New...am I doing this right?

ballerinacurls · 03-29-2012, 09:10 PM

I apologize if these are really stupid questions. I'm new!!

I want to go without shampoo because I know the sulfates are bad and my hair is very dry from using it...but what I don't know is how to go about doing this. Do I use a cleansing conditioner on my scalp and then a regular one (is there even a difference?) I have heard something about having to do some kind of cleanse before I go CG...what exactly would that be?

Also, do you guys have any product suggestions? I have medium/thick density, medium porosity and medium (some fine) hair with 3b curls.

winnowill · 03-30-2012, 06:20 AM

Nowhere near an expert yet, but yes, you need to do a shampoo rinse with one that has sulfates in it to get all the silicones out of your hair. Then never use the sulfates again.
Haven't tried the cleansing conditioners yet. I go with Suave Naturals for my cowash. Still working on a routine.
When you go for a conditioner, stay away from any with silicones. I know the ladies on the boards can be more helpful.
Good luck!

craving_curls · 03-30-2012, 08:40 AM

I'm definitely not an expert, I'm really new too, and this is what's helped me... Some of the other ladies can tell you which products are good and which ones are bad.

Definitely, stay away from the silicones and sulfates. Some people's hair hates protein (like mine), some people have hair that loves it. That just takes experimenting. It helps to find someone with similar hair properties (even though their hair may look different) and see what products they use. I saw this blog post referenced before on the site and it really helped The College Curly.

After you shampoo one last time, never use silicones or sulfates again. To clean the hair you can use a cleansing conditioner (what I do) or just a normal conditioner (junk free of course). Make sure you massage the scalp for a few minutes to loosen the dirt, oil and styling products. It's the friction that loosens the gunk. My hands get tired, which is how I know when to stop. Then, rinse all that gunk out and condition the ends like usual. Some people use the same conditioner, I have to use something stronger since my hair is so incredibly dry and damaged. A lot of this is just finding the products that work well for your hair.

Hope this helps! I'm sure someone else with a lot more experience and knowledge will definitely chime in!

Corrina777 · 03-30-2012, 09:33 AM

Apologizing in advance for length of post and for any shorthand or poor grammer- I'm on my cell phone right now.
Best thing you can do is determine hair properties like texture and porosity. Livecurlylivefree.com has lots of info on this. Hair properties are way more important than curl pattern for finding products. My hair twin has a very different curl pattern but we respond to the same products in a very similar way.

There are ingredients besides sulfates that will remove silicone, but I would still suggest a sulfate wash to be on the safe side. In theory, all you technically need is conditioner and gel, but most people are not quite so lucky in real life. I suggest that you keep a hair journal so you can easily see what works and what doesn't. Much of it is trial and error.

As far as products, I prefer either a cleansing conditioner (CJ Daily Fix, Deva Curl No-Poo, L'Oreal Evercreme Cleansing conditioner are a few examples) or a conditioner labeled as either clarifying or volumizing (I've been having very good luck with VO5 vanilla mint conditioner). I use these to cleanse scalp and roots. My scalp and roots are oily more so than dry so for me, the lighter the better for co-washing. Many wavies and people with fine textured hair will also rotate in a low-poo (sulfate free shampoo) as needed to keep their scalp from feeling gunky. Some popular choices include Shea Moisture and Renpure Organics (red bottle).

I use a heavier conditioner as a rinse out because the length of my hair does tend to get dry. Some options are Tresemme Naturals (nourishing moisture), Renpure Organics (lots of rave reviews on new keratin and argan oil conditioners), GVP Conditioning Balm (this is a Sally's generic of Biolage conditioning balm). I also like to use a bit of my rinse out as a leave-in.

Gel has become my new best friend. Many people like LA Looks (sports gel or nutra curl), Herbal Essences (Totally Twisted), Aussie instant freeze, Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee, or Eco Styler (available at Sally's). When your hair is dry scrunch out the gel cast.

Avoid drying your hair with a regular towel- use microfiber towel or t-shirt. And once you add all of your products, avoid touching your hair until dry.

In general, fine hair and high porosity hair like protein. For many people it is helpful to follow protein with something moisturizing. Different people react differently to different proteins, so there will be some trial and error involved.

I hope this gives you a good start.

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