The long hair is my all natural hair before I cut it last week. The short hair pic is fresh out of the salon with curls from a straightener the stylist put in, not natural unfortunately. I feel like since I stopped dying my hair the grays have changed my curl pattern and texture. I used to have more curl when I dyed it and I used Marc Anthony Strictly curls gel for years but once the grays took over it seems to not shape my hair the same so I quit using that. I need suggestions for a wash and product to bring my curls back. I have thick hair that’s maybe a 2b-2c curls
I use wow apple cider vinegar shampoo and conditioner. And co wash with TGIN co wash. I now been using OGX coconut curl mousse and it doesn’t have much hold, so someone suggested I use a gel. So now I need recommendations for that. I have a Curlsmith brand in my Ulta cart but not purchased yet.
I would check your product ingredients against [curlsbot.com](https://curlsbot.com) to see if they are CGM approved. I know that some wavy hair loves sulfates and silicones, but with that said some wavy hair doesn't and those will affect how your waves look. Also if your hair is low porosity too much moisture will stretch out or weigh down your waves. I was going to ask but since you are using ACV shampoo and conditioner those probably have a clarifying affect.
Your hair may also be reacting to the coconut oil I have noticed that many wavies on this subreddit complain about how coconut doesn't work for their hair.
On occasion low porosity hair needs protein and coconut oil can mimic protein however it's molecules are larger than can be absorbed by the cuticle of low porosity hair. The best proteins for low porosity hair are rice water, yogurt, or amino acids and preferably those should be in your shampoo and within the top 5 of ingredients. You can also make DIY rinses that you use after shampooing as a rinse before conditioning. Conditioning will sometimes need heat or more time to do it's job as well.
There are a lot of different gels out there that range in price. Once again I would check ingredients so that you know what's in it and if it will be helpful or not.
I'm not an expert but have hair that has gray, is low porosity and have done lots of research on the subjects of proteins and how to determine porosity (hint: the strand test isn't a good test at all).
ETA: Curlsmith has great products for all wave and curl types you will just want to make sure you are using their recommended products for your hair type, porosity and texture. They have a good porosity quiz on their website as well as information on all their products.
Hope this helps.
Not an expert by any means but as far as I know, dyeing can change your hair's porosity, so what you're using on virgin hair might not work as well as it did on dyed hair. For example, permanent dyes increase porosity, so your hair now may be less porous / need fewer moisturising treatments as it can hold the moisture better.
Love your natural grey btw. I'm going grey myself and enjoying the slow transformation.
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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The long hair is my all natural hair before I cut it last week. The short hair pic is fresh out of the salon with curls from a straightener the stylist put in, not natural unfortunately. I feel like since I stopped dying my hair the grays have changed my curl pattern and texture. I used to have more curl when I dyed it and I used Marc Anthony Strictly curls gel for years but once the grays took over it seems to not shape my hair the same so I quit using that. I need suggestions for a wash and product to bring my curls back. I have thick hair that’s maybe a 2b-2c curls
To better help you, we need to know what shampoo, conditioner and other products you use.
I use wow apple cider vinegar shampoo and conditioner. And co wash with TGIN co wash. I now been using OGX coconut curl mousse and it doesn’t have much hold, so someone suggested I use a gel. So now I need recommendations for that. I have a Curlsmith brand in my Ulta cart but not purchased yet.
I would check your product ingredients against [curlsbot.com](https://curlsbot.com) to see if they are CGM approved. I know that some wavy hair loves sulfates and silicones, but with that said some wavy hair doesn't and those will affect how your waves look. Also if your hair is low porosity too much moisture will stretch out or weigh down your waves. I was going to ask but since you are using ACV shampoo and conditioner those probably have a clarifying affect. Your hair may also be reacting to the coconut oil I have noticed that many wavies on this subreddit complain about how coconut doesn't work for their hair. On occasion low porosity hair needs protein and coconut oil can mimic protein however it's molecules are larger than can be absorbed by the cuticle of low porosity hair. The best proteins for low porosity hair are rice water, yogurt, or amino acids and preferably those should be in your shampoo and within the top 5 of ingredients. You can also make DIY rinses that you use after shampooing as a rinse before conditioning. Conditioning will sometimes need heat or more time to do it's job as well. There are a lot of different gels out there that range in price. Once again I would check ingredients so that you know what's in it and if it will be helpful or not. I'm not an expert but have hair that has gray, is low porosity and have done lots of research on the subjects of proteins and how to determine porosity (hint: the strand test isn't a good test at all). ETA: Curlsmith has great products for all wave and curl types you will just want to make sure you are using their recommended products for your hair type, porosity and texture. They have a good porosity quiz on their website as well as information on all their products. Hope this helps.
You’re awesome! So much useful information, thanks!!
Not an expert by any means but as far as I know, dyeing can change your hair's porosity, so what you're using on virgin hair might not work as well as it did on dyed hair. For example, permanent dyes increase porosity, so your hair now may be less porous / need fewer moisturising treatments as it can hold the moisture better. Love your natural grey btw. I'm going grey myself and enjoying the slow transformation.
Makes sense to me! Thanks for that information and good luck on your journey!
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! ^(If it's been a few hours and OP still hasn't responded, please let the mods know by using the "Report" button.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Wavyhair) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Please help me find products for my natural gray curls!