2a hair in the morning!

[mariazelie]

I have been trying to learn to deal most constructively with my 2a hair after believing for 60+ years that my hair was 1a, or just straight. Here's is what I would like comments on: I got up this morning, took my fine, thin 2a hair out of the braid, and grabbed the brush, automatically. Then I took a second look. I fluffed it by hand a bit and it looked pretty good. I always rake through it with a brush, assuming this is what one must do to properly manage hair, but ruin all the natural wave. So what do you do? Have I been doing this wrong all this time? Is it best to just leave well enough alone and deal with combing, detangling before the wash or before braiding? Please tell me what you do in the morning! Have I been counter productive all these years?:confused: It is so hard to think that I would not brush my hair! It just feels weird to not do it. Like a compulsion!

[meteor]

Congrats! :D Isn't it great to rediscover hair's natural texture! :D


Here's is what I would like comments on: I got up this morning, took my fine, thin 2a hair out of the braid, and grabbed the brush, automatically. Then I took a second look. I fluffed it by hand a bit and it looked pretty good. I always rake through it with a brush, assuming this is what one must do to properly manage hair, but ruin all the natural wave. So what do you do? Have I been doing this wrong all this time? Is it best to just leave well enough alone and deal with combing, detangling before the wash or before braiding? Please tell me what you do in the morning! Have I been counter productive all these years?:confused: It is so hard to think that I would not brush my hair! It just feels weird to not do it. Like a compulsion!

My hair is 2a-ish, too, though it's much wavier when it's short (2b/c) or layered and then straightens out significantly with added weight of length.
Personally, I found the best way for me to deal with this texture is to air-dry and not to brush it at all. :flower: If I blow-dry, it tends to go straight and voluminous. I get similar effect from a brush.
So I just use a wide-tooth comb instead (I like wood because it doesn't cause static, which is pretty important for my slight wave that can frizz up).

Also, damp-setting in braidwaves is my friend. :) The braid waves create very similar texture that I already have naturally, so braids help enhance it and avoid any frizz/poofiness while still keeping hair contained in a comfortable style and preventing tangles during this "damp-setting" process. If needed, a tiny amount of leave-in and/or oil/serum can help get smooth results with damp-setting.

[mariazelie]

Thanks, meteor, for you input. My hair sounds like it loses the wave easier than yours, and doesn't frizz. But this is what I want to hear. How everyone manages. I remember after I posted this that I had used some coconut oil on the ends a couple days ago, for the first time, as it had seemed so dry and lifeless, and actually, a bit frizzy. Some of this is age, I think, unfortunately. Anyway, I wonder if that coconut oil helped it looked better this morning? I am very interested in this topic, because I have been hiding my hair in an updo for 9 years, rarely wearing it down, and I am bored with it.

[HeartofHaleth]

I only detangle once a week in the shower, with a wide-tooth comb and plenty of conditioner. If I really need to, I might finger detangle, but my hair is nearly always braided or bunned (or both!), which cuts down on snarls. I never brush it. BBBs just make it look greasy on top and poofy everywhere else. I do find that if I put it up or braid after brushing, and am careful to keep the strands mostly aligned, the poof is gone when I let it down later. I also air dry, but I've never really tried a hair dryer, so I don't know what that would do.

[littlestarface]

No brush on wavy hair.

[Arctic]

So nice you found waves!

I usually wash my hair every morning and put it up, and because both of these regular tasks I do, I don't really bump into a problems what to do with my hair in the mornings. In general I never use time to encourage my waves (apart the occasional moments of insanity when I try to enhance my waves). If I wear my hair down I usually have bunned it at least for a while to give it a uniform texture (I'm not pure 2a, I am a mixture of straight and wavy).

(crawls back under the rocks)

[ReadingRenee]

I am a wavy that loves my brush. As long as my hair is well moisturized and not freshly washed it will usually form large loose waves when I brush it, which is my preference. I did experiment with only combing my hair in the shower but I found that brush or not, my waves still got much less wavy on day 2 or 3 hair so it still wasn't worth it to me. Just what works for me. :)

Also, braidwaves look terrible on my hair, so it sounds like we have different hair. :)

[yogagirl]

Definitely no brush. Maaaaybe a wide toothed comb, but if you have fragile waves like I do, even that will cause the waves to get ruined. Basically I wash my hair once every 3-4 days. I finger detangle while conditioner is in. Then air dry without touching my hair to prevent frizz and keep waves clumped. Then I don't even finger comb for a couple of days. On the third day I am usually wearing a bun or braid, so then I use my wife tooth comb again, because the waves will be messed up anyway from binning/braiding.

[mariazelie]

Thanks for the replies so far.