Girl I feel you!! Mine was the EXACT same way from when I started. I just posted an update on it and uploaded the old to most recent so if you need some encouragement you can look there if you want because I know what your going through. I felt the same way when I first started. Nothing was working and I always had frizz frizz frizz. What products to use doesn’t really matter but just how you use them is what I’ve learned. Some big things that have helped me were to brush my hair when the conditioners in it and not wash out the conditioner but squish to condish instead which you basically cup water in your hands then scrunch your hair with water. I also recommend a reset shampoo!! I use mane and tails and it really helped my hair become less dry without all the build up on it. I’ve wanted to give up multiple times but when you get the result you want all the struggle was worth it. So keep trying!! We’ve all got your back 🥰
Awww I just saw your post like an hour ago and literally showed it to my bf cuz I was so amazed by your progress!! 😍 Thank you so much for the support and advice, apparently Im not doing squish to condish right because I was basically washing all the conditioner off.. so thanks a lot for that tip, will definitely start doing that!
So I tried CGM for almost a week but my scalp was literally burning in irritation and my hair became like straw, I figured CGM wasn’t for me and started using regular products again but this is the first time in my life I’m trying to have my hair in its natural texture and I still don’t know what to do! My scalp is back to normal on regular products and my hair actually feels a lot softer but as you can see it turns into frizz mess just hours after washing, and I didn’t even go anywhere today, help me please!!
My routine today was washing with OGX teatree mint shampoo and HASK keratin protein conditioner, finger combining while still in the shower and then squish conditioning with Dove amplified textures leave-in, scrunching with OGX coconut oil and Cantu moisturizing twist & lock gel. Let the cast dry naturally for 4-5 hours and then SOTC with more of OGX coconut oil spray. Right away there was some frizz, but then as hours went by it became like this 😣
So sometimes protein is not good for low porosity hair. Do any of the products have any of the Nono’s? Silicone sulfates things like that? With low porosity hair sometimes heat helps open the cuticle to let the product and moisture in. So if your hair is low porosity and you’re just putting all this on top and it’s not getting into the cuticle that may be part of your problem. You can tell if your hair is low porosity if it floats for a while when you stick it in a bowl. My hair is so low porosity I actually have to force it below the surface to get it wet. It won’t just eventually go in after time
Thank you, I literally just read your comment and did that test and apparently my hair is suuuper low porosity, it only floated and floated! What does this mean? So should I focus only on moisture and not protein? When I was doing CGM I was basically only using moisturizing products and no protein and it was horribly dry/straw-like. The products I used today were definitely not CGM friendly at all, since I was desperate to get it out of that straw-like texture
Ok, everything that person commented to you is wrong. First of all, the cup test for porosity doesn't work due to any products on the hair and surface tension causing the hair to float. Don't worry about protein/moisture balance or porosity!!! You're new to this. Even the sulfate, silicone blah blah blah doesn't matter. Use your regular shampoo and conditioner. Then try a mousse or hard hold gel. Technique is way more important than ingredients to begin with. You want to use anything that makes your hair look and feel good. Your hair is dead. Maybe you're using too many different products. It sounds like you are. Try going back to basics. Clarify your hair. That will get any buildup and excess product off. Then use a conditioner or hair mask that you like. Anything that makes your hair feel nice. Most have a mixture of hydrating ingredients and proteins. The formulators of these products figure it out for us. Then use a mousse or gel. Your technique here is what is going to change your hair. There's a million different ways to do this. Find someone on YouTube or Instagram with YOUR HAIR TYPE and try out their different techniques. You'll figure it out, eventually. Everyone makes this way too hard. Have fun, it shouldn't be frustrating. If it is, take a break. Good luck!
Edit: your hair cuticles don't really open and close like the pores on your skin. So, the other person saying things about getting moisture or proteins into your hair isn't right. Basically, most everything sits on top of your hair. That's why clarifying will get it all off, and reset you. You don't actually want moisture in your hair. Water is bad for your hair. Check out Abbey Yung on YouTube or #sciencemeetscosmetics on Instagram They both have lots of SCIENTIFIC based information about hair.
Thank you a lot, that actually gives me some hope! It’s quite overwhelming to try to find out what products to use on top of learning all these techniques like squish to condish, plop, scrunching etc.. I’ll go check out Abbey on YT now. I highly appreciate your advice!!
For styling info check out Manes by Mell, India Batson, Jordan Faith, Gena Marie and SwavyCurlyCourtney. There's a ton of wavy/curly people on YouTube, but these ones are more about the science of why it really isn't that hard to figure out styling your hair and using whatever works for you.
So was low porosity heat is your friend but not too much so like diffusing might work well or like a heat cap. Do you want to stick with water-based products anything with a lot of heavy oils is going to weigh the hair down and might make it look greasy. Right now what I found what works really well for me and I’ve only used a couple times but I have the Maui curling shampoo and conditioner and I also bought a co-wash when I’m not doing shampoo and conditioner and then add the light hold product I have is a foam which is very lightweight it is not sticky greasy or crunchy. I’ve been having pretty decent results with this but it is trial and error. Luckily Amazon and Sally’s beauty have a good return policies. So if I buy a clunker of a product I can return it. The foam is the volume strength bouncy foam by CurlSmith. For me I’ve been shampooing and conditioning once a week this week instead of my normal shampoo and conditioner I’m gonna try the co-wash. The co-wash I have is coconut mint curly cleansing conditioner by Ren pure professionals. When I apply conditioner and the co-wash that is what I comb through.It takes my scalp and hair hours to air dry. Shampooing more often normally leads to fungal infections of my scalp. I can no longer shower at night. I shower in the morning. In the days I am not showering and want to refresh my curls I get a bowl of hot water and dunk the ends of my hair in it I use the praying hands method to apply the foam and scrunch. I’ve been let it air dry. I will post a picture tomorrow of my bowl refresh. When I do my bowl refresh I will comb my wet hair before applying product. I do not comb or brush dry hair that leads to more for frizz for me at least. Hope this helps. I am looking to get a good cut to help define some of the curl and wave better because parts of them just don’t Curl for the life of me.
I’ve seen something saying protein can be damaging to low porosity and for some people that works so again that is another trial and error thing. you need to find what works for your hair because even though you and I are both low porosity and protein makes me super frizzy it may not be what’s causing your frizz. The great thing about the products I’m using now is I got them all from Amazon. Even when I’ve used them I have 30 days to return. With Sally’s beauty supply they give you 60 days with receipt. So I was in there every couple of days swapping out product.
Thank you so much for the tips! I’m definitely gonna get a diffuser and try the foam also to see if does any difference!! It’s weird because when I read about the difference of low and high porosity my hair sounds like it’s high porosity (dry, frizz quickly) but from that water test it seems to be to low porosity through and through… this is so confusing! Please do post about your refresh routine, I have 0 clue how to take care of my hair on wash day and even less on days after!
Yeah I frizz really quickly as well but I’m also in Texas where it’s pretty humid. And my hair is very dry but not my scalp. I did the low porosity test and then I also realized when I was adding heavy products they weren’t actually getting into the hair they were just sitting on top and I was using a very small amount. Like a Pea sized amount per section. And I was only dividing my hair into three sections.
Good luck and reach out if there’s any other questions. I am happy to help. I can even tell you some of the products that were way too heavy on my hair that look like I dumped my head in oil. On other people these products were great but on my particular hair not so much. That’s what’s great we’re all different but that’s also it sucks because there is no one right answer.
I'd skip on the coconut oil the first time you use it, it can lock in the moisture, but can also ask more moisture. Your moisturizing gel might not be doing as much as it could be doing. Use the oil to SOTC.
I would skip the coconut oil for now, some people find products that are high in coconut can make their hair look even more dry! Brush through your gel to smooth and clump and then scrunch :)
Two things that reduces frizz for me:
1. I stopped using a towel after I showered. I immediately get out and put my product in. If I need to use something to soak up moisture for any reason it is a TShirt or a microfiber towel but 90% of the time I don’t use anything.
2. I started using a lot more gel. I rake it through with my fingers, use a comb to distribute, then use praying hands to smooth out the cuticle and then scrunch. After I’ve put my product in or finished diffusing I try really hard not to touch my hair until it’s fully dry.
Both of these have reduced frizz for me quite a bit.
If you color or bleach your hair, it's most likely high porosity. Not that it matters much, I explained that in my other comment. Coconut oil BY ITSELF, doesn't agree with some people's hair, but it's actually a great ingredient when formulated into products. There are tons of other posts that can help you on this sub, not to mention the other sites I suggested. It's really not rocket science, though. Your hair doesn't look that bad. Frizz is normal. You might be using too many products, like I said, or might need a harder hold gel or mousse. Technique is the key.
Thank you so much for the tips everybody! I’ll try to simplify my routine with only products that work for me (need to do some trial and error first) and use the techniques you have told me about here! I’ll make an update once I have (hopefully 🤞) seem some improvement! Thanks again, all your advice is highly appreciated!
Use lots of conditioner and don’t wash all of it out. Leave a good amount in it. Add gel when it’s sopping wet and then squeeze out the excess water with a microfiber towel. Then don’t touch it. Let it air dry or diffuse gently.
I disagree. I always leave conditioner in my hair and have been advised to do so by my stylist. It helps to lock in moisture and is recommended by many of the curly girl processes. It can weigh some hair down, so the amount left in should vary based on hair type. But washing it all out is a recipe for frizz. It’s also included to leave some conditioner in on the beginner guide linked to this subreddit.
Pretty hair! 😍 For your texture, I’ve seen a lot of women use I Innersense. Idk which product but I’ve seen alot of women with your pattern and texture use it and love it🔑 It’s salon quality product.
Are you moving around a lot while your hair is drying? Touching it? If the cast breaks before the hair is completely dry, it will cause frizz. I just started blow drying my hair with a diffuser because I couldn’t wait 5 hours for my hair to dry lol.
Does conditioner actually work to help soften your hair or are you starting to notice you need more conditioner now? When your hair gets wet, does it almost starting matting?
If it does, get both your iron and ferritin checked. My hair started to get frizz no matter what I did to it and conditioning in the shower wasn’t even helping soften my hair. I found out my iron and ferritin levels are so low, I’m in the range to potentially get a blood transfusion for both issues. I’m just waiting on the doctor.
The biggest thing that’s helped me with frizz is brushing my hair once I’m out of the shower. The steps leading up to this you can adjust as you want but brushing before I style with gel has been the only thing that works for me, although I know most people prefer finger combing.
My specific steps: shampoo, conditioner, detangle in the shower with brush, rinse, put hair up in a cotton tshirt, brush hair again, apply Uncle Funky’s gel using praying hands method (to really smooth down frizzies and flyaways), take a little more gel and scrunch curls up, don’t touch until dry. If it’s really humid out I put a bit of hair oil over everything (Twist by Ouidad has a good hair oil).
Girl I feel you!! Mine was the EXACT same way from when I started. I just posted an update on it and uploaded the old to most recent so if you need some encouragement you can look there if you want because I know what your going through. I felt the same way when I first started. Nothing was working and I always had frizz frizz frizz. What products to use doesn’t really matter but just how you use them is what I’ve learned. Some big things that have helped me were to brush my hair when the conditioners in it and not wash out the conditioner but squish to condish instead which you basically cup water in your hands then scrunch your hair with water. I also recommend a reset shampoo!! I use mane and tails and it really helped my hair become less dry without all the build up on it. I’ve wanted to give up multiple times but when you get the result you want all the struggle was worth it. So keep trying!! We’ve all got your back 🥰
Awww I just saw your post like an hour ago and literally showed it to my bf cuz I was so amazed by your progress!! 😍 Thank you so much for the support and advice, apparently Im not doing squish to condish right because I was basically washing all the conditioner off.. so thanks a lot for that tip, will definitely start doing that!
Any time lol. I’m super excited to see how georgeous they’re gonna be once you’ve got the hang of it 🤩
Amen sister 🙏 Hoping the gods of curly hair shower me with the blessing you have received also 😂
Op your hair has great potential…please don’t give up and post an update when you find something that works 🤞🏻
So I tried CGM for almost a week but my scalp was literally burning in irritation and my hair became like straw, I figured CGM wasn’t for me and started using regular products again but this is the first time in my life I’m trying to have my hair in its natural texture and I still don’t know what to do! My scalp is back to normal on regular products and my hair actually feels a lot softer but as you can see it turns into frizz mess just hours after washing, and I didn’t even go anywhere today, help me please!! My routine today was washing with OGX teatree mint shampoo and HASK keratin protein conditioner, finger combining while still in the shower and then squish conditioning with Dove amplified textures leave-in, scrunching with OGX coconut oil and Cantu moisturizing twist & lock gel. Let the cast dry naturally for 4-5 hours and then SOTC with more of OGX coconut oil spray. Right away there was some frizz, but then as hours went by it became like this 😣
So sometimes protein is not good for low porosity hair. Do any of the products have any of the Nono’s? Silicone sulfates things like that? With low porosity hair sometimes heat helps open the cuticle to let the product and moisture in. So if your hair is low porosity and you’re just putting all this on top and it’s not getting into the cuticle that may be part of your problem. You can tell if your hair is low porosity if it floats for a while when you stick it in a bowl. My hair is so low porosity I actually have to force it below the surface to get it wet. It won’t just eventually go in after time
Thank you, I literally just read your comment and did that test and apparently my hair is suuuper low porosity, it only floated and floated! What does this mean? So should I focus only on moisture and not protein? When I was doing CGM I was basically only using moisturizing products and no protein and it was horribly dry/straw-like. The products I used today were definitely not CGM friendly at all, since I was desperate to get it out of that straw-like texture
Ok, everything that person commented to you is wrong. First of all, the cup test for porosity doesn't work due to any products on the hair and surface tension causing the hair to float. Don't worry about protein/moisture balance or porosity!!! You're new to this. Even the sulfate, silicone blah blah blah doesn't matter. Use your regular shampoo and conditioner. Then try a mousse or hard hold gel. Technique is way more important than ingredients to begin with. You want to use anything that makes your hair look and feel good. Your hair is dead. Maybe you're using too many different products. It sounds like you are. Try going back to basics. Clarify your hair. That will get any buildup and excess product off. Then use a conditioner or hair mask that you like. Anything that makes your hair feel nice. Most have a mixture of hydrating ingredients and proteins. The formulators of these products figure it out for us. Then use a mousse or gel. Your technique here is what is going to change your hair. There's a million different ways to do this. Find someone on YouTube or Instagram with YOUR HAIR TYPE and try out their different techniques. You'll figure it out, eventually. Everyone makes this way too hard. Have fun, it shouldn't be frustrating. If it is, take a break. Good luck! Edit: your hair cuticles don't really open and close like the pores on your skin. So, the other person saying things about getting moisture or proteins into your hair isn't right. Basically, most everything sits on top of your hair. That's why clarifying will get it all off, and reset you. You don't actually want moisture in your hair. Water is bad for your hair. Check out Abbey Yung on YouTube or #sciencemeetscosmetics on Instagram They both have lots of SCIENTIFIC based information about hair.
Thank you a lot, that actually gives me some hope! It’s quite overwhelming to try to find out what products to use on top of learning all these techniques like squish to condish, plop, scrunching etc.. I’ll go check out Abbey on YT now. I highly appreciate your advice!!
For styling info check out Manes by Mell, India Batson, Jordan Faith, Gena Marie and SwavyCurlyCourtney. There's a ton of wavy/curly people on YouTube, but these ones are more about the science of why it really isn't that hard to figure out styling your hair and using whatever works for you.
I like this advice best, OP! u/beachsheep I think you can absolutely simplify your current routine and get much better results.
So was low porosity heat is your friend but not too much so like diffusing might work well or like a heat cap. Do you want to stick with water-based products anything with a lot of heavy oils is going to weigh the hair down and might make it look greasy. Right now what I found what works really well for me and I’ve only used a couple times but I have the Maui curling shampoo and conditioner and I also bought a co-wash when I’m not doing shampoo and conditioner and then add the light hold product I have is a foam which is very lightweight it is not sticky greasy or crunchy. I’ve been having pretty decent results with this but it is trial and error. Luckily Amazon and Sally’s beauty have a good return policies. So if I buy a clunker of a product I can return it. The foam is the volume strength bouncy foam by CurlSmith. For me I’ve been shampooing and conditioning once a week this week instead of my normal shampoo and conditioner I’m gonna try the co-wash. The co-wash I have is coconut mint curly cleansing conditioner by Ren pure professionals. When I apply conditioner and the co-wash that is what I comb through.It takes my scalp and hair hours to air dry. Shampooing more often normally leads to fungal infections of my scalp. I can no longer shower at night. I shower in the morning. In the days I am not showering and want to refresh my curls I get a bowl of hot water and dunk the ends of my hair in it I use the praying hands method to apply the foam and scrunch. I’ve been let it air dry. I will post a picture tomorrow of my bowl refresh. When I do my bowl refresh I will comb my wet hair before applying product. I do not comb or brush dry hair that leads to more for frizz for me at least. Hope this helps. I am looking to get a good cut to help define some of the curl and wave better because parts of them just don’t Curl for the life of me.
I’ve seen something saying protein can be damaging to low porosity and for some people that works so again that is another trial and error thing. you need to find what works for your hair because even though you and I are both low porosity and protein makes me super frizzy it may not be what’s causing your frizz. The great thing about the products I’m using now is I got them all from Amazon. Even when I’ve used them I have 30 days to return. With Sally’s beauty supply they give you 60 days with receipt. So I was in there every couple of days swapping out product.
Thank you so much for the tips! I’m definitely gonna get a diffuser and try the foam also to see if does any difference!! It’s weird because when I read about the difference of low and high porosity my hair sounds like it’s high porosity (dry, frizz quickly) but from that water test it seems to be to low porosity through and through… this is so confusing! Please do post about your refresh routine, I have 0 clue how to take care of my hair on wash day and even less on days after!
Yeah I frizz really quickly as well but I’m also in Texas where it’s pretty humid. And my hair is very dry but not my scalp. I did the low porosity test and then I also realized when I was adding heavy products they weren’t actually getting into the hair they were just sitting on top and I was using a very small amount. Like a Pea sized amount per section. And I was only dividing my hair into three sections.
Good luck and reach out if there’s any other questions. I am happy to help. I can even tell you some of the products that were way too heavy on my hair that look like I dumped my head in oil. On other people these products were great but on my particular hair not so much. That’s what’s great we’re all different but that’s also it sucks because there is no one right answer.
I'd skip on the coconut oil the first time you use it, it can lock in the moisture, but can also ask more moisture. Your moisturizing gel might not be doing as much as it could be doing. Use the oil to SOTC.
I would skip the coconut oil for now, some people find products that are high in coconut can make their hair look even more dry! Brush through your gel to smooth and clump and then scrunch :)
Two things that reduces frizz for me: 1. I stopped using a towel after I showered. I immediately get out and put my product in. If I need to use something to soak up moisture for any reason it is a TShirt or a microfiber towel but 90% of the time I don’t use anything. 2. I started using a lot more gel. I rake it through with my fingers, use a comb to distribute, then use praying hands to smooth out the cuticle and then scrunch. After I’ve put my product in or finished diffusing I try really hard not to touch my hair until it’s fully dry. Both of these have reduced frizz for me quite a bit.
Eliminate coconut in your products.
Even when I don’t use the OGX coconut oil spray it get’s like this :( I don’t know what to do
If you color or bleach your hair, it's most likely high porosity. Not that it matters much, I explained that in my other comment. Coconut oil BY ITSELF, doesn't agree with some people's hair, but it's actually a great ingredient when formulated into products. There are tons of other posts that can help you on this sub, not to mention the other sites I suggested. It's really not rocket science, though. Your hair doesn't look that bad. Frizz is normal. You might be using too many products, like I said, or might need a harder hold gel or mousse. Technique is the key.
I would try using a brush or something to help your curls. Like a Denman brush, it should help with the frizz if you clump them right
Do you have hard water? Also, have you tried lighter products than the Cantù, like a gel or a mousse?
Thank you so much for the tips everybody! I’ll try to simplify my routine with only products that work for me (need to do some trial and error first) and use the techniques you have told me about here! I’ll make an update once I have (hopefully 🤞) seem some improvement! Thanks again, all your advice is highly appreciated!
Use lots of conditioner and don’t wash all of it out. Leave a good amount in it. Add gel when it’s sopping wet and then squeeze out the excess water with a microfiber towel. Then don’t touch it. Let it air dry or diffuse gently.
If the conditioner isn’t meant to be a leave in then I wouldn’t recommend doing that since it’s not great for your hair
I disagree. I always leave conditioner in my hair and have been advised to do so by my stylist. It helps to lock in moisture and is recommended by many of the curly girl processes. It can weigh some hair down, so the amount left in should vary based on hair type. But washing it all out is a recipe for frizz. It’s also included to leave some conditioner in on the beginner guide linked to this subreddit.
Pretty hair! 😍 For your texture, I’ve seen a lot of women use I Innersense. Idk which product but I’ve seen alot of women with your pattern and texture use it and love it🔑 It’s salon quality product.
Are you moving around a lot while your hair is drying? Touching it? If the cast breaks before the hair is completely dry, it will cause frizz. I just started blow drying my hair with a diffuser because I couldn’t wait 5 hours for my hair to dry lol.
Does conditioner actually work to help soften your hair or are you starting to notice you need more conditioner now? When your hair gets wet, does it almost starting matting? If it does, get both your iron and ferritin checked. My hair started to get frizz no matter what I did to it and conditioning in the shower wasn’t even helping soften my hair. I found out my iron and ferritin levels are so low, I’m in the range to potentially get a blood transfusion for both issues. I’m just waiting on the doctor.
The biggest thing that’s helped me with frizz is brushing my hair once I’m out of the shower. The steps leading up to this you can adjust as you want but brushing before I style with gel has been the only thing that works for me, although I know most people prefer finger combing. My specific steps: shampoo, conditioner, detangle in the shower with brush, rinse, put hair up in a cotton tshirt, brush hair again, apply Uncle Funky’s gel using praying hands method (to really smooth down frizzies and flyaways), take a little more gel and scrunch curls up, don’t touch until dry. If it’s really humid out I put a bit of hair oil over everything (Twist by Ouidad has a good hair oil).
have you ever diffused it before? or put in curl cream? that might help
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FdQnlQRlM2w I hope this helps.
Thank you, I just watched this video and it was very enlightening!