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View Full Version : Defining curls WITHOUT a leave-in?



CurlyCap
September 23rd, 2011, 05:21 PM
My new hair goal is to have awesome DEFINED curls (3b/3c) without adding anything to my hair after I condition.

Is there such a thing?

I am the queen of dictating my curls using voodoo mixes of leave-ins. I have different formulas for different occasions or for how long I need the curls to last. They vary from very natural to completely synthetic.

However, is it possible to have VERY defined, almost textbook, 3b/c curls without a leave-in?

The challenge, I think, is to promote clumping and provide a way for the clumps to stay together throughout the drying process when the only thing really in your hair (after rinsing) is water. Without a leave-in, my hair curls well, but every few strands go their own way, leading to more of a cloud than a head full of curls. It doesn't look frizzy....just undefined (to my standards at least).

My idea of defined:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2qdncir.jpg

Wash and go:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2dw9e06.jpg

(Sorry, the pictures were actually taken several months apart, so the length isn't directly comparable...but the curl patterns I'm talking about are representative.)

Any thoughts? Recommended threads? (I do admit I searched the wurly/curly thread...but it was too mega for me at this point.)

jaine
September 23rd, 2011, 05:23 PM
Hmm, I have no idea ... I rely a lot on hard-hold gel and my hair is a fuzzy mess without it.
Is there a reason why you don't you want to leave anything in your hair? If it's because of skin irritation I can recommend some good products that are unlikely to irritate.

silverjen
September 23rd, 2011, 05:26 PM
I won't be any help with your question... but I did want to say how gorgeous your hair is. Wow! I like both the defined and the undefined versions very much, but I can see why you'd prefer defined curls.

Kiwiwi
September 23rd, 2011, 05:39 PM
Love your hair! :-)

I have 3b hair and get very good results using the curly girl method. Which does mean leaving in some conditioner after showering, so some sort of leave-in, but no effort at all. It looks way better WITH gel scrunched into it (which is part of the method), but without looks pretty good already :-) (of course scrunch a bit when it's dried to make the curls really defined/bouncy/etc)
Hope that helps!

Juicematic
September 23rd, 2011, 06:24 PM
I don't think so unless you are leaving in a lot of your rinse out conditioner in your hair. I am 3c and my hair really likes the tightly curly method, which is just leaving conditioner in your hair. I feel hair similar to ours really needs something to help it clump together. Sorry I wasn't much help!

proo
September 23rd, 2011, 06:42 PM
I'm digging your wash-n-go

CurlyCap
September 23rd, 2011, 09:10 PM
Is there a reason why you don't you want to leave anything in your hair?

I think it's a general curly girl problem, but the state of my hair on a given day very much depends on when the leave-in is applied. There's a certain "window of opportunity" to apply leave-ins and get the desired result.

Life is getting busier and I don't want to have to always worry about timing things right.

I would leave conditioner in my hair, but right now it is fairly short and I have trouble applying things to just the length. Leaving any conditioner in contact with my scalp burns.

Cassie 123
September 23rd, 2011, 09:38 PM
Would you consider trying WO?

Juicematic
September 23rd, 2011, 09:47 PM
Life is getting busier and I don't want to have to always worry about timing things right.

I would leave conditioner in my hair, but right now it is fairly short and I have trouble applying things to just the length. Leaving any conditioner in contact with my scalp burns.

unfortunately curly hair requires time and a good routine. Maybe twists or braid would be better for you until your hair gets longer?

It also seems like you don't have a good routine in place for your hair. I get consistent results every time I do my hair as long as I follow my routine and products. Maybe you need to experiment with products so you can get several days out of one wash and go.

Mountaingrrl
September 24th, 2011, 12:18 AM
Try a cold-water rinse after using lots of moisturizing conditioner, then don't touch your curls until they air dry.

Athena's Owl
September 24th, 2011, 01:16 AM
the wash and go is cute! but if you want defined, I'm on team gel, quite honestly. i let it air dry to rock hard and then scrunch out the crunch, and that is really good curl for me.

kaned_ferret
September 24th, 2011, 02:06 PM
oil helps my curl definition, in fact using evoo has turned me from a frizzy wavy to a smooth ringletted near-wurly! I tend to soak it with some cling film and a hat on top once a week, wash out with CO, then rub a few drops of monoi through it whilst still wet, then manually scrunch a little, then LEAVE to fully air dry. silky happy curls! Once dry I fiddle with it lots, always teisting bits round my fingers during the day. So yep, if you've not tried already, start experimenting with oils!

CurlyCap
September 24th, 2011, 02:24 PM
So yep, if you've not tried already, start experimenting with oils!

lol. Yep. Last night before getting out of the shower, I ran a quarter sized puddle of avocado oil through my hair. Towel wrapped for a minute and left it alone. Best result so far! A little frizzy, but it has potential.


It also seems like you don't have a good routine in place for your hair. I get consistent results every time I do my hair as long as I follow my routine and products.

So did I. Thing is, I have a lot of new adult onset skin allergies, that are forcing me to radically change what I use in my skin/hair care. It's a little frustrating when things you've used for years are no longer options. So I'm doing a lot of experimenting to see what gets me the same results with an entirely different set of ingredients. It's happening, but slowly.

Lianna
September 24th, 2011, 03:14 PM
You could try small two strand twists (http://www.perfectlocks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/short-twists.jpg) and rock the twist out, it would take time to dry though (maybe start with half damp hair). Bantu knots (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ6TYpZQgzM/Th7ei1htILI/AAAAAAAACzg/_9zFG_JAZu4/s400/knots1.jpg) may give some results, perhaps a little stretched than 3b/c though.

I don't like gel either...creamy leave-ins are somewhat fine. I use olive oil and shea butter (can work alone or combined) to minimize frizz and define my wurls. I like it because I can still touch my hair a little, which I can't at all with gel.

CurlyCap
October 13th, 2011, 05:34 PM
Found a solution that works well for my hair.

Castor oil.

Yep. Basically, right after I rinse out my conditioner, I work about 2 tbls of castor oil throughout my hair and hit it with a quick blast of cold water to calm down any frizzies resulting from working it through.

I get out of the shower, wrap my hair in a turban super quick (which is how I always do it), and leave it alone to air dry. Get curl definition and moisture retention.

Technically, it is a leave-in, but it's not another step once out I get out of the shower and my hair starts to dry (which is exactly what I was trying to avoid).

I guess the caveat is that my hair is very dry, loves oil and water, and I like heavier rather than lighter products usually to control my hair. So castor works well for me. I don't know how it would work out with straighter hair types.

Hope that helps anyone who later finds this thread.

candycandace
October 13th, 2011, 05:38 PM
Usually my hair gets pretty wavy after I bun it. :) Maybe it will do the same to your curls? :o

CurlyCap
October 13th, 2011, 05:44 PM
Usually my hair gets pretty wavy after I bun it. :) Maybe it will do the same to your curls? :o

Buns actually are a great way to straighten my hair. XD Not that I have enough to bun now. :D

The problem with curls (mine at least) is that anything that "breaks" the curl (unwinds them or splits one big curl into many smaller ones) leaves the behind lots of independent curls that look like "frizz". I like my curl pattern, I just want to encourage it to stay in fewer curls without a lot of chemicals.

Metallia
October 13th, 2011, 06:26 PM
I'm digging your wash-n-go Agreed, it looks so soft. :) Good luck finding a method that you like. Really, though, I wanted to say "Hey you work in a lab!". I hope you get to do fun science all the time. :)

CurlyCap
October 13th, 2011, 10:50 PM
Really, though, I wanted to say "Hey you work in a lab!". I hope you get to do fun science all the time. :)

LOL!

I've noticed that all my length shots are taken in lab. It's sorta hilarious, but our lab has the best light!

Science is fun. Just not in the ways people think.