My One Year Curly Hair Journey: Here's My Favourite Products.
From A Dry Frizzy Mess To Healthy Defined Waves and Curls.
It also started a year ago, frustrated my dry limp hair I started to do my research. First stop was to learn the basics from the wonderful book by Lorraine Massey called the Curly Girl Handbook which goes through all the basics of figuring out your hair type, what ingredients to avoid or look for in your hair products and basic curly hair styling tips. This is the best place to start for anyone new to the curly girl method.
My next step was to research some curly hair brands and products for my hair type. I also wanted to find brands that were free from any toxic or harmful chemicals. The Think Dirty App is great for doing this as it give you specific information about the ingredients in each product and potential harmful effects. I then purchased some products and started seeing how they work with my hair and how they work best with each-other. I also trimmed (myself) about 6-8 inches off my hair to remove some of the damaged ends which were refusing to curl at all. There still is a bit more I need to remove but I will deal with that in a few months and I may even get my first curly girl hair cut! As you can see from the pics above (left is most recent, middle 8 months ago, right before CGM) my hair volume and curl pattern has changed quite a lot in the last year!
See below for my favourite products that I used to style my hair in the above picture.
My One Year Curly Girl Wash Day Results.
Firstly I gave myself a scalp treatment with my favourite Righteous Roots Hair Rx Oil. I applied a small amount of the Righteous Roots hair oil directly to the scalp and massaged my scalp for five minutes upside-down. This helps to increase the circulation to the scalp and boost hair growth. I left the oil on for a couple of hours prior to washing my hair.
Wash time! This wash I used my favourite Innersense Hydrating Hairbath Shampoo directly on my scalp to remove the oil, dirt and product build up. Then after shampooing I deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Marfura Oil Hydration Intensive Mask Hair Treatment which I brushed through with a wet brush and then put in a Shhhowercap for a couple of hours. I also used my favourite heat cap for round thirty minutes to help my hair absorb the moisture from the mask. I then rinsed with warm water and used the wet brush again to remove and knots.
Next, whilst my hair is dripping wet I apply some Innersense I Create Lift Foam to the roots and top of my hair and rake it through with my fingers. Then I apply some Innersense I Create Volume from my mid lengths to my ends and scrunched with both hands. Then for a bit of extra hold for my curls I applied my Bouclème Super Hold Styler which gives me a lot more definition. I then wrap my hair in the Bouclème Hair Towel which absorbs some of the excess moisture from my hair without drying it out.
To give myself some extra definition to my curl I diffused my hair on a low heat for about 30 mins using this diffuser attachment on my hair dryer ( the Dyson Hair Dryer with Diffuser is on my list of things to buy this year so check it out if you need a new hairdryer or diffuser). The Bouclème Super Hold Styler does leave a cast so make sure to break the cast with some of the Righteous Roots Oil to leave your curls soft to the touch with a healthy looking shine. Plus in the Winter the best way to take care of your curls when you are outdoors is by wearing a silk lined hat. And voila! My hair routine is complete!
Well, I can say I am really happy with my progress in this first year of following the curly girl method. I can’t wait to see how it is at the end of my second year! There are a few other brands and products I am looking to try in the the next year so keep your eye out for those upcoming blog posts.
Here are some more curly hair blog posts that you might be interested in:
Best Leave In Conditioners For Curly And Wavy Hair
Best Diffusers For Wavy and Curly Hair
Best Deep Conditioning Hair Masks For Curly And Wavy Hair
Best Hats For Curly and Wavy Hair
My Top Curly And Wavy Hair Accessories And Tools
Top Shampoo Bars For Curly And Wavy Hair
Disclaimer: This post does contain some affiliate links which if you do make a purchase I may receive a small commission which helps me to keep writing these posts for you about my curly journey and hair recommendations.
Wishing you well on your own curly hair journey.