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68 Comments

  1. Elias Cotsis says:

    The Hairfinity Strengthening Amino Mask contains disodium EDTA which is a chelating ingredient, is it still okay to use it once a week? Also will this product help me maintain a good protein moisture balance if I use it enough?

    1. Yes it’s fine to use weekly. And yes, I think it is a good product to maintain a good healthy protein moisture balance.

  2. I absolutely adore your articles, they make things so clear. I’m a newbie to the curly girl journey and I was wondering if the OGX shampoo and conditioners are CG approved? I’m still learning the names of common sulphates and silicones so I’m unsure

    1. I don’t use or recommend OGX, I tried them years ago and didn’t like them for my hair. I don’t think they’re CG friendly, but you can check the ingredients on isitcg.com or curlsbot.com or just Google it x

  3. Hello!
    I’m loving all your tips and trying to transition from a keratin treatment to embrace my curls.
    I have a question regarding the bumble & bumble Sunday Shampoo, I read that this should be avoided on colored hair. I have highlights and I just had bought it. Would you recommend to use another shampoo instead?

    1. Hi Caro, I only recommend using the Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo once a month to clarify and remove hard water and mineral deposits on the hair. Which is actually recommended for colour treated hair, as it’s those mineral and metal deposits that cause highlights and colour to appear dull, brassy, green and yellow. However, if you use it too often it will strip and fade the colour. So once a month, and/or before you get your hair coloured is fine.

  4. But Pantene Mousse ist at all a natural and cruelty free product or am I wrong?

    1. Nope, Pantene Mousse isn’t natural. I’m not sure about being cruelty free, I hope not. But I don’t know. I’m not claiming that it is natural. I’m just saying it’s CG friendly and is the best mousse on the market, hands down. I’ve been using it for 21 years.

  5. Hello!

    Is the Pantene mousse a creamy mousse or more of a lightweight foam? As far as I can tell my hair is wavy and a mix of 2b/2c with medium porosity. I need a mousse to achieve best results and it must be a creamy mousse as opposed to one that foams up. I’m having trouble finding an approved one that gives me good results.
    Thanks for any advice!
    Sara

    1. Hi Sara, Pantene Mousse is like a traditional mousse that you’d think of from the 80s and 90s. (but way better, it doesn’t dry out your hair etc.) it’s not a foam – I know what you mean, there’s a big difference between a foam and a mousse.

  6. Hi Gabrielle!

    Thank you so much for your blog! I’ve learned so much from you! I just wanted to let you know that I wouldn’t recommend Naturalistic for customers outside the UK. I tried to order from them and my order never came but they still charged me for shipping both ways. (36£!). I’ve reached out to them to try to resolve the issue but unfortunately they were not amenable to helping.

    Thanks once again for providing such a great service to the curly haired community!

    Jessica

    1. Hi Jessica, so sorry you experienced that with Naturalistic Products. I’m not affiliated with them, but I’m based outside the UK and have been ordering from them for years and never had any issues.

  7. Hi
    Thanks so much for all the information you are providing. I used to have lovely curls up to my 20’s and now my hair is just a limp mess so I’m going to start from scratch again and hopefully can be happy with my hair again 15 years later! I stopped using mousse years ago because my hair dresser told me that the alcohol in mousse was destroying my hair and told me to start using leave in conditioner in it’s place. I actually liked that I didn’t have that hard mousse feeling in my hair anymore but it’s very hard to find a leave in conditioner that gives the same effect as a mousse. I was wondering what you thought about this and also can you recommend a cruelty free brand in place of Pantene?

    Thanks so much

    1. Hi Michelle, okay so first of all not all mousse has harsh drying alcohols. Pantene Defined Curls Mousse doesn’t and it’s the best mousse on the market. I’ve been using it for 21 years! Secondly, the reason that mousse gave you that “hard feeling” was because it formed a cast on your hair when it dried – which is good. You just needed to go and scrunch out that cast to reveal soft curls underneath. You may have noticed hard hair on wash day, and maybe the day after. But soft defined curls for the days after that…that’s because you were breaking that cast during your sleep. Finally, a leave in conditioner is never going to do the same thing as a mousse because it’s not the same product, not designed or formulated to do the same thing. So you may as well go looking for a unicorn. Make sure you’re using good quality cleansing and conditioning products and either don’t rinse all your conditioner out, or add a little leave in conditioner, before putting your mousse on and you should be fine.

  8. I live in a high humidity area. I was wondering what strong hold gel you recommend so that I don’t end up with a frizzy mess?

    1. When it’s really humid, the strongest hold gel with no humectants that I’ve found is the Giovanni LA Natural Hold Gel, you can get 15% off on Look Fantastic using code CURLYCAILINLF – and they ship worldwide. But it’s already super affordable.

  9. HI GABRIELLA,
    I remembered you have a discount code at Look Fantastic. So checked here. Do you also have one at Skinstore by LF?
    Thanks honey and keep on doing what you do for us!

    1. I don’t think I do, so sorry! If it’s a Hut Group site though they’re bound to have some great discount codes x Thanks so much for asking x

  10. rosaleen mcelhatton says:

    hi gabriella, do you have any current discount codes for look fantastic or any other companies and also can u recommend anywhere else to get hairfinity amino masque as can never get it on look fantastic or another equivalent for a protein hair masque??
    thanx Rosaleen
    ps love your thermal hair cap. its made a great difference when using a treatment

    1. Hi Rosaleen, it sells out quite quickly so it’s the kind of thing you need to snap it up when you see it in stock. I have a 15% discount code for Look Fantastic, use code CURLYCAILINLF at checkout. It’s also available on my Amazon shop, the links to that are in the footer and side bar. You can also try and get it at Naturalistic Products, here’s my referral link for that: http://bit.ly/2qF0lw8

  11. Hi Gabriella,
    Your site has become my trusted resource at the beginning of my curl journey. I have fine, thin wavy hair with a few ringlets around the face. I’ve ordered many of the products you recommended. Very much need to clarify and realize I forgot to purchase deep conditioner. Elsewhere I’ve seen the suggestion to mix honey and olive oil (1:1) and add to conditioner as a way to deep condition. Do you have an opnion on this?
    Thank you for this tremendous resource of your blog, instagram and YT.

    1. Hi Lucille, thanks so much for your kind sweet words. I don’t recommend using either honey or olive oil in your hair, or as a deep conditioner. Often the molecules of food is too big to penetrate the hair shaft, so it’s a waste of time, effort, money and food with no benefits to the hair.

  12. Hey, I’m suffering heavily from over-moisturised hair right now! Very scared of the dreaded hydral-fatigue… it’s clear I need some protein in my routine – but have no idea where to start and 99% of the products I find reccomended are not available in Ireland – please help!!

  13. Hi there,

    I’m just starting my curly hair method journey but I’ve already been using natural shampoo bars for years. They contain no silicones or parbens, can I still keep using them? Do I need to do a clarify wash?

    Thanks!

    1. Gabriella says:

      Once they don’t contain waxes, silicones or harsh drying alcohols then yes

  14. Fenna Van Engelshoven says:

    Hello,
    Ik have low porosity and low elasticy Hair (type 2c) nu Hair is tick and i have much hair.
    Ik want to try the follow products.
    But i didn’t understand the first 2 products wich are good tot my Hair.
    Do you have a suggestion wich product i can rinse nu Hair. And did I understand your article well that the follow products are good for my Hair(I’m from Holland)

    1 pre pop ??
    2 shampoo??
    3 matrix biolage hydrasource
    4 bounce curl clump & define cream
    5 boucleme super hold styler

    Ik want to thank you so much tot make this yourney a little bit understanding.

    Greetings Fenna

  15. Hi Gabriella 🙂
    First of all, thank you so much for the amazing content you create, it has helped a lot on my journey to understand my hair better!

    I have a question about hard water:
    I moved to Ireland about a year ago and experienced a terrible change in my hair due to what I think had to do with the water quality.
    Since I lived in a hostel at the beginning (probably even more chlorine used in the water there) and later only in shared flats I didn’t have the possibility to get a water filter that can be installed/attached.

    I started filtering all my water for wash days via a drinking water filter (Britta) which takes ridiculously long but it don’t dare to go back to just using the water as it is.
    Do you think the Bumble and Bumble shampoo could help with this problem? Do you have any tips for dealing with living in a hard water area?
    I’m using kinky curly come clean shampoo but maybe that is not strong enough?

    Jana

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Jana, I live in Ireland too and the hard water is truly awful! That’s why I came to discover Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo, as it’s a chelating clarifying shampoo that gets rid of hard water build up on the hair, and it’s why I use it religiously every 4 weeks. It’s essential for my hair and scalp health and growth. Personally I don’t think the Kinky Curly Come Clean is strong enough, not for the kind of hard water that’s in Ireland. I much prefer B&B Sunday Shampoo, and then on washes between I use Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo. Hope that helps. x

  16. Carol Madden says:

    Hi Gabriella, I was going to try out bounce curl or the innersence products. I have similar curly pattern to you. Which one if these brands would you recommend?
    Thanks

    Carol

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Carol, I like both brands. And I often mix and match between the products. For me, the Bounce Curl cleansers are the best on the market. But I prefer the Innersense conditioners and styling products. As well as the Bounce Curl hairspray. Hope that helps, you can get 10% off Bounce Curl using code CURLYCAILIN10 and you can get 10% off Innersense at The Clean Beauty Edit (linked here: http://bit.ly/310epAT ) using code CURLYCAILIN10.

  17. Hello Gabriella!

    Have you ever tried Mielle Organics Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner?

    Hairfinity Mask is sold out on Lookfantastic. Could Mielle be similar and good quality? or Giovanni Hair Reconstructor?

    Kind regards, Ana

  18. Hi Gabriella! I live in a (very) hard water area, so I need a chelating shampoo. Do you think I could get away with not using a clarifying shampoo if I’m using, say, the B&B Sunday Shampoo and a co-wash? I’m trying to streamline my routine before my products take over my house, lol Thank you!!

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Anna, yes that’s fine. Use your B&B Sunday Shampoo as a clarifying shampoo – it just as the extra bonus of also being chelating so getting rid of hard water and mineral deposits. And then co-wash (if that’s what works best for your hair) on the washes in between.

      1. Big thanks! Your blog has been such a helpful resource, thanks for all the time and work you put into it x

  19. Got anymore of those LF discount codes now that February has passed? LOL, I am on a serious hair binge post-Deva. Do you have access to the Zotos brand All About Curls in Ireland/UK? It is a known “Deva Dupe” for us in N.America (I think just in terms of the product line versus ingredients) and has been working *so so so* well for me these last few washes. I am no longer willing to be Monogamous to a brand though, and want to rotate through things (HA!) to prevent another hair Dev-aster.

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Caitlyn, I need to update this post. The Look Fantastic 20% discount code has been extended for another 6 months! Use code CURLYCAILINLF at checkout x

  20. Hello Gabriella!
    First of all thank you so much for such an insightful and generous writing!
    My hair is similar to yours and although I am CG for years, but the last 2 years I was really lazy and my hair felt it…. So now I’m on track to change it.
    Last week for the first time I clarified with Klorane citrus pulp shampoo and Phyto Detox Shampoo. Then I did your rice modified treatment. What a difference!!!
    I have these other Phyto shampoos at home in stock that I had bought on a 3 for 2 deal: phytojoba, phytocolor, phytoprogenium-ultra-gentle-shampoo . Do you recommend any of them?
    I also have some Fructis hair food masks still and Ultimate Blends conditioners. Ordered from Lookfantastic your Hairfinity recommendations and Giovanni Leave-in. Already had Boucléme Gel.. Yesterday ordered the mini Innersense you quoted. I thind I need 2 heads to finish my stock ; )
    Any kind advices?
    Greetings from Portugal and please keep up the good work!
    Ana

  21. Hi! My hair also loves the GVP Conditioning Balm. 🙂 I was surprised to read that I should only use the tiniest amount though. I use 3-5 tablespoons each time. I must be over-moisturizing! Maybe that is why my waves have been losing their definition…even though they still feel a bit dry in this dry winter weather…

    How much of the GVP balm do you recommend using? I am sure the exact amount varies per person, just curious what average amount you would recommend. How can I tell when I put too much on? Should my hair feel coated in conditioner after I apply it?

  22. Hello!

    Could you do a full review on Innersense products?

    Just ordered Hairfinity products and Giovanni Leave in from Lookfantastic.

    Thank you from Portugal

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Ana, yes an Innersense review is coming soon! Stay tuned! x

  23. i’m VERY new to the curly girl method and have watched vide o upon video and read blogs a plenty before embarking on the journey but YOU you have made it super simple and really eased how overwhlemed i am. so thank you!

    I especially love the routines you scatter through your blog and i think you should make it a feature like a “Wash Day Wednesday”where you snap a pic of all the products you used on that wash day and your prep and style routine and the order in which you use them and the amounts of each day.

    Speaking of routines, the LMG process is something I want to try with the following products, which i already have…but i cannot figure out which order to use them, can you help please?

    -giovanni direct leave in
    -flora and curl leave in detangler
    -boucleme super styler
    -boucleme curl defining gel
    -pantene curl defining mousse

    the one i am most confused about is the boucleme super styler, which i received as part of a christmas gift and ive left it untouched. would i use it in place of a leave in or would i use it after the leave followed by a mousse followed by a gel?

    HELP!

    thanks in advance

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Isla, thanks so much for your kind, sweet words! I do Washday Wednesday on my Instagram page, http://www.instagram.com/curlycailin.ie and have a highlight called Wash Days too. Okay so for the products you have, I suggest the following: Giovanni Direct Leave In OR Flora & Curl Leave In Detangler (they do the same thing, one is just more lightweight than the other – both are favourites of mine). Then apply Pantene Defined Curls Mousse. Then for a soft hold use Boucleme Curl Defining Gel, or for a stronger hold use the Boucleme Super Hold Styler. It’s a strong hold custard. But, if you want extra hold and longevity from your wash day, you can apply both Boucleme products. But you need to play around and experiment to see what works best for you x

      1. Many thanks for your response! I’m gearing up for my wash day and came to review your reply to make sure i’m doing things right and on a whim i decided to input the ingredients of all the products i intend to use onto both “is it CG?” and “Curls bot” and shockingly “is it CG” stated that the Boucleme curl defining gel contains castor seed oil which is not CG, BUT Curlsbot did not flag this….am I missing something?

        I do notice that it is in the bottom 7 ingredients on the list but should i risk it especially given i am only 2 months into my CG journey and really don’t want to compromise my transition progress.

  24. Hi Gorgeous!

    your curls are intense!! but you’ve got quite a bit of frizz on top from the photos in this post, thats kinda the same frizz I have that I’m trying to get rid of, have you not found a remedy for it yet?

  25. Hi, I was recently introduced to the Curly Girl method by one of my friends and wanted to try it out. I work out heavily almost everyday and was wondering how I should tackle my hair on days that aren’t heavy wash days. I have tried to look up videos/blogs with tips but have not had much luck. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you.

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Julia, if you sweat a lot and prefer to use a dry shampoo, I suggest using this one from Innersense Organic Beauty, http://bit.ly/308yEzG which is curly girl friendly and use that as and when you need it each day. And aim to wash your hair 2-3 times a week. Hope that helps. x

  26. Hello,

    I live in the US and found the Matrix Biolage hydrasource conditioner…but I am also finding the hydrasource conditioning balm. Do you know if they are the same? I can’t find anything about it on their website. Thanks!

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hiya, yes they are the same thing – as far as I’m aware. Just double check and compare the ingredients if you want to be sure.

  27. Hi I just started the curly girl a week and half ago . Funny thing is I’ve always used Aussie instant freeze . Can you tell me what the old ingredients are ? And my hair has been so frizzy . What should I do? Top is high Porosity bottom medium. More hair is medium. Also how often should I shampoo or cowash ? Is it true that oils and Shea cause frizz ? Like jojoba or castor . Trying to figure out best deep conditioner also protein or not? I did the avocado diy one the first time.Also my roots need dyed how do I do that what are the steps

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Colette, there’s an awful lot of questions there, all of which you need to just try things out for yourself and see how your hair reacts and what works best for you and your hair. I can’t give you the answers for everything I’m afraid, as everyone’s hair is different. A quick google of the old/original Aussie Instant Freeze Gel ingredients will bring those up for you. I advise to wash your hair 2 – 3 times a week max. I’ve got a post on protein moisture balance on the blog which will help you figure out what type of deep conditioner you may need for your hair. But you’re only a week or so into the method and at this rate you’re going to become quickly overwhelmed, start off simple, read my posts under the CG Basics tab and take it from there.

  28. gabrielle oxford says:

    Hi Gabriella! I have low porosity hair but a somewhat similar texture to how your hair was towards the beginning of your journey. i also find that my hair is less curly in the back of my head and Im not sure what to do. Can you please make a youtube video on how you currently style your curls?
    They look great!

    Much love,
    Gabrielle

  29. Debra Collins says:

    Oops…so sorry about typos in previous comment. Should have read…I want to order several of your product recommendations instead of not order products in the first paragraph. And in first question should read hair strand is slightly bumpy but will float in the middle of water bowl when trying to decide porisity. Sorry.

  30. Debra Collins says:

    I found you recently while searching for products for my hair which is very similar to yours only shorter and colored. I have tried JessieCurls products for the past 6 months and need to use both the rockin ringlets and spiralicious gel in order for my curls to form the best. The cleansing cream and shea conditioner doesnt work as well as I had hoped. I dont seem to have enough moisture afterwards and it takes alot of both gels and daily adding leave in conditioner mixed with water to refresh. O am hoping you can answer a few questions because I not to order more of the products you recommend.
    1. Since my hair is colored does it make it automatically high porisity? I have done various tests and the stands are slightly bumpy but usually float toward the middle.
    2. Is the Pantene mousse the same in USA? When I have searched I can only find a white can with gold at the bottom that does not have the level 5 on it. Instead it only has “prov” in the center circle.
    3. Do you stack the leave in, mousse and then gel?
    Appreciate your help. I did similar as you when growing up…fighting the curl. Now for the past year have really tried to embrace it and changing routines and products have really helped.

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Debra, if you need lots of moisture, then Jessicurl is not the best brand for you – which is why you’re not loving their cleanser and conditioner I suspect. I would consider changing the conditioner to GVP conditioning balm if you’re in the US, or Matrix Biolage Hydrasource Conditioner if you live elsewhere. To answer your questions, don’t pay any attention to the float test, it’s a load of rubbish. I suggest reading my post on hair porosity which I updated recently: https://staging3.curlmaven.ie/hair-porosity/ 2. Yes, the Pantene Mousse in the US is the same. Pantene used to have 2 different levels of hold in their mousse, level 3 and 5. They have discontinued level 3 and now there’s just one “defined curls mousse” which was previously level 5. 3. Do I “stack” the leave in mousse and gel? I don’t know what you mean by “stack.” I apply leave in first, then I apply mousse, then I apply gel. One after the other, I don’t mix all three in my hands if thats what you mean. Hope that helps.

  31. Have you ever tried Ouidad produts?

    1. Gabriella says:

      I’ve tried a few, I like their original climate control gel. x

      1. I’m really grateful for the advice and product information you have listed. I’m just curious, as I’ve read three seperate posts and notice with each one you say you have high porosity, low porosity, and medium porosity. Is that because your porosity has changed over time or are those typos?

        1. Hi Hayley, my hair is medium-high porosity hair. In previous, much older posts I believed it was low porosity, but that wasn’t the case – it was a misunderstanding of porosity. I will be taking time over the summer to go back and edit and update old posts on this blog which is 2.5 years old.

  32. Jessica Moncada says:

    Oh my goodness gracious I love this list!! However, this is a lot of stuff, and I don’t entirely know what to do with each product. If you most often use the LMG method, which of these products would you recommend to start with this basic method?

    1. Gabriella says:

      Hi Jessica, I understand this may seem like a lot, but I don’t use products from all these categories in one wash day. I give sample routines throughout my posts, including the LMG method. But for example, I would use Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo, Hairfinity Conditioner, Giovanni Leave In, Pantene Mousse and Aussie Instant Freeze Gel. You can interchange any of those products, but the principle remains the same. A cleanser, conditioner, leave in conditioner, curl enhancer and hold. Hope that make sense. x

      1. Thank you, yes that makes sense. It’s made more sense as I’ve read through more of your posts. One question: are you cautious to ensure you alternate protein with moisture in each product you use? Like if you were using a shampoo with protein, would you then only use a conditioner with no protein? Or am I over thinking it?

        1. Gabriella says:

          Try it out and see, it’s the quickest way to see if something works for you. For me, I don’t worry to much about protein in my cleanse and condition products, but I have to be mindful of protein heavy styling products as my hair doesn’t seem to behave as well. Hope that helps

  33. As I am coconut co-wash has been the best thing I’ve ever read about for my hair (medium porosity). Thank you for introducing me to it! I have to use it more like a conditioner/detangler after my Jessicurl low-poo shampoo. My curls love it. Thank you for doing all the leg work so I look good.

    1. Gabriella says:

      Thanks so much Heather! x