TON of useful information for new curlies!! =)

wowohwow · 04-02-2010, 09:35 PM

Hello curlies! =)

I’m writing this post because it took me forever to find all the information on this website. The information on this site is scattered, making it difficult trying to learn about new techniques/products as they happen, soo this is an attempt to make a post about some general techniques and ideas you can start with, a “base camp” shall we say

First, figure out your hair type! Additionally, read through this thread.

Here are ALL the steps to a CG routine. I’m emphasizing the word ALL here, because not ALL of these steps work for everyone. Becoming CG is an experimental process over a few weeks while you figure out what your hair likes best. Trust me, in the end, it’s SO worth it. If you don’t believe me, check out the before/after thread!

Before you start becoming CG, wash your hair one last time with a clarifying shampoo so that you can start with a “clean slate,” so to speak.

1. Cowash
What does it mean to cowash? You wash your hair with conditioner. I know it sounds gross, but your hair doesn’t need all the nasty sulfates in your shampoo – they just strip your hair of essential oils =( If you want more convincing, most shampoos contain a sulfate called “sodium laureth sulfate.” What else has this same sulfate? DISHWASHING LIQUID. Know that horrible feeling on your hands if you ever accidentally wash your hands with dishwashing liquid? Now imagine that on a million strands of hair on your head! =( Washing your hair with conditioner is enough. Just be sure to use LOTS of friction so that you “rub out” all the dirt, oil, grime, etc. =)

2. Baking soda; ACV rinse

A lot of people use baking soda and an ACV (apple cider vinegar; you can also use regular vinegar) rinse to get that “squeaky clean” feeling, and for a naturally clarifying effect. I don’t want to say anything more here that is incorrect, so I’m going to quote some nc.com users =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by curlymaybe

The baking soda is alkaline (as are soap and most shampoos), so you need the acidity of an ACV or citric acid rinse to restore you hair's pH.
(With the baking soda wash and ACV rinse you don't get the volcanic reaction of mixing straight vinegar and baking soda, BTW.)
Here's a recipe from Live Curly, Live Free:

Baking Soda Clarification
With some silicone-based products, clarification must be done to remove the product that builds up over time on the hair shaft. Rather than resort to sulfate-based shampoos to remove this build-up, which can damage and dry the hair, a baking soda cleanse is preferable:

Combine:
1 tablespoon baking soda
3 tablespoons silicone-free conditioner

Apply mixture to the scalp and massage firmly, then continue to massage the mixture down the hair shaft to the ends. Work into hair well. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and follow IMMEDIATELY with an apple cider vinegar rinse.

Note: you MUST follow any baking soda cleanse with an apple cider vinegar rinse. Baking soda is alkaline -- meaning it will raise your cuticle and open up your hair shaft. The apple cider vinegar is acidic and will close your cuticle back down. If you don't follow the cleanse with an ACV rinse, you'll be leaving your hair shaft open and setting yourself up for more frizz than you'd probably like.

3. Honey rinse

I’m not sure exactly where I found this idea/recipe, but I do know that it works! Mix a tablespoon of honey into a cup of water (that’s the ratio, multiply as needed) and pour it on to your hair. Let your hair soak for a few minutes, then rinse to get an extra shot of moisture and shine! =)

4. Condition – icequeen method

At this point, rinse everything out of your hair, and condition as you usually would. You can try the the icequeen method, created by nc.com user "icequeen."
Here’s the gist of her method:

Quote:

Originally Posted by icequeen

I rake a large amt. of conditioner through my hair in the shower, then flip over and scrunch it through until it feels like seaweed and squishes which gets the clumps going. It sits on my hair through the shower routine. I then rinse upside down in cool water and firmly scrunch in a small amt. of conditioner

Here is the link to a thread about her method. There are a few variations, so be sure to check those out =)

5. The “in-shower” part of your CG routine is now complete - I thought I’d throw this step in there for clarification!

6. Leave in

A lot of people just use their cowash conditioner as a “leave-in” conditioner. Basically, you scrunch a small amount of conditioner into your hair after you're out of the shower. This is step one of your "base coat" (as Rudeechick calls it).

7. Curl cream

This is step two of your base coat. Curl creams promote curl formation and give your curls extra hold. NOTE: If you use a curl cream that has humectants in it, DO NOT use it over your conditioner and skip the leave-in step. If you mix the two, you’ll be left with little white flecks all over your hair – don’t say you weren’t warned!

Side note: here are two articles about humectants – article one and article two.

And here's a post I wrote about humectants and emollients.. good read, IMO!

8. Comb your hair with a fine-tooth comb or a denman.

I know this sounds counterintuitive, but this promotes clumping, for whatever reason! Play around with it though, because it doesn’t work for everyone.

9. Super soaker

Another revolutionary method!! Naturallycurly.com user Rudeechick created this method. Here is the link to the thread and her video!

10. Gel/mousse

This is another experimental realm. Some people like gel, some people like mousse! Search your hair type thread to find out what people with your hair are using =)

Here is a link to a wildly popular flax seed gel!

11. Plopping/plunking

Another great technique! Here is a link to the how-to article, and here is a link to a great video by Jessie of the Jessicurls brand. =) Jessie uses a special towel, but you can just use an old t-shirt!

12. Diffuse – pixiecurl method

Another technique! I’m not sure if the user “pixie curl” created this technique, but here is the link to the thread if needed, and here are the general directions:

Quote:

Originally Posted by rejoicingcurlygirl

Pixiecurl is a method of drying your hair using a diffuser. You press the diffuser into your hair so the bowl is scrunching your curls, then you turn the dryer on. Before moving the dryer, turn it off. It is a lot of turning on/off, and some do get annoyed/ask if there is something wrong with your dryer, but it keeps your hair from blowing around and helps prevent frizz.

13. For 2nd day…3rd day…etc hair!

Use the pineapple technique to “set” your hair when you sleep at night, and then spray your hair in the morning with a curl spray. (I just use water

)

To continue from the quote above…

Quote:

Originally Posted by rejoicingcurlygirl

Pineapple is done to dry hair at the end of the day before going to bed. You loosely gather the hair at the very top of your head, and put it in a ponytail. Because it sticks up and flops over your head resembles a pineapple.

In addition! Here are some helpful links =)

Here is a link to help out with abbreviations that people on this site use.

Here is a link to start out CG on a budget.

Here is a link to the “best of the best” products available!

Here is a ink to some useful curly links.

Here is a link to great summer vs. winter seasonal changes.

Here is a link to a lot of great curly blogs!

Here is a link to the Spritz and Condish Method!

Here is a link to an article about dew points - veryyy important when it comes to styling!

*** ALSO, PLEASE ADD INFO AS NEEDED ***

wowohwow · 04-02-2010, 09:59 PM

This is kind of embarrassing, but I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I'm supposed to do in the morning

Here's my remedy!

<took down the fotki, but it was a picture of my steps on a notecard in a ziploc snack bag

>

What is that? Well, I wrote down all of my steps on a piece of paper and stuck it in a snack-size ziploc bag. Now I can take my steps with me all over the bathroom, even in the shower!

dandy · 04-02-2010, 10:06 PM

There is an awesome thread on here about how to make you own flax seed gel, it think it should be cited here.. cos it is the best gel evah!! No-fail flax seed gel - I finally did it...TWICE!

sevendaiis · 04-02-2010, 10:44 PM

This is really quite helpful, thank you!

But, do you do the bi-carb soda/ACV rinse every time you co-wash, or less often? Should it just be like once a week?

And also, should I co-wash as often as I washed my hair before CG? Or everytime I take a shower?

kasden · 04-02-2010, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wowohwow

Before you start becoming CG, wash your hair one last time with a clarifying shampoo so that you can start with a “clean slate,” so to speak. This will (hopefully) be the last time you use shampoo – rejoice!

Thank you soooo much for spending the time and energy to do this - what an awesome idea!

I just wanted to add something about the last clarifying shampoo - be sure to use a silicone free shampoo.

Here's a couple of great links about CG products:
http://thewavytales.blogspot.com/ (thanks alex!!!)
http://curlgirljourney.blogspot.com/ (thank you too!)

ALWAYS read the list of ingredients before you use something - sometimes they change the ingredients and don't inform us here on nc.com - how rude!

wowohwow · 04-03-2010, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dandy

There is an awesome thread on here about how to make you own flax seed gel... No-fail flax seed gel - I finally did it...TWICE!

Thanks for the link! =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kasden

Quote:

Originally Posted by wowohwow

Before you start becoming CG, wash your hair one last time with a clarifying shampoo so that you can start with a “clean slate,” so to speak. This will (hopefully) be the last time you use shampoo – rejoice!

Thank you soooo much for spending the time and energy to do this - what an awesome idea!

I just wanted to add something about the last clarifying shampoo - be sure to use a silicone free shampoo.

Here's a couple of great links about CG products:
http://thewavytales.blogspot.com/ (thanks alex!!!)
http://curlgirljourney.blogspot.com/ (thank you too!)

ALWAYS read the list of ingredients before you use something - sometimes they change the ingredients and don't inform us here on nc.com - how rude!

No problem! I had fun writing it up

And thanks a bunch for the edits and the links!!

Ohhh dear

Looks like I've reached my character limit with that post. From now on, I'll just refer to comments I guess =\

MsNeee · 04-03-2010, 01:19 PM

Thanks for taking the time to do this! I'm a new lurker and just starting out. It's helpful to have it all in one place.

wowohwow · 04-03-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevendaiis

This is really quite helpful, thank you!

But, do you do the bi-carb soda/ACV rinse every time you co-wash, or less often? Should it just be like once a week?

And also, should I co-wash as often as I washed my hair before CG? Or everytime I take a shower?

Depends on a lot of factors! One of those factors is protein. My hair builds up protein like nobody's business, so I stay away from it. But in the event that I *have* to use a protein product, I use the BS/ACV as a natural clarifier to get rid of buildup. Usually, once a week is good. You can work up to once every two weeks too, if you'd like =)

No, you don't have to cowash every time. That also depends on a few things. Some people don't get second day hair, i.e., their curls don't last the next day, so they have to redo the process. It's not harmful, so no worries. Other people waterwash, just using the friction of their fingers to get rid of dirt/grease/etc. Just play with it and see how often you need to cowash =) "as often as you washed your hair before CG" sounds like a good place to start though!

TinasArk · 04-03-2010, 02:02 PM

Thanks for compiling this information.
BRAVO!

DEL2C · 04-03-2010, 08:27 PM

wowo you're very sweet to spend so much time on this. This should be made a sticky. Many of us have asked that the information on this site be organized somehow. The newbie forum was created to help but it's still very overwhelming.

anyway here's some others

What to ask your stylist- Step by step guide to what cut works best for curly hair. You can print it and show it to your stylist.

Getting your curl on - An introduction for newbies on how to take care of curls, from a Hair Stylist point of view.

curlypearl · 04-03-2010, 10:42 PM

An truly amazing job. Super!!!

wowohwow · 04-03-2010, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEL2C

wowo you're very sweet to spend so much time on this. This should be made a sticky. Many of us have asked that the information on this site be organized somehow. The newbie forum was created to help but it's still very overwhelming.

anyway here's some others

What to ask your stylist- Step by step guide to what cut works best for curly hair. You can print it and show it to your stylist.

Getting your curl on - An introduction for newbies on how to take care of curls, from a Hair Stylist point of view.

You're welcome, no problem! =) Definitely more interesting than my Religion paper for sure! haha

And oh dear. I hope struttswife doesn't feel like I stepped on her toes! Her "getting your curl on" thread is amazing!! Thanks for posting it!

I'll definitely PM Gretchen too!

wowohwow · 04-04-2010, 10:00 PM

PM'd Gretchen, waiting for reply! =)

UK_GoCats · 04-04-2010, 10:27 PM

Just wondering: what do CG types think of things like Deva's No Poo? I'm new to all this (I tried going CG a few years back but could NOT stand the grease build-up caused by only conditioner washes, so I quit and just put my hair in a ponytail every day).

wowohwow · 04-05-2010, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UK_GoCats

Just wondering: what do CG types think of things like Deva's No Poo? I'm new to all this (I tried going CG a few years back but could NOT stand the grease build-up caused by only conditioner washes, so I quit and just put my hair in a ponytail every day).

In the "sulfate-free shampoo" category, I'm not a fan of Deva (because of the price tag

) but I love Giovanni's shampoos! They're all natural and awesome

wowohwow · 04-07-2010, 09:01 PM

Check it out!!

http://curlyhair.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

wowohwow · 04-07-2010, 09:06 PM

This method seems to take a LOT of time, but looks like it's worth a try!

http://curlyhair.wikia.com/wiki/Skip_Curl_Method

caalie · 04-09-2010, 12:22 PM

Thanks so much for posting this! So nice to have all this information in one place.

I have been trying to master going curly my hair for about two months and the super-soaker method works great with my fine hair-it organizes the top and really helps me get some volume at the roots where my hair is pretty thin. I diffuse the roots upside down and to the side, then slide some clips from back to front along the part while I dry the rest of my hair.

I also found that since the hair clumps so easily with this method, I can use much less product--a bit of soft gel throughout, and a very little bit of hard gel on the midsections. Nice clumps, great curls, but very soft, natural, no crunch.

rudeechick · 04-12-2010, 06:51 AM

Very comprehensive!

wowohwow · 04-13-2010, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudeechick

Very comprehensive!

Thanks! And yes, this is stickied