CG fail, 2a routines please!

[SeRe]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.