Hi! When I was a kid I wasn't really taught how to look after my curly hair properly and I'd always brush it and it really didn't look nice and I was very sad about it. However, after some advice from my friend, in around October 2019 I stopped brushing it. Then it actually looked really nice! Until around December 2020, the way I cared for my hair was just comb it in the shower with fingers, shampoo it, (sometimes condition but tbh I think I didn't condition for months lol rip), and then towel/air dry. Then in the morning I'd just leave it alone and it would look pretty and curly and I got complimented and I was happy. Anyway around October 2020 I started conditioning it as well and it looked great tbh, I was happy with it.
I'd been thinking about trying the curly girl method for some time. Also some of my friends said my hair could be curlier and I just need to find good products for it (I hadn't found products specific to curly hair and the only products I used were shampoo and conditioner). So I went on the beginner's guide on this subreddit, some flowchart. I changed my routine so I was using shea moisture shampoo, tresemme botanique conditioner, and then after showering, shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie. I also made sure to not towel dry it and just air dried it or let it dry in a cotton t-shirt. It looked really nice with the product (curl enhancing smoothie) and my friends all complimented it.
In March 2021, my friend straightened my hair with hair straighteners (idk if that's relevant). At the end of the month, I came home from uni. My mum and sister both separately noticed that my hair looked thinner. And it was. I hadn't noticed it before that. They showed me and I was really sad. I don't know if this is relevant, but I'd also lost weight (I didn't want to lose weight, I just didn't like the food at uni lol). I decided to stop using the curl enhancing smoothie in case that caused my hair to fall out. Then, I don't remember exactly when, but I guess in around May my hair started looking quite terrible :(. The curls would only stay proper for a short time. In the past, my hair would still look really curly and pretty 2 days after washing it. Now, even the same day I wash it, half the curls aren't there and it's just fluff :(. I really don't know what caused this. I've stopped using the shea moisture shampoo and tresemme botanique, now I just use random shampoo and conditioner, I think they contain sulphates but not silicones.
Does anyone
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I'm a type 3A/3B and am trying to wash or co-wash only every 3 days and refresh in between. When I do all the 'right things' my 2nd-day hair looks good and 3rd day passable, sometimes.
The problem? The 'right things' do not include any hairstyle that works for running -- aka my sanity.
Any hairstyle that keeps my almost-shoulder-length hair 'locked down' enough to run a real workout also ruins my curls. Traditionally (back when I was wetting my hair daily) I wore a tight bun or ponytail or braids, and I've found that my curls just don't really come back from any of those. When I try to use 'softer' styles for running, my hair escapes and drives me insane, not to mention getting windblown and ruined anyway. A 'pineapple' is completely out of the question.
Any suggestions?
