r/curlyhair • u/undercoverbookdragon • 1d ago
Help! Is it worth trying a full curly routine?
I have always had long heavy hair, at its longest and thickest I didn't need to straighten it, the weight of it did. That is except the ringlets I would sometimes get in the shorter hair beside my ears. My hair is thinner these days and I recently cut off around 8 inches of damaged hair from previous bleaching. The quick routine I tried after my shower tonight was brush, shampoo, put conditioner on, scrunch, rinse, apply gel, scrunch dry with a towel then diffuser. I can't decide if my hair just looks messy, or if there are some very abused curls in there trying to break free. Thoughts?
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u/IceSad226 1d ago
I think you’d be surprised what a lil mousse or gel, and a diffuser with your head held upside down will do for yah. Brings out the body and the curl. For you, I wouldn’t go too heavy on the products, though.
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u/Forsaken-Confusion89 1d ago
Also only use conditioner from your ears down to help with volume
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u/Historical_Fee1354 1d ago
What if it's voluming conditioner for fine hair
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u/Kynykya4211 1d ago
I have very fine hair and I use the NYM leave in conditioner, but I don’t leave it in, I rinse it out. That way your hair gets the benefits of a light conditioner without it weighing down your hair at the roots.
I think you have great potential for some really nice waves and maybe even a curl or two. However, as others mentioned you should scrunch in a gel (try it on both wet hair and damp hair and see which works best for you) then diffuse upside down. That really helps with volume. Then once your hair is fully dry flip your head again and scrunch out the crunch and fluff up your roots. Unfortunately it takes a lot of experimenting to find what your hair likes and what it doesn’t.
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u/Forsaken-Confusion89 1d ago
Still no - in my opinion it still weighs my roots down - it makes them too soft to do anything but lay flat.
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u/undercoverbookdragon 1d ago
It won't let me edit it so so comment to say that shampoo, conditioner and gel are all Alberto balsam
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u/user684737889 1d ago
While you’re still in the shower, brush your hair out. Leave it soaking wet and scrunch it (with a mousse, or with nothing). Then scrunch in hair gel. DO NOT TOUCH! Let it get 100% dry. It’s going to feel sticky and stiff. Trust the process. Once it’s dry, scrunch it again. I think you’ll end up with nice soft curls or more defined waves!
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u/JLMezz 1d ago
If you find some great waves/curls after you play around with the products and methods, I suggest you have layers cut into your hair as well as notching by your stylist. Letting go of a bunch of your hair’s weight will make your curls/waves spring to life!
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u/Accomplished-Pea2965 23h ago
Yes! 🙌 Layers like the old style “Rachel” cut from the 90’s really helped lift my curls and help create more curls
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u/MonArchie66 1d ago
What gel do you use? Some curly hair products are too heavy for waves. You want products that feel light. Mousse is perfect for the lightness. I wouldn’t towel dry after applying styling products it just makes frizz.
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u/acoffeequeen 1d ago
Absolutely. This is what my hair used to look like. It’s a few years into my curl journey, and the more i do my routine the more my waves/curls are defined.
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u/scheduledDisaster 1d ago
A lighter leave in or mousse will do well. A thick one will be too heavy and take away the volume.
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u/astro_skoolie 1d ago
Yes, and maybe get some layers. I have a similar wave pattern and getting layers puffed up ny hair very nicely.
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u/KathyStivaletti 1d ago
Pretty, pretty waves! I think you can find those ringlets in there with a bit of love and encouragement. Google squish to condish videos as that will help with hydration and healing on your journey. It will also eliminate the need for an extra leave in product.
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u/Eeveetron7 2b-c, low porosity, thick, medium length, brownish black 1d ago
i used to have this hair type and over months it became 2c-3a
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u/Ok-Following6460 1d ago
If I let my hair do whatever, I get a weird shiny mass. If I put gel and diffuse it, I get curls. Wavy hair is wild. Try and see what it does. 😊
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u/IceSad226 1d ago
I feel this response from the bottom of my soul. 🤣 wavy hair definitely has a mind of its own!
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u/PaisleyParker 1d ago
Yes, you have nice waves that could probably get even wavier/curlier! Also, I LOVE your facial expression in the first pic! Looks like me most of the time, lol.
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u/undercoverbookdragon 1d ago
Haha, I always spend way too long trying to smile right on selfies, so half the time I just pull a face instead
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u/Accomplished-Pea2965 23h ago
Are you beginning your journey (less than a year)?
It took about a year to train my hair to be natural. It was a long process to find what products and methods worked for me. BUT 100% WORTH IT!!!
My routine - shampoo, conditioner from ears down. Pull up my hair after conditioner while I wash my body. It allows just a bit more time for good conditioning. When I get out, I don’t towel dry my hair, rather I put a towel on my should with my hair soaking wet. Also use a microfiber towel.
Brush with Teezer which details without pulling. Section the hair in chunks to work with. Brush section, add mousse with praying hands then rake. Add gel using raking. Sometimes I have to spray with water to make it wet again (not dripping). Then I scrunch with my hands. It must make the squishy sound. It helps distribute the products and creates the curl pattern. It may not look as curly at this time. ** Sometimes I use the curl brush or Teezer to create the curl clumps)
Once product process is finished, micro plop. With sections tilting you head to the side, grasp the hair softly at first, then pump your hands like your squeezing an orange. Don’t move until you are finished and then continue on. Don’t go back over a previous section.
Lastly, defuse. Start by hover defuse the crown of your head sitting up. This takes longer than the rest of the drying. If you begin with the ends, your scalp won’t be dry making it heavy. Once 75-80% dry, then micro defuse. Move section by section defusing for several minutes. Don’t go quickly. Gentle cup the hair and dry until 90% dry.
At the end, the top of my head is flat so I use a hair clip to gather small sections gently folding it slightly and leaving it while I do my morning routine. It helps some. You don’t need the fancy root clips.
Once fully dry, scrunch your hair to break up the gel cast. Same as before, move by sections, pumping your hands until satisfied. Break up any larger clumps if needed.
Not going to lie, it takes me 45 mins of shower and styling. But I only do full routine twice a week. On Saturday, I just use mousse and hair dry.
I use drug store products and get similar results as the pricy brands. While I do like Curlsmith gel, it’s expensive and I can get mostly the same effects.
Keep going. Try different products to see what works best for you. Sometimes wavy products work the best if you have type 2 curly.
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u/Annual_Section_3564 1d ago
Find a good shampoo conditioner and leave-in conditioner and maybe a mousse. Don’t listen to ANYONE that recommends a mousse or a gel without mentioning a leave-in conditioner. Mousse would be better for you than gel bc mousse is lighter and that’ll work better with your wavy hair
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u/Head-Drag-1440 9m ago
It's wavy, not curly. So no, you don't want to do a full curly routine because it'll be too much for your hair. However, you'll have to try products to see what they do.
I have wavy hair and do leave-in conditioner mid-lengths to ends, a curl cream, then a mousse or a gel. My hair is also pretty naturally dry, frizzy, and graying.
Keep in mind that mousses are more I lightweight than gels, so mousse might be a better option for you. Also, once your hair is completely dry, scrunch it all again to break the cast and soften the waves.
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