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amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 4:20 pm

I just needed to share this with everyone. I have really curly hair and over my teenage years, used tons of creams, mousses, and anything that had the word curly on it. My hair looked very pretty but it got sticky, hard, and itchy from all the products.

I had heard of CG (Curly Girl Method) but when I tried it in high school, didn't work. About a month ago I met a girl on the bus with prefect bottle tight curls and I had to ask what she puts in it. To me excitment and shock she replied "Nothing". "Oh, you're doing CG- I tried that. It was too hard to find products here, and the ones I did find weren't good". She told me to try again and full force. I did and It's been a month and I'm not going back.

CG basically means limiting the chemicals you put in your hair. Many hair products contain chemicals that coat your hair and DO NOT come out with water. (Water soluable), causing build up over time and a layer that prevents your hair from being naturally beautiful and forming properly. Shampoos have sultfates and Conditioners have silicons, and both may contain alcohols too. Addition creams and mousses my contain any of those. Silicon only comes out using sulfate, so those chemicals stay in till you shampoo next, but then you just add more in. Sulfate rip out your natural oils and are very harsh on your scalp and hair.

In reality your hair doesn't need chemicals to be clean. Besides that fact that in the USA there are thousands of products that are CG approved, your hair doesn't need shampoo to be clean (GASP!). I mean, how dirty is your hair? What are you putting in it that you need to put so much chemicals through?!? Are you playing in the mud?

For the past month I have not used ANYTHING in my hair except water, and it feels cleaner than ever! It's soft, fluffy, NO FRIZZ, and doesn't even get ruined under hair coverings! It's not itchy, or hard, or sticky....

And no it doesn't smell. Does your closet smell? Does your pictures on the wall smell? No! Why? Because you didn't put anything on it. My hair does not smell, good or bad. It just....is. It's scentless.

Anyway, there's a lot less work, and it's cheaper. (Except brushing can take a while...you need to start from the bottom, and make your way up in sections) but besides for that its amazing! I just had to share it! If you have any questions, just ask! Or look up more information yourself!

amother

Blush

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 4:26 pm

Really?
No conditioner and it's smooth and frizzless?
Gotta try this!!!

amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 4:36 pm

amother wrote:

Really?
No conditioner and it's smooth and frizzless?
Gotta try this!!!

OH I did forget to mention that for the first week or two your hair is AWFUL. Like really bad.You also need to cleanse your hair out of the chemicals. I used apple cider vinegar. It felt so good on my hair and the smell left after I washed it. The first week or two is the transition period, you still have chemicals left but aren't using other chemicals to keep the first chemicals in check. Your hair is getting used to stuff.

Even during CG you need to expiriment. My hair started getting really hard to brush and rough when wet cuz I didn't put anything in it, but after I wrangled it and it dried it was pretty smooth, with soft defined curls. I tried a conditioner from a health food store that didn't have chemicals during transition and it wreaked havoc. But I tried it this morning again and it was made my hair easier to manage in the shower, and it dried really nice and pretty.

So yeah, I suggest going off everything in the begining and then after 2-3 weeks trying out healthy products one at a time, seeing how each one reacts with your hair.

nylon

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 5:19 pm

The version of CG that I have done uses conditioner, but no regular shampoo.

A great deal varies depending on your particular hair. I cannot use detergent free shampoo or my scalp itches (I use curly hair conditioner and gel, no silicone). (I use a low detergent shampoo, not a sulfate shampoo. I don't subscribe to the school of thought that sulfates are dangerous. They are effective cleansers and degreasers... which is why I DON'T need them on my dry, delicate hair. Smile

If I had oil slick hair like my husband does, I'd use sulfates!)

Also, before you start, I do recommend one last wash with a traditional shampoo to remove any residues from previous products. Not doing this is one of the causes of itching.

amother

Tangerine

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 6:06 pm

amother wrote:

Apple cider vinegar has chemicals.

amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 6:26 pm

amother wrote:

Apple cider vinegar has chemicals.

I used 100 percent natural organic. It has natural chemicals that are very good for the hair, cleansing, restoring hair color and the hair itself to its natural state.

amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 6:30 pm

amother wrote:

Apple cider vinegar has chemicals.

I used natural and organic. It has natural chemicals. Not all chemicals are bad.... Everything is a chemical. When I meant chemicals I meant more man-made and not nature ones. But most regular hair products arent nafe with nature chemicals. Specifically the ones I mentioned formerly are the worst. Anyway it cleansed the hair from bad chemicals and restores it's natural color, texture and shape.

amother

Cyan

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 6:36 pm

It's interesting when it was yomtov my hair was better because there was oil in my hair and I remember the girls with the straight hair used to complain that the hair was oily but by me if anything was the opposite, my frizzy hair was Straighter the days that I didn't wash it.
so from then on I only wash my hair like twice a week.

amother

Yellow

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 10:09 pm

Thank you for posting this!
I am confused though. The only reason I started using those extra products as a teenager was because my curls looked so awful. Are you saying it was the shampoo and conditioner causing it?
So I should basically just was my hair with nothing but water from now on?
Thanks!

amother

Coral

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 1:43 am

Curly hair should be washed twice to there times a week. I thought everyone knew that.

Yes it was your shampoo and conditioner. I suggest anyone interested in CG start out with cleanse and being product free for two weeks. During that period do you own research on it and then you can try healthy products expirementally one at a time. There's loads of information online and even a few books. Do research on curly hair care tips too.....

Iymnok

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 3:13 am

FTR, in beauty school I learned that black hair should not be washed.
I have slightly wavy hair that I wash once a week. It's really beautiful even though it's always covered.
2-3 times a week sounds like a lot. I would only wash it more if it git dirty from something or I was really itchy from sweat.

amother

Coral

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 3:20 am

Really? My hair is curly. If I want to be able to brush it it needs to be brushed at least twice a week.

But again currently. I'm not putting in any shampoo. I thought that if you use no products or products every other shower that are healthy it's fine to wet it every day even. The girl I met on the bus said she wet her hair every day but never put anything in it. It looked perfect.

My question is, how do you brush your hair?!? shock

amother

Lavender

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 4:19 am

My 3 year old daughter has gorgeous baby curls, but it seems to me that if I don't condition her hair she just has a loose frizz. There have been times when I just washed her hair with baby shampoo and the next day her hair was awful unless it was very humid. I wet or spray daily with a gentle kids spray (I think it has silicon) and usually after washing it once a week, I put a bit of mousse. I'm confused now, and wondering if I shouldn't be doing all this. Anyone have experience with baby curls?

amother

Mauve

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 7:06 am

amother wrote:

And no it doesn't smell. Does your closet smell? Does your pictures on the wall smell? No! Why? Because you didn't put anything on it. My hair does not smell, good or bad. It just....is. It's scentless.

Actually, while I agree with you that wavy/curly hair retains its bounce better with less washing, some people's hair does smell. Mine certainly smells if I don't wash it regularly. I have quite fine hair and it absorbs all the sweat from my scalp and picks up external smells. Water on its own isn't good enough for my hair.

amother

Blue

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 9:48 am

Dd has to use leave in conditioner or brushing her hair takes upwards of half an hour and is very painful, even with the start from the bottom method. If that's what you mean by brushing it taking awhile, we're not ok with that. Also, her scalp flakes off in bunches along with some hair if she doesn't use dandruff shampoo regularly. So I guess the question is, with this method:

A) how do you brush easily? (We have lice check coming up...)
B) how do you keep your head/scalp clean and healthy without washing it?

nylon

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 9:54 am

I haven't owned a hairbrush since I was 11 and learned better.

Comb the hair wet with a wide toothed comb (preferably with the conditioner still in it). Once it's dry, no comb or brush. When it's dry, you dampen the curls and fluff with your fingers.

Proponents of no shampoo say your scalp will return to its natural balance. Now, I personally have not found this to be true, but I know people who have, so YMMV. The only way to find out is to try it and see.

amother

Tangerine

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 10:01 am

amother wrote:

This. Hair picks up smells very easily. Please wash your hair, ladies.

amother

Coral

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 10:09 am

It doesn't work for everyone, but it's a good method to try out.
My hair doesn't smell, but I do put spray it lightly from afar with perfume that's also for body and hair, not cuz it smells bad, but cuz it just doesn't smell like anything at all.

I tried using a comb and it still had knots. I can't throw away my brush! How long is your dd's hair? Mine never take more than 10 minutes AT THE MOST.

amother

Brown

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 10:49 am

My little kids have beautiful thick curly hair that takes up a lot of my time in the morning.
We have to wash their hair nightly with shampoo, especially in the summer, since the oldest is six and they spend most of the day playing outdoors so their hair gets sweaty and dirty 😕.

But this CG method really sounds right! In the park the other day there was a little girl there with luscious, amazing curls. When I asked the mom how she did it, she was kind of embarrassed but said she honestly hadn't washed it in several days! Curly hair doesn't do well with over processing. Leave it alone and see the beauty Smile

ETA: hair doesn't smell but scalps can smell, so be aware of that. Especially if you wear wigs.

nylon

Tue, Aug 22 2017, 12:29 pm

IME, if you can't remove the tangles with a comb, you need to use a conditioner with better slip.

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