Skipping the leave in?

shishacurls

I have never been a fan of cream based products in my hair...I've never liked curl creams because they never had enough hold so my hair would just turn out all poofy and I kinda have the same problem when I try putting a leave in under my gel...its like it just makes my hair too soft and it softens the gel too much, not allowing the gel to give me the hold that I need...so then again..poofy mess

I kinda feel like I get better results when I just skip the leave in and go straight to the styling gel or if I use a leave in, I can only use a tiny bit...

Does anyone else have this problem with leave ins and creams or is it just me?

Is it really bad for my hair to skip the leave in?

ashlyndmarie

I've done that before. I didn't experience any negative results. I think as long as you're conditioning regularly it shouldn't be an issue. I deep condition every night.

curlypearl

^^^How do you deep condition every night? Does that mean you are wetting your hair every night? My hair is in bad shape so I really would appreciate your input.

WurlyLox

If I use either a curl cream or leave-in without a good gel on top, I get the kind of results you describe.

Most often, I just use about a quarter's worth of CJCCC Lite then top with a strong gel like BRHG, HEMSU, or LALSG. Then I have to make sure my hair's bone dry before SOTC or I can still end up with poofy, ill-formed curls. As long as it's completely dry, though, it usually does well.

curlypearl

Wurly, do you diffuse or air dry and does it make a difference? If you diffuse, do you do it upside down? Somewhere along the way I'm making a mistake! Or more than one.

virginblue

I almost never use a leave in. I only use one if my hair is really dry. I've never had any problems and my hair is healthy.

stephanielynn

shishacurls wrote: »

I have never been a fan of cream based products in my hair...I've never liked curl creams because they never had enough hold so my hair would just turn out all poofy and I kinda have the same problem when I try putting a leave in under my gel...its like it just makes my hair too soft and it softens the gel too much, not allowing the gel to give me the hold that I need...so then again..poofy mess

I kinda feel like I get better results when I just skip the leave in and go straight to the styling gel or if I use a leave in, I can only use a tiny bit...

Does anyone else have this problem with leave ins and creams or is it just me?

Is it really bad for my hair to skip the leave in?

Your hair sounds a lot like mine! Curl creams give me limp stringy hair... not nearly enough hold. LI's also soften my hair too much and I end up with that "poofy mess" you described. I've been skipping the LI altogether here lately. I use Suave Naturals conditioner as a RO and rinse with cold water then I go straight to a mousse with a hard-hold gel layered over. I also spray my hair with hairspray when wet for even more hold. I don't find dryness is an issue. When I SOTC my curls are soft.

caramix3a

My hair just goes limp if I use leave-ins, even under a gel. I just use LALSG after I wash my hair, since I need a hard-hold get. Curl creams do exactly nothing for me - they look nice for maybe an hour tops, and then it's like I didn't apply anything - thus no hold.

Reservechic

When i use gel in my hair, I do not use any leave in underneath. If i use a creamy leave in underneath styling gel, it leaves nothing but lots of white residue in my hair. If i use a liquid leave in, i find that the surface of my hair is very slippery and i cannot get even distribution of the gel throughout my hair that way. So, when i use gel in my hair, i use nothing else with it.

I do primarily use cream stylers in my hair for the most part. Sometimes i do use a leave in underneath my cream stylers, while sometimes I don't. It all depends upon the product itself, and if i feel that a leave in is actually needed or if i feel that i don't actually need one with it.

For some people, leave ins are a must. For others, leave ins are used sometimes. And, then there are others that prefer not using leave ins at all. I always say do what works best for your own individual hair.

okyouwin

I don't use a leave-in because it makes my hair look really limp. I use a rinse out and then gel and it works well for me.

CurlyInTheFog

I don't think there's anything "wrong" with not using a leave-in unless your hair is dry and needs something extra. That said, I agree that gel on top and waiting for it to be fully dry before SOTC may make a difference. I get very good results with either leave-in only, leave-in + curl cream, or curl cream alone, but I need a hard-hold gel on top. I'm still experimenting to find what works best, because ideally leave-in only would be easier (not to mention cheaper), but of course hair needs can vary day-to-day and season-to-season.

WurlyLox

curlypearl wrote: »

Wurly, do you diffuse or air dry and does it make a difference? If you diffuse, do you do it upside down? Somewhere along the way I'm making a mistake! Or more than one.

Always diffuse upside down for at least 2-3 minutes just to get the curls going. More, upside down and rightside up, if I have time and shoulder will allow it. If I just air dry, my curls are limp and ill-formed, regardless of what product(s) I use.

More often than not, it's just that first few minutes, then I clip at least the top and then air dry 'til absolutely dry before SOTC. I have some of those roller clamps from Curly Hair Solutions, and it dries fuller and quicker if I use several of those all around to allow air to get up in there. Clips do better right around my face, though.

I didn't like those clamps at first, but I went back to them later and after a couple more tries, I found I like them. You can get cheap black and white butterfly clamps at Sally's that do fairly well, but the clamps do considerably better. I also tried some plastic roller clamps from there, but they don't have the teeth, which is what keeps them standing away from the head. With their straight edges, the ones from Sally's would soon fall flat against my head and didn't do much at all.

Medium to large size octopus clips also do fairly well, but they're costly, too, to get enough to do all over my head. I have a few that I sometimes supplement the others with, though - sometimes I get less hair than usual in the clumps and come up short for the bottom.