For starters let me share a confession, I love keeping it real/honest/true so… I bought a hair dryer. I know, I know! I said I probably would never use heat ever again, and a year ago I even gave away my hair dryer styler and flat iron. Yet this time it’s not a styler dryer to straighten the hair, but a traditional dryer with a good size diffuser, so it’s seriously curl and fro friendly.
The one thing that I was sure to look for in a hair dryer was not only a cool shot button, but a cool setting period.
So I purchased the Infiniti Pro by Conair Styling Tool. This dryer was not only super affordable, but has a cool, warm, and hot setting along with two speeds, a cold shot button, and has ceramic technology which provides infrared heat to protect your hair from damage. I know it all sounds good, but what got me was being able to wash my hair and set it before the hour was up! I’m not about slaving over my curls anymore, I just want to enjoy them and move on while letting them blow freely in the wind.
I know I shared all the details on My Spring/Summer 2015 Curly Hair Care pretty recently, but I wanted to give you the 411 on how I was able to get so much curl definition in my hair without using hardly any leave-in products.
I will say that I gave myself a tiny trim this week just to freshen things up a bit. Yes I do cut my own hair and have for years. This recent short hairstyle was one of my major spring updates since my hair had gotten pretty long before. I shared a few pics of my before and after here. You may even remember from my regimen article that I clarify my hair monthly with a clay wash, yet thoughout the week I mainly just wash my hair with… just water. Yep I said it, just water. You can get the details on that here.
In order to get the curl definition that you see here, I used my DIY Natural Hair Gel with added wheat germ oil as a detangler and “conditioner” and left it in my hair for 15-20 minutes. I then rinsed my detangled and defined curls of product and rubbed a quarter size amount of my whipped shea butter mix over the surface of my hair. I’ve had a serious love/hate with flaxseed gel because I no longer crave curls with weight especially now that my hair is shorter. My fine strands get weighed down extremely easily. If I want to use a leave-in especially for major frotastic volume, then I will use this simple leave-in with aloe vera, or this one which also contains aloe vera.
Finally the fun part! I diffused my curls on warm heat/low speed. I then switched over to the cool setting for a moment then the cold shot button. It took only about 10-15 minutes of drying time, and I was good to go after getting in there a bit with my afro pick! I usually would wait 1-1.5 hours for my hair to dry which means hoping that my curls fall how I want them while I’m driving with the windows down on the highway as my non-conventional hair dryer fluffing as I go.
I’m really loving the results of using my homemade hair gel as a “conditioner” of sorts. It still keeps my regimen simple, yet adds extra slip when needed for detangling. It’s taken me a long time to get to a hair care regimen that was this simple and cost effective. These photos are Day 1 tight curls which haven’t been manipulated in any major way. It’s always fun to see how they stretch out and get bigger over the next few days!
Peace & Crazy Curls!
Have a great holiday weekend Beauties!
(Images by Dawn Michelle)
Tamara says
My hair isn’t natural but this post made me feel good about my hair care routine all the same. All my blow dryers have always had the three settings with the cool shot for as long as I can remember. It was recommended to me by a past stylist and it’s something I look for ever since. I have never used it on the highest setting ever because I usually let my hair towel dry with leave in conditioner for at least an hour or two. And I rarely curl or straighten it. I tie it down and it has learned to behave.
Your curls are beautiful! It almost makes me envious. My hair is naturally curly, which I hate. That’s why I keep it relaxed. Even after a week or two of a fresh relaxer, my hair is extremely wavy when wet. Have you ever straightened your hair? If so, how long does it take to curl back up?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Tamara,
I’ve rarely used heat in the past. I used to own a flat iron that I used no more than 3-4 times in the past five years. My hair always reverted back to curls quickly and with ease because I never used it enough to damage or “train” my curls to be straight. Because I have fine strands excessive heat tears them up pretty easily. That’s why finding a blow dryer with a cool and cold setting was so important to me. Whenever my hair was straight I usually wanted to wash it out sooner than later because curly hair is just more me. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Kate says
Would you be interested in doing a post to see how your hair stretches and how you style/re-set as the week progresses? I’m trying to figure out how to keep my curls for more than a day without too much frizz or weighing them down with additional product.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kate,
I got you covered here so stay tuned!
Sandy says
It looks fantastic. I like the texture, cut and style on you.
Have you ever tried diffusing it with a cool setting throughout the drying process and, if so, how did it affect the final look?
Also, when you use the warm setting, do you have to do any lifting of the hair so it doesn’t dry flat?
Of course every hair type is different and therefore creates different results.
My coils are smaller and tighter than yours and I have less density, so I wonder if you have any suggestions for creating volume while retaining the coils on the ends.
In the past, when I’ve used a blow dryer, I’ve had to pull on the hair next to the scalp to get more volume. I wonder if the same holds true when using a diffuser.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sandy,
I get the most volume if I diffuse my hair with my head upside down. Also a diffuser gives completely different results than just blow drying alone. This morning I let my hair air dry almost 80% then diffused the rest dry on the cool setting. It worked out great too. I do take the diffuser off and blow through my hair randomly on cool or the cold shot button for more movement in my hair as well.
Using a blow dryer with diffuser just helps with the overall finish. One thing that I won’t be doing is gathering all of my curls in the diffuser cup and bringing them to my scalp. I think this technique is better for looser curls to create more bounce like scrunching does. That’s what made my hair look so much shorter in these pictures. Instead now I focus on the roots with the diffuser cup for lift and diffuse the length without pushing the hair from the ends up to the scalp. I try to keep my hair more flat. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks for your comment and the compliment!
CSI says
I’m a bit confused as to how you use gel as a conditioner. Are you mixing it with a conditioner then rinsing out? Can you explain that a little bit? Thanks
Dawn Michelle says
Hi CSI,
I mix wheat germ oil in with my DIY hair gel. Since I use the basic techniques of water only hair washing my hair is coated with the natural oils that my scalp produces which I find better than store bought synthetic conditioning ingredients. These natural oils along with my DIY hair gel aid with detangling and conditioning my hair. Once detangled I rinse the DIY hair gel out of my hair. The benefits of water only hair washing is why my DIY hair gel acts as a secondary conditioner for my hair. I don’t use store bought shampoos, conditioners, or styling products. You can see my beauty regimen including hair here.
Kisha says
Looking fab! I have also been using my gel as a derangler but before I wash and it works so well. I’m loving your haircut!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kisha,
Thanks so much! It’s kind of crazy that a simple DIY hair gel can work incredibly as a detang@er. Hope all is well with you!
Jean says
Hi Dawn!
Can you tell me approximately how much wheat germ oil you put into the flax seed gel? I used your recipe of two cups of distiller water.
Thanks!
Jean
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Jean,
The amount of oil I use depends upon the current state of my hair. If my hair has excess sebum on it, I use more oil maybe 3-4 tablespoons. If it has less I will use less oil maybe 1 tablespoon. It really is about finding what works for you though. Hope this helps!