Using Method from Curly Like Me book

Infinity12

I am reading a new book called Curly Like Me by Teri LaFlesh. This author shows how she cares for her hair. She is mixed black/white, probably type 4 hair. I am white type 2c hair. Her methods just don't work for me. She only brushes her hair when wet. I used to dry brush it first, then shower, then comb out again. But I've gotten lazy and stopped dry brushing. My hair got worse, I thought it was because of this omission, but this is exactly what the author does. I don't get it. is it because we have differnet hair types? Now I don't know what to do. Do any of you ever dry brush?

wavie

Hm...maybe I should try brushing it dry. I have wavy hair too...and so far, brushing it wet hasn't done me much good.

I'll try it next time

CurlyCowgirly

I thought brushing your hair wet will break the strands more easily (big-tooth combs are okay to use though). I don't brush my hair when it's wet and rarely brush it when it's dry. If I wanna get my scalp oils going, I just give myself a head massage, sometimes with and sometimes without jojoba or coconut oil.

acydrose

i haven't used a brush in a while, i use a big tooth comb when wet and massage every night

Greatcurls

Hair porosity and texture may be a factor. You may need to go back to your method if it works for you. She's (Teri LaFlesh) sharing what has worked for her and some people. Therefore, you may have to customized some of her methods.

adthomas

I have that book. Terri uses a Denman brush which I have and it's great for detangling. What kind are you using?

Infinity12

Thanks for all your input. I've decided to start dry brushing again, just prior to my shower. I use the denman for this. When wet, I'm only using the wide tooth. Teri LaFlesh's hair is too curly to dry brush, I think. It's amazing how different everyone's hair is, and what works for one will be awful for another. Life is one huge experiment. But I'm still open to all your suggestions!!

~Ghost Poster~

Infinity12 wrote: »

Thanks for all your input. I've decided to start dry brushing again, just prior to my shower. I use the denman for this. When wet, I'm only using the wide tooth. Teri LaFlesh's hair is too curly to dry brush, I think. It's amazing how different everyone's hair is, and what works for one will be awful for another. Life is one huge experiment. But I'm still open to all your suggestions!!

Teri is such a sweetheart. I actually started corresponding regularly with Teri a couple of years before her book was published, and because we shared so many life commonalities surrounding our hair, which I also thought was identical, I thought for sure her method would work for me. It absolutely did not. Her hair is coarse; my hair is super ultra baby fine. It also doesn't fit into my lifestyle. I can't go an entire week without washing. I work out almost every day, and I just have a thing about clean-smelling hair. I don't have the patience to spend basically an entire day fussing with my hair. BKT has been my holy grail--it makes my hair as close to perfect as my hair is ever going to get. Were it not for BKT, I would probably shave my head. I'm glad she found something that works for her and was able to share it with others--for many of whom it may be a lifesaver, as I know it was for her. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I first realized it wasn't going to work for me.

Infinity12

Ghost Poster, What does BKT mean? And can you tell me also what it is?

I think I have 3a hair now, not 2c. Author Terri La Flesh may have 3c or 4a hair, a but curlier than mine. But I definnitely want to try BKT, once I find out what it is!

Adthomas, I use a denman style brush made by Goodie. It looks identical, but then , I've never seen a denman in person(only in photo).
Thanks for all your help !

~Ghost Poster~

Infinity12 wrote: »

Ghost Poster, What does BKT mean? And can you tell me also what it is?

I think I have 3a hair now, not 2c. Author Terri La Flesh may have 3c or 4a hair, a but curlier than mine. But I definnitely want to try BKT, once I find out what it is!

Adthomas, I use a denman style brush made by Goodie. It looks identical, but then , I've never seen a denman in person(only in photo).
Thanks for all your help !

Yes, Teri's curls are 4a/3c like mine, but her hair is much heavier/coarser than mine, which is why it just didn't work for me. Leaving that conditioner on my hair was just not the business!

BKT = Brazilian Keratin "Treatment." It took my unmanageable 3c/4a curls to a fabulous 2b without damage. I do it myself, which saves me a fortune (literally) and allows me complete control over my curls. I use the QOD brand; started with the Max formula; now I use the Gold formula. The controversy is because most BKT formulas contain small amounts of formaldehyde or other aldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. I made the choice to take the risk because 1) I'm already in my 40s and my hair has already been very toxic to my life, so it's worth the risk to have such carefree hair finally. I spent the first 43 years of my life being held prisoner by my hair--it's worth it to me to spend the last half finally enjoying my hair and my life. 2) It's a really small amount of formaldehyde--no proof as to its toxicity at these levels. 3) In my younger years I used to tan mercilessly without sunscreen of any kind, so if any form of cancer is going to claim my life, it's likely going to be skin cancer. If I die in a car accident tomorrow, it won't matter about formaldehyde anyway!

There is a mountain of info here in the "Keratin Services" forum, as well as in the sponsored forum here about Brazilian Keratin. I even had a thread of my own that chronicles my own BKT journey over several months, if you're interested: QOD Max Journey. Feel free to ask any other questions, but I suggest going over to the Keratin Services forum too.

multicultcurly

That's strange Ghost Curls because Teri's hair is fine - not coarse. She says so herself but her strands are fine as well.

I agree with the OP. What works for one doesn't work for everyone.

~Ghost Poster~

multicultcurly wrote: »

That's strange Ghost Curls because Teri's hair is fine - not coarse. She says so herself but her strands are fine as well.

I agree with the OP. What works for one doesn't work for everyone.

I don't know...maybe hers is fine, but mine is super fine--almost like a baby's hair. I have a lot of it, but it's very, very fine and fragile.

Ghost Curls...I like it!

freecurl

Hey guys, just wanted to share my you tube videos on Teri's method. I also have fine, 3c/4a curls with low density. I have modified the method for my hair.
This method does not work for everyone, but I believes it cuts down on tangles which exist between the curls.

YouTube - My Modified Tightly Curly Method: The Prep

YouTube - My Modified Tightly Curly Method: The Application

YouTube - My Modified Tightly Curly Method: The Results