And just like that, I haven't had my hair rebonded nor colored in the past five years.

Three years after my Curlversary Update, what changed?

These are currently the products in my routine. These have been my staples in the past year or so, I don't remember exactly when they "joined" my routine though.

Aside from Suave Conditioner and Keraplus, these are all newer products 'cause they weren't in the CGM Update I did in 2020. My "hair care" requires a lot of products but I don't use all of these everyday so except for the conditioner, a bottle or tube lasts me several months. These have been doing a great job in maintaining my curly/wavy hair.

I've lost count on how many compliments my hair has received in the past few years. Several times, I've also been asked where I had my hair done and it makes me a bit proud whenever I answer that it's all natural. People (even strangers) now appreciating my hair makes all the expense and effort worth it. I mean, coming from someone na laging natatanong ng, "Mahangin ba sa labas?" at nasasabihan ng, "Magtali ka nga/ Magsuklay ka nga." Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I'd get praises because of my hair. 😂

Kung buhaghag 'yung buhok mo, hindi ka pa lang din siguro marunong kung paano 'yung tamang paraan. Lumaki kasi tayong kailangan lagi mag suklay e pag ganon pala, lalong nagiging buhaghag. 🫠🫠🫠

One of my unforgettable experience was when I was on the queue of Starbucks in Narita Airport and the two Korean ladies behind me were talking about my hair saying that "it was made well in the salon." and they wanted to try having their hair permed too. I can converse in Korean a little bit and I wanted to answer but then they'll catch me eavesdropping. 🤣🤣 I mean, can't help but listen when they're behind me and we stood there for several minutes. 🤣

10th Month Curls Update ❤️

To answer my previous question on what changed, basically what changed is that I'm no longer strictly following CGM rules and have adjusted to what suits me more so this is Modified CGM already. I'll always be thankful that I stumbled upon CGM and it's still my guideline until now but based on what I experienced, it's just not practical for me or for most in the Philippine setting, perhaps, to continuously follow it.

I use shampoo these days instead of conditioner when washing my scalp. CGM advocates a few days of not washing or just using conditioner to wash our scalp.

Eventually, using conditioner to wash my scalp resulted to me having very itchy scalp and dandruff on some days. I think co-washing worked for the first year that I was into CGM because that coincided with ECQ and I was always at home. Hence, less sweat and pollution.

When I was frequently going out again, wash days were almost everyday because not washing it with shampoo just didn't feel right. 🤣 When I'm staying at home, I try to wash every other day but that's already the longest I can do without washing my hair. I have to shampoo my hair on the third day or I'd get itchy scalp and dandruff again.

HHN Clarifying Shampoo and Men's Anti-Dandruff Shampoo are both non-CGM.

Purchase yours here: HHN Shampoo

The two shampoos above feels drying so I decided to do oiling again. I used to oil my hair pre-CGM but I stopped and then continued when I was treating my itchy scalp several months ago.

Back then, I'd use sunflower oil or coconut oil and leave it on my hair overnight. I stopped doing the overnight though because it's messy and just leave the oil on for 10-20 minutes (if I have time) before I shower. My constant choice these days is Sweet Almond Oil because of its benefits that I've read in Google. It's also easy on the wallet and convenient to purchase online.

I sometimes use jojoba oil when scrunching out the gel crunch.

Purchase yours here: Sweet Almond Oil and Jojoba Oil.

I'd repurchase this as long as it's available on the market and it's the only conditioner I've used for the past two years. I used to mindlessly buy any Suave variant that I see before but I stopped doing that and stuck with this. It's been difficult to get one these days so I try to have an extra bottle with me all the time. They've also reduced the size but maintained the price - around 299.00 for a bottle online but one bottle lasts me a month or so. I know that this is more affordable in the USA so if the universe grants me a USA ver 3.0, I'd probably purchase 12 bottles before going home. HAHAHA

Purchase yours here: Suave Cherry Blossom Conditioner

Product Review:

Zenutrients Leave-In Conditioner and CGM Update

This, too, has been my constant leave-in conditioner since 2021. I stopped using HHN Vanilla Conditioner and stuck with this 'cause, well, its job is being a leave-in conditioner and it's doing great.

2021 me:

"This smells fresh and clean which I like a lot. It doesn't feel heavy in the hair and it forms a slight cast when applied so it's perfect to use when going out. I no longer think about what my hair looks like especially when it's windy outside.

I haven't tried using gel as a styler since CGM so I never had an experience of "scrunching the crunch" but this is the closest that I can get to that."

2023 me:

This still doesn't feel heavy nor sticky. It's also easy to repurchase. This is always on sale during number sales so watch out for those days. This has been really helpful in managing the frizz and curls of my hair. My hair is just wash and airdry but as long as I lather this on, my hair becomes more manageable.

Usual Routine: Shampoo, Conditioner, Leave-in+Cantu, Air dry

Purchase yours here: Curls by Zenutrients Leave-in Conditioner

The reason why we aren't supposed to wash our hair daily is because it looses its curl pattern when always exposed to water but like what I've mentioned at the beginning of this post, it became impossible to not wash hair often so I decided to buy a bottle of Cantu to help activate my curls.

The first I bought was the Avocado variant and it works and smells like a dream, you know. I also stopped squishing conditioner on my hair because it strains my wrist. However, whenever I apply this product, I'd squish 2-3 times just so the curls will form and that's about it. A little goes a long way, btw. I've had the avocado bottle since the beginning of 2023 and I still have around 1/4 product left.

The only problem I have with the Avocado variant is its packaging. Pretty difficult to squeeze that stuff out of the bottle especially when I'm rushing so I decided to get the Cantu for Kids which packaging I prefer more.

Four photos above, I used the avocado variant. I have thick hair and it works really well - my curls are formed and last for a day without me needing to scrunch for numerous times when applying conditioner.

I also love the scent. I bought a trial size of the original variant before but the scent gave me headache, I never got to use the entire 100 ML bottle because I realized that smelling the product on my hair was the cause of my headaches.

Cantu For Kids is a recent buy and it's what I've been using since my haircut two weeks ago.

I can't say if Avocado worked better for my hair based on the photos because I think my haircut changed my curl pattern. Even so, all I know as of this writing is that, I am repurchasing the for kids version next time regardless of which one is more effective on my hair unless the packaging of the Avocado changes.

Purchase yours here: Cantu Curl Activator

I used to not like gel as a styler until I met-up with a friend in January 2023. She practices CGM and I asked what her secret was 'cause her curls are really beautiful and she suggested that I try using gel on my hair as well. Although this is something that I don't use everyday, it really helps in maintaining the curl pattern especially on a busy day or on a special day. I make sure to bring the bottle of jojoba oil whenever I use this to scrunch out the crunch when my hair completely dries.

For styling products,

Zenutrients: regular day, for whenever I'm just staying home

Zenutrients + Cantu: kinda special day, for whenever I'm going out (Cantu works well but it's expensive)

Zenutrients + Cantu + Gel: special day, for whenever I feel that my hair needs to look its best

Gets? HAHAHA. If I had to make sure that I have a presentable hair for a certain day, I've never gone wrong with these trio as my stylers: Zenutrients + Cantu + Gel

Purchase yours here: Bench Gel

I try to do deep conditioning once a week and I use these two depending on what I think my hair needs.

Keraplus - With protein

Garnier Fructis - No Protein

Purchase yours here: Garnier Fructis and Keraplus

If budget is an issue, wait for number sales or vouchers and get these: shampoo, conditioner, leave in. Also, do this: just comb your hair once (when wet), apply leave in. Don't comb for the rest of the day.

I have new products now because of the vouchers Lazada gave everyday for last two months. Btw, the links I've included in this post redirect to where I purchased the products above.

Although I'm not always fast, I was able to get the 100 off voucher every several days enough for me to restock on products. It was also a source of adrenaline rush for me before. 🤣 Imagine the thrill of needing to check-out before 12:01 or lose that 100php and wait for the next day. When more people knew about the vouchers, one needed to place orders around 12:00:30. You may click the photo below to open another tab where you can zoom in the time stamps.

Intense, di ba? 🤣🤣🤣

This photo in Zhongshe Guan guang Flower Market, Taichung is what prompted me to write this post because this was an "On This Day" photo last week. Also, 'cause this was the last travel I did with my long and colored hair. lol