Hair Typing; more specifically, how am I killing it?

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Hello wonderful LHCrs. I'm politely requesting to dip into your vast knowledge to identify what label I should go ahead and attach to this mop on my head; ordinarily I'd try not to bother you with this sort of thing, however it seems that my texture changes rapidly from one day to the next with no intervention.

Here is two phots where I have just washed my hair, let it air dry and didn't touch it at all:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/naturaltexture_zps4e2327ca.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/naturaltexture_zps4e2327ca.jpg.html)

The next day (or sometimes even the same day) it becomes this:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/May2013_zps848618e5.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/May2013_zps848618e5.jpg.html)

Without combing, touching, cones or any other kind of intervention (although do excuse the scraggly ends - that's due to too much oil on them, although the texture is otherwise the same the day after washing day without oil or anything else on it).

Could it be that this isn't my natural texture and that it dries differently because of how I wash it, or is it more likely that I flatten my waves somehow?

[biogirl87]

FuzzyBlackWaves, I definitely see waves in your hair. However, in the second pic, there is a lot blurriness/like your hair isn't fully detangled or not fully dry yet going on so it's a bit difficult to tell what your hair type is. Either 1c or 2a would be my closest guess.

[lapushka]

I fully agree with biogirl87. 1c, 2a at the most.

[Silverbrumby]

I wish my fuzzy hair would drop into smooth. As it gets longer I'm thinking the weight will straighten it out more even when drying.

Ps avatar is how mine dries then Signature pic the smoothest it ever gets with Cones and lots of work.

[alyaziaaah]

lol i have a similar issue!
my hair can be big waves like hollywood style when thry brush out their hair.
then it can go to beach wavy, and then it can also go to 2 c curles, whurls, waves.
??????
like, if you check my profile pic, its wavy only, no curl what soever.
i have no idea how to type myself, my hair is too moody :taz:

[alyaziaaah]

i forgot to say, just type yourself 1c/2lol,
that i think will do it :D

[Firefox7275]

What is your full routine including products? Which oil and how often, do you do hydrolysed protein treatments, are you using silicones or humectants?

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Thanks for the response biogirl87. It tends to lie in odd positions on my head; it was dry and untangled at the time, so I'm not sure what's going on - it could have possibly been messed up by sleeping?

Cheers for your input lapushka.

Your hair still looks really soft Silverbrumby. Fuzzy hair isn't a bad thing! It's unpredictable, like Duke Nukem! (Sorry, too many video games)

Cheers alyaziaaah; it's funny how hair sometimes just decides what it's doing regardless of what you do to it isn't it? Glad to hear my hair isn't just being an odd ball on it's own!

Firefox7275, thanks for the response.

In the morning I wake up and take my hair out of a loose sleep bun at the nape of my neck (I sleep on my side). I part my hair into two sections over my shoulders and comb it out with a 10" wide tooth comb, starting at the bottom and working my way up, taking my time. I'll then usually use about two drops of jojoba oil all through my hair (my roots never get greasy on their own as I have a condition which causes dry scalp and flaking) and focus on the ends which get dry very easily. Sometimes I'll comb through again to distribute the oil better. Usually it will then go up in a bun or a side braid with ouch less hair ties or a scrunchie but sometimes I'll wear it loose and finger detangle during the day much in the same way that I comb. I wash it once a week; the night before I'll oil my dry hair with coconut oil and soak my hair in it, which I then put in a bun on the back of my head, put a thick shower cap over and go to sleep. The next day I'll wet my hair in the shower then shampoo my hair above my ears with an SLS and cone free shampoo, giving myself a thorough but gentle scalp massage in the process. I'll do this for about two minutes then let it rinse out through the rest of my hair. Once a month I'll then clarify by using apple cider vinegar on my entire head of wet hair and rinse it immediately out. Then I apply Aussie 3 minute miricale conditioner and v05's Treat me right deep conditioner which both contain cones (I find my hair gets damaged during de-tangling if I don't use cone-y conditioner) on only the hair below my ears. I leave them on whilst I shave my legs etc, so around 5 minutes or so, sometimes more. I then rinse my hair out thoroughly with cool water and gently squeeze down the length before putting it up in a towel turban whilst I get dressed. Then I let it down over my shoulders to dry. If I didn't detangle in the shower then it goes like the first photo, if I did then it goes like the second (more of a uniform loose S wave than several smaller erratic ones). At night I will comb my hair out again just as I did in the morning and give myself a five minute scalp massage. If my hair is very dry then I'll dampen it with cool water and apply a fingernail scarping of coconut oil to the hair below the ears focusing on the ends before I put it in my sleep bun (or very occasionally braid). If not then I'll just re-apply some jojoba oil in the same way as before, or leave it alone if it feels hydrated enough. I never heat style and sometimes use gel to set a roller set better (I dislike hair spray and avoid it most of the time except for weddings etc). Sometimes I'll use Aussie's heat protection spray or leave in conditioner on a hot day to stop my hair from getting drier. I very rarely use their shine serum if I'm going to a formal occasion. I use a natural boar bristle brush to style my hair in updos but that's very rare too. Once a month I soak my roots in coconut oil for the night (covered by a shower cap) before dying my roots only (nothing below the ears) black with Schwartzkopf permanent hair dye which has both ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. I use the conditioner it comes with when I rinse the excess colour out which has cones in it.

Even if I do not use cones (tried it for a month) or tie my hair up to sleep my hair will fall from it's several mini waves to one large loose wave over night. I don't use any protein treatments other than coconut oil which I believe has protein in it. I believe a few of the products I use have glycerin in but I'm not sure. I get about half an inch cut off the ends every two months, my hair grows 1/2" a month reliably. It gets dry very easily but is not brittle and does not break easily. I get a lot of split ends from previous damage which I S and D with sharp hair scissors about once a week. My hair takes heat free curl styling methods well but used to take a while to straighten back when I used to still use heat. It's soft to the touch and of a medium density with a shine in real life that doesn't translate onto the camera. I used to have layers which have mostly grown out by now. I have a straight across fringe at the front.

[Mesmerise]

I'm going maybe 1c... it does seem to have aspects of 2a, but I think the wave maybe falls out a bit much... and as your hair is sort of tangled looking in the first couple of pics, that seems to give it more impression of wave. So maybe 1c or 1c/2a.

[Magalo]

You should clarify before! Build-ups will hide your true texture.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Thanks Mesmerise :) I suspect that's because I didn't detangle it in the shower before taking those photos, as I wasn't sure if 'untouched air dried hair' meant no combing or not. You could run your fingers through it without them snagging in all of the photos, although my roots seem to curl in on themselves oddly when I don't comb them, like they're plotting the domination of my head. My hair does have the tendency to look like a bush, something a curly-friend of mine laughs about quite a lot, as his waist length corkscrews look sleeker than my piffly waves :whistle: It's better than when I used to brush it; it'd go very frizzy and odd when I did that in the past.

Thanks for the advice Magalo. I used to do it every wash day once a week, but I was worried about stripping it too much. Your hair is a really beautiful colour by the way :o

[spidermom]

Typing your hair can give some hints on what techniques to use, but it isn't necessary. I'd say you're a wavy, probably 2A. My hair used to curl and wave all over the place when it was shorter and layered. I typed as 2C, nearly 3A. Now that it's longer and not layered, it looks more like 1C, nearly 2A. Sigh ...... I miss the curls.

[Charybdis]

OP, you look like a 2a to me. Your remaining waves in the straighter pic are far apart, but they're too pronounced for me to think you belong comfortably in the 1c category. Also, I don't see the telltale frizz that would make me think you're a 2b whose hair will show a lot more waves and curls with different handling.

You have great shine!

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Thanks for your input spidermom. It's very annoying to be stuck at a half way point sometimes, isn't it? Not curly, not straight. Our little waves are still lovely in their way though :) I really admire your texture, it looks sleek but defined, not just straight up and down.

Thankyou Charybdis, that's really helpful :)

I think I shall say that I'm a 1c/2a, just to cover all bases. I shall try to embrace my fuzzy waves since I've forsaken my straighteners :D