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Haircare for Curlies

Ele

(website)

I'm not sure if this will be of interest to anyone other than myself, but there were some questions posed about hair care/products on my last thread, so I thought I'd move them to a new, more appropriate thread.

For the past two years or so, I've been following a haircare routine outlined in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Gi.....038;sr=8-1 Lorraine Massey, who wrote it, is the woman who started Devachan salon in NYC (for curly hair, and where I went last month!), and she has some ideas about how to care for hair that some people might find a bit strange, though they've worked wonders for me.

The basic idea is that you don't use anything which contains a sulfate, which are the harsh foaming agents found in most shampoos. Instead, you "wash" your hair with conditioner only. This is done by using quite a bit of (cheap, drugstore!) conditioner and "scrubbing/massaging" your scalp with your fingertips. The idea is that the friction, rather than drying chemicals, does the work here.

Since I started doing this, my hair has become so much softer, smoother and shinier. (I was even complemented by my stylist at Devachan!) Also, I've spent much less on products because often the best kinds of conditioners to use for this are the super-cheap kind. And if you do it right, no, your hair doesn't smell bad at all! Just clean and normal

(I should also say, though it isn't overly stressed in the book, that if you follow this method you should also stay away from any conditioner or styling products that contain silicone. This is because silicones are not water soluble, and if you aren't using shampoo to get them out, they will build up on your scalp. If you're looking at ingredients on a conditioner/product bottle, watch out for anything ending in "-cone" or "-xane".)

As for styling, the trick is to use a gel, "scrunch" it into your hair when it's sopping wet, and let it air dry. You can "blot" your hair dry by squeezing it in a towel when you're scrunching, but you shouldn't rub or wrap your hair in a towel. Devachan uses paper towels for this purpose (Yublocka, you asked about this in my last post), but I never do that. (I'd feel terribly guilty about sacrificing trees for my hair!) Instead I have a special cotton towel that I bought in NYC called a Curl-ease http://curlease.com/ which has been working really well, but any flat cotton or microfibre towel will work. The real trick it to use something smooth instead of a normal towel with loops, as they can "get into" your curls and cause frizz.

I'm really interested to know if anyone else does this, or has any other haircare tips/products to share!

General

37 replies

Latest reply was from

Christie

I was envious of your haircut at that salon! You have beautiful hair.

You have written a great description of the process. I am also following the "no 'poo" (no shampoo) method for my curls. I am still in a "recovery" mode for my hair health, but seeing improvement. My hair tends to be dry. A website with active forum is http://www.naturallycurly.com.

Another cheap product is homemade flax seed gel. Basically, you boil flax seeds in water until a gel forms. Then strain the seeds and allow the gel to cool. It gets thicker as it cools. Its the best gel I've ever used. I am still using up some Jessiecurl flax seed gel that I purchased, but I don't like it as well, because it has magnesium sulfate in it, which seems to dry my hair.

As for a hair wrap, you can also tie a long sleeve t-shirt. I also use a microfiber wrap.

Vani

Veteran

Ele, I've heard about the conditioner routine and have been wanting to try that. I don't have super curly hair, but it is definitely very wavy and just about curly. It is also super thick and coarse and gets very frizzy and dry if I don't use tons of thick conditioner. I try to remember not to rub my hair with a towel, but sometimes I just plain forget. I do wrap my hair all the time, so oops! I will remember that. The curlease towel seems interesting, but since you say any flat cotton towel will do, I will try the one I have. I have been using Bumble & Bumble Curl Conscious Conditioner for Medium To Thick Hair for the really humid days and it works well without being greasy or heavy. For days when I have to blow dry my hair I try to remember to use the diffuser

Somedays it just seems easier to straighten it because it behaves really weird, neither here nor there, half flat, half wavy but always all frizzy.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for the write-up, Ele. I am also a curly girl who has a never-ending love/hate relationship with my hair. I usually put away the hairdryer and hot irons during our summer season, so I've been sporting my curls for about a week now. I do shampoo about once or twice a week, but "wash" with conditioner almost every day. I have a lot of non-curly product that I'm trying to use up before I buy anything new. I use Frederik Fekkai curl products currently. I only add curl cream or the occasional mousse if needed. I don't have a microfiber towel yet, but that's something I could see working well for me.
I do use the pins that Devacurl uses. I got mine at Target though, but that process has really helped a lot. It gives me volume and the weight of my longer hair doesn't pull the curls out.

Anonymous

I am very intrigued by this no shampoo method. This is the first I've heard of it. We have well water here and the stylist can tell from the texture of my hair that there is mineral build up. They recommend I use a stripping shampoo and then deep conditioner once a month. I have not done this yet but the products are sitting in my cabinet. I may try this washing with cheep conditioner method you talk about and see if this cures my hair woes.
Hair gels, mousse, hairspray, all those products made to control hair cause my hair to flatten and look limp. I really need to try something new and maybe this will be an answer for me. My hair is wavy, but goes straight if I use a hair dryer or anything that applies heat. The heat just kills the body in my hair.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to share what you have learned about curly hair. I wonder what it is about washing with conditioner that helps hair be more light weight so it can curl up?

Edit: I am tempted to go and try this right now. Would I see a difference right away?

Lena

San, from what I've read, and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, you first need to use a clarifying shampoo before you can use the conditioner washing method.

disclaimer: I don't prefer conditioner only method myself

Anonymous

Oh that certainly makes sense Lena. Thankyou very much. Now that I think about it, I have mistaken the conditioner bottle for the shampoo in the past and the results were not good.

Ele

(website)

Cricket- Thanks for the compliment! I like naturallycurly.com, too. I don't post on the forums there, but sometimes go search them if I have a question about a product or something. I hadn't heard about the flax gel, though. I will definitely need to try that!

Niva- I think you should try it. You might find that as your hair becomes more moisturized it will actually get curlier. Mine has definitely become more manageable.

(Disclaimer- They told me at Devachan never to wrap my hair in a towel because it drains too much moisture, but I sometimes do anyway. I think as long as you're using a smooth towel and you don't leave it on too long, it's fine.)

San- There is very hard water here in London, and this has definitely helped me. Before I started this routine there was a dryish, weird "coated" feeling at the hair on the back of my head, where the shower hits. I had that for years (from the hard water in Toronto, too, where I lived before here) and it's completely gone now.

You might notice a difference right away, or you might not. Some people find that their hair goes through a detox/adjusting stage when they first start using the no-poo method. (Such an unfortunate name, I realize!) I think mine was a little greasier at first, but within a month was much better than it had ever been before.

Christie

San, the idea behind "no 'poo" is that sulfates dry and strip the hair of its natural oils but the same sulfates are necessary to wash out the "-cones" in hair styling products. Interestingly, in addition to providing hold, those "-cones" add artificial shine, because the sulfates deplete your own natural shine. A vicious cycle.

You can strip everything out of your hair using a baking soda scrub, followed by apple cider vinegar rinse. Just don't use those items too often. I did, and suffered more dryness before I realized what I was doing wrong. Curly hair can be very fragile and dry, and since curly girls should not brush the oils down like a person with straight hair does, retaining natural oils is really important.

There are also "low 'poo" shampoos, which don't have sodium lauryl sulfates as their sudsing agents and are gentler on your hair.

I "wash" my hair daily with water, making sure to gently scrub my scalp. Then I reapply my styling gel. Once a week, I "wash" with Suave Naturals conditioner. Its a cheapie sold in drugstores for less than $2, and is gentle.

Debbie

I'm a curly girl too!

Anonymous

Amazing. I have been wondering why my hair looks like a hay stack when I spend TOP DOLLAR on having it cut and colored, and the products I buy. I hope this works for me. It certainly does make sense. I can't wait to see if it changes my hair back to looking nice.
Thankyou for the info. I'll try this for a while and let you know how it works out.
I just found a bottle of Suave Naturals in the downstairs shower!

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

Thanks so much to everyone who has added stuff here. I haven't had time to digest it all properly but come weekend will give it a close reading.

My hair is semi-curly atm because I got it permanently straightened 18 months ago. I do notice how dry and frizzy it is still and try not to wash it more than twice a week.

One question about this Curlease, which sounds AMZING btw. So does leaving any towel on for 30 mins dry the hair completely, or just these special microfibre towels? I am very lazy and leave a regular towel on for only 5 mins or so. Then I let it drip dry, which takes over 2 hours and my hair isnt even that long anymore. Would simply leaving a normal towel on for longer dry it out more?? This sounds more feasible for me than blow-drying, something I never have the patience for in the mornings!

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Those of you that use the curlease or something similar...is it worth the $25 or have you found anything else similar that works just as well? Thanks!
Also, what products specifically do you all use?

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I have naturally curly hair, and I used Lorraine Massey's "No Poo" shampoo and "One Condition" conditioner when my hair was long. I still use it, even though my hair is short now, and I wear it straight all the time. It's good for color treated hair as well. Since it doesn't have any harsh chemicals in it, it doesn't strip color from your hair as quickly. Also, my hair behaves a lot better and is much happier with these two products. I only use a mousse and a styling cream (on my bangs) otherwise, so the cost is okay for me. You don't need that much, because you're only washing your scalp and roots. I run out maybe every 3-4 months or so.

I have used the Curlease towel as well. If you can find "tea towels" that are large enough, those would work as well. Do you know what I'm talking about? Sometimes I've seen them listed as "bar towels." They're basically smooth and soft, woven white towel, very thin. That's what a Curlease towel is.

Sarah, if you order products off of naturallycurly.com, you can pick the products up here in town. They're based in Austin!

Anonymous

Well I used the clarifying shampoo lastnight. My hair felt so brittle when I rinsed out the shampoo that I decided to put the Suave conditioner on right away. I put on a Pureology gel product (no sulfate) and let my hair air dry. I now have my natural wave. Unfortunately my hair is not "curley" enough to have that really nice look. It does not curl up off of my head, but rather lays on my head and waves from there. (I adore curly hair) When I combed it after it air dried some of the wave/curl combed out. Do you never comb your curley hair? Just apply a product and scrunch, air dry and leave it as is? It is very hard for me to resist combing my hair.

Inge

(website)

I'm reading all kinds of new things here. How fascinating! I'm saving this for future reference (when my hair gets longer, it's 'wavy' too).

And Ele: I didn't respond on your other thread, but I just wanted to say that your new haircut is A-MA-ZING!!! Your beautiful features are accentuated even more and that gorgeous curly hair looks SO stylish!

tarzy

Veteran

Such a great topic! I ordered the towel. I'm curious to see if it works!

San - I read the book a while ago, but one of her main points is DO NOT TOUCH your hair as it is drying, or after it is dry. Do NOT comb it, do not play with it, do not disturb the curls in any way - that's what make the hair frizz out. I know it's hard, but try try try to just leave it alone and let it do its thing (with styling product in it.) I usually bend over and scrunch on my styling cream. That way I'm not patting down my hair at the top, which is what gives me the dreaded "flat head." It takes a little getting used to, but it really makes a difference.

She also describes a technique (in the book) where you lift the hair in the front at the roots with some small clips and let it dry like that. That also helps prevent it from being flat. You have to give it some time to dry, but even 10-15 minutes while I'm brushing my teeth, putting on makeup, etc. helps.

My hair still looks different day to day - it basically does what it wants, even if I use the exact same products. But as long as I can keep the frizz to a minimum I'm happy.

Ele

(website)

Wow, I'm so happy that this thread has actually been interesting (and useful!) to some of you ladies!

Tam- The point of the Curlease towel (or similar microfibre ones) is that, while absorbent, it won't take too much moisture out of your hair. At Devachan my stylist was very adamant that you should let your hair air-dry as much as possible, and that taking too much moisture out of your hair with a towel will harm your curl. I think that the way you describe drying your hair now (towel for 5, then air-dry) is probably the best, but of course 2 hours is much too long to wait for dry hair! Mine was similar when it was long, and man did it drive me crazy. I would say if you've got to wrap for a long time (and it sounds like that might work for you), at least do it with a smooth type of towel.

Sarah- I'm just learning how to use my Curlease now, as I only got it about 2 weeks ago. So far, YES it has been worth the money. No frizz at all in the past few days. In terms of product, I'm in the UK so probably use different products to what you have available. I've heard Suave conditioner is popular in the States, and any clear gel is great for the "scrunching" part of the routine.

Ana- You are so right, that's what the Curlease reminds me of! A tea-towel. Only it's much larger, of course. I bet sewing a bunch of tea towels together would work well.

Sun- I echo Tara, don't brush it! You can detangle or even comb in the shower if you need too, but once you've dried and scrunched it, hands off! It really makes a difference.

Inge- Thank you!

Anonymous

Thanks for the info. I am on a mission to see what I can do with this method. I am very tired of paying so much for good styling and products and having no luck with it on my own. I often look at my hair and wonder why I am paying so much for "this". I know the stylist I have now does a great job on the cut. It is the way I manage it when I get home that needs improvement.

Ele, yes indeed you have given us a good topic that will be extremely helpful to many. Thankyou so much for sharing. You just never know if what you say will really hit home with someone here.

One question, when I need to wash my hair after working out and sweating, do I just use the Suave to suds it up, several times a week? After rinsing, put on a gel product and let dry, no combing. Repeat. Then do I ever use the clarifying shampoo again?

Ele

(website)

San, you can still use regular shampoo occasionally if you want. My sister, who has hair similar to mine but finer, shampoos her hair once a week to clarify it, and just uses conditioner the rest of the time. I find that I don't need to, although I use a baking soda scrub, combined with a vinegar rinse, as a "deep clean" once a month.

If you still want to use shampoo (some find that their hair can't take only conditioner), try looking for an organic one. Any health-foods store should have a beauty section, and organic shampoos tend not to include sulfates, so are much gentler.

Anonymous

Ok thanks. I will look out for sulfates and silicone.

tarzy

Veteran

San - I've been using a shampoo & conditioner set I bought at Target. It's called EverPure from L'Oreal, and it has no sulfates in it. (There are three different ones - I use the one for color treated hair.) I only use the shampoo once a week, and the conditioner every day. It has a really nice scent, and so far seems to be gentle on my hair color. It's cheaper than salon stuff, but a bit more than the super cheepie shampoos.

http://www.walgreens.com/store.....sku4252881

marianne

Wow, ton of useful information here! My hair is not curly, but it's wavy. I switched to an inexpensive organic shampoo without laurel sulfates a few years ago, but my hairdresser says there is a lot of buildup in my hair from it. (Actually she says it happens from any lower end shampoo, so I kind of question that statement, but she's not trying to sell me any products :)). Has anyone heard anything like this? One thing I noticed about organic shampoo is that my hair is greasier. And she uses a stripping shampoo on my hair. I think I am going to give a no-shampoo method a try after my next cut. Thanks for starting this thread, Ele!

Ele

(website)

Hi, Marianne. Hmm, I find it hard to believe that a shampoo would be causing buildup, not if you're rinsing it well enough. I'm inclined to think that the culprit might be something in your conditioner or styling products, that your shampoo isn't removing easily. Have you scanned your bottles for silicones in the ingredients list? Anything ending in "cone" or "xane" is a silicone, and can easily build up on your scalp.

marianne

Ahem... I am embarrassed to admit it, but right now I don't use any other products, except a texturing cream, occasionally. I just checked, and the cream does have a silicone ingredient, but I really use it very rarely. I stopped using conditioner because I thought it might be causing the buildup. Whatever she may say, I honestly don't see much difference in my hair between drugstore and salon hair products, and my hair is in decent shape, but I would like to find out the root cause I'll try eliminating all silicones after the next stripping session, and see what happens. Thanks Ele!

Anonymous

After a few days of "no poo" I must say my hair is very different. It is puffy! I'm not sure I have the styling down. When I do NOT run a comb through my hair it is too stuck down close to the scalp. When I do run a comb through my hair it puffs up. Very interesting experiment. I probably do not have the right shaped head or the right texture of hair for this. Maybe the cut is not quite right for this either.
It does feel really good until I look in the mirror and see it going wild. It feels good to have wild hair here all by myself, very liberating, but I can't go out of the house like this.
My styling cream and other product that I mixed to put on my wet hair were both white. I believe someone said they should be clear?

tarzy

Veteran

San- I wish we could see a picture of your hair! If I wash mine, and don't put any product in it, it gets very frizzy and fluffy.

De

This is a very interesting thread, thanks for starting it.
(Unfortunately, I can't contribute with my advice because I'm still trying to figure out how to work with my short + wavy hair...)

Debbie

I have been on the Curly Girl method (the library here has the book) for about 5-7 years and it has made my hair go from wavy to curly!

My only issue right now is that I have an extremely itchy scalp and I wonder if it is because I have been using a conditioner with silicone in it?

When I finish here, I am going to go read the label.

The Pantene condish I use has Dimethecone in it. I wonder if that is what is causing the itching.

I have tried dandruff shampoo and it does not seem to help much.

Should I use baking soda and vinegar on my scalp and then change conditioners?

I have been living with the itchy scalp for quite awhile.

My hairdresser used to say my hair looked "coated".

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Debbie, could your scalp just be very dry? Southern Idaho is so dry, especially this time of year. When I lived there my scalp was itchy a lot. Now that I live someplace much more humid, my head only gets itchy if I don't wash my hair for a couple of days. Dandruff shampoo just dries things out further. Do you deep condition your scalp? If I were you, I'd use something to exfoliate your head, and then deep condition to see if that would help.

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