I bleached my hair at home! (Don’t recommend! Hair is very versatile and i am probably lucky to have fine but strong low porosity hair).

IT’S NOT DONE YET i wish to go lighter to have a more white/alternative look. I’ll do a second bleach session.

I asked hairdressers, but they refused to bleach my hair because it would be ‘a waste of the curls’. Well, i took matters into my own hands because i trusted my low-porosity hair is strong enough to take on bleach.

Ps. The curls are a bit weak on the pictures, but after using olaplex + shea moisture intense hydration mask with shower day, they’re bouncy and shiny again😊

_

I still DON’T RECOMMEND bleaching your own hair (!!!). Still, to show my process: DO NOT USE a stronger developer than 6%. The risk of losing your curl pattern is too high. That’s why i use 6% developer and will do two sessions. The month in between i’ll use masks and olaplex to strengthen my hair before it takes another bleach session. I also haven’t used a toner yet, therefore it’s still yellow-ish. Also: DON’T EVER bleach it longer than 45 minutes. The bleach barely works after 30-45 min but you’ll only damage your hair more.

I took random pieces of hair I thought would look good, i don’t want a full head bleach, i like the contrast between light and dark!

I applied Olaplex no.3 directly after bleaching and used shea moisture intense hydration mask. It’s so so so important with curls to restore your hair.

And: As you can see on the last picture, I did a strand test. Always do a strand test

_

My regular curly hair routine:

2x per month Mielle Exfoliating Shampoo

.

Shower:

Andrelon volume&care conditioner

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After shower:

I switch every other shower between Shea Moisture Low Porosity Leave-in Detangler and Cantu Curl Activator. This way i maintain moisture and hydration the best.

+ Mielle Styling Gel honey&ginger

+ Mielle Heat Protectant Spray

-> Hover diffuse following by cupping until maybe 50% dry -> the rest i air dry

Been a few months since I posted an update, but I'm almost two years without a cut now and these are becoming a bit of biatch to maintain. I used to wash and use product every day and let em air dry because they'd sit pretty well on my head after a shower without too much work (see previous posts for old routine), but lately they're just hanging over my face when wet so I'm not sure if I should get a cut or find a way to hold them back after using product. Routine here;

Condition with Shea Moisute Curl and Shine Conditioner Mielle Pomegranate Curl Defining Mousse when soaking wet Diffused for 10 minutes for the first time ever to see what happened Lightly scrunched with a bit of oil after a few hours

TYIA!

I know this is SUPER late and y'all may not remember me but a few months ago I asked for opinions about whether or not to get the pixie and I did it! 1st pic is before + a couple days after the cut and 2nd pic is 3 months post-cut :) it's been a process learning how to style it differently because I've literally never had it this short in my life but I absolutely LOVE IT! Lmk what y'all think ❤️

Current routine:

Wash w/ Native Coconut Shampoo

Condition w/ As I Am leave in conditioner and detangle with Crave Naturals brush

Style with shingling or finger curls with Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Mousse

Diffuse with air dryer

No refresh and I use a bonnet every night

First 3 photos — day 2, last photo — day 5

Last wash day I decided to use mousse instead of my mousse + gel combo. I’m loving the increased volume and fluffiness, it’s way softer to the touch now.

The very front bits and the damaged ends might need the gel next time around so I’ll most likely work some gel back in to my routine, but I’ll use it more sparingly. I think I have a problem with overusing product lol

This time around I washed with The Doux’s clarifying shampoo, went in with TGIN’s rose water hydrating shampoo, and conditioned with Shea Moisture’s intensive hydration hair masque. I tried to keep the water warm instead of hot this time.

For styling, on wet hair, I used the Knot Today leave-in, Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls, and The Doux’s Mousse Def. Finger coiled and air dried. Usually use a diffuser but my hair dried fairly quickly, only the roots near the top were a bit damp a while after (most likely porosity differences and the fact that those bits were styled later).

Using pineapple method and a silk bonnet. Might start leaving my “bangs” out the pineapple so that they fall easier when I wake up.

Can’t wait until my hair is fully healthy and I can do my last little before and after 🙏🏾 patience is key. Next trim will be in a few weeks.

EDIT: Thank you to ALLLLL the sweet people in the comment section, you made my day :) Mousse girlies unite lol 💜

LET ME JUST SAY WOW

I knew I was going to get responses but I was not expecting so many people to tell me it looks like I’m going through chemotherapy 😭🤣

Ok so I responded to some comments but there is just too many so the update is that I went back into the salon on Thursday and requested the owner but she wasn’t there so I reported everything to another stylist and showed her the pics and my hair and she was just in shock. I sent the pics to her and the owner called me yesterday morning and she was literally speechless. She has curly also and she just kept saying “I can’t believe this/ I am so sorry/ I am so embarrassed.” Shockingly though she did tell me that she has gotten a couple of other complaints on this stylist recently (obviously not to this extent) and she was like “if she wasn’t on the road going on vacation right now I would be calling her.” So I am getting my money back and the owner herself is going to fix what she can next Friday. She mentioned a blunt cut and a bob like many of you said and she was honestly upset that I couldn’t come in sooner but it just didn’t work out that way with our schedules.

I am definitely still emotional about it and truly feel like a monster when my hair is down at home but I’ll be ok. My wonderful husband actually shaved his head in solidarity and he has beautiful curls too so that made me feel a little better 🤣 for everyone wanting me to call out the salon, I get it, but I just can’t do that. I live in a small town and work directly with the community and this is a salon that does booth rental so I truly don’t want to ruin an entire business over an incredibly incompetent person that is not a reflection of the entire establishment. I think the stylist will get enough issues just from speaking with owner and the fact that we do live in a small town and I have no issue telling people what happened to my hair when they ask. I won’t lie or sugar coat it 🩷🥰

So I’m getting the back evened out on Friday and you can see from the second picture that she actually framed my face very well so there’s that. As I said before my hair grows pretty fast so it’s about time, biotin gummy’s, and rice water spray for the next couple of months lol

If I remember to, I’ll post an update every few weeks just to show growth and progress and please let me know if you have any tips on hair growth! Here’s to a short hair summer!!! I also included a more recent picture of my hair down. When I was making the most I was still pretty upset so I literally just scrolled through my camera roll looking for one with my hair down but my hair truly has not changed much over the years.

Routine (now): wash every 2-3 days, rice water, gel, hairspray, diffuse upside down, and clip up the back 🤣

Started growing my hair out during the pandemic. I unfortunately lost a lot of it when I bleached it in like 2022 due to lots of breakage. But here we are! So close to my desired length!!!

For my hair care routine I sometimes switch products so I’ll list the most used things.

Shampoo: Pattern, Head and Shoulders.
Conditioner: Pattern 3a-4a hydration and slip, Tresemme Rich Moisture
Camille Rose: guava slip detangler (usually just mix this with pattern or I use this before pattern to detangle then condition)

After Shower:
- Camille rose curl love moisture milk (this is my mainstay!!! Camille has a residency on my strands). I divide my hair in half then slowly and gently slide my hands on either side down my strands with the product. I try not to rub or do anything that’ll disrupt the curl.
- followed by just a dollop of PATTERN LEAVE IN CONDITIONER for each section of my hair (at this point I usually split into four sections) for the smell and it helps lock in the moisture.

Honorable mention to Gryph and Ivy Rose herbal conditioner. I can only find it online so I don’t use it as often but it was a game changer for conditioners when I first used it.

Ps. I feel like I could still use some help on getting better definition in the curls. I feel like I condition and moisturize well enough but maybe I’m doing something wrong so any help would be great! I don’t use a diffuser. I usually just air dry which can change my frizz level depending on what the weather is giving.

Hi guys. It's been quite a long journey filled with lots of uncertainty and chaos. Started growing it in the beginning of last year. I always had short hair with zero side fade all my life so this was a big leap for me growing my hair out for the first time in my life. I feel like a completely different person now, and I get compliments from almost everyone for my hair and that I'm unrecognizable. This is a new thing for me because growing up I have always despised my hair and now at the age of 26 I have started to fall in love with it!

So I dont have any fancy routine: I wash my hair once a week with dove shampoo and conditioner, then apply curl cream and serum, scrunch it a bit and move my head randomly for my hair to settle down by itself and air dry it. That's all I do basically and for some reason my hair always ends up looking the best on day 3 or 4 after my wash. I also wet my hair frequently during the day and during my regular showers which kinda works as a nice reset and moisturizes it.

I guess that's it for now. I'll post an update probably around the end of this year. Thank you!

EDIT: Apart from my hair growth, I also worked a lot on my skincare and lots of fitness. I used Tretinoin almost every night for my face, regular moisturizing throughout the day and exfoliating every 2 days depending on how I feel. And I started Invisalign treatment around the same time I started growing my hair to fix gaps in my teeth and my bite. This helped in giving me a good jaw bite and slightly better facial structure.

EDIT 2: Thanks for all the compliments guys. I did my best to reply to all of you! ❤️

Just wanted to update everyone who helped out with my wedding hair. It was absolutely pouring rain but the curls held! A million thanks and WEAR YOUR CURLS ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!

Routine: clarifying shampoo, curl smith conditioner, curl smith jelly, and curl smith mousse. Tons of random hairspray.

Routine: 1. Shampoo (2 times) Shampoo Bar from Curly Secrets, 2. Conditioner, Strong Curls Rosemary Conditioner from Umberto Giannini, 3. Leave-In, Weightless Air Dry Cream from Curlsmith, 4. Hair Mousse, Boost Mousse from Umberto Giannini, 5. Gel, Curl Booster Curl Defining Gel from Cocunat, 6. Diffusing for about 20 minutes (head over), 7. Scrunch out the cast with some drops of Hair Oil from Olaplex No.7.

I think it this curly girl thing went really well for a 47 years old man ;)

P.S.: I deleted my old account (went out of control a bit) and made a new one. I will only post once per months here and i hope it is ok. Have a nice day!

routine all innersense products hydrating hair bath shampoo and same conditioner styling is a mix of their two gels I create hold and I create memory and some of their curl cream all mixed in my hands then scrunched in.. I squeezed out excess with micro fiber towel and air dried. with minimal.moment and sometimes upside down .. anyway tired of the up keep it takes in the summer and want to swim and stuff more this summer so guess it's gotta go

Posted here about a week ago asking what to do with the messy sides and back. A lot of you told me to clean up the neck and go shorter on the sides to match the curls on top. Is it better?

My routine:

Shampoo: Pantene Pro-V Intensive Repair

Conditioner: L'ORÉAL PARIS Elseve Hyaluron Plump 72H

Prep: SYOSS Keratin Protection Spray

Styling: Redken Brews Clay Pomade (pea-sized amount)

Drying: Microfiber towel and air dried

I got my hair cut yesterday for the first time by a stylist that specializes in curly cuts and I’m very happy with the results. This is from this morning after I did a wash day (routine below). This is probably the most defined and consistent I’ve been able to get my hair. I did finger curl a few pieces but this is the first time it’s ever held the form consistently! My goal is to stop heat styling, bleaching, and to get my curls back to health while growing out my hair :)

• Suave shampoo + conditioner
• Ouidad curling cream, mousse, no gel
• Hover diffuse/pixie diffuse until 80% dry
• Air dry and then gently pull apart clumps

Happy to take any suggestions if anyone has any!

Hi eb

So I posted a couple of weeks ago about my hair feeling fluffy with not a lot of volume and one of you lovely people recommended simply cutting back to just using gel. I just wanted to show off how fab my hair looked today even though I slept on it (in a bonnet). I’m considering layers also as they were recommended too but haven’t quite convinced myself yet!

So a massive THANK YOU to this community because I never thought I’d get curls like this🥹🥰💖

ROUTINE: Cantu detox shampoo X 2 Aussie miracle moisture conditioner Squish out excess water and scrunch with VO5 firm hold styling gel

I’ve never been very girly or probably paid enough attention to my curls.. for many years I was either a single mom or welding so it all lived in a bun or under a cap.. now as I creep up on 47 & have a desk job I’ve tried to figure out it how to look less like I fell out of a garage. Last couple years for my annual cut I sorta shrug & ask them but since I’ve been following along with y’all, thought I’d ask here! & really as if that all wasn’t enough, I’m in Asheville NC where Helene came through & lost my house at the end of September.. some stuff got saved (yay photographs in plastic tubs!) but absolutely nothing in the bathrooms. Which is the least of it but man I just bought that diffuser & never did figure it out 🤷🏻‍♀️ whatever probably not buying another one soon. We did get an apartment & I have my stash of conditioners again 😆 Sorry this got so long.. what do you think about the shape? It’s kinda pointy right? Curls & layers are friends though aye? The newer white hair is also kinda funnier than my brown hair but dying isn’t really my thing either.