Curly experiment success-- thought I'd share

[Elyse]

So, upon the the advice of several of you members here, I took the information you shared with me and put it to use in order to maximize my curly hair. Now then: I don't quite have all the correct products for my hair, but I tried the method and I personally can see a difference. But I had to use what I had on hand. I thought I would post a before and after, as well as what I experimented doing. Perhaps it will be helpful for those who are also trying to figure out how to deal with their curly hair. I'm also very open to suggestions if you want to give them regarding what I did, however that is not the purpose of this thread and you don't have to give them if you don't want that to.

Products used: shea moisture shampoo and conditioner (the restoring moisture one)
olive oil
herbal essences volumizing mousse (strong hold)

in short, I tried a variation of the LOC method using Shea moisture conditioner as my Leave in, olive oil as my oil, and the herbal essence is as my holding agent simply because I didn't have any other sort of cream. Here are my results. The top picture is just me air dry and my curls with a little bit of hairspray in it was sulfate shampoo and conditioner probably with silicones. The second picture is the above method. And, as I said, I see a difference personally but it could be wishful thinking.

[Pearly~91]

I think there's a big difference!

I'm curious, did it dry crunchy or soft?

It's good to know that you can have good results without having to go buy a dozen new products. Maybe you can make do with what you have and just get one new product at a time.

[lapushka]

Nice! I hope it gets even better when you get some special products for your hair.

[pili]

That is a big difference! I know my hair was changed for the better when I found CG and it's gotten even healthier on LCO.

[xbanannax]

I see a difference! Definitely more curly. Do you plan on trying other holding agents, i.e., gel, curl cream, etc, in the future? If so, what are you going to try next?

[littlestarface]

It is way more curly. Heck I think you can make it even simpler by cutting out shampoo and just using conditioner and it can be a cheapie one too.

[school of fish]

That is not wishful thinking - that is definitely curlier and more defined! Looks beautiful! Wishing you ongoing success as you continue to refine your routine

[Elyse]

pearly-- it dried crunchy, which I'm not a big fan of. I don't care for the crunchy, but I'm also not
Sure it will hold if it dries soft. My hair type enjoys a good curl, but only for a while before it tends to get tired and relax.

Xbanannax-- I absolutely would love to try other holding agents. Particularly, I would like something that dries soft but has excellent hold. I've used gel, hairspray, and mousse in the past. They tend to dry crispy on me and have no movement. Curl creams peak my interest, but I'm skeptical of their holding power--largely due to my lack of education on the thing. I've sniffed around on this site as well as others looking for the "best" but it seems to be (as expected) highly personalized and tailored to the individual regarding "best products". I'm open to hearing from other curlies on this matter--particularly 2c/3a types with volume issues at the root and curl endurance issues.

Littlestarface-- I'd love to move to and all CO approach. I oiled my hair the night before
And was a little afraid of how it would come out solely with CO. I did only shampoo my scalp, however. Since shea is a little pricey, I may just finish out the shampoo. But at this rate, it'll last me a thousand years. I probably wash 2-3 times a week, scalp only, with minimal shampoo. (And usually always followed by an oiling.)

To all the well wishers, thanks for the encouragement!

[lapushka]

If you notice more shedding when on sulfate-free or CO, then definitely go back to using regular shampoo. Shedding on CO, oil (on scalp), and even sulfate-free products is a thing, so do be careful. Try it one step at a time, and don't rush into things.

[Elyse]

Will do. It's hard to know at the moment and probably will be, though. I'm
Pregnant, so I don't shed right now. And when I have my baby here
In five weeks I'll shed like mad no matter what.

It may be hard to know what's what.