Ways to test products
What works and what doesn't. What works well for a while and then no longer works? If your hair properties change, products that used to make you very happy may no longer work later.
Test your hair properties regularly so that you can adjust the products if necessary.
Starters usually don't know where to start. Below is an overview of how you can test the various products and the different ways of styling your curls.
Mask
It is best to use the mask once a week, or if you only wash your hair once a week, use it every other wash.
You can use a mask in various ways:
- just apply the mask to your wet hair, comb through, let it work and rinse
- you can use a CG shampoo or a clarifying shampoo beforehand to thoroughly clean your scalp; shampoo, mask, comb through, let it work, rinse
- you can also use the mask with a heat cap (especially suitable if you have low porosity hair). Apply mask, heat cap on your head for max. 30 minutes, then comb through your curls to remove all tangles and rinse.
Co-wash
You use a co-wash between mask treatments.
- a co-wash cleans better than a regular conditioner, in principle you do not need to use shampoo for the co-wash
- you can test with a co-wash at one time, and only a conditioner at another time. See what the effect is.
- co-wash in wet hair, comb through hair, allow to work as needed, rinse.
Shampoo and conditioner
You may not be happy with a co-wash, so use a shampoo and conditioner if you do not need to treat your hair with a mask.
- Massage shampoo into your scalp, rinse and repeat if necessary.
- follow with a conditioner, apply it a few centimeters from your scalp, comb your hair, leave in and rinse
- if you use a clarifying shampoo, follow with a mask instead of a conditioner.
Leave in
Test yourself whether leave-in makes your curls happy. Wavy curls and fine hair in particular can have a hard time with a leave in.
- Apply leave-in after washing your hair, after a mask, co-wash, or conditioner
- preferably in soaking wet hair
- You can also test applying the leave-in to hair that you have first stripped a little of the water by carefully kneading the water from your hair with a t-shirt or microfiber towel.
- do you want to test? Then you can, for example, treat the left half of your hair with the leave-in and the other half without. See and experience the difference, if there is a difference of course :)
leave-in can also be used the day after washing, this can be done in 2 ways:
- put a drop of leave-in in your spray bottle or a plant sprayer with water. Shake well before use and refresh your curls with this mix of water and leave-in.
- or wet/damp your hair and squeeze a little leave-in into your curls. Follow with styling products if necessary.
- If you have fine hair, a leave-in can weigh it down and cause your curls to sag. Test once without leave-in after washing.
Styling products, such as hair cream, gel, mousse
Below are various ways to test what works best for you.
- Apply hair cream to wet hair before the gel, the gel then provides more cast
- Apply hair cream to wet hair after the gel, the cream will then provide softer curls
- Only apply a hair cream to wet or damp hair
- use your hair cream the day after washing, refresh your hair with water or water/leave-in and follow with the curl cream
- Some curl creams are also suitable for use on dry hair (possibly mixed with some water).
- Apply gel to soaking wet hair, after the leave-in, scrunch well (squeeze the gel into your hair), squeeze out excess product and water with a t-shirt or microfiber towel. Allow to air dry or diffuse
- Apply gel to damp hair, then first squeeze out excess water with a t-shirt or microfiber towel after washing and then apply the gel. Allow to air dry or diffuse.
- apply gel and then plop your hair (wrap your hair in a microfiber towel or t-shirt and then let it dry for a while, test how long you want to do this, depending on your hair characteristics)
- Apply gel after plopping, then your hair will be a bit drier, then apply the gel. Air dry it or diffuse it.
- Apply gel several times to soaking wet hair after washing, squeeze out excess water, diffuse until approximately 80% dry, apply gel again, diffuse dry.
- Some gels are also suitable for dry hair
- the day after washing, apply gel after you have dampened your hair. Test how much your hair needs!! Diffuse or allow to air dry.
TIP: for wavy curls it is best to dry with a diffuser, letting water sit in your hair can cause it to sag.
- if you use mousse you can use it in the same way as the gel, or together with the gel, mousse-gel-mousse, or mousse-gel, or gel-mousse. Experiment what works for you.
- You can also use mousse while refreshing. Moisten your hair well, add the mousse with the praying hands technique, and diffuse.
There are literally countless ways to style your hair. It takes a while to try everything once, but then you know what works and what doesn't. That's what it's all about, finding out which products work well and which style of styling suits you best.
Oil
Using an oil is most suitable for curly, coily and kinky curls. Wavy curls/fine hair can quickly become weighed down and look greasy. But don't let this stop you, you can always test it.
How can you use oil?
The scalp massage
is the most well-known treatment with oil because the movement also stimulates the skin. So double profit. Apply a few drops of oil to your fingertips and massage the oil into the scalp. Repeat for the entire head. You can leave the oil on for 15 minutes, a few hours or overnight. Depending on your hair type, you can massage in a little every night before going to sleep. But if you have quite thin hair, it is better to only do it before your wash day or wash.
AS A MASK
For a mask with pure castor oil, you proceed in much the same way as with a head massage, but then apply the oil to the entire hair. Could your hair use some extra care? Then try one of the masks with castor oil as a deep conditioner.
AS PRE-POO
A pre-poo is the use of oil in your hair before a wash. It puts a protective layer over your hair, as it were, so that your hair absorbs water less (quickly) and the hair cuticles do not rise as much. This is good for two reasons: the hair swells and shrinks less and the hair is less vulnerable during washing. In addition, the hair is slightly easier to comb and dries out less quickly. Always use a well-cleansing sulfate-free shampoo.
SOTC
Use a drop of oil to squeeze the cast from your dry curls.
Testing products
You can also test products with us, we have travel sizes from many brands.
Conclusion:
Don't give up too quickly. experiment and vary, don't expect miracles after just one try, although they do exist!
One product may work well for you in the summer, but not in the winter, when you usually need more moisture in your curls.
Yes, it's like rocket science, but you also want to be proud of your curls and it is particularly motivating to see in the process that your curls come back, look better, start to shine, that your frizz has reduced, and your beautiful gets defined curls. That's what we all do it for, right?
