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View Full Version : CG fail, 2a routines please!



SeRe
June 17th, 2019, 03:14 PM
Hello All,

I gave curly hair another shot when I was away and failed miserably. My hair was crunchy, with random bends and twists that did not look consistent at all! Not to mention the amount of time I spent to follow the routine, and the money too! I really did want to have defined waves. I have tried CG before too, and failed then also.

I'm back to using sulphates and silicones. My hair routine at the moment:

1. Matrix biolage bamboo shampoo
2. Shea moisture JBCO conditioner
3. John Freida frizz ease after shower when wet - 4 pumps
4. It's a 10 leave in when 30% dry
5. Air dry

I wash my hair every other day, oil it frequently as a pre-poo, and use henna once a month or biweekly. Henna had pulled my hair to a 1b/1c, but now seems to have stopped working much to straighten, even if I henna biweekly. My hair seems stuck at 2a predominantly.

Even with all this, my hair is frizzy and weird on some days. I have 1c/2a textures on my hair, with my canopy being 1c, and hair underneath being 2a/b.

Please suggest a way to control frizz. If you too have hair like mine, please comment!

Any other suggestions will be great.

lapushka
June 17th, 2019, 03:41 PM
I'm 2b/c and CG doesn't work for me unless I largely modify it. I still use the LOC/LCO method which is CG but I use sulfates. I use silicones. I WCC and do an oil rinse in between wash & conditioner, and then LOC/LCO. For me it works.

I am not going to elaborate on my method here because I've been here for a long time, and so many of us have seen me explain it so many times, so I'm going to refer you to my signature (where it all is).

HTH. If you need more info, just give me a shout!

SeRe
June 17th, 2019, 03:48 PM
I'm 2b/c and CG doesn't work for me unless I largely modify it. I still use the LOC/LCO method which is CG but I use sulfates. I use silicones. I WCC and do an oil rinse in between wash & conditioner, and then LOC/LCO. For me it works.

I am not going to elaborate on my method here because I've been here for a long time, and so many of us have seen me explain it so many times, so I'm going to refer you to my signature (where it all is).

HTH. If you need more info, just give me a shout!

Thank you. In the past you have described it to me, but I'm looking for product names too. Can you please advise?

SeRe
June 17th, 2019, 03:57 PM
I'm 2b/c and CG doesn't work for me unless I largely modify it. I still use the LOC/LCO method which is CG but I use sulfates. I use silicones. I WCC and do an oil rinse in between wash & conditioner, and then LOC/LCO. For me it works.

I am not going to elaborate on my method here because I've been here for a long time, and so many of us have seen me explain it so many times, so I'm going to refer you to my signature (where it all is).

HTH. If you need more info, just give me a shout!

Also, do you comb your hair after it dries? I need to, else i have 2-3 big locks in my hair. It looks awful and unkempt. I wish i could wear it either wavy with defined waves or straight, not in between like it is now.

Ylva
June 17th, 2019, 04:01 PM
I'm not a full 2a but will reply nonetheless.

I sometimes pre-poo using plant oil, currently mostly using up my sweet almond oil this way. I use a sulfate shampoo, usually on my scalp and roots only. My favourites are Natura Siberica Oblepikha Intensive Hydration and Garnier Fructis Aloe Hydra Bomb. After rinsing that, I'll apply a mask from the ears or chin down and a light conditioner in the root area, but I'll drop the latter step when I have more virgin growth. My favourite masks include Garnier Fructis Hair Foods (especially papaya) and those Garnier Respons (Ultimate Blends, Whole Blends etc.) "ball" masks. My light conditioners are currently Superdrug's own brand. I rinse those out after a few minutes and ROO (rinse-out oil) if I feel like it (currently using argan oil for that to use it up, it's working well), likely after clarifying washes at least. Then, I'll apply my second conditioner which is a coney one, but I use non-buildup silicones only. My holy grail there is Garnier Respons Coconut Milk & Macadamia Oil. I squeeze excess water out of my hair, let it drip for a bit, separate the strands a little so it's not just one clump of wet hair and scrunch in a leave-in cream. My current favourite is Garnier Respons Argan Richness Leave-In Cream.

I don't towel dry my hair at any point and I apply my conditioners on soaking wet hair. I brush my hair as if it was straight, but you probably shouldn't if you experience frizz? I don't know about that!

SeRe
June 17th, 2019, 04:12 PM
I'm not a full 2a but will reply nonetheless.

I sometimes pre-poo using plant oil, currently mostly using up my sweet almond oil this way. I use a sulfate shampoo, usually on my scalp and roots only. My favourites are Natura Siberica Oblepikha Intensive Hydration and Garnier Fructis Aloe Hydra Bomb. After rinsing that, I'll apply a mask from the ears or chin down and a light conditioner in the root area, but I'll drop the latter step when I have more virgin growth. My favourite masks include Garnier Fructis Hair Foods (especially papaya) and those Garnier Respons (Ultimate Blends, Whole Blends etc.) "ball" masks. My light conditioners are currently Superdrug's own brand. I rinse those out after a few minutes and ROO (rinse-out oil) if I feel like it (currently using argan oil for that to use it up, it's working well), likely after clarifying washes at least. Then, I'll apply my second conditioner which is a coney one, but I use non-buildup silicones only. My holy grail there is Garnier Respons Coconut Milk & Macadamia Oil. I squeeze excess water out of my hair, let it drip for a bit, separate the strands a little so it's not just one clump of wet hair and scrunch in a leave-in cream. My current favourite is Garnier Respons Argan Richness Leave-In Cream.

I don't towel dry my hair at any point and I apply my conditioners on soaking wet hair. I brush my hair as if it was straight, but you probably shouldn't if you experience frizz? I don't know about that!

Thanks for your response. My hair is 1c/2a too. I have mixed textures with my canopy being more straight. I need to comb my hair or it looks awful. Combing seems to make it look better, but I need to do it often. I use a comb, not a hair brush.

I think I need to use a silicone conditioner vs a non-silicone now that I am using now. I think that is the main difference between your routine and mine. Perhaps it will help. I need to try it. Thanks for responding.

lapushka
June 17th, 2019, 04:36 PM
Thank you. In the past you have described it to me, but I'm looking for product names too. Can you please advise?

What do you need?

I use:
- Pantene Aqua light shampoo (most times)
- various conditioners and masks, but the Garnier Fructis Hairfood (called "treats" in the US) is awesome
- LOC/LCO I use a lot of gels and curl creams / leave-ins as well (like the curl enhancing smoothie by Shea Moisture a lot, but you need about a coinsize for classic length, MORE than enough).

SeRe
June 17th, 2019, 04:46 PM
What do you need?

I use:
- Pantene Aqua light shampoo (most times)
- various conditioners and masks, but the Garnier Fructis Hairfood (called "treats" in the US) is awesome
- LOC/LCO I use a lot of gels and curl creams / leave-ins as well (like the curl enhancing smoothie by Shea Moisture a lot, but you need about a coinsize for classic length, MORE than enough).

Thank you! Can you tell me which leave ins you like the most that have silicones in them?

lapushka
June 17th, 2019, 04:55 PM
Thank you! Can you tell me which leave ins you like the most that have silicones in them?

I don't know if these have silicones! You'd have to research it a bit.

I have two that I like:
- JBCO leave-in by Shea Moisture
- well-known leave-in by Cantu (the regular shea one)

The rest are curl defining creams.

I also have the maple leave in by Garnier Ultra Doux (called "blends" in the US); haven't tried that one yet, but it can't be bad. Garnier Fructis also has a leave in in the green tub that is wildly popular, I bet that one has silicones!

AmaryllisRed
June 17th, 2019, 06:44 PM
I never wear my hair down anymore so I don't bother trying to define the waves.
But when it was shorter, my routine was:
Wash above the ears with herbal essences long term relationship shampoo
Condition below the ears with HE LTR conditioner
Comb with a wide tooth comb
Air dry until I'm too tired
Sleep
Spray Garnier Wonder Waves on my hands and run my fingers through my hair.
Honestly Wonder Waves is my favorite thing for wavy hair. I highly recommend it for calming frizz.

GrowlingCupcake
June 17th, 2019, 09:05 PM
I do not bother encouraging my waves; I wear my hair up mostly, and have to comb or brush it every day so it's not worth it. However, I really like Biosilk's Silk Therapy serum for frizz. It also helps to define braid waves very well so maybe it'll help with natural waves, as well.

Also, while using a small amount of a product may work for many people, be aware that YMMV. My hair firmly believes more is more, and if I use a small amount of a product, I might as well not bother with it.

cjk
June 17th, 2019, 09:16 PM
I gave curly hair another shot when I was away and failed miserably. My hair was crunchy, with random bends and twists that did not look consistent at all! Not to mention the amount of time I spent to follow the routine, and the money too! I really did want to have defined waves. I have tried CG before too, and failed then also.

Even with all this, my hair is frizzy and weird on some days. I have 1c/2a textures on my hair, with my canopy being 1c, and hair underneath being 2a/b.

Please suggest a way to control frizz. If you too have hair like mine, please comment!

Okay, one thing at a time.

Curly girl is an approach, while it's technically a brand the approach does not require the expensive stuff.

It is most easily summarized by stripping any residues from your hair using a sulphate containing shampoo, a final wash, then encouraging your hair to be well moisturized by using ungodly huge amounts of conditioner.

The products are supposed to support the health of your hair. They don't create curls or waves, but since you mentioned frizz I'll touch on that. I once read that frizz is your hairs reaching for moisture.

So if you're open to a little experimentation, run by the dollar store and buy some silicone free conditioner. Do a final wash to strip your hair, it will feel like straw. And then use more conditioner than you ever thought possible, continuing to apply until it no longer absorbs any more.

And rinse poorly.

I use a conditioner, Silkience, that I actually buy at Dollar Tree. No it's not super high quality, but it's more than adequate and gives me remarkable results. Cost is not a big factor when the few materials cost, literally, $1 each.

Now, why do you wash every other day? I'm not saying it's right or wrong but you probably have reasons. And information can be helpful. So why?

And your comments about still looking frizzy and unpredictable...hair with texture is often unpredictable, but frizzy usually means that it needs moisture. Can you post a photo of your frizz? We've seen poof-ball frizz, and occasional flyaway frizz. I'm trying to get a feel for what degree of frizz we are dealing with.

My hair is curly, yours is wavy, but the care requirements are often similar. In fact, over the last week I've started to CG my beard. Today, for the first time ever, I had clumps! But it took tweaking the method for my individual requirements, and there's not a lot about CG beards.

My point is that you are obviously open to ideas. So maybe we can work together to solve it.

littlestarface
June 17th, 2019, 09:45 PM
My advice is learn one thing at a time, my hair gets almost curly when I plop and scrunch with certain products and the way I scrunch and put it up to dry and then how I sleep with it. My hair is 2a, straight under the canopy and more wavy on top naturally, when I plop and scrunch I get to a wurly 2c as you can see from my signature and profile pictures. I don't like that crunchy wonkey stiff gel look so I don't use too many things at once, just a leave in and either a butter or custard for my hair.

Practice different ways, I first started by getting plain water and scrunch one at a time sections of hair and that's how I learned how wurly my hair can get, I did that with dry combed hair. I cupped water in my hand and then put the hair in the cupped water hand and then scrunched. That was how I started learning, the longer and more consistent you do it the more the wurls will come out of the hair.

Shorty89
June 17th, 2019, 10:51 PM
I'm an 1c/2A with henna as well (Probably more 1c with henna) and I could never get really defined waves that stay. Would overnight braid of bun waves be an option for you? Or curlers? That might be the only way to really get good waves. I personally found that CG was just too much for my fine hair and made it weighted down and gross. I don't use silicones, but they might help you and might even weigh down the curls a bit.

Jo Ann
June 17th, 2019, 11:24 PM
I WCC about once/week, using a moisture-rich shampoo (I prefer SM Intense Hydration or Moisture Retention shampoo and matching conditioner), the associated conditioner, and about four or five pumps of Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration. I use a towel between each rinse to get the excess water out of my hair before using the next product.

After my final rinse, I sit around with a towel wrapped around my hair for about ten minutes. I then use a generous amount (about a quarter-size diameter, but mounded) of SM's JBCO leave-in, followed by a light coating of coconut oil. I then comb my hair, using a wide-tooth comb, then let it air dry. My hair never feels dry and rarely gets frizzy.

Because I also use semi-permanent dye, and force-fade it about every six weeks, the shampoo(s) I use will be different, but I ALWAYS follow with a moisture-rich conditioner, a rinse-out oil (baby oil, in my case), the same four or five pumps of Hello Hydration, and my after WCC routine. I have almost no frizz and my hair stays soft and manageable. I also keep it bunned for work but either wear it in my sleep braid or down on my days off.

Maybe following a modified CG routine might be more to your hair's liking.

poli
June 19th, 2019, 12:14 AM
My hair routine at the moment:

1. Matrix biolage bamboo shampoo
2. Shea moisture JBCO conditioner
3. John Freida frizz ease after shower when wet - 4 pumps
4. It's a 10 leave in when 30% dry
5. Air dry


I have 1c hair, so not wavy but frizzy and I use henna too. I'm careful to use little to non protein in my products because of henna. The JBCO conditioner - maybe it's too much protein for every wash? And the other two products seem to have protein too. I'm not an expert but I would try to replace two of them with moisturizing /hydrating ones. The products I tested and like are for example:
Garnier Banana Hair Food - as a protein free conditioner;
Sea Moisture extra-moisture detangler (raw shea line) - as a protein free leave-in.

Servana
June 19th, 2019, 02:34 AM
As a 2a what works best for me is the following:.
Wash every other day, using a cheap organic sulfate-free shampoo with cones. Then sometimes I'll use the matching conditioner or more likely I'll do a hair mask, alternating between Naturica Siberia and Shea Moisture. Then I rinse that out and air dryy hair. While it's still damp I use an oil from Naturica Siberica. And then in the morning I use a brush that is half soft boar bristle and half bendy plastic bristle.

This method isn't to enhance waves (my hair is wavy no matter what), but rather to tame frizz.