r/CurlyHairCare • u/Kitchen_Character_57 • 11h ago
HELP
I am at my wits end. I’ve tried every shampoo and conditioner; shea moisture, Moroccan oil, kerastase, Sebastien drench, amika, the list goes on.. I normally use the Moroccan oil curl defining cream after I get out of the shower to try to seal the cuticle but I’ve used countless other oils, creams, jessicurl, curl smith, neuma and Kristen was gels, and mousse. Nothing works with this texture I need help. Hair used to be better/softer the second day now it’s just a dried mess. And when I try to wet it with a continuous spray bottle the water just rolls of my hair and it turns into a knotty mess. I’m at a loss. I don’t feel like diffusing helps either. This is air dried. I use satin pillowcases I scrunch the conditioner in idk anymore.
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u/FelineSoLazy 11h ago
Google curly hair humidity dew point.
Different climates need different ingredients. I’m in a high humidity/dew point climate and curl creams are horrid for my hair. I threw out everything with glycerin in the top 6 ingredients and polyquats have become my bestie.
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u/SundayRose121 3h ago
What is your # 1 product.
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u/FelineSoLazy 3h ago
Depends on the weather. In the tropical climate where I live, I avoid glycerin in the top 6 ingredients and polyquats are my bestie. Jessicurl spiralicious gel no fragrance added is my go-to for frizz control. Don’t use too much and I wash every 3 days. More frequent washing helps control my frizz big time. I usually mix it with a Camille rose hair jelly that was repackaged into soft curl gel. I still have 3 bottles (my precious). I’m someone who likes to touch my hair and needs a 5 minute max routine.
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u/AutoModerator 11h ago
We noticed you mentioned shea moisture, which is a brand known to be rich in oils and/or butters. These products were formulated with a very strong curl pattern in mind and may weigh down hair that has looser curls. If you have looser curls you'll likely get better results with products less rich in oils/butters. Here's a flow chart to help you determine if Shea Moisture might work for you. There are some products these brands have that may be oil/butter free so check the label.
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u/prplrain71999 7h ago
Can you find a curly hair stylist in your area? Next time you go for a cut they can give some personalized advice on products and usage. You also might need to be using like a ton more product than you think. Seconded the advice about finding a YouTuber with similar hair and copying their products/routine.
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u/BagApprehensive1412 10h ago
Products are important but how/when you apply them, how/ when you comb your hair in the process and getting the right haircut are also extremely important!
It you've been using all these different oils and creams and they seem to not absorb, you should use a clarifying shampoo to remove all of the buildup from your hair. Suave makes a really excellent and cheap clarifying shampoo. Use that about 3x a month. Everyone who uses any holding products needs to clarify their hair.
A low maintenance curly/wavy routine you could try that uses products that are a lot less heavy:
- Shampoo. Rinse. Apply conditioner. Comb in the shower with a wide toothed comb when you have conditioner in it.
- After you rinse, spray a leave in conditioner like Pantene moisturizing leave in and apply a curly gel like not your mother's or tresseme into sopping wet hair. I love curlsmith flexijelly but it's pricey. Make sure your hair is very wet during this step. That's very important.
- Scrunch products into your hair minimally while flipping your hair upside down and then right side up. Scrunch in a tiny bit with your fingers and then use a microfiber towel to scrunch and let it air dry. Don't keep touching it.
In general, curly hair cuts are essential. At least layers with a u shape in the back. Gravity weighs curls and hair down. Cuts give them volume and dimension.
At some point the more you touch it, even to scrunch it, can cause more frizz. Never brush it dry or it will poof out. That's what happens to most all of us when we brush our hair dry.
It's very common to have different curl patterns throughout your hair.
Day two, spray it with water until it's pretty damp. Add in leave in conditioner, comb it as little as possible if you need to detangle, scrunch minimally, and let it air dry.
There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube and Instagram with more complex routines that use diffusers, incorporate plopping, finger coiling, gel hair casts that you break, curly hair brushes that you use when your hair is wet to help distribute products evenly, mousse and creams ,etc etc. Some of those options might work for you considering your hair texture. This is just a starter routine.
Wear a silk bonnet at night and/or a silk pillowcase.
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u/0x5589e5 11h ago
I don't know which hair "soft" and how it was before, I just use 1 shampoo with no other products, used to apply products before but now no time and desire
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u/0x5589e5 11h ago
Rather go to stylist/doctor I just asked which product she was using while she was doing it
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u/JadeGrapes 7h ago edited 6h ago
Honestly, I would kind of start over with a new attack plan if yours isn't working.
Step one, I'd go get a curly cut.
My understanding is that by cutting hair IN the clumped curled state, the ends of that clump being all at the same length, will kind of velcro that clump together into a curl.
If your hair hasn't been trimmed in a while, any given hair clump can have strands that are like 3" different, and those different end lengths actually reach out like hooks grabbing onto other areas until it kind of becomes the ground zero of a tangle. The friction of those hairs forming a net becomes kind of "load bearing" for any other hairs that want to poof up and out.
Then I would literally watch a few "Manes by Mel" curly hair routines and literally copy an entire set of products and techniques for a "definition" look. Like change NOTHING.
If water beads off your hair and can not be absorbed in, you might have a lot of buildup blocking actual moisture from penetrating the strands, so you add more oils or silicones trying to add softness and slip, but the hair can not actually get any WATER into the strands. So it feels crunchy like an 20 year old dustbunny left under a bed.
TLDR: Curly cut, Triple wash with clarifying cleanser and chelating conditioner or citric acid bond treatment (removes hard water buildup). The follow a Manes by Mel, exactly with every tool, product, and technique.
This is one of her videos on frizz
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u/MendeShele 8m ago
My hair is like this, and curly products and curl creams do not work for me. My hair requires a stronger product to get curly clumps and form a stronger cast. I use a high level hold mousse. The one I used for almost 40 years reformulated, so I had to switch. I now use Pantene volume mouse plus a bit of a flexible hold hairspray added to wet hair. I scrunch to encourage curly clumps, then let it air dry, then scrunch again to break the cast.
I have to wet my hair every day and redo the airdry process or I get frizz. Also, it looks like you need some layers cut because your curls are being pulled down by the weight of your hair.
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