Category: curly girl method

Should You Co-Wash Your Natural Hair?

Posted on by Michelle

Next month I’ll be celebrating 10 years with natural hair.  Woo hoo! Trust me when I say that I have tried lots of products and methods throughout my natural hair journey.  For the last couple years, co-washing has been a favorite of mine for those times when my hair needs a little moisture boost.

Woman using conditioner to wash natural hair

What is Co-Washing?

To co-wash you use conditioner to wash your hair instead of shampoo.  Since conditioner has rinsing agents added, it can be used to cleanse your hair without having a drying effect.  Typically I wash my hair with shampoo at least once a week.  This keeps my scalp clean but can be drying to my natural hair.  Natural hair already has a tendency to be dry so I like to co-wash mid-week to add moisture to my hair.

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Back to The Curly Girl Method & Switching to Wetline Xtreme Gel

Posted on by Michelle
curlyincolorado.com curly girl method wetline xtreme hair gel
My new wash and go product line-up

I recently decided to make some major changes in my hair routine as far as my products go.  After using chemical hair dye to semi permanently cover my gray hair, I switched to a sulphate free shampoo.  When I did this, I noticed that my beloved Aussie Moist conditioner was causing a lot more build-up.  This was because it contains a silicone and sulphate free shampoo isn’t capable of removing heavy silicones.

This change in my cleansing routine meant that I needed to go back to silicone free conditioners or at least lighter silicone versions that were easier to cleanse out.  I decided to go with my old favorites Tresemme Naturals Conditioner for detangling/conditioning and Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner as a leave-in.  This basically put me right back at Curly Girl status which is fine but what about the gel?

I really like to use a heavy gel after I apply my leave-ins for
extra curl definition and hold.  It also guarantees me a wash and go style that will last a few days.  Normally, my gel of choice is Eco Styler gel.  However, my hair was not liking the product very much lately.  It was like it kept zapping the moisture from my hair no matter what products I paired with it.  The other day I went to reach for it to do my hair, but realized I was completely out.  I usually stay stocked on this product so that was surprising.  Then I remembered that I still had some Wetline Xtreme gel leftover from a trial I did this summer.  It was all I had so I had no other choice but to use it.

curlyincolorado.com curly girl method wetline xtreme hair gel
My wash and go still has lots of definition
after using Wetline Xtreme gel

I used it three times the first week and I still can’t believe the difference!  My hair feels way better than when I use Eco gel and all I have to use is my leave-in conditioner and grapeseed oil underneath.  With Eco I had to also use a third, moisturizing product.  I think it has something to do with how Wetline gel is protein and glycerin free.  I have often suspected that I might need a glycerin free product but it’s possible the protein was causing problems as well.  The other plus is that I still get the same curl definition as before.  I am so glad that I stumbled upon this discovery.  I’m pretty sure that my hair is too!

Tresemme Naturals Conditioner Formula Change and Back Again

Posted on by Michelle
Tresseme naturals conditioner
Old formula and New formula (black label & top)
on the shelves side by side

I never even saw it coming and, up until now, was in denial.  Yes, my beloved go-to, all around
conditioner made a change to its’ formulation.  The conditioner in question is from the Tresemme Naturals line.  I’ve always liked the Nourishing Moisture one but the Radiant Volume conditioner was also pretty good.  The first I heard of the change was a few months ago on an online hair forum.  At the time not many people were aware of it and were still wondering if the conditioner was still pretty much the same.  From the looks of it, the new ingredients list made for a drastically different product and even a change in the consistency.

OLD INGREDIENTS LIST
Water(Aqua,EU), Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Carprylic/Capric Tryglerceride, Stearmidopropyl Diemthlyamine, Fragrance (Parfum) Lauroyl lysine, Carprylyl Glycol, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi oil Copolymer,Aspartic acid, Distearyldimonium chloride,Persea Gratissima (Avocado) oil, Citric Acid, Alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, aloe barbadensis leaf juice.

 Why change an already good product?  Well, the Alberto Culver company (VO5, Noxema etc.) was recently taken over by Unilever Corporation (Suave, St. Ives etc.).  The new owners of the Tresemme brand decided to change things up a bit.  This was probably an attempt to save money on ingredients.  However, if you head over to the reviews page for this product on their website, you’ll find that many people expressed their negative views on the change.

Apparently the new company is listening and started putting the old formula back on the shelves with a minor change to the packaging.  There is now a pump installed on the bottle but supposedly the conditioner inside is the same as before.  I say, “supposedly” because I have yet to compare the current ingredient list with the old version (see above).  Once I get this confirmation then I’ll be more than happy to pick up a couple of bottles because this is my staple conditioner we’re talkin’ about here!

On a side note, over the summer, I found out that my hair absolutely loves Aussie Moist conditioner.  It’s very rich and has loads of slip so I will most likely be deep conditioning and detangling with that in the meantime.  It sometimes has a weird reaction with hair gel though so I have to make sure to rinse it completely before styling.  However, I did find out that it works well for conditioner only styling so it’s already pretty far up on my favorites list right now.  If I can’t find my favorite version of the Tresemme I guess this will have to be my new go-to conditioner.  I’ll keep you posted on what I find.

UPDATE 10/2/13-I picked up the old formula recently in a new bottle with a pump on top at Walmart.  Not all stores carry it yet but I’m just glad that my staple conditioner is back on the shelves!

My Sort-a Kind-a Curly Girl Method

Posted on by Michelle

Earlier this summer I mentioned in one of my YouTube videos that I was not a fan of the Curly Girl method (CG) because it seemed to do a number on my scalp.  I have issues with dry scalp off and on throughout the year.  This year it seemed to really flare up when I started this method because of the constant conditioner only washing.  Well, I’m still dealing with it now but have gone back to wearing my hair curly everyday.

Curls Up-close

I’m not following the CG method exactly but I just don’t see the point in wearing stretched styles when I know my scalp needs to be cleansed more often.  However, I did learn a few things from Lorraine Massey’s book, Curly Girl, the Handbook

There is one step that I learned from the book which helps immensely with my new daily washing/co-washing routine.  It’s called a, “pre-cleanse”.  With this step you just apply conditioner or sulfate free shampoo prior to getting in the shower to wash your hair (book version).  I altered this method a little because I prefer to apply loads of cheapie conditioner like Suave’s Naturals Coconut (my staple) instead of the amount suggested.  I do this in sections and it really helps me to pull out shed hairs and tangles.  It also elongates my hair which is usually shrunken up into a tight curly fro from the day before.

I’m still using sulfate shampoo and my favorite leave-in conditioner (Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner) which has silicones in the ingredients list.  For this reason I can’t say that I’m abiding by the “rules” outlined in the book.  Sulfates and Silicones are big no-no’s with this method but I make sure to use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinses to help resolve any issues there.  Not only does the ACV help remove build-up but it also helps my hair to return back to a normal pH after using the shampoo.  This is important because this leaves my hair more manageable by closing the cuticle layer back down.  It also helps with moisture retention.  I love ACV rinses!

My hair is definitely benefitting from all of the moisture it has been getting.  I have been rockin’ wash n’ gos for six weeks straight and can’t really see myself quitting anytime soon.  I usually do my hair at night so I’m not too worried about having wet hair in the mornings when I head out.  Hopefully I will begin to see tons of growth and length retention in the upcoming months.