Where to even start? So very overwhelmed....

Krystledawne · 07-31-2012, 12:24 PM

If, out of the kindness of your hearts, you take the time to answer another "I'm new, please help me" post....you have my sincere gratitude. I've spent some time reading around the forum and have gotten no closer to any idea of where I should start on getting my curls to cooperate. There seem to be hundreds of curl products that I never knew of, and I really could use some help as to what to start with, diagnosing my hair, etc. If someone could just point me in the direction of the first steps to take....

I'm probably 3a. I have spots that are more and less curly. My hair is very soft --- I don't color it, but I do blow dry sometimes. If I air-dry during the day, the top goes flat. No matter what I use for product, I end up with a frizzy soft halo by the end of the day. There is no such thing as second day hair. My hair has been very short for years now, but I'm at 6 months since my last cut, so I know it's time for a trim, but I'm somewhere around shoulder length.

My current "routine" consists of:

Suave clarifying shampoo (just because it's what I have on hand, it's almost gone so I need to get something else).

Herbal Essences totally twisted conditioner and I use a wide tooth comb in the shower.

I've stopped really towel drying my hair, just squeeze it out and that seems to help with keeping the curl pattern.

ISO Bouncy creme was my best friend when my hair was short, and I still use it because I have a ginormous bottle of it.

Garnier Fruictise Curl construct mousse. It seems to give me some difinition, but it needs more hold. I had tried a hairspray, but I still hot fuzzy halo after a few hours, and it felt nasty.

I had thoughts about going CG, but I still usually break down and throw some anti-frizz serum of some sort on top because I don't know what else to do. Do I need protein? Should I go all out CG? AHHHHHHH!

Any thoughts you have are appreciated. I'm not up on the lingo, so an explanation of any abbreviations you might use would help.

Bookworm5 · 07-31-2012, 03:02 PM

A good place to start, which would help everyone suggest products and techniques to try, would be to determine your texture (fne, medium, corse) and porosity (low, normal, high).

When you say blow dry, do you mean with a diffuser?

Have you tried any gels or jellies yet?

What I started with when I first got here - just a month ago - was to check out the before and after CG thread and find people with similar hair properties and try out their products and routines.

Post your before & After CG pics

I even PMd a couple with specific questions. I'm still tweaking and adjusting, but everyone here is so helpful!

My best advice - start slowly by trying only one new product at a time. And buy samples of products at first.

Krystledawne · 08-07-2012, 09:14 AM

Thanks fo chiming in whith your input! I've got medium to fine texture, and probably a medium porousity... I haven't done the water test but I plan to dig deeper around here again next week after I get back from vacation.