working with your natural texture, not against.

[Lesleyanne_12]

Hi Friends ��
I've not been using heat on my hair but I'm finding it difficult with my natural hair texture its mostly straight with a little wave at the ends. Sometimes my hair looks good and other days my hair is crazy and doing its own thing. I think that's why all of women reach for the hot tools. Were convinced our hair must be glossy and straight...I don't really agree all hair types are beautiful. So how did you all embrace your natural hair texture even on the bad hair days.

Love & Light xo

[Lesleyanne_12]

My profile picture is my natural hair texture ��

[RebekahE]

I think your natural texture is very pretty. I also think you would be amazed by how many straight, smooth haired ladies wish they had curly hair or a different texture. I am that way. Though it is far to much work for me to curl it with a curling iron and it doesn't last very long so I never do it.

[Lesleyanne_12]

I think your natural texture is very pretty. I also think you would be amazed by how many straight, smooth haired ladies wish they had curly hair or a different texture. I am that way. Though it is far to much work for me to curl it with a curling iron and it doesn't last very long so I never do it.

Thank you RebekahE you have made me feel better about my hair, may I say your hair is beautiful and sooo long. I think we spend so much time using hot tools styling our hair that our hair ends up just doing its own thing anyway.

[Arete]

I think society has drilled into people's heads that smooth, silky, glossy, plastic looking straightened hair, or perfectly styled waves and curls is the ideal. In reality, very few people have such hair/it's impossible without extensive styling, products, and heat. I personally love all natural textures, though when I was younger I wasn't found of my wurls, but now I love them. I think the more you're exposed to "real" hair, the more you'll learn to appreciate all types. I love waves, wurls, curls and kinks. It gives hair so much personality. I say embrace your beast and you'll find better results than you expected. When I gave up on brushing to try to straighten my hair, I found my hair felt so much better.

[Lesleyanne_12]

I think society has drilled into people's heads that smooth, silky, glossy, plastic looking straightened hair, or perfectly styled waves and curls is the ideal. In reality, very few people have such hair/it's impossible without extensive styling, products, and heat. I personally love all natural textures, though when I was younger I wasn't found of my wurls, but now I love them. I think the more you're exposed to "real" hair, the more you'll learn to appreciate all types. I love waves, wurls, curls and kinks. It gives hair so much personality. I say embrace your beast and you'll find better results than you expected. When I gave up on brushing to try to straighten my hair, I found my hair felt so much better.

I totally agree with you Arete �� I love that you call your curls wurls hehe I used to have beautiful curly hair then totally fried them with a flat iron so I've lost them now...

[Shepherdess]

It took me a while to figure out what my hair liked, but I think once you figure that out it makes hair care so much easier, plus I was much happier with how my hair looked. I have always had extremely frizzy hair, even as a little girl, imagine witch hair or sheep wool! :p I really hated how it looked and tried hard to smooth it out and make it look straighter, which was impossible! Then I found the long hair community and learned a lot more about hair care, though it wasn't really until this year that I figured out how to bring out my curls completely, and what type of routine tamed the frizz the most! I had no idea how curly my hair was until this. I even found out I have some 3b curls mixed in with the rest of my hair! I currently do the WCC and LOC methods, and I think that is where I started embracing my natural hair texture. :)

[Groovy Granny]

Welcome ~ your hair is very pretty:)

When my hair was in a short BOb I used a hot air curling brush to smooth it.
I always had a slight wave to it, and in humidity it doubled in volume because I brushed it.
Now I realize it was my natural waves and curls coming out with the Summer moisture....and there I was fighting it....but I wasn't a big fan :p

As I got older, my silver came in with a curly tendency....that's when I decided to grow it out so I could manage the curls a bit more.
It wasn't curly all the time but when it was, it looked like I had a perm :o
Plus I could tell Hubby didn't care for it when I encouraged the curl, so I tried to subdue it.

BIG MISTAKE :tmi:

Your hair is what it is.....embrace and enhance it's natural tendencies; it will be more healthy..... and a perfect reflection of the 'true you' :love:

Once I explained to my Hubby what was happening, and my plan to stop fighting it, he was on board....and I grew more accepting of it also :joy:
Plus as it grew longer, it settled down, and now I have a whole arsenal of hair styles I can play with depending on the mood my hair is in on any given day :wink:

You can get your natural wurls back with TLC....look up 'Curly Girl Method'......with conditioning and scrunching you'll get it back...healthier and stronger!

Happy growing :cheer:

[Shepherdess]

I agree completely with what Rebekah said! I know that when I was younger I always wished for straight hair instead of curly! Your hair texture is beautiful the way it is Lesleyanne!

[lapushka]

I think society has drilled into people's heads that smooth, silky, glossy, plastic looking straightened hair, or perfectly styled waves and curls is the ideal. In reality, very few people have such hair/it's impossible without extensive styling, products, and heat. I personally love all natural textures, though when I was younger I wasn't found of my wurls, but now I love them. I think the more you're exposed to "real" hair, the more you'll learn to appreciate all types. I love waves, wurls, curls and kinks. It gives hair so much personality. I say embrace your beast and you'll find better results than you expected. When I gave up on brushing to try to straighten my hair, I found my hair felt so much better.

Oooh that definitely! :D For me, at least. ;)

In my teens I wanted it silky straight and wondered why I never reached it. Then came the perms. I'm in between textures. At least straight hair knows what it is. At least curly hair knows what it is. Wavy is just... in between. That was my reasoning for a while after my teens. Now I just... go with what I got. :D

[lithostoic]

Impossible for me. Looks stringy when I don't brush and looks puffy when I do.

[animetor7]

Oooh that definitely! :D For me, at least. ;)

In my teens I wanted it silky straight and wondered why I never reached it. Then came the perms. I'm in between textures. At least straight hair knows what it is. At least curly hair knows what it is. Wavy is just... in between. That was my reasoning for a while after my teens. Now I just... go with what I got. :D

That's so funny! I have straight, silky hair and I always hated it in high school, I thought of my straight hair as boring and too slippery to do anything with. I wanted wavy hair like Eowyn from the Lord of the rings. I'm happy with it now. But it just goes to show that no matter your hair texture at some point you'll hate it and covet something else even as someone with that texture wants what you have.

[Lesleyanne_12]

Thank you for all the reply's it seems we are all learning to love our natural texture.

Can some one explain the CBL- APL- BSL etc what does that mean?

Thanks! Xo

[lithostoic]

Thank you for all the reply's it seems we are all learning to love our natural texture.

Can some one explain the CBL- APL- BSL etc what does that mean?

Thanks! Xo

They are hair lengths. CBL is collarbone length, APL is armpit length, BSL is bra strap length.

[Greenfire]

Here's a thread that will explain all the short forms! http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54874 But one better, here's the sticky I got if from, it's full of great stuff! http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=120052

Also, your hair is very pretty, it looks super soft and silky. That hairstyle you have it in I bet would look pretty with waves too once you encourage them back more! That's my recommendation for dropping the heat tools anyway, learn a bunch of new hairdos!

As for litho and your hair? You may dislike it, but I bet there's someone loving it and wishing it was theirs!

[Mirabele]

On the opposite camp - was raised with believe that glossy, silky and staight hair is a mistake of nature. So many years spent thinking how lucky are those who have curls and waves. I wasnt alone i think - many women got perms for that reason resulting in fried fizzy hair. I think i was in my twenties when i stopped all the curling (my hair doesnt keep curl anyway) and decided straight hair is more "myself" but it took almost other 20 years to finally like it as it is :)

[Anya15]

I still have days when my hair just defies everything. Like today, for instance. I woke up with what looked like 1c hair...except that when I started detangling and fingercombing, it turned into a poofy frizzball. I brought out my WT comb...that only made it more poofy and frizzy *lol*

I just braided it and left it alone. I still haven't found what my hair needs, and it's very unpredictable, but I deal with it. On days when it's particularly frizzy, I do a messy bun. The frizz just adds to the messy look. :D

[lapushka]

That's so funny! I have straight, silky hair and I always hated it in high school, I thought of my straight hair as boring and too slippery to do anything with. I wanted wavy hair like Eowyn from the Lord of the rings. I'm happy with it now. But it just goes to show that no matter your hair texture at some point you'll hate it and covet something else even as someone with that texture wants what you have.

Odd how these things go, right? I used to blowdry mine straight (no straighteners existed where I lived in the 80s, we only had crimpers), but whenever it was foggy in the morning (a lot during fall), I got frizzy hair. I was the one whose hair always exploded. :lol: Then I started crimping it and *loved* it! The pictures that were taken when crimping was in, is one of my mom's favorite pictures of me. Figures. Haha!

[Entangled]

Impossible for me. Looks stringy when I don't brush and looks puffy when I do.
So true!
I'm in the same boat.

[missrandie]

I've started playing with my natural texture.. I have what I like to call "delicate" waves. They are just light waves with really strong flip at the ends. Sometimes it's more wavy, mostly it's less.

The way I "deal" with it? I wear it up in a bun. There it makes no difference whether it's straight or wavy. More wave gives me more volume, less gives me more sleek results.

[pailin]

So true!
I'm in the same boat.

Me three.
My strategy now is to braid it or bun it after combing. Then if I take it down after a while it looks nice. Since braidwaves are more or less my natural texture, I figure I'm just putting them back.

[melesine]

I gave up flat irons years ago. I only blow dry maybe 3 times a year and that is only in winter where I can't go out with wet hair when it's in the teens and I didn't plan ahead and cleanse the night before. I used to use shampoo and conditioner designed to reduce curl and at one point I also used a serum for frizz. Then I went CO and my natural curl was allowed to shine. Recently I went WO and my hair is showing even more curl than when I used to cowash. Even though my mom has naturally curly hair ( 3a/3b) I never learned proper technique for my hair. I've done the whole, brushing and combing it when dry, having to cleanse the day before any event so my hair had time to flatten out ect. I wish I knew better sooner as my daughter has hair exactly the same texture as mine. Except hers is in a hawk that is bleached and currently blue. I feel like most of life has been spent trying to tame the volume and make it flat and straight. Only the last few years have I tried to let it's natural curl shine through.

[CrazyWaves]

My natural texture has a split personality. The top layers are always wavy and frizzy, always have been. When I was about 10, I started to get singlet curls in the under-layers. (thanks, mom! Lol) I've spent years trying to either make the wave curl more, calm the curl so it's more even with the wave. I'm working on finding the right washing routine to make it all behave. Thinking about giving CO a try to see how that does.

[spidermom]

I'm old enough to have seen a number of popular styles come and go, from straight and very short (Twiggy) to long and straight and parted in the middle (hippie), through fros and perms and all the volume you could force. Honestly, every decade is good for one group, hell for the rest if they let it be.

I try not to let it be hell for me, but I definitely have my preferences, and my hair doesn't always cooperate. Lately I've had a lot of regrow because of a stress shed I had last summer/fall after my father died, and I was stuck far from home for 5 months doing the probate thing. It looked to me like I had a short curly hairstyle right on top of a long wavy to straight hairstyle. I recently cut in some face-framing layers in attempt to bring the 2 styles together, but today was a bad hair day so I dutch-braided and bunned it.

[meteor]

I feel pretty lucky that I never wanted to change my natural texture. With my hairtype, it's pretty easy to make it very straight or curly with heat-free and damage-free methods, but I tend to prefer it the way it is anyway. Naturally, I get quite wavy hair on the first days post-wash and it gradually straightens to 1a look as I get closer to wash day. I've never used a hot iron or a curling iron or anything like that on my hair, because I find there is usually a heatless method that can create the same look for me without the damage and I think overnight damp-setting probably lasts longer. For styling, I mostly resorted to rollers or lazy braidwaves with a drop of serum/oil. And I think it definitely made my life easier, especially when I already had my hands full tinkering with highlights/colour. :)

[DweamGoiL]

When I was younger, I hated my hair texture. I thought for years my hair was straight, but that I was doing something wrong (wrong conditioner, didn't know how to style it, had bad luck, etc.). I didn't understand my hair was wavy until I was in my early 30's and after coming to LHC. Once I began to understand it, I began loving it. I discovered having 2a/b hair was a blessing not a curse. I can curl my hair with an overnight roller setting or dry it straight if I keep combing it. I have been henndigoing my hair for a few years so that has killed my wave and it also keeps frizz at bay. Now, I miss my wave, but I still treat it the same. My hair is similar to meteor's in that it's wavier and has more body when it's freshly washed, and the closer it gets to wash day, the straighter it gets. I tend to wear it down while it's at the peak of wavy and has plenty of body. By the 3rd day, it goes up in a bun, and basically stays that way until washing.

[DoomKitty]

Up until a few months ago I thought my hair was straight until I did the hair typing test and my hair dried wavy/almost curly...no wonder it always 'poofed' when I brushed it as it dried and I hated it so out came the straighteners! Unfortunately my wavey waves don't last once dried so I end up with volume and flippy ends but as it gets longer it sits better.

[Alissalocks]

I think your natural texture is very pretty. I also think you would be amazed by how many straight, smooth haired ladies wish they had curly hair or a different texture. I am that way. Though it is far to much work for me to curl it with a curling iron and it doesn't last very long so I never do it.
THIS!! :p I have super uber straight hair that I've always fought, permed and damaged for many years in the 80s, not to mention curling irons, blow dryers, bad products, etc.

Once I gave up perms forever in the 90s I cut out all the damage in 95. In 2013 I did it again, and cut to chin and it's been really growing amazingly overall. I color with indigo, a plant that minimizes damage to achieve the look I want. I almost never use heat to style, and can cheat curls for a short time by setting my hair using water and bendy rollers before it eventually falls out (especially if I've been performing).

Point being, I guess I have the hair type you wish, but Ive always wanted something else. Since coming to LHC I am a lot happier with what I have, and I hope you will find that for yourself too. I haven't read all the responses, but hope you have some joy and learning here.

[littlestarface]

For me I just never cared what anyone thought of my hair, I dont have straight nor curly, it's a feisty hair type that does what it wants so I just had to live with it.

Tho I don't like my hair I wish it was prettier curlier thicker but what can I do, I won't stand for damaging it and I rather have healthy hair then ratted dry hair that looks dryer then a desert so I just live with it.

That's how I work with my natural texture.

[Lesleyanne_12]

Thank you for all the reply's friends I've enjoyed reading what you all think. I must say tho everyone's hair is absolutely beautiful your pushing my ahead with growing out my hair �� thank you xo