View Full Version : A long curly hair story for no reason
wo
December 5th, 2018, 09:51 PM
This isn't really advice or anything but just a story of how I strayed from a good routine and regret it.
Ok, so I've had curly hair since puberty hit. At its peak in my teens it was 3b. I got deva cuts and strictly followed the curly girl method for about 10 years, and I must say I had very fabulous hair. Shiny, defined curls, yay. 😀 But this was all pixie to bob lengths, I never grew it long until the past few years on LHC.
Well, after a few kids, or maybe just from getting older, it is now more of 2c/3a curls. Between my focus being on length now rather than curliness, and the fact that it has become less curly, I thought maybe I didn't really need to treat it like curly hair anymore. Maybe just mainstream long hair care would be good now. Bit by bit, I totally abandoned curly girl methods. I used a sulfate free shampoo now and then, but it turned into using it every shower. Instead of sleeping in a "pineapple" of hair, or just loose, I started sleeping in a braid, which would have a lot of friction overnight and often I'd just leave it in the next day too. It would be very frazzled and tangled by the time I unbraided it. I stopped detangling in the shower with conditioner, and did it on dry hair instead. I wide tooth combed my dry hair daily.
All of these changes happened within the past 6 months. I've done search and destroy consistently the past few years and this week was the first time I've ever found damage everywhere I looked. 😩 Not anything horrible, but in any strand of hair I look at, there are some splits and that's very unusual for me. I just took a shower and did my old routine and products that worked for a decade and I was shocked right out of the shower how great my curls looked. I honestly forgot how frizz free and defined and spiral they can be. I hadn't noticed the gradual decline of my hair till it was bad enough to be undeniable. Also, I am getting a haircut next week to add more layering which is something I've wanted for a long time and I'm finally going for it. So it should help get these new splits out and also enhance the curl.
So to summarize my late night hair story, I had perfectly good hair and for some reason changed everything and it was a bad decision which took me a long time to realize. 😄 I'll post a haircut picture next week. Wish me luck!
leayellena
December 6th, 2018, 01:01 AM
that's "weighed down or stretched curls" the stylist talk about. I had 2a-2b when my hair was shoulder length now I have 1c but the layers and the taper (thin ends, fairytale ends) are more like 2a. whith shorter haircuts, hair becomes curlier than it really is. your routine "is against curly girl routine" lol. but not every hair can enhace curls. if I scrunch my wav-ish ends I'd get clumps instead of waves. oh and the wide tooth comb thing to spread the product definitely doesn't work on me haha. this method only creates massive tangles and breakage. yes, getting rid of the damage is the key to manageable hair ;) and I used to forget about s&d myself until I reallized my hair is too long for such long time between s&d. now I do some 10ß snips every month and it's better than 50 every half a year. ok be careful with layers. usually layers get damaged way faster than the longest layer. try this method instead: https://www.seventeen.com/beauty/hair/how-to/a39221/heres-how-to-thin-out-your-hair/
Alibran
December 6th, 2018, 03:01 AM
How long is your hair now?
My curls do stretch out to an extent as it gets longer, but it tends to be more towards the roots, and the rest stays curly. Having layers means the curls are all 'on show' when it's down. My hair is much better following the CG method too. I did a treatment on it that stripped it of moisture a week or so ago - I knew it would be drying, but I was trying to remove the chemical dye, so I figured it was worth it - and my curls just vanished.
Vacurlylady
December 6th, 2018, 03:33 AM
THIS IS a good lesson for me to read! Thank you so very much for sharing it. I am growing my 3a SL hair out for the first time in my life at almost 60! I may have been tempted to stray from the curly girl routine after spending much time in LHC, if I hadn’t read this. After reading that maybe sulfates and cones aren’t that bad and some hair likes them, I may have been curious to try them over time. Afterall, I’m working on length and trying out protective styles and not so much into my curls. After reading this, I will still remember to cowash and use my wide tooth comb in the shower and to pineapple.
Thank you for posting! Wishing you good luck on your layers and curls!
wo
December 6th, 2018, 05:30 AM
Alibran, my hair is a little past hip length but styling it fully curly for the first time in months, it looks way shorter! Right at my waist. Mine is the same way, the roots flatten out and I think layers will take some weight off and help it to not just hang flat.
Vacurlylady, I'm glad it helped you! Yeah I just lost sight of the fact that curly hair really does need some special treatment and a lot more moisture. I thought it was all just for looks, like all that only mattered for the best curl definition. But at least in my case, my hair really needs curly girl type methods to be in good condition.
lapushka
December 6th, 2018, 05:31 AM
Yeah, sometimes it pays to stick to old ways. I have been using my own method for a number of years and I am not straying, not one bit, because it works and I'm done experimenting; BTDT, and regretted it loads.
Looking forward to pictures, wo.
wo
December 6th, 2018, 05:50 AM
Wow, so here's a photo. Left is yesterday when I had my wake up call, and this is what my hair has looked like a for months now. I stopped wearing it just plain down because it looked so bad, but I thought it just needed a trim or something. Right is this morning after my curly hair routine last night. I'm shocked at the difference and really happy. 😁
https://i.imgur.com/3juWqoM.jpg
Lady Stardust
December 6th, 2018, 06:39 AM
Wow! What a difference. Beautiful curls :)
YvetteVarie
December 6th, 2018, 07:09 AM
Definitely a big difference. It's a good reminder for us curlies to stick to routines meant for us. The curls look gorgeous
lapushka
December 6th, 2018, 07:14 AM
That is quite the difference in texture. Also in color, it seems, or is it just the lighting?
Very pretty! :)
SallySue
December 6th, 2018, 08:18 AM
Gorgeous! And total inspiration for those of us curlies who follow mainstream hair routines for years either out of ignorance or out of gaslighting that our hair is "not even that curly" (pic 1).
Would you mind sharing your curly hair routine?
wo
December 6th, 2018, 08:22 AM
Thanks everyone, yeah it is a crazy difference. Lapushka, it's partly lighting and partly more product in my hair making it look darker.
lapushka
December 6th, 2018, 08:49 AM
Thanks everyone, yeah it is a crazy difference. Lapushka, it's partly lighting and partly more product in my hair making it look darker.
Oh, OK! :D I like the dark shade loads!
Alibran
December 6th, 2018, 08:55 AM
Thanks everyone, yeah it is a crazy difference. Lapushka, it's partly lighting and partly more product in my hair making it look darker.
Mine does the same. More product makes it look much darker.
And your hair is beautiful. If mine is half as lovely when I reach your length, I'll be very happy.
wo
December 6th, 2018, 10:23 AM
Gorgeous! And total inspiration for those of us curlies who follow mainstream hair routines for years either out of ignorance or out of gaslighting that our hair is "not even that curly" (pic 1).
Would you mind sharing your curly hair routine?
Thank you! Yep that's where I went wrong. 😄 I thought my hair isn't really curly enough to need curly methods compared to all the 3b/3c and thick haired people I always see online.
Ok so for my routine...
I wash it bent forward in the shower with my hair hanging down in front of my face. (If I wash it standing up, it gets plastered to my head and back and it just doesn't work for me at any length.)
I wash my scalp with any of the Suave naturals conditioners. They're very cheap and I think they're all cone-free, but double check.
Then I put a lot of conditioner in my soaking wet hair. Any thick creamy cone-free kind. I usually get something different every time and there are so many choices now at any store I've been to.
Still in that position, I twist it into cinnabun on top of my head and secure it with a stick, then I stand up and do whatever else.
When I'm done, I bend forward again and release my hair. As I'm rinsing it out, I use a wide tooth comb to detangle starting at the ends. If it's a good conditioner, detangling is really fast and easy. If it's hard to do then that's not a good conditioner for me.
Once it's all combed out I scrunch Kinky Curly Knot Today leave in conditioner into it. I kind of gently toss my head side to side to get it all loosened up from my scalp, and then stand upright.
Out of the shower I scrunch with a tshirt to get out extra water then use Kinky Curly Curling Custard for my gel.
Then I either air dry which gives me loose curls.
Or diffuse with the bowl diffuser (the thing with all the sticks). I set a section of hair in it and lift it to my scalp and hold. That gives tighter curls.
Or I "plop" in a tshirt for 20 ish minutes first, then diffuse for the tightest curls.
That's it, that's the routine I've used since like... 2008 I think lol.
The other main thing is not to touch it much and not comb it out dry for sure. And at night I use a loose scrunchie on top of my head and don't pull the hair all the way through, and that's a loose comfortable way to keep it from being in the way or getting smushed.
It's a lot to read but in real life it's all quick and easy, and the only product I go through quickly is the heavy conditioner. Everything else is like a yearly purchase for me.
Riot Crrl
December 6th, 2018, 11:39 AM
This is all so true.
Even before I got my hair cut short a few months ago, I had been getting awfully cozy with the sulfate-free shampoo. It's just so nice and clean feeling... and it's so nice wearing my hair stretched in a bun all the time. It's always detangled!
That first photo is such a familiar looking texture. Before I saw that, I was reading your post like, "This is all true, but my hair really did get less curly." :bigtongue:
MusicalSpoons
December 6th, 2018, 03:57 PM
Wooooow :thud: the second picture is absolutely gorgeous!! And after just one wash back into your curly routine - that's absolutely astonishing! Yours is both a cautionary tale to stick to what works, and an encouragement that curly girl really can make a huge difference immediately. That's awesome.
sumidha
December 6th, 2018, 04:24 PM
Aaah, your curls are so gorgeous!
My hair looks like picture 1 after brushing, but I don't have enough curl for it to ever look like picture 2 no matter what I do, lol.
Dark40
December 8th, 2018, 04:49 PM
Wow! Beautiful curls! And the color is gorgeous too. Or, is it the lighting?
wo
December 9th, 2018, 06:20 PM
Thank you everyone! 😁 Dark40, it is just lighting and products causing the color change. But yeah I'm super happy to have learned my lesson and stick with what works. 👍
Vacurlylady
December 10th, 2018, 03:42 AM
Wow, so here's a photo. Left is yesterday when I had my wake up call, and this is what my hair has looked like a for months now. I stopped wearing it just plain down because it looked so bad, but I thought it just needed a trim or something. Right is this morning after my curly hair routine last night. I'm shocked at the difference and really happy. 😁
https://i.imgur.com/3juWqoM.jpg
Wow what a difference in one day! And that’s not even having layers put in yet. Are you still getting them done? Are your plans to wear it down more or to wear protective hair styles? I’m asking because my hair isn’t long enough yet for many protective styles and it’s so very easy to get focused in on length in the LHC site and forget about curls. Your post is helping me to be reminded of both.
wo
December 10th, 2018, 05:38 AM
Wow what a difference in one day! And that’s not even having layers put in yet. Are you still getting them done? Are your plans to wear it down more or to wear protective hair styles? I’m asking because my hair isn’t long enough yet for many protective styles and it’s so very easy to get focused in on length in the LHC site and forget about curls. Your post is helping me to be reminded of both.
Yes, I'm still getting it cut this week. And yes I wear it down mostly. That's what I prefer, but I had stopped recently because it was looking so dull and frizzy. I was doing a lot of buns or up in a claw clip. But I usually like it just down, or a little bit pulled back with a tiny claw clip. 🙂
kurlywurlygurl
January 3rd, 2023, 11:06 PM
I'm bumping old curly threads on good old LHC. I noticed you never posted the haircut photo on this old thread. I'm curious about how your hair is these days and what your curly girl routine is. Is it still the same? How do you wear your hair day to day now? Do you wear it up?
gghh
January 3rd, 2023, 11:45 PM
I'm bumping old curly threads on good old LHC.
Thank you for doing so, it’s so wonderful to see curls thrive. I dont really style my hair the way i used to anymore, so it’s so nice to know that pretty curls haven’t gone anywhere, they just need to be styled.
ExpectoPatronum
January 4th, 2023, 12:26 AM
Thank you for bumping this although....
Now I'm tempted to try CG again to see how my hair looks! The difference in those two pictures is amazing.
But I always have my hair up so how good my curls look doesn't really matter ;D
Lazy routine it is!
Braided Lady
January 4th, 2023, 09:51 AM
Thank you for bumping this although....
Now I'm tempted to try CG again to see how my hair looks! The difference in those two pictures is amazing.
But I always have my hair up so how good my curls look doesn't really matter ;D
Lazy routine it is!
That's exactly how I feel! It would be fun to know my hair could look like that, but it sounds like more work and things to buy than could be justified by the number of times I would wear it down.
kurlywurlygurl
January 4th, 2023, 12:29 PM
It's so nice to talk to curly people on LHC because this has always been my conundrum. When I was on LHC years ago and my hair was the longest it has ever been I still took care of my hair in a CG kind of way and I didn't have a lot of stuff. I was a CO and WO kind of girl at different points.
I was an active member on LHC and naturallycurly.com on the both forums during that time and I found I still wore my hair up. Right now I am still CG and my routine doesn't take much longer whether or not I wear my hair up. I also find my hair just feels more moisturized and protected when I layer and lock in moisture through product. My ends are better and I trim my hair a lot less. I also generally like my hair better even if I wear it down after days of wearing it up. It still appears defined even if its not perfectly curly like it would be after a fresh wash and style.
It seems like most of y'all have similar hair and I'm so curious about how you take care of your hair now via these "lazy routines" lol. I feel like my routine is lazy lol. When I do decide to do the most it's: actually oiling my hair, washing it out with a conditioner, using a shampoo bar on the scalp while the conditioner is still on and then rinsing. I follow that with a conditioner again and a vinegar rinse. Then it's just leave in conditioner and something to lock the moisture in.
I also love an oil rinse sometimes but not always. There are a lot of nice techniques I revisit that I've learned online over the years and I might switch it up depending on how my hair feels that time of year or day or week... and of course whether I went too long between washing and everything is tangled or not LOL
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