Hi everyone,

I have fine hair, but it is also very dense and highly porous, which makes things complicated.

Honestly, I am feeling pretty desperate.

I have been trying to find a curly hair routine and styling method that finally gives me a result I am happy with.

Today, I did a clarifying wash and tested a new routine :

* Kinky Curly Come Clean
* SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Mask
* Curlsmith Essential Moisture Conditioner *(detangled with a Tangle Teezer + a few squish-to-condish motions)*
* Kinky Curly Knot Today
* Denman D3 on selected pieces around the front and top
* Curlsmith In-Shower Style Fixer *(praying hands, glazing, then scrunching)* instead of my Aunt Jackie’s Flaxseed Gel
* Diffused on low speed and medium heat *(I did not use the diffuser bowl because it seemed to dry my curls too fast and flatten them)*
* A tiny amount of jojoba oil at the end to try to scrunch out the cast

But the result really disappointed me.

The Curlsmith gel gave me an unbelievably hard cast. I know a cast is normal, but this was not a normal “slightly crunchy” cast.

My curls stayed extremely rigid, hard, and cardboard-like.

I tried scrunching them out with jojoba oil in my hands, but it barely changed anything. It felt impossible to soften them.

I do not know whether I used too much gel, applied it incorrectly, layered too much conditioning underneath, or whether this gel is simply too strong/heavy for my fine hair.

I also feel like :

* My curls are too flat and seem weighed down by the gel
* The sides look messy and unorganised, with curls going in different directions
* The top/front looks worse, with visible gaps and scalp showing
* The back also lacks uniformity
* I wanted volume and defined curl clumps, but instead my hair looks rigid, flat, and overly separated

I also tried applying products underneath the outer layer of my hair, on the inner sections that are not visible unless I lift the hair up.  
I never used to do that before, so I am not sure if it helped with hydration/definition or if it contributed to weighing everything down.

For a strong-hold gel, should I really do praying hands first and then glaze the outside, or should I only apply the gel on the surface ?

Could praying hands be separating my curl clumps too much or applying too much gel inside my hair ?

I would really appreciate honest feedback on the photos and my routine. I am trying hard to learn the right application methods and finally get curls that I feel proud enough to post here, instead of being disappointed after every wash day.

Thank you in advance !

Gel impossible to break, cardboard curls all day, really need help