Help with hair typing and suggestions please.

[Hosta]

When my hair was short it seemed to be straight except in one area of the back. As it grows it get more curly and frizzy. My bangs are very curly on the left side and straight on the right. I do have the roots colored. My gray hair is in patches, not uniform and I hate the way it looks. I have the ends dusted every 6 weeks.

I oil my ends every night with Jojoba or coconut oil and wear a french braid and a silk sleep cap at night.

I washed it with Beautiful Curls Shea Butter shampoo. I used Loreal Ever Sleek conditioner followed by a vinegar rinse and let it air dry. Most of the time I use a leave in but did not today.

I tried the curly girl method and CO washing increased my shedding. I can not stand the stiffness from having my strands glued together with gel.

What is my hair type? Any suggestions for controlling the frizz?

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh580/denni75/ed4770c9-3e49-4ffa-ba28-dffedb9cbd68.jpg (http://s1252.photobucket.com/user/denni75/media/ed4770c9-3e49-4ffa-ba28-dffedb9cbd68.jpg.html)


http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh580/denni75/image-2.jpg (http://s1252.photobucket.com/user/denni75/media/image-2.jpg.html)

[Madora]

Maybe this visual guide will help you: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252

[Henna Girl]

I can't be sure but it looks like a 3b to me.

[Charybdis]

I'm thinking it's 3a. Very pretty!

[divinedobbie]

It looks like 3b to me.

[Lucky_Lucy]

I would say 3b as well.

[Dandelion6]

3a. It's very pretty!

[Dandelion6]

Re: frizz. It looks like it needs more moisture. More conditioner I guess. A leave in condish sounds good. Also, I would be interested to hear how often you shampoo. You might want to try stretching your wash days. My hair is wavy and it does look more fluffy/frizzy on the days I shampoo.

If I use a vinegar rinse I do it between shampoo and conditioner.

[jeanniet]

I think 3a, with maybe some 3b. Most of your curls look a little large to be 3b (3a is bigger, looser spirals). Pretty much like my hair. If you don't use leave in, try that. I find that too much shea tends to cause frizz for me, too. I mostly conditioner-style (leave in), but use a small amount of gel to help the curls hold. If you scrunch out the crunch after your hair dries, you shouldn't have that stiffness. I usually wash at night and put my hair in a silk bonnet overnight, and that way it dries without any crunch at all, and I do use a hard-hold gel.

ETA: Urgh, sorry, missed the part where you said you use a leave in. Does it reduce the frizz at all? What are you using? Sometimes using something lighter or heavier will make a difference. A lot of people use aloe gel to reduce frizzies, but aloe causes frizz for me, lol. Some of it's just experimentation, because climate and such also figures into the mix.

[ravenheather]

flaxseed gel might help. You can make it yourself. It isn't crunchy.

[DweamGoiL]

To me, your hair looks like it is in desperate need of moisture. But, as far as hair type, I say you are at least a 3b with properly moisturized curls. I have wavy hair and my daughter has 3b-c hair. The key to taming the frizz for both of us is to moisturize the hair well and let it air dry without handling it during the drying process. I use Devachan's Light Defining Gel and mix it in my hand with some Monoi Oil. This works for both of us, but the key to keep in mind is that a little goes a long way. I apply the gel on wet hair and scrunch. It can dry stiff if you are heavy handed with it, but for me that is never the case.

Deep treatments are also very good. I usually treat our hair with a good moisturizing treatment with a heat cap for at least a half hour twice a month, and then wash and condition before I apply the gel and Monoi Oil. This has helped both our frizz be virtually non-existent.

[Hosta]

Thank for the help and advice. I had not considered the Shea butter was making my hair frizz. I will stop using and see if it helps. I only wash every week to 2 weeks. I have considered trying scalp wash else's every other time. I will make some flax gel and try that. I will also check into the Monoi oil. Of course I will start trying one thing at a time.

[Weewah]

Try adding some sort of leave-in or styling product after the shower. When I don't put anything in my hair it gets frizzy and poofy too. I like styling cream rather than gel because it moisturizes and doesn't glue my waves together. Shea Moisture's Curl and Style Milk, and darcy botanicals cocoa bean curl smoothing lotion are both good.

Also you might have luck using the squish to condish method of conditioning, a lot of curlies swear by this method.

[Remi]

Your hair is definitely a 3a or 3b category. Has your hair always been that fluffy/frizzy? If so, you might be a fine texture instead of Medium. Mine is like that and it is not dry or damaged, just puffy/fluffy. Some people mistake that for dryness. (Also, I can go from 2c to 3a if the weather is cloudy, foggy, or rainy).