Guest Blogger: Revelle & Fifi

Kandy

Guest Blogger: Revelle & Fifi

OUR TIGHTLY CURLY EXPERIMENT - SUMMER 2012!

WEEK 5, FINAL POST

Week 5 and we’re done! This is our last post, KandyLandKurl Landers. We have had an educational past five weeks, and so to draw a line under this experiment, I’ll recap the pros, cons, and the “what we’ve learnt” from the Teri La Flesh’s Tightly Curly Method, but not before I make one final mini-post about a wash ‘n go.

In short, I mentioned last week, that we would do a technique comparison between the TCM and a plain old WNG; because in my mind, since starting the experiment, the “tightly curly method is just another way to do a wash n’ go” So, here are the wash ‘n go results. (By the way, this is our first deliberate wash ‘n go)

(Same as in previous weeks), to keep her scalp eczema in check, I shampooed the scalp lightly with Head & Shoulders Eucalyptus Itchy Scalp Care, followed by a co-wash and detangling of the hair with Aussie Moist Conditioner. Again, detangling was a breeze due to the amount of conditioner that was already in her hair.

1. Fresh out of the shower, I divided the hair into four sections, and applied Bee Mine’s Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer into each section, because again her hair needs moisture to avoid it becoming a tangled fuzzy/frizzy bird’s nest! Then, I followed that up with Cara B Moisturizing Hair Mist and Cara B Leave-In Conditioner / Daily Moisturizer (apologies for the dark pictures, it was a rainy day and we were indoors)

2. Verdict: So, as suspected, the TCM is another way to do a WNG. However, while her WNG curls were not as defined, I now know that that can be easily achieved with the addition of a holding agent, such as gel or the like. The only real difference I noted was that with the WNG her curls were more elongated and a lot softer - whereas with the conditioner, per the TCM, her curls are stiffer, although they do soften after a couple days.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE TIGHTLY CURLY METHOD - SUMMARY

Pros	Cons	What we’ve learnt
CONDITIONER
- Because of the abundance of conditioner, the hair detangles easily in the shower - Depending on the hair type, curls can stay detangled for up to week	- If conditioner is applied to close to the scalp, it can cause itching and other scalp conditions to flare up	- Finding the right conditioner is a matter of trial and error. Some provide better slip than others, and some do a better job at defining curls than others

Pros	Cons	What we’ve learnt
MOISTURE
- None that we experienced	- Depending on the hair type, conditioner can leave the hair dry.	- Conditioner by itself does not provide enough moisture for moisture-needy hair. - Add oils to help with moisture retention. (coconut oil, olive oil, Shea butter, etc.)

Pros	Cons	What we’ve learnt
DEFINITION
- With the right conditioner (and maybe a holding agent, such as gel) defined curls can last a week	- Holding agents can cause build-up and white residue	- To achieve (our) curl uniformity, adding gel was mandatory - Flaxseed gel did not have sufficient hold to guarantee curl uniformity - Depending on the hair type, to get defined curls, the smoothing or doodling technique is necessary. - Plait/protect hair at night to maintain curl definition - Curls can be revived after a few days with water, and, if needed, more conditioner, oils, etc.

Pros	Cons	What we’ve learnt
Tightly Curly Method OVERALL
- The TCM is a great option for beach/pool swimming.	- Not always possible to get the same results as the promoter of this method (Teri La Flesh) has achieved; different hair types yield very different results, tweaking is likely to be needed - Because hair takes long to dry, this may not work for most in the winter months.	- Because hair is coated in conditioner, it is really very well protected from harsh (swimming) conditions - The TCM is an alternative, and very similar, to traditional wash ‘n go’s - Even in the summer, hair can take an entire day to dry; start early. - Avoid touching hair while it is drying to help prevent fuzziness. - Depending on hair type, expect shrinkage

Thanks for coming with us on this journey. I hope it has been helpful. After five weeks, it’s safe to assume that this will primarily be used as our beach/pool pre-treatment regimen, as I think that traditional wash and go’s can give the same results with the use of gels, etc. to achieve lasting curl definition and uniformity.

If you are a reader that has stumbled across this page and wanted to look back at what we did/experienced, here are the links to posts 1, 2, 3 and 4, in this experiment.

Thanks to Kandy for providing this forum! Until the next time, take care - Révelle & Fifi