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Post in Curls & Coils
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Ride the WAVE with me

Hey all,

 

My hair was a beautiful 3B my teen and college years. After issues with hormones and kids I have only wave left. It is frustrating not knowing how to style your hair anymore. My hair is now 2B, 2C would be an excellent day.

 

I plan to have a no-buy for makeup for one year (started Nov 2018) and focus on finding the right hair products. I want to take the process gradually and give things time.

 

I started using Devacurl in Spring 2018. I had low-poo, one condition, and arc angel gel. My hair looked and felt like straw and was not getting any curl back so I stopped using all three products.

 

In October I chopped off a lot of hair for donation and hoped to get some bounce back. The stylist (Deva certified) recommended no-poo, one condition, coconut styling cream, and b-leave in gel. The routine was okay but I wanted more out of my hair.

 

Over the past week I changed my styling product to arc angel gel. I know, I know, the stylist and others have already said it was too heavy for my hair. I just wanted to experiment and find what product caused my hair to turn to straw in the spring. Arc angel seems to be in the clear. But since it isn't helping with any curl, I will pass it on to my 3C/4A mom.

 

I plan to resume the last routine and see how it goes or if it still seems lackluster. My one condition is almost out but I have a one condition delight. I want to see how my hair reacts to this.

 

I also have samples of Decadence. I believe it will likely be too heavy but it is time to find what works and what doesn't.

 

So here begins my hair journey. Hoping to either learn to ride the waves or return to curl.

RE: Ride the WAVE with me

One of the better hair days I’ve had in a while. Applied a generous amount of Wave Maker and Amika gel to very wet hair, plopped for a bit with the Curly Tee Towel, then (unfortunately) went to bed with wet hair because it was late. When I woke up this morning my hair looked a liiiiiiittle crazy, but I rewet it, scrunched and smoothed with just a bit of the Briogeo Curl Charisma cream. Not perfect, but the definition is there at least.

Re: RE: Ride the WAVE with me

Wow your hair looks georgeous @tastelikewater! Maybe you came up with the perfect routine for your wavy hair.

I am going later today for a Devacut and color touch up. My selfies come out terrible so perhaps my hair stylist could take a photo and I will post it.

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@bakeamuffin I tried the Olaplex last night and I really like it. I’m not sure if it’s purely placebo effect but I feel like my hair looks healthier today. My one concern is how much I used. Since my hair is so long and thick I think I went through almost a third of a bottle last night. How often do you repurchase it? It’s such a small bottle I’m going to finish it in less than a month! Do you go all the way to your roots or just focus mid length to ends? 

 

Also, has anyone tried the O&M - The Power Base™ Protein Mask? I’m really intrigued by it and it’s been OOS for a while.

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@makeitup305 Did you apply your Olaplex to damp hair? It's meant to be applied damp. Unless you lighten (bleach) your root, I wouldnt worry about applying Olaplex to the root. Focus on mid-shaft and ends. #hairstylist. 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84 would you mind answering some questions about Olaplex? Would it be better if I shampooed my hair and then used the then shampooed again and conditioned? What's the longest I should leave it on?

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@makeitup305 Because Olaplex is a pre-shampoo treatment, if your hair has not been washed in a while or you have build up - you can shampoo first. 

It's important to note about Olaplex that it **is not a conditioner**. If you are looking for the slip and saturation feel a conditioner gives you will not find it here. Olaplex is an internal treatment vs surface level treatment like a conditioner which is why you have to shampoo and condition after. 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84 Will Opalex 3 help in general if someone has never colored their hair and don’t use too much heat (use all in one drying brush once a week, don’t use iron)?

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@naturalooks15 Yes. Olaplex is patent and therefore the only product that can repair the disulfide bond. We break bonds everytime we brush, apply heat, chemically treat, expose our hair to environmental elements. If you were to grab an inch of hair and vigorously rub it between your hands, you've just damaged and broken bonds. 

Other "bond builders" on the market claim to re-link sulfur and hydrogen bonds - guess what else will do that? PH balanced water. Trust only Olaplex. 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84 That is very good information. I did not know that. Good to know. Since it says apply on clean hair, In the past, Couple of times, I have applied Olaplex after shampooing and then just left it to air-dry and then rinse it out next day. Will that be harmful (leaving it overnight, leaving it till hair dry all the way)? 

Otherwise it becomes long process, Shampoo hair then apply Olaplex, keep it for 30 min and then shower again. 🙂

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@naturalooks15 Olaplex is only active as long as the hair is wet. So unless you are continuously spritzing your hair, it stops working once your hair is dry. It's not harmful, it's just no longer active. 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84 Any thoughts about the shampoo & conditioner (4 & 5)? 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84  Thanks for the info. I bought it without knowing much about the product and how it works. I guess I was expecting it to be a bit more slippy. I think I might try shampooing first since I go 3-4 days between washes and getting rid of all my tangles before applying it next time. How much product would you use for thick waist length hair?

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@GG84 I did but you hair just eats product. Maybe I overused it and I could do with less but it just didn’t feel very saturated when I was applying it. 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Day 2 Hair - wetted and a little b'leave in20181127_122201.jpg

 

20181127_122215.jpg

 

 

 

The wave fell a bit by the afternoon but okay.

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Your hair looks lovely in the photo @ShortErica. I still feel that your hormones are was is causing your curl pattern to not quite work to your satisfaction.

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Hey there @ShortErica. I’ve been reading this thread for a while and thought I’d finally throw my two cents in. 😁

 

I blew my hair out for years thinking it was only mildly wavy. A few years ago I noticed that no matter how I styled my hair and how much product I’d use, about 15 minutes after styling it would start blowing up and out. So I decided to go natural and, tada! I found out my hair had become CURLY. 

 

So the last several years have been of hair exploration. The curly products that work best for me are Deva, although I recently tried Mixed Chicks conditioning cleansing co-wash and like the results I get with this. 

 

I personally think the Deva products you’re using are a little heavy for your hair. My hair looks curlier and fuller than yours (although my hair is fine) and some of those are too heavy for mine. Right now I use Noo Poo and One Condition, but sometimes I’ll use No and Low Poo mixed to wash. Low Poo alone doesn’t feel conditioning enough for me. I also rinse out One Condition since leaving it in weighs it down too. While it’s soaking wet I use B’Leave In on my crown where I need thickening and then work in some Ultra Hold Gel. I’ve tried Archangel but that leaves my hair unpleasantly dry and crunchy. Then I plop my hair for about half an hour while I do other things, and that helps to suck some water out if it and define the curls on top. Next (yeah I know — lots of steps) I’ll diffuse and then put some clips in at the top of my head to give some lift. Right now that’s the routine that seems to work for me, but sometimes I’ll tweak and add something or switch up my shampoo. 

 

Has your stylist suggested some some additional layers to take some weight off the top? I’m thinking that could give you some extra curl and fullness without sacrificing too much length. Anyway, I feel your pain. Everyone thinks curly hair is so easy. I feel like there’s some sort of alchemy that goes into making it look right and then all you need is a drizzly day to ruin it all. 

 

 

 Here’s a recent pic of my hair:3F1ACBDD-5905-4DED-88A5-28E354193400.jpeg

 

And for giggles, this is about 5 years ago when I was blowing out my hair:

5DE4FB2F-050E-4AB3-BCC6-F341FDBE9873.jpeg

 

 

 

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Thanks for sharing @jozkid. It was the first time I saw this stylist but surprisingly she listened really well. I've had lots of poor experiences with hair cuts. I think I will give her more leeway at the next cut. I just really wanted at least shoulder length and an easy ponytail hair style.

 

I plan to retry using low poo. And thanks for the styling products and feedback. I think my hair looked similar to years when I last did a chop. I will have to find a picture.

 

That's interesting about your hair change. You definitely rock the curly look!

 

I keep hoping for an easy routine. I used to just apply gel, air dry and boom curls and now it is all much more complicated. I've really appreciated everyone's comments and think that this will be an insightful year.

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

@ShortErica I’ll bet your stylist was taking baby steps with your cut. It’s easy to alienate a client by taking too much off, especially since you asked for being able to put it up in a pony tail. So she really was listening to you! You can always ask her what she envisions for your hair and then you two can negotiate. 

 

And dont feel bad about not finding the right mix of products yet. I’ve found that Deva products in particular can be mixed and matched in SO many ways it’s maddening. I’m just finding the right mix and I’ve been at it for a long long time. Geez I feel like I own most of their products!

 

Actually most days are pretty easy for me hair-wise. I usually just have to dampen it and reactivate the gel (sometimes add a little extra), then clip and let it dry. It’s just wash day that’s more complicated and that’s getting easier. 

 

I wish you lots of luck with your hair adventure. You’ve got lots of good recs and suggestions. I know you’ll find the right mix for you!  👍

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Thanks so much @jozkid!

 

This isn't the best picture quality but your curls on top reminded me of when I had some short pieces too.

 

Capture.PNG

 

It will be a learning process and I'm hoping the stylist is a keeper!

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

Holy guac @jozkid! Seriously a whole different person! I love your curls so much, they've become such a defining feature for you (at least in my mind) that it's so crazy to see you without! Both looks are nice, but I have mad heart-eyes for your beautifully curling hair!

Re: Ride the WAVE with me

It’s been a real learning curve for me @NotCrocker!  Lol! I blew out my hair for decades. I had NO idea it was this curly, but I also suspect the increasing grays were coming in coarser and curly

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  • A "good" day: Delight s&c, WaveMaker, Amika gel.
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