Behold: The Power of Protein

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! I know I haven't been updating as much like I wanted to - things have been unbelievably busy this month. This is the first week I've been able to sit and take a breath!

For the past few months, I've been experimenting with protein treatments. I started making my own after reading the thread by IAgirl on NC during the summer. I love that you can customize it easily. Mine is very basic, but works unbelievably well. I never thought that protein would be a big deal for my hair (what with a sensitivity and all) but now I can't live without it.

There's a point every two or three weeks where it becomes very apparent that my hair needs a stronger shot of protein. This week happened to coincide with a much needed low-poo (while I've dropped the sensitivity to protein, I haven't been as lucky with oils, which are prevalent in SS FHG and Darcy's coiling jelly). So I washed with a low-poo (Organix), toweled off with a few flour sack towels, and applied my treatment.

Here's my recipe:
1 packet of gelatin mixed with about half a cup of boiling water. While it's cooling, I add about a teaspoon of ACV and three or four drops of neutral protein filler from Sally's.

After I apply, I blow-dry it on high with medium heat until it's pretty crunchy. Then I continue the washing routine as normal, except I usually use a heavier rinse-out. This time I used GVP Conditioning Balm (didn't want to use anything with oil in it).

My hair usually doesn't look much different on the day of a PT, even if I use all of my regular styling products. I think I used CJ Pattern Pusha and my old Aussie Instant Freeze. I had some ok curls, but not a lot of volume.

Then I washed again yesterday. I don't have any recent pictures on my phone, but my hair is about four inches below my shoulders when dry and six inches when wet (closer to BSL). I haven't gotten a haircut since early October. I was definitely not expecting this:





This is styled with Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel (love love love this!), BRHG, and CJ Curls in a Bottle! I also used V05 Silk Champagne and GVP CB. I know these aren't the best pictures and I should have waited longer, but I was very excited (these are just after SOTC).

I love this! It feels like I got a haircut. I'm definitely going to do protein treatments more regularly! Do you make your own PT?

Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle!

Price: $18 for 12 oz. I believe I purchased this last spring at aveyou, so I got some sort of a deal with good shipping.

Claim: A lightweight liquid styling gel/serum with a light hold. Adds shine and helps to tame frizz. Also enhances and defines curls.

How I use it: I've tried this a few different ways. In the beginning, I was thrown off by the reference to being a gel. I tried to use it like I do all light-hold gels - as a curl enhancer. This doesn't really enhance. Next I tried this as a 2nd day refresher. It didn't help much; it actually hurt. It made my hair hard and more straight. I've tried using it after diffusing a while to help set gel; all I did was end up SOTC, which made my hold disappear and hair look horrible. Lately I've been using it as a serum after I plop with BRHG and right before diffusing.

Pros:
* Helps cut down on frizz
* Adds a little shine, at least in the beginning of the day
* Smells nice
* A lot goes a long way; like most CJ products, this will last a while
* It's working well in the winter (the season I figured out how to use it!)

Cons:
* No enhancement
* No hold
* I've only found one way to use this, and I'm not sure it's something I need to use

Final Thoughts:
This is good for someone who has problems frizz or dull-looking hair. I wouldn't use this if you're a wavy-curly looking for enhancement, because you won't find any here. The bottom line is: Do you really need a serum? And should you spend $18 on one? I'm not really a serum person - I never was one before I went CG. I think cold water works really well for me to reduce frizz and add shine. I probably didn't need to buy this product as it's just ok for me.

(Blogger is being weird, so hopefully this uploads and looks ok! If so I'll be adding some more posts in the coming days!)

I'm Back!

I know, I know... I've been a bad blogger...

I'll be making it up to you in December with a few reviews....

When Shrinkage Goes Bad

For some reason, I've got kind of a Victoria Beckham thing going on in the front. You can actually see my ear! This is why curly hair should not be cut wet.

This is my first attempt to use Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel. I wasn't sure how much to use, so I ended up using very very little amounts and in the same manner I use CJ Aloe Fix Lite (3x on wet hair, 2x blotted, all before gel). I'm doing my research, but suggestions are appreciated. I do love the way my hair smells though.

Co-wash: V05 Champagne Kiss

Rinse-out: GVP Conditioning Balm (still dry from a PT)

Stylers: Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel, BRHG

Summer HGs

With the weather beginning to change (finally!), I think it's time to share my HG products of the summer. Yes, I realize that it's officially been fall for a month and that most people have been experiencing cooler weather for longer than that. But we're still having 80+ degree days, so it's more summer than fall here! So these are the products that I could not live without, especially in the 100+ degree weather that we had for months on end.

Favorite Summer Co-wash & Rinse-out:

V05 Champagne Kiss Conditioner - No brainer, I've been raving about this for months! It's moisturizing enough to use as a rinse-out, but light enough to use as a co-wash. It's cheap, so I don't have to worry about how much I use. It smells AMAZING, which is great because of all the products I use, the co-wash is the one that my hair usually smells like at the end of the day. And bonus: it has protein!

Favorite Curl Enhancer:

Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite - This is a bit on the expensive side, but I've been using generous amounts of this for months and still haven't finished it yet. It's the first product I've used with what I'd call "flexible hold" - it doesn't have enough hold on it's own to keep frizz at bay, but works great as a curl enhancer because it does have more hold than say, a curl cream. It keeps it shape after scrunching the crunch, but leaves my hair soft and touchable. I love it! I use about five dime-sized amounts every wash. It plays well with pink boots, almost like KCCC used to. Definitely repurchasing.

Favorite Deep Conditioner:

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab in Strawberry - I had an issue with a mild protein overdose in early July that left my hair dry and crunchy. I used this conditioner as a rinse-out and had probably the best hair day I've had all year. So of course I promptly took it on vacation and left it at my grandparents' house. I am contemplating another order from AveYou and will be adding this to my cart! Since my hair is fine now, I won't be using this often and even then not a lot. So barring any trips to the East Coast, this will last me a long time.

Favorite Gel:

None. That's right, not even BRHG. Back when I first used this stuff, I was in love. It didn't take very long for the honeymoon to end. I like the level of hold this gives me, but I really don't like the de-clumpifying and skinny curls. It literally takes away clumps that have already formed. Skinny curls don't work with my hair because they always end up wonky. I'm still using this because I prefer the hold level over the Aussie gel, but I really wish I could find a way to use this and get great clumps without having to use pink boots every time. My hair can't take that much moisture.

That's it for me! I'm excited to try new products now that the weather has changed, but also to see which of these summer HGs continue to work in the cooler weather. What are your summer HGs?

Joining the Dark Side

I have come to the conclusion that my hair has become even more fine in texture since receiving my CurlGenie results. My hair isn't responding to the routine of protein-moisture balance. Since I was using a moisture-heavy routine prior to this, I've decided to go ultra protein-heavy, or to what long-time followers of my blog will recognize as the complete opposite of what I've been doing for the past 3 years.

What exactly does this mean?

• Protein. Everywhere. In everything.
• No DTs, all PTs
• Avoiding most cream products
• More gellies
• Using smaller amounts of product
• Soap bars (yep, I'm going there!)

I'm still planning my list for my next online hair products shopping spree (would really like to try Spiral Solutions!), but I have been able to incorporate a few of these bullet points into my routine.

My co-wash/rinse-out (V05 Champagne Kiss) contains protein, but it seems to be weighing me down a bit. Weird, right? Old habits die hard - I was so used to using as much conditioner as needed for both co-wash and rinse-out that I didn't realize I'm probably using too much now. So I've started cutting down on that.

Every once in a while I use pink boots for its clumping powers. Anything more than that would weigh me down, which is weird since it used to be a-use-everyday-HG. I've been using CJ Aloe Fix Lite with wayyy better results.

Soap bars. Ok, if you hung out around NC about three years ago, you were there for the PJ craze that was the natural soap bar. This craze began just before the "enlightenment" that hair properties determine what ingredients you should use.

Keeping that in mind, it's no surprise that I was having the worst time with products in the fall of 2008. I had just figured out that my hair was sensitive to protein, so I was avoiding that. But I was stalking a curly who had hair that sort of looked like mine and her HG products were turning my hair into a nightmare. The soap bar nightmare was the beginning of the realization that my hair was indeed coarse and porous, and that I couldn't follow the same routine with the same results as someone with complete opposite properties.

Flash forward to now. I'm stalking this person again and the good news is it's working! I ordered a bunch of soap samples last week (I think they're the same bars as the used-by-everyone-on-NC bars) and have used one bar twice so far. I've had a little frizz, but that's normal for the crazy weather changes we're having. I'm also getting more curl and tons of shrinkage! Basically it's the complete opposite of my 2008 soap bar experience.

The only downside is that my curls are more skinny and less clumpy, but I think this is a product of BRHG. I don't know why it does this to my hair, but it does.

Anyway, I'm going to continue my journey to the dark side and use everything that used to be bad for my hair. I'll keep the updates coming (with pictures). I also have some ideas for new posts as I still need to review the CurlGenie analysis and share my summer staples.

My Updated Routine (for Medium to Fine 2c/3a hair)

Since my original rambling routine post is pretty much the most viewed post on my blog, you'd think at some point I'd update it, especially since my hair properties changed a year ago.

Oops.

Let's do that now, shall we?

First, a few changes:

• I don't use the Spritz & Condition method anymore. I've had a few questions about this lately. Honestly, it's just too much moisture for me. It's GREAT for someone with really porous or dry, coarse hair (or both!). But not so much for someone who has low-normal porosity and/or fine-medium hair. In fact, you could probably do with a mini-PT. Does anyone "Spritz & Protein it up"?
  
  
• Speaking of protein, now I use it. A lot. I haven't done a PT in a few weeks, but it's in my co-wash/rinse-out and new favorite styling product (BRHG). Supposedly protein in gel doesn't have the effect that it does in conditioner, so if you're protein-sensitive, try this gel now! It's awesome!
  
  
• Low-poo: sometimes I use it. Not as much or as regularly as I did in the spring. More like once every three or four weeks. I'm not sure if this is just because I have fine-ish hair now, at least compared to what it used to be, or if I need to get rid of oil build-up (I have no idea if I'm still sensitive to oils). It definitely makes my hair dry though, so if I want to use a cream or something with more moisture, this is when I use it.
  
  

I think these are the major changes. Of course, I'm not using the same products or even category of products (no leave-in), but that's probably a given. The basic steps are pretty much the same.

Here's what I've been doing this summer. It's really detailed and long. You've been warned.

1. Step in shower. I like hot water, so I use hot water. I know people have said it creates frizz. I haven't found this to be true, though I do end my shower with a cold water rinse.
   
   
2. Co-wash. I'm using V05's Champagne Kiss. It smells really good and has some protein in it. It's also pretty light.
   
   
3. Rinse-out. Again, I've been sticking with the V05. My hair hasn't done well with any heavy conditioning this summer. After smoothing in about 2 quarter's worth on the bottom half of my hair, I use my denman brush to detangle. After detangling, I brush the hair around the edges away from my scalp. I start near my temple and brush up & out. I continue around the rest of my head, concentrating on the temples and nape of the neck. I think this helps with clumping and root volume. I definitely notice a difference when I don't do this.
   
   
4. Flip head over and scrunch. Clip up and do regular shower stuff.
   
   
5. Turn water to as cold as it gets. This doesn't bother me because by that time I've been under hot water for 10 minutes. It's also only really touching my head.
   
   
6. Flip head over and scrunch conditioner out under the cold water (that's right - the icequeen method! Best thing for clumps!!)
   
   
7. Turn water off. Scrunch some more water out. Then I apply my curl enhancer. This summer I've been using CJ's Aloe Fix Lite. I apply a nickel-sized amount three times: once on the left, once on the right, and once in the middle.
   
   
8. Next I blot with a flour sack towel. This was really important when my hair was really porous. I'm not sure it's important now, but I haven't experienced negative results when I do this. It probably helps my hair dry faster.
   
   
9. Then I scrunch a little more curl enhancer in. Once on the left and once on the right. Leave shower and plop in my Curl Ease towel (there's no real difference between this and a regular flour sack towel. I use it because I have it, and it's a little bigger).
   
   
10. I only plop long enough to get dressed. I'm not sure how long this is.
    
    
11. Next I undo my plop and scrunch in my gel. I cover my whole head and use different amounts depending on which gel I'm using - bigger amounts for Aussie Instant Freeze, way smaller amounts (like pea-size) for BRHG. For this, I divide my hair into four quadrants: two in the back and to in the front. When I'm upside down, it's just left and right.
    
    Here's what I cover, in order: upside down (middle), upside down left, upside down right, rightside up back left, rightside up back right, rightside up front right, rightside up front left. Does that make sense? It's kind of hard to explain. This is ALL scrunched in. No raking! I'm pretty OCD about this, actually. I do the "pump and scrunch," which is scrunching eight times in each section. Yes, I do all eight!
    
    
12. Then it's time to plop again. Yes, I double-plop. I'm not sure how it contributes, but it doesn't hurt. This time I'm using a flour sack towel. Again, I only plop long enough to do something - this time it's getting my dryer plugged in.
    
    
13. Diffusing time. I pixie-curl and I do this entirely upside down. It's easier for me to do it this way since my arms don't get tired. And I can read. This is actually when I get most of my reading done.
    
    First I flip my head upside down. Looking straight forward (or not leaning), I put the entire right side of hair in the bowl of the diffuser and turn it on. I do this for a little while, then turn it off and switch to the entire left side. I do this back and forth for a little, just to set it. Then I stick it in the middle for a bit.
    
    When this is set, I lean to the left. I start with the hair on top - the hair that grows out of the right side of my head and is "shorter" than the hair on my left side at this point. I diffuse this section for a bit until it's not wet, just a little damp and crunchy. Then I diffuse the bottom sections, starting near my forehead. I don't diffuse the hair on my hairline yet for a few reasons. Mostly because it doesn't look right due to where my part lies. It's hard to explain. I start with the hair closer to my ear. Then I do the back section near the nape of my neck. I switch between these sections until it's crunchy and not wet anymore.
    
    Then I switch to the right side. By this time everything is pretty dry/crunchy, with the exception of the hair around my hairline and part. This is when I diffuse that section. Most of the hair from that section is on the right side of my head, so it looks better to diffuse it on this side. Is that a better explanation? Anyway, I make sure the dryer is centered on my part when I do this to prevent any weird wonky curls. After this, I do the same as I did on the left, only on the right side.
    
    
14. When everything is crunchy and mostly dry, I know I'm done. I flip my head rightside up. My hair looks weird at this point, I won't lie. I'll take a picture someday. It's pretty curly, but with flat-ish roots and shrinkage. This is when I clip. I use two of these jaw clips, one on each side of my part. Then I clip my hair out of my face using mini jaw clips. Except I lost all but one of these. So on one side, I'm using a duckbill clip. I also use a duck bill clip in the back to clip my crown up. Oh and before I clip, I spritz with a little water and a little Garnier Fructis Curl Spray, just to set it.
    

I have this process down to 40 minutes - 10 minutes in the shower, about 10 minutes to plop/gel/plop, and 20 minutes to diffuse. I try to plan this so that I have at least an hour and a half before I need to be anywhere/go to sleep (since I usually wash at night) so that my curls have time to dry before SOTC.

In the morning, I take my hair down from a pineapple after I've done my makeup. Then I spritz with some water and wait a few minutes (usually getting dressed for the day) and come back to add some product. Lately it's just been CJ AFL. I had been adding Curls in a Bottle! but it made my hair kind of hard/gross. CJ AFL is enough, especially with BRHG.

Ok, I think that's it. Thanks for reading! I'm putting this link over in my sidebar, and assuming it will be the new "most viewed" post on my blog. If you are a newbie or have been around a while and have questions, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email (collegecurly@gmail.com)!

More BRHG Experiments

So Thursday night's experiment went really well!!

Here's what I used:

• V05 Champagne Kiss conditioner (co-wash and rinse-out)
• Pink Boots Curl Creme (the tiniest amount - less than a pea-size)
• CJ Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched in after pink boots and then to blotted hair)
• BRHG (smaller amounts than my first try)
  
  

In the morning, I spritzed and added a little AFL. I figured I didn't need the extra hold. This picture was taken at the end of the end of the day on Friday, a full 24 hours later. Awesome, right?!

I really missed using pink boots! It always gives me the best clumps - every time I use it, no exception. I've stayed away from it because it's too heavy moisture-wise for regular use now. But I highly recommend!

I washed again yesterday afternoon, which is unusual for me since I usually wash at night. So even though it turned out well and held up ok today, I'm not sure how it's going to go tomorrow since it will essentially be third hair again. No picture, but I did the same as Thursday night without the pink boots. I didn't want to overdo the moisture. I'll try again tomorrow night. But I'm definitely understanding what I have been missing! If you can't decide whether to try it, take the plunge! It's on the expensive side, but you use so little that it will last a while.

On another note, my blog is under construction. I'm over the polka dots. I can't really decide on a look, so it will stay like this for a while.

BRHG: Day Three

First - I took another pic yesterday and didn't get a chance to put it up. I'll update that post with a clearer picture.

Here's day three:

Yuck. This is what happens when your hair is already crunchy, but you decide to use CIAB anyway. Clumps disappear and your hair feels like plastic.

Off to wash and try again. This time I'm going to use a little less and try layering with a curl creme (probably pink boots, which I have missed!). Mixing will be the next step after this.

BRHG = Second Day Hair!

Second day hair is nothing new to me. Thanks to my pineapple method, it's a regular occurrence. In fact, I can't remember the last time I didn't have second day hair. However, my second day hair starts out awesome in the morning and clocks out during mid-afternoon. It droops and the frizz comes out to play.

So when I took my pineapple down this morning, I wasn't surprised that my hair looked decent. I added some water, CJ AFL, and CJCIAB like usual and went on my way.

What did surprise me was the level of hold I still have, the lack of frizz, and the curl definition my hair still has a full 48 hours after using this gel.

I was even told my hair was "amazing" by a closet curly who straightens. If that's not an endorsement for this gel, I don't know what is.

Yes, it's still flat on the sides and not as voluminous in the back, but the important thing to take away from this is that it hasn't really changed since yesterday. And there's no frizz, despite what the bottom of the back looks like in this horrible cellphone/mirror picture.

I really feel that this has great potential. I didn't start out with the best curls, what with the random clumps and lots of wonky pieces, so I'm excited to see what happens when I do.

Usually I wash again at the end of Day Two. Skipping that tonight. I want to see how it looks tomorrow. If it turns out horrible, I can always try a new updo. Stay tuned!

Update -

A little clearer.

BRHG: First Thoughts

For my first experiment with BRHG, I applied the gel pretty much just like I would with Aussie Instant Freeze. That is to say, I used a LOT.

So when I couldn't really SOTC this morning, a full 12 hours after application, I knew the rumors were true: this has serious hold. I had to use CJCCCC lite and some CJ Aloe Fix lite to get some of the crunch out. Of course, this led to deflated hair by the day's end (though I'm sure the clumps - they're back! - had something to do with this).

The good news is that working with a too-hard hold gel will be easier than working with a not-hard-enough hold gel, because I can control how hard it is with the amount I use and what I use it with. I think this will be fun to experiment with!

I didn't get a chance to take before pictures, but here are the pictures from tonight:

You can see how flat it is. But I think the second picture is somewhere between the before and after pictures from my "Melting" post - which is good!

Off topic - I'm hoping the cooler weather as we head into fall and winter mean that my hair can take more moisture. That's something I definitely miss about having really porous and coarse hair - I have to be really careful about how much moisture I use in my products. I found the perfect balance a few months ago right before we left for the East coast and I haven't found it since! It shouldn't be this hard!

Finally

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is having a great holiday! I got to sleep in and today is the first day in what seems like forever that it hasn't been at least 100 degrees! It really feels like fall is around the corner. This, of course, has me thinking of new product combinations to try as the dew drops. I'm excited!

An actual (!) final cold water rinse isn't the only thing I'm looking forward to when I wash my hair tonight - I finally picked up the supposed HG of all gels:

I'm so excited to try it! Any suggestions? I'll try to post my results and initial thoughts tomorrow!

I'm Melting!

Hi everyone! I know I haven't been posting very often. I've been product testing but I feel like I can't report any of the results because they would be inaccurate due to the conditions these past few months. It has been over 100 degrees every day for 59 of the past 60 days. The dews have been all over the place. Most importantly, I haven't been able to do the cold water rinses at the end of my showers that promote clumps and eliminate frizz.

Oh, and my gel has NOT been holding up. And when I say gel, I mean gels. Because I've been testing some new ones. Hey, that's a great post idea. Testing gels inextreme heat. Ok, it's on my to-do list.

Anyway, consider this post a continuation of the previous one, but with pictures. I received some very nice compliments and while I appreciate that my hair is probably the in the best condition it's been in the past year (since changing hair properties and all that), it's definitely got a problem with "melting" during the day.

Case in point:

7 am

7 pm

7 am

7 pm

What you can't tell in the 7 pm pictures is how frizzy and soft my hair was (or maybe you can). I have it up in a modified pineapple now, but I'm not sure that I will be able to save it tomorrow. Which is really sad because I LOVE how my hair looked this morning. It's what I've always wanted my hair to look like, especially in the back. (I started trimming my ends - first time I've ever done this - and the top layer in the back was the first place I cut!)

For the record, here is what I used:

(last night)

• V05 Champagne Kiss conditioner (co-wash and rinse-out)
• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched into wet hair and then blotted hair)
• Aussie Instant Freeze
• a little Garnier Fructis Spray Gel (after clipping)

(this morning)

• spritzed hair with a little water and let sit for five minutes
• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched into sides and back)
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle! (mixed with water and smoothed over curls)

111 degrees

I don't know what it's like where you are, but it is hot here! It has been over 100 degrees every day for over a month. There's no end in sight.

I took this picture last night after being out in the 111 degree heat (a new record high, woohoo). My hair hasn't been holding up (as you can see), which makes product testing very difficult. This picture was my first time using CJ CCCC Lite. I showered the night before and when I woke up, my hair was great! Bouncy and curly everywhere. Then this. Bleh.

The worst part is that I can't get my hair to clump like normal because I can't do a cold rinse at the end of my showers. I usually scrunch my rinse-out upside-down under cold water to promote clumps and get rid of frizz. It's been luke-warm for the past month, which is definitely not the same as cold. I never thought I'd miss a cold shower!

Finding a Balance: Moisture vs Protein

Alright, I'm home and ready to dive into some product testing (more on this later)! But first I wanted to discuss an issue that first popped into my mind about two and a half weeks ago: moisture versus protein.

I'll admit, I never paid much attention to this when I visited CurlTalk frequently, because it wasn't something that really applied to me. I avoided protein and was moisture, moisture, moisture. Easy enough, right?

So when it came time to actually have some understanding of this and apply it to my own hair, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I always thought that finding a balance between moisture and protein was a tedious process that involved using both at once.

But what if that's not true? (I apologize if this is something everyone else is aware of... I'm slow!)

Let's rewind. Two weeks before I left for the East Coast, I used V05 Champagne Kiss as both my co-wash and rinse-out. This is a light conditioner with more protein than moisture. After a week, my hair was noticeably dry (though not coarse/porous dry like the old days). So I decided to give it some moisture. I used the same V05 as my co-wash, but tried CJ Curl Rehab as my rinse-out.

Holy springy curls batman! My hair was curling all over the place, completely frizz-free and moisturized! It was awesome! I should have taken a picture!

The next wash, I figured my hair was already moisturized, so I used just V05 again. My hair "dried out" a little, and I still had great curls - not the poor ones that I had the last time I used this conditioner exclusively.

This is when the idea of "drying out" my hair and then seriously moisturizing it would lead to good hair all the time popped into my mind. I repeated this over the next two washes to amazing results. It seemed my hypothesis was indeed true.

Then I went to the East Coast. It was awesome, but not for my hair. It's fairly humid where I live, but nothing like this. So I did what I do on all of my trips; I kind of gave up. If it looked semi-presentable, good. If not, that's what pony tails are for. And let's face it, it was hot and humid. I'm not expecting miracles!

So I came back last weekend and haven't really been able to get back on the curl wagon. This could be because of the whole "do my hair at night and sleep on it" thing (i.e. not letting it dry enough before sleeping on it, which definitely leads to wonky curls), an overdose of Aloe Fix Lite, or leaving my Curl Rehab at my grandparents' house and trying to replace the moisture with CJ Strengthening conditioner, which contains protein. Or the ridiculously hot temps outside (we've been over 100 degrees every day for a while). Or a combination of all of these.

Anyway, has anyone else found this to be true for your hair? If you continually dry out and then re-moisturize your hair, do you get awesome curls every wash?

(Pssst! I'm working my way through reviewing my CJ stylers, so no real testing of the CJ Strengthening conditioner for a while. I think I'll go back to GVP CB until I get my Curl Rehab back! Early prognosis for CJ AFL is good! CIAB! not so much, but I've only used it once. Hoping it lives up to the hype!)

Shopping List

(Psst - I have taken down the poll. Thanks for the feedback! I will be incorporating the results into my posting. I have a new poll but blogger is being weird about it. Hopefully it will be up soon!)

I'm getting ready to go on vacation for a week (East Coast humidity, here I come!), but I wanted to update the status of my stash overhaul:

All mine!!! Ok, not exactly...

I decided that since my texture and hair needs have completely changed, I needed to completely change the products in my stash. I'm not getting rid of anything - we all know the #1 rule of product-testing is to try it in every season! - but I do need new products. My budget is around $75, which works out well since I earned a little more than that dog/house sitting this past weekend.

No way would I spend this much if I didn't need a complete overhaul. I know a lot of you are on budgets as you're trying to figure out what products to use. I definitely fall into that category with the whole graduated-but-not-teaching thing. BUT I had the opportunity to earn some extra money this past weekend and this was the perfect opportunity to spend most of it, since I really do need an upgrade. And I can say that I'm helping others by reviewing these products... See, I haven't lost my PJ excuses! :)

What I'm looking for: a couple of rinse-out conditioners and some styling products. Right now we're in the triple digits outside (with dews in the high 60s) and my hair is doing great with no leave-ins and using my co-wash as a rinse-out. This could obviously change, especially when the weather changes. It doesn't seem like I can use the same products every single day anymore, so I'd like some options.

What I was recommended:

Conditioners

• Curl Junkie Beauticurls Daily Hair Conditioner ($19 for 12 oz)
• Curl Junkie Beauticurls Strengthening Hair Conditioner ($22 for 12 oz)
• Suave Naturals Waterfall Mist Conditioner ($1.79 for 15 oz)
• Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom Conditioner ($1.79 for 15 oz)

Styling Products

• Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee ($13.99 for 6 oz)
• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite ($22 for 12 oz)
• Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Scrunching Gel ($4.29 for 6 oz)
• LA Looks Absolute Styling Wet Look Ultra Shine Gel ($3.99 for 20 oz)
• Aquage Uplifting Foam Styling Mousse ($16.95 for 8 oz)
• Herbal Essences Set Me Up Extra Hold mousse ($3.99 for 6.8 oz)
• Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse ($3.99 for 6.8 oz)
• Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Creme Lite ($20 for 8 oz)
• CURLS Curl Souffle ($16 for 8 oz)
• L'Oreal Studio Unkempt Out of Bed Weightless Texturizer ($4.99 for 4 oz)

What I already have:

• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite
• L'Oreal Studio Unkempt Out of Bed Weightless Texturizer
• Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse

What I'm buying:

• Curl Junkie Beauticurls Strengthening Conditioner (check)
• Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Creme Lite (check)
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle! (check)
• Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom Conditioner
• LA Looks Sports Gel?
• Another conditioner? (Mop Top?)

First, what I already have. I've used CJ Aloe Fix Lite for the past three washes and am really liking it. LOOB is a big question mark. I'm not sure how or when I'll fit it into the routine. I have the HE mousse but probably won't be using it any time soon. I think I bought it to combat flat top, and it's not doing that. Plus AFL is already doing wonders for volume. And I kind of don't know what to do with mousse.

On to what I'm buying! I've already purchased the first three on this list and they are in transit. I hope they get here before I leave. I got all three for $52 shipped from Ave You - originally $60, used a 15% coupon and got $1 shipping. Can't beat that (I tried!). The CIAB wasn't recommended, but got rave reviews by fine-haired curlies on NC. I know I'm medium to fine, but using the guidelines for fine hair has been working really well for me.

That leaves me with about $23 left in the budget. I'd like to get the Suave just to try, and it's not going to break anyone's bank. Neither will the LA Looks Gel. I'm kind of unsure about the "wet look" gel recommended, so I figured I'd just pick up the regular sports gel. I'd also like to get another conditioner, preferably without protein. I've been looking at the Mop Top Daily conditioner, but am totally unsure what I'll end up doing. And if there's room in the budget, I may splurge for BRHG. Can you believe in all my three years of CG I've never tried this?

Anyway, that's where I am right now - kind of undecided about what I'm getting next. Fine-haired curlies, any recommendations? I've been reading, reading, reading all the reviews on NC and they're kind of all over the place. And there are so many more options now than when I gave up PJing! I don't know where to start.

Oops

I went to get my hair cut yesterday and walked out with straight hair.

I got it done right before I went in to work (I work half-days on Wednesdays) and this was the best option. That and I wanted to see what it would look like straight. I've never had a full blow-out before.

As you can see, my layers don't translate well to straight hair. Hopefully they'll do better with curls (still haven't washed yet).

It's been a year and a half since I've straightened. Straight hair is different. I feel like a different person and definitely look like a different person. I can sleep on it and wake up with the same hair, no problems at all. No frizz to worry about, and it moves differently than curls. My hands can't seem to stay out of my hair and it feels so smooth.

But it's boring.

Back to my real self and curls on Saturday (it may be boring, but the easy sleep routine that comes with straight hair works well with getting up early!). Tuesday I got my toes wet with a product suggestion that hadn't previously worked (CJ Aloe Fix Lite) and had great results with it! I'm excited to experiment with it some more.

The Results Are In!

I literally just got my LCLF Curl Genie Results and I rushed over (ok, opened a new tab in my browser) to share! And believe me, it's a shocker.

Texture: Medium-Fine

Porosity: Normal

Elasticity: Normal

I haven't read through everything yet (it seems very thorough though, which is good!) and honestly I'm still shocked that my hair has done just about a 180 from where it was a year ago.

It definitely explains why my entire arsenal of products has been failing!

I'm off to finish reading - will probably do a few reviews in the coming weeks of the process, including how well the product suggestions worked and my general experience.

Has anyone else had an analysis done? Or even a drastic change in your hair's properties? How did you deal with the changes?

Routine Update

I just wanted to post a quick update on my routine. I'm still waiting for my LCLF hair analysis results, but have already changed my routine a bit from what's listed under the "My Routine" page.

My HG co-wash for the past few years has been V05 Moisture Balancing Sun-Ripened Raspberry conditioner. That's changed. Even though it's a light conditioner, it's all moisture and no protein. For the past month I've been using the V05 Moisture Milks Strawberry and Cream conditioner for its protein, but again, it's not working for me. I've finally switched to the V05 Silky Experiences Champagne Kiss and I think I found a good fit. I used it a few years ago because I loved the smell, but the protein at the time was too much. Now it's fine, and I still LOVE the smell!

It smells so good (and the protein doesn't hurt either)!

For the past few washes, I've also been using this as my rinse-out. I think GVP CB may be too heavy for me, although I haven't stopped using it for my Spritz & Condition.

In addition to changing my co-wash, I'm not really following my HG routine. With higher dew points and a need for less moisture, I've ditched my beloved Pink Boots curl creme. I was using KCCC but have recently been rotating a few other styling products I've been testing. I've had mostly good luck with CK - hair looks AWESOME at first, but tends to lose curl as the day goes on - and am currently testing a new batch of homemade FSG with agave nectar, seamollient, and added protein. It's been about half an hour but I have a lot of shrinkage right now.

That's it for now - will update soon (and hopefully with my LCLF results!).

Starting A New Chapter

First, thanks to everyone who has voted in my blog poll. It's nice to have some feedback. I'm going to keep it up for another two weeks or so, so if you haven't gotten a change, please vote!

In order to bring you the best content possible with future product and technique reviews, I've decided to go ahead and order Live Curly Live Free's Curl Genie profile. There are two reasons for this. First, how can I review something without knowing for sure what my properties are? Not only will this help me know what ingredients and products will have a better chance of working well with my hair, it will help those of you interested in these reviews, whether we have the same properties or not.

My second reason is more selfish - my hair has not been looking great recently. I really believe it's due to all of my old HGs in my stash not working anymore. Anything that can help me figure out a new routine is good in my book.

I went ahead and ordered it today. I got an email with a link to instructions. I co-washed to clean my hair and hopped out of the shower to let it dry a bit before getting my hair samples. The instructions say it could take a few weeks, but I've heard it can be earlier than that. Hopefully I will know something by the end of the week, so I can get a head start on picking up products (it doesn't hurt that Friday is pay day!) and testing them out.

I've also been looking around the interwebs for some updo ideas and have found a few. I will start testing them out this week!

As a sidenote, I've been looking around my blog stats for a while and think it is so cool that there are so many international curlies reading! I never thought anyone besides myself would be here, let alone hundreds around the world from countries like Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, India, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Croatia, Egypt, Iran, Canada, and the UK. Welcome! I would really like to get to know my audience more, so feel free to leave comments or questions!

Wind #2

Wind is not a curly girl's best friend.

Oh the frizz!

~*~

1. I got a haircut. A couple of weeks ago. Loving the length (or lack thereof), especially since it's getting hot outside!

2. Re-arranged some stuff around the blog. New poll on the right! New entries and feature updates are also coming soon. I'm working in an office for the summer, so I will definitely be trying some new updos!

3. Thinking about adding ads. Leaning towards not. Comments/thoughts appreciated.

4. Also thinking about sending in samples for the Curl Genie analysis. This texture change has been hard to deal with (example: For the past 2 washes, I have done protein treatments and not touched a rinse-out conditioner!). Confirmation and suggestions would be nice.

5. Today I went through my blogroll and reader's blogs. There were a lot of blogs that have been removed. So sad.

The Grass Really IS Always Greener...

Coarse. Highly porous. Sounds like every curly's nightmare, right? Hair that is continually dry, with a plethora of ingredients and products available that would just make things worse. Some of these ingredients, like protein, would help in one area (porosity) but hurt in another (straw hair, anyone?). It's like you can't win.

I always thought I had it worse than everyone. I think it was because I was "banned" from using these ingredients and products, and that my "hair idols" at the time all had fine, low-porosity hair (i.e. "All I did was add this product with "banned" ingredients to my routine and my curls are perfect!") Even in the explanations for each texture and porosity, it was always "watch out for this, this, and this. If you have normal hair, congratulations! You can use just about anything!"

It seemed like that would be much easier to deal with. Here I was, unable to get my hair properly moisturized, while so many other people just had to make sure their was protein in their products and they were good to go. I had to lower my standards in the winter months, because moisturized hair (and scalp) wasn't something that was realistic for very long.

Fast forward to now, when my hair has gone into full rebellion. All the rules have changed and I have NO idea what to do anymore. I think I'm still pretty porous. My hair's not really super fine, though sometimes it acts that way. Suddenly none of my product staples are working well, short of KCKT and KCCC. Even my low-poo that worked a few months ago has gone out the window.

Example: I did five protein treatments this week. Yes, you read that right. FIVE. In a WEEK. If you had told me six months ago that this would happen, I would have asked what you were smoking. This is crazy. Nevermind that my hair didn't even get it's protein fill until the fifth one. This whole protein/moisture balance thing is ridiculous.

Right now my hair is responding well to co-washes (albeit one with protein) done more often than I used to. It also likes the KCKT and KCCC combo, both during a routine and for second-day hair. I'm still doing the Spritz & Condition with GVP CB and using it as my rinse-out. I don't know if that's still my HG.

I just don't have the time and money to do this again. It's like starting CG at square one, and I thought I already did that. I almost wish my hair was super coarse again, because at least I'd know how to deal with it.

The grass really is always greener on the other side.

Hopping Off The Bandwagon

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you that I had discovered a new love for sulfate-free shampoo, but would continue to alternate with co-washing?

Yeah, that didn't happen. Oops.

I started a full on love affair with my shampoo. And while it is true love for my scalp and shampoo, my hair is starting to feel like the third wheel.

I went to a job fair yesterday. My hair looked great in the front. Flat and a little scraggily in the back. Not exactly impressive to potential future-employers.

Co-washing will commence immediately!

Curly Updo: The Fishtail Bun

I'm not someone who is accomplished when it comes to braids. I can do your normal three-strand. I know how to do a french braid, but my execution isn't exactly presentable. That's about it.

The fishtail was something that looked really hard when I stumbled upon it in December, but luckily it's somewhat easy to do. I say somewhat because it was a lot easier to do for Christmas when my hair was a lot longer with less layers! Now it's a little more challenging for me, but curls can really pull the messy look off, right?

I made this up as I went along, but here's a video that resembles what I did (though I used a lot more bobby pins!):

~ * ~

Start with an unintentionally messy fishtail braid.

Wrap into a bun and pin well!

Notes:

• I stole this flower from my sister - I know it doesn't match my dress but I still think it looks pretty.
  
  
• I kept some of the front pieces out of the braid and pinned them back after I had made the bun to give it more of a romantic look.
  
  
• I used what felt like a lot of bobby pins to pin the bun back. That might just be because my hair is thicky and heavy. I actually took the braid picture after the bun fell out the first time! Next time I'll probably try the trick she used in the video.
  
  

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! If you have any updo ideas, please post below. I love trying new looks and am still searching for the perfect one for my sister's graduation in June!

Curly Updo: The Flapper

This is a new feature: the curly updo! I've been wanting to do this for a while, and I've been searching the internets recently for updos since my sister's prom is coming up soon. I found this one today and decided to do it myself so she could see what it looks like in person. It really reminds me of a flapper from the 1920s, so that's what I'm calling it!

The great thing for us curlies is that it literally takes five minutes and maybe ten to fifteen bobby pins to complete this look. That's it. I don't have any bows or flowers for my hair, so I substituted a gift wrap bow.

Here's the how-to:

Here's how mine turned out:

Notes:

• It was really hard to not make it super-short. For some reason my hair really wanted to shrink when I condensed the curl and tried to pin it.
  
  
• This was done on second-day hair at the end of the day, so yeah, there's frizz. I was also in a hurry and didn't spend a lot of time perfecting the back. I'd definitely make it more presentable for an event. I do like the messy look though.
  
  
• [Adding to this a few days later...] I think this would work best on hair that still has styling products and some hold. I slept on a cotton pillowcase with my hair down and lost all the hold my hair had. It was a disaster when I tried to do this again.

What do you think? I think I'm going to re-do this to perfect the back.

Thursday Tidbits

Wow, is it Thursday already? Sorry for the lack of updates - it's been a busy week! After no real job prospects in the teaching world (lots of layoffs coming this summer and it doesn't look like it's getting better for a few years...) I gave up and applied for some clerical-type jobs on Sunday. Monday I got the call to interview for a long-term sub position. When I got home Tuesday after the interview, I had a message waiting! I ended up subbing yesterday so they could see my awesome teacher skills (it went pretty well), and now I'm waiting for another call... Even if it doesn't work out, I got some great experience. And working as a secretary would mean going to grad school for free, so not a bad alternative. But it's funny how the call came completely out of the blue right after I had pretty much given up.

ANYWAY, here are some quick updates:

• I'm reconsidering the blog sale, because I'm actually re-testing some of my CJ products. Review posts coming soon on this!
  
  
• I'm officially changing my hair's texture from coarse to medium. Why? Because my hair doesn't actually feel coarse anymore. I've been using protein continuously for two months with no dryness to show for it. Actually, my hair gets limp if I don't use it... talk about a 180 degree turn... My theory is the change was caused by going off the pill, but I have no way to prove it. I'm not sure if it's even possible. I know it sounds crazy. But it's true. It's just not coarse like it used to be.
  
  
• The down-side of this is that my tried and true HG products aren't exactly what my hair needs anymore. I'm still using GVP Conditioning Balm for Spritz and Condition, as well as a rinse-out, but sometimes it feels a bit much. And I get frizz/less clumps if I don't S&C. So I guess I need more protein-heavy, lighter conditioners. This would be a situation where buying tons of back-ups did not work out for me...
  
  
• I got a lot of comments on my hair this week when I was out and about. As usual, I was not looking my best. Why does happen? Every compliment was for hair that was either 2nd day or 3rd (!!) day hair that probably would have been more presentable in a bun. On the flip side, one of the ladies I talked to asked me for product recs and even knew about co-washing. First time I've talked to some who knows what a non-sulfate shampoo is!

Blog Update

If you've been to my blog recently, you may have noticed the pages at the top. I'm organizing my posts so that it'll be easier to find stuff. It's still a work in progress, but so far so good!

There aren't a ton of product reviews since this has mainly been a way to keep track of what is working for me. That's going to hopefully change. Going through my stats, these posts are most popular. I'm planning on working through my stash so that I have solid reviews for all of the products I have.

I'm also thinking about maybe doing a mini-blog sale. My Curl Junkie products don't seem to be working that well for me. Is this something you guys would be interested in?

Besides those two things, is there anything else that you would want to see here? I appreciate the feedback!

Products I'm Loving (Twilight Zone Edition)

Just a quick update on some of the products my hair has been (weirdly) loving recently:

Organix Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo: I mentioned this in my last post, but here's the low-poo I've been using for the past month. Not only is it a shampoo, but it also contains protein. It gets my scalp clean and can perk up curls. It also doesn't take much to clean my scalp, so this should last a long time.

Nexxus Emergencee PT: This is weird simply because I don't do PTs. Or at least I didn't until January. I did one at the end of that month, followed by another at the end of February. I think I've done two more since then. My hair just seems to need it. I'm not sure if it's because I mis-diagnosed and my hair is actually more of a medium texture than coarse texture (because honestly it doesn't feel as coarse as it used to - and I know that's really not possible...). It might also be that maybe I'm so used to using more product (conditioner) from when my hair was longer and I'm overconditioning. I don't know. But lately it hasn't been as curly as it was when it was cut, and protein seems to be helping. I guess I'll continue to use it until I overdose.

I like this treatment because it doesn't take a lot to be effective. I smooth on maybe a nickel-sized amount to clean hair after co-washing. Let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. Follow it up with my rinse-out conditioner. It has kind of a weird texture - more like a shampoo than a conditioner, but it doesn't really have suds. I can't remember if it has a fragrance; if it does, it's not strong and doesn't linger at all. I bought this a LONG time ago, back when I first started CG and right before I figured out I was protein-sensitive, so I guess for me it was cost-effective.

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard & Kinky-Curly Knot Today: Ok, nothing weird about these. They're still a staple in my routine and work really well together. But lately I've been using the two together to refresh second-day hair. I spritz first with water. Then I use a pea- to dime-sized amount of KCKT, mixed with the same amount of KCCC. Scrunch/smooth that in and I'm good to go.

A Confession

I have a confession to make.

I've slowly become addicted to a low-poo.

I know, I'm ashamed.

It started out pretty innocently. I had some issue with an ingredient in January - maybe oils? I needed to remove it. My brother was visiting and his newly-acquired low-poo was the only one in the house. It felt nice on my scalp, and it removed everything. My hair wasn't that dry afterward. In fact, my curls perked up some.

Fast forward to February. The weather went CRAZY and was wreaking havoc on my hair. I needed to remove some build-up, and what do you know? The same shampoo was on sale that week. Huh. So I picked up a bottle of Organix Pomegranate Green Tea. At this point I decided to try that root-lift trick Lorraine Massey talked about in the 2nd edition of the CG Handbook. I added some Ecostyler gel to the shampoo and carefully massaged it into my scalp. Not only did it remove build-up, but it really gave my roots some lift!

The next wash, I added the Ecostyler to my V05 conditioner. No bueno.

I went back to my usual routine with V05 conditioner. I started getting build-up on my scalp again. Not serious build-up, but it just didn't seem clean.

So I tried the Organix/Ecostyler combination again. Et voila! Clean scalp and root lift! I was sold.

And I feel like I've sold out.

Don't get me wrong. I know that lots of curlies have been using low-poo regularly for years. And that Massey even re-defined the CG label to include sulfate-free cleansers. So technically, I'm still CG.

But being shampoo-free was something special for me. It was almost like a bragging right. I'm the curl "expert" in my family and when asked, I could say "I don't use shampoo!" "I now only use a sulfate-free cleanser!" doesn't have the same ring.

When I started CG almost three years ago, going shampoo-free was something to be proud of. I remember being in awe of a member on NC who had gone a whole year without shampoo. Even before this little addiction, I still had to clarify every now and then, so I never achieved this. But it was something to aspire to.

I'm at the point where I low-poo about once a week. And my scalp doesn't feel very clean on the days I co-wash. It's not oily or anything; it just feels like I didn't get all the conditioner off, even though I scrub pretty well. Meh.

I really do love the root lift I'm getting from the added Ecostyler though. I'm not sure why it doesn't work with the conditioner on co-wash days. Just the low-poo. It's gotten even better since my hair-cut. I haven't tried another gel.

Anyway, I thought it was time to come clean (ha). I'm not sure if this will be a permanent fixture in my routine, or if I'll switch it up when summer rolls around. I had a really good summer last year with co-washing, so it may be a weather thing. I guess we'll see.