A Quiet Little Woman

My Curly Girl 'do: day 1

Well, fellow homesteaders... I've been trying for awhile to make my own shampoo, use different things (like baking soda, egg), use a multi-purpose soap, and MANY other things to try and save money.  I stumbled upon a new way of washing hair awhile ago... or actually UNWASHING!  I just got my new book in the mail yesterday "CURLY GIRL", read through it... and promptly started it this morning.  I know from my own experience that it can be down-right mortifying to have curly hair at times, it never does what you want, curls the WRONG way, and can be just plain ornery!  So, I've decided that I'll journal my journey and you can follow along and hopefully glean something! 

Ever since I was a little girl I have had curly hair, it used to get straighter as it got longer, but the past few years it has gotten down-right crazy!!  We've been changing our diet and changing our lives too... and I feel so much better!  My hair must too, because where it used to be wavy, with some ringlets... now it looks like a perm!  In fact, LOTS of people have asked me if I got a perm, or asked if I got a haircut (nope, just my curly-curls drying!).  But I've still had a ways to go as it was quite dry and didn't quite do what I wanted it to.  Hence the reason I bought the book... 

The curly-girl way is to not just get rid of harsh shampoos and styling aids that strip your hair of essential oils, BUT to get rid of EVERYTHING!  UNPLUG the hairdryer, straightener, curler, etc, throw away your hairbrush and THROW OUT the shampoo!!

So, today I didn't shampoo, but followed the curly-girl method... just rinsing, massaging and conditioning (with coconut oil).  Well, to be perfectly honest with you, it didn't work so well!!  BUT if at first you don't succeed, TRY, TRY AGAIN!!  My hair is a little greasy (actually a little more that greasy!!), but certainly LOTS curlier than usual!!  Lorraine Massey (the lady who wrote Curly Girl) says that it can take 2-3 weeks for your hair to regain its moisture... so I'll give it awhile!  I'll keep 'ya all posted on how my locks transform (at least that's what I'm praying for!!).  So, do any of you have curls that have been driving you crazy, or caused you to shed a few tears?  If so, join me on my journey to better hair!! 

Little Woman

10:06, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 .. Posted by littlewoman

I will wait to see your sucess....I have curly, dry, disobeydent hair. :)
Sarah

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11:09, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 .. Posted by Belle

My hair is greasy too. For the days that I don't use anthing on my hair, only water, it helps if I turn the shower on so it sprays hard. (The place where you turn the shower head to make it spray harder than normal)
That seems to spray off some of the oils.

That book that you were talking about....does it have things in it that would help people with straight hair?? I might be interested in buying that book!

Belle

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01:59, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 .. Posted by Citygal

I have curly hair too - it used to be straight, and then at puberty changed to curly, and boy was it curly!!! But the strange thing is with each pregnancy I've had it has got straighter and straighter.
On another note, my hairdresser was telling me recently that she has some clients who don't believe in washing hair, and she said that they actually have really beautiful hair, as after a period of time the hair actually starts to clean itself! I'd never heard that before, but it sounds fascinating.
Rachel from NZ

Hair

02:43, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous

I will wait to see how yours turns out lol I have long hair and its wavyyyyy.. I just can't imagine not washing my hair though I do everyday! I have heard that olive oil is great for your hair and scalp!

Curly girl...

09:17, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 .. Posted by mulberrylane

We bought the book last year. We LOVE our curly hair now. Just knowing that shampoo about kills curly hair was eye opening. My oldest has more oily skin and will shampoo a couple times a month, but rare.

I don't use shampoo unless I've been in the barn with the sheep and I "Stink!" That is about a couple times a year when I have to do that. Otherwise, just a conditioner for me and my hair behaves so much better and is healthier than it has been my ENTIRE life!

Warmly, ~Melissa

I'm back... you asked if our hair was greasier... well, mine got a sort of film on it the first week or two, I believe. It just felt really thick, but my frizzies were going away. I never had greasy hair, so I imagined that's what was happening. My oldest who has oily skin, she got kinda greasy looking the first month on and off. Washing with conditiioner only helped some, but she says she doesn't wash it for her oily hair now... she washed it to get build-up out of the hair when she uses moose. She has heavy loose curly hair and when not using moose her curls just get flat, her blog here is branded4Him... she posted a bit about her hair a while ago...with some pictures.

She knows that the shampoo kills her curls, so using extra conditioning agents is what helps her.

As for the greasy part in general... all three of us curlies felt it for about the first month. I think that our scalp has to heal and know that we aren't going to bombard it with some of those harsh chemicals and it produces oils that we previously stripped away. After not shampooing for so long, my second daughter Chelsea and I don't have to shampoo at all... unless our hair is DIRTY from falling in the barn, walking through cobwebs, etc. And when we do, we can tell our hair is a bit frizzy for a day or two. I have contemplated getting shampoo bars for just that very need. Also, there are some recipes in the book that naturally get some of that oil to release... I honestly haven't tried them yet... haven't needed to. I thought we'd use up the shampoo we have from the dirty days and then I'd use those... I still have drizzles in one bottle from over a year ago.

Good luck with your hair. I think it is great. Yes people think it is odd, but 150 years ago, people didn't go to town or to market to buy shampoo... I don't think God made us to walk around like grease balls either. Having patience to let our bodies get back to caring for our hair like it used to... well, I'm finding out that it really works... even for those with greasier hair.... eventually. Even the book says you might need an occasional wash... but I think finding a less harsh method than shampoo is better.

Warmly, ~Melissa


Edited by mulberrylane on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 09:04