Review/First Impressions: Curly Girl Method Starter Kit

Hey everybody. It's been one week since I started the Curly Girl Method, so I've had a couple days to try out my new products that I bought for my new hair routine. I wanted to give you my thoughts on the products thus far. Even though I've only had them for a short time, I feel confident that I can tell you whether they work for my hair or not. I can't speak for how they affect my hair over time, but I think I know what my hair likes and what my hair doesn't like so much.


First up on the list is my Suave Naturals Conditioner in Tropical Coconut, which I use as a co-wash.

This is good stuff. It smells divine. I put it on my roots and it totally makes my hair feel clean. It also does a good job moisturizing my hair, even though I save the majority of that job for my rinse-out. I like it a lot. It's cheap, and it comes in a big bottle. I'm going through it fast though, as I anticipated I would.

The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
Yes, I would. I don't know that I will repurchase it right away, because I would like to try one of the V05 conditioners that are curly girl approved. However, this is good stuff.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
Yes, absolutely. If you're a new curly girl looking for a cheap co-wash, give this a try.

Next is my Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner, which is my rinse out.

It's love. This stuff makes my hair so freakin' soft. It also makes my hair a dream to comb through. I just love it. It's cheap and widely available. The only draw back I can see is the smell. I personally like it, but I can see how others might not. It has an organic, earthy kind of scent. It's nice, but probably not for everyone.

The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
Yes, absolutely. I probably won't go looking for another rinse out for a while.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
For sure.


As my sulfate-free shampoo, I have the Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo.

I like it. I haven't used it much, but it's okay. It makes my hair feel clean, but not stripped. It has a very perfume-y scent. Overall, it's fine. It's rather expensive though.

The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
Probably, but not right away. I sort of want to explore other sulfate-free options.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
Yeah, but I wouldn't rave about it. I'd probably just suggest checking it out.


For my deep conditioner, I chose the Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Masque.

I have to be honest with you guys, this stuff leaves something to be desired. I don't like what it does to my hair, really. I'm going to finish the container, but I have to tell you, it does not moisturize my hair. My rinse out does a better job than this stuff. It smells fine but has a really thick texture. Like thicker than thick. You would think it would do amazing things, especially for the price, but no.

The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
No. But I would check out another Shea Moisture deep conditioner, I suppose.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
No. Especially not for the price.


For styling, I bought the L.A. Sports Gel.

I like this stuff. It's dirt cheap, and does the trick. I was worried about crunch, but it's actually not a huge problem. My hair can handle more of this gel than I expected. It defines my curls nicely and holds all day, unless I start touching my hair a lot. I can't say anything about the hold for second day hair. But overall, I like it. You get a whole lot for a small amount of money. It smells alright too.

The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
Yes, I would. I might try other gels before I get this one again, though.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
Yes. It's a great value. And it just does what it's supposed to do. I have quite frizzy, unruly hair, and this tames it.


Last, I bought the Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In Detangler.

This is amazing stuff. The ingredients list is awesome. So many natural ingredients that my hair loves. This stuff makes my hair so soft and easy to comb through. It smells good, really tropical and fruity. I love it.


The bottom line.

Would I repurchase it?
Yes, without a doubt. I don't feel any need to look for another leave in.

Would I recommend it to a friend?
Yes, and I would rave about it.


There you guys have it. That's what I think about my new products so far. I hope this was helpful in getting you started with a new hair care routine.

Out of the products I mentioned that I loved, I would recommend them to any curly, even if they weren't CG. I would recommend my rinse out to anybody at all, even someone with straight hair.

If you would like to see my original post on the Curly Girl Method Start Kit, you can find that here.

And I just want to leave you with one last thought: embrace what you have, ladies! For a long time I thought that my hair wasn't beautiful because it wasn't straight. I was wrong. My curls are beautiful because they're what was given to me. I want to keep them healthy. If you're hesitant about going curly, just take a chance. The curly girl method isn't for everyone, but you never know until you try.


Wishing you all a good hair day!

Gianna

Curly Girl Method Starter Kit

I went out and hauled all the products for my new hair care routine today, and I thought it would be helpful to post about what I got. All of the products listed below are sulfate and silicone free. Before I list the products,the picture below is my "before" picture.

This is my hair on what I would consider a good hair day. As you can see, my hair is pretty thin and I have relatively loose curls, though I would not consider them waves. My hair is pretty frizzy at the ends, where it is lacking moisture. Overall, I think my hair looks okay. I could use some more definition and some more moisture. I do not like my curls to be too clumped-- I think it looks nicer when my curls are a little separated.

Here are the products I bought today:

On the left, I have Suave Naturals Conditioner in Tropical Coconut. It's a pretty popular drugstore option for cowashing. Here is a picture of it:

For a rinse-out, I chose Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner. It's says "silicone free" right on the bottle. It's cheap, and I've heard it's a nice rinse out for a moderate amount of moisture. I'll give it a shot. Here it is:

Now, here is the part that's a little controversial. I bought the Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo. Now, you're probably like, "Wait a second Gianna, I thought you said no shampoo!" You're right, I did. But this shampoo is free of all those harsh ingredients and is totally natural. I won't use it every day, or maybe not even every week. But I will use it when my hair is just needing a good cleansing, like after I swim or if my hair is just weighed down from product. It's a little expensive, but it's got some great ingredients that make the price (in my opinion) worth it.

For a deep treatment, I bought the Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Masque. Another kind of expensive product, but I wanted a heavier conditioner for the days when I use shampoo to restore the moisture. I won't use it all the time-- only when my hair is needing some TLC. By the way, I bought the two Shea Moisture products at Walgreens. I had a $5 off coupon, so I spent $15 for both. Here's a picture:

Next, I bought L.A. Looks Sports Gel. This is a curly girl approved and highly rated styling gel that supposedly has a nice hold and gives good definition. It's cheap and widely available. Hopefully it doesn't get too crunchy on me. But I am used to styling my hair with two big handfuls of strong hold mousse, so I should be okay. Here is a picture of the product:

For a leave-in conditioner, I bought Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave in Detangler. I've heard great things about this leave in. My hair also gets extremely knotted, especially on the second day. Hopefully this leave in can take care of it. Here is a picture:

If you would like to see my review/first impression of these products, click here.


And there you have it, folks. Tomorrow I'm doing my last sulfate shampoo and starting on this new journey.
If any of you are interested, here is a list of the products I am getting rid of:
Kirkland Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner
Garnier Fructis Style Curl Construct Mousse
Tresemme Nourishing Rituals Rejuvenating Masque
Frizz-Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-in Conditioning Spray
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment
Suave Naturals Daily Clarifying Shampoo

Now, just for a little background information, the Kirkland Shampoo and Conditioner are actually sulfate free. I use these on a daily (or every other day) basis. Once a week, I use the Suave Clarifying Shampoo. This is the product I will be using tomorrow. However, I hope that my transition period is not too long because my hair is pretty used to sulfate-free products already. However, it is exposed to sulfates on a weekly basis, and silicones on a daily basis. Fingers crossed my hair doesn't go crazy. Hope my starter kit helps you in finding some good products to start with as well.


Wishing you a fantastic day!

Gianna