Spring 2016: My Hair Story/Both Curly and Wavy Hair Routines (Three Days of Easy Styling)

I am extremely low-maintenance when it comes to my hair, as with the rest of my fashion and beauty loves, I have to remain consistent with my lifestyle.  I am currently out in the field most days of the week, and wearing makeup and nice clothes is out of the question most days of the week.  That doesn’t mean I don’t love and enjoy being a member of the online beauty community!  (If you’re interested in peeking into the works of others who share this passion, please take a look at the blogs I have included in my recommended websites page!)

I have medium to thick, wavy to curly hair.  It is type 2B to 1C based on the curly girl method.  It is currently about 15 inches long, and is around my shoulder blade, or armpit-length (Hey, that's where it's at!).  Yes, my hair is cut in longish layers, to help with movement and to get rid of the extra weight at the ends.  I have also been training my scalp to produce less oil, so I am able to get by with only washing my hair every three days or so.  I have pretty oily skin in general, but between my wooden brush, shampooing less often, and dry shampoo, I can often stretch it that far.  I know some people have to wash their hair every day, and some can get by much less often. (Totally jealous of those who don't have to wash often!)

Depending on what texture I wish my hair to have for the three days after washing, I will either get it as curly as I can, and preserve the curls, or brush it out after washing it, while it is damp, and this will make my hair much smoother by comparison.  I understand the issue curly girls have with brushing hair, and I totally get you!  Treat your hair specifically to the type.  Mine is really between two different textures, so I feel like I can play with curly and wavy, but can't get it naturally straight or super curly.  My friend with very tight ringlets cannot ever brush her hair, and only combs with a wide-toothed comb while it's soaking wet, so as not to disrupt the curl pattern (and create unnecessary frizz).

Growing up, my favorite hair idol was a character from a children's series called The Secrets of Droon.  The character, Princess Keeah (the one on the far right of the ship), has to-die-for curly hair, kind of like AnnaLynne McCord.  How she never messed up her hair on her 40-something adventures is beyond me, hahaha!

 (Image from Amazon.com)

Curly Routine:

 hairextensions-usa.com

 (I love, LOVE AnnaLynne McCord's Natural Hair, but unfortunately mine will never be as curly naturally.)

Day 1: 

I wash at night now because most days I have to leave pretty early in the morning, and I don’t know about anyone else, but showers actually make me sleepier.  So the night before I use my OGX shampoo and conditioner, or my Aussie deep conditioner, letting whichever condish sit in my ends for at least five minutes.  I then squeeze out my hair, then dry with an old t-shirt (towels cause frizz!), and apply the next products on mostly wet hair.  I use Cantu’s leave-in conditioner, comb it through, then apply Cantu’s curl activator, and comb it through.  If I want light curls, I then scrunch at this point with my t-shirt, upside-down.  I then let air dry as much as possible before using a scrunchie to put my hair in a loose bun on the top of my head.

If I want more curls, I add my mousse, which is currently TRESemme’s Climate-Protection (I have a love/hate relationship with gel), and comb it through, then use the t-shirt plop-method (Shown here, from YouTube).  The next day is actually day 1 for me, as my curls are the most defined once slept on in the t-shirt over-night.  Sometimes I will also use the sock-bun method for curls as well, but I haven’t overcome the odd crimp I get on the top of my head.  Sometimes it works well though. (Sock bun curls video here.)

(Photo above taken with my phone, my hair is a slightly brighter red in real life.)

Day 2:

I do my version of pineappling (The pineapple method shown here.) for girls with longer, less curly hair.  I simply put my hair in a loose bun on the top of my head and preferably sleep on a smooth, satin pillowcase.  The night before day 3 I have to use dry shampoo, which I spray in, and ignore any white cast, as it will disappear as I sleep on it for day 3.

Day 3:   

I usually have to put my hair up, but sometimes my curls can become night loose waves for this day and I can have a few down-options.

Smoother/Loose Waves Routine:

Day 1: 

On wash night, I shampoo and condition as usual.  I then comb through the Cantu leave-in conditioner, and let my hair totally air dry with NO scrunching.

(My day 1 hair is somewhat between the textures pictured for curly hair and smoother waves for days 2-3.)

Days 2-3: 

I brush through my hair in the morning, either with my wooden bristle brush or tangle-teezer, and add a little water in a spray bottle if it lacks texture.  I love Aussie's Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner spray, and have been using it before brushing in the mornings for YEARS!

I pretty much do the same routine for the next couple of days.  I use more water, or my Garnier Beach Chic Spray if I want more texture in my loose waves from my smoother routine.

 (The above image is from my phone, the two below are from my casio camera, my hair color change is due to the lighting differences of the cameras and the different days taken.  The phone picture is a day 3, and the two below are probably day 2.)

A Few Helpful Videos! (The world of curly styling is out there for you to explore!)

Haul and First Impression: Cantu Natural Hair Leave-In Conditioner and Cantu Natural Hair Curl-Enhancing Cream (and General Wavy/Curly Hair Rant)

I have been researching curly hair routines for the last few weeks, and on Monday walked a couple of blocks in the rain to the neighboring Walgreens, which I almost never go to anymore, unless don’t feel like driving to the much newer CVS or Walmart or something.  Anyway, I did some searching for how to style wavy to curly hair, and the Curly Girl method website, blogs, and videos helping to explain it came up.  I had gotten the Curly Girl’s Hair Guide book for my best friend back for her birthday in December.  According to the book, she has combination corkscrew and spiral curls (like Botticelli angels), or corkicelli, with very fine hair.  The past few months (even before I got her the book), she has been taking a more active interest in her curls, and has told me how she styles them.  It pretty much comes down to conditioner for her, and lots of it. 

Now, the conditioner you use shouldn’t be expensive, because if you have wavy to curly hair, you understand that these hair types are often dry, and dry hair craves conditioner.  Many people recommend the Suave Naturals line (less than $2!), particularly the coconut, as I believe it has coconut oil in it, a wonderful addition to any hair care routine, no matter the hair type.  I also saw many people commenting on the Shea Moisture Line, but it was a little expensive for what I wanted it for (lots of conditioner for both deep conditioning treatment once or twice a week, and as a leave-in after a shower before adding curl products).  I then discovered the Cantu line.

My impression of these two Cantu products (Cantu Leave-In Conditioner and Cantu Natural Hair Curl-Enhancing Cream)  is positive, they are full of conditioning oils, smell light and tropical, and appear to do what they describe, for half the price of the Shea Moisture products of the similar type and same size.
 

I don’t think my hair is particularly dry, but as I do get the frizzies around my crown, and often get exhausted with my curls and brush them out into what turns into waves if I’m lucky, and poof if I’m not.  I have a love-hate relationship with my texture, and usually prefer the brushed out waves to the semi-curls I get when I air-dry with no brushing.  According to the Curly-Girl book and website, I have between 2b and 3a type hair, which is medium textured hair, with medium to heavy wave some days to light curl other days.  The first thing I did a couple of months ago was to change my shampoo regimen to sulphate-free shampoo (I have so far only tried the OGX line in the coconut milk), and to deep condition my hair overnight.  I have now deep-conditioned my hair overnight twice with the Cantu Leave-In Conditioner, and in the morning I wash it (focusing on the roots) with the OGX shampoo, then condition.  On these washing days I then blot my hair until it is dampish-wet, and add more Leave-in Conditioner and comb it through.  I then use my fingers to disperse a dime-sized glob of the Cantu Curl-Defining Cream, and start to scrunch.  Some days I use a tee-shirt as a hair wrap and plopping method to define the curls (there are YouTube videos to explain this technique), or let it air dry while scrunching upside-down.  Other wash days I have been trying gel or my favorite mousse (Tresemme Humidity-Control), and scrunch until mostly dry.

What I’ve noticed I do differently than some people is I don’t over-use products.  I don’t like to have too much of anything in my hair unless it’s a mask, as I like my hair to have natural movement.  I don’t like my hair to look too defined, or too messy.  It really takes trial and error, and so far I am enjoying these two new additions to my changing routine.

(I bought these products on my own, and am not being paid to review.)