wavy/curly hair. whats your routine?

[samanthajenalyn]

I'm sorry if there is already a thread about this, I'm new to this site and have been having some trouble looking for threads.

Ive recently discovered that my hair is wavy, somewhere between 2a and 2b (before i always thought i had frizzy straight hair.) This site has done wonders for my hair in this short amount of time. Ive started cowashing (every day, or every other day) with Renpure Sweet Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner, I use Shea Moisture Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner as a Leave in, seal with olive oil, and then I scrunch in some Suave Volumizing Mousse.
I was wondering what all you other curlys/wavys do to style your hair, and if you could give me some tips about how you keep your hair healthy and your curls looking great! :)

[teddygirl]

I'm the same type as you. I wash with either a sulphate free gentle shampoo and then use my dog conditioner (its the only thing I have with no protein/cones/sulphates etc), towel it, apply some argon oil and leave it. I ocassionally use a random sulphate shampoo if I feel like a chage though, either redken or lush. If I don't touch it the waves come out nice and are usually pretty soft. I will also sometimes finger comb it incesantly while its drying, and it straightens the waves and as long as I keep doing it until its dry ther minimal frizz. Just takes a while.

[heathen]

I'm sorry if there is already a thread about this, I'm new to this site and have been having some trouble looking for threads.

Ive recently discovered that my hair is wavy, somewhere between 2a and 2b (before i always thought i had frizzy straight hair.) This site has done wonders for my hair in this short amount of time. Ive started cowashing (every day, or every other day) with Renpure Sweet Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner, I use Shea Moisture Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner as a Leave in, seal with olive oil, and then I scrunch in some Suave Volumizing Mousse.
I was wondering what all you other curlys/wavys do to style your hair, and if you could give me some tips about how you keep your hair healthy and your curls looking great! :)

Congrats c: ... Seems like a lot of people are "waking up" to their natural hair textures and embracing them...it's great!

I myself, am a 2b, with a 2c more ringlet-y under layer. I can be a 2a at times as well depending on the weather, etc.

I used henna and indigo last year on my hair and it made it courser... but, my virgin hair growing in is finer.

It is FAR more important that you type you hair by 3 things to style it well... It's texture, porosity, and density/thickness.

I am fine-medium texture, (not sure of porosity) and medium/high density.

Here's a good link to start learning about that for wavy/curly hair:

http://livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm

It will give you the basic info you need to understand your hair.

Porosity is the tricky one... it means your hairs ability to absorb things, and is related to the cuticle. Low porosity means your cuticle is tightly bound and moisture does not penetrate it easily, while high porosity hair is more prone to damage as the cuticle is raised and it has a hard time retaining moisture. High porosity hair is like a sponge, it is quick to absorb moisture and quick to lose it.

These properties are important because they way to define your hair to the maximum is by getting the moisture balance right. If you can get that, you will have perfect waves! Wavy or curly hair success is all dependent on moisture as far as what your hair looks like. I KNOW it is overwhelming, but understanding it gives you amazing control over your hair. It demystifies why our hair does what it does and makes it that much easier to buy the right products!

The only real way to find out which one you are is to try products. Generally, high porosity needs protein to build strength, while low needs humectants or (moisture binding properties) to help it get moisture. Using protein on low porosity hair makes it dry and brittle as it overloads strands that are already full of protein, while using humectants on high porosity hair can cause a swelling of the strand causing frizz, loss of curl, and tangling. So, think of them as opposing problems with somewhat similar reactions to the wrong products. You will generally know if you have a bad reaction to a product. If you hair does not like protein, then if you do a protein treatment it will turn straw like and become incredibly dry and courser. I'm not as sure about low porosity hair and humectants, but I think they tend like things like glycerin and oils that bind moisture to the cuticle.

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/

That blog is amazing! It is written more for hair in the 4 range, but the information is true for everyone. You can learn everything you would want to know about hair there!

Here's another link from that site about porosity: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/07/part-1-of-2-porosity-definition-and.html


Mostly, I would recommend joining the NaturallyCurly.com forum CurlTalk... The amount of information and help on their is astounding (It's where I learned almost everything about having wavy/curly hair), and you are bound to find some with hair very similar to yours! They even have a subforum just for wavy hair:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/2/


I didn't reccmomend anything I am trying out now because I myself don't really know what's up with my hair yet! I think the most helpful thing would be to learn a little bit about wavy hair, and then try testing out a a bunch of stuff. Hope that helps a little c:

[DancingQueen]

I am a 2b/c. My routine is pretty simple; I shampoo, condition and let it air dry. I wash my hair around every 3-4 days. (mostly 3). Sometimes, when it needs it, I soak it in coconut oil or avocado oil two hours or more before washing. This makes my hair soft and shiny, and the avocado oil enhances my curls. On the frissy days, I just smooth it down with a tiny bit of coconut oil. :)

[heathen]

I'm sorry if there is already a thread about this, I'm new to this site and have been having some trouble looking for threads.

Ive recently discovered that my hair is wavy, somewhere between 2a and 2b (before i always thought i had frizzy straight hair.) This site has done wonders for my hair in this short amount of time. Ive started cowashing (every day, or every other day) with Renpure Sweet Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner, I use Shea Moisture Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner as a Leave in, seal with olive oil, and then I scrunch in some Suave Volumizing Mousse.
I was wondering what all you other curlys/wavys do to style your hair, and if you could give me some tips about how you keep your hair healthy and your curls looking great! :)

Congrats c: ... Seems like a lot of people are "waking up" to their natural hair textures and embracing them...it's great!

I myself, am a 2b, with a 2c more ringlet-y under layer. I can be a 2a at times as well depending on the weather, etc.

I used henna and indigo last year on my hair and it made it courser... but, my virgin hair growing in is finer.

It is FAR more important that you type you hair by 3 things to style it well... It's texture, porosity, and density/thickness.

I am fine-medium texture, (not sure of porosity) and medium/high density.

Here's a good link to start learning about that for wavy/curly hair:

http://livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm

It will give you the basic info you need to understand your hair.

Porosity is the tricky one... it means your hairs ability to absorb things, and is related to the cuticle. Low porosity means your cuticle is tightly bound and moisture does not penetrate it easily, while high porosity hair is more prone to damage as the cuticle is raised and it has a hard time retaining moisture. High porosity hair is like a sponge, it is quick to absorb moisture and quick to lose it.

These properties are important because they way to define your hair to the maximum is by getting the moisture balance right. If you can get that, you will have perfect waves! Wavy or curly hair success is all dependent on moisture as far as what your hair looks like. I KNOW it is overwhelming, but understanding it gives you amazing control over your hair. It demystifies why our hair does what it does and makes it that much easier to buy the right products!

The only real way to find out which one you are is to try products. Generally, high porosity needs protein to build strength, while low needs humectants or (moisture binding properties) to help it get moisture. Using protein on low porosity hair makes it dry and brittle as it overloads strands that are already full of protein, while using humectants on high porosity hair can cause a swelling of the strand causing frizz, loss of curl, and tangling. So, think of them as opposing problems with somewhat similar reactions to the wrong products. You will generally know if you have a bad reaction to a product. If you hair does not like protein, then if you do a protein treatment it will turn straw like and become incredibly dry and courser. I'm not as sure about low porosity hair and humectants, but I think they tend like things like glycerin and oils that bind moisture to the cuticle.

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/

That blog is amazing! It is written more for hair in the 4 range, but the information is true for everyone. You can learn everything you would want to know about hair there!

Here's another link from that site about porosity: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/07/part-1-of-2-porosity-definition-and.html


Mostly, I would recommend joining the NaturallyCurly.com forum CurlTalk... The amount of information and help on their is astounding (It's where I learned almost everything about having wavy/curly hair), and you are bound to find some with hair very similar to yours! They even have a subforum just for wavy hair:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/2/


I didn't reccmomend anything I am trying out now because I myself don't really know what's up with my hair yet! I think the most helpful thing would be to learn a little bit about wavy hair, and then try testing out a a bunch of stuff. Hope that helps a little c:

[heathen]

Ahhh, double post apologies!

[Firefox7275]

I follow the Curly Girl method and choose ingredients and products based on my hair properties and dew points/ humidity: having porous colour treated hair I focus on coconut oil, hydrolysed protein, ceramides and panthenol to patch repair damage and reduce porosity. I highly recommend flour sack towels if you have fine or porous hair, they don't soak up too much water so less frizz/ more definiition and inexpensive.

I'd suggest you join the Wavy Hair Community on Facebook and/ or NaturallyCurly CurlTalk forums. Lots of information in the stickies on NC newbies and general haircare boards about techniques, many people put their routines and hair properties in their signatures, on the WHC there is loads of information in the files. Most wavies don't need to seal with oil if they use a conditioner containing oils or butters, that can be too heavy/ rich.

Definitely agree read the Natural Haven blog and also the 'curl chemist' articles on NaturallyCurly by Tonya McKay. On YouTube check out Waterlily716, Curlywavydiane and the videos by Devachan salon and Jessicurl. There are plenty of others if you use the search function. Not many weak wavies doing videos at present, but bookmark Chupie and Pedaheh who are both active on the Wavy Hair Community, Chupie particularly is just starting out and 'taking requests'.

[alyaziaaah]

i am a 2 c MC but sometimes it gets quite wavy straightish.
i use a minimal routine which works best for me after trying out lots of different things.
i cowash only, with suave naturals condish, use a thicker keratin condish allover, let it sit 2 min, use my suave naturals again cause i dont like the smell of the keratin condish lol, wash out, then rinse with one bottle cap applecider vinegar on one liter water, leave it in.
after towel drying( no rubbing ever) and combing carefully, i put some coconut oil into my length and fringe, preferably into still dripping hair, so i leave my towel only one or two minutes on my hair.
my hair soaks the oil up like crazy so as i put a little carefully in order not to overoil, i have to sometimes put a bit more the next day, on wetted hair, but my hair is porous thats why.
i cant remember the last time i clarified, so i figure the products i use dont build up or barely do.
my routine in silicone free ;)

[Vampyria]

I'm 2b, but I'm not actually trying to enhance my waves, since this would probably require CO-washing or water only washing with my hair, which for me equals terrible shedding (looks like my scalp hates it). So my hair looks just a bit wavy with flipped up ends most of the time (it's only collarbone length though).

I use coconut oil as pre-wash, sulphate free shampoo and natural moisturising conditioner. I use clarifying shampoo approximately once a months (sometimes agave syrup as pre-wash). I air dry.

[samanthajenalyn]

Congrats c: ... Seems like a lot of people are "waking up" to their natural hair textures and embracing them...it's great!

I myself, am a 2b, with a 2c more ringlet-y under layer. I can be a 2a at times as well depending on the weather, etc.

I used henna and indigo last year on my hair and it made it courser... but, my virgin hair growing in is finer.

It is FAR more important that you type you hair by 3 things to style it well... It's texture, porosity, and density/thickness.

I am fine-medium texture, (not sure of porosity) and medium/high density.

Here's a good link to start learning about that for wavy/curly hair:

http://livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm

It will give you the basic info you need to understand your hair.

Porosity is the tricky one... it means your hairs ability to absorb things, and is related to the cuticle. Low porosity means your cuticle is tightly bound and moisture does not penetrate it easily, while high porosity hair is more prone to damage as the cuticle is raised and it has a hard time retaining moisture. High porosity hair is like a sponge, it is quick to absorb moisture and quick to lose it.

These properties are important because they way to define your hair to the maximum is by getting the moisture balance right. If you can get that, you will have perfect waves! Wavy or curly hair success is all dependent on moisture as far as what your hair looks like. I KNOW it is overwhelming, but understanding it gives you amazing control over your hair. It demystifies why our hair does what it does and makes it that much easier to buy the right products!

The only real way to find out which one you are is to try products. Generally, high porosity needs protein to build strength, while low needs humectants or (moisture binding properties) to help it get moisture. Using protein on low porosity hair makes it dry and brittle as it overloads strands that are already full of protein, while using humectants on high porosity hair can cause a swelling of the strand causing frizz, loss of curl, and tangling. So, think of them as opposing problems with somewhat similar reactions to the wrong products. You will generally know if you have a bad reaction to a product. If you hair does not like protein, then if you do a protein treatment it will turn straw like and become incredibly dry and courser. I'm not as sure about low porosity hair and humectants, but I think they tend like things like glycerin and oils that bind moisture to the cuticle.

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/

That blog is amazing! It is written more for hair in the 4 range, but the information is true for everyone. You can learn everything you would want to know about hair there!

Here's another link from that site about porosity: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/07/part-1-of-2-porosity-definition-and.html


Mostly, I would recommend joining the NaturallyCurly.com forum CurlTalk... The amount of information and help on their is astounding (It's where I learned almost everything about having wavy/curly hair), and you are bound to find some with hair very similar to yours! They even have a subforum just for wavy hair:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/2/


I didn't reccmomend anything I am trying out now because I myself don't really know what's up with my hair yet! I think the most helpful thing would be to learn a little bit about wavy hair, and then try testing out a a bunch of stuff. Hope that helps a little c:

Thank you! I actually joined naturallycurly.com not to long ago, and I was looking on their site last night. i am pretty sure my hair is high porosity. I know my hair loves protein.

[samanthajenalyn]

[QUOTE=alyaziaaah;2473006
i cant remember the last time i clarified, so i figure the products i use dont build up or barely do.
my routine in silicone free ;)[/QUOTE]

How do you know if a product is building up on your hair? I havent ever been able to tell.

[Vivalagina]

I have 2a hair that can be pushed into ringlets if I use the right techniques and lots of styling products. But I hate the feel of products in my hair, so my routine just leaves it wavy. I alternate between co-washing and S+C... usually S+C every 3 or 4 washes. My hormones are running on overdrive because I am pregnant, so I have been washing daily for the last few weeks because my scalp needs it. Normally I wash every 2-3 days.

co-wash: As I Am Coconut Cowash
S+C: I alternate between sulfate and sulfate-free shampoos followed by VO5 conditioner from root to tip. If my hair feels dry and the dew points are okay, I will use GVP knock off of Matrix conditioning balm as well.

I seal my hair with either baby oil or coconut oil when it is very wet.

[samanthajenalyn]

also, how does everybody wear their hair on the second/third day?

[Sharysa]

Welcome to the land of non-straight hair! My hair's that irritating borderline of 1c/2a, and I find what works best for me is washing twice a week. My routine is:

-Shampooing my scalp with half-strength Dr. Bronner's Unscented mixed with sweetgrass essential oil.
-Conditioning my length from the nape-down with Tresemme Naturals
-Combing my damp hair with a sweet-almond/sweetgrass oil mix
-Putting it in twin Dutch braids and leaving them in overnight to bring the waves out. That's mainly a personal preference, since I love bohemian hair.
-Outside of wash days and monthly split-end trimming, I finger-comb only.

For second-day hair, I tend to wear it down or in half-ups if I want to feel awesome. But for normal days, I just braid it.

[jeanniet]

My hair is 3a with a few 3b ringlets. Mostly what is called Botticelli curls--big, loopy, bouncy. I CO wash every 3-4 days with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle, then use Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture conditioner as a rinse out conditioner. I use a light leave-in, and then use a jelly/gel combination (Kinky Curly Curling Custard mixed with Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee), both of which are CG friendly. I need a hard hold because we have wind almost all the time here; if we didn't have the wind, I could probably get away with just a little gel. Then I diffuse until partially dry (otherwise my hair takes a really long time to dry, even at this shorter length), and air dry the rest of the way. It's really crunchy when dry, which is what I want, and then I just scrunch it out and I have natural looking curls. I sleep with a silk cap. Next day, I roll out of bed and I have perfect hair. 3rd/4th day I can usually smooth and scrunch with a little water/conditioner, but if it's starting to look too ratty because of what I've been doing on previous days, I put it up until I can get around to washing it. I recently had it cut by a curly hair stylist, so it's much shorter than before, but I kept it at a length where I can still use claw clips or a Ficarre to pull it up and back.

[lapushka]

You might want to look up the wavy, wurly thread, or the curly thread. Great tips can be found in both threads!

[SerinaDaith]

I am 2c/3a over the last year I have been able to get my washes stretched to once a week. I CWC and soak with warm coconut oil with a little tea tree oil or lavender oil for a couple of hours before washing. I rince my coney condish out then apply just about a pea sized amount back in before plopping into a turby towel till I am done with everything else post shower. Then I let it loose and leave it alone. I finger comb in the shower as I rince out that last run of conditioner. I use Aveno SLS free. The conditioner is usually herbal essences but honestly it's more a matter of whatever I am feeling that day. I also use a little cinnimon to dry shampoo before wash day. Looking into dry shampoos helped my stretching soooo much!

[SerinaDaith]

No cones = massive breakage for me. I don't clarify I just haven't needed to.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I don't follow the curly-girl method anymore as it doesn't really work with my schedule plus my oily scalp made it kind of a pain (I shower at night, and sleeping on my beautiful waves just destroyed them and pineappling or re-wetting the next day just didn't yield the same results). After just kind of living with the frizz, I gave CWC a try and WOW. My hair looks and feels SO MUCH BETTER.

My hair is 2a/2b with some 1b/1c in there.

Every day:
Wet hair and apply Suave Naturals conditioner to the length of my hair, avoiding my scalp.
Wash with Herbal Essences shampoo. (Currently using Hello Hydration, will be using None Of Your Frizziness when that's gone)
Condition and Leave in with the corresponding Herbal Essences Conditioner
Apple Shea Moisture's Reconstructive Elixir to the length of my hair. (Seriously, just a spray or two works)
After it dries, I spray a little more water in my hair and apply another spray or two of the Shea Moisture Oil. This makes my hair SO soft.

Few times a week:
Pre-oil treatment with coconut oil - This can include a scalp massage as well.

Once a week:
ACV Rinse
Tea Rinse (I've used black and mint tea with good results...I'm going to try rosemary soon)

Once in a blue moon when I feel like:
Making a fancy hair mask with things in the kitchen - this doesn't make a huge enough difference in my hair to keep doing it consistently...But it's a nice treat every now and again.

I will admit this routine doesn't make my waves outstanding. If anything, it makes them less defined and makes my hair look more 'straight,' but it makes my hair super soft and has really helped with the frizz.

[heathen]

ExpectoPatronum, you sound a bit like me!

My hair is a 2b with some pushing, a 2c underneath, but on a typical a day it really is just a 2a with some straighter pieces. I love the look of my hair when it is wavy, but like you... I find the CG method and styling techniques to be a bit burdensome if you are busy. I suppose it is a nice option as a less defined wavy to have the ability to push it further or wear it straighter. I'm mostly lazy, though, so it doesn't really work out so well if I am honest with myself, haha!

Idk, if you felt this way, but sometimes doing CG I felt like I was forcing my hair into a shape in which it just wants to fall out... back to its basic shape! Did you come to a conclusion about whether or not the cone/sulfate hype really mattered for you? I still haven't figured that out for sure.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Heathen, gotta love being a wavy, right? Someone needs to develop a 'wavy girl for the lazy girl' method for me haha.

I absolutely loved the CG method for the wavy sections of my hair. After getting down a routine, my waves were actually turning into 3A curls. I loved how it looked right after I washed and styled, but I did notice them starting to fall out by the end of the day. However, the CG method did absolutely nothing for my straighter pieces of hair. I was hoping they would at least wave up, but no. And having almost stick straight hair amongst 3A curls was not a good look lol. I (stupidly) cut layers into my hair thinking it would help the straight pieces. Nope. They still remained straight. I'm trying to grow that out now. Bleck. Did you find that your waves curled up more? Did it help your straighter pieces at all?

As for cones/sulfates...My hair prefers the 'bad' stuff. It also likes being washed every day, hence using CWC and pre-oiling. I figure if my roots don't mind being washed every day, I should treat my ends to some extra moisture. How often do you wash?

[3 Cat Night]

I do the curly girl routine plus coconut oil at my temples where my hair likes to break off.

[jeanniet]

I don't find that the CG method takes very long, at least the way I do it. Maybe 5-10 minutes more. Diffusing takes about 15 minutes longer, but I don't have to diffuse. If I just air dry, I could be done in about 30 minutes, from preparing to shower to dressed and ready to go.

[heathen]

Heathen, gotta love being a wavy, right? Someone needs to develop a 'wavy girl for the lazy girl' method for me haha.

I absolutely loved the CG method for the wavy sections of my hair. After getting down a routine, my waves were actually turning into 3A curls. I loved how it looked right after I washed and styled, but I did notice them starting to fall out by the end of the day. However, the CG method did absolutely nothing for my straighter pieces of hair. I was hoping they would at least wave up, but no. And having almost stick straight hair amongst 3A curls was not a good look lol. I (stupidly) cut layers into my hair thinking it would help the straight pieces. Nope. They still remained straight. I'm trying to grow that out now. Bleck. Did you find that your waves curled up more? Did it help your straighter pieces at all?

As for cones/sulfates...My hair prefers the 'bad' stuff. It also likes being washed every day, hence using CWC and pre-oiling. I figure if my roots don't mind being washed every day, I should treat my ends to some extra moisture. How often do you wash?

Hahaha, I love that "wavy girl for the lazy girl"... Even my hair's natural texture describes my feelings about it! Uncanny.

I agree with you, the parts of my hair that actually have some wave to write home about (underlayer, which is 2b normally, but 2c which coaxing, even a couple ringlets!) don't really work so well with the straighter parts on top. My waves did wave more for sure! I keep those tips handy if I want to use them... but... sooo lazy c: I've been trying to think of ways to make the top layer like the bottom. Still working on it. I DID think about layers too. Maybe not so much now, though... it would RUIN the nice smooth braiding I am enjoying now that my hair has finally gotten longer. That is another thing, I think I always gave up on CG because coupled with a weak wave pattern, the longer my hair gets to more it doesn't want to wave as much. It seemed like I was tried to row up stream!

For some reason, my hair looks really thin and flat doing CG as well, but I was low-pooing, and have picked that up. But, yeah, I have NO idea why it looked so thin and lacking volume! I having fine/medium strands, and my ponytail is just a bit over 4" but, when I would do my styling as per the method it just looked flat. Perhaps it was because I felt like I needed products with strong hold to try and get my flat pieces to wave, and it was just smooshing everything down. I also hated the way all the gunk felt in my hair.

I think CG is brilliant for people with a stronger wave/curl pattern, though. I learned a lot about hair through it as well.

I'm kind of over the dogma about ingredients. I'm too pragmatic for that... while I don't like super heavy 80% cone-y type serums, I find a lot of products that are great that might have a cone somewhere. My everyday products are almost always cone-free, but I guess using shampoo kind of negates the worry anyway.

I tend to wash my hair everyday as well. I prefer a low-poo most of the time, though I will very occasionally do a clarifying wash with V-05 kiwi shampoo or something like it. I am using SheaMoisture's Moisture Retention shampoo and loving it at the moment! I also find that my roots like to be washed everyday, but my ends are suuuuper dry from going gangbusters with my hennindigo-ing. It creates a bit of a problem because neither are happy if I pay attention to one over the other. I've never tried CWC, though... Do you condition your roots when you do that, or just the length?

[LadyCelestina]

I CWC every 3-4 days,sometimes leaving the first conditioner on dry hair for an hour or more.Wash scalp with diluted shampoo,non diluted only when using oil on scalp,which is whenever it feels dry.Condition the length,rinse.I used to do herbal rinses,but I'm just too lazy to brew the "tea" now.Apply some leave ins,which I don't always do and when I do,I still rinse off the excess.I don't like using styling products,but when I do,it's wax.Air dry or blow dry or fan and oil.

I fingercomb and use a BBB brush on my hair between washes and also scritch scalp when it looks like it needs to.Oil if I remember to :D I have recently introduced a new product to my routine,a detangler spray.It's nice for braids.

[ExpectoPatronum]

My hair gets straighter the longer it gets too...That's because of the weight of the hair pulling the wave out. I thought I had straight hair my whole life growing up because I always had long hair. Then, when I cut it, it was like BOOM waves! And I didn't know what to do with it.

It sounds like we have similar hair thought, except mine is M/C whereas yours is F/M. Maybe hair sisters instead of hair twins? Hmm...

I'm with you on the feeling of gunk...No matter how much time I spent co-washing, my scalp got all icky. I eventually started low-pooing more and more often until finally I just stopped co-washing all together haha.

When I CWC, I just condition the length and my hair feels sooo nice after. I was amazed at what a difference conditioning the length before and after shampooing made for my hair. I also apply a dime sized amount to the ends of my hair as a leave in when I'm done. So far, despite swimming, my hair has been in good condition!

[Firefox7275]

Heathen, gotta love being a wavy, right? Someone needs to develop a 'wavy girl for the lazy girl' method for me haha.

I absolutely loved the CG method for the wavy sections of my hair. After getting down a routine, my waves were actually turning into 3A curls. I loved how it looked right after I washed and styled, but I did notice them starting to fall out by the end of the day. However, the CG method did absolutely nothing for my straighter pieces of hair. I was hoping they would at least wave up, but no. And having almost stick straight hair amongst 3A curls was not a good look lol. I (stupidly) cut layers into my hair thinking it would help the straight pieces. Nope. They still remained straight. I'm trying to grow that out now. Bleck. Did you find that your waves curled up more? Did it help your straighter pieces at all?

As for cones/sulfates...My hair prefers the 'bad' stuff. It also likes being washed every day, hence using CWC and pre-oiling. I figure if my roots don't mind being washed every day, I should treat my ends to some extra moisture. How often do you wash?

I didn't get more wave/ curl in my straighter back section for a really long time, not until I stopped focussing so heavily on conditioning and started using a whole lot more hydrolysed protein and more water (I don't scrunch the water out of the back at all AND I rewet it by running water down my neck when upside down). Best day I had loose sausagey ringlets without diffusing was with the above plus a couple of days after a really long coconut oil soak on dry hair.

It makes sense: all these three ingredients (coconut oil, protein, water) help capillary adhesion, ie. natural looking clumping, without weighing the hair down and they are known to gently encourage curl. Film formers other than protein have also helped, flaxseed jelly has too. Commercial styling gel clumps but weighs the hair down into Medusa-noodle-head.

Shampoo of all kinds gives me poof that dries out too fast so difficult to style, cones make my hair want to try to be straight - i.e weighed down and ill defined - both are particularly noticeable on the weaker sections. My hair is colour treated and porous tho, it's lost much of it's protective fatty f-layer as well as structural proteins, my products are somewhat helping to mimic that.

[Tori Angeli]

DC with sweet almond oil (occasionally I switch out with coconut oil) for about an hour before washing, wide-toothed comb to detangle, co-wash with V05 Black Raspberry Tea Therapy on the scalp/roots and TRESemme Naturals on the length, white vinegar rinse, plop in a t-shirt for 15-30 minutes, scrunch with aloe vera gel and let air dry. I'm a 2b/c with a straightish underlayer and this brings out the corkscrews very nicely. If I have a bit of frizz after it dries, a few drops of SAO or aloe vera gel tames most of it. Cones make my hair look greasy and limp, and protein makes it dry up like crazy (my version of a "protein treatment" is to co-wash once every month or every other month with a conditioner containing protein). Shampoo makes it dry and floofy and cons it into thinking it's 2a. Layers help bring out the wave, too, but not everyone likes those.

[GetMeToWaist]

Imma revive this thread because i think it's great - sorry if inconvenient or anything :rolleyes:

This is also an excuse to write out my new and improved wavy routine! Sorry not sorry haha

1. Coconut oil prepoo treatment left on overnight in braids
2. Brush hair before washing with BBB
3. Shampoo, then condition and add some honey to my conditioner
4. Leave conditioner on for 10 minutes
5. Rinse out
6. Do a Chamomile Tea Rinse ^_^
7. Get out of shower, towel turban for 10ish minutes
8. Shake hair about, headbang a bit
9. Apply leave in conditioner
10. Finger comb
11. Seal with almond oil
12. Put hair in 2 french rope braids overnight
13. Brush the next day

And till my next wash, I brush once or twice every day with a natural bristle Denman brush. I found that a wide tooth comb just seems to break my hair and snap strands - the Denman brush smooths out, detangles and softens my hair, distributing oils. Brush over comb any day for me.

I also wear my hair up sometimes not ALL the time as i want my hair to look nice and be down when I see friends/diary dates/appointments. So 5 out of 7 days a week it will usually be up. French braid, a single English braid, occasionally a fishtail, ponytail. But i've gotten into buns recently, all with spinpins as hairsticks are too expensive for me. I do cinnabuns and LWBs but gonna learn some new buns too.
= done! :happydance:

[two_wheels]

This is a very cool thread, thanks for resurrecting it!

I'm still working on refining it, but here is my routine:
- Cassia once a month, if I remember (nightblooming Devas, mixed with honey, coconut oil and hot water)
- If I remember, overnight before shampooing, it gets soaked in coconut oil mixed with a few drops of lavender EO (stops that weird sour coconut oil smell that appears after a few hours) and braided.
- Wash every 2-3 days. Shampoo with pantene ice shine, condition with tresemme naturals (loads of it), detangle it
- After washing, when dripping wet, rake through a pea sized amount of the same conditioner, then coconut oil, then gel. Leave to dry, maybe bun it when it's barely damp.
- Wear it up every day.

It is so much better than it was when I just did shampoo and conditioner. Less fuzz, canopy doesn't detach & float away from my head, more wave, softer. The only thing is that I have to wash every 2-3 days now, whereas I could go 4 days before. I am also not sure what is going to happen if/when I start working in an office again in the mornings. I am a very lazy person and my hair takes 2-3 hours to dry naturally. We'll see.

Other things that I tried and rejected: CO-wash (scalp says no thanks), shampoo bars (hair got too sticky, ACV rinse no help), oil shampoo (oil slick, though I didn't try very hard to refine this one.)

[GetMeToWaist]

This is a very cool thread, thanks for resurrecting it!

No problem i love reading other peoples hair routines for my type :)

[battles]

Mine is a work in progress, since I'm just working on the whole wavy thing.

1. Olive oil pre-poo for 5 hours or so.
2. Wash with Cocoa Pink Princess Poo. (sulfate free shampoo)
3. Use first conditioner for 5 minutes or so, only up to ears.
4. Part hair and organize it so it's on either side of my head.
5. Apply second conditioner up to ears, squish to condish method. I make sure it's completely slimy and then scrunch most of the conditioner out with handfuls of water. I stop when it's no longer dripping but my hair is well defined and making squishy noises when I scrunch it.
6. At this point I either air dry or diffuse.

I haven't experimented with many stylers or leave ins yet, but I'd like to. :)

[fiðrildi]

I'm still working in finding my perfect routine too, while trying to keep it easy and simple :wink:
Here it goes:


-Heavy coconut oiling the night before wash, sleeping in english braid

-Brush with tangle teezer before washing it, working from the tips all the way up. I wash once a week (CO-wash with sulfate free, SLS free, paraben free, colorant free conditioner).

-Gently massage scalp while applying conditioner, for 3 minutes or so. Clarify with warm water, and condition the length (5 minutes or so), while I gently detangle with my fingers and wooden comb. Clarify again, with warm water.

-Hair mask (3 minutes): aloe vera and juniper. Clarify with cold water. Gently comb my hair for the last time, with the wooden comb.

-Let air dry, and I don't touch it until it's dry to avoid frizz. Depending on the humidity, I would put a bit or argan oil or a tiny drop of coconut oil in my ends.


The first day after washing, I normally wear my hair down, enjoying it's freshly clean state ;)
Every night I sleep with one or two english braids, and I use satin pillowcases. When my hair begins to get a bit oily (4th-5th day after washing) I would brush with tangle teezer, and then use a BBB (oh, the softness, the shine!). If it gets very oily, and I don't have time to wash it, I would put a bit of talcum powder in my scalp the night before, or just braid it.

If I'm going to work, I wear my hair in a dutch braid. I do S&D when I see split ends (sharp, hairdresser's scissors). I'm a self-trimmer :wink:
I like wearing braids, and experimenting with different styles (fishtail, french, paranda). I'm not a bun person though, at least not yet! I love half ups, and elven hairstyles, and flexi-8.

Once every two months or so, I do a cassia treatment. I've tried lots of different masks too, like honey, eggs, olive oil, coconut milk. I've also tried soda and apple cider vinegar washing method, but eventually it would leave my hair damaged. So far, my current routine is what is helping me define my natural waves and giving me extra shine, so co-washing has been a little miracle for my hair :)

[lapushka]

Pretty simple routine.

Wash weekly with the WCC method (two different conditioners) + the LOC method. The water is squeegeed out and my hair is then wrapped in a turbie twist. It stays in there for about 15 to 30 min., then it is combed damp with a wide tooth comb. Then styling (LOC) is applied. A leave-in, serum (sometimes a few drops of mineral oil instead), and gel (Eco Styler). Then it is air dried for an hour to an hour and a half. Then it gets diffused for 5 to 6 min. By then the roots are dry, but my ends are still a little damp. Works for me. The rest of the week my hair is pretty much left alone. No combing, no brushing. It just gets put up into (mostly) a LWB.

[sourgrl]

I'll contribute :). I've tried to deviate (ex: adding cones) but keep coming back to this simple routine.

~ Pre oil length with coconut oil from ears down just before jumping in the shower
~Leave oily residue from pre oiling on hands
~Shampoo hair, roots only, mixing shampoo with oily residue (Giovanni Smooth as Silk sulfate free Shampoo)
~Rinse
~Condition length from ears down with Dermorganics cone free deep treatment masque
~Clip up conditioned hair to marinade while I finish other showerly things
~Rinse hair with cool water
~Take a smidge (about a pencil erasers worth) of conditioner used above and work through wet length, do not rinse
~Wrap hair in a tee shirt until no longer dripping wet
~Seal damp hair with pure argan oil, four drops per section of hair that's been sectioned in two
~Bun damp hair
~Cover damp hair with satin sleep scarf
~go to bed :sleep:
~Next morning take hair down and add two drops of pure argan oil on hair that has been sectioned in two
~Finger comb length while working the oil into each section
~Use wide tooth wooden comb on roots only
~Air dry while I enjoy my coffee and get the kids ready for school
~Cinnabun with a ficcare
~Day two: add two more drops of argan oil per section of hair, finger combing the length, wide tooth combing the roots
~Lazywrap bun with a hair stick

Things I've learned about my hair: All cones kill my waves, my hair soaks up oil, humectants, especially glycerin, must be avoided at all costs