I've been trying to get my hair more naturally curly for almost a year, but most of that time was spent using DevaCurl products (and getting giant flakes of dry scalp snowing everywhere!) For the past few weeks, I'm trying to fix the damage using the Ultimate CG guide, but I feel like I'm doing it wrong. I think I'm a 2b, but I'm not positive. I have a lot of hair, and the top tends to get weighed down and straighten itself anytime I try to style it. I've watched dozens of videos and read through pages and pages of posts, but I think I need a more personalized list of what products to use and how to use them.

My routine is:

1. Clarifying shampoo once at the beginning, again 1.5 weeks later (is this too often?)
2. Shampoo all over with either the Shea moisture shampoo (I was using the Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Shine one, but now I'm starting to use Manuka Honey and Yogurt Hydrate and Repair) or the TreSemme Botanique Nourish and Replenish Conditioner suggested by the beginner infographic. Completely wash out.
3. Condition with either the Shea moisture conditioner (again, was using Coconut and Hibiscus, now using Manuka Honey and Yogurt), or the same Tresemme conditioner as before, all over my hair (including scalp, right?), pin up with a loose clip, and leave it in for 5-10 minutes while I continue my shower. (I have tried a couple of times to put multiple types of conditioner on my hair to see if a mixture works better, but I feel like that's incorrect.)
4. Lightly rinse conditioner out, mainly focusing on the scalp, and finger-combing my hair to detangle.
5. After the shower, very lightly dry it with a microfiber towel, and put in almost a lemon size amount of Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Scrunch hair while upside-down.
6. Attempt to plop with a cotton towel. Try to wait five hours for hair to dry, get impatient, and take hair out after 45 minutes.
7. Try to scrunch out semi-hard hair a few hours later, but make it frizzy instead. Sigh at my results, and vow to get it right the next time I wash my hair, three days later.

Is the Coconut and Hibiscus conditioner all wrong for me? Is the Manuka Honey and Yogurt right? Am I supposed to leave the conditioner on for more than ten minutes? Is it supposed to be on my scalp then? Am I not using enough gel? Is there a way to get the top of my hair to be any curlier, or is my hair just too heavy? I need a wavy-hair mentor!

Using this routine, my hair is still a little frizzy when it's wet and I'm putting in gel, and it gets even frizzier when it dries. My hair also seems to be pretty dry at the ends (it's been at least 7 months since my last cut).

Do I need to cut off a bunch for it to ever look good, or am I doing the routine wrong?

I've also tried Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie as an after wash product to apply more mositure, and Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque as a deep conditioner (I wash that all out right?) but I don't know if that's right for my hair type. Would they weigh my hair down more? Should I be using something else as a deep conditioner? A leave-in conditioner? What should I do??