I wasn’t going to post a year 3 post on my curl journey but I figured it could be fun to look back every year to see how my curls and my routine has changed. Go read my post from last year of my naturally curly hair journey if you’re interested. It’s fascinating to see what I was doing a year ago with my hair and what has and hasn’t changed.
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My HAIR TYPE
I have curly/wavy hair, I’m a type 2B-2C. I have thin medium porosity hair, my hair frizzes easily and I have a bit of color on the ends of my hair. I’ve been on my natural curly hair journey since late 2020. I wear my hair naturally curly 99.9% of the time, the only heat-styling tool I use is a diffuser. I no longer follow the Curly Girl Method rules but I am mindful of what ingredients are in certain hair products, I use this website.
A year later… what has changed?
I dry detangle before I shower (because this works best for my hair type), and I apply a few drops of whatever oil I’m using at the moment before I brush to prevent breakage.
In the shower, I now double cleanse to make sure I’m getting all the harsh ingredients off my hair. I’m currently using this shampoo and conditioner which I really love. Every other week, I’ll use either a deep conditioner or a protein mask to make sure my hair is balanced and hydrated. I also use a bond treatment once a month.
I now only use either a leave-in condtioner or curl cream instead of both, which I used to do. I used to apply a leave-in, curl cream, and gel and then wonder why my FINE CURLS wouldn’t be able to hold a curl. Oh, past Michelle… it’s because your hair was being weighed down! Anyways, depending on what my hair needs I’ll pick between one of the two. If you’re wondering what the differences are I wrote them down for you below.
Leave-in conditioner
– Use for conditioning
– Provide no hold
– Light
– Keeps hair moisturized
– Helps hair stay hydrated
– Ideal for fine hair types
Curl creams
– Used for styling
– Provides hold
– Contains heavier (oils and butters)
– Can weigh down fine hair
– Ideal for dry and coarse hair types
I also now diffuse every wash day. Diffusing was a hair goal of mine last year and I’m proud to say that I’ve kept that goal! Depending on the products I use my drying time can vary but it’s normally between 12-25 minutes but always feels longer! haha
I also no longer wear a silk bonnet when I sleep at night. Satin/silk bonnet + satin/silk pillowcase + a restless sleeper = bonnet off and wonky curls. Instead, I’ve been styling my hair like this (YT VIDEO) at night and when I work out and that’s kept my curls looking better for longer.
What do I do differently now?
– Use a hair oil when I dry detangle my curls before I cleanse
– I shampoo twice in the shower (lather, rinse, repeat)
– I use a mask (protein and moisture mask) every other week
– I use a bond treatment once every month
– No longer use both a leave-in conditioner and curl cream
– Use heat protectant regularly
– Diffuse every wash day
– Style on really wet hair
– Use an oil to scrunch out my curl cast
– No longer use a satin silk bonnet
What do I still do?
– I still sleep on satin silk pillowcases now
– I still use satin silk scrunchies
– I’ve cut my hair every few months
– I use brushes to style my curls
– Balance protein and moisture hair products
– Don’t care if a product is CGM-approved
Curly Hair Goals from last year
Give diffusing a try – CHECK
Get comfortable with self haircuts – CHECK
Try to find an alternative to refreshing my curls without wetting/dampening my hair – NOPE
There are some days when I wake up and my curls look really good that I don’t have to refresh at all but most of the time I still refresh. I’ve tried that steam refresh but it just doesn’t work on my hair. I feel like I need to use hard hold and gritter products so that my curls last longer. If you have any tips, let me know.
Experiment with hair accessories – CHECK (kind of)
I wish I had more hair or thicker because I see all these cute curly hairstyles on Instagram but when I try them I just feel like I don’t have enough hair because my hair doesn’t look full like the videos of other curly-haired folks.
Continue to use products that aren’t CGM-approved – CHECK
Curly Hair Goals this year
Get regular hair trims
Since I’m more comfortable with cutting my hair now, I want to get a regular trim every 3-4 months.
Grow out my hair
I’ve tried growing out my hair this year by adding rosemary water, this conditioner, using this oil when I dry detangle my curls pre-hair wash, using a heat protectant regularly, and getting trims to make room for new growth. You never realize how much your hair has grown until you look at the ends of your hair.
Try out more foams
I fell in love with foams and mouses this year! I love the quick dry time and voluminous results so I want to try out more of both but especially foams next year!
Try out hairspray
Pretty much every curly hair content creator I follow uses a hairspray into their routine but it’s something I have yet to pursue. My curls tend to stretch out very easily so I feel like I can benefit from incorporating a hairspray into my curly hair routine.
Do you have naturally curly hair?
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