Defining natural curls...?

[Lilmama1011]

What other products do you use to define natural hair, my mother is natural and we did the ecostyler but it feels so crunchy an stiff and dry feeling! How can I make her curls pop with a soft hold that defines her curls? Because she wants me to do it again and not sure if I can do it another way with the ecostyler or go purchase another product because of tired of her wearing a scarf 24 7 Til she has a permanent line on the top of her forehead from not letting it air out! And she uses the cotton bandanas so her hair is dry. She does a lot of no nos and I know this but she doesn't let anyone do anything to it and she just let me to the eco styler. They look nice when wet and the gel freshly applied but when it dries it shrivels and looks like a dry Afro

 

[Lilmama1011]

This how it looked but sorry she won't let me take a pic of it when it's dry so... Please help me out so I can get her to stop wearing that damn scarf!

 

[Golden75]

Those curls look very defined already. Is that before or after the Eco styler?

 

[Lilmama1011]

Those curls look very defined already. Is that before or after the Eco styler?

After but after it dries it looks like a dry afro with hear and there defined curls

 

[momi]

They look to be defined to me... her hair is beautiful.

The only product the I use that gives me a softer hold is Bee Mine Curling Butter applied over Whipped Pudding or Homemade Shea Butter mix. It also helps to apply oil after the styling product to reduce crunch.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Her hair is extremely dry it only looks good because it's wet , after it dried I was like I got to find something else that gives a looser and moisturizing hold. I used mazani coconut souflee to moisturize and and styling Cree from wen and the argan oil gel and it looked nice but when it dries it looks a mess and my mom not the type to keep wetting her hair. She moisturizes with grease a doesnt condition her hair because she says it's soft but that has nothing to do with being moisturized, she is very hard headed

 

[PatTodd]

Blot the hair with a tshirt only till not dripping. Apply the leave ins or moisturizer (including the grease if she likes that) with smoothing motions, then the gel, smooth smooth smooth the hair some more, don't touch til dry, then if stiff scrunch the dry hair ("scrunch out the crunch").

 

[manter26]

If you use a leave in before you use the gel it'll dry softer.

 

[ManeStreet]

If you use a leave in before you use the gel it'll dry softer.

2nd that. Use a leave in first & less heavy handed with the eco gel to reduce crunch.

I like shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie too. I layer it under eco or the the curl enhan.. by itself. It gives hold but not a hard hold

 

[SmilingElephant]

My tip for WnG's:

Put more leave-in on than you do gel. Keep in mind that the gel is only there to hold the curls in place...so start out with small amounts of gel...then slightly add more as needed.

I know some naturals plaster their hair with the gel and get the hard curls....just remember to leave in more conditioner.

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

Use a leave-in, gel, then a light oil. That prevents the crunch for me.

 

[knt1229]

You stated in the OP your mom's hair turns into a fro, I'm assuming the curls frizz and lose definition once dry. If that is the case then your mom's hair is dry and she should start deep conditioning and using a moisturizer on a regular basis. The more moisturized your hair is the better it will retain curl definiton.

Other things that help with curl definition is sulphate free shampoos and making sure the hair is PH balanced. I use an ACV rinse after shampooing with a sulphate free shampoo followed by a conditoner and that has improved my curl definition.

 

[Lilmama1011]

You stated in the OP your mom's hair turns into a fro, I'm assuming the curls frizz and lose definition once dry. If that is the case then your mom's hair is dry and she should start deep conditioning and using a moisturizer on a regular basis. The more moisturized your hair is the better it will retain curl definiton.

Other things that help with curl definition is sulphate free shampoos and making sure the hair is PH balanced. I use an ACV rinse after shampooing with a sulphate free shampoo followed by a conditoner and that has improved my curl definition.

I will definitely do that. I just told her that and she on the phone with her friend asking her do she deep condition and she said yeah and her friend asked what kind of grease I use and my mom stated I don't use it. And she was telling her I always told her not to but I told her she can use the grease as sealant as long as she moisturizes after and I honestly think I confused her lol but it's the thing of trying to get her to rewash tomorrow because she is seriously lazy with her hair yet complains about it. So I will wash her hair with my wen cleansing conditioner. Use roux porosity control to balance the ph and deep conditions with my Aubrey organics rosa mosqueta for like a hour. How does the sound ladies? And then apply a leave in for moisturizing which I got to purchase because the mazani is too light I think.... and then add gel and then castor or coconut oil. But might use coconut because she has thin hair and too be honest I think it came from not moisturizing to be honest!

 

[Lilmama1011]

And would Yal recommend me using a holding spray after to keep the curl. Because she washed every two weeks I don't know if I can get it to one week. At night I will get her to wear a satin bonnet. If she does it o well... She will be on her own

 

[BraunSugar]

And would Yal recommend me using a holding spray after to keep the curl. Because she washed every two weeks I don't know if I can get it to one week. At night I will get her to wear a satin bonnet. If she does it o well... She will be on her own

I think the holding spray could further dry her hair out. Holding sprays have always made my hair feel sticky too. Before I started using my crisco/aloe vera mix, I would spray some aloe vera juice on my hair after I condition it, then follow that with a nice moisturizing condish as a leave-in like Tresemme Naturals, apply some oil to seal (either grapeseed or castor oil) then put my Gel on top of that. It worked well for me.

 

[Lilmama1011]

I think the holding spray could further dry her hair out. Holding sprays have always made my hair feel sticky too. Before I started using my crisco/aloe vera mix, I would spray some aloe vera juice on my hair after I condition it, then follow that with a nice moisturizing condish as a leave-in like Tresemme Naturals, apply some oil to seal (either grapeseed or castor oil) then put my Gel on top of that. It worked well for me.

Ok so no holding spray then and might do oil after the gel then...

 

[Guinan]

I swear by proclaim activator gel. It has aloe and protein. It's light & doesn't make my hair hard.

 

[Lilmama1011]

They dried much better and I can see the curls, I did couple sprays of water and wen almond to rewet the hair, mazani, castor oil and then argan oil ecostyler but was afraid to separate because it might frizz, wouldn't it?