feel like a lot them were probably also wetting their hair a lot despite this (some people wash and straighten their hair everyday). So despite damaging their hair, they're still hydrating it. I realized that my hair is actually probably healthier than a lot of heads in that subreddit, it's just I've had bad luck getting water into my hair, and so it's just been a dry poofball for so long.