Thankful Series: Day Eight (+#Giveaway News)
All this month I will be watching on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and my new subscribers for my monthly-0r-so newsletter. If you tag me @JulieArduini and tell me you’re #thankful or #juliearduinithankful, I’ll enter your name to win a copy of my fiction books. This includes Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged, You’re Beautiful and the boxed set of A Christmas to Remember (only available as eBook.)
If you live in the United States, you have the choice, if you are the one winner randomly chosen, of print (except A Christmas to Remember,) or eBook. If you are outside of the US, it is automatically eBook.
I’ll add your name once a day for each shout out I receive (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, plus one total entry if you are a new subscriber to my newsletter.) You may or may not receive confirmation from me for those entries, and my random draw is final. If winner doesn’t respond after 30 days, I will choose another. I’m thankful for you.
Remember I said some of these thankful posts will be deep and some, kind of superficial?
Today I am thankful for the Curly Girl method.
It’s a thing. Trust me.
Once I started growing my hair out, I realized something different was happening that I had not seen in decades without a frizzy perm.
I have curls.
I had no idea how to style my hair. I’d try to straighten, but those curls refused to disappear. I tried to go curly, but I either had limp hair or I looked like I’d suffered electrical shock.
The Curly Girl method is a process that is best known as giving up sulfates. It’s also a trial and error when it comes to product, hair dry or air dry, and learning the lingo. I follow a lot of “CG” people on Instagram and their transformation is inspiring. I also follow the category on Reddit, and there are also guys out there who boast some amazing, healthy curls.
I recently got a cut and after a protein treatment, I’m pretty close to the goal hair I had. Although it sounds like a lot of product and weird steps, once you figure out what works, it truly is easier and faster than straightening.
The picture in this post is from a few months ago, where I still was learning, but I was sulfate free.
Here’s what I do as of this writing:
I wash every 4th day with SheaMoisture Shampoo and conditioner. Wash with head down. When I condition, I ball my hair in hands like a paper I’m about to throw out and gently squish. I do this in sections and rinse with cool water, sometimes leaving a little conditioner in hair.
On other days I use either SheaMoisture conditioner or a protein treatment or a coconut oil conditioner.
Once done, I squish hair gently to get excess water out, squish Fantasia Frizz Buster into curls, then take a long-sleeve shirt and “plop.” While hair is plopping, I dress, brush teeth.
When I take the hair plop off, I use twice the gel I used to use and again gently squish by sections into hair. Yes, this creates a crispy curl. It’s called a gel cast, and that’s my goal. Trust me.
I have been hair drying because air dry just doesn’t give me the style I want. I start using the attachment that straightens hair just for my bangs. Then I put the diffuser on and dry my hair in sections with head upside down. Then I move hair to each side and repeat. When I’m finally standing upright, I finish diffusing by going to each section and hitting the cool button.
I go head down once again to spray Cantu oil lightly over sections, then I gently squish again. This breaks that gel cast. It takes a while, don’t be in a rush or get harsh. I put a little hair spray on, and I usually wait to make sure hair is completely dry.
Then, I spread my fingers throughout and shake a little. Lately I’m finding finger combing loosens the curls and gives a better style for me. I’m a little jealous of the girls who have the tight girls and look so fantastic.
Anyway, it’s fun to play with and I’ve learned a lot from the CG community. My next try is a rice water rinse. Who knew?
