Short Update

So I'm really liking this stronger curl pattern. I hope this experiment goes well so I can stay off the meds and keep these curls! I was even asked the other day if I use a curling iron - though I'm not sure that's a compliment...

First, it's nice to have a consistent canopy, especially in the back. That has always been the hardest place to get to curl. Scrunching in extra gel there helped a little, but nothing like this!

Multiple-day hair is also easier. Saturday night I put my hair up in a bun directly on the top of my head using a regular hair band. It looked great in the morning - just as if I had gone to all the trouble of doing a modified pineapple!

I've also come up with a new solution to getting rid of mild surface frizz in the morning. First I spritz with a mixture of water and the CURLS coconut conditioner (small amounts are ok), but any conditioner would do. Then I mix a pea-sized amount of the clear Ecostyler gel with a nickel-sized amount of Curl Keeper. I've used it about three times now and it's been great!

Getting Curlier?

Here are some pics of today's hair (of course, taken with my *great* laptop webcam):


This was the usual routine, with just KCCC & Aussie's Instant Freeze gel for stylers. I also switched my co-wash and S&C conditioner to the Salon Care Honey & Almond conditioner (which has a little protein).

I don't know, maybe I'm bias... but I think my hair's getting curlier (and I realize that these pictures suck and aren't really true to life). This may be TMI, but I did recently go off the pill. I know hormones can play a big part in curl patterns and that six years ago, prior to starting it, my hair was curlier even without CG. So it'll be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks.

Denman Dilemma

Ok, so remember how I raved about the Denman brush a few posts back? I had stopped using it in February and fell in love with it again last month. Well, I remember why I stopped using it. Turns out it gives me MAJOR flat top! For someone who is already clipping-challenged, this is a major problem.

So now I'm stuck. I need to use it because my hair tangles easily these days and not using it would be a disaster (even missing one wash means the next one will include a ten minute detangling session). My hair is also clumping well. But this flat top thing is the worst.

I'm thinking about trying out some new clips. I've read through this thread, and while the octopus clips look interesting, I do need to make an order from Sally's soon to stock up on conditioner. So I might as well order some roller clamps, right? I don't know. I hate to waste money on another kind of clip that might not work. I already have three different kinds as it is. I guess I can always use them for pineappling, right?

Today's Hair

The Bad News: So it turns out that the CURLS Coconut conditioner may indeed have enough coconut oil to build up on me with regular use (sigh)

The Extra Bad News: Said build-up was too much to wait out, so I was forced to shampoo yesterday. My hair/scalp felt like I hadn't co-washed in at least a week, and this was happening a few hours after washing.

I shampooed, then immediately DTed with GVP Biolage Conditioning Balm and a little coconut oil. Actually, looking back that was probably a stupid move. But I also have never had a problem with coconut oil in that way.

I co-washed and did the whole routine. Results aren't horrible, but nothing to write home about. I think I may have used too much KCCC on accident again.


I'm going back to the HG routine for a while.

HG Status: The Spritz & Condition Method

So I've been having a lot of good hair days lately thanks to the CURLS conditioner and actually washing my hair every-other-day. My hair's had issues this summer with being dry (story of my life) but I was also washing every third or fourth day. Lately it's been more often. I always use the Spritz and Condition method.

Except for Monday. I was in a hurry. I didn't feel like waiting around for twenty minutes while my hair soaked up some conditioner. Turns out that was a bad idea. My hair was frizzy and did the weird thing my hair used to do with KCCC. I don't know how to describe it other than it frizzed out in clumps. It looked dry and really gross. It was barely wavy. I thought maybe my hair had had enough of the coconut conditioner.

Wednesday rolls around and I again do the S & C method with my HG rinse-out, GVP Biolage Conditioning Balm. Later, when I was rinsing out my rinse-out, it was like a miracle. My hair was well-conditioned and clumping and curling like crazy. I had some really great curls this wash.

And so, I have decided to give the S & C method HG status in my routine. I've used it with great success over the past year and will not go without it again.

CURLS for Target: Coconut Curlada Conditioner

I've been using this conditioner for about a week and a half as my rinse-out conditioner. I do still follow the Spritz and Condition method (using GVP Biolage Conditioning Balm), but this is what I use when I'm detangling.

I got it at a local Target for about $10. What drew me to it initially was that it's CG safe, but also does not contain protein or any of the oils I can't use. In fact, it contains the only oil my hair loves - coconut oil. I have never tried anything from CURLS before, mostly due to price and shipping fees.



PROS:

• Smells great. To me it smells like vanilla cake batter. It may be too strong for some people, but I don't smell it once it's in my hair.
  
• Keeps my hair mostly hydrated. I'm still going through the "my hair is porous and it's been over 100 degrees here for almost a month!" spell, so while it hasn't been super amazing in these conditions, it's done the job.
• While it doesn't exactly help with detangling, it doesn't create tangles either. After everything's tangle-free, it feels very smooth in my hair. I like that feeling.
• Good consistency.
• My hair is hydrated and curly enough to last multiple days.

CONS:

• Like I said above, it doesn't help with detangling (which I've needed a lot of help with lately!).
• It kind of disappears into the hair when I'm using it as a rinse-out. Not as much as others that I've tried (like BB's Smoothie Conditioner), but I do use about two quarter-sized amounts to feel like all of my hair is coated (It was visible the one time I used it for the S & C method). That said, I've used it maybe four times and the product's only an inch from the top (and I'm not sure that it was filled all the way to begin with).

Overall I really like it. I've had consistently good hair days, even when using different styling products. I'm not sure if that's because of this conditioner, or the Denman, or some magical combination of the two, but my hair has definitely been more all-over-ringlet-ly than wavy for the past week. And it's gotten noticed by people I don't know. How shocking that it didn't come from a curling iron!

UPDATE 8/30/10: After a couple weeks of regular use, this conditioner built up on me (even though coconut oil is usually safe!). This is being relegated to occasional use.

A New Way to Buy Conditioner

I've been avoiding my KCKT lately. Not because it doesn't work well (quite the opposite in fact), but because I didn't want to waste it. I have about half an inch left in the bottle. Normally I order from CurlMart. Buying one bottle of this stuff from them costs about $20, and that's with a % off coupon code. I hate paying $8 for shipping. I think that's ridiculous, especially because it's a flat rate and not based on how far away you are from them.

So imagine my delight when I looked at Kinky-Curly's website yesterday and saw that they had KC products at a Target about ten minutes away! My closest Target is literally two minutes away, so I hardly ever go to this new one. I decided it was time to check it out.

I walked around the hair products and natural hair products aisles for a while. Nothing. Just when I had given up, I found it on an end-cap far away from where I thought it would have been. They had one bottle of KCKT, so I quickly snatched it up. They also had KC Spiral Spritz, Come Clean, and the cutest little jars of KCCC I've ever seen! There was a great selection of Miss Jessie's products (which I don't use), Jane Carter Solutions, CURLS, and SheaMoisture. I also grabbed a bottle of the CURLS coconut moisturizing conditioner. I was tempted by the curl reviver spray, but I think I'll save that for next time.

I really wanted to the order this CURLS conditioner along with the KCKT while contemplating an order from Curl Mart. Now I have both and paid $0 in shipping (and $0 in gas since I got a new car yesterday!). This Target also had E.L.F. products. I'm in love.


Reading this a few hours after posting, I have to laugh at the title. It didn't even occur to me that this is the NORMAL way to buy conditioner!