Avoiding droopy hang dog curls
My top 3 curly hair considerations are:
1. The Time Factor; I don’t want to spend ages doing my hair each time I leave the house
2. Frizz control
3. Avoiding droopy, lank, hang-dog curls
That being said, whatever I do with my hair now is about nourishment FIRST and bouncy curls SECOND.
When my hair is healthy and looked after, it automatically looks better. Good health is my first focus.
1. Time – About once a week I spend a great deal of time pouring goodness into my hair. I style it properly on that day and then, for the rest of the week, I do little else with it.
Here, I will let you know what works for me.
2. Frizz control – Whilst I now limit the number of ‘products’ I use I do use hair products to get curls that are detangled and bouncy and I have looked into the ingredients as much as I can. In doing this I hope to be adding nourishment to the goodness I pour into my hair rather than stripping it all back as I used to.
3.Hang-dog curls – My hair bounces and swings on the first day I wash and style it and that lasts a day or two. Day 3 is definitely a droopy day though. My full routine is detailed below.
I have used Shea Moisture products since de-toxing my hair a few years back and they are great products. However, I have discovered others on the market with better ingredients, fairtrade and less plastic. Currently, I am in the process of trying them out with a hope to switching. This range has worked well on my hair though.
See ‘What comes after coconut oil’ for other simple curly hair hacks
Process
Day 1
o Finger massage my scalp with coconut oil
I literally park myself in front of Saturday morning TV or sit with my Kindle, scoop some coconut oil onto the palm of my hand, rub my hands together to soften and use the oil on my fingers to massage my whole scalp.
o Finger detangle my hair using an abundance of coconut oil.
I begin at the dry ends of my hair because the ends need to most attention and doing it this way minimises the hair loss. I quite enjoy the process now and take my time, I try not to view it as a chore but as a bit of pamper time.
o I Leave my hair for at least an hour before washing
o I apply shampoo and rinse as normal in the shower.
I have been using Shea Moistures coconut and Hibiscus curl and shine shampoo for a little while now. I do apply conditioner whilst in the shower BUT I don’t wash the conditioner out with hot shower water, I use cold water for the final rinse [see wash hair routine blog]. I swap between Shea Moisture coconut and hibiscus curl and shine conditioner and Shea Moisture raw shea and cupuacu frizz defense conditioner because I think mixing it up products is good for my hair
o When ready to style I apply shea moisture coconut and hibiscus curl and shine smoothie all over my hair, detangling as I go
o I find my parting and apply Argan oil, not on my scalp or roots, just on the rest of my hair. I am not generous with the argan oil, I use the smallest amounts I can, partly because it’s expensive and partly because too much makes my hair look greasy – not a good look!
o Finish with Shea Moisture coconut and hibiscus curl and shine style milk or I apply a leave in conditioner of some kind or I just leave it at the argan oil step
o I ensure my parting is when I want and leave it to air dry. I do not touch my hair again until it is fully dry
o When fully dry I ‘rough up’ my hair, flip my head forward, gently run my fingers through it, break up the curls and bring back the bounce!
Day 2
Finger detangle. Generally I won’t need to apply anything to it.
Day 3
Finger detangle with coconut oil. If my hair is feeling dry or looking a bit matted I use a small amount of coconut oil and apply to the ends.
If I did the works on Day One it may not need anything on Day Three.
If I didn’t have time to do everything on Day One it may need a bit more attention by Day Three. It all depends on how much good stuff and looking after my hair has had.
Day 4
Finger detangle with coconut oil.
Day 5
By Weds or Thursday (usually) my hair is properly dry and matted with a bit of frizz. To revive it properly it requires wetting again.
o I wet my hair, apply the deep conditioner or normal conditioner, cold rinse and re-style with just the smoothie or oil (rarely both mid-week).
If I am not doing very much before the full Day One routine I won’t do very much with my hair mid-week. My preferred methods for midweek haircare are coconut oil and tie it up in some kind of a bun to hide the grease OR (my absolute favourite) wear a hat. I love my hat; it hides my roots, hides my messy hair and hides a lot of my face as well!
You can go nuts with the coconut oil by Day Five, in fact my hair is like a parched marathon runner by Day Five and drinks the stuff up. Sparingly does not work at this point in the week!
Day 6
Depends on what happened on Day Five and what I have planned for Day One/Seven! For instance if I have plans to be out Friday I may do my whole routine then. If I have no plans at the weekend I may do a reduced routine or not much at all or I may decided to do a deep condition PLUS everything detailed here.
It is my hair and my routine, I do what I need. You will need to adapt everything here to suit you and your hair, the environment where you live and work as it all has an effect.
My Day One tends to be a Saturday.
Not everyone has hours to spend on their hair come a busy Saturday; ‘this is not real’ I hear you shout BUT most of us do have sit down and chill on a Friday night, half an hour of that time could be hair time. When the dinner/lunch/baking in in the over and brewing or stewing that could give you another half hour hair time.
The time is in the day - it is up to us what we do with it.
I cannot do this every week but this is the ideal scenario.
When I am mad busy I do the bits I can i.e. shampoo and conditioner or do my ends with a wash – whatever I can fit in.
But if all of this is still too much for you to fit into your life at the moment just shelve it and go buy yourself a hat!