Scrunching Help!

[Pixna]

This is for all you wurlies and curlies.

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?

--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?

--IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?

--DO you EVER comb your hair?

Please give me your best tips and pointers. Thank you!!

[Rohele]

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?

I twirl pieces then I scrunch from the bottom (push ends of hair upwards).

--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?

I let my hair dry slightly in a towel first - its fairly wet but not dripping. I don't scrunch every day, only on wash day. I re-twirl pieces if they lose their curl.

--IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?

I don't scrunch every day (see above), but I do mist my hair with a mixture of conditioner and water - this helps re-activate the waves slightly, and then I can twirl sections so the waves clump.

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?

I smooth a small amount of jojoba oil onto may hair while it is still wet, and I use a curl cream - the waves won't hold well without product. I rarely re-apply the curl cream - the waves relax over several days, but I do use jojoba oil daily.

--DO you EVER comb your hair?

I have to comb my hair if it has been slept on (which is almost always, since I wash in the evenings). I section out locks (or clumps of waves) and comb them separately, then re-twirl with jojoba oil.

Please give me your best tips and pointers. Thank you!!

I'm not not sure you want any of my tips - I've been having a series of bad hair days, and I'm not sure why, but I think my hair has crossed some sort of length threshold where I'm going to have to change things up a bit. I'm still figuring things out, but this is what works for me so far:

Always do a final cold water rinse - it really cuts down on the frizzies.

Don't touch while drying, or scrunch while drying after doing the initial scrunching bit - it cuts down on the frizzies.

And, at least for me, combing wavy hair is not the bad thing it is made out to be. I think wavies are a slightly different breed than curlies.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Rohele! I'm having some strange hair days, too. My hair goes from 2b/2c to 2b to 2a/2b in the course of just a few days. I can't figure out what to do with it. My husband likes it scrunched, but he doesn't like it with much product in it. I'm okay with it combed, but then most of my wurls get straightened. Of course, I can always rescrunch, but it's a pain in the rear. I like to keep things as simple (and easy) as possible.

I haven't tried twirling -- I might give that a whirl (or twirl!). In what ways is your hair changing? What else are you thinking of trying?

[swirlytresses]

I'm gonna try to answer your questions as best as I can, not necessarily in order.
I use several different "natural" products in my hair that give me great results without that "producty" feel. I use some gel called kinky curly curling custard that smells great and makes my hair soft, but yet holds. The other thing I have found that works geat in my hair, and my daughters, is flaxseed gel. I have made my own flaxseed gel and had awesome resluts. I have also bought some (Flax/aloe gel) from Hoity Toity at http://www.finelotions.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=66&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26 . She has medium hold and ultra hold. The ultra hold can get a little crunchy, but I scrunch out the crunch after my hair is atleast 90% dry. This gel is great!!

Some curlies use a "hair butter" to scrunch out the crunch to make it soft. I suppose you could use a tad of leave in or regular conditioner at this point too. I scrunch with my head upside down.

After applying my products and raking or combing, I scrunch so that my curls kind of clumb together. I don't touch my hair again until it's mostly dry, and then I scrunch to get the crunch out.

I usually comb my hair to detangle in the shower with lots of conditioner and then after applying my products I comb or rake.

For second day hair I usually just let my hair out of my loose ponytail and go. On occasion I will spritz my hair with an aloe/water combo and scrunch, let air dry for a little bit and then style.

I have found that applying my products when my hair is still fairly wet, makes a difference. It also seems to absorb better and eliminates that "producty" feel. I also use either flour sacks, T-shirt, or towels that are not terry cloth for my hair. This eliminates frizz for me. I hope this helps you.

[Rohele]

In what ways is your hair changing? What else are you thinking of trying?

Well, the waves seem to be getting less defined, they seem to be scraggly looking right now. Im growing in virgin hair, and I've got about 3" of growth. That hair seems to lay a lot flatter, and doesn't seem as wavy, so I'm thinking either the chemical damage I have on the bottom somehow makes my hair more prone to curling, or that the weight is starting to pull on the curl a bit.

I need to clarify my hair but I've been putting it off, and I think that's contributing. I've also been trying to cut down on product to see if I can get my hair to work without as much, but no luck so far.

I need a trim too - I think a little shaping of the ends and layers will help (I'm not trying to grow out layers completely at this stage, and I'm still dealing with remnants of a bob, which will hopefully be evened out after this next trim).

Not sure what else to try at this point - since summer is coming I'm going to go for the "put it up and forget about it plan" for several months and see what develops.

[Jessica Trapp]

swirlytresses, where do I find this kinky curly curling custard?

(I'm a product junkie...)

[Canarygirl]

does "scrunching" mean finger-combing + lightly squeezing handfuls of hair to create/promote waviness? If not, what does it mean?

[eyesofsummer]

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?
I've found I get the best results (most clumping, least frizz) when I finish my shower with a cold rinse with my head upside down so all the hair is hanging down (I rinse enough so that my hair has cooled off a bit, but not enough so that all my conditioner gets rinsed out). Then I wring my hair out a little bit, with my hands, just so it's not dripping all over the place and making a mess. While doing this, I try not to mess with the curls pattern so much. Then I exit the shower, with my hair still upside down, and apply hair gel all over in scrunching motions. Once the gel is distributed, I scrunch a bit more to get the curls to clump a bit more. At this point, I tilt my head side to side and continue to scrunch until I'm satisfied. Now I stand up straight. I then use an old t-shirt to scrunch with in order to get more of the water out. Ideally (when I have time), I then 'plop' my hair in another (dry) t-shirt, and let that sit for as long as I feel like (I find anywhere from 1/2 hour to overnight to be good)--> the 'plopping' guarantees that I get volume and defined curls at the top of my head, instead of being weighed down.

--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?
I only scrunch on wash days. My hair is still very wet when I scrunch, but not very drippy.

--IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?
I only scrunch on wash days (every 5 or so days, for me)

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?
Yup, product before scrunching works best for me.

--DO you EVER comb your hair?
No, I only finger-comb when I'm in the shower, and my hair is drenched in conditioner.

[Pixna]

Rohele, I wonder if perhaps your wave/curl pattern starts lower in your hair, which may be why the new growth looks straighter. Keep us posted on how things go. I think we wurlies are more challenged than other hair types.

Thank you so much for your responses, Swirlytresses and EyesofSummer. Swirly, are the ingredients listed anywhere for the products you recommended?

[goodluckcharm]

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?
I scrunch side to side but also reach around to get the back of my head.

--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?

Dripping wet right after washing. Sometimes I'll do it again after it's dried a bit, if neccessary. I only scrunch on wash days.

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?

I use a curl activator or a combination of gel and leave in conditioner. I rub my hands together and scrunch the product into my hair. So, I use product as I scrunch.

--DO you EVER comb your hair?

I comb/brush right before I get in the shower to detangle.

[Roseate]

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?
--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?

If I want to maximize wurls, I do this: I comb only in the shower, with conditioner on. Then I rinse, flip my head over and scrunch out some water with a MF towel. Then I scrunch in leave-in (currently KBB hair nectar, (http://www.karensbodybeautiful.com/product_p/1008.htm) very nice) and plop in a flour-sack towel for @ 20 mins while getting dressed and such. After I let it down I'll scrunch in a little AVG, sort of side-to-side, and put my hair in place somewhat. Then I keep my hands off it til it's dry (that part is very hard for me!).

I tried a bunch of gels and such under the influence of NC.com, but I just don't like the feel of hold-y type product in my hair. I'd rather have looser wave than stuff in my hair.

--IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?
If I want to try to perk up my waves, I'll spray on some Kimberlily's defrizz spray and sort of scrunch/twist/prod my waves. This is not always successful, good thing I like updos!

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?

If I get a wild hare to use gel/curlcream/some of the other junk still lurking around my house, it goes in right after the leave-in, before plopping. I scrunch it in. I never reapply it; one application is all I can take!

--DO you EVER comb your hair?

If I'm looking for maximum wurl, only in the shower. But I like more relaxed waves too, so sometimes I'll comb for that. But if I comb, there's no going back. My really wurly wurls won't return until I get my hair wet again.

Please give me your best tips and pointers. Thank you!!

The hardest part for me is getting used to the fact that my hair just won't look the same on any two days. Ever. When I used to blowdry, I'd do it once a week and it would look pretty much the same until I washed again. That is really not the case now! Now, sometimes my hair looks a million times better than it ever did dried, but sometimes it looks truly lumpy and odd. That's when I love my flexi-8.

[swirlytresses]

swirlytresses, where do I find this kinky curly curling custard?

(I'm a product junkie...)

You can purchase this at Curlmart http://www.curlmart.com/Kinky-Curly-Curling-Custard-p-778.html or at the kinky curly site http://www.kinky-curly.com/. I actually have gotten mine from swaps at Naturallycurly.com. Curlmart has shipping specials sometimes, so I keep an eye out for it there. You can also go in the kinky curly site and look up your state to see if they sell it locally in your area. This stuff has some great reviews. The 16 oz jar lasts me a long time, several months, so for me it's worth the cost. I have tailbone length hair and use about a couple tablespoons or so each time.

Ingredients: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectic, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance .

I also use a couple of other natural products from http://beautybydonnamarie.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=13&zenid=f7c451cb13224daa9e735df8ec93a6f1 . I use the Lock and twist and the coco curly butter. I hope this helps you out.

Jessica Trapp, I too am a product junkie. :p

[Pixna]

Canarygirl, yes, scrunching refers to pushing/squeezing the hair to encourage curls and waves (it does not entail finger combing, however).

Roseate, thank you for your responses and link -- very helpful!

Swirly, thank you for the ingredient information and additional links!

[Pixna]

Another question for the scrunchers:

Do you PART your hair? If so, when and how?

[Niphredil]

I scrunch when my hair is dripping wet to remove most water. Then I scrunch with my hair-cloth (diaper) to remove more water, then I put it up with the towel, all up-side down, whether I washed like that or not.

After a few minutes I take the towel off and gently comb my hair (in the same position as I washed my hair, so either upright or up-side-down). I then apply some leave-in/gel/oil/wax product (and/or) in a scrunching way, bent over AND sideways.

If I want my bangs to look good on their own I blowdry them before scrunching and then just follow with the above.

I like to dry my hair in a half-up and I create my part (right side) when putting it in the half-up. I scrunch again and rearrange the hair a bit more and then just letting it air-dry.

I do this on wash-days only.

If I want curls, I don't comb at all. If the curls are gone or if I want it smoother I comb and even brush (paddlebrush, no bbb). I find if it is in its curly state I don't get much tangles. But if it is straighter, I have a lot more and simply need to comb it.

HTH !

BTW Pixna, I would love to see a picture of your hair in its most wurly state !!

[Pixna]

Thank you, Niph! I appreciate your input! Once I get my wurls sorted out, I will take a pic. I'm due for one for my three-month update, but it might turn into a four-month update instead. I am at such a weird state of growth and wurliness right now. Thank you for asking for a pic -- I will surely keep you updated.

[ItsMyHair]

I scrunch mine upside down with a microfiber towel, while still in the shower. Then, I apply curl cream (still upside down) and plop for about 10 min. Then, I scrunch in some gel, both upside down and side to side. Lastly, I let it part itself and rearrange my bangs and lightly scrunch up the sides again. I only do this when it's been completely wet. If, I'm not completely wetting it, I can usually mist it and just do the side scrunching. I try to get it as curly as possible the first day and then the curls continue to relax during the next few days, until I totally wet it again. And, yes, it IS quite a process.

[Pixna]

Thanks, ItsMyHair! I know what you mean about it being a process. I want my wurls to wurl, and my husband prefers my hair wurly, but I am into simplicity. So, it's a dilemma. But I greatly appreciate your input. It is very helpful to hear how others handle their wurls. It gives me ideas about what to do with mine. Thanks again!

[wonderlywroughte]

HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?[b]
My hair is too long to do it bent over, so I do it from the side. I can't scrunch the whole length, so I end up only scrunching the ends usually.

[b]WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?
My usual routine is to twist it up turban style in a microfiber towel for about 5 minutes - long enough for me to get dressed and for the towel to catch most of the drippiness. Then I apply product and scrunch. I only scrunch after showering, doing it at any other time (like when my hair is dry) has no purpose for me.

IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?
I've tried misting and then scrunching and it makes my hair frizz up. Dry scrunching doesn't do anything for me.

DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?
I do use product after I wash and before scrunching. I don't normally use product at any other time between washings, unless I'm trying to calm down halo frizz or something. I usually don't bother.

DO you EVER comb your hair?
Yes. :D I usually try to only comb it out right before washing (it cuts down on having to comb it while it's wet), but sometimes I just comb it for the heck of it. I wear it up a lot anyway, so if the curls are all combed out it's not a big deal.

[Pixna]

Thank you, Wonderlywroughte! I just sent a friend's request to you, as I'd like to see your hair (I'm hoping you have an album). It is SO helpful for me to see other wurlies/curlies and get insights about what to do with my own hair. Thanks again for your reply!

[Jessica Trapp]

Ideally (when I have time), I then 'plop' my hair in another (dry) t-shirt, and let that sit for as long as I feel like (I find anywhere from 1/2 hour to overnight to be good)--> the 'plopping' guarantees that I get volume and defined curls at the top of my head, instead of being weighed down.


Can you explain how you do this?

Thanks in advance. :flower:

[swirlytresses]

Here is a link that describes plopping. I do this after I apply my products. The length of time varies for different people. Using a T-shirt gives good results. You just don't want to use Terry cloth. I also use flour sacks.

http://juvenescent.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/curly-hair-stuff-what-is-plopping/

[Pixna]

Wonderly, I have a question or two for you. How are you able to comb your hair when it is dry -- don't you have tangles, and doesn't product make it difficult to get a comb through it? Also, how straight does your hair get when you comb it?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

[Rohele]

Rohele, I wonder if perhaps your wave/curl pattern starts lower in your hair, which may be why the new growth looks straighter.

I think in my case its must be strictly weight - my waves start about 2-3" from the top.

I tried a few things that seemed to help my latest set of issues...

I clarified my hair last night, and most of the straggly/stringy issues have gone away (you think by now it would occur to me to clarify sooner when it starts getting ugly :rolleyes: ).

I was also more careful to try and define the waves closer to the top of my head instead of just scrunching the bottom. I get into this mindset that since I'm wearing my hair in its natural state (wavy), that I shouldn't have to do anything to it to get it to look good, which is not the case - I'm not fighting with it now, but it still needs a little bit of attention to look its best.

[Pixna]

I get into this mindset that since I'm wearing my hair in its natural state (wavy), that I shouldn't have to do anything to it to get it to look good, which is not the case - I'm not fighting with it now, but it still needs a little bit of attention to look its best.

I feel the same way -- I think I shouldn't have to do anything to get my hair to look good. I'm still sifting through different approaches and trying out different routines to see what my hair prefers. I wish it would just come right out and tell me, but it's the shy, quiet type. :smirk:

[Roseate]

I get into this mindset that since I'm wearing my hair in its natural state (wavy), that I shouldn't have to do anything to it to get it to look good, which is not the case

Oh, me three! I feel like wearing it wavy should be "easy" since it's "natural", but unfortunately for me, totally natural would be tangly bumpy frizz.

[wackyredtangles]

--HOW do you scrunch? Do you bend over (and flip your hair over) or do you scrunch side to side?


I flip my hair over the top of my head.

--WHEN do you scrunch? Do you scrunch when your hair is dripping wet right after washing? Do you let it air dry a bit first? Do you scrunch every day?

Usually I wash at night, and then leave it in a bun, or two french braids going down head. After a wash I carefully squeeze out the excess water, and then apply products. I alternate between just putting in some conditioner, and putting actual products in, like mouse, a bit of gel on the ends. I've also recently converted to a coconut oil junky. I do a heavy oil before I wash, and oil a bit on the ends.

Then when I get up in the morning, I take out the braids or bun. Usually my hair is still a little wet. If I want to be curly, I freshen it up with a bit of mouse. If I want to be wurly, I just leave it.

--IF you scrunch every day, do you wet your hair first (mist it)?

Depends on how high maintenance I'm feeling. If I'm going to scrunch it on a non-wash day, I would mist if first.

--DO you use product right after you wash, before you scrunch? If you scrunch daily, do you use product daily, too?


Kind of already answered that. For no I'm using some sort of leave in anti frizz conditioner, suave curl enhancing mouse, a bit of AVG on the ends, and coconut oil. The mouse and the coconut oil are daily, everything else just on wash.

--DO you EVER comb your hair?

Yup. I'm one of those bad people who combs when wet. I put a bunch of conditioner in, and very carefully comb. Whenever I try to comb while dry, I feel like I'm ripping it. I'll finger comb a bit when dry, but that's it.

[Pixna]

Thank you, Wackyredtangles! Love your name, by the way! :)

[Canarygirl]

do people prefer no-cone product for scrunching? My hairdresser did a nice job creating curls/wurls in my hair and I bought the product he used ("KurlCarma") but I noticed that it is loaded with cones.

[Rohele]

do people prefer no-cone product for scrunching? My hairdresser did a nice job creating curls/wurls in my hair and I bought the product he used ("KurlCarma") but I noticed that it is loaded with cones.

I'm using a no cone product, but it has to do more with wanting to go cone free than anything else. My mom, who has very curly hair (probably a 3a/b) loved bumble and bumble products for a long time, and they are loaded with cones.

[LadyEliza]

I scrunch after I wash, which is about once a week.

I didn't think about what I was doing, I just started grabbing my hair and gently squeezing it as it dried.

Now it has a name :)

I try not to comb, causes the curls to fuzz.

I only use product when I'm going to be doing something special - like my son's wedding. Then I'll use Pantene curl milk or something like that.

[Niphredil]

I scrunch when my hair is dripping wet to remove most water. Then I scrunch with my hair-cloth (diaper) to remove more water, then I put it up with the towel, all up-side down, whether I washed like that or not.

After a few minutes I take the towel off and gently comb my hair (in the same position as I washed my hair, so either upright or up-side-down). I then apply some leave-in/gel/oil/wax product (and/or) in a scrunching way, bent over AND sideways.

If I want my bangs to look good on their own I blowdry them before scrunching and then just follow with the above.

I like to dry my hair in a half-up and I create my part (right side) when putting it in the half-up. I scrunch again and rearrange the hair a bit more and then just letting it air-dry.

I do this on wash-days only.

If I want curls, I don't comb at all. If the curls are gone or if I want it smoother I comb and even brush (paddlebrush, no bbb). I find if it is in its curly state I don't get much tangles. But if it is straighter, I have a lot more and simply need to comb it.

HTH !

BTW Pixna, I would love to see a picture of your hair in its most wurly state !!

I just changed my routine to see where it goes and you can see the results in my album (friends only, I accept request from active (60d/100p) or longtime members).

I basically did a curly girl like routine as described on the jessicurl and livecurlylifefree websites last thursday. Washed scalp with SLES shampoo and applied a 2nd conditioner as a leave-in, together with some AVG. Let it air dry. Then this morning I wetted my hair again, gently removing tangles while still slippery from the leave-in conditioner. Then added new leave-in conditioner and some gel (no AVG this time) and air-dried.

The results are fabulous and I think I look like a 3a now (ok, mine needs help to get to that stage so I am some type 2 still, but it really looks like 3a to me).

[natt i nord]

Don't call me stupid, but what actually is scrunching exactly? :o

[Teacherbear]

I scrunch as my hair dries. My hair is just floating around and I grab the bottom/ends, raise my hand allowing the hair to clump up into my palm. When my hand gets full I scqueeze my hand/hair into a ball, then let my hair fall. I also just fluff my hair up from the roots (like I'm shampooing). It helps lift my roots a bit. After scrunching I don't comb/brush until I want the curls/waves to go away. Once I brush/comb after scrunching the curls are gone (see my siggy photo). Normally when I scrunch my ends are spiral curls.

[Pixna]

Niph, WOW!!! Your change in routine REALLY brought out your curls. I can't believe the difference. Your hair looks GORGEOUS!!! :thud: