It’s now been around 2 years since I started my naturally curly hair journey. Last year, I posted about my experience with the curly girl method after a year. A lot has changed in my natural hair journey like the fact that I no longer follow the curly girl method. I wanted to make an updated post of the post I did last year, this time not only will I be sharing what I’m doing differently and what I’m still doing but also I put together a list of curly hair goals that I want to try in the next year. Next year, I can look back at the said list and make an updated curly hair post with my thought on the goals.
A year later… what has changed?
A lot has changed but also not much has changed. I went back and read my post from last year to see what I did differently from now. For one, I also no longer use a microfiber towel when I get out of the shower. I found out that the microfiber towel wrap that I was using was drying my hair quickly. This year I learned it’s important to have semi-wet hair when applying my hair products and styling. Now when I get out of the shower I used a clip to hold up my wet hair.
As for products, I use a leave-in, curl cream, gel, and oil each wash day. It may sound like a lot of products but curls need a lot of hydration, moisture, and definition. If you want your curls to last multiple days without a wet refresh all those products are needed.
I’ve also been avoiding using heat tools like flat irons and curling irons. I have no problem leaving wearing my natural curls at home but when I would go out I would get concerned about the amount of frizz or limp curls that would make me feel insecure. Now, I’ve been avoiding heat styling tools and embracing my natural curls even when they don’t look perfect. I don’t do this every time I go out but I’m starting to feel more comfortable with my natural hair.
What do I do differently now?
– I’ve cut my own hair a few times
– I gave myself curtain bangs
– I use brushes to style my curls
– No longer using a microfiber towel
– Balance protein and moisture hair products
– Don’t care if a product is CGM-approved
– I use a leave-in, curl cream, and gel after every wash day
– I can wear my curls naturally (sometimes) when I go out
– I get the best refreshes when I wet/damp my curls
– Use a satin silk bonnet to prevent frizzy hair
What do I still do?
– I still deep cleanse my scalp once a month
– I still deep condition with a mask (a protein and moisture mask) each once a month
– I still sleep on satin silk pillowcases now
– I still use satin silk scrunchies
Curly Hair Goals
Give diffusing a try
I’ve had a diffuser for a long time but never used it because heat damages hair and I wanted to avoid that. Side note: I had no problem using other heat tools. Yup, calling myself out! haha. Funny enough, when I thought about using a diffuser again I couldn’t find the one I had, which I’ve had for years! Isn’t that just the way? haha
Get comfortable with self haircuts
So far I’ve given myself 2 haircuts. I use the ponytail haircut method by Manes by Mell. I also gave myself curtain bangs. I want to continue giving myself haircuts and get more comfortable with cutting my own hair because I don’t like having other people cut my hair because most people don’t know how to cut curls.
Try to find an alternative to refreshing my curls without wetting/dampening my hair
My best curl refreshes happen when I wet/damp my curls. However, I heard that refreshing with water too much can lead to hygral fatigue which I don’t want. I’ve tried steaming and using oil to spot-refresh my hair but nothing seems to work so if any of you have any tips let me know.
Experiment with hair accessories
I wear my hair down 99.9% of the time. I wish I could confidently wear my hair in cute hairstyles but I have thin hair and feel like those hairstyles don’t look good on me or I don’t have enough hair to make them look cute. So, instead of trying out new hairstyles, I thought using hair accessories might help make my hair/curls look slightly styled.
Continue to use products that aren’t CGM-approved
This year, I started using products that don’t fit the curly girl method again. I used to not buy any products that contain certain ingredients and it definitely helped me not get an itchy scalp and gave me amazing curly hair but it made me not use certain products that intrigued me. I still want to use products that are healthy for my curly hair but I’m also not going to prevent myself from using hair products that aren’t CGM-approved.
Do you have naturally curly hair?
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