Like others here, I’ve decided to write some info down here to help me remember my experiences with different products.  I’ve only been CG since about 20th Jan so its very early days yet.  For the last 20 yrs (at least) I tortured my hair into being straight by all the methods known to us women.    Not any more though!  Thankfully I still have some hair left he heee! and its short & I want to get some length on it cos we all know that going curly makes it even shorter   I’ve concentrated on reading/learning from all you good people on the forum, on the internet generally & then on giving up sulphate shampoos.  That alone has worked miracles (& cured my scalp irritation that caused bits of dandruff )  My hair has improved no end and feels much softer.

Yesterday though I used AO GPB poo & cond for the first time, along with DrO AVG.  MMmm, my hair definitely felt and looked different & I’m really puzzled about why & what it means.  It didn’t feel quite as soft as it does when I use, say, AOHR poo & cond followed by DrO AVG.  But yet it felt & looked to have a stronger curl pattern (yes my hair looked a bit shorter but it was ok) and it felt ‘heavier’.  That probably sounds silly but its the only way I can describe it.  The curl/style held well all day/evening & even this morning there was still a lot of curls left.  Amayyzzzing.

I’ve still a long way to go getting to know my natural hair, so help what do you think this means?  Did my hair like the protein, or not?  (or was it recoiling in horror, ha haa!)  Is the AO GPB something I should do once a month or not?  Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 12:23 PM

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

Hi CrystalTips, I think my hair texture is medium at the back & sides & fine on the canopy.  I quite liked the effect I got yesterday with the AO GPB.  ;>)  I got a very different result this morning - after rinsing my hair through under the shower I just used CP Avocado Detangling cond as a leave-in & followed with DrO AVG.  Once my hair dried it looked ‘stringier’ and nowhere near as full as yesterday.  Had to do a lot of scrunching to get it looking less stringy & fuller, but even so, the result wasnt as good.  ;>(
The AO GPB cond I used yesterday has lavender & ylang ylang added to.  Not sure if that makes it a whole lot different to the ordinary one though.

I’ve just been looking for the ingredients for your fave Joico K-pak.  There’s lots of stuff listed & those at the end of the list I found were parabens.  Is that right - am I looking at the right cond?  I didnt think parabens were CG?  Do you buy it online?

mrsgemini - 20 February 2011 01:15 PM

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 12:23 PM

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

Hi CrystalTips, I think my hair texture is medium at the back & sides & fine on the canopy.  I quite liked the effect I got yesterday with the AO GPB.  ;>)  I got a very different result this morning - after rinsing my hair through under the shower I just used CP Avocado Detangling cond as a leave-in & followed with DrO AVG.  Once my hair dried it looked ‘stringier’ and nowhere near as full as yesterday.  Had to do a lot of scrunching to get it looking less stringy & fuller, but even so, the result wasnt as good.  ;>(
The AO GPB cond I used yesterday has lavender & ylang ylang added to.  Not sure if that makes it a whole lot different to the ordinary one though.

I’ve just been looking for the ingredients for your fave Joico K-pak.  There’s lots of stuff listed & those at the end of the list I found were parabens.  Is that right - am I looking at the right cond?  I didnt think parabens were CG?  Do you buy it online?

The CG method doesn’t necessarily have a problem with parabens - they’re simply preservatives. But a lot of people decide to cut them down because of some apparent connections between parabens and breast cancer.

mrsgemini - 20 February 2011 01:15 PM

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 12:23 PM

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

Hi CrystalTips, I think my hair texture is medium at the back & sides & fine on the canopy.  I quite liked the effect I got yesterday with the AO GPB.  ;>)  I got a very different result this morning - after rinsing my hair through under the shower I just used CP Avocado Detangling cond as a leave-in & followed with DrO AVG.  Once my hair dried it looked ‘stringier’ and nowhere near as full as yesterday.  Had to do a lot of scrunching to get it looking less stringy & fuller, but even so, the result wasnt as good.  ;>(
The AO GPB cond I used yesterday has lavender & ylang ylang added to.  Not sure if that makes it a whole lot different to the ordinary one though.

I’ve just been looking for the ingredients for your fave Joico K-pak.  There’s lots of stuff listed & those at the end of the list I found were parabens.  Is that right - am I looking at the right cond?  I didnt think parabens were CG?  Do you buy it online?

yes, like angel_sista said - parabens are preservatives and some like to avoid at all costs! I have some products containing them but also a lot of more natural stuff. A CG routine just means avoiding sulphates, cones and anthing that won’t wash out with gentle cleansers. I’m a cowasher so everything I use is water soluble. I purchase the Joico either online (I just google for the best deal at the time) or direct from HQ Hair onground. HTH!

Edit: I tend to get a slightly different result each time cowash - depending on what I’ve used, the weather etc. The lavender and ylang yland are just EOs added for fragrance.

angel_sista - 20 February 2011 01:57 PM

mrsgemini - 20 February 2011 01:15 PM

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 12:23 PM

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

Hi CrystalTips, I think my hair texture is medium at the back & sides & fine on the canopy.  I quite liked the effect I got yesterday with the AO GPB.  ;>)  I got a very different result this morning - after rinsing my hair through under the shower I just used CP Avocado Detangling cond as a leave-in & followed with DrO AVG.  Once my hair dried it looked ‘stringier’ and nowhere near as full as yesterday.  Had to do a lot of scrunching to get it looking less stringy & fuller, but even so, the result wasnt as good.  ;>(
The AO GPB cond I used yesterday has lavender & ylang ylang added to.  Not sure if that makes it a whole lot different to the ordinary one though.

I’ve just been looking for the ingredients for your fave Joico K-pak.  There’s lots of stuff listed & those at the end of the list I found were parabens.  Is that right - am I looking at the right cond?  I didnt think parabens were CG?  Do you buy it online?

The CG method doesn’t necessarily have a problem with parabens - they’re simply preservatives. But a lot of people decide to cut them down because of some apparent connections between parabens and breast cancer.

Ahhh, thanks for clearing that up angel-sista.  Not as bad as I thought   Been reading some of the other info as well from the web site your link led to.  I’ve not seen it before but I think I’ll be going back to read some more.

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 04:24 PM

mrsgemini - 20 February 2011 01:15 PM

CrystalTips - 20 February 2011 12:23 PM

Hi mrsgemini! Great you started a diary - you should find it really useful. Re the protein and your hair’s response - that is def the experience of most when they use protein. Protein does ‘firm up’ and ‘perk up’ the curls

I always use a moisturising condish after using protein - I want my curls to ‘perk up’ but I need to be careful that the protein doesn’t ‘harden’ my hair too much. But then I am medium/coarse so need to do this. What would you say your hair texture is?

I like AOGPB and (my fave) Joico k-pak reconstruct condish (regular not treatment) but don’t generally like wheat protein as this will make my hair hard and dry feeling. You might find different protein conditioners work differently/better for you - depending on the protein ingredients.

Hi CrystalTips, I think my hair texture is medium at the back & sides & fine on the canopy.  I quite liked the effect I got yesterday with the AO GPB.  ;>)  I got a very different result this morning - after rinsing my hair through under the shower I just used CP Avocado Detangling cond as a leave-in & followed with DrO AVG.  Once my hair dried it looked ‘stringier’ and nowhere near as full as yesterday.  Had to do a lot of scrunching to get it looking less stringy & fuller, but even so, the result wasnt as good.  ;>(
The AO GPB cond I used yesterday has lavender & ylang ylang added to.  Not sure if that makes it a whole lot different to the ordinary one though.

I’ve just been looking for the ingredients for your fave Joico K-pak.  There’s lots of stuff listed & those at the end of the list I found were parabens.  Is that right - am I looking at the right cond?  I didnt think parabens were CG?  Do you buy it online?

yes, like angel_sista said - parabens are preservatives and some like to avoid at all costs! I have some products containing them but also a lot of more natural stuff. A CG routine just means avoiding sulphates, cones and anthing that won’t wash out with gentle cleansers. I’m a cowasher so everything I use is water soluble. I purchase the Joico either online (I just google for the best deal at the time) or direct from HQ Hair onground. HTH!

Edit: I tend to get a slightly different result each time cowash - depending on what I’ve used, the weather etc. The lavender and ylang yland are just EOs added for fragrance.

Well at least they were at the end of the list of ingredients so probably only a very small amount in there     I may well just give it a try though because of the different types of proteins in there…...see how it compares with AO GPB.  Yes, I think keeping this on-line record will be the best way to remember all the differing results because I’m sure there are going to be many !

Today I did a co-wash with Tresemme Naturals cond, then rinsed, then applied some AO GPB cond for a few minutes.  Instead of rinsing it all out I sort of threw handfuls of water over my head instead so as not to rinse it out completely.  After blotting the hair I used a small blob of KC Califia Moisturising Cream & worked that onto my hair, followed by some AVG, then left it to air dry.

I think the end result is better than yesterday.  It’s not ‘stringy’ so there’s a bit more volume to it & hardly needed any scrunching out.   There’s not much frizz either & it feels soft to the touch.  Mind you, I don’t have to leave the house today so can’t say whether it would hold up to the weather outside or not.  Probably not as it’s raining (sleeting at the mo!!) here. 

Yay - its so good when you start to see results isn’t it?

I know what you mean though- Im often in the house all day working so I may find a good combination but who knows if it would withstand the outside elements lol!

kat180 - 21 February 2011 12:26 PM

Yay - its so good when you start to see results isn’t it?

I know what you mean though- Im often in the house all day working so I may find a good combination but who knows if it would withstand the outside elements lol!

Yes it certainly is.  I dont get good results every day…...it’s a case of trial & error at the mo, but I’m loving every day so far.
Yes, I work from home quite a bit too & am so busy looking at my ‘hair results’ inside the house I forget about needing ‘results’ for outside too

i want to work from home!

glad you r getting to know your hair mrs gemini

frizzylealea - 21 February 2011 01:19 PM

i want to work from home!

glad you r getting to know your hair mrs gemini

Thanks frizzylealea -  I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end  

I’ve been reading good things about coconut oil so thought I’d give it a whirl as a deep treatment to see how it went.  Last night I used the tiniest amount of oil & raked it through my hair using fingers.  Left it on overnight then used AO GPB poo & cond this morning.  (I liked the effect of using this poo/cond last Sat)  On top of that went KC Moisturising cream & AVG.

The effect is very similar to last Sat - quite curly but not as well definited or ‘springy’.  It feels soft, but there isnt as much volume or the same feeling of weight as there was on Sat.  Some frizz here & there too.  Acceptable on the whole though.  Mind you, I doubt it would hold up outside in today’s weather ! 

Trying slightly different ‘mix’ today.  Usual co-wash, this time with GFRS then after rinsing out used Joico K-Pak Reconstruct as a leave-in.  Well, sort of part rinsed it out with a few handfuls of water, but not totally.  I have to say my hair felt noticably softer using this cond than any other I’ve tried, although I’m not sure whether using a co-wash first had anything to do with it.  I skipped using the KC Moisturising Cream this time cos my hair felt so soft so went straight for the AVG instead. 
Result…..... lots of curls with lots of ‘spring’ & virtually no frizz.  Happy! 

mrsgemini - 25 February 2011 12:29 PM

Trying slightly different ‘mix’ today.  Usual co-wash, this time with GFRS then after rinsing out used Joico K-Pak Reconstruct as a leave-in.  Well, sort of part rinsed it out with a few handfuls of water, but not totally.  I have to say my hair felt noticably softer using this cond than any other I’ve tried, although I’m not sure whether using a co-wash first had anything to do with it.  I skipped using the KC Moisturising Cream this time cos my hair felt so soft so went straight for the AVG instead. 
Result…..... lots of curls with lots of ‘spring’ & virtually no frizz.  Happy! 

Yay - happy for you mrsgemini! The joico is my protein condish of choice by a mile (so far! ) - I have run out at the mo :( but will be replacing v soon! Wish they came in a larger size!

Which one do you use? Is it CG? Im looking for a protein treatment and this one seems to be mentioned quite a bit.

I found this website - but there are so many lol! Where do you buy yours?

http://joico.bathandunwind.com/categories/kpak.asp

Glad your hair is looking all bouncy and frizz-free