So there's this thing called the "Curly Girl Method." You can read about it
here. Or you can buy the book
here. The basic premise of this method is in order to acheive your true curl potential you need to forgo shampoo unless the shampoo does not contains sulfates, which are harsh cleansing agents that create all the soapy lather that we have grown to love, but ultimately dry out and damage our hair. The idea is to co-wash (conditioner wash) your hair in leui of the "poo" with a light weight silicone free conditioner.
I use VO5 or Suave Naturals conditioner.
You massage that into your scalp only for about 3-5 minutes (like you would with shampoo) to makes sure you remove all the natural build up and then rinse thouroughly. After that, use a richer/thicker conditioner for the actual conditioning conditioner.
I use Tresemme Nauturals Vibrantly Smooth conditioner.
Slather that on the ends first and then work your way up. Use a thicker application from your ears down and then a lighter application on the top of your head.
After your usual shower regimen- you apply sulfate free/silicone free styler product (gel, mousse, etc) to dripping wet hair, scrunch and gently squeeze your curls into shape, dry with a cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel- this is called "plopping", and never touch it again until it's completely dry.
These are the ones I used today.
Back story alert: I was born with poker straight hair, then I hit puberty and it became wavy/curly. I used to wear my hair in it's natural state after college (before that I just pulled it back cause I had no idea what to do with it), but then- some years after college I discovered the dreaded blow drier and flat iron. I'd rotate curly and straight depending on my mood, but recently- as in the past 2 whole years probably- all I've done is flat iron. I think the last time I left my hair curly was when I was pregnant with Conrad in 2011. It's not so much I feel bad about damaging my hair per sei, but the other day I decided to let it air dry curly because I'm pregnant AGAIN and super lazy and the summer is coming (which means straightening is basically pointless) and curly hair would just be less time consuming and easier for me to handle these days. And wouldn't you know....my hair barely held a curl!!! It was just straggly and dull and gross. And I KNOW it's because I've been flat-ironing it into oblivion. Poor wavy/curlies. That, my friends, is why I'm going back to my roots and taking these drastic measures. I'll try anything at this point. If I keep babying and moisturizing this head of hair 'o mine- I truly believe the wavy/curls will come back to me. We'll see.
So, I used a clarifying shampoo on Sunday one last time just to get all the product build up out of my hair to start from scratch with a clean slate of hair. Today was my first day of the Curly Girl Method (co-washing). Surprisingly, my hair felt pretty clean afterwards. I'm not sure if it's gonna work, but it's worth a shot.
I've seen some GREAT results!! This is the blog that actually inspired me!
http://www.andreasteed.com/node/1296
This is a pic of the finished results. Sorry for the sh*tty pic. I had to use my phone.
Co-Wash: VO5 Tea Therapy Camomille Conditioner
Rinse-Off Conditioner: Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly Smooth
Styling Products: Culr Keeper and Pantene Styler Strong Hold Gel
