My hair has always been curly, In my childhood my mum insisted I wore it short. As an adult I grew it to shoulder length and it was a frizzy mop and got wider so I had it all cut off.
About 10 years ago I began to grow it and then I found Curly girl. around a year ago when I was considering cutting my hair short again.

I resisted cutting and have tried to be curly girl, watching videos and reading the book.

I think I have type 3a/b hair with some straighter greys appearing (Well I am 47)

I co-wash with tresemme
Then I condition with Naked conditioner
Comb with a wide comb
Then I plop, This is new to me and does give a better finish.
Add UG flirty curls or Boots curl creme and go (sometimes I do not add this)
When my hair is dry it is dry looking and needs something more. (Moisture)

I have tried a protein conditioner which helps a little, but it is expensive and time intensive so I cannot use it every time- I use it monthly.

Day two hair is more frizzy, I ‘pineapple’ sometimes at night. but when I however i scrunch in a little water and go. It ends up getting more frizzy so then I add coconut oil or AG Mango butter coconut whip- which my hair appears to drink.

I think my hair is not very porous as products need help to be absorbed- gentle rubbing etc.

How can I reduce my frizz? How do I add more moisture without spending hours in the bathroom and a fortune on products? or am I just too lazy to be a curly girl?

If your hair seems to be drinking butters then maybe it is more porous than you thought? 

I wish I had good answers to these questions.  But, I would say try using a leave in conditioner before your stylers.  Also, thinking about the Tresemme I think it may have some alcohol of the drying kind in, also some people find the Boots pink drying.  Lots of people find them not that way so it may well be not that, but might be worth thinking about.  Re. the protein, you could try using a normal rinse out conditioner that has a fair bit of protein in, or a leave in that has some.

I also agree with adding a leave-in. However, if your hair is porous, it needs the extra protein to help it ‘hang on’ to the moisture you put into it. What protein conditioner were you using? There are a few cheapish ones out there that you can use daily, which would help. Also using coconut oil in a product (such as in the Inecto Coconut conditioner) will help the protein you do use to stick. Also, the best way to get protein into your hair is to leave it on a while - so if it’s in a leave-in or styler, that’s ideal (people talk about using protein in rinse-outs, but it’s actually best in styling products as they stay on the hair the longest).

Thank You Lucyprimrose.

I had thought about a leave in conditioner…. and as it is a holiday here today I was going to look for a more                                 powerful conditioner. The shops here have limited stock of stuff and many ‘virtual’ shops charge horrendous postage to the IOM especially if they use a courier service. Maybe I need a short trip to the UK to stock up…..

I find it all so complicated as I look at other peoples diarys and information as there are so many acroyms.

Never mind the moaning- I did a protein treatment yesterday and my hair looks OK today- I should do them more frequently- Or as you suggest a deep conditioner.

Thanks for your help.

Hi

As you already use Naked I’m assuming you are able to get this range from your local shops easily?  Have you thought about using their leave in conditioner?  It used to be called Miracle Worker but they have recently changed it to Little Miracle.  It has protein in it so you might want to try this as a cheap (£4.99) leave in with protein to see how your hair likes it. 

http://www.nakedbodycare.co.uk/naked-little-miracle-leave-in-conditioner

hope this helps

Scarlet Leopard

Thanks Scarlet Leopard,

I have been using the naked range, but have been unable to get my favourite- Naked Rescue on my last few visits and wondered if they are repackaging or if my local store is no longer stocking the product (It is boots but a smaller one.)

I did try the miracle worker- but can’t remember whether it worked for me- I’ll see if I can get some more to try.

Thank You again.

Thank You oddity of wings

I have not used a daily protein conditioner- What would you suggest?
MOP is not available here that I can find, I tried L,oreal in the pink tub and it was OK but maybe that is not what you mean….as on the stickies list they are deep treatments not daily protein conditioners.

I like the boots essential coconut and almond Intensive but my boots no longer stocks this range.

Nor have I tried a leave in- Someone posted a recipe using rosewater, jojoba oil and glycerine as a spray I thought I could try- If I can get the ingredients easily- They are available online.

I think I am too lazy for all of this…..

However I know my hair is improving, and it is me that is struggling with something new.

If you have a TK Maxx nearby, that may carry some Tigi Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey occasionally - very proteiny. A bunch of the Naked products have protein in them as well. Also, you can use a deep treatment for a rinse-out if you want. Most of the high street DTs are for those with much less dry hair than curlies tend to have - for us, it’s a normal conditioner! If you have a Holland and Barret’s nearby, their Dr. Organics range has some wheat protein in it (I believe).  H&B also carries a line called A’kin, which has a proteiny conditioner (it’s a bit pricy, though). The list on the sticky is hardly exhaustive - there’s quite a lot kicking around out there.

Out of curiosity, is the shipping from the Emporium to IOM all that bad? If not, then that opens up a number of cheapish options (Aubrey Organics GBP conditioner is a good one for protein, for example).

Hi Oddity of wings,

I really wish I had posted ages ago as I really appreciate the time people have given to replying to my plea for help.

There is a TK Maxx and I know there was some hair stuff- It is not a shop I often go into, Thanks for the suggestion.

I have purchased from the Emporium in the past, but there is so much choice I am unsure where to start, but as confidence grows maybe I will give it a go again.  Of the things I bought,  I loved the Anita Grant butter, some of the other things did not work on my hair so I’ve not tried again. I can’t remember what the postage was like.

In Boots today I managed to get the last two of their ingredients intensive mask which works fairly well on my hair. 

Again thanks so much for your time I hope to repay by replying to others in the future as my confidence grows.

My local Boots will order in Boots items they don’t stock without any postage charge,  you just pay then pick them up when they get there. Not sure if it is the same at yours, but it should be, after all they have to send other stuff there.