Wash And Go, To Grow And To Dazzle 2020 Challenge

[fluffyforever]

I use Balance and boost every wash day. Balance is considered *almost clarifying* and the frequency of use depends on your hair's essential elements, styling products used and what the hair has lived through during the previous 7-10 days. Adjustments are needed according to those factors.

I always use Innersense Hydrating Hair Bath after using Balance.

Boost isnt a clarifying conditioner. It has no silicones, polymers, pvp to give the feeling of artificial slip. The secret to using Boost is to use alot of water with it. Always more water to conditioner. Detangling is done with either fingers or detangling tool/or both during the conditioning phase w/Boost. Boost, when used with the appropriate amount of water turns into a foamy, almost soapy conditioning lather with amazing slip.

Innersense Hydrating Conditioner operates the same and requires alot of water to activate the conditioner. It also turns into a foamy almost soapy consistency with slip.

Those are the only 2 non-deep conditioners I have used as regular conditioners for 2+ years and they really do work great.

AG Hair Balance & Boost and Innersense Hydrating Hairbath & Conditioner are all extremely concentrated and require lots of water to activate.

Edit to add: I suspect what you maybe feeling is your hair's true essential elements free from all the extra oils and plasticky ingredients we have come to think of as *moisture* and *conditioning*. Everyone's hair has a different *feel*. Naturally smooth or silky surface textures will feel smoother and *slicker* than naturally more crinkly surface textures. There is nothing wrong with either....just differences in the hair's essential elements.

HTH
One more ?....are you in a partnership with a Cut It Kinky stylist? I know this was key for me and my daughter. This really filled in all the gaps and provided additional insight on all the things including questions about products and techniques.

You sound just like their Instagram page. Trust me I’ve been all on it lol.

I’m familiar with all of the essential elements of my hair. But there is something about boost that does not seem to condition my hair for the better. After rinsing out my hair gets tangly like all the shingles on the hair shaft are raised. I add lots of water, I emulsify plenty in my hands before application, I apply, add more water more conditioner, more water. Back and forth trying to make it work. Really working it in, but no amount of water seemed to help at all even for only finger detangling. And I’ve experienced the foamy transformation . Brush and comb detangling was a hard pass even using my beloved tools and I really did try. This conditioner sets me back in time because I spend so long trying to working it in and detangle hair that was not tangled before the conditioner wash. I’m going to keep using the bottle until it’s gone so I’m not giving up, but if it doesn’t work there are other conditioners that work better- Innersense is next on my list of to try. Do you know of a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with slip in their line?

And I wasn’t expecting this line to be almost clarifying. I don’t need that since all I use is a botanical gel that rinses out mainly with water alone. And I wash a few times per week. I wanted to get the book with the list of shampoos, conditioners and their purposes, but they removed it for sale. So I only know of AG and Innersense based on YouTube videos.

I tried to contact the only cut it kinky stylist in my state but she never responded. And the the nearest ones in nearby states aren’t taking new clients or don’t have their books open until certain times of the month. I’m going to try again when one of their calendars open and I’m just waiting for that booking window.

 

[LynnieB]

You sound just like their Instagram page. Trust me I’ve been all on it lol.

I’m familiar with all of the essential elements of my hair. But there is something about boost that does not seem to condition my hair for the better. After rinsing out my hair gets tangly like all the shingles on the hair shaft are raised. I add lots of water, I emulsify plenty in my hands before application, I apply, add more water more conditioner, more water. Back and forth trying to make it work. Really working it in, but no amount of water seemed to help at all even for only finger detangling. And I’ve experienced the foamy transformation . Brush and comb detangling was a hard pass even using my beloved tools and I really did try. This conditioner sets me back in time because I spend so long trying to working it in and detangle hair that was not tangled before the conditioner wash. I’m going to keep using the bottle until it’s gone so I’m not giving up, but if it doesn’t work there are other conditioners that work better- Innersense is next on my list of to try. Do you know of a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with slip in their line?

And I wasn’t expecting this line to be almost clarifying. I don’t need that since all I use is a botanical gel that rinses out mainly with water alone. And I wash a few times per week. I wanted to get the book with the list of shampoos, conditioners and their purposes, but they removed it for sale. So I only know of AG and Innersense based on YouTube videos.

I tried to contact the only cut it kinky stylist in my state but she never responded. And the the nearest ones in nearby states aren’t taking new clients or don’t have their books open until certain times of the month. I’m going to try again when one of their calendars open and I’m just waiting for that booking window.

Quick questions..........when was your last haircut? How do you normally wear your hair before trying this? Are you in SeeSomeCurls? How long have you been following/practicing their routines? Could your cuticles have been damaged by past practices, dehydration, braids, weaves because it is indeed a rare thing for Boost not to work well. You definitely sound like you need a professional's assistance either virtually or by sitting in their chair.

All of these shampoos and conditioners contain no plastics or are extra heavy in oils or butters. Innersense works exactly the same way as Boost and Balance and @$30 per bottle, I wouldn't purchase until I figured out why these products aren't working?

 

[fluffyforever]

Quick questions..........when was your last haircut? How do you normally wear your hair before trying this? Are you in SeeSomeCurls? How long have you been following/practicing their routines? Could your cuticles have been damaged by past practices, dehydration, braids, weaves because it is indeed a rare thing for Boost not to work well. You definitely sound like you need a professional's assistance either virtually or by sitting in their chair.

All of these shampoos and conditioners contain no plastics or are extra heavy in oils or butters. Innersense works exactly the same way as Boost and Balance and @$30 per bottle, I wouldn't purchase until I figured out why these products aren't working?

My last haircut was last year- I cut off most of my BSL hair down to only 3 inches, but I trim as needed. I’m not in see some curls, only been following for 3 weeks now. I normally wore my hair in an afro with no product except for as I am leave in on wash days. Between wash days I would water rinse my hair or deep condition with APB. I shampooed often, not weekly, but every 2 weeks or sooner with design essentials avocado shampoo. No weaves or braids or anything that his my hair for weeks. No color or heat. I haven’t added straight oil to my hair- it hates it. I haven’t added butter to my hair since before I cut it last year. I may have tried different leave ins that may have butter and oils in them but I didn’t use them regularly, like maybe a few times, and I do clarify.

This routine was great when my hair was shorter but I started trying the wash m goes because after a year my hair is now longer and it gets extremely tangled. I think setting my hair with gel really helps to smooth out and elongate my strands to prevent knots and tangled. And I think it locks in moisture better with gel versus no product or with only a leave in. But I don’t think my hair was severely damaged or dehydrated. The whole reason I cut my hair to 3 inches was to start over simple and add more water to my hair regularly with washes and begin a hydration journey. But as it got longer my fro gets really tangled and causes me to lose more hair then necessary on wash days. Just implementing gel has helped me so much.

I do have an appointment set with a curl specialist in my area but that’s not until late august when she was available. But she didn’t go through cut it kinky, but she has the same background as A&A and seems like she attends seminars on curly hair as a regular thing.

I don’t plan on purchasing new brands of shampoo conditioner until I run out current stash. I just got AG since I finished my bottle of DE. I am almost finished with UFD CM, but I will repurchase that online in the salon size. So after I run through AG, I will repurchase another line to try. Although I need a new shampoo sooner because I can’t use AG for every wash.

 

[GettingKinky]

On Saturday I washed my hair and styled with UFD/Jello shot. The gel cast just broke last night so today is my favorite day. I would wear it all week, but I have an appointment with my stylist tomorrow to color my gray so I’ll have to redo my hair. I’ll probably wear a bun until I restyle one Saturday.

 

[shebababy]

I've been super hair lazy so washing my hair today was a priority. My hair never seems to come out as defined in the on the days I shampoo but it is pretty voluminous today. I hope this wash n go last until at least Sunday because I don't plan to touch again until then.

 

[EmmJaii]

I’ve been super quiet over here just loving my KCKT and KCCC wash n goes, but now I’m stuck with a huge stash of UFD and Jello Shot that idk what to do with. Neither product gives me the shine, elongation, and yummy smell like KC does. I’m running out of KC, and I know I’ll have to use my UFD and JS up, but I’m not excited about it.

Since I’m all in with KC, where is the best place to buy their products? The KC website is less expensive and I want to support them directly, but their shipping is costly and slow. Target only has the smaller bottles, so I feel like I’m being wasteful…but shipping is fast and free and I get points/cash back on my red card. Anyone else know of a website that sells KC that has perks like loyalty programs or something? Just trying to get the most bang for my buck.

 

[toaster]

@EmmJaii i always threw whatever kinky curly products I needed in my amazon order. I have prime so they showed up in 2 days and were cheaper than my local drugstores.

 

[GettingKinky]

@EmmJaii when I was using KC products I also typically got the from Amazon.

it has taken me a long time to become a fan of UFD ( I don’t like the smell), but over time the smell has grown on me and I can’t argue with the results. Maybe while you are using up your stash you will grow to love it and then you will have two sets of products you can use.

I have a large quantity of ICH I need to use. Ever since I found jello shot, I haven’t been so excited about ICH. And I used to LOVE ICH.
I also have a jar of KCCC that I will have to use at some point.

 

[EmmJaii]

@toaster @GettingKinky do you ever worry about getting counterfeit hair products? I ordered an Innersense hair mask and ICH from Amazon once and it made my hair feel brittle. It was so strange, so I returned the products and bought them directly from innersense. When I tried theirs, my hair felt heavenly. Ever since then I’ve been hesitant to order on Amazon.

 

[toaster]

@toaster @GettingKinky do you ever worry about getting counterfeit hair products? I ordered an Innersense hair mask and ICH from Amazon once and it made my hair feel brittle. It was so strange, so I returned the products and bought them directly from innersense. When I tried theirs, my hair felt heavenly. Ever since then I’ve been hesitant to order on Amazon.

I don’t! Both innersense and kinky curly have their own amazon stores, so those are definitely their products. I would just make sure you’re not buying from a third-party seller.

Same with skincare. Most major brands sell on Amazon through their own store because so many people shop on Amazon. The products are legit. But scammers try to get you by selling counterfeit products as a third-party.

 

[toaster]

@EmmJaii this is how you can tell the source:

 

[LynnieB]

Day 4. 3rd week using this combo and I love it but requires staying ontop of signs of dehydration because of the anti-humectant properties of Curlbomb.

Shampoo: AG Hair Balance, x2 and Innersense Hydrating Hairbath.
Conditioner: AG Hair Boost.
Stylers: UFD (primer) + Innersense I Create Hold + TGIN Curlbomb (anti-humectant topper). Rather than using less water with UFD, I used more so hair was saturated and heavy.
ICH holds the water in and acts as a sealer. UFD would otherwise just draw environmental moisture to itself causing premature frizz in humid conditions. TGIN Curlbomb is a great plasticky anti-humectant but can be drying but this particular combo prevents that. I'm getting full 7 days out of this combo and could probably get an additional 2 more if need be.

Sticking with this for one more week then going to clarify.

 

[GettingKinky]

@toaster @GettingKinky do you ever worry about getting counterfeit hair products? I ordered an Innersense hair mask and ICH from Amazon once and it made my hair feel brittle. It was so strange, so I returned the products and bought them directly from innersense. When I tried theirs, my hair felt heavenly. Ever since then I’ve been hesitant to order on Amazon.

I don’t typically buy hair/skin products from Amazon, but for some reason I’ve always gotten my KC products on Amazon.

 

[EmmJaii]

@toaster Thanks, but I think that’s just telling you the brand, not the seller… cuz if you keep scrolling down past the add to cart button, it says ships from Amazon, then sold by XYZ company. Each listing of a KC product on Amazon seems to be coming from a different supplier.

 

[toaster]

@toaster Thanks, but I think that’s just telling you the brand, not the seller… cuz if you keep scrolling down past the add to cart button, it says ships from Amazon, then sold by XYZ company. Each listing of a KC product on Amazon seems to be coming from a different supplier.

View attachment 472979

Wait that’s so odd! When I scroll down my listing says sold by kinky-curly and fulfilled by amazon. Idk if it’s due to where we live or what?!

I’d ask kinky-curly but their website is so out of date they say I can buy their products at Ricky’s here in NYC. Ricky’s has been out of business for a while now…

 

[EmmJaii]

@toaster maybe I just need to keep scrolling to find the products actually sold by KC. I’ll do more searching later today! Thank you!

 

[Rocky91]

I need fresh but fluffy hair on Friday for a super special event (photos will be taken), so I’m going to use some of these tips, including the touch of hairspray to hold in my volume.

I’m a Jennifer-Rose stan. product recommendations from the A’s changed the wash and go game for me, but listening to her lives during the fall/winter of 2020 changed my hair care technique for the better.

 

[Rocky91]

I really like I Create Hold gel. It gives me results like Wetline, but the ingredients are better.

I know this is an old post, but thank you for this comparison. I am trying to be strict with my “no more products” stance so I’m not going to try it till I get this stash under control. I have major FOMO about these Innersense products, so it’s nice to have a baseline comparison to hold me over till the winter

 

[Rocky91]

Omg beautiful hair @shebababy and @LynnieB!!

 

[Rocky91]

New Achievement Unlocked: WNG PONYTAIL
I’m so happy!! This came about because I just didn’t feel like fluffing out my hair yesterday and it was hot. I haven’t worn a ponytail in a looooooong time & had kinda forgot about it. So I just took a scrunchie and wrapped it around the back of my hair, letting the front hang like bangs. Only bad thing is that the uneven gel drying leads to weird clumps on the sides of my head that I can’t get out without just washing again. This go round, I covered it with a headband & used a covered elastic band w/o doubling it. Perfect.
View attachment 472937

and it’s the last day of school so I’m ready to go live my best life with daytime washing & drying, protein treatments, deep conditioning outside of the shower, the works. Next wash is probably Thursday since I was waiting for my Jell-O Shot to be delivered, which means this will be a 13 day old wng by then & needing more time to detangle.

Are you a teacher? Shout out to us for finishing up this super challenging school year! I love the ponytail with the bangs.

 

[sunshinebeautiful]

I need fresh but fluffy hair on Friday for a super special event (photos will be taken), so I’m going to use some of these tips, including the touch of hairspray to hold in my volume.

I’m a Jennifer-Rose stan. product recommendations from the A’s changed the wash and go game for me, but listening to her lives during the fall/winter of 2020 changed my hair care technique for the better.

I love volume, especially since I have low-medium density hair. Off to stalk some of her videos now

 

[toaster]

My third day hair with curly magic only is holding up nicely.

I feel like I used 1/3 of the huge bottle though. And it didn’t take any less time than using two gels.

Very curious about what products I’ll see in the hair salon tomorrow.

I tried a middle part this wash and my shape isn’t bothering me as much as usual.

I’m just going to ask for a trim and not a shaping cut at this appointment. I’ll reevaluate in December.

 

[Britt]

You sound just like their Instagram page. Trust me I’ve been all on it lol.

I’m familiar with all of the essential elements of my hair. But there is something about boost that does not seem to condition my hair for the better. After rinsing out my hair gets tangly like all the shingles on the hair shaft are raised. I add lots of water, I emulsify plenty in my hands before application, I apply, add more water more conditioner, more water. Back and forth trying to make it work. Really working it in, but no amount of water seemed to help at all even for only finger detangling. And I’ve experienced the foamy transformation . Brush and comb detangling was a hard pass even using my beloved tools and I really did try. This conditioner sets me back in time because I spend so long trying to working it in and detangle hair that was not tangled before the conditioner wash. I’m going to keep using the bottle until it’s gone so I’m not giving up, but if it doesn’t work there are other conditioners that work better- Innersense is next on my list of to try. Do you know of a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with slip in their line?

And I wasn’t expecting this line to be almost clarifying. I don’t need that since all I use is a botanical gel that rinses out mainly with water alone. And I wash a few times per week. I wanted to get the book with the list of shampoos, conditioners and their purposes, but they removed it for sale. So I only know of AG and Innersense based on YouTube videos.

I tried to contact the only cut it kinky stylist in my state but she never responded. And the the nearest ones in nearby states aren’t taking new clients or don’t have their books open until certain times of the month. I’m going to try again when one of their calendars open and I’m just waiting for that booking window.

Get a bottle of Giovanni moisturizing conditioner and return back with your verdict.
I will never buy Boost again or the Innersense conditioner. I still really like the shampoo though, it cleanses my hair and my dd's hair well and it rinses easily, which is helpful with my dd. But the conditioner, nah it doesn't moisturize or detangle nearly as well the Giovanni conditioner. I've gone through several bottles of the conditioner to make this assesment. Even MopTop conditioner is better for me, but the Giovanni conditioner is cheaper, moisturizing, easy to get, just performs better all around.

 

[LynnieB]

Omg beautiful hair @shebababy and @LynnieB!!

Thank-you curl friend. All the work paid off after 2some years!

This is where my washngos started in my curly hair journey and just before subscribing to the digtal salon. Experienced all the frustrating things (using AG hair & Innersense products, UFD and other botantical gels and making decisions selecting the right toppers for the environment) several have mentioned in this thread. My advice is always to see that specialist or get an online consultation/subscription for 1 on 1 personal attention, get a haircut/trim to maintain hair health and give ourselves grace.....it may take awhile to see what you desire but will happen.

Once you get the keys, it is truly effortless....trust the process.

 

[Britt]

Today is day 6 and my hair feels gross. I haven't even exercised this week, but my roots are sweaty and sticky. My sweet spot would be to wash on day 5 and technically I can do that now bc I've been working from home since the pandemic started but I'll be going back to work by Sept the latest. I know once I start back work I won't have time to do the wash n go process after work. I'm hoping my hair will be a teensy bit longer so later during the week I can pull it back in a low ponypuff. There's something about fresh clean hair and scalp that really does it for me. I remember when I was relaxed on this forum, that longest I ever went w/o washing was day 7. I guess because I have all this gel in my head, that combined with sweat and build up feels grosser faster than if it were straighter. When I used to do twist outs or blow dry weekly my hair and scalp felt 'cleaner' by the end of the week.

 

[fluffyforever]

Get a bottle of Giovanni moisturizing conditioner and return back with your verdict.
I will never buy Boost again or the Innersense conditioner. I still really like the shampoo though, it cleanses my hair and my dd's hair well and it rinses easily, which is helpful with my dd. But the conditioner, nah it doesn't moisturize or detangle nearly as well the Giovanni conditioner. I've gone through several bottles of the conditioner to make this assesment. Even MopTop conditioner is better for me, but the Giovanni conditioner is cheaper, moisturizing, easy to get, just performs better all around.

Which line is that? The 2Chic?

 

[Britt]

Which line is that? The 2Chic?

Nope, the original one. I like it more than the 2Chic

Giovanni, 50:50 Balanced, Hydrating-Calming Conditioner​

 

[LavenderMint]

Thanks & congrats to you too @Rocky91!! This was definitely the most challenging year but we made it!!

I kinda feel like part of stash management is acknowledging when something is not working for you & moving on. That being said, I will happily be trashing my Alikay Naturals Lemongrass gel without looking back. I know when I first tried it, I liked the hold & shine and felt like the strange texture and absolute refusal to emulsify were manageable. However, I can now get that from the Earthtone Nalturals gel- higher price & equally strange texture but the fact I lose far less of it and that it can actually be worked with are more important to me. My second gel application is typically outside the shower and I am pretty peeved right now that I have to go back in there and play “hunt & destroy” for all the lemongrass gel that literally just fell off my hands & hair. It’s not worth it.

 

[toaster]

30 minutes early for my hair appointment.

I never want to see my neck again unless my hair is purposefully pulled up. I hope she listens. If not, I’m hopping out of the chair after the first cut.

 

[faithVA]

It's weird. Sometimes I get alerts for post on this thread and then there are times I don't. I don't understand what's happening with alerts