How long were you CG before things really improved?

Slinkyhead

I've only been doing this a month and I've noticed a lot of improvement so far, but how long was it before your hair really got back into shape?

I've had 3b hair for a long time but never really knew how to care for it, even when it looked "good" it wasn't what it could have been.

I used alcohol heavy gels and hairspray and diffused on hot. I've had some kind color on my hair since I was 12 and now I'm 35. When I was 20, I discovered the chi iron and blow-outs with my ceramic round brush. Then when I was about 28 I noticed my hair wasn't as curly. My hair has always been tough, but the pattern just seemed to get loose. Then I started curling it in large chunky curls all the time when that was the fad. I liked shiny hair so I would use demi-permanent color a lot and then got an ombre balayage. For the past year or so, I haven't blown it out as much and haven't used the straightener at all, though I did curl it a couple times. I just resigned that it was now just wavy.
At the start of going CG, I cut my BSL hair to my shoulders to try to get rid of as much weight and damage as possible. My hair is super confusing because it never really looks damaged because my cuticles are so smooth. However, I know something is wrong since the top of my head is a mix of swaves and a few loose curls and everything underneath is a tight ringlet at the roots, some all the way down to the ends and some just get looser as they go down. Using One Condition and doing protein treatments has helped my hair get bouncier in spots, but not all over.

Now I have 3b underneath and 3a to 2c on the top layer of my hair. The hair seems to be more coarse on top where as the rest is fine, but there is a ton of it.

Am I going to have to grow out all my virgin hair to get it looking good? I have a few greys and I want those gone lol, if I use demi permanent to cover those (at the regrowth only), will I lose my pattern again?
Any encouragement is very welcome :-)
My bangs are tragic at the moment, they'll only stay curled if I pin them.

Savagegirl

I find that, at 2 months along and multiple tries with different techniques and one deva cut, I am getting less frizz, more definition and I have to wash my hair much less often (this is from my efforts to wash less than once a day, as I used to). I went from about a 2b to a firm 3A so I am curious to see what happens when virgin hair grows a bit. My hair is nowhere near perfect (I am still working on frizz control and volume, as I find a lot of products weigh my fine hair down too much) but after 2 months... I am getting the hang of this!

I would imagine that the time it takes to see a difference on your own hair will depend on how damaged your hair was to begin with.

piccadilly13

Hi! I'd say it took about a month or two for me to really get the hang of the CG thing. I'm not sure if it was my hair adjusting, me trying different products/application techniques, or a combo of both, but probably somewhere around the 2-month mark I felt like I was really starting to be happy about how my hair was looking.

And 2 and a half months after that, it's still improving

curlyamaryllis

Honestly, I'm still seeing improvement more than 3 months in (although getting a Devacut was a revelation!). Every now and again I notice something, that my hair bounces when I walk or that I've got new curls in previously wavy spots.

I have severely damaged hair except for about 1.5" of new growth, and this morning I realized that the "ropiness" in my new growth is root curl! I think my new growth is more 3B where most of the damaged stuff is 3A, with some waves in the back.

So keep at it, it does get better.

rbb

i and others saw an improvement in my hair within a week. my poor hair was so dehydrated.
i am cg 10+ years and my hair keeps getting curlier, honest!

naturecat

I hit a big breakthrough at 2 years, lol. It's a process, but like rbb said, my hair keeps getting curlier.

curlypearl

This is a good question! I'm trying to go full on cg now and hoping to see major improvements so glad to read these responses.

seaweede

Girl, you are me-same story. I'm in this so far 6 months and my hair seems frizzier than it ever was but the curls are more ringlet-y underneath. I miss doing my hair straight and the shine but I'm getting used to it. I think the longer you're on it, the more comfortable (and more guilty you feel if you do anything else?) you are with it. I dunno if I'll ever truly be happy with no colour, no heat and no straightening. I hoping the epiphany hits me soon!

Slinkyhead

Savagegirl wrote: »

I am about two months into CG. My hair was never really damaged somehow (says the stylist) but I did straighten for years so the curl pattern was basically lost when I started.

I find that, at 2 months along and multiple tries with different techniques and one deva cut, I am getting less frizz, more definition and I have to wash my hair much less often (this is from my efforts to wash less than once a day, as I used to). I went from about a 2b to a firm 3A so I am curious to see what happens when virgin hair grows a bit. My hair is nowhere near perfect (I am still working on frizz control and volume, as I find a lot of products weigh my fine hair down too much) but after 2 months... I am getting the hang of this! (And my boyfriend loves me curly! Bonus)

I would imagine that the time it takes to see a difference on your own hair will depend on how damaged your hair was to begin with.

It was my boyfriend who planted the seed of thought in my head too! lol Whenever I'd just diffuse (incorrectly and with bad products back then) he'd be like "great hair! It suits you better". So eventually I started to seek out information and youtube brought me here to this site which has been a lifeline for my hair. That's so good that you went from 2b to 3a! I think I have to be patient too because I can already see that the curl coming at the roots is much stronger. Maybe once a couple rotations of curl have grown in at the root, it will help the rest rotate better while its getting in better shape. I want a deva cut sooo bad! I live in N. Ireland right now and I just had my regular hair dresser cut my hair to my shoulders just to get some damage and weight off while I started this. However, the shape is not great. I'm from america originally, and I'm planning to to visit family in Detroit this winter and I hope I'll be able to get an appointment with Melissa Stites once I'm there. I've been looking at her work online and her customers seem really happy. I figure by then, my regrowth should be strong which should make for a better haircut experience.

Thanks for replying, good to know I'm not alone lol! :-)

Slinkyhead

piccadilly13 wrote: »

Hi! I'd say it took about a month or two for me to really get the hang of the CG thing. I'm not sure if it was my hair adjusting, me trying different products/application techniques, or a combo of both, but probably somewhere around the 2-month mark I felt like I was really starting to be happy about how my hair was looking.

And 2 and a half months after that, it's still improving

Your hair in your avi is super cute! Good work! When I first started, I got SM products which just coated my low porosity hair and turned it into a grease party lol. Then I got the deva products and I've noticed a huge difference. I can use the shea stuff now, but I have to combine it with a ton of water. Application is half the battle, isn't it? When I started, I tried to rake and shake because I have a ton of hair and thought i wouldn't be able to get product through it if not..but i did it on damp hair. Got meh results.. now I put all my stuff on wet hair and my hair takes the products so much better. Also figured out that my hair likes a good amount of protein.. What an experiement this whole thing is! Its been almost no time at all, but the results I'm getting make me want to keep going and seeing you ladies with your great results doesn't hurt either!

Slinkyhead

curlyamaryllis wrote: »

Honestly, I'm still seeing improvement more than 3 months in (although getting a Devacut was a revelation!). Every now and again I notice something, that my hair bounces when I walk or that I've got new curls in previously wavy spots.

I have severely damaged hair except for about 1.5" of new growth, and this morning I realized that the "ropiness" in my new growth is root curl! I think my new growth is more 3B where most of the damaged stuff is 3A, with some waves in the back.

So keep at it, it does get better.

I want that Devacut so bad! lol I have to wait till I visit family in Detroit (in N Ireland now). I guess its not too bad because knowing I can only get one or two pro cuts a year means I can just let it grow. Very excited to get to 3 months, 2 to go lol. I'm glad its working for you, your avi pic is cute too! Nice tone of blonde. Did you use olaplex?

I have some ropiness at the roots too, can't wait for it to take over on my canopy which is a mess at the moment lol. A few days ago I learned that the top likes protein and if I use a styler with protein, I get better curls up there which before were just frizzy waves while everything underneath is a 3a or 3b ringlet. At my crown I'm getting tiny ringlets, who knows what that will grow out like lol.

Thats exciting that your hair is getting more defined at the root, I think all the good we're doing is preparing our hair to be able to be itself. All the sulfates, silicones, flat irons, bad color jobs..I think i really took for granted how that could affect my hair. Even though it "looked" healthy it clearly wasn't since my pattern was changed a lot.

Excited to see where you're at in a couple months from now.

Slinkyhead

rbb wrote: »

i and others saw an improvement in my hair within a week. my poor hair was so dehydrated.
i am cg 10+ years and my hair keeps getting curlier, honest!

Wow! 10 years? Thats great. Your hair is beautiful. I hope thats the color of silver mine will eventually become. Since my hair always has a slick appearance to it, its hard to tell when it needs moisture. The only way I can tell is by how it behaves. I would never have thought I needed some much conditioner and protein, but I do. The daily improvements keep me in line! Gave away my flat iron and curling irons so I wouldn't be tempted lol.

Slinkyhead

seaweede wrote: »

Girl, you are me-same story. I'm in this so far 6 months and my hair seems frizzier than it ever was but the curls are more ringlet-y underneath. I miss doing my hair straight and the shine but I'm getting used to it. I think the longer you're on it, the more comfortable (and more guilty you feel if you do anything else?) you are with it. I dunno if I'll ever truly be happy with no colour, no heat and no straightening. I hoping the epiphany hits me soon!

Honestly, I feel like I'm getting the hang of it now. The first two weeks were rough stuff lol. I did see better curls but I was struggling with the wrong products and application. Overall, I think i'd rather be the best version of myself than trying to be something else. Thats what keeps me going. However, me covering my greys with my natural color, Imma keep doin that! lol Not ready to be grey at 35, give me 10 more years. haha. No heat means 45 mins of diffusing on cold for me lol but it makes really nice curls that last longer and are more bouncy. I just need to find a way to make my curls last. Hopefully they'll keep getting stronger so I can get to 3rd day hair without completely wetting it down.