Brand new and completely overwhelmed! 3A/med texture/norm porosity

SarahNC

Hi ya'll!
So, I've read Live Curly, Live Free. I've done a ton of reading on this site, and I'm completely overwhelmed. I've been a low-sulfate shampooer for a long time, twice a week, and used to normally blow out and/or flat iron my hair. (Pureology shampoo, Pantene...I know, I know...conditioner) I'd occasionally go curly with some Aveda curl style prep, and my curls would be soft and fairly frizz free.
Then I had a baby, and that regrowth is no joke. I panicked and cut my hair short. Then I figured...well, when it's curly, at least some of those weird regrowth strands blend in, but they make it super frizzy. So I thought hey-no time like the present to embrace my naturally curly hair!
I started using Devacurl stuff, and I don't know if I'm doing it wrong, or if it's just not the right fit for my hair.
I'm mostly overwhelmed with the amount of products people talk about using...is there any chance I can get away with just co-washing and like one product to keep my hair soft but frizz free?
With Devacurl, my hair looks best when I just leave a little One Condition in it. The curls are soft and natural looking, there's no sticky/dryness, but they still get a bit frizzy/need moisture. When I try to use the BLeaveN and/or any of the gels, even the Coconut cream, my hair gets super dry feeling. So, besides the crunch of the cast, it feels like there is a residue in my hair, and when I try to refresh my curls, they become stringy and tangly.
Note-the ends have bleach damage from a partially cut off balayage.
Is there like a...TLDR or dumbed down version of a routine someone can point me to?
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post...but yes, this is very overwhelming!
(Profile pic is after a full day of decent looking curls and me trying to soften it a bit...the frizzy look worked in this case for a holiday party, but I don't want to look like this on the daily lol)

MorrisonFan91

Welcome!!

Please see post below. Forum has been double-posting/lagging.

MorrisonFan91

If are looking for an easy way to start, than doing a few final washes with shampoo that is silicone and polyquat free would remove any buildup from previous stylying products than allow you to ease into co-washing routine. which is using a conditioner without silicones instead of sulfate based shampoo.
since Daily shampooing/sulfates is drying out for curly hair.

JD.GameAccou

There really is a LOT of information on there, and so much of it seems contradictory. What works wonders for one person is a dud for another. When I first started I jumped in both feet and floundered around and it took months for my hair to look decent. If I were to talk to myself before I went all in like that, I would tell me to start with a simple routine. Find a no-poo(if you're using one) and a GC conditioner with a GC leave in. Focus on moisture. Work on that first. Once your hair is better moisturized the rest will come a little easier. After you get the moisture balance right, and you know what your "new" head of hair is like, then start throwing on new products.

Idk… I talk in analogies - I guess it's like building a house, you need a proper foundation before you build the walls or else they'll lean in and the roof will collapse. The moisture is your foundation, treatments (like protein or oils) are your walls, and styling products are the roof.

That's my thoughts anyway, someone else may have another way to start.

Good luck!

chickitten

SarahNC wrote: »

"I started using Devacurl stuff, and I don't know if I'm doing it wrong, or if it's just not the right fit for my hair.
I'm mostly overwhelmed with the amount of products people talk about using...is there any chance I can get away with just co-washing and like one product to keep my hair soft but frizz free?"

It's okay if you feel that Devacurl isn't right for you.... It won't work for everyone, just keep experimenting with different brands/products (always keep your store receipts!!). I also agree with MorrisonFan's suggestion to clarify, keep a clarifying shampoo around, strictly co-washing can weigh *some* people's hair down over time/overload the scalp. Link to a list of product suggestions, including a category for Film-Forming Styling products here: Science-y Hair Blog: Product List By Category

I recommend Curl Keeper as a styler (silicone free, doesn't build up), it's water-like serum, it's really unique, not at all heavy/oily feeling like other serums and it dries soft but with hold (sometimes you get crunch but it's easy to scrunch out). Some days I shampoo, condition, then add leave-in conditioner out of the shower, and finally rake-in/ smooth on with praying hands method/ and scrunch on some Curl Keeper.

I highly recommend reading up on the Sciencey Hair Blog, there's a wealth of information :thumright:.