Curly Hair / Menopause

[Catarina]

Hi Everyone.

It's been awhile since I posted. I first joined the longhaircommunity when I was 40 years old. I'm now 50 years old, and my hair has changed. It's now curly/wavy since the change, when it used to be straight, especially at the bang area. It's also very frizzy since I have debilitating sweats. I'm not sure how to deal with it since I find it frustrating and trying to straighten it all the time. Will conditioning only make it more relaxed? Has anyone else ever dealt with this problem? I really miss my straight hair.

[lapushka]

Have you ever heard of the curly girl method? This method goes for wavies as well. This is the online page on it:
http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

Best is to treat your hair differently now, according to its texture. Good luck!

[diddiedaisy]

Hi, I'm new to wavy hair too. It is difficult to get used to, no more just brushing hair to make it look nice. The comb is now your worst enemy. What I've learnt over this past year is keep it simple. After washing, I apply a serum (a must to stop the frizz) and just let it dry on its own. The more you touch it the more it's liable to frizz. If I'm going to wear it down I'll put some boots curl cream on over the serum. This is really good to help define your waves. I have found it's more prone to dryness too, so keep it well moisturised.

[hennalonghair]

I'm a curly / wavy and can't live without my brush. I've gone through the change and its a big one.
What helped me BIGTIME is wild yam & evening primrose. These are two natural substances that help bakance out hormones in women. They will reduce your night sweats and really help with the transition.
With curly/ wavy hair I always let it dry by itself, comb it out when it's dry and then add some leave in conditioner along with a pea sized about of shea butter and plop the ends. There are plenty or methods to recurl your hair after brushing if you can't handle giving up the brush. My hsir is just too thick to even consider that.
Good luck.

[Deborah]

My hair did not change with the change. It's still straight.

[Groovy Granny]

Menopause and silver made my hair texture more wurly; especially in humidity.

WORK WITH IT ~ DON'T FIGHT IT!!
Fighting it will only frustrate you, and accepting it will bring you peace!

It took me a while but I came to embrace and love my wurls.
I means compromising your vision of what your hair should look like.

The Curly Girl Method referenced above really helped with the frizz.
I did modify it though....to reduce frizz but not necessarily enhance the curls...but just to have nice waves and curls.


For shampoo I use Joico Moisture on my scalp and Shea Moisture for my ends

Conditioning I use the same products, but I use the Joico all over.

Oils are too heavy for me and gels make my hair crunchy.
While my hair is damp I use a dab of Shea Moisture Conditioner for a leave in.

In very humid weather when I tend to frizz, I use a rosewater/glycerin spritz and just scrunch it a bit.

For Winter flyaways I use the Shea Moisture Elixir.

It may be trial and error for a while but you'll get there :thumbsup:

[ghanima]

If you're in the mood for investing in a Mason Pearson brush, I find it straightens my hair a lot, and makes them extra shiny. I use the 'popular' model. End with a touch of mineral oil or coconut oil. Do it in the evening though, not in the morning. My hair are really curly so they won't stay straight but yours might.

[Catarina]

Thank you, lapushka, for that link. I will definitely check it out. hennalonghair, the thing is I never used a brush, not for years since spiral perms. Only a wide-toothed comb. I have evening primrose oil and I'll have to check out Bigtime, wild yam. I'm currently taken estriadol because my hotflashes and night sweats are horrible, and get worse with anxiety. It's almost painful sometimes when I'm anxious. And I like the effect it has on my skin, too. Groovy Granny, that's good advice. I have to learn to live with it, and like you, I'm in a very humid climate in the deep south. The more I fight it, the worse it gets. I wouldn't mind the new waves in my hair, but my bangs are horrible frizzy and I need to grow them long again. Deborah, you're lucky. I used to want curly/wavy, not straight. Now I don't know what to do with it. Ghanima, I'll look for that Mason Pearson brush. I've been brushing more to get it straight, and I see how that works. Diddiedaisy, I'm glad I'm not the only one, and you're right, I will try keeping it simple like you do. I've spent over thrity dollars on those products, and not any satisfaction at all. In fact it made things worse. Thank you all for the great suggestions. Now I need to start checking those links and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

[Catarina]

Groovy Granny, you have gorgeous hair, and maybe I can get mine like that when I grow it long again. I should have never strayed from long hair community. All of you with avatars where I can see your hair, my hair used to be healthy like that. :(

[Catarina]

Okay, sorry. wild yams, not Bigtime wild yams. I get mixed up so easily. lol. But I love yams, always have. I'm sorry for all these kooky posts I could have put in one, but I tend to keep adding since I make mistakes and need to slow down and take my time reading. I can't wait to try these new suggestions.

[Groovy Granny]

Groovy Granny, that's good advice. I have to learn to live with it, and like you, I'm in a very humid climate in the deep south. The more I fight it, the worse it gets. I wouldn't mind the new waves in my hair, but my bangs are horrible frizzy and I need to grow them long again. Thank you all for the great suggestions. Now I need to start checking those links and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

I hear you about the bangs...I had to grow mine out too, but it is so much easier to style now!


Groovy Granny, you have gorgeous hair, and maybe I can get mine like that when I grow it long again. I should have never strayed from long hair community. All of you with avatars where I can see your hair, my hair used to be healthy like that. :(
Thanks you; that means a lot....the past 2 years were a rollercoaster ride for me at times....and not always fun LOL

I am FINALLY at my goal and am very pleased with the outcome.

And it will come for you too...with patient acceptance of whatever your hair does on a day to day basis :blossom:

[lunalocks]

Catarina, my hair changed too. Now when I wash and air dry, I have waves almost to the point of spirals. By day 2 (after being bunned) it is somewhat straighter and by day 3 the bun waves are the biggest waves and if I sleep with my hair unbunned, draped over the pillow,k I get almost straight hair again.

I had wanted curls all of my life. Just when I had finally accepted my straight hair, it went all wavy on me.

[Groovy Granny]

Catarina, my hair changed too. Now when I wash and air dry, I have waves almost to the point of spirals. By day 2 (after being bunned) it is somewhat straighter and by day 3 the bun waves are the biggest waves and if I sleep with my hair unbunned, draped over the pillow,k I get almost straight hair again.

I had wanted curls all of my life. Just when I had finally accepted my straight hair, it went all wavy on me.

I think it's great we can have the best of all types ;)

[Catarina]

I hear you about the bangs...I had to grow mine out too, but it is so much easier to style now!


Thanks you; that means a lot....the past 2 years were a rollercoaster ride for me at times....and not always fun LOL

I am FINALLY at my goal and am very pleased with the outcome.

And it will come for you too...with patient acceptance of whatever your hair does on a day to day basis :blossom:


Thank you for the encouragement. I've started conditioning only like I used to use years ago, and I'm not going to go back to long bangs,a again. I got some shea butter with no mineral oil, and it's helping quite a bit with air drying. Looking at your hair, I'm very encouraged. I stopped the blow-drying and fat iron. The results in just a short time are much better :)

[Groovy Granny]

Thank you for the encouragement. I've started conditioning only like I used to use years ago, and I'm not going to go back to long bangs,a again. I got some shea butter with no mineral oil, and it's helping quite a bit with air drying. Looking at your hair, I'm very encouraged. I stopped the blow-drying and fat iron. The results in just a short time are much better :)

That's great ~ glad to hear it :)

Once you find what your hair needs and likes it goes much better.

Happy growing!

[Catarina]

Catarina, my hair changed too. Now when I wash and air dry, I have waves almost to the point of spirals. By day 2 (after being bunned) it is somewhat straighter and by day 3 the bun waves are the biggest waves and if I sleep with my hair unbunned, draped over the pillow,k I get almost straight hair again.

I had wanted curls all of my life. Just when I had finally accepted my straight hair, it went all wavy on me.

I know exactly what you mean! I've always wanted curls and waves, and now that I have them, I'm having trouble accepting it. I have spirals, too, right in the front where the bangs are and at the temples, so I need to grow those out long again. I have those huge waves, too, all over my head besides the front area, and it feels weird. When you sleep with your hair over the pillow, is it wet or dry?


I remember sleeping with bunned hair to get waves when it was staright, so definitely would not do that now. It's just so annoying to see my bangs curled right up to the top of my forehead when I wake up and they used to be flat.

It's strange how the hair change just sort of creeped up on me to where I saw, It REally Changed.

[Catarina]

That's great ~ glad to hear it :)

Once you find what your hair needs and likes it goes much better.

Happy growing!

Thank you, Groovygranny, Sorry, I meant to say, I AM going back to long bangs again, Definitely. I hate them short and curly. I just need to learn to be patient.

[Groovy Granny]

Thank you, Groovygranny, Sorry, I meant to say, I AM going back to long bangs again, Definitely. I hate them short and curly. I just need to learn to be patient.

Get some blingy clips...braid them; they'll be long before you know it!
2 years ago mine were at my brows...now they are APL+ ;)
Yeah they were a major PIA at one point but I obviously survived ...and fought only 1 temptation to cut and layer them along the way :wannabe:

[Catarina]

Get some blingy clips...braid them; they'll be long before you know it!
2 years ago mine were at my brows...now they are APL+ ;)
Yeah they were a major PIA at one point but I obviously survived ...and fought only 1 temptation to cut and layer them along the way :wannabe:

I have something like those and use them for my daughter. They are those no tangle clips by Goody that you just slide in and snap in place. They don't tangle and eat your hair
when you try to pull them out like bobby pins do. Just started using them today to pin the sides back and they help a lot. I'm taking a lot biotin, too, to get good hair growth.


BTW, that is my daughter in the photo. I have a five year old and a 22 year-old. I know that's a HUGE gap but that's the way it happened. She has very straight hair that is so thick, it's like a rope. Her ponytail is probably four inches in circumference. It had princess curls that would frame her face when she was two and three and now it's totally straight and very thick.