CG Product Reccomendations for Newbie

SilverIce

So I am brand, super duper new to embracing my curly hair, and I want to try the Curly Girl Method. And here's why.

After coloring and straightening my hair for years (my hair was actually pretty healthy) I decided to go blonde, but my hair got super damaged in the process. Long story short - the lady who did it screwed up so I had to get it done again to fix the color.

Rather than damaged my hair further by straightening it every day, I've decided to embrace my natural texture, but I need help. After reading around this site and others I've determined that I had type 2a, medium to coarse texture, low porosity, and highly dense hair.

I was hoping that you guys had some product recommendations for hair like this. Products that will work with the Curly Girl system. I essentially need everything - from conditioner to any leave in treatment. Any help would be infinitely appreciated! :smilebox:

JessiiLeighh

Shea Moisture products are awesome! Their shampoos (all sulfate free) are gentle and moisturizing, and I love their raw shea butter restorative conditioner. I have low porosity as well. You're gonna want to do deep treatments with a heated cap or in a steamy bathroom/in the bath, etc because you need to open the cuticle to allow the moisture in.

My favorite leave in is kinky curl knot today. It's absolutely wonderful. Giovanni has a great leave in (direct leave in) and shea moisture has a few leave ins as well (curl and style milk, thickening growth milk...)

**Shea Moisture, Giovanni, and Kinky Curly are all available at target, and health food stores**

As for stylers, I'm not too familiar with wavy hair, but I am familiar with quite a few gels. Gels might be best because their harder hold will control frizz and puffiness while keeping the curl's shape. What I found in the beginning was that it was best to try a bunch of inexpensive gels to find what my hair likes best without spending too much money.LA looks gels have a bunch of selections for really good prices. Just choose what kind of hold you want (I would suggest 8-10) and try it. The most popular are the nutracurl and sport gels. Two more gels are the herbal essences totally twisted, and garnier fructis pure clean gel

**All gels (CG) available at drug stores and stores like target and walmart**

Natural oils are great to add to your conditioner for a deep treatment and they work wonderfully alone as a pre-shampoo treatment. Coconut oil and jojoba oil are the best for low porosity because they penetrate the hair cuticle easily.

If you have any questions specific to my post, feel free to message me! I would love to help as much as I can! :toothy10:

AnsleyBirch13

My holy grail products are most definitely the whole DevaCurl line! I don't use the whole line, but I'd vouch that all the products are amazing. When I started the curly girl method, my hair was dry and frizzy. Since I started using DevaCurl, my hair has become healthy, moisturized, and so much better looking! It's sulfate, silicon, and paraben free. It's a little pricey, but definitely worth the money. If you're just starting out? I'd recommend the basic 3-step, cleanse, hydrate, and define. Read through the definitions on the website to make sure you get the right kind. After a few weeks of the CG method, then you can decide what extra products you need. I also recommend watching videos on how to use the products. Also, American CREW military hair gel is amazing. It's the gel I'm using right now. I ran out of gel and borrowed it from my dad, and I fell in love with it. If you have super dry hair, use DevaCurl heaven in hair mask. My all time favorite hair product. Hope all this helps!:)

curlicious13

My hair loves cheap stuff. I love the suave clarifying shampoo & tropical coconut conditioner. I use the Eden body works deep condition twice a month. I also use garnier fructis conditioners.

poxyfairyplume

I second the Deva line. I use the DevaCare products, because I found the DevaCurl cleanser to be too drying for me personally.

Cheaper stuff that I LOVE are V05 Kiwi Lime Squeeze Clarifying Conditioner, and the Yes To... conditioners.

Other people really love the Suave Naturals Coconut and the Tresemme Naturals. I use them on occasion, but find them pretty meh... Although I like the Tresemme for mixing in my spray bottle for a morning re-wet & scrunch.

The only gel I've found that I like and isn't all product-y after scrunchy it out is the Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel.

Shea butter may weigh your hair down, but it's worth a try to find out. I can't put it in my hair, it weighs it down horribly.

sherilnoel

curlicious13 wrote: »

My hair loves cheap stuff. I love the suave clarifying shampoo & tropical coconut conditioner. I use the Eden body works deep condition twice a month. I also use garnier fructis conditioners.

I wish that worked for me. I love the Devacare and Devacurl products but it would be nice if my hair liked cheaper stuff. I've tried all different drugstore brands and they just made my hair drier and brittle. The bane of my high porosity highly elastic hair.:(

sherilnoel

curlicious13 wrote: »

My hair loves cheap stuff. I love the suave clarifying shampoo & tropical coconut conditioner. I use the Eden body works deep condition twice a month. I also use garnier fructis conditioners.

I wish that worked for me. I love the Devacare and Devacurl products but it would be nice if my hair liked cheaper stuff. I've tried all different drugstore brands and they just made my hair drier and brittle. The bane of my high porosity highly elastic hair.:(

sherilnoel

double post...sorry

Firefox7275

If your hair is damaged I would question how your hair can be low porosity - the DIY tests have been debunked.
THE NATURAL HAVEN: Junk Science - Hair Porosity Tests / Float or Sink

Proven beneficial ingredients for bleach damaged hair include coconut oil, hydrolysed protein, ceramides, 18-MEA and panthenol. The major humectants can cause particular problems for damaged or porous hair especially in higher or low dew points.

I like the Komaza Care Matani repair treatment spray (ceramides, protein, panthenol), they also have the Matani leave in conditioner with similar actives. Also interesting is the Scientific Essentials hair conditioner (18-MEA, protein, panthenol). Then pure coconut oil for overnight soaks on dry hair.

bringingcurliesback?

Aussie instant freeze gel is the stuff!! Also I would reccomend shea moisture amd kinky curly. However since you are a wavy (I'm talking in general here), you want lighter more Volumizing stuff. Most wavies tend to follow a modified cg routine or atleast low poo because they can become over conditioned easily. I would highly reccomend a good trim to help with some of the damage. Also figure out if your hair loves protein or not. This will really help in figuring out how to get your hair back inshape

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bringingcurliesback?

Also mousse. Omg how could I forget mousse is love ( I loved it when I first started wearing my hair curly after straightening it for years).

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bringingcurliesback?

Okay diffuser. That might be neccesary as well other techniques of styling. Okay I promise last post until you reply im getting too excited haha.

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