Thanks, Crystal Tips!

Also - all dry and everything now and I’ve got to say, the Curl Gellie is fantastic.  I.  Have.  Almost.  No.  Frizz.  *jaw drops*

Pics when I get a chance to resize later today.

Pics from today. 

The lack of frizz didn’t last - but I started out with a lot less than I’d had, and I still have less than I normally would by this point in the day.

Gorgeous curls!!

hey oddityofwings your curls are gorgeous!  The shine, the definition. Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing pics!

Thanks girls - I’ve got a huuuuge grin on my face right now.

Today I’ve decided to let my hair go ‘naked’ - see what its real condition is after a solid week of styling (and because I’d like to get out before say, noon, when my hair is generally dry!). 

weather: 69/49, dewpoint: 48.

cowash: Inecto Pure Coconut Oil
rinse-out: Crown Pride Avocado Detangling Conditioner.
leave-in: teeny bit of CJ Beauticurls

It’s going to take a few more uses to decide what I think of the Avocado conditioner.  On the plus side, it really does detangle (like, instantly), the oils are not heavy and rinse right off, and my hair felt very seaweedy after use.  On the less than good side, it doesn’t seem that different from anything else I’ve used - the detangling qualities of all of the CJ stuff sort of combined with the moisture of maybe AOHR?  Somewhere inbetween is the scent.  There’s no fragrance listed in the ingredient list on my bottle, which leads me to believe this is the unscented version (which is fine by me!), but the conditioner does smell lightly of vanilla in the bottle because it does have some vanilla extract in it.  The scent disappears when you apply it to hair, though, and it’s replaced by a sort of ‘natural product’ smell which is fairly strong.  Not unpleasant - just sort of ‘oh, not vanilla.  right.’  So it’s sort of a middle of the road product for me - but I’ll see how it goes after repeated usage and make a proper review then.  I have a feeling it’ll be a good summer moisture-booster that won’t overcondition me, but that’s just my intuition.

Your hair is stunning! The shine…oh it’s just amazing!

Thanks, Michelle.

Today’s weather: 79/56, dewpoint 55

cowash: Inecto Pure Coconut Oil
rinse-out: AO GPB
leave-in: CJ Curl Assurance Leave-in (the old one).  I like this stuff.  A lot.  Smells like a creamsicle, and is heavier than most leave-ins.  Perfect for me.
styling: CJ CCCC, super soaker, then CJ curl gellie. Plop for about an hour.

This is a repeat of the last time I used the curl gellie - this stuff if freaking awesome.  I don’t know how it defrizzes me - it just does.  New go-to?  Quite probably.

I’ve been bad at keeping track of this stuff recently - deadlines are incredibly irritating.  This is why I’m sitting in a study carrel posting on here instead of editing.  Ha! 

Anyway - today’s routine:

weather: 60/45, dewpoint lower 40s (yay, heatwave is over, I can sleep under the duvet again!)

poo: KC Come Clean.  Meh.  Another supposedly ‘gentle’ shampoo that left my hair like straw.  I’m not surprised, but I expected more from KC.  I’m seriously thinking about falling off the bandwagon as far as the no-sulfate thing goes.  I’ve never had a sulfate shampoo make me like straw - but I’ve never used a low-poo that didn’t.
cowash: VO5 Champagne Kiss.  I’ve started rotating this and the Inecto for the time being to make sure I don’t overdo protein again. 
rinse-out: DB Pumpkin Seed Conditioner.  I think I’m in love.
leave-in: I used the DB Sweet Cream Detangler to get the last of my tangles out and then left in some of the DB Peach Kernal Moisturiser.  I think the company’s tweaked the formula of this since last time I had some because this is a slightly different consistancy to what I used before, but only for the best - it’s a nice slippery leave-in with a bit of moisture (rather than being just slip, like KCKT is). 
styling: CJ CCCC, then CJ Curl Gellie again - plopped for about an hour this morning.  Once dried by somewhat fuzzy, I applied a little of the DB shea whip (nom nom lemon nom nom) and that’s tamed things a bit. 

My results today are soft, touchable curls, though with less definition than they’d had last week.  I think the curl gellie might be a high(er) dew product.  It worked today, but not as well or for as long as it had.  On the plus side, it seems to be light enough to give me a little lift in the root area.  Still, things look good.  I fingercombed my curls to fluff them a bit and I can’t stop running my fingers through the ends. 

I have also decided I lurve the Pumpkin Seed conditioner.  I could be happily overconditioned for the rest of my life if I always had hair that was this soft.  *babbles something happily incoherent*

Annoyingly, I forgot all about the curl clips that Mich sent me!  Bah!  Will have to use them on Thursday (tomorrow is going to be a protective styling day, methinks - have to be out the door too early to get dry if I go curly).

I have decided I like the Crown Pride Avocado conditioner.  I used it today as rinse-out and leave-in (just a bun today) and I decided in the shower that I really rather like it.  It’s not become my new favourite like the Pumpkin Seed condish, but I think it and I could have a very happy, long-lasting friendship.  My hair felt absolutely silky in the shower this morning, and brilliantly soft and happy once dry.  I haven’t tried the luscious curl creme yet - I think that’ll be for tomorrow.  Anyone know of good gels to put overtop that (preferably ones I already have/ have easy access to)?  I’m fairly certain the creme alone won’t give me much hold.

oddityofwings - 26 May 2010 10:50 AM

I have decided I like the Crown Pride Avocado conditioner.  I used it today as rinse-out and leave-in (just a bun today) and I decided in the shower that I really rather like it.  It’s not become my new favourite like the Pumpkin Seed condish, but I think it and I could have a very happy, long-lasting friendship.  My hair felt absolutely silky in the shower this morning, and brilliantly soft and happy once dry.  I haven’t tried the luscious curl creme yet - I think that’ll be for tomorrow.  Anyone know of good gels to put overtop that (preferably ones I already have/ have easy access to)?  I’m fairly certain the creme alone won’t give me much hold.

I’ve used the CP curl creme twice now (haven’t yet posted up a review) with different stuff on top. The first time I used BRHG over and got quite a good result - soft curls, light non producty feel but only medium hold (I think that’s because I’m used to layering 3 products rather than two!) The second time, I thought I’d try just CIAB over - this was not enough hold for me and I got the dreaded frizz! I need to try again, perhaps with FSG/FDGel and see how that works.

I’ve decided to just try the curl creme on its own today - just to see what it does, really.  I don’t need the hold cause I don’t intend to be doing a lot of running around today doing things in public, so I don’t mind if my curls go silly by 4pm.

Today’s weather: 63/44, dewpoint mid-40s

cowash: VO5 Champage Kiss
rinse-out: CP Avocado Detangling conditioner (left on for quite a while - had some weird water pressure issues this morning)
leave-in: CP Avocado Detangling conditioner
styling: just used the CP Luscious Curl Creme.  Raked a bit through, then distributed further with a Denman.  Scrunched in a bit more (each ‘bit’ is about the size of a large pea), plopped for about an hour.

I’m not entirely dry yet, but my results remind me a little bit of using KCCC - post plop it feels damp but not wet, fairly well-defined.  I don’t think I’ll have any crunch, at least nothing significant.  I really like the texture of the curl creme, but I can see it being problematic in the winter (no ‘water’ in it at all - just oils, butters, and extracts), and I’m not sure how it’d cope with high heat and humidity for much the same reason.  Seems to me more of a moisturiser that dries stiff than anything else (though I guess that’s the definition of a curl creme!).  Still, as an inbetween seasons product, it may well end up being ideal.  Scent is faintly of cocoa butter, but not strong at all.  (I’d forgotten how much I preferred lightly scented products till I started using the CP things!)

Okay, maybe not so much with the curl creme… my curls are nice and defined (and I’m getting some ridiculous shrinkage), but overall they are a bit stringy and kind of… oily?  Sort of, anyway.  It’s probably my own stupid fault for leaving the conditioner on too long and then using too much curl creme… will try again once the excess oil’s worn/washed off.  The areas I got less of the creme on seem much better so I’m hoping it’s just a matter of amount.

Woke up this morning with soft, moisturised hair, but oooooh my did it look oily.  I think I will *definitely* have to watch the amounts with the CP curl creme.  I like it.  I really do - crazy shrinkage, nice definition, nice smell - but just too much oil for this fine curly when used in large amounts.  I think I’ll need to use it in combination with something, or perhaps not with the avocado conditioner.  I’m wondering if it might make my CJ Beauticurls usable again (it’s just not enough moisture for me… well… ever). 

Anyway - today:

weather: 67/48, dew: upper 30s

shampoo: L’Oreal Kids’ Tropical Mango shampoo (see my thread about sulfate poos on the high street product forum - I’m falling off the no-sulfates end of the CG bandwagon a bit).  This left my hair clean but not stripped (well, only slightly stripped at the ends).  In fact, at first I thought it’d left a film of some sort on my hair until I realised that was MY OWN SEBUM not being washed off.  The product does have polyquat-10, so watch this space for build-up issues.  I’ve used that quat before in the summer without issues, but you just never know.  It’s waaay down on the ingredient list so should be okay if it’s not used everyday.  The shampoo also has some detangling properties (not sure what did it, though), which is nice, and seems to have rinsed clean.  Smells of fakey mango, but not too fakey.
co-wash: VO5 Champagne Kiss.  Meant to use my Tresemme Naturals, picked up the wrong bottle.  Doh.
Rinse-out: CJ Curl Theory.  Thought I’d give it one last hurrah before summer sets in.  My hair soaked it up today - I guess it really needed the protein.
leave-in: CJ Curl Assurance leave-in. 
Styling: used my old standby of CCCC and CIAB

Still in a plop for the moment, but we’ll see how things go today.  I noticed the shampoo had some mag. sulfate in it (maybe?  I am so crap with ingredients.), so I’m interested to see how that might affect my curl pattern.

I decided to wait until I did all my running around for the day to do my hair, thus the late post.  Kind of glad I did since it’s raining which almost always results in good hair days!

Weather: 58/51, dew mid 50s.

cowash: Garnier Repair and Shine
rinse-out: CJ Smoothing
leave-in: CJ Curl Rehab
styling: CCCC and Curl Gellie

Plopping for about an hour.. we’ll see how this does in nice high humid weather.

Yesterday actually ended up pretty good.  I thought I was a frizz bomb till I walked outside into the real humidity - and suddenly everything just calmed down.  My hair’s always done that, no idea why. 

For today:

weather: 60/51, dews upper 30s (currently sprinkling)

cowash: Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner
rinse-out: DB Pumpkin Seed conditioner
detangle with DB Sweet Cream detangler
leave-in: DB Peach Kernel Moisturizer (glycerin free)
styling: CCCC and CIAB, plop.

I’ve got a lot of shine and am fairly defined today.  Inner-curl frizz as usual, slightly OCd on the ends, but not something you’d notice unless you were looking for it.  Fairly nice.  Pity I’m stuck in doing work today.

I’m still playing with things trying to figure out what will make for a good daily routine for the summer. In the winter, my golden pairing was Suave Coconut with CJ Curl Theory and either CJ Smoothing or Curl Rehab left in and CCCC with CIAB for hold.  I know the CCCC will be too heavy to use all summer long (I expect), but I do need the control a creme gives me.  I should try the Curl Gellie on its own, but I’m a bit doubtful of what it might do on its own. I’m even more clueless as far as conditioners go at the moment - I know I’ll need more protein in the summer, but given my hair’s propensity for being weird, I’m wondering if it might actually want LESS in warmer weather (it seems happier with minimal protein at the moment).  I know I can’t use the DB or the CP daily because I’ll get too oily or become overconditioned quickly.  That leaves me with Curl Rehab (too expensive for everyday), CJ Smoothing, CJ Beauticurls, AOHR and AOGBP.  The Beauticurls is too light in general, unfortunately, otherwise it’d seem perfect.  I suppose I could keep poking at the Smoothing conditioner and see what happens, maybe rotate that with AOHR and GBP and see how that works.  Bah, my hair is silly.