Curly hair question :)

[Naters]

Hello Everyone! I just had a question about what all you curly haired people do to minimize damage while letting your hair grow out. I put gel and mousse in my hair, and sometimes i feel as though it might not be that beneficial to the growing out stages. I've also as of late been just putting my hair up without any product in it, but I dont feel like myself when i do that. I love my curls, but I dont want to do anything harmful to my hair in the long run. Any suggestions? Thank you and Merry Christmas to you alll!!!!:D

[Pierre]

The only "product" I use all the time is jojoba. That and henna keep it so soooft. I usually put it up so that I can just feel the soft ends on my cheeks - any more and they get caught in the backpack and bag straps. I also sleep with a Buff on. That prevents most damage.

[liseling]

mousse might be a bit drying for the hair, as well as some gels that contain alcohol. Like you, I like wearing my curls down and I dont feel my best when I have them in an updo with no product used. But there are things you can use to style curls without them being too drying. I never use mousse anymore. I mix conditioner with a bit of gel in my palm and then apply it. I think the conditioner keeps the gel from drying out the hair, and this mixture works quite well for keeping the curls defined without it being crunchy.

[Quixii]

Similar to liseling, I don't think that mousse and gel are necessarily damaging, but it does depend on the certain products. For example, I'm rather fond of aloe vera gel, which I don't think is damaging.

[Naters]

thanks everyone!! I will definetely be looking into the aloe vera gel! :)

[GlassEyes]

Bah, aloe vera gel did nothing for me. XD;

Not all gels and mousses are evil, there are just ingredients you should avoid and ones you shouldn't. The most basic one is alcohol--look out for Isopropyl Alcohol, SD alcohol, and Alocohol Denat. (denatured alcohol. These, you need to avoid as they cause excess drying. However, there are good alcohols, such as mystiryl and ceteryl.

Then there are silicones, which aren't necessarily evil, but aren't necessarily great. there's information about them all over the forum, and whether or not you like to use them is a personal preference. I alternate between coney and cone-free routiens.

Then there are polyquats, aka, polyquarternium. These are a bit more conmplicated--they can be both good and bad in different situations, and depending on what you want. No-poo Jillipoo has an article on it (actually, a few) that explain it fairly well. Which ones you avoid depends, but some peopel seem to have significant problems with...11, I think. I've mostly ignored this. xD

http://jillipoo.blogspot.com/2009/09/silicones-polyquats-and-soap.html

Next is glycerin. This can be an AWESOME ingredient, or a ****ing horrid one. It depends on your climate--if there's humidity, the glycerin will suck moisture out of the air and into the hair, which is good (though sometimes causes hold to be lost, but ah, well). If you live in the sahara, glycerin becomes a problem, because it pulls moisture from the hair into the air to try and give IT moisture instead (odd, I know).

After that, there's preservatives. Some people like to avoid them because they may or may not be safe--the FDA approves them, but they're not all that reliable. The ones I'm addressing end in -none, and you'd be hard pressed to find any hair products without them--even "natural" ones. This also extends to parabens, which have been linked with cancer, so some people like to avoid those as well.

If your head didn't implode from that (XD) you can make informed decisions about product usage without causing damage to your hair. I constantly use gel, and beyond some protein sensitivity (another aspect I should talk about--but it isn't really DAMAGING in most cases) my hair is fine.

...

Okay, protein, now that I'm on the subject. Some hair loves it, other hair hates it, and even more others only need it and can tolerate it sometimes. My hair is a combination of the second and third categories. Sometimes, protein can cause hair to dry out, but it's really only something that testing can prove. :shrug: If your hair dries out, try replacing ti with something without protein, and if it improve,s you should probably stop using it on your hair, at least for a little while.

Okay, DONE now. XD

[30isthenewblack]

Bah, aloe vera gel did nothing for me. XD;

Not all gels and mousses are evil, there are just ingredients you should avoid and ones you shouldn't. The most basic one is alcohol--look out for Isopropyl Alcohol, SD alcohol, and Alocohol Denat. (denatured alcohol. These, you need to avoid as they cause excess drying. However, there are good alcohols, such as mystiryl and ceteryl.

Then there are silicones, which aren't necessarily evil, but aren't necessarily great. there's information about them all over the forum, and whether or not you like to use them is a personal preference. I alternate between coney and cone-free routiens.

Then there are polyquats, aka, polyquarternium. These are a bit more conmplicated--they can be both good and bad in different situations, and depending on what you want. No-poo Jillipoo has an article on it (actually, a few) that explain it fairly well. Which ones you avoid depends, but some peopel seem to have significant problems with...11, I think. I've mostly ignored this. xD

http://jillipoo.blogspot.com/2009/09/silicones-polyquats-and-soap.html

Next is glycerin. This can be an AWESOME ingredient, or a ****ing horrid one. It depends on your climate--if there's humidity, the glycerin will suck moisture out of the air and into the hair, which is good (though sometimes causes hold to be lost, but ah, well). If you live in the sahara, glycerin becomes a problem, because it pulls moisture from the hair into the air to try and give IT moisture instead (odd, I know).

After that, there's preservatives. Some people like to avoid them because they may or may not be safe--the FDA approves them, but they're not all that reliable. The ones I'm addressing end in -none, and you'd be hard pressed to find any hair products without them--even "natural" ones. This also extends to parabens, which have been linked with cancer, so some people like to avoid those as well.

If your head didn't implode from that (XD) you can make informed decisions about product usage without causing damage to your hair. I constantly use gel, and beyond some protein sensitivity (another aspect I should talk about--but it isn't really DAMAGING in most cases) my hair is fine.

...

Okay, protein, now that I'm on the subject. Some hair loves it, other hair hates it, and even more others only need it and can tolerate it sometimes. My hair is a combination of the second and third categories. Sometimes, protein can cause hair to dry out, but it's really only something that testing can prove. :shrug: If your hair dries out, try replacing ti with something without protein, and if it improve,s you should probably stop using it on your hair, at least for a little while.

Okay, DONE now. XD

Aloe Vera did absolutely nothing for my hair as well. I think certain curly hair types can get away with no product in their hair. My hair is afro curly and I put product in my hair to control it. I have yet to find the perfect product but at the moment I am using a hair wax. Mouses and gels tend to make my hair look limp.

[Lamb]

Depending on how curly or how coarse your hair is, a simple leave-in conditioner or regular conditioner left in the hair can also be sufficient.
Go easy on the glycerin - it is a lifesaver in humid weather, but when the air is dry, glycerin can be very drying. It is a humectant, so it "binds" moisture in your hair when the air around is humid, but it draws moisture from the hair when the air is dry.
(Hint: lube - yes, that kind - has worked for me in the past. Less is more, though. :eyebrows:)

[GlassEyes]

Lamb--don't a lot of lubes contain glycerin? I know a lot of people use KY for the glycerin content in humid weather, but I admit, my knowledge of others is sorely lacking.

[paisley]

I don't rely on mousses or gels. They usually contain alcohol and also makes my hair feel dry. Instead, use a microfiber-towel, leave in conditioner, and flax seed gel for styling.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Hello Everyone! I just had a question about what all you curly haired people do to minimize damage while letting your hair grow out. I put gel and mousse in my hair, and sometimes i feel as though it might not be that beneficial to the growing out stages. I've also as of late been just putting my hair up without any product in it, but I dont feel like myself when i do that. I love my curls, but I dont want to do anything harmful to my hair in the long run. Any suggestions? Thank you and Merry Christmas to you alll!!!!:D

Well, I usually just use some Suave naturals and water left in and maybe a little aloe and water on top. I vary the routine depending on the weather. Like now that it is cold here and there is no humidity in the air I don't need to use any aloe for additional hold (that just gives me strings and makes me too crunchy). I don't need too much hold in this weather. In the summer though, I'll be using both the conditioner and aloe for hold. I don't use any commercial products for hold though, they are usually too much for me.

[Pixna]

I am finding that, for me, conditioner, gels, mousse, or anything else that makes my hair super soft, conditioned, or crunchy just weighs my wurls down and makes my hair look greasy. Also, gels (even aloe vera gel) seems to crunch up my ends. Going "nude" appears to be the best thing for my hair. I am using just the tiniest bit of coconut/olive oil (with herbal extracts in it), and that's it.

[Lamb]

Lamb--don't a lot of lubes contain glycerin? I know a lot of people use KY for the glycerin content in humid weather, but I admit, my knowledge of others is sorely lacking.
Yep, KY is chock-full of glycerin. As I said, good for high humidity days.
There are glycerin-free (and cheap!) brands out there, if you spend a little time squatting in the family planning aisle, braving the looks you're bound to get from passers-by. :eek:

[curly girl fla]

I go through phases, but have lately really been enjoying my very simple homemade flax seed gel (I only added a bit of agave nectar to this last batch) as an alternate to KCCC. All gels, mousse, curl activators that had worked for me earlier suddenly seemed to be not damaging, but very drying. I'm also loving the moisture that some natural product lines are giving me, too-Darcy's Botanicals, Sweet Nature By Eddie, Shescentit are wonderful. I cannot use straight-up aloe, and, again, things that had aloe and/or glycerine as a main ingred that were working suddenly aren't...