At the end of every year, I like to publish an updated post on My Natural Curly Hair Journey. In those posts I go over what has changed with my curls, goals I want to accomplish in the year, what has and hasn’t changed in my hair routine, etc. However, it’s only been 3 months since I posted that blog post, and my hair has changed so much! Because of these changes, I was inspired to create this Curly Hait Check-In where I will document all things curly hair like my current wash and style routines, what products I’m using, my favorite products, what has changed with my hair, and anything else curly hair-related. I plan on posting these every quarter, this is my Curly Check-In mid-winter/early-spring edition!
I’m not sure how interesting this will be to those who don’t have wavy/curly hair so feel free to skip this post if you like. But if you are a curly girl hopefully sharing my journey and what has worked and not worked for me and my experiences will help you with your natural curly hair journey.
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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. I’ve been on my natural curly hair journey since late 2020. I wear my hair naturally curly 90% 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 hair products and I use this website to help me identify the ingredients.
CURRENT WASHING ROUTINE
I wash my hair every 3 days, 4 days is pushing it! I used dry shampoo to make my hair look clean and I can usually get away without damp refreshing my hair on day 2 but I need to refresh on day 3 and beyond. I apply the Mielle Rosemary Mint Light Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil and brush to detangle my hair and let the oil sit in my hair for 30-45 minutes every time I wash my hair.
Shampoo: TWIST Hit Reset Light Clarifying Shampoo (I double cleanse)
Conditioner: TWIST Weather Or Not Element-Defying Conditioner
Hair Growth Conditioner: HASK BIOTIN BOOST Thickening Conditioner
Deep conditioner: HASK ARGAN OIL Repairing Deep Conditioner Treatment & HASK KERATIN SMOOTH Smoothing Deep Conditioner
Protein Hair Mask: Palmer’s Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack
FAVORITE STYLING PRODUCT COMBINATION
I use a different combination of hair products every time I style my hair, one leave-in conditioner or curl cream and one gel or mousse (for hold). But I found that styling with the hair products that I would always get good results so they became my go-to!
the order I apply everything
brush → leave-in or curl cream → part hair → brush (using ribbon technique) → gel or mousse → texturizing spray → diffuse to 80% dry → air-dry the rest → oil
Brush: Tangle Teezer The Ultimate Detangling Brush
Leave-In Conditioner: L’Oreal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Replumpng Serum Leave-In
Gel: Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Gel
Texturizing Spray: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
Diffuser: Conair Hair Dryer (with diffuser attachment)
Oil: TRESemme Flawless Curls Hydrating Oil
NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Seaweed Hair
Earlier this year, I was showering and as I was rinsing out my deep conditioner I noticed that my wet hair felt different, seaweed hair! This is when your hair looks and feels like seaweed slimy and smooth. This is a good thing in the curly hair community as it helps bind your locks together to create beautiful curls when you style your hair. My hair has never done this in the past and I wasn’t even sure my hair was capable of doing this! I don’t know what I did to develop seaweed hair as I haven’t added anything new to my wash routine so I’m thinking that either I’ve finally perfected the moisture/protein balance or that my hair’s texture changed, or both!
Ribbon Curls
Another thing my hair never did properly was ribbon curls! This is when you use a brush and tension (like when you create ribbons with scissors) and it creates these gorgeous ribbon-like hair strands. Whenever I attempted this technique my curls would be too thin to create the perfect ribbon strands but since switching to soaking wet brush styling my curls have been able to create beautiful ribbon curls! I used to style my hair when it was damp wet hair but now I style on really wet hair and it has been a game changer!
Double Shampoo Cleanse
I don’t remember when I started implementing double shampooing into my wash routine but I would say it’s a recent development. I lather, rinse, and repeat every wash day. I find when I do this my hair feels more clean and stays cleaner longer.
Hair Growth
I’ve been working on growing my hair for a few years. I use a few things such as homemade rosemary water, a hair massage tool to help circulate blood flow to the scalp, and a biotin hair growth conditioner. At the end of February, I added the Mielle Rosemary Mint Oil (the light version) to my hair-washing routine, I apply the oil to my scalp and let it sink into my scalp for no longer than 45 minutes. I feel like it’s still too soon to say if the oil is working but everything else that I’ve been doing has helped stimulate new hair growth on my scalp. Not only that, but the hair that is growing back is stronger!
Evening Hair Washing
I’ve switched my hair-washing routine to the evening, this is due to my insomnia. I don’t mind washing my hair at night because I’ve found that my next day curls look the best! I’m not sure if I will continue washing my hair in the evening when my sleep figures itself out, we will see! haha
FAVORITE PRODUCTS
Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Gel
L’Oreal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Replumpng Serum Leave-In
Mielle Rosemary Mint Light Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil
Cantu Wave Whip Curling Mousse
TRESemme Flawless Curls Hydrating Oil
THINGS I WANT TO TRY NEXT
– Bounce Curl Define Styling Brush
– CECRED hair products
– More light leave-in conditioners
– More foams and mousses
Are you a curly girl?
I knew that you had curly hair, but I never realized that we have a similar hair type! I consider myself to be between a 2C & 3A, but also super thin as well. I have been using that same exact hair oil for a couple of months now, and do feel like my hair is coming in faster and a little bit stronger! All things that I love. I was looking into getting a new gel, and might try the one y0u’re using. Great post! xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ooooh, I didn’t know you had curly hair! I tried the original Mielle rosemary oil but found it a little heavy on my hair because it’s thin but it did work so I’m happy they released an oil for thin hair. Yes, please try out that gel, it’s amazing and inexpensive! I forgot to mention that it’s a great gel to use on refresh days too! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! ♥