Curly girl for 1c/2a hair

[cooklaezo13]

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the curly girl method on 1c/2a hair? What were your results? If it worked for you, can you please share product recommendations? I would like to bring out more of the wave in my hair.

[RancheroTheBee]

I can't see why you couldn't. If your hair is M/C you'd probably benefit from it, even if your hair isn't immediately apparent as curly. When I was CO'ing a few years back, my hair went from 2a to 3a pretty quickly!

Don't quote me on this as I'm not an expert but this comic shows a plopping (http://image.nanopress.it/628X0/donna/tuttogratis/it/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Plopping.jpg) tutorial. It could probably bring out some curls and waves! That being said, try curlygirl first, because again, I saw an increase in curls after CO'ing without plopping.

[jupiterinleo]

I've been thinking of trying plopping lately. I can't really do the CG method because CO really doesn't work for me. I touch my hair a good amount and CO just makes my hair flat and get greasy much faster. Plus, I swear it makes my hair straighter. :ponder:

However, I'm thinking of modifying it and combing out my hair in the shower, getting out, plopping it, and seeing how that goes.

[torrilin]

First off, you're probably not a 2a. Definitely not 1c. That is a lot of wave showing in your user icon, more than I've ever had even with maximal effort at enhancing natural curl. You're in the for sure a 2, maybe a 3 category, like an awful lot of women. So you absolutely should try curl friendly care and styling methods to see if they help you get results that you like better.

I don't use (and never really have used) "purist" curlygirl. But like a lot of straight haired folks, I detangle in the shower with conditioner. I use lots more conditioner than shampoo, at this point around 10 bottles of conditioner to one of shampoo that also gets used as body wash :P. I avoid brushes, and favor fingers or wide toothed combs. I air dry. If I want to wear my hair down, I tend to scrunch in leave in, then scrunch dry with a towel then scrunch in gel. I don't particularly notice a difference if I scrunch with a terrycloth towel vs a smooth towel, so I don't fuss over it... on my hair, the scrunching or squeezing out water is more important for looking good than the fabric texture. And conditioners that pass muster as curl friendly tend to be ones that get on with my hair (assuming they're fragrance free too, coz I have fragrance issues).

Most of this stuff is a case of your mileage will vary. But very few LHC posters would get anywhere near 1:1 use of shampoo and conditioner, just due to the nature of long hair. And a huge share of us air dry. Very few would risk their long hair to a blow dryer on high heat. The big point where I see a difference between straight vs curly is in combing or brushing dry hair. Posters who prefer a straighter look tend to comb or brush dry hair. No big deal if you wind up choosing to do that too.

[Firefox7275]

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the curly girl method on 1c/2a hair? What were your results? If it worked for you, can you please share product recommendations? I would like to bring out more of the wave in my hair.

The back of my hair is 2a, there are plenty of others following CG on the Wavy Hair Community on Facebook, you would be very welcome to join us. Choose your ingredients and products based on your hair properties (coarseness, porosity, elasticity) not simply curl pattern.

Having said that ... many wavies prefer a gentle shampoo to conditioner only washing (I am unusual but do colour treat). Contrary to popular myth you DO NOT need to co-wash to be CG.

Fine hairs tend to do well with some hydrolysed protein which is also a curl booster. Coarse hairs not so much. Flaxseed gel or okra gel seem to be loved by a wide range of wavies and curlies regardless of properties. Xanthan gum increases hold and boosts curl.

[cooklaezo13]

Wow, thanks everyone, lots of information! If I did curly girl I definitely wouldn't go condition-only, because I've tried that before, and it didn't work. But I would no longer be combing my hair outside of the shower, and I would start using gels or leave-ins, which I currently do not use.

[tiny squirrel]

*Raises hand emphatically* Tried it. LOVED it. I'm a 2a, but the longer my hair gets the more the weight weighs down the "curl." I went full on curly girl until somewhere between apl and bsl. I still co wash and I still use jersey knit to dry my hair, but I now comb it out wet with a tangle teezer to intentionally pull out most of the wave. Here is the conditioner I'm currently loving.

http://www.amazon.com/Renpure-Solutions-Cleansing-Conditioner-Rosemary/dp/B0081CWUE8/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1390440008&sr=1-1&keywords=redmonds+conditioner

And here is a comparison photo for ya. The one on the left is when I was co-washing with Suave (The cheap coconut conditioner). Detangled in shower with wide tooth comb. Diluted cream gel sprayed on WET hair. Dried on low with warm heat and GIANT diffuser. And, most importantly, not touched. AT ALL. Anyway, here's a photo to show the difference curly girl can make.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8855&d=1390440541

P.S. If you decide to go straight I have recently discovered that the tangle teezer nearly eliminates frizz. It's like magic.

[cooklaezo13]

I tried a curly girl type wash today. Here are my results. I think I like it.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n573/cooklaezo13/Photoon2014-01-22at2127_zpse421c439.jpg (http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/cooklaezo13/media/Photoon2014-01-22at2127_zpse421c439.jpg.html)

And here's how it looks like after I combed it out (I know, I know, not curly-girl approved, but I was curious). I think I prefer it combed out, even though much of the wave went away.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n573/cooklaezo13/Photoon2014-01-22at22522_zps8a03505b.jpg (http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/cooklaezo13/media/Photoon2014-01-22at22522_zps8a03505b.jpg.html)

[tiny squirrel]

Lovely. If you encourage the wave for a couple of weeks and do not comb out, you may find that you have more wave than you think. I actually really like the combed out version as well. Happy experimenting!

[jupiterinleo]

I tried a curly girl type wash today. Here are my results. I think I like it.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n573/cooklaezo13/Photoon2014-01-22at2127_zpse421c439.jpg (http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/cooklaezo13/media/Photoon2014-01-22at2127_zpse421c439.jpg.html)

And here's how it looks like after I combed it out (I know, I know, not curly-girl approved, but I was curious). I think I prefer it combed out, even though much of the wave went away.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n573/cooklaezo13/Photoon2014-01-22at22522_zps8a03505b.jpg (http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/cooklaezo13/media/Photoon2014-01-22at22522_zps8a03505b.jpg.html)

That looks like the back of MY head. It's official--I'm a 2a. This thread has been very informative.


... many wavies prefer a gentle shampoo to conditioner only washing

Can anybody recommend a more mild shampoo? Maybe one with coco betaine or SLES as the only surfactant? I've been looking for one for 84 years.

[Firefox7275]

SLES is miles from mild, it is merely slightly milder than very harsh SLS, it was SLES bubbles that triggered my atopic eczema. Gentle surfactants are the zwitterionics such as the betaines IF in an acidic formula, even more so the non ionics like the glucosides.

If I was to purchase a commercial shampoo I'd buy Komaza Care Moja. But bear in mind I avoid ingredients that build up (not just silicones but waxes and some polyquats). If you use these a truly gentle shampoo may well be ineffective. There are loads of CG friendly shampoos, if you want 'on the ground' leave the straight haircare aisle and venture into ethnic haircare.

[RancheroTheBee]

jupiterinleo: I've been using the Eversleek shampoo lately and it's been working well for me. Depending on how much shampoo you use (or if you've got a partner who also uses it, haha) it can be a little expensive for the amount you get, but I've found I've been using less of it than other sulphate-free shampoos. On that note, though, I also do well with CO, so the effectiveness of milder shampoos on my hair is slightly tainted by the fact that I can rub oil on my scalp after washing and not be a greaseball afterwards.

[Anje]

Tried it a few times, but it's not for me. Despite my curly little frizzies, I just don't have enough curl to get more than half-wavy stringy hair when I try to do CG-approved techniques like not combing my hair while it's drying or dry. Some of that, really, is that my hair has some tendency toward stringiness, so other 1c/2aers might have more luck.

It's certainly worth a shot; CG definitely won't hurt anyone's hair and might help it a good deal. I just haven't been pleased enough with the initial results to pursue it further.

[jupiterinleo]

Thank you guys for the feedback. I learn things on here every day. So many things to consider! I might just be lazy and stick with my current routine for now. It might take me a while to find a shampoo for this.

[lapushka]

I say try it! You have nothing to lose, besides there are a lot of 1s even that do CG, CO is CG and there's plenty of straighties that are CO. I'm a 2a and I'm modified CG, which means I use shampoo. But the rest of the method is the same for me. No brushing when dry, etc. Try it! I bet you'll like it!

[YamaMaya]

I can't see why you couldn't. If your hair is M/C you'd probably benefit from it, even if your hair isn't immediately apparent as curly. When I was CO'ing a few years back, my hair went from 2a to 3a pretty quickly!

Don't quote me on this as I'm not an expert but this comic shows a plopping (http://image.nanopress.it/628X0/donna/tuttogratis/it/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Plopping.jpg) tutorial. It could probably bring out some curls and waves! That being said, try curlygirl first, because again, I saw an increase in curls after CO'ing without plopping.
They couldn't come up with a more...flattering name for this technique? :lol:

[RancheroTheBee]

They couldn't come up with a more...flattering name for this technique? :lol:

;) what do you expect from a community that gave us no-poo?

[lapushka]

They couldn't come up with a more...flattering name for this technique? :lol:

It's sometimes called "plunking" as well, which to me doesn't sound any better! :lol:

[Rushli]

lol. i remember the first time I told someone I was trying "no-poo." We had a good laugh.

[Anje]

;) what do you expect from a community that gave us no-poo?

"I tried making my own poo with excellent results!" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071221121408/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=71834)

[jupiterinleo]

Alright, I'll be giving this a try. I went out and bought a shower-comb and everything, haha. My harsh shampoo is nearly out, so I'll start after that.

[Firefox7275]

I just don't see Curly Girl method as being that different from LHC wisdom, both are fairly flexible for different hair lengths/ types/ curl patterns/ lifestyles. Both are heavily focused on conditioning conditioning and more conditioning, severely limiting manipulation and mechanical damage, working with your natural beauty, cleansing gently but effectively.

Long hairs often use different leave ins (pure oils and butters instead of true conditioners) but basically both have emollient properties. Plenty of curlies use up dos/ protective styles. To me the major difference is the detangling when dry aspect.

[RancheroTheBee]

"I tried making my own poo with excellent results!" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071221121408/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=71834)

:lol: oh my goodness.

Oh, and I don't know if this is purist Curlygirl or anything, but I don't usually brush or comb (just finger comb and preen when needed) because the sound of wet hair snapping freaks me out and I've found it happens no matter how wide the comb is!

[jupiterinleo]

I don't usually brush or comb (just finger comb and preen when needed) because the sound of wet hair snapping freaks me out and I've found it happens no matter how wide the comb is!

I wish I could use only my fingers! It's not thorough enough for me, though, I have a lot of hair that likes to clump together and I tend to miss areas with just fingercombing.


And that's very true, Firefox.
My current routine works very well; I always did want to add just coming in the shower rather than brushing dry.

[tiny squirrel]

I like to keep a bottle of shampoo in the shower to quisi clarify whenever my hair starts feeling weighed down. Here are a few I have tried and liked. I don't know for sure if they are ALL curly girl friendly. I read the labels once long ago, but now that I know my hair likes them, I no longer care if they are 100% CG approved. So, like I said, these are just a few that work for me.

One 'n Only Argan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo- From Sally's
http://www.sallybeauty.com/argan-moisturizing-shampoo/ONEONL17,default,pd.html#q=argan+oil+shampoo&start=2

Nature's Gate Mandarin Orange and Patchouli (Love of different scents. One of my favorites but sometimes hard to find)
http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Gate-Mandarin-Patchouli-High-Shine/dp/B000S82BCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390516870&sr=8-1&keywords=natures+gate+mandarin+orange+and+patchoul i+shampoo

Organix (OGX) Shampoo Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Ginseng, there's also a coconut milk and... the green bottle... I don't remember what the scent is.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ogx-shampoo-rejuvenating-cherry-blossom-ginseng/ID=prod6017172-product

And while searching I found OGX has a "Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Shampoo." never seen it before, but I'd love to try it.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ogx-weightless-hydration-coconut-water-shampoo/ID=prod6228604-product

Any of the Renpure Organix shampoos
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/renpure-originals-moisturizing-shampoo/ID=prod6015032-product

There is also a dye free moisturizing organic shampoo I get at publix in the organic bath soap and lotion section. LOVED it. It's in a tall skinny bottle, but I can't for the life of me remember what it's called. Just stay away from the clarifying one. SOooo drying.

Most of these are a bit more expensive, but I've found that with higher quality poos a little bit goes a long way. I think it comes out about the same in the end AND your hair is happy.

And again I say, HAPPY EXPERIMENTING!

[RancheroTheBee]

I wish I could use only my fingers! It's not thorough enough for me, though, I have a lot of hair that likes to clump together and I tend to miss areas with just fingercombing. *snip*

It's definitely not for everyone. I got into the habit when I was a kid and I noticed my mom only occasionally used those wide pick-combs on occasion and nothing else. I'm also still very, very short and I can get away with it.