My name is Raquel, but my nickname is Rocky, and my channel on YouTube is RockynCurls. I live near Nashville, TN, and I am a medical laboratory scientist. I perform blood work and molecular infectious disease testing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
My hair type: wavy-curly (type 2c/3a”>, high porosity
I never knew my hair was curly. It turned poofy and wavy when I was a pre-teen; my mom would brush and blow-dry it till it became frizzy and straight. I met a Panamanian woman who taught me it was wavy and curly and how to use mousse and spray gel. I liked my hair much better, but I didn’t like how the products made my hair feel sticky, and how I had that “wet gelled down” look. I could not wait to wash them out. When I finally figured out how to flat iron it, I enjoyed that; but it always took over an hour to do, so I always had it in a bun.
One day, I styled it with mousse.
Then I went to the zoo with some friends, and after hitting the humidity, my hair no longer looked nice. It looked like a frizzy mess. Everyone else looked nice, but my hair looked terrible, even though I thought it had looked nice when I left home.
I thought, you know what, I have read books on how to do lots of things, but never one about how to care for wavy and curly hair. It takes up so much time in my life styling it straight. I think I should research how to take care of it curly!
I went on Amazon and foundCurly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey. I was so excited after seeing the five-star reviews, I could not wait for the book to come, and downloaded it onto my Kindle app on my iPhone to read the whole thing right away. All the stories and problems in the book felt like she was writing about my story, and to me personally. It took me several weeks to transition, and my hair was very oily and frizzy at first, but it started looking better. Slowly, my oily scalp calmed down; and I have never looked back.
My biggest hair issue: frizz
I use tons of conditioner. I also use moisturizing products with moisturizing oils in the ingredients, like shea butter to seal so my hair isn’t dry. That way, it doesn’t need to reach up to the air for moisture and frizz. I use hard-hold gel to keep the frizz at bay and help hold up my waves. I can use conditioner only, or leave-in and gel, and get good results. However, for the best results, I do the LCEG method from spring to fall, which is:
L- Leave-in conditioner
C- Cream
E- Enhancing gel
G- hard hold gel
In the winter, I do the LOCG Method:
L- Leave-in
O- Oil
C- Cream
G- Hard hold gel
My hair is also curly, so I need the extra moisture from cream and leave-in. I cowash with silicone-free conditioner or use sulfate-free shampoo and then I condition with silicone free-conditioner. I rinse it off of the scalp (or it is oily and flat”> but leave the rest in the length of my hair. I flip my head down and re-apply conditioner as my leave-in and squish to condish with water in the shower until the curls are clumped nicely.
Sometimes I apply more leave-in after getting out of the shower, and this is my leave-in step. I then use a cream, curl enhancing gel, then a hard hold gel. I scrunch out water with a microfiber towel, plop, then clip and diffuse, or sit under my hooded dryer. I also pineapple in my hooded dryer for extra volume. I have a video on that as well.
Products/methods that have helped me embrace my texture
I have porous, coarse hair, so SheaMoisture Curl and Style Milk is my favorite leave-in conditioner. SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie is my favorite curl cream. Kinky Curly Curling Custard is my favorite curl enhancing gel and LA Looks Extreme Spikes is my favorite hard hold gel. I love these so much! I use them for the LCEG method and always get good results. I can get away with a lot of different conditioners and co-washes, but I mostly love SheaMoisture. I love DevaCurl B’Leave-in and DevaCurl Supercream Coconut Styler as well. I do not use any more sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols as recommended in Curly Girl Method.
Since practicing The CG Method…
My hair is curlier, less frizzy, shinier, softer, healthier, more manageable, less oily, less tangled and easier to deal with. I only have to wash it every two to four days. Before, my hair was so frizzy, and I had a very oily scalp. I had to wash my hair up to twice a day because it was so oily. Once I stopped the sulfates, it became less oily.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/4V2NtyZ-hywFollow me on Instagram (@rockyncurls“> and subscribe to my channel on YouTube (@RockynCurls“> for more wavy-curly tips and product recommendations.
Have any tips to share that you know of or personally use to avoid the ‘wet gelled down’ look? Share them with us in the comments below!
