Committing to Curly Hair: Shaping, Regimen, Styling, and More

Greetings!

I think I'm ready to wear my hair curly/kinky 80+% of the time. (I imagine I will straighten it on very special occasions, such as for weddings, Valentine's Day, etc.)

RosieCurlyCrown is my inspiration.

Has anyone else taken this step . . . moving from MAINLY wearing your natural hair straightened to committing to hardly ever flat ironing? (I will be wearing stretched styles such as twist outs, flexi rod sets, etc.)
Would anyone like to join me? Is there a thread that already exists for this? If so, I'll mosey on over there once I learn of it.

Blessings all around, all!

Recently I've been a straight-haired natural.
Loved it! It was EASY, mechanical damage from detangling was virtually non-existent, and my hair grew and grew and grew . . .

The mechanical damage thing was IMPORTANT. I have (well, had) dense hair that was VERY FINE. That combo resulted in hair that tangled TONS. Detangling fine hair without damaging it is challenging. I think I now have a technique down that is as minimally damaging as I can get it, without abandoning a detangling brush. (I will never be a finger-detangle-only natural: It is not thorough enough for me.)
As a straight-haired natural, for 6-8 weeks at a time, ALLLLLLL I would do with my hair was:
Loved everything about this. However, over time it has been damaging: My hair is DEFINITELY SIGNIFICANTLY less dense, and I feel like I'm maxing out at bra-strap-length to mid-back-length as a straight-haired natural.1

I am inspired to try to get to shoulder-length curly hair. That would be EXTREMELY LONG HAIR, I'm thinking! (Depending on the area of my head, my chin-length curly hair is down to my shoulder blades or longer when flat-ironed.) I've watched Rosie handle detangling very long natural hair, and *fingers crossed* I think I can handle it. LOL.

This week I have an appointment with Haiya of HERcurls to get my curly/kinky hair CUT. I'm excited AND nervous. My goal is to be able to wash and GO, literally. Haiya cut singer HER's hair. I've been watching Haiya on Instagram for years. I'm finally ready to commit!

I'm torn between saying, "Please preserve as much length as you can" and saying "Do whatever it takes to give me a cut where I can truly wash and GO . . . and that will grow it into my dream shape."

I'll aim to post pics after the appointment.

I've recently been wearing my hair in it's curly state, and have had a full WAG for the first time a few weeks ago. I do enjoy my curly hair, I find it easy to maintain, except for the frizz

I'm thinking about sticking with it till autumn when there's not as much humidity, at which point, I will rollerset till winter. I intend to bun through winter, and then go back to WAGs for spring.

Wash and Go Thread

I hope I inserted the link correctly. The above thread may be of assistance to you.

keranikki said:

Wash and Go Thread

I hope I inserted the link correctly. The above thread may be of assistance to you.

Click to expand...

Thank you

ETA: I see there are over 200 pages..... That will give me some bedtime reading for days

Update

New Shape and Length


Cleansers, Treatments, Stylers, and Other Products I'll Use Up before Trialing the Stylist-recommended Products


The Appointment
I really enjoyed my appointment with Haiya of HERCurls on Friday. She really listens, and she knows a lot about hair.

It looks sooooo much better curly now.

I have layers now. I believe I went from bra-strap length to having longest layers that are just above armpit length. Some of my layers are chin length.

I will return for one more shaping in a few months, I'll return to get color (for the first time ever!) a bit after that, then I should be good for awhile (just typical trims every 3-4 months).

Goal Color



Products
Haiya does not recommend usage of products available in BSS or supermarkets. Because of their performance, she says, she is a proponent of Kevin Murphy hair shampoo, cowash, and conditioner and of Innersense I Create Hold.

I already use the Innersense gel. I don't mind trying the Kevin Murphy products, but first I will use up good products that I already have.

I don't foresee stopping using the 2 The Doux foams/mousse that I love unless there is a comparable high end one available. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking. The Innersense foam did very little for my hair.

Some Thoughts
I'm excited and inspired!

#1
My hair is so easy to do now. I could LITERALLY wash and go. Also, I will be able to apply foam quickly and just walk out the door and air dry on the drive to work and in the morning.

#2 Rosie has me sooooooo inspired. Length retention and reduced weathering of my ends, here I come! I will straighten for a wedding in October, but otherwise, no direct heat and no ironing. I love Rosie's routine (though I will only layer that much on my ends).

I'm really glad I did this. I wore long(er) hair long enough and had a blast with it. I like the way I look in shaped, chin-length curly hair. I am soooooo excited about getting color in October. A successful salon visit! Praise God!

Yvette 2.0 said:

Update

New Shape and Length
View attachment 505362

Cleansers, Treatments, Stylers, and Other Products I'll Use Up before Trialing the Stylist-recommended Products
View attachment 505354 View attachment 505356 View attachment 505358 View attachment 505360

The Appointment
I really enjoyed my appointment with Haiya of HERCurls on Friday. She really listens, and she knows a lot about hair.

It looks sooooo much better curly now.

I have layers now. I believe I went from bra-strap length to having longest layers that are just above armpit length. Some of my layers are chin length.

I will return for one more shaping in a few months, I'll return to get color (for the first time ever!) a bit after that, then I should be good for awhile (just typical trims every 3-4 months).

Goal Color

View attachment 505364

Products
Haiya does not recommend usage of products available in BSS or supermarkets. Because of their performance, she says, she is a proponent of Kevin Murphy hair shampoo, cowash, and conditioner and of Innersense I Create Hold.

I already use the Innersense gel. I don't mind trying the Kevin Murphy products, but first I will use up good products that I already have.

I don't foresee stopping using the 2 The Doux foams/mousse that I love unless there is a comparable high end one available. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking. The Innersense foam did very little for my hair.

Some Thoughts
I'm excited and inspired!

#1
My hair is so easy to do now. I could LITERALLY wash and go. Also, I will be able to apply foam quickly and just walk out the door and air dry on the drive to work and in the morning.

#2 Rosie has me sooooooo inspired. Length retention and reduced weathering of my ends, here I come! I will straighten for a wedding in October, but otherwise, no direct heat and no ironing. I love Rosie's routine (though I will only layer that much on my ends).

I'm really glad I did this. I wore long(er) hair long enough and had a blast with it. I like the way I look in shaped, chin-length curly hair. I am soooooo excited about getting color in October. A successful salon visit! Praise God!

Click to expand...

I'm glad your appointment went well and you're loving your new hair cut I'd never heard of Kevin Murphy, I had a quick search, and it seems his products come highly recommended, are deemed to do what they're intended for and seems to be on the higher end.

They even have a trial pack for £1.99 I think that's quite amazing, you can try the range without breaking the bank, and you shoukd have a fair idea of whether or not it's worth purchasing full size product Unfortunately it's sold out. I've signed up for the stock alert when it comes back in.

I'm loving trial sizes at the moment, it's allowing me to try new products without having to commit. If I don't like it, I can move on to the next one.

How do you find the Innersense gel, does it give a good definition and hold, is it good for retaining moisture?

Oooo! Great idea regarding the trial sizes. I'll look out for them.

I love the Innersense gel. It's awesome for me on damp hair.