Two weeks into Curly Girl method...

The less I touch it the better it
dries. I am right handed, hence the
right hand side touching frizz.

I will start again by saying that it is so weird to be discussing my hair so much and to have so many people talking to me about it. And, it is a little weird to have strangers (who are lovely people who read my blog but whom I don't actually know) come up and talk to me about my hair. I have dance rehearsals and recitals all this week and I have never been more nervous! Not for the kids, they are all prepared and doing great, but because the Curly Girl method (and me) is on trial. It is so weird that people approach me to give me their opinion on my hair. That said, let's move on...

This week has gone very well. My husband commented to me this morning that he can see the texture changing in my hair. I am finding that doing my hair takes less time because I am more familiar with it. My children have also commented on their little sister's hair. Her hair is baby fine and soft and I thought only slightly wavy but the curls have come out to play. The sleek haired sisters want to know what is in my spray that makes her hair so curly and if it will work for them. Sadly, no. It just accentuates what is already there. I am also using it on my teen who has tight curls and we have decided to let them grow a bit. His hair that was previously unmanageable was too short for the curls' length. Since curls are really C shaped pieces stacked, his hair was moving past the first C into the next and making it poke out. I need to let it just be instead of hacking at it all the time. He does not have his brothers' hair and I should not treat him like them.

The back of Cristina's 4th day hair.
(Photo required trickery since she
thought I must mean to get the
front of her hair.)

The kids are I are washing scalps only with diluted Dr. Bronner's and conditioning with Beautiful Curls conditioner. I am using some pretty easy homemade products on their hair. Yes, they are all lavender. That is what is recommended in the book and since essential oils are pricey, I only have that one. Some essential oils are not recommended for pregnancy, such as peppermint. I am no expert but lavender is supposed to be fine and there is a list HERE of what to avoid if you are expecting. I do not recommend trying this. But here are the homemade product that are working which also have the advantage of being cheap.

Shampoo: I dilute Dr. Bronner's half and half with water and use that. I love the rose, almond (smells like cherries) and lavender. If you like what my oldest calls minty-fresh-burn, use peppermint. I don't so I don't. To make it easier to handle and provide some suds, use a foaming hand soap dispenser. It will foam beautifully. I also use this as body wash. Word to the wise, minty-fresh-burn on the head is one thing, but peppermint is, uh, "bracing" on the undercarriage. You have been warned.

Raymie 2nd day hair pre-spray
(note the fuzz, lack of definition).

Lavender water: Distilled water in a small spray bottle with two drops of lavender essential oil per ounce of water. The book says to boil the water,  I took the short cut, and I use far more EO than the book but I like the smell. Use this to scrunch up hair at the end of the day or the next morning to give it some life. Use alone or in conjunction with the spray gel.

Spray gel: Using edible aloe vera juice, put in a small spray bottle. Add two drops of EO per ounce. Done. This gives a light hold and you can wind crazy pieces around a finger and pin and allow to dry making second day hair look just as good. Spray and scrunch wet or dry hair for light hold, like on kids. I use it heavily on the boy and scrunch and push the curls back into order. Works great. Never will a comb touch his curls again!


Important note: do not buy aloe vera gel; if you look at the ingredients it is mostly alcohol and thickening agents and dyes. Just use the real stuff. Because it is real, this needs to be refrigerated.

Raymie's hair post-spray
(note the curl pattern and de-frizz).

Strong hold gel:Take 1/3 Cup of flax seeds and add a pint (that is 16 ounces or 2 cups) of distilled water (to avoid the minerals) to a sauce pan and boil for three minutes. Allow to cool until warm but not completely cool. Strain and then add 8-10 drops of essential oil. This is a bit too much hold for my toddler and the teen wants to avoid extra hair effort but I like it. A lot. To use: dip your fingers in the gel (it will be a bit liquidy) and scrunch them through your hair. It will have a strong hold. Feel free to use copious amounts because it works great, is totally harmless, is freakin' cheap and yields the best results. Keep in the fridge.


Special note: if you boil this too long, it will look great and gooey but you will not be able to strain it. At all. It will be a big goo blob you can literally pick up like Pla-Doh and fit only for compost. Also, if you cool it all the way, you will not be able to get the goo out either and it will sit in a lump in your strainer. This is the tricky one and a pain to make. I suggest making it at least a double recipe at a time and pouring the goo into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and letting it drip all night. Then add the essential oil. I did not use anything but aloe gel in the photos for this post and the results are totally lack luster.

Side View, Aloe Only

What am I not using? I tried the apple cider vinegar rinse on all of us. Straight hair loves it and gets beautifully shiny and soft, curly hair freaks out and can't decide which way to turn leaving all three of us curly-qs looking horrible, like stuck a finger in a light socket bad. I can wholeheartedly recommend it for sleek haired folks, it does not smell, it makes hair soft and shiny, helps with oily hair, is totally natural and is cheap. Curly haired people should stick to conditioners.

Week Two Conclusions: When I use aloe my hair is a little more frizzy and the curls much, much looser which my husband likes. He really likes the softer feel of the hair and the way it falls. I prefer the stiffer hold and stronger definition of the flax gel, which I need to get better about making since it works so great even if it is a hassle.

To recap, here is the progression of photos:

Start

The first week is my hair washed with Dr. Bronner's and conditioned with Beautiful Curls conditioner, combed out and air dried.

After One Week, With Flax Gel

After one week of careful scrunching with condition and using flax there is a noticeable increase in curl definition. Yes, I am laughing at the language I am using about hair right now.

After Two Weeks, Aloe Only

After two weeks I decided to just try the aloe spray while drying and it is soft and better than the start photo but also lacks definition. The flax gel is better for me. But, this way, you can see the difference.  While I was disappointed with the aloe only photos, I am shocked by how much better it looks than the starting photo. And no freaky chemicals either! Next week, I will be taking a photo of my better smoother hair with tons of gel in it and I promise it will be great! Next week is the last week of the series, so see you Friday!

Let me know what you think!