Hm, I also got “cotton candy dream” on that quiz. It doesn’t sound like my hair now or even in high school when it had a body wave, swam & washed my hair daily (just once) and often set it in hot rollers.

Congratulations on letting your hair grow, it is a difficult process. Well-done!
The thread got really long, I couldn't read through all of it, but 3 things.

1. Here is the thread where I talked about my CGM journey, with helpful product recommendations from other members:
https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....oject-hair

2. If you are happy with your wash-day hair, but lose the curls on day 2, you might want to look into some protective remedies. I wear a buff on my hair at night, and it really helps. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-N.....#038;keywo
Other people have other methods, like silk pillowcases.

3. This is the CGM beginner's webpage that I used and recommended to a friend:
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/s.....od-how-to/
Maybe you'll find it helpful.

Another recommendation for sleeping in a buff to protect the curls overnight.

The only thing that works for my hair when I want to go curly is:

1. Keep the length short with layers -- the longer it gets, the more weight and it will stop curling.
2. No combing or brushing. Use hands to gently untangle. Post shampoo it's okay to comb though-- then scrunch scrunch and allow to air dry.
3. Sleep with a silk pillowcase.
4. Post workout when my hair is drenched in sweat, scrunch it and let it air dry. This is when it's most likely to curl.
5. Refresh on non-wash days by wetting my hands and scrunching all over, particularly in the areas that aren't curling. (I'm washing my hair only about once a week since I hit menopause, 2x max... it just doesn't get as oily anymore)
6. Followed by..... coating my hands in Aveeno body moisturizer and then scrunching my hair some more. I've tried all kinds of curly products and they weigh my hair down or make it look greasy. ONLY the body moisturizer seems to work. My hair loves this stuff!

This is a wonderful thread. And I don't even have curly hair!

But I'm saving it for my stepdaughter's reference. She's definitely a curly girl!

i have no smart advice to add but I want to say, your hair is lovely, both in colour and curl!

Curly hair definitely prefers the final rinse to be with cool water. Hot water opens the hair shaft, creating frizz, while cold water smooths it, and then curls are better defined.

Recently, when my dermatologist broke my heart with the news that I should only be using fragrance-free products on my hair, I had to give up my beloved orange-scented Deva Curl products, my Mixed Chicks conditioner, my Potion 9 styling product.

But I have had actually better results with what I switched to, which is products by CurlMix. I don't use the full line-up, I only need the conditioner and the gel. They do have lots of scents as well, if that's your thing, but they also offer a fragrance-free formulation.

FABULOUS info! Thanks for sharing the intricacies of managing curly hair.

Staysfit, your curly silver locks are beautiful

This is a great thread. Curly hair is so different that what works for one person may not work at all for the next but at least it gives you someplace to start.

My hair isn't as curly as yours, more of a 2b curl, and not coarse or fine, but in between. I also struggle with it being straight at the roots and find that it gets curlier as it gets longer.

The biggest difference for me has been putting in a curl activator product in the shower with soaking wet hair, then I scrunch it and put on a microfiber turban. When I get out I do my makeup and brush my teeth while letting the turban absorb some of the water, then I take if off and put on a little gel or mousse. Lately the mousse has been working better for me than gel - not sure why but it is holding the curl better. Then I let it air dry or diffuse for just a few minutes to set the curls before air drying. Doing some the the drying and scrunching upside down helps with my roots. I do this every day but only wash twice a week. Like some others here, I just haven't been able to get good hair days without a total soaking. I haven't found that this dries out my hair, in fact the opposite seems to happen where I get too much moisture.

The only problem with wetting it every day is that I end up with wet hair longer every day than I would prefer.

I recently swapped out my curl activator (Cantu) for one with a little protein (Curls Blueberry Bliss leave-in) and it has been much better, not as smooshy, if that makes sense. I think the place to experiment would be with moisture vs. protein. That made a huge difference for me. One video I found useful was Swavy curly Courtney protein moisture balance.
Almost too much information but if even a small bit of it works for you then totally worth the watch.

Good luck!

RobinF, thanks for recommending a video about protein/moisture balance. I watched one on the same (or maybe similar) topic from Manes by Mell last evening. Her explanation was a bit confusing for me, but it essentially amounted to assessing your hair before each shampoo, to see if it might need protein or moisture. She demonstrated how a single well hydrated hair will stretch when pulled vs an over hydrated hair vs one that needs moisture. She also had a nice table that identified how some people might want protein in every product they use, whereas others might only want it in one, two or three of their products. She seems to use anywhere from 3-5 from what I can tell so far from the videos I have watched.

Did I miss a link with a quiz? I’m curious to take it. As my hair gets longer, it gets a bit easier to straighten and harder to encourage the curl.

@Janet, no you didn’t miss anything. I wrote a fill in the blank earlier in the thread.

Haven't read the rest of the responses but just wanted to chime in to say that, as a 'wavy curly' (my very technical term for how my hair is 2b up top but forms 2c/3a ringlets at the ends, lol ) I completely understand being overwhelmed by all the options out there! Allie from Wardrobe Oxygen blogged about finding the curly hair community intimidating, which you may find it comforting to read to know that you're not alone: https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com.....out-of-me/

On a more practical note, I believe you're in the USA right @staysfit? She's also blogged her review of LUS haircare's easy 3-step system (shampoo/ conditioner/ styling product according to your curl type), which may also help you to keep things simple:
https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com.....ine-curly/

As for myself, I believe I have low porosity hair (did the float test - see if a strand of hair floats or sinks in a bowl full of water), with 'fine but dense' overall thickness (not thick individual strands). Using too many products tends to weigh down my hair, so I also like to keep things simple:
1) I shampoo then use leave-in conditioner every few days (unless I've gotten really messy in between, lol).
2) I plop the ends & clip the roots of my hair whilst applying my skincare routine.
2) I use a leave-in spray & mousse after that if I'm using the hairdryer, just to protect my curls & stop them from curling towards my eyes respectively.
4) I sleep on a silk pillowcase with a Hair Buff (shout-out to @roseandjoan for the tip, although I use a bamboo neck gaiter instead lol & clip it at the nape of the neck to keep it in place)
5) On subsequent dry days (no washing), I gently shake out my curls & reuse the leave-in spray for a refresh. Sometimes mousse again for light hold.

Hope that helps! Bear in mind my hair is longer than yours though, so YMMV.

PS - I know you mentioned being confused by CGM so there's no need to follow this (I use sulphate/ paraben/ silicone free products), but thought I'd provide my product llist just in case;

0) ~ Not a perishable product per se, but I use the Tangle Teezer to brush my hair in the shower & no longer experience knots/ kinks
1) ~ Schwarzkopf Mad About Waves shampoo (lighter than their curls version)
2) ~ Schwartzkopf Mad About Curls conditioner (which I rinse out after)/ Giovanni leave-in conditioner (this one I leave in)
3) ~ OSIS hold mousse #4 (no sticky, greasy or crunchy feeling after - if used *sparingly*!)
4) ~ Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Protective Moisture Leave-in Hair Treatment (it's a mouthful lol but lightweight & versatile)
5) ~ Hair Buff (mine is just this lol: https://www.seasaltcornwall.co.....-handyband )

I tried sleeping with my hair up in a bun last night- yeah, my second day hair was much easier to deal with)