How can i get my curls back? :( i miss them

[lole18]

I used to have really curly hair now it's less than even wavy and not a good wave! It's dry and frizzy and weird lookin! but i didn't take care of it that much i mean i wasn't rough and i never straightened! But i used a sulfate shampoo and didn't always condition and its originally really dry now its worse. Do you think i can get my curls back through co-washing twice a week and using gelatin or coconut milk as a protein treatment once a week? also trying to moisturize it as much as possible with the LOC method using olive or coconut oil? clarifying\shampooing\straightening\using products with silicones only once a month? PLEASE HELP IM DESPERATE :( What other tips\treatments can i do to help with this? I heard of beer rinses and using honey with the conditioner for a few minutes but i don't know if it will help? :( :( :( :(

[lole18]

anyone who knows please reply to me :(

[cranberrymoonz]

Calm down sweetheart! It's only hair and you'll be fine:)

You can defineltely get your curls back. All you need is patience, patience, patience. Try the curly girl method, experiment with some of the stuff you mention yourself and try to find a routine that works for you. Then stick to it. Get regular trims to grow out the damage. Your curls will come back in time and they'll be gorgeous. Just don't obsess about it, It doesn't make hair grow. In fact, stress is bad!

[lole18]

Calm down sweetheart! It's only hair and you'll be fine:)

You can defineltely get your curls back. All you need is patience, patience, patience. Try the curly girl method, experiment with some of the stuff you mention yourself and try to find a routine that works for you. Then stick to it. Get regular trims to grow out the damage. Your curls will come back in time and they'll be gorgeous. Just don't obsess about it, It doesn't make hair grow. In fact, stress is bad!

Thank you so much hun :( i'll try it out :love::heartbeat

[MissAlida]

I second everything said by cranberrymoonz. Also, try to scrunch your hair. I find that if I let it air dry 90%, then blow dry it up side down on warm, while scrunching my curls, they last longer. I also use mousse on damp hair and scrunch with that. It hasn't given me any damage, and I have been using it for 2 years. Try not to try out everything at once. Pick a method, stick to it for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't work, change it. Good luck and patience. :)

[Firefox7275]

Clarify and chelate then do a basic deep condition with a little heat, perhaps SMT. Then you have your natural hair in a fairly well conditioned state. No build up of minerals, protein, silicones or whatnot making your hair seem like a different type or more damaged than it actually is. If the ends are bad have a trim at this stage.

Next work out your hair properties (porosity, elasticity, coarseness) and choose ingredients and products and techniques based on this. Penetrating oils like coconut or olive DO NOT moisturise (add or increase water) they are useful as lengthy treatments on dry hair for reducing porosity and increasing elasticity.

Gelatin contains hydrolysed protein which is generally useful for finer or damaged hair but not coarse. It patch repairs the surface, penetrates the cortex increasing strength. No other food item is a useful protein treatment - the proteins are not hydrolysed (chopped up small). Protein can increase wave but can dry out hair if overused, many need to back off in winter.

Another vote for the Curly Girl method - basics being lose harsh cleansers like most anionic surfactants (not just sulphates), loads of conditioning including leave in, styling from very wet, not brushing or combing as this separates strands into frizz AND pulls out waves and weaker curls. I had better/ different hair the first month despite my hair being damaged at the time.

[Hootenanny]

I'll just leave this here: http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

It's a nice, clear, detailed introduction to the Curly Girl method that everyone is recommending for you. The only part I don't follow myself is the trims (I never trim). Good luck! :)

[chen bao jun]

Cool water washing.
Flax seed gel as a leave in makes curls pop and is easy to make (recipes all over internet).
Look over at Teri LaFlesh's tightlycurly.com
Don't worry, I lost mine for 50 years and they are back again and it didn't take long once I knew what to do.

[PerkyCurlz]

How long is your hair? How do you normally wear it? What is your normal routine? What is the climate where you live?

I know for me, once I hit mid-back I started wearing my hair up or in braids all the time to protect the ends, often putting it up while wet. This seemed to pull almost every bit of curl out of my hair. Even co-washing didn't help.

Using oil (Nightblooming made an awesome blend for me!) after washing helps with the dryness. It's mandatory in the colder months if we have to run the central heat, which really sucks the moisture from my hair. Her panacea blends are also extremely helpful in the winter. I have to use cones when it rains, or my hair is a frizzy mess. And I never use protein on my hair except a coconut oil/milk blend I use one a month or so (when I remember). Last night I did use the LOC method and air drying with some scrunching (after clarifying) and my below waist hair curled back up almost to its old BSL self.

I would also recommend trying one thing for at least a week or two before evaluating is effectiveness and/or trying something else.

[jeanniet]

I think I asked for this a year or more ago, but it would really help if you could post a picture or two so we can see what your hair looks like. Sometimes actually seeing the hair can help us to give much better suggestions. I don't think that asking for help multiple times and in different ways is going to be of any assistance to you, because you're getting so many kinds of advice and you'll just end up trying a bunch of things randomly. My suggestions:

1) Post a good, clear picture of your hair as it looks now. A close up of some of the hair would help, too. If you have a picture showing what your hair used to look like, post that, too.

2) Tell us exactly what your care routine is now, and what it's been like. As it is now, I think you're just getting things thrown at you and it must be confusing.

3) Post any health issues, diagnoses, medications, timelines (how long you've been on meds, last tests), etc.

4) Perhaps the mods could merge all your threads asking for help together? Then everyone could see what's been tried, or suggested, and you can get more targeted advice.

[lole18]

How long is your hair? How do you normally wear it? What is your normal routine? What is the climate where you live?

I know for me, once I hit mid-back I started wearing my hair up or in braids all the time to protect the ends, often putting it up while wet. This seemed to pull almost every bit of curl out of my hair. Even co-washing didn't help.

Using oil (Nightblooming made an awesome blend for me!) after washing helps with the dryness. It's mandatory in the colder months if we have to run the central heat, which really sucks the moisture from my hair. Her panacea blends are also extremely helpful in the winter. I have to use cones when it rains, or my hair is a frizzy mess. And I never use protein on my hair except a coconut oil/milk blend I use one a month or so (when I remember). Last night I did use the LOC method and air drying with some scrunching (after clarifying) and my below waist hair curled back up almost to its old BSL self.

I would also recommend trying one thing for at least a week or two before evaluating is effectiveness and/or trying something else.

I usually wear it in a ponytail or a butterfly clip or leave it down its apl.. i didn't know stretching it whily styling it could cause permenant curl loss? So do i have to always scrunch? I mean that makes my hair very tangly!! and damages it i suppose as well? i have really fine hair :( my routine changes but i don't wash it often i usually co-wash trying to switch to always co-washing and only shampooing once-twice a month and i don't use cones or sulfates or heat more than once a month.. very dry and hot in the summer/ very dry and cold in the winter..

[lole18]

How long is your hair? How do you normally wear it? What is your normal routine? What is the climate where you live?

I know for me, once I hit mid-back I started wearing my hair up or in braids all the time to protect the ends, often putting it up while wet. This seemed to pull almost every bit of curl out of my hair. Even co-washing didn't help.

Using oil (Nightblooming made an awesome blend for me!) after washing helps with the dryness. It's mandatory in the colder months if we have to run the central heat, which really sucks the moisture from my hair. Her panacea blends are also extremely helpful in the winter. I have to use cones when it rains, or my hair is a frizzy mess. And I never use protein on my hair except a coconut oil/milk blend I use one a month or so (when I remember). Last night I did use the LOC method and air drying with some scrunching (after clarifying) and my below waist hair curled back up almost to its old BSL self.

I would also recommend trying one thing for at least a week or two before evaluating is effectiveness and/or trying something else.

I usually wear it in a ponytail or a butterfly clip or leave it down its apl.. i didn't know stretching it whily styling it could cause permenant curl loss? So do i have to always scrunch? I mean that makes my hair very tangly!! and damages it i suppose as well? i have really fine hair :( my routine changes but i don't wash it often i usually co-wash trying to switch to always co-washing and only shampooing once-twice a month and i don't use cones or sulfates or heat more than once a month.. very dry and hot in the summer/ very dry and cold in the winter..

[lapushka]

So do i have to always scrunch? I mean that makes my hair very tangly!! and damages it i suppose as well? i have really fine hair :( my routine changes but i don't wash it often i usually co-wash trying to switch to always co-washing and only shampooing once-twice a month and i don't use cones or sulfates or heat more than once a month.. very dry and hot in the summer/ very dry and cold in the winter..

You don't have to do anything. If your hair is properly detangled before styling, then scrunching it won't cause tangles. Just leave it alone after that and don't go detangling *again*. Leave it be when it's dry!

[PerkyCurlz]

i didn't know stretching it whily styling it could cause permenant curl loss?
I don't think it's permanent curl loss. When I was at your length and always wore my hair in a ponytail, I had curls only at the ends until I washed again and let my hair air dry. When I braid my hair when it's damp, I have braid waves instead of curls once it's dry. When I damp bun it, I have bun waves. When I put my hair up for 2-3 days in a row without washing or getting it wet in the shower, it's wavy instead of curly. When I wash it at night and let it air dry (which is rare) I have curls again. Then again, some of this may be due to the damage done from years of coloring my hair.



very dry and hot in the summer/ very dry and cold in the winter..
You have to experiment with what works for your hair, on particular days and during the different seasons. Through trial and error I learned that my hair needs different things in the summer and winter, and on rainy days (different products/oils and wash methods). I also change up what I do/use on my hair depending on if I'm going to wear it up or down. When I wear it up and don't care about the curl, I use just oil. If I'm going to wear it down, I use a few more products to define and hold my curls. I also have to adjust what I do day-to-day bad on how my hair feels (amount of condish, oil or not, etc.). NC is a great source of info for dealing with curly hair.

[Firefox7275]

I usually wear it in a ponytail or a butterfly clip or leave it down its apl.. i didn't know stretching it whily styling it could cause permenant curl loss? So do i have to always scrunch? I mean that makes my hair very tangly!! and damages it i suppose as well? i have really fine hair :( my routine changes but i don't wash it often i usually co-wash trying to switch to always co-washing and only shampooing once-twice a month and i don't use cones or sulfates or heat more than once a month.. very dry and hot in the summer/ very dry and cold in the winter..

Ponytails can be very damaging. My hair often takes three washes to recover from a period of wearing it straight, tho last time it bounced right back (my routine/ product ingredients/ techniques are better). It's quite possible to do curly up dos, a loose messy bun with Spin Pins for example. There is a book called 'Strictly Curls' which is all up dos or check out some of the wavy and curly vloggers on YouTube.

What do you mean by tangly, actual knots or mats that you struggle to get out when in the shower? Or hair that you can't just run a comb through? Wavy and curly hair is not made to be 100% tangle free, the important issue is if those knots cause damage. Many curlies are wavies report the less they brush/ comb the less often they need to brush/ comb.

Scrunching doesn't cause damage AFAIK, you should be *gently* encouraging the curl. Many do more of a squeezing movement.

There are various curl friendly and co-wash friendly ingredients that substitute for the properties of silicones (eg. natural oils, hydrolysed protein, the behentrimoniums, panthenol), or you can use silicones that do not build up (water soluble, amino ones).