I'm Giving Up On My Curly Hair...

In our Curly Q&A section we receive questions every day asking for advice, but this one caught our eye:

Question

“Frustrated, about to cut off all my curly hair, help. Tired of this and dealing with everything that has to do with curly hair. What should I do?”

Answer

Before I could properly address this question, I needed to ask her a few things:

What is the biggest problem you’re dealing with? What does your everyday routine consist of? (Don’t give up!”>

Her response

1. I wash day every other day
2. I co-wash 3 times a month with a clarifying shampoo
3. I rock mostly wash and gos, and use the LOC method.

My hair seems to have stopped growing–its at shoulder length now. I have ombre red ends and I am tired of the color, but don’t want to recolor. My last color was in May. Right now I have my hair in a bun (this is day 5 hair”> and it is a rat’s nest. I am not looking forward to washing again.

My suggestions

Experiment with products

And it doesn’t have to be a more expensive alternative–stick to your usual budget for hair care but next time, get a different conditioner or clarifying shampoo.

Try a DIY recipe

There are lots of homemades concoctions that are tailored to other things you might not be considering, like porosity (since your ends are colored”>. This can be a cheaper route, too. And depending on the level of recipe, it can be a fun, relaxing personal treat to yourself. Have you tried coconut milk as a cleanser? One word: Heaven. And this is a more moisturizing option to clarifying with a shampoo 3 times a month–that could be a reason why your curls feel like a “rat’s nest”.

Modify your regimen

If the LOC method isn’t working as well as you’d like it to, do the LCO instead. Save your oil for last, and use a different oil. Many 3bs like yourself like argan oil or sweet almond–they are light, won’t weigh your hair down, but add plenty of moisture and sealing properties that will make your wash and go’s last longer. Most importantly, keep your regimen simple. It’s OK to be a lazy natural. Add a curl refresher to your routine, too. It can help you prolong your wash days so that you don’t have to keep washing every other day. That can be extremely drying to your curls, cause them be limp, or be over hydrated (known as hygral fatigue“>.

Rock a different hairstyle

As we enter colder months of the year, now is a great time to try a protective style–Marley twists, crochet braids, or Ghana braids. Wearing a wash and go constantly can get pretty boring and tempt you to want to straighten. The great thing about these styles is that they are low maintenance; sure they take a few hours to install, but if you do it right, they will last a good month or two, which will give you a major break from styling everyday.

Do you have a question for any of the NaturallyCurly editors? Post it here in our Q&A section.