Most curlies love chunky curls that clump up well. If you are among those that want them to clump but always end up with stringy thin curls, this article is for you.
Oils, butters and silicones – This is the topmost reason I see when readers come to me with the issue of stringy waves. They use only oils for styling, oil or butter heavy products as styling creams. Oils NOT EQUAL TO moisture. Use lightweight products. Seal in moisture with a good gel.
Applying products on not so wet hair – Water clumps hair so the less water in your hair while applying products, the thinner your clumps will be. I always apply product on dripping wet hair if I want big fat clumps.
Raking in products or using a brush or comb for styling – Raking in products or using combs and brushes can break curl clumps and cause thin stringy curls, especially in looser curl types. If you absolutely have to do that, scrunch in some water AFTER applying the products so that your hair clumps up again.
Hi Anjana..
i have fine wavy 2a 2b hair which tends to get frizzy and I wake up in the morning with my hair behaving like a beehive on my head.but since it has a mind of its own some days it’s quite tameable and I like the fact that I can style it straight or curly depending on the occasion.
I have started with cg routine since last month .i shampoo my hair twice a week in the flooring order-oil my hair, shampoo with the tresmme shampoo/a medicated dandruff shampoo ,condition with enliven raspberry conditioner and use ustraa cream and set wet gel for hold.i use a t-shirt to plop and dry.but now my hair turns dry ,brittle and lifeless in two days and is harder than ever before.I lose the beautiful waves that occssionally used to pop up in my
hair pre cg.in fact hair is straighter than ever before.I do scrunch out the gel so I can’t really figure out what’s going wrong.i have started swimming recently for four days a week .is it a reaction with chlorine.?or shud I change the products.I dint want to invest in expensive prducts since i have just started out. I’m wondering if the hair cream or gel is weighing it down.when I skip the gel I do see a positive difference in texture which lasts a day.
Sorry for the long post ! But it would be great if u can get back on this. !
I wanna buy cantu product but i am confused between creamy lotion and moisturising curl activator. I have read reviews of yours but i am confused with my hair type. Its 2c/3a not exactly coarse. Medium to coarse. Please suggest which one shall i go for??
Does finger coiling help? I have very less hair, volume wise. So when I fingercoil, I get about 8-10 total clumps, which quickly unravel, by next day itself.
Hello Anjana! Sorry if I’m taking your time. I have something to ask. I notice that the outside part of my hair seems to look really frizzy and dry. and I’m not sure what cause it. I’m pretty sure that I already applied the products evenly. What do you think the problems is and how to solve it? Thank you so much in advance! 😊
The outer part is always more prone to frizz because it is subject to the weather, sun, pollution, humidity etc. It would be a good idea to protect your hair while outside and while sleeping with a silk scarf/pillow/bonnet
Hi have a problem with my hair.
Actually my hair was pretty long and I badly wanted to get it layered so last year in August I got it layered finally from a salon for the first time in my life.. So basically I had colored ends so when the layering happened the colored ends wer all cut… And now my hair is not curly as before.. And I don’t understand why… Like when I take a bath that day some of the curls are there but once I sleep and wakeup the curls are gone almost wavy-straight…And I’m trying to find out why that happened and whether it’s normal… Cuz I feel like when I had colour in my hair my curls wer very very defined and like everyone use to praise and what not… Yeah if I want to relate my hair is almost now like urs in ur” 2016 pic ” up in the chat
Hello Anjana! Sorry if I’m taking your time. I have something to ask. I notice that the outside part of my hair seems to look really frizzy, dry, stringy and not clumping although most of it are clumping like in the picture to you. My routine is Himalaya Anti-dandruff Shampoo, I switch conditioner quite often, Himalaya Protein Cream and Giovanni Gel. I’m not sure what cause it since I already done as stated above but nothing changes. What do you think the problems is and how to solve it? Thank you so much in advance!
My curl type is 3A/3B, length below bra line and above waist and my hair feel quite coarse. I use a conditioner until my hair is wet with it and others until I feel it sufficient.
Hi Anjana,
So I have been following your methods (as much as possible) to get thicker clumps..
I have a few questions:
– I recently tried the bowl method twice….saw a video where they poured the residual water on the scalp to distribute it evenly. And tried doing that.. but that’s causing a lot of buildup.. have you tried the bowl method? Do u pour the residual water on scalp or just on the hair?
– My clumps are not as thick or frizz free as I would like it to be.. but they were atleast clumping a little. And they used to stay ok till atleast the 3rd day. Now right from the second day hair loses the curl pattern and looks just wierd. The only thing I changed is the leave in (used the Shea Moisture Strengthen & Restore JBCO Leave-In Conditioner) and tried the bowl method.
Any idea what could have caused the sudden change ?
Hii Anjana..
My curls hav completely flattened n by the end of day 1 the curl hold is dissapearing too.. ive been using most of the same products from the start of my hair journey n not giving me the bounce n fluffly full curls that i used to get. Ive tried clarifying n deep conditioning too. But somehow my hair isnt acting the same as before. What do u think might be the reason?
Hey Anjana,
I shaved my hair about 6 months ago. I had chemical/heat damaged hair for 7 years before that. I have 2c/3a (shape is a lot like yours), Low porosity, cherub hair. It’s 3 inches long now. I cannot use a condtioner as of now since my my hair is too short for that. I tried co washing, with Kerastase Discipline Cleansing conditioner, but my hair gets greasy even with a little conditioner since my hair is at my roots. I am using a homemade mask prior to the wash and a homemade reetha shampoo to wash my hair. I do a hibiscus protein treatment once in a while. Now that my hair is long enough to hold some styling product, I would like to take your suggestion. I tried some gel, but the crunch looked too obvious on short hair. Scrunching it out only made it worse. I would like to know if there’s any product that would hold my curls together without too much of crunch. I also need a leave in that will keep my hair hydrated. My hair is very dry but can also get weighed down easily by products that contain heavy butters. I was planning to buy the Deva curl ultra defining gel and cocktail-ing it with a leave in so that I can get both moisture and hold.
Also, I shall be visiting Egypt for 6 weeks this summer. Can you give me any advice on how do I take care of my hair during this period?
Kindly, help me with these queries. Thank you.
To protect my hair, and also make it stay intact in the weather.
I am confused between cocktail-ing DevaCurl Gel with Cantu hair lotion vs Deva’s Styling Cream.
Is the latter efficient enough? It seems like the only product in their line that can do both a moisture + hold job. Thank you so much for responding. You’re very considerate 😀
I don’t carry out my styling routine while traveling as my hair is more often than not in a bun for comfort. So can’t comment on that. For protecting, a wide brimmed hat is what I used. You could also use a scarf.
Hey anjana! I’ve been following CG for a while and I was seeing some results.(but stringy hair )…I have 2c/3a fine low porosity hair…and I was using loreal smooth intense as you know, it’s discontinued here! Can you please suggest an alternative ? Since I’m a student I wanna know what products to buy..coz I do not wanna invest in something which won’t work….tia 💜
Hello Anjana! I also have thin curls, but not every time. I practice CGM for two years, and checked lots of products. My theory is that some ingredients especially in styling can cause thin curls, especially on stifling step…what do you think about PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil in styling? Thanks in advance
Hi Anjana,
I have 2c/3a hair, I usually style on soaking wet hair (STC), since it works best but that makes me hair v heavy. In winter/monsoon, my hair is really frizzy.
So I tried raking for a few weeks, my hair feels lighter but it leads to stringy, elongated curls.
I love the definition/clumps I get on STC but maintaining in winter/monsoon is a task.
I’m super confused as to what to do, any sort of help would be great.
Thank you
Blog Comments
NIJOO DUBEY
November 15, 2018 at 4:46 pm
Thanks Anjana,this realy really helps… as kool as instagram is, nothing beats an article 🙂
Anjana
November 15, 2018 at 5:12 pm
hehe 🙂 I am glad Nijoo
Bb
November 15, 2018 at 6:23 pm
Hi Anjana..
i have fine wavy 2a 2b hair which tends to get frizzy and I wake up in the morning with my hair behaving like a beehive on my head.but since it has a mind of its own some days it’s quite tameable and I like the fact that I can style it straight or curly depending on the occasion.
I have started with cg routine since last month .i shampoo my hair twice a week in the flooring order-oil my hair, shampoo with the tresmme shampoo/a medicated dandruff shampoo ,condition with enliven raspberry conditioner and use ustraa cream and set wet gel for hold.i use a t-shirt to plop and dry.but now my hair turns dry ,brittle and lifeless in two days and is harder than ever before.I lose the beautiful waves that occssionally used to pop up in my
hair pre cg.in fact hair is straighter than ever before.I do scrunch out the gel so I can’t really figure out what’s going wrong.i have started swimming recently for four days a week .is it a reaction with chlorine.?or shud I change the products.I dint want to invest in expensive prducts since i have just started out. I’m wondering if the hair cream or gel is weighing it down.when I skip the gel I do see a positive difference in texture which lasts a day.
Sorry for the long post ! But it would be great if u can get back on this. !
Anjana
November 16, 2018 at 4:29 pm
Did you use to oil pre cg?
Yes creams are generally best avoided by wavy hair types.
Bb
November 16, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Yes I do oil before shampoo .I don’t think my low porosity hair is responding well to this . 🙁 What is an alternative to cream for curl definition.?
Anjana
November 19, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Just use a gel
Purvi
November 16, 2018 at 8:18 pm
I wanna buy cantu product but i am confused between creamy lotion and moisturising curl activator. I have read reviews of yours but i am confused with my hair type. Its 2c/3a not exactly coarse. Medium to coarse. Please suggest which one shall i go for??
Anjana
November 19, 2018 at 2:36 pm
Does it get weighed down easily?
Nisha Vikram
November 17, 2018 at 5:41 pm
Does finger coiling help? I have very less hair, volume wise. So when I fingercoil, I get about 8-10 total clumps, which quickly unravel, by next day itself.
Anjana
November 19, 2018 at 2:38 pm
Help with what Nisha?
Haley
November 26, 2018 at 8:29 pm
I hate applying products when my hair is not properly wet, my hair ends up looking like spaghetti.
Shara
December 25, 2018 at 10:47 pm
Hello Anjana! Sorry if I’m taking your time. I have something to ask. I notice that the outside part of my hair seems to look really frizzy and dry. and I’m not sure what cause it. I’m pretty sure that I already applied the products evenly. What do you think the problems is and how to solve it? Thank you so much in advance! 😊
Anjana
December 27, 2018 at 5:04 pm
The outer part is always more prone to frizz because it is subject to the weather, sun, pollution, humidity etc. It would be a good idea to protect your hair while outside and while sleeping with a silk scarf/pillow/bonnet
Thisuri
January 21, 2019 at 12:30 am
Hi have a problem with my hair.
Actually my hair was pretty long and I badly wanted to get it layered so last year in August I got it layered finally from a salon for the first time in my life.. So basically I had colored ends so when the layering happened the colored ends wer all cut… And now my hair is not curly as before.. And I don’t understand why… Like when I take a bath that day some of the curls are there but once I sleep and wakeup the curls are gone almost wavy-straight…And I’m trying to find out why that happened and whether it’s normal… Cuz I feel like when I had colour in my hair my curls wer very very defined and like everyone use to praise and what not… Yeah if I want to relate my hair is almost now like urs in ur” 2016 pic ” up in the chat
Anjana
January 21, 2019 at 3:32 pm
How short did you cut it? How long has it been since the cut? Was it thinning cut?
Nur
February 1, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Hello Anjana! Sorry if I’m taking your time. I have something to ask. I notice that the outside part of my hair seems to look really frizzy, dry, stringy and not clumping although most of it are clumping like in the picture to you. My routine is Himalaya Anti-dandruff Shampoo, I switch conditioner quite often, Himalaya Protein Cream and Giovanni Gel. I’m not sure what cause it since I already done as stated above but nothing changes. What do you think the problems is and how to solve it? Thank you so much in advance!
Anjana
February 4, 2019 at 2:20 pm
What’s your curl type, coarseness and length? How much of each product do you use?
Nut
February 4, 2019 at 4:48 pm
My curl type is 3A/3B, length below bra line and above waist and my hair feel quite coarse. I use a conditioner until my hair is wet with it and others until I feel it sufficient.
Anjana
February 4, 2019 at 5:38 pm
Please mention the rough quantities of all products
Nur
February 5, 2019 at 9:50 am
I think a handful of my palm
Anjana
February 5, 2019 at 2:22 pm
Do you graze the gel on the canopy?
Nur
February 5, 2019 at 2:48 pm
No. I’ve read it somewhere but I’m not sure how to do that
Nur
February 5, 2019 at 9:48 am
I think a handful of my palm
Aparna
March 10, 2019 at 9:47 pm
Hi Anjana,
So I have been following your methods (as much as possible) to get thicker clumps..
I have a few questions:
– I recently tried the bowl method twice….saw a video where they poured the residual water on the scalp to distribute it evenly. And tried doing that.. but that’s causing a lot of buildup.. have you tried the bowl method? Do u pour the residual water on scalp or just on the hair?
– My clumps are not as thick or frizz free as I would like it to be.. but they were atleast clumping a little. And they used to stay ok till atleast the 3rd day. Now right from the second day hair loses the curl pattern and looks just wierd. The only thing I changed is the leave in (used the Shea Moisture Strengthen & Restore JBCO Leave-In Conditioner) and tried the bowl method.
Any idea what could have caused the sudden change ?
Anjana
March 12, 2019 at 2:59 pm
-I haven’t tried the bowl method
-It could be because of the change in products/method
Jahnavi
April 8, 2019 at 12:10 am
Hii Anjana..
My curls hav completely flattened n by the end of day 1 the curl hold is dissapearing too.. ive been using most of the same products from the start of my hair journey n not giving me the bounce n fluffly full curls that i used to get. Ive tried clarifying n deep conditioning too. But somehow my hair isnt acting the same as before. What do u think might be the reason?
Jahnavi
April 8, 2019 at 12:11 am
My last haircut was a 1 year ago. I got a long bob. Now my hair is medium length n my curls are all super flat and almost straight.
Anjana
April 8, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Hey Jahnavi, have you tried protein treatment? Also a layered cut might help. Check this https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/6-reasons-your-curls-have-become-looser-and-how-to-fix-it/
Mini
April 15, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Hey Anjana,
I shaved my hair about 6 months ago. I had chemical/heat damaged hair for 7 years before that. I have 2c/3a (shape is a lot like yours), Low porosity, cherub hair. It’s 3 inches long now. I cannot use a condtioner as of now since my my hair is too short for that. I tried co washing, with Kerastase Discipline Cleansing conditioner, but my hair gets greasy even with a little conditioner since my hair is at my roots. I am using a homemade mask prior to the wash and a homemade reetha shampoo to wash my hair. I do a hibiscus protein treatment once in a while. Now that my hair is long enough to hold some styling product, I would like to take your suggestion. I tried some gel, but the crunch looked too obvious on short hair. Scrunching it out only made it worse. I would like to know if there’s any product that would hold my curls together without too much of crunch. I also need a leave in that will keep my hair hydrated. My hair is very dry but can also get weighed down easily by products that contain heavy butters. I was planning to buy the Deva curl ultra defining gel and cocktail-ing it with a leave in so that I can get both moisture and hold.
Also, I shall be visiting Egypt for 6 weeks this summer. Can you give me any advice on how do I take care of my hair during this period?
Kindly, help me with these queries. Thank you.
Anjana
April 15, 2019 at 1:56 pm
Hey Mini, that conditioner sounds very heavy. Please check this post for product suggestions – https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/beginner-friendly-simple-curly-hair-starter-kit/
As for the other query, by care do you mean how to tie your hair while traveling or do you mean protecting it from the heat? And Egypt! Woohoo 🙂
mini
April 15, 2019 at 2:26 pm
To protect my hair, and also make it stay intact in the weather.
I am confused between cocktail-ing DevaCurl Gel with Cantu hair lotion vs Deva’s Styling Cream.
Is the latter efficient enough? It seems like the only product in their line that can do both a moisture + hold job. Thank you so much for responding. You’re very considerate 😀
Mini
April 15, 2019 at 2:27 pm
Also, my hair is high porosity*
Anjana
April 15, 2019 at 2:48 pm
I don’t carry out my styling routine while traveling as my hair is more often than not in a bun for comfort. So can’t comment on that. For protecting, a wide brimmed hat is what I used. You could also use a scarf.
Monica
June 4, 2019 at 8:35 pm
Hey anjana! I’ve been following CG for a while and I was seeing some results.(but stringy hair )…I have 2c/3a fine low porosity hair…and I was using loreal smooth intense as you know, it’s discontinued here! Can you please suggest an alternative ? Since I’m a student I wanna know what products to buy..coz I do not wanna invest in something which won’t work….tia 💜
Anjana
June 5, 2019 at 2:44 pm
For fine, low porosity hair, Enliven would be a better option Monica https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/enliven-natural-fruit-extracts-conditioner-review/
Anastasiya
April 10, 2020 at 11:07 am
Hello Anjana! I also have thin curls, but not every time. I practice CGM for two years, and checked lots of products. My theory is that some ingredients especially in styling can cause thin curls, especially on stifling step…what do you think about PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil in styling? Thanks in advance
Anjana
April 14, 2020 at 3:18 pm
Hi Anastasiya, wouldn’t that come under point 1?
Samhita
September 3, 2020 at 8:07 pm
Hi Anjana,
I have 2c/3a hair, I usually style on soaking wet hair (STC), since it works best but that makes me hair v heavy. In winter/monsoon, my hair is really frizzy.
So I tried raking for a few weeks, my hair feels lighter but it leads to stringy, elongated curls.
I love the definition/clumps I get on STC but maintaining in winter/monsoon is a task.
I’m super confused as to what to do, any sort of help would be great.
Thank you
Anjana
September 8, 2020 at 3:45 pm
That’s exactly how those methods behave; clumped hair is heavier, stringy hair is lighter – you will have to choose one outcome over the other 🙂