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| I practice what I preach. My is saturated with Aussie Moist Conditioner |
I think that the universal goal for most naturally curly girls is curl definition. I can’t begin tell you how many times people say " My hair isn't going to curl up like yours" well of course it's not! No two curls are created equal. No product will work for every curl type. This blog post is going to be about how to get curl definition for YOUR hair type. If you are considering going natural but still not fully convinced or comfortable about the Natural hair craze this is definitely a must read for you!
Curl Envy Syndrome (CES): Lusting after the curls of someone else resulting in damage to your own hair. Curl envy is a real "Syndrome" that can often prevent the ability for your hair to reach its full growth potential. Let me first start off by saying, that a little curl envy never hurt nobody, in fact Curl Envy is a necessary part in the hair journey. It keeps you motivated in your journey to reach your hair goals. It only becomes a problem, when you begin taking care of hair that's not growing form your scalp. What does that mean? If you have a very kinky hair texture (type 4A-C), but you use products that are for very fine and wavy hair (type 3A-C), then your Curl Envy is going to be what prevents you from getting the desired results that you are seeking. Do not buy purchase products or care for the hair you WANT, purchase products and care for the hair you HAVE. That is almost 95% of the cause of why people say being natural is hard, or that there hair is never moisturized, lacks definition, and is always frizzy. Here's the solution if you find yourself in this situation.
First, feel your hair up, yup I said that! No really feel your hair up, you need to know how your hair feels when it is fully moisturized, and you need to know how your hair feels when it is dry. Don't rely on blogs, YouTube, or someone else to tell you when your hair is dry or moisturized. I mean doesn't that sound slightly ridiculous to rely on someone, who has no knowledge of your hair, to tell you when your hair is in need of something. Take what you learn and apply it to your regimen IF it fits your hair needs. I remember when I went natural; I read that you should apply a moisturizer to your hair every day. For over a month I couldn't figure out why my hair was so limp, frizzy, lifeless, and dry. How could my hair be dry? I moisturized my hair every day, just like the YT video said. I even applied the Birth Control Method, moisturizing my hair at the exact same time every day. Finally, one day after I washed my hair, I decided to see what happened, if I applied less product, and if I didn't moisturize my hair every day. From that day on, my hair did a complete about face. I applied some of the things that I found online via YT and blogs, but I started to feel my hair up, in order to determine what my hair needed. Finally I started to get the definition I wanted, because I started to take care of the hair that I HAD, not the hair that I WANTED. My hair was literally being suffocated from all the product that I was using to "moisturize" it. I started using products that worked for my hair! NEWS FLASH: Shea butter is not a universal product for all natural hair. IT DOES NOT work for every curl, in fact you may be experiencing less then desirable results due to the heavy oils and butters that you are using. Here is how to discover your curl potential, for YOUR hair.
1. Start with clean hair. You can achieve this by whatever method you use to cleanse your hair. I recommend clarifying your hair. Clarifying your hair will allow you to know how your hair feels with zero product, or build up. You can clarify your hair with a commercial clarifying shampoo. If you are following the CGM, then a noo poo cleanser or sulfate/chemical free, cleansing conditioner product will be your option. If you are looking for a more natural approach try using Bentonite Clay mixed with raw apple cider vinegar.
2. Determine if you hair is coarse or fine. This can easily be determined my pulling out a single strand of hair, or by separating a single strand of attached hair from the bulk of your hair. Click here to determine if you have coarse or fine hair. Knowing whether you have coarse or fine hair (not to be confused with hair type) will ultimately tell you what products are the best for your hair. When I say the best products, I am referring to consistency and the molecular weight of a product. The coarser your hair is the heavier your products will be, and the finer your hair the lighter your products will be.
3. Assuming you have followed the steps above, let’s move on. If you decided to skip the steps above, your outcome will reflect that. Now that you know what clean hair feels like and you identified your hair texture. Let’s get them curls poppin! Now saturate your hair with water, make sure you allow the water to run through your hair for a 3 to 5 minutes. I recommend doing this in the shower; saturate your hair with a cheap conditioner. Now, you want to use a conditioner with good slip, I recommend, Aussie Moist, any Suave conditioner, Tresseme Natural, Tresseme for Curls just to name a few. Depending on your hair texture you can rake the product the product through your hair. If you have very coarse hair, I suggest just applying the product without raking it through. If you have a finer hair texture, I recommend raking it through with you finger. Once you have applied the conditioner get out the shower, Cover your hair with a plastic shower cap, trash bag, or saran wrap, and chill out IN the Bathroom for 5 minutes. Let the steam from the shower create a sauna like effect for your hair. After 5 five minutes remove your cap from your hair. You can now see your true and natural curl pattern and your curl potential when your hair is fully moisturized.
Part 2: Will be how to maintain the definition after you rinse out the conditioner.
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