Reconsidering CG!!! Help me please? :)

curlyQcutie22 · 08-13-2012, 11:24 AM

I "tried" CG a year ago, and I thought it didn't really work well for me. Little did I know that I was using the organix line that apparently had cones in them? Well, my hair became limp and flyaway so I summed it up to no CG for me! But lately ive become obsessed with the hair pictures on here and want to see if it really will work for me. I want CURLS! Not little stringy bits :/

What I know: 3a hair, fine, uncolored, use a diffuser on low warm, porosity...I can't figure it out! The water test gave me mixed results. My hair sticks together very easily and dries relatively fast when it's completely naked.

Help a curly girl out please!!!

wavymom · 08-13-2012, 11:31 AM

This link is really helpful: Live Curly Live Free - Curly Hair Basics You can also order a hair analysis from that site.

And I love pedaheh's blog because she puts all the info for frequently asked questions there!

See this link for getting started:
Pedaheh's Hair Blog: What do I need to start the Curly Girl method?

Bookworm5 · 08-13-2012, 01:41 PM

What products and techniques have you tried and what problems, specifically, are you encountering thus far?

curlyQcutie22 · 08-13-2012, 03:45 PM

I have been going crazy trying so many things...i feel bad for my hair, i haven't been nice to it lately.

Lets see...

I have tried mousse. I loved the old Dove curl and sculpt, but its discontinued. The new one makes me hair soft but limp and i have to form the curl by hand. Herbal essences mousse doesnt do it. Most of them dry out my hair and it gets stringy.

I used to use Regis curl lock creme but it wont work now. I gets sticky and producty and stringy.

I have tried PTs and my curls sprung up really well! But i got horrible frizz. I am scared to you a DT for fear of getting overconditioned. Leave ins leave me limp and greasy looking. I used Aveda curly style prep, but it doesnt control the frizz like they said. I used an ION mousse with wheat protein in it because it makes my curls spring up, but it got over-proteined. I had straw hair for a day. I used to use shampoo regularly.

AG recoil didnt agree with me. I made it dry and frizzy and producty. So, mag sulfate is not so good.

Thats all I can remember right now. I am sorry its kind of a mess, but I cant figure anything out.

I recently moved to Kentucky from Miami, so I know the climate is different.

Oh and LA sports gel is a good hold but makes my hair stringy after a while.

Bookworm5 · 08-13-2012, 04:11 PM

Your hair sounds very similar to mine - easily weighed down. I've tried jellies and gels,but they wouldn't work for me once high dews kicked in. Left me limp and greasy. I'm trying mousse right now, too, but didn't like HETT. Pantene is working well for me with a tiny bit of BRHG over it. And I'm low pooing every 2-3 days, because CO washing alone won't work for my fine hair. Also, water soluable silicones and amodimethicone seem to work well for me, but I haven't used them enough or long enough to know if I'll come to regret it! Suave Captivating Curls Mousse is next on my list!

HTH!

wavymom · 08-13-2012, 09:53 PM

I have tried more products that didn't work for me than those that did. Some of the very ones you've listed were disasters for me too (AG recoil, Aveda Be Curly, ...). It's easy to get frustrated and I've been there many times. But hang in there! Honestly, for me, technique has a big impact on how my hair turns out rather than products (as long as I avoid ingredients my hair hates of course, such as mag sulfate, polyquats, glycerin, and others). Just keep paying attention to ingredients and try to figure out what is most agreeable to your hair, and also work on testing different techniques. Try to not change a bunch of things all at once so you can truly figure out what works best and is most reproducible vs. not. I know this isn't much help, but just saying to keep trying and you'll start to figure things out, and that you're not alone! It took me the better part of a year to accept my hair and learn about it, and it's not like some of the amazing transformations on here. But, it's my hair and it fits me.

asianrunner · 08-14-2012, 06:59 AM

Sounds like you need to try a different gel. LALSG made my hair really stringy and felt gross as well. Most curlies and wavies need a gel to contain the frizz!

Some gels you might want to try are Aussie Instant Freeze or Herbal Essence Set Me Up/Totally Twisted.

curlyQcutie22 · 08-14-2012, 09:50 AM

I was wondering if anyone else with my properties could give me some product guidance?

I want to try KCCC and the noodle head curl creme.

Corrina777 · 08-14-2012, 12:11 PM

My properties are pretty much the same as yours. I've only tried KCCC a few times- I got good results, but I know there can be a learning curve for some people. I'm modified CG, so I do use occasional sulfate and silicone products. In general, I get best results with thinner, more liquid type gels (jellies like KCCC could fall into this group). My normal routine is daily cleansing (usually co-wash, weekly gentle sulfate shampoo), LI, mineral oil to seal (controversial on this site but quite beloved on Long Hair Community), curl cream, gel.

On the cheaper side I've had consistently good results with Biotera Gel. In the mid-range, I love AG Curl Liquid Effects Gel and Curly Sexy Hair Liquid Curling Gel. In the upper range I got pretty good results with CJ Pattern Pusha. I've also learned that smaller clumps allow my hair to spring up and curl more as it dries, so I avoid anything really sticky and grabby like Eco Styler.

The only truly CG curl cream I've liked so far is AG Re:Coil. I primarily switch between this and TIGI Curls Rock Amplifier, which is technically not CG (it contains cyclo-cones, which do not build up but are technically not water-soluble).

HTH!

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wavymom · 08-14-2012, 12:51 PM

I have 2c/3a fine hair. Products I love include: L'Oreal Evercreme cleansing conditioner, Tresemme Naturals moisturizing conditioner, Shea Moisture anything (shampoo, conditioner, curl milk, smoothie, ...), HETT gel. I used to love BRHG but am trying to get away from it and using either HETT gel or starting to try some more natural jelly/gel type products. KCCC sometimes works awesome, sometimes is a disaster, even though I have been using it here and there for the better part of a year at this point... it seems to work much better in the winter than it has this summer for me. And for KCCC, I think less is more. I swear by IAgirl's gelatin PT and do just the basic recipe every 1-2 weeks. My hair loves coconut oil, I use it as an occasional pre-poo and in my gelatin PTs (but beware that some people have a hard time getting it out of their hair, so do a strand test the first time you try it, if you do).

ETA: OH! And I should mention techniques, as I feel they can make just as big of a difference in how your hair turns out. Every day I super soak my hair - first I rake a leave-in through, then flip upside down and comb it, then scrunch in cool water so my hair is absolutely dripping. I then flip upside down (standing over the tub so I make less mess) and scrunch in my products - lots of scrunching to get some water out and help the products get well distributed all throughout. Then I plop in a flour sack towel just for ~10 minutes to pull some of the water out, then air dry. The super soaking gives me great clumps. Flipping upside down throughout my styling helps give me some root lift, otherwise I get flat-top hair guaranteed. Plopping helps pull some moisture out and set my curls a bit.

HTH!

curlyQcutie22 · 08-14-2012, 03:56 PM

Well, after over doing the protein I decided to hit my hair with moisture. I used violate reconstructing conditioner. Left it in for 40 mins. My hair is now basically straight/wavy and soft. No definition at all. I'm so annoyed.

Bookworm5 · 08-15-2012, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curlyQcutie22

Well, after over doing the protein I decided to hit my hair with moisture. I used violate reconstructing conditioner. Left it in for 40 mins. My hair is now basically straight/wavy and soft. No definition at all. I'm so annoyed.

A couple weeks after going CG, I did the same thing - PT then DT and lost curl. I've tried two different PTs and my air was awful after each one, and worse after trying to fix it with a DT. My hair likes proteins in products, but doesn't care so much for PTs. Consider a very gentle low poo followed by your usual conditioners and styles - that fixed the OC for me.

curlyQcutie22 · 08-15-2012, 03:06 PM

I used ION effective care last night and holy volume! I think my hair likes protein but not in products...too dry and crunchy. I just left my hair naked to dry and I had volume and some nice curls. Now...this is my question. How do I use products that help that volume and curl without killing it???

I have some biotera curl creme, I got KCCC and instant freeze gel...

Oh! And last night I cowashed with the v05 clarifying condish and then put the ION on for like 5-10 mins and rinsed.

I think I'm on to something here...

curlyQcutie22 · 08-16-2012, 08:59 AM

So I co washed with V05 clarifying conditioner. Then used a bit of ION effective care as a Rinse out. Then put KCCC in...not a lot! Then topped with Aussie instant freeze.

I was hoping for so much better results :/ I had curls but some parts were stringy and it was soft but a little dry.
What happened? Any thoughts?

Corrina777 · 08-16-2012, 09:53 AM

KCCC seems to have a bit of a learning curve for many people, so don't give up yet.

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curlyQcutie22 · 08-16-2012, 10:21 AM

What would you recommend?

Corrina777 · 08-16-2012, 10:52 AM

A few possible experiments:
*try a small bit of LI under KCCC. I know many people get good results with KCKT as LI under KCCC
*try KCCC alone to get a better idea of what it can do. I generally don't use another gel over KCCC- I find it to have enough hold for my hair (I know many wavies do still layer for extra hold, but I would definitely play around with this a bit)
*you might need more or less of the AIF.

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curlyQcutie22 · 08-16-2012, 11:06 AM

Thank you! Thank you to all of you for your help

anything anyone has to recommend would be awesome. I want to love my curls!

wavymom · 08-16-2012, 12:53 PM

For me to get KCCC to work I need to scrunch it into absolutely dripping wet hair that already has a small amount of LI condish raked in. And I use a very, very small amount, as in I just coat 2 or 3 fingers and rub it in a thin layer over my hands and then scrunch it in. That may or may not work for you - KCCC is notorious for having a steep learning curve for most everyone. Some people use KCCC to smasters (you can search for smasters consistently awesome hair technique to see what that means). AIF never worked for me, although a lot of people love it. You might want to try other gels, and like Corrina said try KCCC by itself and compare to it topped with a gel, and then you'll know better what is going on. So many variables!