suddenly curly

[SwanFeathers]

I recently came to the realization that my hair was not straight hair made poufy by my native Florida climate, its actually curly hair I did not know how to take care of!
Now that I've learned about proper hair care, the frizz mess of my teenage years is now lovely brown curls and waves I never knew I could have.

Has anyone else had this epiphany happen to them?

[Obsidian]

Yes, I had the same thing happen a few years ago. I knew I had a couple ringlets at the nape of my neck and some waves around my face but I though the rest of my hair was straight. I fought the frizz for years.
I'm still coming to terms with my curls but my hair looks better now than it ever has.

[Wusel]

Yes... When I was living in dry South Poland my hair was stick straight. Really. STICK straight. Since I live in humid North Germany it has slight waves and even two or three tiny curls here and there. :)

[Silverbleed]

Yeah, I have this too. I always knew it was a little wavy, but my front hair was always completely straight (http://i.imgur.com/bO4LBwl.jpg) for years.
But now,when I let it air dry, it gets really curly. I haven't done that for the past three months now so it's more wavy looking for easier protection styles (cold winds, rain etc). Plus it doesn't behave very well in winter I guess.
And tbh I haven't found a proper way to style my hair yet with my curls. I always thought I was something like a 2a but I'm more of a 2c with 3a strands (http://i.imgur.com/mkPF71s.jpg).

I did not take good care of my hair. I have had white hair for years, all colors of the rainbow over it, and straightened it.... Straightening didn't help because it's very humid where I live xD Just like Wusel since I live next to Germany. So my curls got back in no time xD

I have to relearn everything! xD

[lapushka]

Maybe you're in for a new hairtyping pic? I'd love to see those curls (curiosity has the better of me). :D It's nice to go from 2a/b to real curls!

[Theobroma]

Yup, happened to me as well. I always used to blowdry while brushing it straight(ish), or sun-dry while continuously combing or brushing, so I had a fluffy texture that was neither straight nor wavy, just weird. My first attempt at airdrying without interference was a real eye-opener!

[Bubble_Curl]

They tell me that my hair was always straight as a kid and then it changed abruptly to wavy and now it's curly. Well, I was looking at some pictures of me as a little kid when my hair wasn't super short (like they always kept it!)... it looks exactly like someone brushed through curly/wavy hair and got the poufy thing! My mom, a cosmetologist, used to straighten it for me until I was in about seventh grade. Then I tried to keep it wavy but that was before learning to take care of curls and waves differently. It curled up a bit more when I hit my early 20's enough to get into the 3's. In the last year or two, it has gone from 3a to 3b with even some 3c strands I think.

For curlies and wavies, taking care of our hair and our routine tends to promote more curls and waves when hair is happy enough... or a poufy thing that still somehow falls flat like we've all experienced, lol!

[fiðrildi]

It happened to me too. When I was in high school, I used to think that my hair was straight, but incredibly frizzy. For years, I tried to tame it to make it look the way it was "supposed to be": lots of hair drying, products for straight hair, etc. ... One day I realised that my hair was indeed wavy. So I decided to take it to the extreme, and made a curly perm. Then, I made a few more curly perms. And now I'm growing out natural and loving my natural wurls :o

[SwanFeathers]

Air dried after using CG method for first time. Some of it spirals, some of it s-waves, some of just corkscrews weirdly http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb408/SwanFeathers/Mobile%20Uploads/20160321_105336_zpsp0hxrfoz.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/SwanFeathers/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160321_105336_zpsp0hxrfoz.jpg.html)

[fiðrildi]

You look 2c. Nice wurls! :thumbsup:

[lapushka]

Yes, 2c, I'd say. I agree! :agree:

[Silverbleed]

Lookin' good! c: I like your haircolor a lot!

[SwanFeathers]

Any tips on keeping the curls all day?

[spirals]

Yes, I moved from the desert to the midwest in the month of June. It's very humid here. Threw my flat iron out.

[lapushka]

Any tips on keeping the curls all day?

I wouldn't call them curls, at best they are well defined waves. :flower: But waves will sag even faster than curls will, that's why it's important to make the distinction as well. You could try just distilled water in a mister bottle and refreshing your curls. You could put some conditioner in there (a squirt), a few EOs, whatever. :)

[Silverbleed]

Any tips on keeping the curls all day?

It's difficult to keep them perfectly for a day especially a few days! I have found my coils (3a strands) hold way better which can look really weird if my curls/wurls/waves (let's just call it waves for now) are falling out but my coils are still there lol. So I usually brush them out instead. A spray bottle can help a ton, but you'd have to spray it once in a while and can result in a smaller hairdo after a while. With that I mean it will shrink more and more. Or at least, my hair does. Day one is super poof, day 3 is just... flat. Lol.

[SwanFeathers]

I wouldn't call them curls, at best they are well defined waves. :flower: But waves will sag even faster than curls will, that's why it's important to make the distinction as well. You could try just distilled water in a mister bottle and refreshing your curls. You could put some conditioner in there (a squirt), a few EOs, whatever. :)
not trying to claim anything, will use "waves" if sayings curls is taboo for someone under 3a. honestly I didn't think about it

[lapushka]

not trying to claim anything, will use "waves" if sayings curls is taboo for someone under 3a. honestly I didn't think about it

No, I just wanted to make the distinction, also because I'm in the same category *and* it's important because you need to treat waves similarly, but also quite differently. For instance, curlies can get away with far more moisture, so a wavy for instance can use a spray bottle with (distilled) water and a tiiiny bit of conditioner (or not even that) whereas a curly can use far more conditioner in there, even glycerine and aloe vera and some EOs. We need to moisturize but also be careful that things don't get too oily or weighed down. It also depends on the texture of your hair (F/N/C). I was not trying to attack you in any way, be sure of that! :D :flower:

[spirals]

whereas a curly can use far more conditioner in there, even glycerine and aloe vera and some EOs.

That describes my needs. I often wonder if I'm a wavy or curly, but with this description I guess I'm in the 3a category. Nothing seems to weigh my hair down, even if I want it to. I feel for the wavies because it must be hard to strike that balance.

[lapushka]

That describes my needs. I often wonder if I'm a wavy or curly, but with this description I guess I'm in the 3a category. Nothing seems to weigh my hair down, even if I want it to. I feel for the wavies because it must be hard to strike that balance.

It is a hard balance. I know I condition twice, but I use drying shampoos and have dry lengths, so it balances out for me; but there are those who can't do conditioner twice or even a deep conditioner. Oily, fine, wavy, hair is difficult sometimes, especially when you have a scalp issue on top of that.

Oh, and looking at your avatar, I would call that 3a for sure!

[Bubble_Curl]

I also have a hard time striking that balance but I'm a curly with fine hair... so it's a bit weird. My hair hates glycerine and aloe. It also gets weighed down easily... like right now. I tried camellia oil (because it's light weight, apparently) and it is a giant weighed down mess of oil. But I have coils all over most of my head. If dew points are low, though, my hair flattens out too. And it loves protein. Most, if not all, of those things (except the coils) are generally what we think of with curlies... sigh. But being a finey with longer hair, it makes my balancing act a little more challenging. One of these days, when I tame the mayhem going on here right now with it, I will take a length shot so my hair can be seen :D

[spirals]

It is a hard balance. I know I condition twice, but I use drying shampoos and have dry lengths, so it balances out for me; but there are those who can't do conditioner twice or even a deep conditioner. Oily, fine, wavy, hair is difficult sometimes, especially when you have a scalp issue on top of that.

Oh, and looking at your avatar, I would call that 3a for sure!

Which products weigh you down? I have a lot of coarse, low porosity hairs in there, so whatever doesn't work for you should work for me! ;)