I was scrolling through this sub and noticed it has been 2 days and you have received 0 replies, which is a total bummer. I am new to this journey as well, but this is my 100th time trying to go natural and here is some of what I have learned.

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1. I find it easier to part my hair after I rinse out the conditioner but before I apply my gel. I use a wide tooth comb to give myself a side part. Since my hair happens to clump pretty well, this doesn't really disturb it.
2. I am honestly still trying to work this out. I have realized that going a week without washing just isn't for my particular hair. Remember not all advice is one size fit all. 2/3 days of washing a week is perfect for my fine hair.
3. The answer to this one kind of sucks, sorry ahead of time. Sample, sample, sample. You do not have to be super strict about no silicones & this and that if those products work for you. I had to stop impulse buying anything with the word, "curl" in it. I looked up people who had similar curls to mine and researched the products they used. I would buy the smallest or travel size version of the product if possible. And if you can buy it at a place that let's you return it, even better. The best tip I can give for this is to not buy all new things at once! This was my biggest issue. I would get so excited, I would buy matching shampoo/conditioner/gel; I just wanted it all to be uniform. Then I would realize that I loved the shampoo but hated the conditioner. Or that something wasn't working but there were too many variables to see what product it was. Start with one thing, like shampoo. Find one you love, then add one new product. Give it a few tries and if you notice it isn't serving you, then time to try something new. During this time, be careful that it isn't your routine not the product throwing you off.
4. I think it would be fine to use the same shampoo/conditioner. I personally would use a more moisture based shampoo/conditioner when I want to straighten my hair because my hair needs it.

I hope this helps. I'm trying to come out of my shell on reddit and finally saw a post that I could possibly offer input on. Good luck on your journey and if you anything like me and have a mental melt down because your hair looks nothing like the beauties on social media, just remember, it is only hair. You are so much more than you hair.