Curly Gurl

I have been blessed and cursed with naturally curly hair. (You just thought of that little girl from Peanuts didn't you?)
I love/hate my hair, but in 2005 I read a book that changed my life! That book was: Curly Girl: A Handbook by Lorraine Massey. This book should be required reading for all the curly-headed.
I'm now going to share with you my hair care regimen based on the Curly Girl Method conceived by Ms. Massey.
Intro:
First off, I never use shampoo. Did you just say gross in your head?
Let's look at this scientifically, curly hair is dry, very dry. The agents that cause all those pretty suds in your shampoo are sulfates. If you look at the back of the bottle you will read the first ingredient listed is either Sodium Laurel Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Sodium = salt. If you're thirsty you don't drink salt water do you? Of course not! So why torture your poor thirsty locks by "quenching" them with salt?!
Here it is my curly hair care regimen:
Cleansing:
I use conditioner for this. My conditioner contains only water soluble silicone to avoid build up.
I start by standing under the shower and wetting my head.
Next, I pour about a quarter sized dollop of conditioner into my hand.
I dip my fingers into the conditioner and massage my scalp in a small circular pattern, working all around.
I stand under the shower and rinse.
This is a gentle way to cleanse your scalp and hair.
I do this once a week, though you could do it twice weekly or as needed.
Conditioning:
(Skip to this step if you're not cleansing.) I put at least a quarter sized dollop of conditioner in my hand.
I smooth through my hair adding conditioner as needed. When I've added enough my hair feels like wet seaweed. Some days it needs more, and some less!
Detangling:
I rake my fingers through my hair to detangle.
This also removes loose hairs. Some days I remove a lot of hair, but this is normal. The average person loses over 100 hairs a day!
Drying and Styling:
Before I leave the shower I turn me head over and scrunch/squeeze out the excess moisture.
Next, I use a t-shirt or a micro-fiber towel to dry. (I actually cut t-shirt material into hand towel sized sections and use these. You can also use paper towels, but I think that could get expensive!)
I turn my head over and scrunch my hair dry in the towel.
Next, I pour gel into my hands (again water soluble silicones only!)
I rub my hands together to emulsify the gel, and then coat my hair with it.
The best way to do this is by raking it into your hair or scrunching. I actually do both, I start with raking and then scrunch.
I add a handful of mousse to add a little volume. If your hair is curlier than mine you probably don't need this.
I use alligator clips to add volume at my roots. I do this by pulling the hair at my part directly up clipping them with the alligator clips perpendicular to my scalp.
You can now air dry, I prefer to use a diffuser and blow dry.
I turn my head to the side and use a bowl diffuser to cup my hair and bring the diffuser to my scalp. I blow dry on each section for two minutes on low heat.




The Finished Product:
When my hair is completely dry, I pull out the clips.
At this point my hair is somewhat crunchy.
This is called a gel cast. You can break this up two ways, by scrunching your hair or by putting your hands on your scalp under the canopy of your hair and gently tousling it until the cast breaks up!

In the photo:
The left side is still in the "gel cast." The right I've broken the cast. 
Before:
This was a low humidity day and when I was in High School, before I damaged my hair with frequent dyeing and heat styling. I couldn't find a good before pic when my hair was at its worst! You can see the frizz and the total lack of curl definition, even here!
After:
This was taken on July 12, 2011. It was  almost 100 degrees and super high humidity. Notice the definition that was missing and lack of frizz?!

Recipes:



Miscellaneous:
Lavender Mist:
1 Gallon Water
5 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
Boil water and drop in oil for five minutes.
Allow to cool and pour into spay bottles.
This is great for rewetting!
Detangling Spray
1 Part Water
1 Part Conditioner
Don't waste money on detangler for your little one. All it is conditioner and water, so why not mix it yourself?! This can also work for a leave in conditioner for you!
Spray Gel:
1 Part Gel
1 Part Water
Again, spray gel is just watered down gel. I say 1:1 ratio, but you can play around with it and get the desired hold!





Deep Treatments:
Oil Treatment:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Drop Essential Oil of your choice
Mix together in a zip bag. Warm in a mug of hot water. Snip the corner and use as a hot oil treatment.
I love this one!
Fruity Deep Treatments:
1 Avocado or 1 Banana
Puree finely to the consistency of baby food. You need to make sure that there are no lumps left or they'll be in your hair!
Coat your hair, and leave on about five minutes!
Protein Deep Treatment:
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Mix together and leave on hair for five minutes. Be sure to only use egg yolk, because the whites will stay in your hair.