So, those of you that know me know I have unruly, frizzy, humidity hating curly hair. I usually wear it up in a bun because it is so unmanageable. Today I started a new hair regimen that is going to change my hair for the better.
It all started 2 weeks ago when a fellow curly told me she didn't use shampoo in her hair because it stripped the moisture out. I had recently purchased the Herbal Essences naked moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo really cleaned my hair! For the first time in forever I could get out of the shower with out gunk still being in my hair; however it was drier than normal. I figured product would help, but it didn't. So when My fellow curly told me she didn't use shampoo, it really made me start thinking.
Then a few days later I saw something on Facebook about hair plopping. It's where you put your wet hair in a tee-shirt on top of your head and let it dry. So I started down a YouTube journey that lead me to something called the curly girl method of hair care. I knew there were different types of curly hair, but had no clue someone had made a chart to catogorize them so you knew how to better take care of it. Apparently I'm a 3a. Weather affects my hair greatly and I have several different types of curl in my hair. I also have low porosity meaning it's hard for my hair to hold moisture. And do you know what frizz really means? It means you need more moisture!
Also, do you know what is in your shampoo and conditioners? I do now. Most shampoos have sulfate a which is a cleansing agent also found in dish detergents. It's what causes all the suds. Do you know what sulfate a do? Strip your hair of moisture! So why do MOISTURIZING shampoos have sulfates? So you'll use more conditioner. BUT most conditioners have silicones in them. Do you know what silicones do to your hair? They coat the strands to make it shiny and healthy but prevent them from retaining moisture! After a day these silicones weigh down your hair and cause major buildup; that gunk that was always in my hair. So it's a freaking vicious cycle! Strip your hair of all the gunk silicones are leaving by using sulfates then adding more gunk which you think is moisturizing by using silicones!! I'm furious that al these products I have used for over 20 years have been doing the exact opposite of what I have thought they were and what they claimed to do! Even this "naked" brand of Herbal Essences CLAIMS to be paraben and silicone free. The shampoo is silicone free but sulfate is the second infgredient after water! The conditioner that goes with the shampoo is not silicone free.
So for the last few days I've been researching this curly girl method which was invented by the lady that started deva curl products. These are super expensive but they work (I was given some to try before)! First you have to rid your hair of silicones which means just one more time you have to use sulfates in your hair. That's the only way to get them out. Then you deep condition like mad. Your next washes include either a sulfate free shampoo, which I found a whopping total of 3 at Walmart, or wash with a light conditioner like Suave or V05 that doesn't have silicones. For the shampoo I found one by Loreal for curly hair, one by Not Your Mothers for straight hair, and one my Shea Moisture that's in the ethnic hair section. My hair is so freaking damaged I sprang for the Shea Moisture that's about $10. Plus I don't plan on using it often once field season is over and I can start trying co-shampooing (conditioner shampooing). I also bought a conditioning balm from Sally's that is the Generic brand and had no silicones and hair gel.
I haven't used hair gel since high school because it was always so crunchy and heavy, but from all the YouTube'ing I've done I suspect it was the silicones fault. So I stripped my hair of all the silicones by using my sulfate shampoo one last time. I wish it would work like it says since it really smells so good, but alas, it's a bottle of LIES! I deep conditioned with my conditioning balm. I used a tee-shirt instead of a terry cloth towel to dry my hair a tiny bit and then lathered it with gel while it was still saturated. My inner teen was yelling at myself for using so much because it was going to be crunchy, but lo and behold when I took my hair out of a plop half an hour later, no crunch and beautiful curls! I still have no clue what to do with my bangs, but I'll figure it out.
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