Hellobee Boards

I LOVE deva curl light defining gel - I scrunch it on wet hair and dry with a diffuser

Deva curl products!! I started using them 6 years ago and haven't turned back since, haha

I use the shampoo, conditioner, and used to use the light defining gel and b'leave in conditioner but recently switched to the "frizz free foam" and love it, and then also the styling cream to fix my curls when they're dry.

I've been trying the curly girl routine which is based on the idea of getting rid of all sulfates and silicones and using bucket loads of conditioner. It's made a big difference, since I started my hair has become significantly curlier like 2b to 3a according to that image above in just a few weeks. There are lots of websites and Facebook groups with tons of info.

I use yes to carrots conditioner and leave some in my hair then deva curl B'leavin leave in conditioner which is a voluminizer and then good old la looks gel. Once it's dry I "scrunch the crunch" and it gets rid of that eighties style wet look and it's just soft poking but with well defined curls. For frizz I just smooth some conditioner on and it helps but sometimes I need to do it a few times a day.

@Mrs D: I posted this picture before but getting a deva cut made a HUGE difference in my hair - after kids it got super frizzy and less curly - here is the before and after.

I get a deva cut about every 5 months now and its never looked better!

@Mrs D: its a special way of cutting curly hair - she cuts it dry then washes it and I sit under a dryer - once its dry she cuts it again - curl by curl to make sure it lays correctly

I've been using Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie for about 6 months now and I love it! It took a few weeks and some experimenting to figure how exactly how much my hair needs but it's awesome. No more crunchy gel. Mousse also doesn't work for my curls well. I just distribute the Smoothie evenly, flip my hair upside down, scrunch a little, and then spray a little hairspray (I use a Garnier one - I think it's a flexible hold) and I'm good to go. I always air-dry now.

@Mamaof2: oh no! I have fairly thin and fine hair. I only plop for an hour max, and usually more like 20 minutes. The one time I tried it overnight, the t-shirt fell out. Maybe try for a shorter amount of time and let it air dry the rest of the way?

This is a fun thread! I have used Ouidad heat and humidity curl cream for a few years now and like it, but am getting lots of ideas for new things to try. Next up, plopping!

@Mrs D: its suppose to be dry before you go to bed?

Maybe I don't understand this whole plopping thing!

@Mrs D: I use the L'Oreal Ever Curl products and I really like them. My hair has never looked better. My hair is between a 2c and 3a, but pregnancy is screwing with my hair texture, so after day 1, it's more like 2a.

Also, plopping never works for me. I end up with a rat's nest and wondering what I did in my sleep to make my hair look like that.

I swear by herbal essences set me up gel #4

Oh, no! I started replying with the product I use and wanted to give you a link....and just found out that it's probably discontinued. #firstworldproblem but argh! I've been using Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Defining Creme for YEARS, and now I'm going to need to find an alternate. My hair is between 2A-2B in the pic above. Now I'll have to look into the other recommendations here.

@littlebug: I probably should have specified more! I usually only have time to plop my hair for 20 minutes to an hour, and usually more like 20 minutes. It is still quite damp when I take it down. What I do is kind of shake it out, rearrange the front pieces in the right directly and then let it air dry the rest of the way. With my hair, plopping helps the curl be more defined. This was my hair yesterday after plopping for about 20 min and air drying. (Pic quality is terrible though!). I used a Toni and Guy wave memoriser gel. But I'm meh on it and want to find something different.

@hellobeeboston: it is not crunchy if i use just the right amount. too much = crunchy.

For years i have been using gel that is advertised as super strong hold (often advertised for men to use to spike their hair). I used to use expensive products made for curly hair and then when i was traveling in Spain (like 10 years ago), i accidentally left my hair products in a hotel room. i had to buy a bottle of gel from the pharmacy and everything was spanish so i couldn't understand the labels, so i kind of just randomly picked one and my hair literally transformed. I can see it in my pics on the trip. Even in the most humid weather, i wore it nice and curly. so when i got back home, i looked for gels to imitate the one i found and through trial and error, i figured out it was basically any gel that is strong hold and i discovered i like that herbal essences one the best. I just let my hair air dry too. so it is easy and cheap and i get tons of compliments on my hair all the time.

@Mrs D: Pretty! Which devacurl products did you use? Is your hair soft or crunchy to the touch?