Curly hair questions (for a friend)

[Anya15]

I have a friend who has thick curly hair (3b possibly.) It's shoulder length. (unstretched). She had been very unhappy with her hair, so she went to a stylist at a well-known professional salon. The stylist gave her a sort of layered cut which looks good. She also gave her a bunch of (frightfully expensive) products to use (Most of it is the salon's own line of products).
I took a look at them. The shampoo has sulfates, the conditioner is full of cones. And a curl styling cream which is also very coney. Plus that Kerastase thing. She is using all of them and while her curls are looking better, I was wondering if she is using the right products for her hair. So I thought I'd ask y'all (because where else would I find people with healthy, happy, LONG curls?) Thoughts? Are sulfates, cones good or bad for her? Does she really need these products which burn such a big hole in her pocket? Can she do with other alternatives?

Her curls look better but not as good as some of the ones I've seen on LHC curlies.

[Katia_k]

She absolutely does not need the sulfates, and without those, she probably doesn't want the cones either. The replacement products may or may not be less expensive--don't know what she's paying, but they will be better for her hair. She may not even need a shampoo, but that's up to her hair. My curls do, but some people can just get away with cowash.

But it will take experimenting, just like everything on this forum. So she'll have to decide between expensive and mostly-working and easy, or somewhat cheaper but much more involved. Worth it in my opinion though--layers and proper curl care have done wonders for my hair. You should send her poking around naturallycurly.com. There's a ton of great advice over there.

(I'm also still a relative noob so others may have wiser things to say).

[Wildcat Diva]

No way does she need to stick with those products. She can search grocery stores to find products that work for her. Have her find some you tube channels with curly girls and start watching to see what is used. There are a lot of grocery store brand products that might do a better job. A lot of managing curly hair is technique in addition to product.

[Horrorpops]

Is she unhappy paying for those expensive products? If she hasn't asked for help I'd personally mind my own business. I'd be confused if a friend chimed in and started offering unsolicited advice haha :)
But I do think the main difference between expensive salon brands and cheap supermarket ones is mainly marketing so she probably could spend her money elsewhere but if she is happy with those products I'd leave her be :o

[Beborani]

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the products available in India as I take my own when I visit but she can try any conditioner as a leave in applied on sopping wet hair. And that is all she may need to keep her curls looking good. Try a few brands as they all don't work the same. Silicones are not necessarily bad for everyone--her hair may benefit from them especially in humid climate. A touch of mineral oil also helps in keeping the frizz under control.

Eta: I just saw your other post on frizz. Your hair may benefit from the same things too--I find using conditoner with mineral oil to be the best leave-in during summers in India.

[Silverbleed]

I don't know how her hair reacts to it, but my hair is weighted down by cones. I once tested it and it really looks as if every strand had a little weight hanging at the end of it, while the other side was super curly. If she'd like more springy and natural curls, maybe it's worth it to try without the cones. I am always really happy with the advice they give at the curl hair subreddit (http://reddit.com/r/curlyhair) and naturallycurly.com. These people really helped me on my journey.

[Anya15]

She did mention she is worried because she will run out of product soon and she is hesitant to spend that much again. She is not happy with the price.

The ingredients on the shampoo and conditioner don't seem to be much different from other regular ones in the market. I had suggested Youtube channels and naturallycurly.com to her before but she said she prefers the salon's advice as they style the celebrities here.

I will definitely try the mineral oil! But I'm a bit confused, I don't know exactly what it is :/

[Beborani]

First ingredient in dabur amla oil is mineral oil ( they call it liquid paraffin or something) but Johnson's baby oil is often pure mineral oil or maybe you can even get liquid paraffin (no profit margin in this so it will be tucked away somewhere).

[catasa]

Regarding mineral oil, it is also called liquid paraffin, and it is often used in baby oil. Johnson´s sell one baby oil that is pure mineral oil I think, but that can´t be found where I live, here all baby oils have other additives that don´t go well with my hair. I by my mineral oil/pure liquid paraffin at the pharmacy where it is sold for use for indigestion. I think that it is also used to oil in wood, and from what I can remember from other threads here, if you find a version of this kind of oil that is supposed to be used to oil kitchen cutting boards, it should be pure enough to use also for hair/skin.

Regarding your friend´s products: I agree that she certainly doesn´t need to stick with those expensive products, cheap products can works as well or better, but as others mentioned, it takes experimentation to find products and routines that work, regardless of whether they are DIY, natural, commercial, expensive or cheap. Cones and sulfates are not bad in themselves, it´s simply a matter of what your hair prefers (well, sulfates are probably unnecessarily harsh for most people, but there are also many whose scalp and hair do best on sulphates). If she does not want to put in time and effort in experimenting (and that is not so strange, not everyone is as obsessed as the average LHC:er :p), there is really not much you can do I think, except encourage her to try cheaper products.

ETA: oops, didn´t see beborani´s post before I posted :)

[Silverbleed]

[...] but she said she prefers the salon's advice as they style the celebrities here. [...]

In my personal opinion it's better to look at what your hair really needs than to rely on what they 'make of it' since not all celebrities have natural hair or treat it with the best care resulting in extensions. But in the end it's really what your friend wants in the end. Taking good care of curly hair can be done without it being too costly and I've seen amazing results.

[Anya15]

In my personal opinion it's better to look at what your hair really needs than to rely on what they 'make of it' since not all celebrities have natural hair or treat it with the best care resulting in extensions. But in the end it's really what your friend wants in the end. Taking good care of curly hair can be done without it being too costly and I've seen amazing results.

She was also complimenting my growth rate (after I began pampering my hair it has started growing pretty fast) and complaining that her hair never grew beyond CBL. Maybe I should point her here. :P I have another friend with 3a curls and her hair looks pretty damaged, I feel like pointing her here too. I love curls :love: always wanted them instead of my wurls

[lapushka]

If it's working for her, I would leave her alone. No need to talk her into something that might possibly ruin her hair. If she's happy using sulfates and silicones, then so be it! That's just my take on it. There is nothing wrong with sulfates or silicones if they work for your hair. If her hair looks amazing, be happy for her! :)

It's about what your hair likes, not about what we *want* for our hair!

[lapushka]

I will definitely try the mineral oil! But I'm a bit confused, I don't know exactly what it is :/

Plain old baby oil. :)

[Anya15]

If it's working for her, I would leave her alone. No need to talk her into something that might possibly ruin her hair. If she's happy using sulfates and silicones, then so be it! That's just my take on it. There is nothing wrong with sulfates or silicones if they work for your hair. If her hair looks amazing, be happy for her! :)

It's about what your hair likes, not about what we *want* for our hair!

Oh, I'm not disputing the possibility that her hair may like sulfates and silicones. She is worried about having to pay for such expensive products when she runs out, which will be soon. I am not a curly so I know almost nothing about curly hair care, which is why I thought I'd ask here :D

[lapushka]

Oh, I'm not disputing the possibility that her hair may like sulfates and silicones. She is worried about having to pay for such expensive products when she runs out, which will be soon. I am not a curly so I know almost nothing about curly hair care, which is why I thought I'd ask here :D

Maybe try and recommend her a few YT channels. Here are a few:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqTqhwMOdofJsy3A_fzV6jA
https://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoCurlsTV
https://www.youtube.com/user/RisasRizos
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGlamBelleRocks
https://www.youtube.com/user/Luhhsettyxo
https://www.youtube.com/user/MoKnowsHair
https://www.youtube.com/user/MahoganyCurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/grahamsnaturalcurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/UKCurlyGirl
https://www.youtube.com/user/brwnbarbi
https://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoveringNatural
https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamMeUp8
https://www.youtube.com/user/Khadi878
https://www.youtube.com/user/jordeecakes
https://www.youtube.com/user/Jadoremycurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/Naptural85
https://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalEquation1
https://www.youtube.com/user/leahallyannah
https://www.youtube.com/user/Curly4Christy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3LEg54OH5KgdGrgdT7KowQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/jamieboo22
https://www.youtube.com/user/KISSseventyseven
https://www.youtube.com/user/Christidiva35
https://www.youtube.com/user/jsnelson013

I just went over my subs list... there's more, but these are the ones that posted quite recently.

[Silverbleed]

I'll add this channel right here... I learned a lot from her plus she's funny c:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CurlyPenny

[lapushka]

Here's another channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MuchMoreThanBeauty

And how could I forget CurlyPenny! :)

[LongCurlyTress]

Maybe try and recommend her a few YT channels. Here are a few:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqTqhwMOdofJsy3A_fzV6jA
https://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoCurlsTV
https://www.youtube.com/user/RisasRizos
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGlamBelleRocks
https://www.youtube.com/user/Luhhsettyxo
https://www.youtube.com/user/MoKnowsHair
https://www.youtube.com/user/MahoganyCurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/grahamsnaturalcurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/UKCurlyGirl
https://www.youtube.com/user/brwnbarbi
https://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoveringNatural
https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamMeUp8
https://www.youtube.com/user/Khadi878
https://www.youtube.com/user/jordeecakes
https://www.youtube.com/user/Jadoremycurls
https://www.youtube.com/user/Naptural85
https://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalEquation1
https://www.youtube.com/user/leahallyannah
https://www.youtube.com/user/Curly4Christy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3LEg54OH5KgdGrgdT7KowQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/jamieboo22
https://www.youtube.com/user/KISSseventyseven
https://www.youtube.com/user/Christidiva35
https://www.youtube.com/user/jsnelson013

I just went over my subs list... there's more, but these are the ones that posted quite recently.

Fantastically helpful reference list lapushka!! Thank you for posting it!! :happydance:

[Anya15]

Thank you Lapushka! I think I will point both my curly haired friends to these channels. :) and I have watched CurlyPenny's videos, she's amazing :D

[Anya15]

By the way Lapushka, do you happen to be subscribed to any youtubers that deal with wavy hair care? :D

[yahirwaO.o]

Have to say, great research Lapushka!!!! You totally know like business!!

[lapushka]

I just went over my subs list, and thankfully all the curlies had posted in recent times, because I am *so* forgetful with names. :lol:

It's all gladly done! :D

Should I find more, I'll post them!

[lapushka]

https://www.youtube.com/user/alyratv/videos

[lapushka]

Here's another one!
https://www.youtube.com/user/waterlily716

[Anya15]

Lapushka, you are always so helpful! :D

[lapushka]

Thank you. Aaand here's some more:
https://www.youtube.com/user/sayrialove
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk3WxHBuoeTsi8QNvcp3WMg
https://www.youtube.com/user/thepolishedcurl

[Anya15]

I must bookmark all these! :)