What's going on? Pics

[diddiedaisy]

Hi all, I joined lhc in December after deciding to grow my hair. It had been cbl for years. I had a wave to the ends which I liked. Stick straight until about 6 years ago. Prior to joining I did not look after my hair in anyway, shape or form. If it looked messy I just chopped a few inches off.

Anyway by february some curls started saying hello

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag361/sblackburn4/Mobile%20Uploads/B2942F97-8ECB-485F-B8BF-418F98B9876E_zps3auvi0in.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/sblackburn4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/B2942F97-8ECB-485F-B8BF-418F98B9876E_zps3auvi0in.jpg.html)

By April they looked like this, this is a hair typing pic

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag361/sblackburn4/Mobile%20Uploads/0EA5D0E4-FF0A-4C9B-9C1C-1A7229616C46_zpstplulkrp.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/sblackburn4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0EA5D0E4-FF0A-4C9B-9C1C-1A7229616C46_zpstplulkrp.jpg.html)


Now though, my waves won't define and it look scraggly and scruffy I also noticed the other day that if I blast my hair from above it goes straight. It wasn't done on purpose, I wanted to finish off the drying and one of the kids had left it on hot and high.

This is is my routine:-

wash daily, apply serum, air dry, occasionally finish off drying with hair dryer on cool and low. Wear it up during the day, oil it before bed, wear loose in bed as I want to protect new growth.

My hair feels gorgeous, it's soft, shiny and silky, (the last pic hasn't picked up the shine) but looks very scruffy. Plus a couple of months ago, I couldn't have got it straight without straighteners. Now I can. The only thing that's different of late is that I'm using Pantene at the moment, but I change my conditioners all the time.

Could it it be that damage was making it more curly than it naturally is, or is 2a hair just extremely temperamental?

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag361/sblackburn4/Mobile%20Uploads/7206606B-C5B7-4B8A-8ACF-6B55AD8467DF_zpsz9hgpk0x.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/sblackburn4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/7206606B-C5B7-4B8A-8ACF-6B55AD8467DF_zpsz9hgpk0x.jpg.html)

my hair is longer now than this last pic, but it looks similar. This is air dried. I don't have any splits that I can find, and it is thin on the bottom 3 or 4 inches from a shed last year, but it is healthy, I promise lol

I can get it to look like this
http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag361/sblackburn4/Mobile%20Uploads/74B6F562-BC0E-4D58-B115-00A2BCBCFEC8_zpsx23ldq48.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/sblackburn4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/74B6F562-BC0E-4D58-B115-00A2BCBCFEC8_zpsx23ldq48.jpg.html)

Sorry, I don't know how to resize pics

[lapushka]

2a hair can be very wild, that's for sure. So I don't think anything's going on, really. Looks like you made nice progress already. :)

[diddiedaisy]

That's the word, wild. It's just never looked as bad, and I'm putting so much effort into it!!!

[lapushka]

That's the word, wild. It's just never looked as bad, and I'm putting so much effort into it!!!

Have you tried the curly girl method (no combing when dry, plopping, etc.)?

[ARG]

What's in the serum you're using? I noticed your hair is fine, and I'm wondering if between the shampoo you're using and the serum its weighing the waves down.

[BonnieU]

Maybe you are just not used to the wavies, so they tend to look "scruffy" to you? I can say that personally sulfate shampoos relax and "frizz" out my curl pattern, as does washing too frequently. I also recommend a scrunch air dry method with a T-shirt or micro fiber towel, because the terry cloth will also fuzz you out. I learned a lot from the curly girl method as well as the LOC method. It doesn't look bad at all, I will say that, so maybe it's a matter of getting used to your wavies ;)

[Firefox7275]

When did you last clarify and chelate? When did you last do a hydrolysed protein treatment?

Serum is usually silicone based (artificial oils) plus you are adding a natural oil, both can weigh down/ straighten out weak waves.

[ErinLeigh]

My hair tends to wurl and wave more when it has more damage and tends to fall straighter when healthier. I understand that completely.
It is almost like the damage gives it a texture or something.
Cones and serums do tend to pull me straighter, especially with a finish with a warm dryer, damage or not, so that can be another reason, although if my hair is damaged I get a frizzy canopy with the straighter bits, and when its healthier I don't get it as bad.

Hope this makes sense. I am exhausted today and not all there.

[Firefox7275]

Hope this makes sense. I am exhausted today and not all there.

(((hugs)))

[Johannah]

Oils and serums make my hair straight as well. For me, only using a wide tooth comb made a big difference. And not touching your hair when it's wet, as well.

Like lapushka said, you could check out the girly girl method. It helped a lot of wavy and curly people!

[lazuliblue]

My hair can easily be straightened if I blow-dry it, and it goes reasonably straight if I just keep brushing the waves out as it air-dries. As others have said, definitely have a look at the curly-girl method!

[diddiedaisy]

Thanks for the replys. I've never clarified or chelated, and I don't know what a hydrolysed protein treatment is. Hehe

My hair doesn't feel heavy, if anything it's like it's filled with helium.

Also, the other night I was running my fingers along some strands trying to work out porosity and my hair was squeaky. It wasn't freshly washed and had no oils on it. What does that mean, is it needing something specific?