Have you been doing the Curly Girl / Hair Method (strict or modified) for a while now? Are you getting bored using the same products? Or maybe you have it down and are ready to try something new!! Well Curl Warehouse is definitely your one stop shop for products and accessories and we can help you incorporate those items into your routine.
I know when I am answering emails, etc., to help you with what to do…. I always revert back to using less and keeping it simple. That means less products and simple techniques. When you are new, this can be overwhelming. Throwing more product and all the techniques you just watched on 57 videos at your hair probably won’t help.
Here are my tips for integrating new products into your routine:
1. Once you are ready to change it up, I am going to ask you to change one thing at a time. I know this sounds so boring - if you order all new curly products your hair might turn out fantastic! But if it doesn’t, how do you know what happened and what didn't work? If you can hold that excitement for a day or more, just try the new shampoo, or conditioner, or styler (1 of them!). Then take note of what happened. You know exactly what is going on with your old products so you will know the same with the new. Then the next time you have a wash - or even a refresh - you can change one more thing and observe how that product reacted. This is the best way to know what works and what doesn't for your hair rather than changing everything at once.
2. Another way to build in new products is to clarify! This is really one of my “always works" recommendations. Most of the time when hair is uncooperative, giving it a nice reset shampoo to clear away product or mineral build up always helps.
3. If you are clarifying, this is usually followed up with a deep conditioner. Let me preface this one by saying that not everyone’s hair appreciates a deep conditioner. If you have super fine, low density hair you may be able to just use a regular conditioner. Leave it on for a few extra minutes before rinsing it all out. Those with more medium or coarse texture or those that have a lot of hair (density) you can deep condition for 30 minutes or whatever is recommended on the product's packaging. You should not need a lot more than half an hour to get that extra TLC into your hair.
However... We do understand the excitement of new products and know how hard it can be to wait to try them all!
If you order a bunch of products and seriously cannot wait to try them, just make sure to stick with your same techniques that you have used successfully before. If things go sideways, then back you go to your old product stash and just integrate the new ones in one at a time as I've suggested. For certain I can say that a one time “that did not work at all” wash day doesn’t mean you ordered the wrong products. It may mean:
- you need to dilute the product(s)
- you need to change the amount used
- you need a different technique applying it
- you need to get that into damp, wet or soaking wet hair
- you need to leave more of it or rinse all of it out
Right now I have a lot of products, but I am always trying things and experimenting so I can better help you. When I was newer to the Curly Girl / Curly Hair Method I used the same products for about 2 years. It worked well and I just didn’t have time to experiment. I knew exactly how they worked and the results were what I wanted. It's okay to stick with what you know.
Even having done this Method since 2013 or so, I feel like something changes each wash day with what I do. It is never boring and I am good with whatever results I get. But I understand many of you reading this have jobs and there is an expectation of a certain look so you may not want to change things up too much. On the weekend you can play around with your hair and those accessories and see what you can do before heading into the office.
This also ties into my other favourite and last bit of advice - take your time on wash day. Allow time in your schedule to enjoy it. If you get this day down it really sets you up for multiple successful refreshes and can save you time on the following days.
Last but not least, if your hair didn’t turn out for you on this wash day, grab a cute scrunchie, barrette, bobby pins or hair tie and put it up. There are also so many great hats like a slouchy beanie etc. that can help you feel better about a wash day that didn't turn out as well as you'd hoped.
A bad wash day does not mean you have bad hair or have chosen bad products. Go easy with yourself and try again tomorrow!
Need help with a product that just doesn't seem to be working for you, or a suggestion on something new? You can email Lisa directly for recommendations at products@curlwarehouse.com.
