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Um Enis
July 21st, 2013, 10:12 AM
I've searched my subscriptions to no avail... and I can't find it using the search because it says that "1c" and "2a" are too short to use as a search.

So I do apologize for starting a new thread for what I remember being a very old thread (mods please feel free to move)

I know someone who just can't get her hair to "lie right" since she had kids.
(and I've been doing this lhc thing for years now... and taking care of my hair properly for more than that), and I can't figure it out for her)
She grew up with 1a hair. Now its probably 1c. If she just washes and goes, it doesn't look wavy--it looks like messy straight hair. If she damp buns it, the waves fall out in minutes from the length. Everyone I talk to with this hair type says its the worst for those reasons and unlike curly or wurly or wavy heads, we have to blow dry to make it not messy looking.

I thought of layers, but she's had them and thinks they never look right on her.

Any suggestions? Her routine is cone-free and she never plans on adding them back. She uses Mastey shampoo and conditioner 1 or 2 times a week, heavy duty pre-shampoo oiling with varying oils, and very light post shampoo oiling on the ends (course the ends are like a foot long, but that's another story lol). Henna on the roots once a month.

Vanilla
July 21st, 2013, 10:17 AM
I use products to weigh the slight waves down, so I don't have to blow dry. Or I wear my hair up all the time. I use Loreals ever sleek line (which has cones) or Madora/ George Michaels line (no cones).

I use mineral oil or the ever sleek precious oil treatment as a leave in.

ejking2
July 21st, 2013, 10:25 AM
I'm barely a 2a, so I have some of the same problems that you do. If I want to wear my hair down, I usually go with braid waves. If I wear braid(s) overnight, the waves will last all day. If you mist your hair to slightly dampen it before braiding, the waves may last longer.

Here's a tip for better searching. You can type this (for example) into google:
site:longhaircommunity.com 1c

ExpectoPatronum
July 21st, 2013, 10:29 AM
I'm subscribing to this thread because I have the same problem, only I have a mixture of 1c, 2a, and some 2b hair, so if I use products to weigh the wavy parts down, it looks awful on the straight parts. It's highly frustrating. I usually settle for damp braiding or wearing my hair up, but I would love to leave it natural. :(

minxe
July 21st, 2013, 11:00 AM
I've been typed as a 1c/2a as well and I had the same problem. Recently though I overhauled my routine and I have nice bouncy waves even when I brush! I switched to L'Oreal Evercurl cleansing conditioner and conditioner, and started drying with a turbie twist towel. I don't think the evercurl line has cones, but I could be wrong. My hair takes way longer to dry now, but it's a lot more manageable.

Firefox7275
July 21st, 2013, 11:18 AM
2a is a wavy head, do join us on the Wavy Hair Community on Facebook, several weak wavies on there.

I am 2a to 2c and can get my hair to lie properly straight by: conditioner only wash, apply leave in conditioner to fairly wet hair, microfibre towel turban, wide tooth paddle brush, tie back into a ponytail whilst wet, air dry no fiddling or rebrushing. Shampoo gives me pouf even the sulphate free ones I have tried, applying leave in after the towel turban gives me poof, hair dryers give me pouf (except diffusing with loads of styling product).

Um Enis
July 21st, 2013, 12:07 PM
Encouraging responses so far :) She's so not a wavy though. Even not brushed my hair has this straight but messy or when brushed a straight but poofy look. It never looks wavy, not even when COing (I've tried it all btw, CO, WO, herbal washes, everything).

Vanilla, your hair looks way straighter than hers. She's never had luck with hair weighting shamppos etc though. She have an oily scalp, yet if she shampoos as often as she need using such products, the length gets dry.

She would hate to have to change the Mastey... She's so happy to have a SLS free product that actually works for her (it took 15 years to find one!)

jel
July 21st, 2013, 12:27 PM
Um Enis, how long is your hair? When mine was shoulder to about BSL, it was much straighter than now, with kinks sticking out at all angles. However, personally, I didn't (and still don't) care if my hair looks messy, so I would just wash and go. If I really wanted it to look straighter, I would make sure to put some oil as a leave in after a wash, and then comb with a fine tooth comb whilst still wet/damp (but after detangling with a wide tooth comb) to straighten it.

Nowadays, at hip/BCL, my length is much wavier - but on the other side, I keep it up 95% of the time!

Vanilla
July 21st, 2013, 12:46 PM
Encouraging responses so far :) I'm so not a wavy though. Even not brushed my hair has this straight but messy or when brushed a straight but poofy look. It never looks wavy, not even when COing (I've tried it all btw, CO, WO, herbal washes, everything).

Vanilla, your hair looks way straighter than mine. I've never had luck with hair weighting shamppos etc though. I have an oily scalp, yet if i shampoo as often as i need using such products, the length gets dry.

I would hate to have to change the Mastey... I'm so happy to have a SLS free product that actually works for me (it took 15 years to find one!)

I'm sorry to hear that you can't use the weighing shampoos. They've been a lifesaver for me.

I also use cassia, which seems to straighten my hair a bit.

Carolyn
July 21st, 2013, 01:09 PM
We had a thread ages ago. I think it might be in the archives. If I can find it I'll link it here. I remember it having some good info. I'm a partly 1c and partly 2a. I can't imagine a more annoying hair type. I have to work to get it straight, which I prefer or I can't get it wavy enough. I really really really dislike braid waves (on me). My hair with braid waves looks like those old pics from the 1800s. I am not enamored with that hair at all.

I use heavy moisturizing conditioners. Sometimes I will CO followed with something heavy. It's very tricky to get my hair weighed down enough but stop with the products before it goes greasy. I seem to have 2 options for wearing my hair down. I can air dry to almost dry, brushing with my Wet to Dry brush or TT while it dries and then finish it off the my Conair hot air round brush. I know this isn't LHC approved but I've gotten to point of screw that. I want to love how my hair looks when I wear it down. My other option is to air dry to what I call "10 minutes from dry" and then do a cinnamon bun and leave it up that way for several hours. I did this for my son's wedding last month and I was very happy with my results. I used some hair spray that day and it held very well. The wedding was outdoors at 4pm and then we had a wedding dinner at a restaurant. I still had decent waves late in the evening.

A 3rd option would be to set it on magnetic rollers, hot rollers, or Caruso rollers. I'm not fond of doing that. I suppose I could go back to sleeping on rollers now and then but I'm way too lazy for that these days.

tiny squirrel
July 21st, 2013, 01:16 PM
I feel your pain. Once upon a time I cursed my natural hair texture for exactly the same reasons. It's almost wavy, and when it's SHORT with much gel and a diffusser I could wear it scrunched if the weather was right and the stars alligned, blah blah blah, I'm sure you 1c/2a girls know what I mean. When it is long though, my hair, wants to be curly so badly it tries to wave and manages only to frizz. It's just too heavy to defy gravity. Oh, the stringy frizzy blah that is my hair when it air dries without product.

The ONE thing that now has me LOVING my natural hair texture is Smooth N Shine Silk N Curl Activating Creme Gel. I don't know if you can get it outside the US or not, but here I find it in the drug store or grocery stores with the ethnic (I do hope that's the proper politically correct term) hair porducts. Anyway, yes, it's for black girl hair. And yes, I'm a white girl, and this stuff WORKS MIRACLES for us almost wavy girls.

You only use a small amount, maybe the size of a dime or nickle. I actually like to put it in an old pump hairspray bottle and water it down (maybe half prodcut half water?), that helps to get a LIGHT yet even coverage. Comb it through your hair either with a wide tooth comb or your fingers. Then, I split my hair in half and pull it to either side as if I'm going to put it in two pig tails. I twist each side into on giant spiral like curl and let it dry that way over my shoulder. Once it's dry you can comb through it and style or just wear down. For me, my hair still doesn't wave much, but this stuff turns my almost waves into shiny body (instead of stringy poof).

I haven't done this is a while because I've been wearing my hair up so often. Lately it's been in braids or just a bun, fork, and go kind of thing. If I think of it, I'll try to do this and take a picture. Maybe two straight air dries pics (one with product and one without) so you can see the difference.

I promise the company isn't paying me for this glowing review. It just works really well for me! :joy:

Here's an amazon link so you can see what it looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Smooth-Shine-Activating-Creme-60786/dp/B000EODF5Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374432775&sr=8-1&keywords=Silk+%27N+Curl+Styling+Curl+Activating+Cr eme+Gel

two_wheels
July 21st, 2013, 01:52 PM
I have skittish waves too so looking forward to trying out the suggestions here. Putting it up whilst damp (before it gets a chance to frizz) and using a lot of cone-free conditioner have helped me. Henna was amazing, weighed it all down, but the colour didn't work for me sadly

FuzzyBlackWaves
July 21st, 2013, 02:19 PM
I tend to curl mine using a heat free method if I'm going to leave it down, or sometimes make braid or bun waves. So glad to see this thread though - I thought my hair was just weird. Now I can blame the texture. ;)

Firefox7275
July 21st, 2013, 06:17 PM
Encouraging responses so far :) I'm so not a wavy though. Even not brushed my hair has this straight but messy or when brushed a straight but poofy look. It never looks wavy, not even when COing (I've tried it all btw, CO, WO, herbal washes, everything).

Vanilla, your hair looks way straighter than mine. I've never had luck with hair weighting shamppos etc though. I have an oily scalp, yet if i shampoo as often as i need using such products, the length gets dry.

I would hate to have to change the Mastey... I'm so happy to have a SLS free product that actually works for me (it took 15 years to find one!)

2a is classed as wavy, 1c not so much but very often people who think they are 1c are actually in the 2s once they stick with the Curly Girl method for a while and find products that work with their hair properties, that is why I described you as a wavy. Have you tried the full CG method (includes sulphate free shampoo, no need to co-wash)?

Brushing combing, towel turbans and even the water in the shower pull waves out, wavy hair has to be encouraged right right from washing onwards not to lose its wave. Straight but poofy when shampoo'd and brushed is the norm right up to 2c, it's why so many wavies don't realise they are for decades! Conditioner only helps some wavies but hinders others, even when it helps it is only part of the picture. Ingredients that can help boost wave/ curl include hydrolysed protein or magnesium sulphate (epsom salts). It took me two years of Curly Girl to get my 2a back section to be anything more than a mess, tho I didn't try that hard the first year as I was growing out so much damage, turns out my hair likes film formers especially hydrolysed protein, regular 'moisturising' conditioner and gel were weighing it down.

Also don't feel like you have to do the same thing all the time: you might shampoo when you wear your hair wavy, conditioner only wash when you need a really smooth look say.

Sharysa
July 21st, 2013, 09:54 PM
I'm typed as 1c/2a as well, so I definitely know where you're coming from. I personally love bringing out the waves with damp braiding and leaving it in overnight. The waves last pretty long that way (1-3 days), especially since I braid my hair before bed anyway.

No blow-drying needed for the damp braiding method, although if your hair is thick and coarse like mine, it might take a while to dry. This is why I leave my braids in overnight.

Leeloo
July 21st, 2013, 10:20 PM
Co washing really weighs my hair down.

Abrakarabbit
July 21st, 2013, 10:34 PM
Im still a newb on when it comes to the numbers and stuff, but my hair is slightly wavy, depending on how I let it dry, But if i go to bed without braiding it, its just one crazy mess in the morning. I just guess my hair has a mind of its own, don't get me started on rainy days, I look like a drowned dog. So nightly braids and putting my hair up most of the time is my way to go. Good luck on your hair, may you find the control you are looking for!

honeybunnie8
July 22nd, 2013, 12:01 AM
I wear a sock bun at night to keep my hair off my face and so it doesn't strangle me at night and it gives me really nice curls. I like it give me hair a "style" vs mostly straight with odd waves that look messy.

Delphi
July 22nd, 2013, 01:14 AM
Subscribing too. This is the main reason I joined LHC but words fail me so I couldn't describe it. You're exactly right. I have mostly1C/1B hair, but I have everything from 2a to 2c mixed in, and it looks awful. It's perpetually frizzy. Even if it's properly hydrated or if the individual strands are shiny, the hair still looks dull and fuzzy. I hate it.

I just joined so after reading all over this site I have a few ideas I'm testing. Should I have any success that doesn't involve a flat iron I will update.

Ideas I'm testing right now: oils, overnight braids. Braid waves don't work for me, sadly. the straight ones become somewhat curly and the curly ones do their own thing. My hair is coarse so all my hair poke out of braids after 2 hours no matter what. I'm also going to test heavily oiling with Shea after I braid.

Anje
July 22nd, 2013, 07:53 AM
In my experience, if you want 1c-2a hair to hold wave, you really need a leave in and you need to not comb it out. I've surprised people with how wavy mine can be just with some aloe gel, scrunching, and then not combing or brushing to break up the clumps.

Usually, though, I wear my hair up or braided. It drives me mad if I leave it down anyway! :P

Um Enis
July 22nd, 2013, 09:14 AM
Carolyn I do remember that thread, that's what I was looking for! Thanks for the suggestions and I will look for the "Wet to Dry" brush.
Anje You know I've never suggested aloe gel, because I never tried it myself. Always afraid it would be crunchy. Maybe I should try
Firefox Really interesting. But Mastey is sulfate free... I'll look more into the CG method for her. I still don't think her hair is wavy though, because hair typing leads to definite 1c results.
tiny squirrel I will look into that product. And see if the ingredients are appropriate or if there is something equivalent.

Her hair is quite long (hip length) so she does wear it up most of the time. Sock buns are a pain for her to roll up because of the length, she usually does a cinnibun or the reverse kind. But the waves fall out quickly.

Hiriel
July 22nd, 2013, 01:56 PM
In my experience, if you want 1c-2a hair to hold wave, you really need a leave in and you need to not comb it out. I've surprised people with how wavy mine can be just with some aloe gel, scrunching, and then not combing or brushing to break up the clumps.

Usually, though, I wear my hair up or braided. It drives me mad if I leave it down anyway! :P

My hair can either be a relatively sleek (welll... I said relatively!) looking 1b/1c-ish if I brush it, or a very nicely wavy but completely out control 2a/2b. I do get nice waves if I let my hair dry completely in peace and leave it like that. However, maybe it's just me not really being used to handling wavy hair, but I can't really get used to the slightly frizzy look my hair gets when not brushed or combed at all after it has dried, but if I as much as touch the damn things, the waves all disappear. This has happened with every washing method I've tried, I do get more waves from some methods and less from others, but I always get some 2a-ish waves, they just look so very uncombed...

But there are people out there with waves that are not only wavy, but also genuinely neat and sleek. I've seen them, there are loads of them on LHC. What black magic are these people using?
I think I'll have to get some creme for curly hair, something similar to the Smooth and Shine, and see if it contains any black magic ;)

tiny squirrel
July 22nd, 2013, 02:04 PM
For me, it does. Pure black magic. :)

Salmonberry
July 22nd, 2013, 02:32 PM
1c/2a here. I also have 2 little 2c/3a ringlets at each of my temples. I understand the frustration especially at shorter lengths. I can't sleep on my hair and wake up with good hair in the morning. I always get wonky, uneven waves and bumps in my hair. I have to wet my hair down every morning and use a paddle brush to manipulate it out of my face while it's wet. Then I let it air dry.

I also use a leave in conditioner on most days. It helps with dryness and frizziness. As my hair gets longer, the added weight helps is look better with less effort.

arelrios
July 22nd, 2013, 02:36 PM
Subscribing to this thread... hopefully we will get some light on how to manage this mess we have going on ;)

biogirl87
July 22nd, 2013, 03:27 PM
My hair can either be a relatively sleek (welll... I said relatively!) looking 1b/1c-ish if I brush it, or a very nicely wavy but completely out control 2a/2b. I do get nice waves if I let my hair dry completely in peace and leave it like that. However, maybe it's just me not really being used to handling wavy hair, but I can't really get used to the slightly frizzy look my hair gets when not brushed or combed at all after it has dried, but if I as much as touch the damn things, the waves all disappear. This has happened with every washing method I've tried, I do get more waves from some methods and less from others, but I always get some 2a-ish waves, they just look so very uncombed...

But there are people out there with waves that are not only wavy, but also genuinely neat and sleek. I've seen them, there are loads of them on LHC. What black magic are these people using?
I think I'll have to get some creme for curly hair, something similar to the Smooth and Shine, and see if it contains any black magic ;)Hiriel, I don't know if you were referring to the people with 1c/2a hairtype in your question, but I wanted to share my little experience. Granted, I have 2b hair type, and as long as I let my hair go past four days without washing it (though I usually wash it once week) and wear it down the first four days after I've washed it, I'll still have enough waves in it and have my hair be sleek enough that I can get away with wearing it down sometimes. Day 6 and day 7 is when it gets put up and I wash it. Also, I'm a wavy who doesn't use any products on her hair after shampooing and conditioning. When I wash my hair, after I've put conditioner in it I'll separate the clumps with my fingers to distribute conditioner evenly. After I've washed my hair, I let it drip dry and then comb it with my wide-tooth comb to detangle. Then I generally comb my hair when it's dry every morning (and sometimes every night) and tend to not use styling products since they can easily weigh my hair down.

So, not using black magic. Just limiting the moisture my hair gets in the shower to shampoo and conditioner (both are moisturizing type) and relying somewhat on the humidity of Southern Illinois in the summer to give my hair the extra moisture it might need then. In the winter I don't bother with styling products as I wear hats a lot and they make my flat anyway so I don't feel I need styling products in the winter when hats do what styling products tend to do to my hair (keep in mind though that this past winter my hair was just past APL and it was the first winter since I've actively started growing out my hair, so this could change this coming winter). Hope this helps you and others here on this thread a bit.

goldenlady
July 22nd, 2013, 03:48 PM
I have the exact problem of my hair not being straight.. but not wavy either. It just looks quite messy naturally & frizzy despite it being in good health! I always blow-dry my hair on a cool setting. I know blowdryers are hated on LHC but I really need it in my life to stop the messy frizz! I found using deep conditioners really help and sleeping in either plaits or a bun can give some neat waves the next day.

Hope this helps!

Hiriel
July 22nd, 2013, 03:49 PM
Hiriel, I don't know if you were referring to the people with 1c/2a hairtype in your question, but I wanted to share my little experience.

I'm not sure myself - I don't really know if those nice waves can be achieved with my hair type, or if I just have to get used to the fact that their hair is wavier than mine. I definitely can't comb my hair after it's dried, if I want to keep any waves, but if I don't comb or brush, there is quite a lot of wave going on.

biogirl87
July 22nd, 2013, 04:28 PM
I'm not sure myself - I don't really know if those nice waves can be achieved with my hair type, or if I just have to get used to the fact that their hair is wavier than mine. I definitely can't comb my hair after it's dried, if I want to keep any waves, but if I don't comb or brush, there is quite a lot of wave going on.I'm not sure either if you can achieve those waves with your hair type. Even being a wavy, I almost feel I have to comb my hair dry as it is painful to try to get a comb through my wet hair (though I can usually start to comb it when it's mostly dry without too much discomfort) and if I don't comb my hair at all or finger comb it, it looks really messy and almost unkempt. Combing might be taking some of the waves out (I need length for the waves to be seen and my layers above shoulder length look straightish) but it accomplishes the purpose of making my hair look nice. But I'm just starting to experiment with combing, so I could see myself combing my hair differently in the future.

ExpectoPatronum
July 22nd, 2013, 05:08 PM
I have finally found something that works for my hair! This gives me some really nice curls that look like I did it with a curling iron.

Basically, after I get out of the shower and comb my hair and put my product in, I divide my hair into two sections and twist both away from my face, like I'm going to do two buns on each side of my head. I just let it dry like that. You should retwist it every now and again, but once it's dry I have really pretty waves that are sleek and not frizzy! This even gives me waves in the 1c parts of my hair :D

Essentially, you get a similar result to bun waves, only my hair gets weird twists from my layers if I actually put it up in a bun.

http://oi41.tinypic.com/2qujhbd.jpg
This admittedly is a little frizzy since I was outside where it's windy and pretty humid today...But not bad! My hair is usually twice that size.

tiny squirrel
July 22nd, 2013, 05:43 PM
ExpectoPatronum, That's exactly what I do when I want waves. Product, twist, let dry while retwisting, then separate when it's all the way dry. I don't have as much curl as you do, but this method keeps my hair from getting poofy/stringy and gives me very loose curl/wave.

arelrios
July 23rd, 2013, 09:37 AM
I have finally found something that works for my hair! This gives me some really nice curls that look like I did it with a curling iron.

Basically, after I get out of the shower and comb my hair and put my product in, I divide my hair into two sections and twist both away from my face, like I'm going to do two buns on each side of my head. I just let it dry like that. You should retwist it every now and again, but once it's dry I have really pretty waves that are sleek and not frizzy! This even gives me waves in the 1c parts of my hair :D

Essentially, you get a similar result to bun waves, only my hair gets weird twists from my layers if I actually put it up in a bun.

http://oi41.tinypic.com/2qujhbd.jpg
This admittedly is a little frizzy since I was outside where it's windy and pretty humid today...But not bad! My hair is usually twice that size.

Ooohh I love your waves... I am going to try this and see if it works for me....

Siiri
July 23rd, 2013, 11:20 AM
I have finally found something that works for my hair! This gives me some really nice curls that look like I did it with a curling iron.

Basically, after I get out of the shower and comb my hair and put my product in, I divide my hair into two sections and twist both away from my face, like I'm going to do two buns on each side of my head. I just let it dry like that. You should retwist it every now and again, but once it's dry I have really pretty waves that are sleek and not frizzy! This even gives me waves in the 1c parts of my hair :D

Essentially, you get a similar result to bun waves, only my hair gets weird twists from my layers if I actually put it up in a bun.

This sounds interesting, how do you keep the hair from untwisting?

I was thinking I might try attaching them to one another in the back with a small enough claw clip in the ends. It shouldn't leave too bad a dent I think.

tiny squirrel
July 23rd, 2013, 11:59 AM
If you add a small amount of cream gel, or some other product to set the hair, and then twist when the hair is WET (not damp) it will mostly stay on its own. The twists loosen, but that is okay. If I air dry too long with my hair just combed straight the hair won't hold the twists well enough to set the wave. You can also do this and use a blow dryer with a diffuser to speed up dry time. Just set it on low/medium so as not to blow the curl about and then twist LOOSELY with one hand as you dry with the other.

Torrin did a great video on proper Victorian rag curls. The way the hair is twisted is similar and it gives a tighter version of a similar looking curl. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to. Rag curls would give you a way to secure the twist without a dent for sure. Here's the link if you are interested.

http://youtu.be/p1ZgOhopgL8

Siiri
July 23rd, 2013, 12:45 PM
If you add a small amount of cream gel, or some other product to set the hair, and then twist when the hair is WET (not damp) it will mostly stay on its own. The twists loosen, but that is okay. If I air dry too long with my hair just combed straight the hair won't hold the twists well enough to set the wave. You can also do this and use a blow dryer with a diffuser to speed up dry time. Just set it on low/medium so as not to blow the curl about and then twist LOOSELY with one hand as you dry with the other.

Torrin did a great video on proper Victorian rag curls. The way the hair is twisted is similar and it gives a tighter version of a similar looking curl. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to. Rag curls would give you a way to secure the twist without a dent for sure. Here's the link if you are interested.

http://youtu.be/p1ZgOhopgL8

I actually just recently bought some hair gel, maybe it'll work. Thanks for the link too, I usually wash my hair in the evening so that looks like something I could wear to sleep :)

ExpectoPatronum
July 23rd, 2013, 12:53 PM
My hair stays twisted pretty well if I twist it when it's wet. It doesn't stay as tightly twisted, but it takes no time to tighten up again. I imagine adding gel would give you more hold.

Here's what it looks like after I've slept with my hair in a bun and brushed it out this morning:
http://oi42.tinypic.com/vzddv5.jpg

This style is a keeper for me. Anything that gives me decent hair after washing and the next day is a winner in my book.

Siiri
July 23rd, 2013, 01:04 PM
My hair stays twisted pretty well if I twist it when it's wet. It doesn't stay as tightly twisted, but it takes no time to tighten up again. I imagine adding gel would give you more hold.

Here's what it looks like after I've slept with my hair in a bun and brushed it out this morning:

- picture -

This style is a keeper for me. Anything that gives me decent hair after washing and the next day is a winner in my book.

Just on it's own? Your hair sounds really well behaved, mine is a bit stubborn, likes to escape from buns etc. With more length it'll probably get easier, it's only between BSL and APL at the moment.

Those bun waves look pretty too :)

arelrios
July 23rd, 2013, 01:09 PM
My hair stays twisted pretty well if I twist it when it's wet. It doesn't stay as tightly twisted, but it takes no time to tighten up again. I imagine adding gel would give you more hold.

Here's what it looks like after I've slept with my hair in a bun and brushed it out this morning:

This style is a keeper for me. Anything that gives me decent hair after washing and the next day is a winner in my book.

Oh no... I have no hopes... lol... my hair doesn't look this good, not even after spending a good amount of time, styling it...

Once again, beautiful hair... beautiful!

tiny squirrel
July 23rd, 2013, 01:31 PM
Sirri, let us know how it works for you. I love pictures!

tiny squirrel
July 23rd, 2013, 01:34 PM
This style is a keeper for me. Anything that gives me decent hair after washing and the next day is a winner in my book. ExpectoPatronum, I'm with you. Any style that gives you two days of wear with no fuss is golden.

ExpectoPatronum
July 23rd, 2013, 03:34 PM
I've never had compliments on my hair before. Thank you guys so much :blushing:

Sirri! If you do this, we want pictures to see if it works for you too!

biogirl87
July 23rd, 2013, 04:47 PM
My hair stays twisted pretty well if I twist it when it's wet. It doesn't stay as tightly twisted, but it takes no time to tighten up again. I imagine adding gel would give you more hold.

Here's what it looks like after I've slept with my hair in a bun and brushed it out this morning:
http://oi42.tinypic.com/vzddv5.jpg

This style is a keeper for me. Anything that gives me decent hair after washing and the next day is a winner in my book.ExpectoPatronum, your waves look so pretty in this picture. They could easily be 2a here. This is similar to how my hair looks like on day 5/day 6 after washing if I brush it out.

Siiri
July 27th, 2013, 11:08 AM
Sirri! If you do this, we want pictures to see if it works for you too!

I tried just twisting the hair in two sections the last time I washed, but without any styling product, and I slept on it, so the next day I had only slight wave in the ends. Next time I'll try some gel to see if it holds better. Washing in the morning would work better with this...I'll post a picture if I get any decent waves. It looked nice once it had just dried though, sleeping kind of ruined it.

tiny squirrel
July 27th, 2013, 02:23 PM
Yes, this way of styling only works for me when I wash in the morning. My delecate waves get smashed if I sleep on them. That is exactly the reason I want to try Torrin's rag curls.

dancingrain91
July 27th, 2013, 05:03 PM
I have some 1c some 2a and some 2b hair. It looks bad on cone free routines so I returned to amino functionalized cones while CO washing which has worked fantastic for me. If no cones then maybe CO would help her.

Elecita
July 29th, 2013, 11:53 AM
I'm also a 1c/2a, and when I was a child had very long 1a hair. I used to miss my super straight locks, but I found I personally look better with some layers. They accent my slight waves and give me some volume I badly need.

Years ago when I blowfried and mistreated my hair it was frizzy and messy. Now I use sulphate- and cone-free products and lots of EVOO, and it looks better than ever. I think cones weighed down my Fii hair. For nicer waves or curls I usually braid or bun damp hair and sleep on it, but after a few hours they're usually gone.

Also, ExpectoPatronum, your hair is beautiful! It's the same color as mine but with super cute waves :flower:

Glimmer
June 1st, 2015, 10:56 AM
I have 1c/2a hair and no matter what I do to it, comb it whatever, it looks like I just woke up and did nothing. It is a mess. But I have started to think I should just embrace my messy hair and have taken to calling it the "tousled" look. This is now though after the below disaster.

Because I wanted my hair to be "uniform" in appearance I did the worse thing you can do to your hair last year. I got a perm- then I dyed it with this awful dye that frizzed it to no end, dried it out bad. I have had to deep condition it more than I care to think about to try to fix it.

I wish I would have NEVER gotten it because my hair will hold this thing for a long time. The slight, fine wave I have loves a perm and holds it for a while. I always thought perms fell out after 6 months but not mine. It will be in there for a couple of years until I cut it out. Right now it is frizzing due to this stupid perm. I could just smack myself. I would give anything to have my "normal" crazy hair back.

But yeah my hair is fine so if I comb it to much or a strong wind blows it around, it takes the curl right out. I will be glad to be rid of this perm but I don't want to chop what length i have which is APL but recently I was at BSL and had to cut 2 inches off due to damage. And like many of you, to get some volume I have to have layers which I am about to give up too because when it gets long it might just be straight due to the weight of it. When I was younger and had waist length hair I always blow dried it- hello 70's to make it straight so I have no idea what it will actually do at that length if I leave it alone.

To keep my hair at its waviest I have to not touch it. Wash, scrunch and leave it alone. One thing that is really helping my hair is SMT. My hair will wave more after using that conditioner. I have to watch not to use heavy conditioners because it also frizzes my hair because it takes what little wave I have out. I agree this hair type is a mess literally to deal with.

Entangled
June 1st, 2015, 01:12 PM
Encouraging responses so far She's so not a wavy though. Even not brushed my hair has this straight but messy or when brushed a straight but poofy look. It never looks wavy, not even when COing (I've tried it all btw, CO, WO, herbal washes, everything).

Vanilla, your hair looks way straighter than hers. She's never had luck with hair weighting shamppos etc though. She have an oily scalp, yet if she shampoos as often as she need using such products, the length gets dry.

She would hate to have to change the Mastey... She's so happy to have a SLS free product that actually works for her (it took 15 years to find one!)

Yep, I feel this. My under layers are straight and extremely course, and my over layers range from 1b to 2a. If I brush/comb/touch my hair it straightens into puffy-straight frizz. Braid waves fall out until you can see that they existed, but look like straight hair otherwise, with lots of frizz to blur the line between each bump. Since my hair is low porosity, it takes hours (like eight or more) to dry if I don't touch it or longer if I contain it in a bun or braid. At this point, the only thing I've tried that helps is waiting until my hair is 80% dry and then braiding or rag/bandanna curling. I haven't yet tried homemade leave ins. I do use a joico detangler/leave in/heat protectant that works wonders for wet detangling, though. Right now my solution to my texture is mainly not wearing my hair down and remembering that at least it looks good in buns and braids.

elsieivy
June 1st, 2015, 01:34 PM
(snip) Right now my solution to my texture is mainly not wearing my hair down and remembering that at least it looks good in buns and braids.

That's how I deal with it most days as well. I ordered some Panacea so I'm hoping that maybe it will help my hair look a bit nicer when worn loose. It should arrive in the next day or two.

dellad
June 1st, 2015, 02:07 PM
That's how I deal with it most days as well. I ordered some Panacea so I'm hoping that maybe it will help my hair look a bit nicer when worn loose. It should arrive in the next day or two.

I ordered panacea for this exact same reason. Haven't tried it yet. Let me know how it works out for you.

Caraid♫
June 1st, 2015, 02:36 PM
I have this hair type- incredibly annoying! If I let it just dry, I have pretty-ish waves for about an hour, then they just straighten out and look "messy" poofy, like you describe! Anyways, my only solution is to wear it in a bun the first day of washing. Wearing in a bun all day seems to sleek and smoothen it out so that the next day when I take it down, it looks like I have nice straight hair :) If I want it wavy or curly I'll have to set it with braids or curlers or something. I wish I had a tip to make it cooperate right away after washing!

Caraid♫
June 1st, 2015, 02:41 PM
I have 1c/2a hair and no matter what I do to it, comb it whatever, it looks like I just woke up and did nothing. It is a mess. But I have started to think I should just embrace my messy hair and have taken to calling it the "tousled" look. This is now though after the below disaster.

Because I wanted my hair to be "uniform" in appearance I did the worse thing you can do to your hair last year. I got a perm- then I dyed it with this awful dye that frizzed it to no end, dried it out bad. I have had to deep condition it more than I care to think about to try to fix it.

I wish I would have NEVER gotten it because my hair will hold this thing for a long time. The slight, fine wave I have loves a perm and holds it for a while. I always thought perms fell out after 6 months but not mine. It will be in there for a couple of years until I cut it out. Right now it is frizzing due to this stupid perm. I could just smack myself. I would give anything to have my "normal" crazy hair back.

But yeah my hair is fine so if I comb it to much or a strong wind blows it around, it takes the curl right out. I will be glad to be rid of this perm but I don't want to chop what length i have which is APL but recently I was at BSL and had to cut 2 inches off due to damage. And like many of you, to get some volume I have to have layers which I am about to give up too because when it gets long it might just be straight due to the weight of it. When I was younger and had waist length hair I always blow dried it- hello 70's to make it straight so I have no idea what it will actually do at that length if I leave it alone.

To keep my hair at its waviest I have to not touch it. Wash, scrunch and leave it alone. One thing that is really helping my hair is SMT. My hair will wave more after using that conditioner. I have to watch not to use heavy conditioners because it also frizzes my hair because it takes what little wave I have out. I agree this hair type is a mess literally to deal with.

oops I didn't realize this was an old thread so I replied to the original post rather than this- sorry about the perm gone bad! Hopefully it will grow out quickly, because I'm sure your natural 2a hair is lovely as is despite being so annoying to deal with :) I also use blow-drying to deal with the texture, it works super well if I don't want to wait a day for it to settle down

Arctic
June 1st, 2015, 03:29 PM
I also have this hair type. If it dries naturally, my straight canopy and wavier underside look like this: SISISI, and it just looks messy and stringy. My waves have relaxed quite a bit lately (since the last time I had longer hair), so it's a bit better now, the difference between canopy and underside isn't huge. Anyway, I like to blow dry my hair these days, I never used to do that, but in the past few years it's become a habit.

two_wheels
June 1st, 2015, 03:41 PM
See sig pic.... Feeling the 2a pain!!

diddiedaisy
June 1st, 2015, 05:23 PM
I'm a 2a and I hate it. I have some lovely big fat ringlets but they are underneath where they cant be seen. Straight bits, wavy bits, curly bits and frizzy bits. I have recently found boots curl cream, which is great for frizz and helping my hair keep its curls, but it ends up looking a bit like an 80's perm.....not the look I want. I sort of blow dried it today on a cool setting, but I get big dents which align with the bottom of my ears, only on the left side. After about an hour I get funny bumps everywhere as my hair tries to rebel and revert back to messy waves, while other bits go completely on strike and pretend to be 1a, while the spiteful ones just stick their fingers up at me and go frizzy. And as for stringy looking.......don't even get me started. Grrrrrrrrr I have given up thinking I am going to have nice looking hair, it's not going to be sleek and smooth and its not going to have hollywood waves.

Sorry for the rant, and the obvious lack of useful information to pass on. :)

Kendrix
June 1st, 2015, 06:08 PM
OMG. I have these same problems. My hair tangles the second after I detangle it. added bonus of any oil at all making my hair look soaking wet. EVERY oil is too heavy for my hair. I tend to just wear it up because it refuses to cooperate and the messy tangles just look bad on straight hair.

vpatt
June 1st, 2015, 06:32 PM
I have the same thing.....I am not certain which type to choose, I first chose 1b and then 1c. But I have waves underneath around my neck and straighter hair on top. I am looking for ways to encourage the waves. Maybe I will try aloe gel. I think it is more wavy now because I don't use shampoo any longer. And oil seems to help, also.

trolleypup
June 1st, 2015, 06:44 PM
It gets better...the longer it gets, the better! Wouldn't it be nice if that was universally true? It does for some people, probably for the coarser types.

Entangled
June 1st, 2015, 08:20 PM
Oh, I hope so trolleypup.

vpatt
June 2nd, 2015, 11:21 AM
I have found that with the Gibson Tuck my hair will be wavy and smooth when I take it down. I can't do much with buns, yet.

arelrios
June 2nd, 2015, 12:45 PM
Yup... The pain of undecisive hair... I've been feeling so sad about mine that I've been contemplating the idea of a big cut (pixie) or having it straightened (keratine) ... The fuzz, frizz, not being wavy all the way or straight all the way drives me mad! And the stringy look??? Ugh...

On top of it, my scalp is not being happy lately... Haven't found the reason/solution to it yet...

So, yeah sorry I dont have advice but very much sympathy ....

Glimmer
June 6th, 2015, 10:38 AM
@Caraid (Sorry I was trying to quote you but messed it up)Thank you for saying that about my natural hair being lovely. I love this site. Everyone on here is just so nice. :) It is very refreshing. I just got back from the hair dresser. :tmi: And was pleasantly surprised to find out that she actually LIKES long hair so she dusted the bottom and trimmed my layers so that I have hardly any perm left in my hair. Turns out the reason it is frizzy is because the perm has fallen out (mostly). So I might have just a tad left on the bottom now she said but most of what I have is actually MY natural hair. :o I am pleasantly shocked.

It is so weird but I quit using sulfates and cones on my hair and it waves up more now. Plus those SMT treatments are doing wonders for my hair apparently. It looks so much better now and much more healthy. I guess it just needed a little trimming up. She even went so far as to say my hair was in really good shape. Very healthy despite my perm last year and crappy color which is mostly at the ends now. I was very happy to hear this because now I can grow. PLUS I didn't lose much length. But getting my layers trimmed up took some of the frizzies out. SO happy now. Of course, it still needs work but it is better.

But if this is my natural curl then I might have a tad more than 2a. Time will tell. It still looks messy but now I am welcoming that over the frizz. Funny how that works. The good thing about 2a type hair is you can wear it wavy or straight. Just let the wind blow it dry and it will be pretty straight. Maybe not like someone with 1a hair but straighter any way. Well I am just trying to find the positive today. I might be back tomorrow complaining about my weird hair again :undecided

Glimmer
June 6th, 2015, 10:43 AM
Yup... The pain of undecisive hair... I've been feeling so sad about mine that I've been contemplating the idea of a big cut (pixie) or having it straightened (keratine) ... The fuzz, frizz, not being wavy all the way or straight all the way drives me mad! And the stringy look??? Ugh...

On top of it, my scalp is not being happy lately... Haven't found the reason/solution to it yet...

So, yeah sorry I dont have advice but very much sympathy ....

Noooo don't do the BIG chop. I was thinking of doing that too but my husband talked me out of it and I am so glad he did. Please give it a few weeks before you make the final decision then if you still can't stand it, go ahead. I just don't want you to regret it. I have done it then later regretted doing it. But I do feel your pain. Hair that can't decide can drive you crazy some days. Especially those rainy days. UGH.

arelrios
June 7th, 2015, 05:39 PM
Noooo don't do the BIG chop. I was thinking of doing that too but my husband talked me out of it and I am so glad he did. Please give it a few weeks before you make the final decision then if you still can't stand it, go ahead. I just don't want you to regret it. I have done it then later regretted doing it. But I do feel your pain. Hair that can't decide can drive you crazy some days. Especially those rainy days. UGH.

Thanks Glimmer... i've been thinking about the cut for a few months now, but I always end up chicken out... LOL... If anything, I will do it after I finally reach waist wavy...
I did trim the other day and it helped a lot...