Oh, thank you, that's very kind! It's so funny, I posted these feeling like I was in absolute hair hell, thinking it looked so terrible -- thank you for the shot of perspective and self-esteem! ❤️
A lot of us wavies don’t really respond well to CGM. Try it a bit longer to see how it goes but don’t be shocked if you need to go back to a more traditional shampoo and conditioner routine.
What’s your hair density like? The conditioner in particular may be too heavy for your hair and weighing down your waves. I would also suggest dropping the oil to see if that helps. You probably don’t need it when scrunching out the cast. If you’re still having issues then possibly look into some other lighter products.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Yeah I personally gave up, especially bc I shower at night and there’s no way to preserve my hair. On the rare occasion when I shower before an event, I can make it happen but I have to wash the next day to be presentable. I just do a standard wash’n’go now and it looks how it looks. 🤷🏻♀️
Same. I used to be curly and so I stuck to cgm…why wouldn’t I, right? Then pregnancy hormones gave me waves. It took me forever (along with the lovely people on this sub) to figure out that I couldn’t treat my new waves the way I used to treat my old ringlets. It made a world of difference and my routine now is actually pretty simple.
I shower at night. I style my hair and fully dry it before bed but I don’t touch my gel cast. I wear my hair up in a pineapple with crunchy waves. I wake up and they’re perfect.
Yeah, I suspect I will need a low poo option at least. My last wash, I did that, and I think it was a bit better, so you might be onto something.
I have a hard time picking out my hair density, curl type, porosity, etc. because I'm new to paying attention to my hair. I think it's medium/high density but relatively fine.
I did the oil this time because last wash my hair seemed frizzy, but I think this wash it's even frizzier so the oil probably didn't help! I'm thinking I'll try a gentle shampoo instead of the co-wash, because yeah, it does just seem like my hair is... heavy, I guess?
My waves looked like this when i was using too heavy of products. I use a light leave in conditioner after washing and use very very little and then use gel and using a tshirt for scrunching and plopping then dont touch it while it dries. And after scrunching the crunch it looks like normal hair and not stringry like the photo. Maybe less products would work? I also use shampoo rather than cowash.
Thank you -- this makes a lot of sense! It felt like so much gunk to put in my hair but I was trying to trust the process -- probably better to trust my own instincts! I'm going to lighten the process next time, and see how that works.
If you’re having trouble getting product all over add more water to your hair as you style to help distribute rather than more product. And you’ll get better spring if you dry all the way or very close with dryer. I hover diffuse for about ten minutes on low speed med heat to set the cast then diffuse regularly.
It looks really fine from the pictures and that’s why I would suggest starting with dropping the oil to see what happens. Heavy products can weigh your hair down a lot.
If you aren’t already doing it, make sure you’re putting your hold products in when your hair is dripping wet. That’s usually enough to control the frizz in my experience, even without the extra oil.
I think your hair looks great, personally.
I have 2C-ish hair, and I found the CGM too heavy for me after awhile. I use sulfate free shampoo and silicone free conditioner every other day. I do a clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioning mask once a week.
You might like your results better with an actual shampoo, even if it sulfate free. Although lots of wavies use sulfates without issues. Cowashing is often too heavy for wavies.
Thank you for this -- I thought I already had modified the method, but I'm learning that I haven't modified it enough! Thank you for telling me your wash routine too, that's very helpful. ☺️
We have super similar hair, what is your issue with it exactly? For me, my waves get a bit weighed down after air drying. Is that what you're referring to? Honestly hard to tell because your waves (and hair colour) are very pretty!
Yeah, I think weight plays a big part! I get these lovely shapely curls when I'm diffusing, but air drying the rest of the way takes so long that by the time it's dry it's relaxed a lot. I tried this method once before my diffuser came -- I showered at 8am and my hair was still wet at 4pm. It just takes foreeeeever to dry.
And then once I do scrunch the crunch, the clumps/curls seem fall apart and just let go very easily, so I'm left with sort of fluffy triangle hair, and all I want to do is brush it smooth. 😂
My girl, I had the same exact problem with my hair. Pretty wavy when wet, but then would flatten out when dry. What helped me more than anything else is getting the right haircut. I went to a hair stylist who specializes in wavy haircuts, and my haircut now has a lot of layers in it. This has caused my waves to look more defined than they ever have before with very minimal effort. I highly recommend it. I can tell that your hair is mostly one length, and that might be what's causing your problem!
Yeah, this makes sooooo much sense. I have no clue how to find a wavy hair specialist, though! Curly haircuts, I've seen, but wavy seems to be more of its own separate thing from curly than I realized!
Stop CGM. It’s not good for wavy hair. You can wash with sulfates. Do not cowash. It’ll just leave your hair looking stringy and greasy. And stay away from oil. So avoid any heavy creams, butters or oils. Wash, use a mousse, foam or gel. Don’t touch it till it’s completely dry. Then gently add sotc with your hands or a T-shirt .
Thank you! I was honestly wondering about how effective CGM would be on my hair, but they were all like "just do it, you'll see!" And... I kinda see? But it didn't seem quite right. I feel like y'all are giving me permission to wash my hair again, and I thank you for it. 😂
I know this isn't helpful advice, but looking at your routine, you're simply *doing way too much*. I mean no judgement because I did the exact same thing when I started. **Fine wavy hair will punish you for being a tryhard.**
Simplify your routine down to one or two products and stop with all the plopping bullshit, it's unnecessary for us.
My move is to scrunch out as much water as I can with a microfiber, then add a thin layer of leave in, then an even thinner layer of something with hold. Then let it air dry out in the open. See how it goes when it's not so weighed down with product, water, and over-effort.
"Do less" is, like, the best thing you could say to me. Part of me is going "how tf do people do this every time they wash their hair?" I'm gonna try a muuuuch slimmed down routine next time!
My hair takes an insane amount of time to air dry, though. Like if I had wet hair at 9am my hair would still be damp at 4pm if I didn't brush it or dry it somehow. In the past, I just brushed it as it dried, and it'd dry relatively smooth and straight (if a bit wonky and cowlicky here and there). Without that, it just doesn't dry.
Yeah, I'm gathering in general that I need less conditioning, and lighter products (and even less hair, with some layers cut!)... So I think "less is more" sums it up beautifully!
CGM did not work for me at all. My hair NEEDS washing.
I've had the best luck with Twist by Ouidad products. I get almost daily compliments on my hair now.
Thank you for this rec, I absolutely need product recommendations! I've really never used products in my hair, so I just feel so clueless and overwhelmed by the options out there.
Yeah, the time it takes is the only issue. My hair dries so, soooo slowly -- I could diffuse for an hour and it'd still be wet enough to require many more hours of air drying. I've never tried to diffuse it all the way dry. I know that the expensive Dysons/Sharks/etc are supposed to cut that down by a lot, but... dang, those price tags. I'll try to diffuse a bit longer next time, though, because I know you're right!
Do you hover dry at all? I’ve started hover diffusing (high heat and speed), with my head upside down, and pointing the diffuser at my roots (not touching). Then I pixie diffuse once the roots are a little drier. Good results so far! Before, I was like you where it would take several hours to air dry! I don’t have time for that.
I had this issue, trying to diffuse dry with cool air, and it was a nightmare. I started using high heat for the first 50% and then medium heat for the last 50% and it worked so much better. My curls even looked better. I still don't have my routine perfected (my hair is still weighed down a lot too) but drying with it without heat did not make a difference. I watched a video where the girl had beautiful curls, and she dried hers completely with high heat.
I've been using medium heat -- I've never really heat styled my hair, so I tend to be cautious about higher heat, but I do take your point about starting higher temp for a while, then going lower... When your hair is saturated the higher heat probably isn't as bad?
Your hair looks A LOT like mine did when I was still doing cgm. 5 years and so much time trying to get it to work and my waves were always weighed down and never the same day after day. I gave up and grabbed joico volume shampoo and conditioner bc it happened to be on sale at winners.
It worked.
So well.
By giving up and randomly selecting a product that I hadn’t even researched I suddenly have the hair I’ve been chasing for years. 😅🤣
Hah, this is amazing, I love this story!!! Tell me, do you still do any of the other steps? Using a mousse or gel, scrunching, diffusing, crunching, etc?
I'm in a similar boat as you... My waves flatten out too quickly. I've done lots of research and thought I might share what I've learned:
- The heavier your hair is, the more it will flatten out.
- The more product you use, the heavier your hair will be. And in my experience, it can also lead to that dirty look you described.
- Different products have different weights; some gels are heavier than others. Watery gels are lighter than thick gels.
- Gels tend to be heavier than mousses
- Oils add more weight; either avoid products with oils or look for products that are for fine hair as these tend to contain lightweight oils.
- Conditioners also add more weight. Consider switching to a conditioner with lighter oils and/or only conditioning the bottom half of your hair.
- Getting a haircut from someone with curl experience can lighten your hair load. There are some good cutting techniques for reducing bulk in curly hair, it's just a matter of finding a stylist that knows them.
Good luck with that gorgeous mane of yours!
I am delighted that it looks soft, but it definitely isn't! So crunchy, and as a person with sensory issues, I'm not sure I could get through the day with crunch like that. 😆
Omg, thank you for this! Especially the description of the different products and their weights, because as someone who never styled her hair much before, I definitely did NOT know all that! I'm actually feeling much better armed to figure out the right process for me.
Gosh, this gives me hope. I really appreciate you for taking the time to explain this me! 💚💚💚
Oh, also, question! How does "curl cream" figure into this equation? I see a lot of waves mentioning using curl cream before whatever mousse or gel they're using. The Internet suggests it's sort of halfway between a leave-in conditioner and a hold product, but I sort of ignored it because I assumed it'd be too heavy for my hair.
What do you mean? Your curls look amazing lol!
But seriously though, i don't think it's your hair, it's the haircut i think? I think if you added more layers on top, it will have more volume. The curls will also be bouncier instead of triangle-ish
Hope that makes sense! ☺️☺️
Thank you! I think that picture makes it look better than it was. I did a follow-up comment with some additional pictures linked of the next wash I did where it was even worse. 😩 But yeah, I'm really looking into a curl specialist for my next cut. Though I have some serious imposter syndrome, the idea of walking into a curly hair salon with my "straight" hair. I have this nightmare they'll just laugh at me and be all "Girl.... stop trying to make fetch happen!"
Your hair looks great for having just recently started a new routine! I can relate a lot to your story and your hair, mine looks pretty similar to yours during the same stages as well - gel cast, freshly scrunched, and not long after scrunching. I started styling my waves back in Feb and had my hair stylist give me some conservative layers because at the time I had none - my very dense hair was all one blunt length. I go back to see her next week and I’m going to ask for even shorter layers to see if I can get the hair on the top of my head to keep its definition better. TLDR add some layers if you’re open to a haircut!
I wish I could upload another picture of what it looks like now, a few hours later, because I feel like somehow that picture made it look better than it is. 😂
And oh, this is something I've been wondering about actually! I keep seeing people talk about a curly hair haircut, and had only the vaguest sense of what that meant. So lots of layers, basically? I asked for some layers last cut, but I wasn't very happy with the result.
I think maybe your top layers are kinda heavy and so that can stretch out your wave pattern, especially during the transition phase. The curly girl cuts are good for overall shaping, but you would want to find someone who specializes for sure. Also I read you were doing CGM- if it is an over product issue, you may benefit from using a gentle clarifying shampoo. Followed with your regular conditioning routine. Have you checked out any of SwavyCurly Courtney on YouTube?! She has a ton of different kinds of advice.
I did a clarifying wash on the wash before this one -- but I suspect, based on everyone's advice, that I can just go back to a sulfate free shampoo regularly and condition the mids/ends.
And yes, I absolutely feel like the top layers are stretched out/flat -- this morning the outside of my hair is almost stick straight, and underneath/at the nape of my neck I still have big juicy ringlets! 😩
As for Swavy -- I have watched a bunch of her videos!! She's the one who first convinced me to try a lot of these methods even though my hair isn't curly curly. She's so great at explaining things!! I kind of want her to just come over and critique my routine and then tell me what products to use. 😂
Beautiful hair! I think it looks a little ‘weighed down’. I’d try lighter products and maybe use a shampoo if you like the results better. Shampoo isn’t always the enemy!
Thank you! I'm gathering the same thing from other commenters too -- the consensus seems to be too much/too heavy on the products. And "weighed down" feels like the right word, to me! I hated not shampooing my hair this time, so I'm more than glad to pick it back up again. 😬
Your results are beautiful! I think you would really benefit from a more layered cut to give more volume and it won’t seem so shapeless.
Also, the CGM isn’t for everyone. It’s not the end all be all way to style your hair. I got caught up in the methods and products and I ended up returning to my usual routine in the end but with more knowledge on what techniques work best for me. It took me a few years before I finally nailed my routine.
I don’t do the CGM method for my wavy hair.
I’ve found doing low poo works best. So my shampoo and conditioner are L’Oréal sulfate free. I don’t comb my hair when I get out of the shower and I do a few micro plops to get out as much water as I can. While it’s damp but not dripping wet I scrunch in a small bit of Suave wave mousse. Then let air dry. When it’s dry I run my fingers through to break up the mousse scrunch or use a very wide tooth shower comb.
Sometimes I don’t even use a product when I scrunch to create loser waves. Ironically, these tend to last longer than the mousse scrunched waves!
Occasionally, I’ll use a texture finishing spray to get a worn in beachy look once it’s dried.
I don’t use oils or leave in conditioner because that makes me oily. I have fine, thin strands so I need to keep the products light.
Recently I cut my hair to shoulder length which helped my waves a lot! They were not forming well because my hair was too heavy and long. I also added some layers to get a slight shag look. So when my waves aren’t perfect, it still looks decent. The different layers give my hair the illusion of lots of waves.
Oooh, thank you SO much for this routine! Honestly the full CGM stuff is so involved, that it's really lovely to hear from you and others that it can be much simpler on wavy hair. I'm actually kind of excited for the next wash day, to try a much lighter routine!
Right off the bat: co-wash is probably coating your hair too much making it go limp. Make sure you wash your conditioner out completely, do not leave in. If you’re going for beachy waves without defined wave clumps do gel first and mouse on top. You do not need to scrunch with oil! Update me whether this helps or not plz :)
I think I must've somehow taken a picture that made it look better than it was! I so wish I could post a picture of what it looks like right now, a few hours later, because no one would be saying that. 😂 But I appreciate the compliment, and I appreciate you!
We will figure this wavy hair thing out. Definitely. 🤔
I have very similar hair to yours (including the color!) and this is about how my hair looks on a good day. The one thing that stood out to me was your cowash. Try either a conditioner made especially for cowashing or a light shampoo. Mousse or foam might work well too, although I find my hair holds up less well if I do that. Mousse and foam also gives me more volume but less definition, so it’s a trade off. I recently discovered Miribel Naturals products and their gel seems to work especially well for me.
Oh, that's such a great tip about the more volume/less definition thing. (I'm so glad I posted here, y'all are a wealth of information!)
I'll keep an eye out for that gel. 💚
Cowashing doesn’t work well for me, I would get rid of that. And try diffusing more - I diffuse to at least 90% dry or more, or else my hair gets pulled down. Your hair is lovely!
Update: tried a wash without the products everyone was saying was weighing my hair down. Just did clarifying shampoo, conditioner listed in my original routine, and then scrunched with mousse. Diffused for over an hour, tried to get it as dry as I could. Scrunched out, and.... My hair is sooooo much worse than it was yesterday with the extra products. Flat and stringy looking, really uneven amounts of curl, looks even heavier than it did before. 😩 Why is this so $&#!ing confusing?? No wonder people shave their heads.
Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/LybhkKl
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I think the waves and shine are lovely. Perhaps some more layers cut in will change the way the curls lie? I’m nonsense unhappy with, so perhaps that’s not helpful. I have similar loose waves and don’t use any product daily (I just can’t be bothered), but I sometimes run a second smidge of conditioner thru just before getting out of the shower after a full wash and condition. I don’t rinse it again, and wrap it for a minute to get excess water out, but then let it air dry. Just tames frizzies a tad for me (fine, lightened strands, but tons of it). If you’re just starting to not straighten it, perhaps it’s just an adjustment period where you have to get used to how it looks on you. I think it’s lovely. :)
Another person recommended a cut too -- I think that makes sense! The shape of it is definitely a big part of what I'm unhappy with, and getting some layers would help.
I didn't straighten my hair, I just brushed it a lot to smooth down the weird lumps and bumps, as I tended to think of them. I'm gonna try your minimalist approach, and see if that helps!
I would try dropping the oil and possibly also the mousse to see if they bounce up more from being lighter
argan oil is also my hair’s enemy it is too heavy, I was thinking of trying jojoba instead
my waves also don’t seem to get weighed down by squalane
Yeah, I'm definitely going to skip the oil next time! I've tried just the gel without the mousse, but I haven't tried the mousse without the gel, so I might give that a go next!
I'm not sure, being new to all of these terms. I took a quiz and it said I had low porosity hair -- I do know it doesn't get wet instantly, and then takes forever to dry. Like, easily 6+ hours if I don't brush it or blow dry it.
I don't have any tips for you, but I wanted to say that I like your curls and your hair color is beautiful
Oh, thank you, that's very kind! It's so funny, I posted these feeling like I was in absolute hair hell, thinking it looked so terrible -- thank you for the shot of perspective and self-esteem! ❤️
A lot of us wavies don’t really respond well to CGM. Try it a bit longer to see how it goes but don’t be shocked if you need to go back to a more traditional shampoo and conditioner routine. What’s your hair density like? The conditioner in particular may be too heavy for your hair and weighing down your waves. I would also suggest dropping the oil to see if that helps. You probably don’t need it when scrunching out the cast. If you’re still having issues then possibly look into some other lighter products. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Yeah I personally gave up, especially bc I shower at night and there’s no way to preserve my hair. On the rare occasion when I shower before an event, I can make it happen but I have to wash the next day to be presentable. I just do a standard wash’n’go now and it looks how it looks. 🤷🏻♀️
Same. I used to be curly and so I stuck to cgm…why wouldn’t I, right? Then pregnancy hormones gave me waves. It took me forever (along with the lovely people on this sub) to figure out that I couldn’t treat my new waves the way I used to treat my old ringlets. It made a world of difference and my routine now is actually pretty simple.
I shower at night. I style my hair and fully dry it before bed but I don’t touch my gel cast. I wear my hair up in a pineapple with crunchy waves. I wake up and they’re perfect.
I love how low maintenance this is -- I'm gonna try it on a future wash!
Yeah, I suspect I will need a low poo option at least. My last wash, I did that, and I think it was a bit better, so you might be onto something. I have a hard time picking out my hair density, curl type, porosity, etc. because I'm new to paying attention to my hair. I think it's medium/high density but relatively fine. I did the oil this time because last wash my hair seemed frizzy, but I think this wash it's even frizzier so the oil probably didn't help! I'm thinking I'll try a gentle shampoo instead of the co-wash, because yeah, it does just seem like my hair is... heavy, I guess?
My waves looked like this when i was using too heavy of products. I use a light leave in conditioner after washing and use very very little and then use gel and using a tshirt for scrunching and plopping then dont touch it while it dries. And after scrunching the crunch it looks like normal hair and not stringry like the photo. Maybe less products would work? I also use shampoo rather than cowash.
Thank you -- this makes a lot of sense! It felt like so much gunk to put in my hair but I was trying to trust the process -- probably better to trust my own instincts! I'm going to lighten the process next time, and see how that works.
If you’re having trouble getting product all over add more water to your hair as you style to help distribute rather than more product. And you’ll get better spring if you dry all the way or very close with dryer. I hover diffuse for about ten minutes on low speed med heat to set the cast then diffuse regularly.
It looks really fine from the pictures and that’s why I would suggest starting with dropping the oil to see what happens. Heavy products can weigh your hair down a lot. If you aren’t already doing it, make sure you’re putting your hold products in when your hair is dripping wet. That’s usually enough to control the frizz in my experience, even without the extra oil.
I think your hair looks great, personally. I have 2C-ish hair, and I found the CGM too heavy for me after awhile. I use sulfate free shampoo and silicone free conditioner every other day. I do a clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioning mask once a week. You might like your results better with an actual shampoo, even if it sulfate free. Although lots of wavies use sulfates without issues. Cowashing is often too heavy for wavies.
Thank you for this -- I thought I already had modified the method, but I'm learning that I haven't modified it enough! Thank you for telling me your wash routine too, that's very helpful. ☺️
I hope it helps!
We have super similar hair, what is your issue with it exactly? For me, my waves get a bit weighed down after air drying. Is that what you're referring to? Honestly hard to tell because your waves (and hair colour) are very pretty!
Yeah, I think weight plays a big part! I get these lovely shapely curls when I'm diffusing, but air drying the rest of the way takes so long that by the time it's dry it's relaxed a lot. I tried this method once before my diffuser came -- I showered at 8am and my hair was still wet at 4pm. It just takes foreeeeever to dry. And then once I do scrunch the crunch, the clumps/curls seem fall apart and just let go very easily, so I'm left with sort of fluffy triangle hair, and all I want to do is brush it smooth. 😂
No suggestions- just wanted to commiserate about the fluffy triangle lol never brushes well after either.
My girl, I had the same exact problem with my hair. Pretty wavy when wet, but then would flatten out when dry. What helped me more than anything else is getting the right haircut. I went to a hair stylist who specializes in wavy haircuts, and my haircut now has a lot of layers in it. This has caused my waves to look more defined than they ever have before with very minimal effort. I highly recommend it. I can tell that your hair is mostly one length, and that might be what's causing your problem!
Yeah, this makes sooooo much sense. I have no clue how to find a wavy hair specialist, though! Curly haircuts, I've seen, but wavy seems to be more of its own separate thing from curly than I realized!
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Stop CGM. It’s not good for wavy hair. You can wash with sulfates. Do not cowash. It’ll just leave your hair looking stringy and greasy. And stay away from oil. So avoid any heavy creams, butters or oils. Wash, use a mousse, foam or gel. Don’t touch it till it’s completely dry. Then gently add sotc with your hands or a T-shirt .
Thank you! I was honestly wondering about how effective CGM would be on my hair, but they were all like "just do it, you'll see!" And... I kinda see? But it didn't seem quite right. I feel like y'all are giving me permission to wash my hair again, and I thank you for it. 😂
I know this isn't helpful advice, but looking at your routine, you're simply *doing way too much*. I mean no judgement because I did the exact same thing when I started. **Fine wavy hair will punish you for being a tryhard.** Simplify your routine down to one or two products and stop with all the plopping bullshit, it's unnecessary for us. My move is to scrunch out as much water as I can with a microfiber, then add a thin layer of leave in, then an even thinner layer of something with hold. Then let it air dry out in the open. See how it goes when it's not so weighed down with product, water, and over-effort.
"Do less" is, like, the best thing you could say to me. Part of me is going "how tf do people do this every time they wash their hair?" I'm gonna try a muuuuch slimmed down routine next time! My hair takes an insane amount of time to air dry, though. Like if I had wet hair at 9am my hair would still be damp at 4pm if I didn't brush it or dry it somehow. In the past, I just brushed it as it dried, and it'd dry relatively smooth and straight (if a bit wonky and cowlicky here and there). Without that, it just doesn't dry.
Perhaps your hair is low porosity and fine, and your hair isn’t handling the products. Maybe less in more in this situation?
Yeah, I'm gathering in general that I need less conditioning, and lighter products (and even less hair, with some layers cut!)... So I think "less is more" sums it up beautifully!
CGM did not work for me at all. My hair NEEDS washing. I've had the best luck with Twist by Ouidad products. I get almost daily compliments on my hair now.
Thank you for this rec, I absolutely need product recommendations! I've really never used products in my hair, so I just feel so clueless and overwhelmed by the options out there.
Best advice is to diffuse dry. Get tons more volume this way, better curl pattern too.
Yeah, the time it takes is the only issue. My hair dries so, soooo slowly -- I could diffuse for an hour and it'd still be wet enough to require many more hours of air drying. I've never tried to diffuse it all the way dry. I know that the expensive Dysons/Sharks/etc are supposed to cut that down by a lot, but... dang, those price tags. I'll try to diffuse a bit longer next time, though, because I know you're right!
Do you hover dry at all? I’ve started hover diffusing (high heat and speed), with my head upside down, and pointing the diffuser at my roots (not touching). Then I pixie diffuse once the roots are a little drier. Good results so far! Before, I was like you where it would take several hours to air dry! I don’t have time for that.
No, I haven't tried this -- I'm absolutely gonna, though! Thank you!
I had this issue, trying to diffuse dry with cool air, and it was a nightmare. I started using high heat for the first 50% and then medium heat for the last 50% and it worked so much better. My curls even looked better. I still don't have my routine perfected (my hair is still weighed down a lot too) but drying with it without heat did not make a difference. I watched a video where the girl had beautiful curls, and she dried hers completely with high heat.
I've been using medium heat -- I've never really heat styled my hair, so I tend to be cautious about higher heat, but I do take your point about starting higher temp for a while, then going lower... When your hair is saturated the higher heat probably isn't as bad?
I’m so sorry that I don’t have any answers for your query but I just wanted to say that you have gorgeous hair colour! 🤩
Your hair looks A LOT like mine did when I was still doing cgm. 5 years and so much time trying to get it to work and my waves were always weighed down and never the same day after day. I gave up and grabbed joico volume shampoo and conditioner bc it happened to be on sale at winners. It worked. So well. By giving up and randomly selecting a product that I hadn’t even researched I suddenly have the hair I’ve been chasing for years. 😅🤣
Hah, this is amazing, I love this story!!! Tell me, do you still do any of the other steps? Using a mousse or gel, scrunching, diffusing, crunching, etc?
I'm in a similar boat as you... My waves flatten out too quickly. I've done lots of research and thought I might share what I've learned: - The heavier your hair is, the more it will flatten out. - The more product you use, the heavier your hair will be. And in my experience, it can also lead to that dirty look you described. - Different products have different weights; some gels are heavier than others. Watery gels are lighter than thick gels. - Gels tend to be heavier than mousses - Oils add more weight; either avoid products with oils or look for products that are for fine hair as these tend to contain lightweight oils. - Conditioners also add more weight. Consider switching to a conditioner with lighter oils and/or only conditioning the bottom half of your hair. - Getting a haircut from someone with curl experience can lighten your hair load. There are some good cutting techniques for reducing bulk in curly hair, it's just a matter of finding a stylist that knows them. Good luck with that gorgeous mane of yours!
Ooh! And consider leaving the gel cast in place and see what happens. It looks very shiny and soft. 🙂
I am delighted that it looks soft, but it definitely isn't! So crunchy, and as a person with sensory issues, I'm not sure I could get through the day with crunch like that. 😆
Omg, thank you for this! Especially the description of the different products and their weights, because as someone who never styled her hair much before, I definitely did NOT know all that! I'm actually feeling much better armed to figure out the right process for me. Gosh, this gives me hope. I really appreciate you for taking the time to explain this me! 💚💚💚
Oh, also, question! How does "curl cream" figure into this equation? I see a lot of waves mentioning using curl cream before whatever mousse or gel they're using. The Internet suggests it's sort of halfway between a leave-in conditioner and a hold product, but I sort of ignored it because I assumed it'd be too heavy for my hair.
What do you mean? Your curls look amazing lol! But seriously though, i don't think it's your hair, it's the haircut i think? I think if you added more layers on top, it will have more volume. The curls will also be bouncier instead of triangle-ish Hope that makes sense! ☺️☺️
Thank you! I think that picture makes it look better than it was. I did a follow-up comment with some additional pictures linked of the next wash I did where it was even worse. 😩 But yeah, I'm really looking into a curl specialist for my next cut. Though I have some serious imposter syndrome, the idea of walking into a curly hair salon with my "straight" hair. I have this nightmare they'll just laugh at me and be all "Girl.... stop trying to make fetch happen!"
Your hair looks great for having just recently started a new routine! I can relate a lot to your story and your hair, mine looks pretty similar to yours during the same stages as well - gel cast, freshly scrunched, and not long after scrunching. I started styling my waves back in Feb and had my hair stylist give me some conservative layers because at the time I had none - my very dense hair was all one blunt length. I go back to see her next week and I’m going to ask for even shorter layers to see if I can get the hair on the top of my head to keep its definition better. TLDR add some layers if you’re open to a haircut!
I wish I could upload another picture of what it looks like now, a few hours later, because I feel like somehow that picture made it look better than it is. 😂 And oh, this is something I've been wondering about actually! I keep seeing people talk about a curly hair haircut, and had only the vaguest sense of what that meant. So lots of layers, basically? I asked for some layers last cut, but I wasn't very happy with the result.
I think maybe your top layers are kinda heavy and so that can stretch out your wave pattern, especially during the transition phase. The curly girl cuts are good for overall shaping, but you would want to find someone who specializes for sure. Also I read you were doing CGM- if it is an over product issue, you may benefit from using a gentle clarifying shampoo. Followed with your regular conditioning routine. Have you checked out any of SwavyCurly Courtney on YouTube?! She has a ton of different kinds of advice.
I did a clarifying wash on the wash before this one -- but I suspect, based on everyone's advice, that I can just go back to a sulfate free shampoo regularly and condition the mids/ends. And yes, I absolutely feel like the top layers are stretched out/flat -- this morning the outside of my hair is almost stick straight, and underneath/at the nape of my neck I still have big juicy ringlets! 😩 As for Swavy -- I have watched a bunch of her videos!! She's the one who first convinced me to try a lot of these methods even though my hair isn't curly curly. She's so great at explaining things!! I kind of want her to just come over and critique my routine and then tell me what products to use. 😂
I don't think you're doing anything wrong your waves look beautiful. Your hair is hair goals for me.
I find oil makes my hair frizz and look terrible. I don't use it at all.
Good to know, thank you! I'm gonna ditch it next time.
Beautiful hair! I think it looks a little ‘weighed down’. I’d try lighter products and maybe use a shampoo if you like the results better. Shampoo isn’t always the enemy!
Thank you! I'm gathering the same thing from other commenters too -- the consensus seems to be too much/too heavy on the products. And "weighed down" feels like the right word, to me! I hated not shampooing my hair this time, so I'm more than glad to pick it back up again. 😬
Your results are beautiful! I think you would really benefit from a more layered cut to give more volume and it won’t seem so shapeless. Also, the CGM isn’t for everyone. It’s not the end all be all way to style your hair. I got caught up in the methods and products and I ended up returning to my usual routine in the end but with more knowledge on what techniques work best for me. It took me a few years before I finally nailed my routine.
I don’t do the CGM method for my wavy hair. I’ve found doing low poo works best. So my shampoo and conditioner are L’Oréal sulfate free. I don’t comb my hair when I get out of the shower and I do a few micro plops to get out as much water as I can. While it’s damp but not dripping wet I scrunch in a small bit of Suave wave mousse. Then let air dry. When it’s dry I run my fingers through to break up the mousse scrunch or use a very wide tooth shower comb. Sometimes I don’t even use a product when I scrunch to create loser waves. Ironically, these tend to last longer than the mousse scrunched waves! Occasionally, I’ll use a texture finishing spray to get a worn in beachy look once it’s dried. I don’t use oils or leave in conditioner because that makes me oily. I have fine, thin strands so I need to keep the products light. Recently I cut my hair to shoulder length which helped my waves a lot! They were not forming well because my hair was too heavy and long. I also added some layers to get a slight shag look. So when my waves aren’t perfect, it still looks decent. The different layers give my hair the illusion of lots of waves.
Oooh, thank you SO much for this routine! Honestly the full CGM stuff is so involved, that it's really lovely to hear from you and others that it can be much simpler on wavy hair. I'm actually kind of excited for the next wash day, to try a much lighter routine!
I can't co-wash or my hair is limp and loses wave. I have to use regular shampoo, especially in warmer weather.
Right off the bat: co-wash is probably coating your hair too much making it go limp. Make sure you wash your conditioner out completely, do not leave in. If you’re going for beachy waves without defined wave clumps do gel first and mouse on top. You do not need to scrunch with oil! Update me whether this helps or not plz :)
i too don't even know what to say, it looks good on the photos! Mine is worse but i am trying to have patience haha
I think I must've somehow taken a picture that made it look better than it was! I so wish I could post a picture of what it looks like right now, a few hours later, because no one would be saying that. 😂 But I appreciate the compliment, and I appreciate you! We will figure this wavy hair thing out. Definitely. 🤔
I have very similar hair to yours (including the color!) and this is about how my hair looks on a good day. The one thing that stood out to me was your cowash. Try either a conditioner made especially for cowashing or a light shampoo. Mousse or foam might work well too, although I find my hair holds up less well if I do that. Mousse and foam also gives me more volume but less definition, so it’s a trade off. I recently discovered Miribel Naturals products and their gel seems to work especially well for me.
Oh, that's such a great tip about the more volume/less definition thing. (I'm so glad I posted here, y'all are a wealth of information!) I'll keep an eye out for that gel. 💚
Cowashing doesn’t work well for me, I would get rid of that. And try diffusing more - I diffuse to at least 90% dry or more, or else my hair gets pulled down. Your hair is lovely!
It just takes sooooo long 😭 But, yes, I think this would help, the water weight is definitely a factor here.
It looks good
Update: tried a wash without the products everyone was saying was weighing my hair down. Just did clarifying shampoo, conditioner listed in my original routine, and then scrunched with mousse. Diffused for over an hour, tried to get it as dry as I could. Scrunched out, and.... My hair is sooooo much worse than it was yesterday with the extra products. Flat and stringy looking, really uneven amounts of curl, looks even heavier than it did before. 😩 Why is this so $&#!ing confusing?? No wonder people shave their heads. Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/LybhkKl
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I think the waves and shine are lovely. Perhaps some more layers cut in will change the way the curls lie? I’m nonsense unhappy with, so perhaps that’s not helpful. I have similar loose waves and don’t use any product daily (I just can’t be bothered), but I sometimes run a second smidge of conditioner thru just before getting out of the shower after a full wash and condition. I don’t rinse it again, and wrap it for a minute to get excess water out, but then let it air dry. Just tames frizzies a tad for me (fine, lightened strands, but tons of it). If you’re just starting to not straighten it, perhaps it’s just an adjustment period where you have to get used to how it looks on you. I think it’s lovely. :)
Another person recommended a cut too -- I think that makes sense! The shape of it is definitely a big part of what I'm unhappy with, and getting some layers would help. I didn't straighten my hair, I just brushed it a lot to smooth down the weird lumps and bumps, as I tended to think of them. I'm gonna try your minimalist approach, and see if that helps!
I would try dropping the oil and possibly also the mousse to see if they bounce up more from being lighter argan oil is also my hair’s enemy it is too heavy, I was thinking of trying jojoba instead my waves also don’t seem to get weighed down by squalane
Yeah, I'm definitely going to skip the oil next time! I've tried just the gel without the mousse, but I haven't tried the mousse without the gel, so I might give that a go next!
Your hair is so beautiful.
If I want more definition I need to diffuse. Also try a denman brush for definition
Porosity?
I'm not sure, being new to all of these terms. I took a quiz and it said I had low porosity hair -- I do know it doesn't get wet instantly, and then takes forever to dry. Like, easily 6+ hours if I don't brush it or blow dry it.
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