Best Shampoo for THICK curly hair?

CrazyCurlyHairedGuy · 11-14-2008, 02:24 AM

I know this is a "going poo-less" topic page, but i figured since the topic was on shampoo, i could posted it here lol. I'm 18 and I have SUPER THICK shoulder length curly hair lol. I actually didn't even know i had curly hair until I started letting my hair grow out. I always had it buzzed cut when I was a child and then about 1.5 ago i decided i wanted a change. And at first my hair was just straight, and then it went wavy..and then it seemed like a few months later i woke up and my hair was curly! It was so weird! Anywho, flash forward to present day. Now I've noticed that the longer my hair get's..the THICKER it gets. And I mean it's really thick! I have a twin, who's a girl, and we are both semi-biracial. I say semi because my mom is half white half black, and my dad is black so where are like 1/4 and 3/4. But anyways, my mom was combing my hair for me a few days ago and she was shocked at how thick my hair really was said that this was the reason why she took my sister to get a relaxer when she was 10. She said it was too long and thick for her to handle and then I was telling her about my shampooing issuses and she said she had the same problems with my sister as well so she didn't know how to help me. Well i guess i should get to my problem right? lol

My hair is so thick that i don't know if i'm actually cleaning my scalp! Or if i'm getting the conditioner/shampoo out. I only wash my hair like once or twice a week...but i've noticed that sometimes after i get out of the shower my scalp is sometimes a little itchy and then on another day i'll scatch my scalp and i can feel hard caked up stuff stuck to my scalp that i have to basically chisel it off my scalp..it's digusting! Does anyone have any tips for getting my scalp cleaned without washing it everyday? Or any suggestions on shampoos to use? I usually vary between Herbal Essences Totally Twisted shampoo, or Sunsilk Capitivating Curls shampoo. Please help! lol

*Oh and I decided to attach a picture too if that would help! The white stuff in my hair is conditioner lol.

curlyjenn10 · 11-14-2008, 10:14 AM

So your main problems are build-up, itchiness, and not being able to control your hair? Is it dry?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that shampoo is not what you need (though you'll need it at first). It will make things worse. Part of the reason a lot of us don't use shampoo is because of how harsh and drying it is. The sulfates that shampoos contain are the equivalent of laundry detergent and dish soap. Not exactly what I'd like to be putting in my hair.

It sounds like your curls need some TLC and a lot of moisture. Conditioner can provide that. Once curls are healthy, they are a lot easier to control. Believe me, I know from experience!

So my suggestion is to consider going shampoo-less. It can be a lot of work, but it's well worth it in the end. Eliminating shampoo requires some other ingredients to be eliminated (like silicones) because shampoo is the only thing harsh enough to remove them from the hair. Here's the beginner sticky:

Introduction to the no-poo method

And here's another useful thread:

Useful Curly Links

Read around this site and you'll get a lot of ideas. I hope this helped!

curlicarly · 11-14-2008, 10:42 PM

Wow, our hair looks really similar! lol.

Anyhoo.. What products are you using? Do they have any build-up-y ingredients like silicones?

I agree with curlyjenn, your hair is probably really dry! You should probably just stop using shampoo altogether, but if it feels like there's gross build up stuff, every once in a while (like, once a week or less) you could try using a low poo. Try giovanni shampoo's.

CrazyCurlyHairedGuy · 11-14-2008, 11:01 PM

Thanks guys for the responses! Yeah i'm really considering going CG now lol. Like this morning I HAD to shampoo my hair because last night my some of my friends who are in Cosmo school wanted to experiment with my hair and all this hard caked up gel in and a bunch of other stuff in and I was too tired to wash it out last night so I waited until today and I KNEW i couldn't get that stuff out with just condioner and water...the strangest thing happened though. I put the shampoo in my hair, (it was a different kind i've never used before, normally I use a 2in1 shampoo and conditioner because i figured it would be less drying and then put just conditioner in it afterwards), but like i said i knew i really needed to get that stuff out, so i put this shampoo in my hair..and my hair went CRAZY!!!

First of all...that shampoo was REALLY thick so I had to use alot of it, and then all of a sudden my hair started EXPANDING..i mean it got REAAAALLLLY big and thicker..It was so big i could barely split it apart and it took FOREVER to wash it all out. It was horrible...and the whole time i kept thinking to myself "OMG i'm putting dish detergent in my hair!" And then once i rinsed it out..my hair didn't even feel like mine anymore. It felt like someone replaced my hair with those cheap straw bristles that come on brooms. It was scary! So needless to say I pounded on my deep conditioner like it was no body's business. I used the entire bottle..and it was brand new. Luckily after that my hair came back to normal, but now i'm convinced that i need to go CG! I'm just a little scared too!

Laura Lee · 11-15-2008, 09:14 PM

don't be scared!!! Going CG is soooo good for your hair. If you're having problems with your hair being dry and dull, you should definitely seriously consider CG. It's all about moisture. Check out the before and after thread (in general discussion) if you need some motivation

CrazyCurlyHairedGuy · 11-15-2008, 10:23 PM

Hey Laura! Thanks for the motivation! I think I'm ready to finally do it! lol. I was looking for that before and after thread but i can't seem to find it. Do you have a link for it?

amy51373 · 11-16-2008, 03:42 AM

Here's the link for the before and after pic's. Definitely some motivating pictures in there and sooo many gorgeous curls.

Post your before & After CG pics

CrazyCurlyHairedGuy · 11-16-2008, 11:36 AM

HOLY CRAP!!! Ok i'm convinced! I'm gong CG as soon as I can get some clarifying shampoo! WOWOW!!!!!! That's just AMAZING!!!

curlygirl777 · 06-12-2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyCurlyHairedGuy

I know this is a "going poo-less" topic page, but i figured since the topic was on shampoo, i could posted it here lol. I'm 18 and I have SUPER THICK shoulder length curly hair lol. I actually didn't even know i had curly hair until I started letting my hair grow out. I always had it buzzed cut when I was a child and then about 1.5 ago i decided i wanted a change. And at first my hair was just straight, and then it went wavy..and then it seemed like a few months later i woke up and my hair was curly! It was so weird! Anywho, flash forward to present day. Now I've noticed that the longer my hair get's..the THICKER it gets. And I mean it's really thick! I have a twin, who's a girl, and we are both semi-biracial. I say semi because my mom is half white half black, and my dad is black so where are like 1/4 and 3/4. But anyways, my mom was combing my hair for me a few days ago and she was shocked at how thick my hair really was said that this was the reason why she took my sister to get a relaxer when she was 10. She said it was too long and thick for her to handle and then I was telling her about my shampooing issuses and she said she had the same problems with my sister as well so she didn't know how to help me. Well i guess i should get to my problem right? lol

My hair is so thick that i don't know if i'm actually cleaning my scalp! Or if i'm getting the conditioner/shampoo out. I only wash my hair like once or twice a week...but i've noticed that sometimes after i get out of the shower my scalp is sometimes a little itchy and then on another day i'll scatch my scalp and i can feel hard caked up stuff stuck to my scalp that i have to basically chisel it off my scalp..it's digusting! Does anyone have any tips for getting my scalp cleaned without washing it everyday? Or any suggestions on shampoos to use? I usually vary between Herbal Essences Totally Twisted shampoo, or Sunsilk Capitivating Curls shampoo. Please help! lol

*Oh and I decided to attach a picture too if that would help! The white stuff in my hair is conditioner lol.

Okay, I have like the excat same hair, but mine is a light brown with carmel and blonde highlights. the shampoo and condintioner i use is matrix sleek look. OMG it makes curly hair smooth and silky. It makes your hair not as puffy, mine is. Is really good, my hair dresser says its the best to use for thick curly hair.

Naturalista · 06-14-2010, 06:30 AM

As a thick haired curlie I know EXACTLY what you mean. Noone has said this, but consider washing and conditioning your hair IN SECTIONS. You'll save more product and it will be more manageable dealing with one section at a time. Try parting your head into 4 sections, and see what happens.

dresdendoll · 05-30-2012, 01:31 PM

Shea Moisture actually has a shampoo called Curl & Shine that specifically says it's for thick and curly hair. If I need to shampoo every 4 weeks or so, I might use Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo. Works great!