PRODUCTS/METHOD THAT CAUSE YOUR CURLS TO SHRINK OR ELONGATE

HalfWavyHalfCurly · 01-14-2007, 04:05 AM

OK, I've been wanting to open this thread for a while but my connection's been so horrible for the past couple of weeks that all my time has gone posting in other threads.

The purpose of this thread is to invite ALL curlies with different types of hair to list which products/ingredients/methods give them the above results so that we can all experiment with those that produce the effect we desire in those with opposite hair type to ours. This way we can all benefit from this and further learn what to do/avoid in the future. I am hoping that this will be particularly "educational" to all the "newbies" that are trying really hard to figure out what works or not.

Sooooo, I ask that when posting you first specify which type of hair you have. If you don't know for sure your number/letter combo just say for instance "wavy/coarse" or "extra curly/fine, etc. Maybe also it would be helpful if you indicated whether you are on CG or you shampoo regularly.

OK, so here I go:

As my signature and nickname state I've a combo of 3A/2A, and I think even a few 3b stands framing my face. That means most of my curls need encouragement and some are downright "lazy". I've been on CG nearly 5 years now.

SHRINKAGE (or in my case, "curl enhancement"):

1) Epsom salt in a water spray.

2) FOTEAVG with a few drops of honey.

3) Aussie Aussome Volume Mousse (has polyquat 4)

4) Partially diffuse drying when using a PVP based gel.

5) Flax seed gel with 1 tsp. Epsom Salt, FOTEAVG & honey applied to well blotted hair and then partially diffused.

CURL ELONGATION:

1) A little oil mixed with a leave-in, no styler and air drying.

2) A DT with coconut oil in it.

3) FOTEAVG by itself.

4) Over-conditioning.

5) Combing my hair after applying a styler.

6) Flax seed gel with less than 1 tsp. E.S. and applied on wet hair.

6) Worthington RESULTS Body-Booster Silkening Mousse (don't know if this still exists, it really gave me NO body but very soft shiny hair though).

7) COs with silicones, especially it it has more than one.

I think that's all.

Next!

SYB · 01-14-2007, 10:28 AM

I am a 3B with naturally dry, medium-to-coars curls. And all of the products that I currently use are all CG-compatible.

Give me Shrinkage:

1.Curls Curl Souffle
5.Blended Beauty's products
6.DevaCurl AnGell
7.Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
8.SD-Alcohol
9.Carbomer
10.PVP
11.Magnesium Sulfate
12.Using the Curlease Towel

Give Me Elongation:

1.Curls Whipped Cream
2.Curls Milkshake
3.Glycerin in high amounts

esmeralda · 01-14-2007, 12:35 PM

Great thread!!
My hair is 2b/3a, lots of natural volume, individual hairs are thick, medium amount of hair. Loves sulfates, dislikes protein.

Shrinkage:

1) scrunching with microfibretowel & airdry without touching(no styling-but this can leave my hair a little fluffy)
2)a moisturizing conditioner makes a HUGE difference(MOP mixed greens)
3)magnesium sulfate (but it can be drying for some curlies)

Elongation:

1)Rake in Phytodefrisant in wet hair & then sleep on a satin pillowcase

Suburbanbushbabe · 01-14-2007, 12:49 PM

4a, cottony coils & s-curls that crave moisture. The more moisture the less styling product needed.

Shrinkage
Curl Junkie Guava cream and Guava Protein cream
Blended Beauty Happy Nappy Styles and Styling Butter Cream
Excessive Plopping
Kinky Curly Curling custard + plopping overnight
Styling from wet
Diffusing

Elongation -- not much

my hair is very sproing-y
Moisturizing deep treatments or pre-poo treatments that help my hair retain moisture when dry (Ojon, Anita Grant Rhassoul, home-made pre-poo treatment)
Binding slightly damp hair with scruncies for a few minutes before I style helps it to keep from totally shrinking
Smoothe/rake/shake fingerstyling
Curl Junkie Hibiscus/Banana leave-in fine on very wet hair
Confident Coils combined with a leave-in (Milkshake or Robert Craig or CJ H&B fine)
Day 2 & 3 styling (on damp hair)
Robert Craig conditoner - doesn't elongate so much as smooth, detangle & de-frizz. Wonderful stuff.
Curls Spiral Curl Cream

CelticCurls · 01-14-2007, 01:38 PM

3B, very dry & frizz prone. Modified-CG.

Shrinkage / tighter curl formation:

epsom salts
PVP/VA (Angell)
wheat protein
mousse
flax-based stylers (Oyin)
amodimethicone

Elongation:

most cream stylers, (esp. Curls Souffle, Confident Coils)
polyquat stylers: (B&A gel; HE new gels)
braiding
any cone except amodimethicone
air-drying

hairdiaries · 01-14-2007, 01:45 PM

My hair is 2b, wavy and medium, past shoulder length and heavily highlighted. edited to add: I pretty much follow the Wavy Girl routine - once a week cleansing, wet, conditon and style as needed, I do use a curl enhancer under my gel though.

Shrinkage/tighter curl formation

* devacurl oneC- I can do no wrong with this conditioner
* re:coil
* applying products to soaking wet hair
* scrunching, plopping, diffusing
* leaving it alone!
* harder gels

elongation

* twists - I tried this yesterday and today, my hair looks as if I straightened it.
* any deep treatment
* Jessicurl Awe-Inspiring spray if not paired w/ Confident Coils and sometimes even if
* messing with it after dried unless to just scrunch and move on
* sleeping on it

~g

hairdiaries · 01-14-2007, 01:46 PM

dp, sorry.

unique1193 · 01-14-2007, 01:56 PM

Im a healthy, coarse, thick haired 2c/3a. I get LOTS of natural volume, it can be a problem sometimes. My hair also loves moisture and it sensitive even to the littlest thing i do to provoke curl.

shrinkage
Rinsing, and applying product upside down
smoothing then scruching in product
mag. sulfate
re:coil
plopping
he body envy

elongation
rinsing right side up
raking in product
diffusing

eccentric_kurlz · 01-14-2007, 04:32 PM

This is a cool thread.

I'm a combo 3c/4a.

Shrinkage:

Curls Whipped Cream
Blended Beauty Styling Butter Cream(w/ Curly Frizz Pudding)
When I use a paddle brush to detangle after applying conditioner.
When I over manipulate the hair(i.e. scrunching)

Elongation

Curls Spiral Curls Cream
Most gels when used with a leave in
When I use minimal products(leave in only)
Heavy butters and oil used over leave ins(shea butter, coconut oil, etc)
Raking products in hair
Using protective styling(twist-outs).

redcelticcurls · 01-14-2007, 09:08 PM

3B - dry, coarse, thick.

I can't say that I have specific products for tighter curls or longer curls. I do notice that if my hair is more moisturized, I curl better. If drier, it's more frizz and less curl.

I don't get weighed down, so I don't use anything specifically for looser curl. Cyclopentasiloxane buildup will pull them out though.

sonny · 01-14-2007, 09:31 PM

pretty sure recoil and one c make my hair shrink ( but as someone said if something really moisturizes my hair it shrinks.

Gemini13 · 01-15-2007, 09:05 AM

3A/3B, dry, medium thickness and coarseness. I'm about 98% CG, and have been doing it for over 2 years.

Shrinkage:
Re:coil
BRHG
SIF
finger-combing in my condish
scrunching
plopping

Elongation:
Combing in condish
Heavy cream stylers
Hmmm.... I'm not really sure what else. I don't do anything to elongate my curls on purpose, because they just look flat and weighed down that way.

Oregano (formerly babywavy) · 01-15-2007, 12:15 PM

I'm a 2c/3a with very fine curls. I'm straight when wet, and they naturally go into ringlets, but can also very easily be combed out, and straighten within minutes my just blowdrying and brushing out.

Shrinkage:
products -
CK
Deva Angell combined w/ B'Leave In
LOTD Aloe Vera (drinkable kind)
Suave Volumizing Foam
Suave Healthy Curls line (though nobody talks about this one anymore)

methods -
adding products to soaking wet hair
scrunching, not raking
airdrying 1/2-way and then diffusing
Scrunching in more product when I'm almost totally dry

Elongation:
products -
Jessicurl Too Shea!
Heavy conditioners
Coconut oil

methods -
putting hair up in towel turban
combing hair
raking through product
waiting til hair is about 1/2way dry w/o any product

wild_sasparilla · 01-15-2007, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babywavy

Suave Healthy Curls line (though nobody talks about this one anymore)

I use the shampoo and condish from this line, although I'm thinking of trying CG.

CurlyHead391 · 01-25-2007, 04:54 PM

I honestly have no idea at all what my letter/number combo is, but my hair is very thick with tight ringlets all round.

Shrinks:

any kind of mousse
styling gel

Elongates:
combing my hair after i use a product

HalfWavyHalfCurly · 01-26-2007, 05:24 AM

Somehow I didn't get more notifications of new posts (I think it must've been when I changed e-mail address...) but I want to thank you all for the imput, very interesting! What I've read here has confirmed some of my earlier observations. I hope the info shared here will be useful to all of us and others.

Anyone else? Please share, don't be shy!

redcelticcurls · 01-27-2007, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HalfWavyHalfCurly

Somehow I didn't get more notifications of new posts (I think it must've been when I changed e-mail address...) but I want to thank you all for the imput, very interesting! What I've read here has confirmed some of my earlier observations. I hope the info shared here will be useful to all of us and others.

Anyone else? Please share, don't be shy!

Care to share since there were some differences among the posters? I'm cuious as to what you had noticed earlier.

HalfWavyHalfCurly · 01-27-2007, 10:43 PM

I don't see that many differences. As with everything, there's always going to be some exceptions but it seems to me the majority of us seem to get similar results out of the same ingredients and styling methods. For instance magnesium sulfate, wheat protein, PVP gels, plopping, scrunching and well moisturized hair in general help define and/or "shrink" curls, whereas applying product "right-side-up", combing the hair after putting on product, using oil-rich leave-ins/creams and products with certain 'cones will loosen them.