Reader Testimonial – Sana Bell

Readers’ Diary includes some of my beautiful readers who’ve had a curly hair transformation after following the Curly Hair Routine. A whole section dedicated to my readers.

So here’s a big shoutout to all my lovely readers – I would love it if you can share photos of your curly hair’s before & after, how the blog has helped you and a paragraph about your routine and products. Send them to info@curlsandbeautydiary.com

“I realized that even though I regularly credit you for the fact that I embraced my curls, I never submitted one of these! So here we go. Thanks for your help!

Prior to March of 2018, I had no idea that my hair was curly. I knew that it had some waves in it, but I didn’t know it was capable of curling. Every few years I’d go on a mission to accept my natural hair and would usually spend a certain amount of time and money trying to figure it out, get frustrated and quit. The reason I stuck with this time was because of finding Anjana’s blog! Previously I had been trying to follow advice of either women with a similar curl pattern, but with fine hair OR of someone with coarse hair, but that had tight, kinky coils. Of course none of their advice worked for me, so I’d end up frustrated. After finding Anjana’s blog, I had great starting points for how much product I needed, the types of products I needed, what I could do to enhance my curl pattern, and general curl care. By the end of the month, I got my first curly cut. 6 months later, and I couldn’t be happier with my hair. I have type 2b-3a, low porosity, and medium density curls.

While I somewhat have a curly routine, I can’t say that I have a super regular one beyond everything being curly girl friendly. I experiment a lot with products, but I’ll highlight a few of my favorites (please note that I live in the US, so some of my products may be more difficult to find in India.) –

• Unless I need to clarify, once a week I’ll deep condition on dirty hair. If I’m not using heat to help it penetrate, I’ll usually keep it on for about an hour. I follow this with low-poo or co-washing and regular conditioner. If I need to clarify, I will clarify, deep condition, then rinse out the deep conditioner entirely and use regular conditioner again. Favorite deep conditioners right now are the JessiCurl Deep Treatment (no protein) and the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque.
• Cleansing– I clarify about once a month since my low-porosity, wavy hair needs it more often with how easily things build up. Then I generally alternate between low-poo and co-wash the remaining wash days, and I wash every 2-3 days or so. When I really feel like I need to clarify thoroughly, I’ll dilute some Suave Clarifying Shampoo in warm water and use that. It is VERY stripping so make sure to deep condition for a longer period of time after. Favorite low-poos are Davine’s NaturalTech Nourshing Shampoo and the JessiCurl Gentle Lather Shampoo. My go-to co-wash is the As I Am Coconut Co-Wash.
• Conditioning– I use a heavy hand with conditioner. This is usually the last time I comb/brush my hair until next wash day. Use enough to make my hair feel slimy, then usually flip my head upside down before doing “squish to condish.” Sometimes I squish it all out, other times I leave some of it in. My favorite conditioner right now is the GVP Conditioning Balm. It is supposed to be their generic version of the Biolage Conditioning Balm- it is protein free. I also love the DevaCurl One Condition, but it’s a lot more expensive than the GVP.
• Leave in Conditioner– I always use a leave in conditioner. This can be anything from leaving in some conditioner after squish to condish to a store bought one. I usually apply this by doing light praying hands and some light scrunching. I don’t scrunch harder since I don’t want to lose all of my water before applying stylers. My favorite leave ins right now are the Curl Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In, Giovanni Direct Leave In, and the Cachos Brazil Rio Mist.
• Stylers– I’m a bit of a product junkie when it comes to stylers. I’m still trying to figure out what works best for my hair, especially with changing weather. I get a full 4 seasons where I live and products react differently in the weather. At minimum, after leave in I’ll use a gel. Sometimes I use a curl enhancer as a middle layer as well. Only on a rare occasion will I More than an enhancer and gel. I generally apply my stylers the same way that I do the leave in. On the occassion I will finger twirl if I’m using a styler that’s very liquidy like homemade flaxseed gel or the Original Curl Keeper. If I want to use a cream, I like the Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion. I echo Anjana that I think my hair likes it better than the Curl Activator. Other midlayers I like are AG Re:Coil and the two mentioned for finger coiling. On cooler days, I may be able to get away with those “mid-layer” products as being the final product, but most of the time I need the gel as well. I love cream gels like Bounce Curl Light Creme Gel and JessiCurl Spiralicious. I love the moisturized end result that I get with Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel as well. When I need a hard hold, sometimes I use things like the LA Looks Extreme Sport (blue) gel especially if it’s to top off something with a lighter hold. I’m looking forward to being able to get away with not using a harder hold gel as my curls become more resilient doing the curly girl method.
• After everything is applied, I squish out as much water as I can with my hands, and then generally scrunch with a t-shirt. I usually air dry since I don’t want to spend the time diffusing.”

Start your own curl transformation today! – Start Here. Read about other readers’ transformations here – Readers’Diary. Submit your own diary at info@curlsandbeautydiary.com