Giving up on my curls

[Obsidian]

I don't know how you curly ladies do it, how do your curls always look so sleek and well formed? I've tried plopping, squish to condish, not touching after detangling in the shower and countless other techniques to keep my curls clumped up. None of it helps, as soon as it starts to dry the ends tangle up and the top goes all kinds of frizzy.

My curls seem weak, takes very little for them to break formation. If I comb my wet hair, it dries nearly straight. If I wait until its dry before I comb, I can get some decent waves with curlier ends. If I don't comb after I wash, I look homeless.
I had so hoped for pretty long curls but it seems that if I want curls, I'll have to go super short. Its only been the last few years that I learned to accept my curls and now that I'm growing, they are going the way of the dodo.

Anyone else have to learn to deal with different texture as they grew?

[lapushka]

Did you ever try the LOC/LCO method, Obsidian? Maybe if not, try that? And change up your products some to try and find a good combination. I'm 2b/c like you, hip+ (layered) and I'm fine with my wavy texture.

Maybe it's a question of acceptance. You say you look "homeless" if you don't brush or comb after it's dry... maybe it is a question of acceptance.

But if you really dislike your wave pattern, there's not much you can do besides heat styling or blowdrying it straight.

[Siv]

I'm somewhere between 1c and 2b, but my curl pattern has always been all over the place and I still haven't managed to master it. Most days I just detangle wet and wear it "voluminous straight with some frizz" rather than frizzy, straight, wavish, and wavy with a lot of weird kinks. I'm pretty new on LHC so I don't know of any good threads here, but I've lurked around the sub r/curlyhair on reddit, and there are quite a few success stories reported over there.

Though, the plopping and squishing and whatnot that you mention seem to be the most popular advice on r/curlyhair. General advice for both curly and wavy hair often seem to be to detangle in-shower, squish to condish, cream and gel, plopping, and no touching, but I'm not sure that's good advice for wavy fine hair - at least not for mine. Too much conditioner and leave-ins weigh my waves down, and plopping til dry gives me that homeless look of weird kinks and a halo of frizz. Less conditioner, a light leave-in like mousse, and just 30 min plopping leaves me with a less defined and somewhat frizzy bunch of waves, but it's not nearly as bad as the mop of hair I get with the "most accepted" advice for curly/-ish hair.

The curl pattern has definitely varied at different lenghths, but I'm pretty sure most of my waves are in the 2a-area, meaning I've more elongated waves that don't really show up much at really short lengths. At around SL, my hair is just "flicky", but the longer it gets, the more waves I get, sort of. At WL though, it starts to get a bit too heavy for waves, and is just a bit wavy towards the ends.

[Obsidian]

I have tried the LOC method with different products and all it does is weigh down my hairs. I can use a little oil and a coney serum but creams of any kind are a no go for me. Even creamy leave in conditioners are too much for my hair now. Maybe its the henna but it seems like they just sit on top of the hair and get waxy.

If I don't brush my hair after its comes out of the towel, it truly looks frizzy and messy. Maybe I'm drying it wrong, idk. I still wrap my hair in a terry towel for 15 minutes or so to soak up the excess water. It comes out of the towel, looking frizzy and matted. I generally comb it at this point but that pulls most all my curls out. If I try to finger detangle and get the hairs in place without a comb, I have more curls but they frizz really bad so I comb when dry which gives me puffy waves.

I'm ok with the straighter hair or the puffy waves but it would be nice to be able to rock some curls once in awhile without my hair looking so unkempt. The few times I've tried plopping didn't work either, it looked the same as if I had used a terry towel.

Siv Thats the same thing my hair does when I plop. I get weird bent roots and ends with a crazy halo and forget a part, it just disappears in a mess of tangles.

[Cherriezzzzz]

Move to the south where the humidity lives ;)

[Anje]

You know, it might be the henna. Everything always just sat on top of my hennaed hair and felt waxy too. Always figured it was lower-end porosity, but hennaed hair often has issues with protein as well -- hennaheads on LHC seem to disproportionately complain about their hair hating protein. I hated leave-ins too because they just made my hair feel sticky.

[Andthetalltrees]

Yeah, My hair is barely wavy on the greatest day(Most days 1c/2a is stretching it). I've done ALL the methods to encourage them and make them stay because I want true wavy hair, But absolutely nothing works. So I've just ended up accepting my hair as flippy, clumpy, frizzy straight hair and made my hair routine easy on me. I totally get feeling like my hair is permanently unkempt looking.

[Siv]

I'm ok with the straighter hair or the puffy waves but it would be nice to be able to rock some curls once in awhile without my hair looking so unkempt. The few times I've tried plopping didn't work either, it looked the same as if I had used a terry towel.

Siv Thats the same thing my hair does when I plop. I get weird bent roots and ends with a crazy halo and forget a part, it just disappears in a mess of tangles.

I've never been able to beat the crazy halo with anything but heavy creams that (aside from weigh down the waves) make me look sticky. But I think the heavier creams might've looked sticky on me not only because they didn't soak in well, but because I'm fair and everything I put in my hair that isn't silicones - oils, creams - makes it look darker. And for me, darker = the colour my hair gets when the sebum has been building up for a few days and I need a proper washing :rolleyes:

If you've a lot of time on your hands, I suppose you could try using a heavy cream or anything that beats the frizz for you and pinning your curls? It's not exactly your "natural curl pattern" but if you grab your natural ringlets, roll 'em up and pin them, it's going to look a lot more natural than if e.g. a straight haired person just grabs random chunks of hair. Even a hairdryer with a diffuser is a frizz-bomb-inducer for me so I just cover with a jack'o net to protect from frizziness and allow for faster drying than in a towel/t-shirt.

[Shepherdess]

My hair likes to frizz and misbehave on a very frequent basis, it is brittle and stubborn besides it seems. If I apply too much product it weighs it down, but if I do too little it poofs and knots everywhere. It can be so so hard to manage curly hair!!! So I can feel your pain. :flower: This might not work for everyone, but I have found that the best way to get my hair curls to come out is to use as little product as possible, but just enough to help. Usually I will dampen my hair a bit with water and apply a very small dime size amount of SheaMoisture curl enhancing smoothie, and spread it very lightly through my hair and this seems to really bring out definition for me while keeping a bit of a curl pattern...some of the curls don't always cooperate, so I have to redo those ones separately (wetting them down again and reapplying a tiny bit of the smoothie). It takes more time this way, but seems to work for me. :shrug: I do the LOC method usually (and put my hair up afterwards without letting it curl), but when I am trying to get my hair to become super curly I skip a few of those and only use the curling smoothie so that it doesn't weigh it down too much.

I wonder if you have quite a mixture perhaps of different types of curl strands? So this could be why it breaks up the curl pattern some, because some strands curl more than others? I know with certain areas in my longer length hair I have some of this issue at times, since some strands don't curl as tightly as the rest, so it messes up the patters and makes them fall apart easily.

[likelikepenny]

I know I may be persecuted for this, but I notice that people equate wavy and curly hair as the same thing, when sometimes that isn't the case.

Yes they're similar at times, but not the same. Perhaps you're looking at curl practices that are too much for wavy hair?

[Prism]

I know I may be persecuted for this, but I notice that people equate wavy and curly hair as the same thing, when sometimes that isn't the case.

Yes they're similar at times, but not the same. Perhaps you're looking at curl practices that are too much for wavy hair?

I second this. I was trying to use Shea Moisture leave-in for curly hair, and it was too heavy for my wavy hair. Maybe your routine is too heavy for your hair type.

[Obsidian]

I have actual curls, at least in spots. The tops and sides are more wavy but the back is quite curly. I'm waiting for it to dry so I can take pics. I don't use heavy products anymore, a couple drops almond oil and a couple drops of a serum.

My problem isn't with products, its with my curls breaking apart too easy as my hair dries. I know in theory products should help with that but I don't know what else to try. I've used curl creams, gels, fresh aloe gel, flax seed gel, mousse, hairspray, leave in conditioners, a variety of different poo/con.

At this point I'm blaming the henna and will just have to accept that I can't have nice bouncy curls as long as I use it. I can glob a bunch of product in and get decent looking stiff curls but it feels horrible and I have to wash it out after a few hours. This is why I've given up on them and will learn to be content with puffy waves.

[mira-chan]

I second this. I was trying to use Shea Moisture leave-in for curly hair, and it was too heavy for my wavy hair. Maybe your routine is too heavy for your hair type.

Ditto. I like V05 as a leave in actually, much lighter and works well. Curly routines are way too much for me.

My wave pattern is very unstable. plus my hair doesn't tolerate any combing while wet. I detangle hair dry before wash, and don't touch it at all after the wash. No combs, brushes or finger combing. My hair isn't very tangly and I usually wear it up, so I haven't been combing until right before next wash for a couple years now. It's been working better. Less frizz, more wave cohesion. This might not be possible with finer hair though. Mine is wire so doesn't bend against each other much to produce tangles.

Also instead of leave ins, just holding the regular conditioner step longer, for 10 to 20 minutes, tends to give smother more cohesive hair.

Also seconding what Anje said. My hair that has henna acts differently than the hair that's grown out without henna. It reacts to products differently too.

[Obsidian]

V05 is one of the worse conditioners I've ever used. Its makes my hair super waxy and gunky, weighs it down horrible. My hair is very finicky when it comes to conditioner, I've only found 2 that I can use regularly.
Suave is another thats really bad for me. I wish I could use it, there are so many nice smelling varieties.

[Ophidian]

I have some actual curls too along with the waves if I leave it alone as it dries, but 9 times out of 10 either it dries funny and looks a little too fuzzy for my liking or looks great for about half a day and then the curls/waves start to lose their definition. I think that technically I am around a 2c based on how my hair dries naturally (this is a new realization for me), but I do not wear it like that for the most part. Products weigh it down and don't hold, and I find that I tend to prefer a sleeker look anyway. I get the best results damp braiding and the braid waves hold pretty well until next wash. This is just my experience, but I think our textures may be similar. I think that what likelikepenny said makes sense.... wavy hair may have some curls in it but keeping those curls defined might be more of a challenge. If the methods usually used to encourage more texture aren't working for you, well, solidarity :)

[mira-chan]

V05 is one of the worse conditioners I've ever used. Its makes my hair super waxy and gunky, weighs it down horrible. My hair is very finicky when it comes to conditioner, I've only found 2 that I can use regularly.
Suave is another thats really bad for me. I wish I could use it, there are so many nice smelling varieties.

Any conditioner would work for this. You can try using one of the two that work as a leave in. Just use less than you normally use it, and put it on wet, not damp, hair as a last step before the towel.

I get the waxy hair issue with Suave, I'm lucky that V05 doesn't give me that problem.

[yahirwaO.o]

If you totally dislike your natural texture why don´t you create or experiment with gorgeous heatless curl styles. I mean your hair should hold those pretty nice and the outcome can be quite nice.

Rope braids, headband curls, twist, sock curls, pin curls you have so many comfortable options.

[Lady Katherine]

I have the same problem with getting my curls defined, since the bottom half of my hair CAN be curly, but I usually do something to mess it up. I've tried plopping, LOC, and all the recommended "curly methods," but none of it works for me. Come to think of it, this was probably a big reason I joined the "wear your hair up" challenge, so I wouldn't have to figure out a routine, lol. But I really hope you find something that works for you!!

[pailin]

I gave up on mine too. I can comb when wet or in the shower and when it's dry... It still looks like it needs to be combed. No matter what I've tried. So I just detangle it dry in the morning (I wash every night) and put it up; with my current routine it still looks good if I then wear it down for a while. That's what I've done in all my length shots- it still usually looks pretty wavy, even dry-detangled and then bunned all day. If I really want to wear it curly, I detangle at night and sleep in french braids, then take them down and go in the morning.

[Obsidian]

If you totally dislike your natural texture why don´t you create or experiment with gorgeous heatless curl styles. I mean your hair should hold those pretty nice and the outcome can be quite nice.

Rope braids, headband curls, twist, sock curls, pin curls you have so many comfortable options.

Because I'm lazy and I'm a bit of a idiot when it comes to doing my hair. Getting it up in a peacock twist is about as fancy as I get


I have the same problem with getting my curls defined, since the bottom half of my hair CAN be curly, but I usually do something to mess it up. I've tried plopping, LOC, and all the recommended "curly methods," but none of it works for me.

Thats it exactly! It CAN be curly but they are unruly curls that fall out way too easy. When it was shorter, it was nice curls


I gave up on mine too. I can comb when wet or in the shower and when it's dry... It still looks like it needs to be combed. No matter what I've tried

Yes, no matter what I do, I look unkempt and messy unless I comb once dry. If I'm careful and use a comb, I can get nice waves but if I'm in a hurry and use a TT, I end up with fluffy waves. If I put my hair up in my go to twist, it pulls most all the waves out and un fluffs it too.

I guess I just expected my hair to get curlier as it grew instead of getting straighter. I'm having to relearn how to care for it.

[Katia_k]

So I know this is probably way more work than you wanna do, and major caveat that I'm still a major noob at this. But just wanted to share that I just started trying the Indian herb-washes that some folks have done here, and especially the first few times I did it (changed my mix this last time), holy crap did I have curls. And they were clumping really, really nicely. Not necessarily saying this is something you *should* try, but just giving you my experience. And I only mention it because it was such a shock--I didn't use any product after the shower and they were the best curls/waves I've ever had. In my roommate's words "wow, there's friz, but this time you notice the curls way more than the friz."

So, my two cents/offering of something to try.

[Ophidian]

So I know this is probably way more work than you wanna do, and major caveat that I'm still a major noob at this. But just wanted to share that I just started trying the Indian herb-washes that some folks have done here, and especially the first few times I did it (changed my mix this last time), holy crap did I have curls. And they were clumping really, really nicely. Not necessarily saying this is something you *should* try, but just giving you my experience. And I only mention it because it was such a shock--I didn't use any product after the shower and they were the best curls/waves I've ever had. In my roommate's words "wow, there's friz, but this time you notice the curls way more than the friz."

So, my two cents/offering of something to try.

I will say that I had the same experience and herb and rye flour washing have made all the difference in the behavior of my hair in terms of smoothness and clumping of waves/curls. But like Katia_k said, I know it isn't for everyone. Good luck with whatever you try!

[pailin]

I guess some people do find their hair curlier with length, but mine has always tended to pull the curl out. I do enjoy how my braid tassels tend to corkscrew.

ETA This is one reason why I have to fight against thinking I have the worst of both worlds, between straight and curly. Combing=frizz, and not-combing=unkempt.
That's why I'm liking mineral oil as roo right now - I'm having significantly less frizz.

[ghanima]

I have seen a major difference in curl formation and frizz taming with LOC method done in the shower, with hair still dripping wet. Then I plop them/dry them. If I do the inverse and dry them first like you do it won't work too well.

[Alex Lou]

I've also given up on my waves. I comb them out when my hair's wet. Once my hair is dry, I bun it overnight and can wear it down after that with nice spirals. I posted about it a while back:

Dried without brushing:
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n461/julieandcandy/78eb0643-825d-4d4c-a63f-1eef3b17d0c4_zpsjzx15aeu.jpg

Brushed while drying:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27277&d=1494583009

[ghanima]

Buns or something like 5-6 rather loose bantu knots done when hair is 95% dry can make hair wavy and voluminous while also looking very tidy. I wish I could do them too but my texture comes back with a vengeance.

[queenbee1]

What always helps me is twirling my hair around my fingers and making one big spiral that is over my right shoulder. That is the only things I've found that make my texture look nice.

That and cinnabun for a short amount of time - around 20 minutes.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

It sounds like your hair needs more moisture. Hair will stay together at home as long as it has moisture. But as soon as it is lacking moisture it will leave home in search of moisture hence the frizz effect. (If this makes sense).

As Mira-chan said. Best use your normal conditioner that your hair loves after wash and condition rinse. Apply it to soaking wet hair, not too much as a leave-in. Squish it throughout your hair and then gently squeeze the excess out. If plopping works then you may plop thereafter.
I do not plop. Instead I place my hair in a bun and gently squeeze it with a microfiber towel. Once I am presentable I let my hair down LOC style and set.
You can either dry your hair in sections; dry the bottom half while the top half is still in a bun or dry it all at once. Oh and scrunch to enhance your curls.

If you want to comb your hair after you take it out of the towel. You have to rewet it to reset the curls. But to keep your curls you cannot brush or comb. Curly hair does tend to tangle a lot. Therefore you have to bun it intermittently when you wear your hair down. This helps some with moisture retention. Then you let it down again. Hope this helps.
If on the next day you comb or brush your hair, you will need to lightly wet it to bring back your curls.

Please let us know what eventually worked. As every curly/wavy hair is different.

[KittyBird]

It sounds like you've gotten some good advice already, but I just wanted to mention something about stiff, crunchy hair. If you use styling products, like gel, you scrunch out the crunch after your hair has dried. The products I use make my hair nasty and stiff, but scrunching after it has dried takes care of it. After that my hair feels soft and the wurls look nice. Sometimes my hair remains a bit crunchy here and there, but sleeping on it solves that. It took some time to figure out the right routine for me, but I condition and comb my hair in the shower, then squish to condish and put it in a turbie twist for 20-30 minutes before styling. I use curling creme, fiber paste and gel to style.

[Arctic]

I've given up on mine too. I mean I love them because they give volume and movement, but my natural pattern just isn't working as is for me. I like it better with some manipulation.

My hair problems are two fold. One, I have sparse hair at the scalp and cowlicks + double crown, and I just need to comb it when wet to have it dry nicely, without horns and scalp cleavages. 95% of my bad hair days are caused by my double crown so it's very important to me to get this area "fixed" as well as I possibly can, I am much happier that way.

My second set of problems is having multiple textured hair. It's partially straight, partially wavy and I even have some spirals going on some times. These textures just don't play nicely with eachother, and the way my natural wave patterns are just look unkept. If I try to play up my curls and waves it does nothing to my straight bits.

I almost always have some sort of bun waves, braid waves, heatless waves going on - or I might blow dry it straight-ish. My go-to on everyday life is to comb when wet, fluff while it dries, and when it's a bit damp to put it up into 2 cinnabuns for an half an hour. When I take it down it's more uniform and I love how it looks.

I have decided not to try any curl/wave enhancing methods anymore, but once-twice a year I get an itch to try something different. Often I hate how it looks or it just takes too long time to dry. I experimented with squish to condish last summer and it actually gave ne pretty nice texture but did nothing to my scalp/cowlicks problem and the drying time went from few hours to like 5-6 hours IIRC. I just don't have time for that, I wash my hair too often for it to work. Diffusing takes so long too I don't like it, the results are never satisfactory either.

[lapushka]

I have tried the LOC method with different products and all it does is weigh down my hairs. I can use a little oil and a coney serum but creams of any kind are a no go for me. Even creamy leave in conditioners are too much for my hair now. Maybe its the henna but it seems like they just sit on top of the hair and get waxy.

Yes but how much do you use. I use a coinsize for hip+ & classic length hair, so you'd have to use a pea size. If it's more it is going to weigh it down, for sure.

[likelikepenny]

Have you tried amla? I've heard that it helps with boosting curls, especially if you henna.

[OhSuzi]

Alex lou the colour and the wve in your hair is gorgeous!

Obsidian - you said you can get a reasonable wave with a curl at the end - that sounds like a nice best of both worlds hairstyle?
My hair texture has changed a bit as Ive been growing out virgin hair. It seemed to be ringlettyier when it was constantly dyed and bleached. Now its virgin hair, its a bit thicker and heavier especially as its starting to get longer (about shoulder length currently) wavey whurly with curlier ends
- Im getting it cut in August & Ill be asking my trusted hair stylist to 'cut it curly'!
He chops layers in that are at the length of each curl bump. So the bottom underneath layer is wavy but with a curl at the end, then the next layer curls at the end but its a bit shorter, the layer on top of that is shorter still, so lighter with a bit more curl and the over all effect is voluminous hair with continuous curls.
So if you brave hairdressers you could risk asking them to emphasise the curl? Depends on how you feel about layers, slightly less neat braids and hairstylists

[Simsy]

Just adding something that hasn't been addressed yet. You mentioned that you use a terry towel to dry your hair. This may be contributing to your problem. I had very similar problems with my canopy and top layers. When I switched to a muslin cloth, I saw an immediate improvement with the frizz and general raggedness. I wrap mine lengthwise along the length then wrap up and around my head like a turban. Everything dries in the direction it likes going and I end up with less chaos up top to tame.

You may also have some success with a light oil to tame fuzzys and give the whole lot a bit more moisture, which may or may not help the frizz calm down even further.

[Cherriezzzzz]

I was serious with my post about being in the south. Alec lou's hair is very similar to mine. I see you live in Idaho! I moved from Pa to Sc. I'm not saying to literally move south, but sometimes with hair like ours we use ALL this frizz, curl "helps" products and it blocks the humidity that would cause it to curl!! Try something new. Idaho... that's zero humidity LoL besides taking a vacation, which would be awesome, yes? See if you can get to a Ymca sauna or something After a big clarifying session. Let your hair get some "environmental" moisture aka humidity :) it curled mine and a best friend of mine when she was young and went to live with her dad in Fl for the summer. Lastly, using baking soda as shampoo and vinegar as the rinse. I know it sounds crazy. My hair got so much curlier making homemade shampoos and using baking soda... I say strip ALL the stuff out of your hair.

[mira-chan]

Just adding something that hasn't been addressed yet. You mentioned that you use a terry towel to dry your hair. This may be contributing to your problem. I had very similar problems with my canopy and top layers. When I switched to a muslin cloth, I saw an immediate improvement with the frizz and general raggedness. I wrap mine lengthwise along the length then wrap up and around my head like a turban. Everything dries in the direction it likes going and I end up with less chaos up top to tame.

You may also have some success with a light oil to tame fuzzys and give the whole lot a bit more moisture, which may or may not help the frizz calm down even further.
I'm seconding this. I use an Aquis microfiber towel and wrap my hair into a tube of it so it doesn't move at all and there is no rubbing. Big difference from regular towels in frizz levels.


I was serious with my post about being in the south. Alec lou's hair is very similar to mine. I see you live in Idaho! I moved from Pa to Sc. I'm not saying to literally move south, but sometimes with hair like ours we use ALL this frizz, curl "helps" products and it blocks the humidity that would cause it to curl!! Try something new. Idaho... that's zero humidity LoL besides taking a vacation, which would be awesome, yes? See if you can get to a Ymca sauna or something After a big clarifying session. Let your hair get some "environmental" moisture aka humidity :) it curled mine and a best friend of mine when she was young and went to live with her dad in Fl for the summer. Lastly, using baking soda as shampoo and vinegar as the rinse. I know it sounds crazy. My hair got so much curlier making homemade shampoos and using baking soda... I say strip ALL the stuff out of your hair.

Here summer is humid like in the south but winter is dry. I have to change my routine for the seasons as my hair also acts very differently at the different humidity levels. Adjustments are needed to account for climate.

[Obsidian]

The low humidity doesn't help, thats for sure. Its been a very rainy and humid spring here and my hair was a bit better for it. Now the rains have stopped, the wind is here and my hair is feeling dried out. I've been trying deep conditioning but its not really helping. Maybe its time to chelate, that might help since its been awhile.

[LongCurlyTress]

Hi Obsidian!! The curlygirl challenge is real! Back a few months ago, at TBL, I dried my scalp hairs with a diffuser stuck into my scalp hairs, then I did a half up by gently pulling my sides and top back into a half up.. with a hairstick or clip. The rest I was able to let air dry curly with coconut oil on the length, but only a tiny bit. A hairdryer diffuser helps alot to not frizz out our hair and to lock in the curl. Have you ever tried a diffuser? There are so many youtube videos out there also which teach us curlygirls how to dry our hair with a diffuser. I think the henna might be also frizzing out your hair as I have heard/read that it dries out hair and tends to straighten out the hairs which will create frizz. If you scrunch wash out conditioner in the shower, you can get your curl pattern going again... then be careful to just drape a towel over your head and underneath your length. Squeeze the water out, don't rub your hair/scalp. Then right away, while it is still soaking wet, use your diffuser on your hair length.
Good luck! Alot depends on humidity, length, layers or no layers, 1st or second day hair after washing, etc. My hair is very temperamental but this above technique has worked for me sometimes... I would stop the henna, imo...

Good luck!!
LCT

[Ophidian]

Just adding something that hasn't been addressed yet. You mentioned that you use a terry towel to dry your hair. This may be contributing to your problem. I had very similar problems with my canopy and top layers. When I switched to a muslin cloth, I saw an immediate improvement with the frizz and general raggedness. I wrap mine lengthwise along the length then wrap up and around my head like a turban. Everything dries in the direction it likes going and I end up with less chaos up top to tame.

You may also have some success with a light oil to tame fuzzys and give the whole lot a bit more moisture, which may or may not help the frizz calm down even further.

Good point! I use an old t-shirt and this did a lot to reduce the frizz.

[Cherriezzzzz]

Your post has really encouraged me actually. I love seeing us "odd curled hair" people's long hair. It's making me look even more forward to the fluffiness of it ALL :D

[likelikepenny]

The low humidity doesn't help, thats for sure. Its been a very rainy and humid spring here and my hair was a bit better for it. Now the rains have stopped, the wind is here and my hair is feeling dried out. I've been trying deep conditioning but its not really helping. Maybe its time to chelate, that might help since its been awhile.

Maybe glycerin will help as it's a humectant?

[Obsidian]

Its too dry here for humectants, they pull moisture out of the hair instead of pulling it from the air into the hair. I can't use honey either, its too drying.

I tried LOC today after my shower. I didn't layer the products though, I mixed them together in my hand before squishing it into drippy hair. I didn't wrap my hair like normal either, I draped a towel over my head then wrapped it under my hair. It seems to have helped the frizzies some but my curls still aren't staying clumped. I think I'd need to use gel to keep the clumps and thats not something I'm willing to do, absolutely hate gel.

I'll keep trying LOC they way I did it today. The real test is to see how fast it builds up and how it feels once its completely dry.

[ephemeri]

Lots of good advice in this thread already! I'll just ask -- have you tried Shea Moisture's low porosity line (https://www.sheamoisture.com/products.html/?product_collection=275)? I personally haven't, but have read lots of success stories on curly hair boards, from people who had tried lots of products and felt they all weighed their hair down.

[Obsidian]

No, I only tried the shea curl cream and absolutely hated it it. The baobab detangler sounds promising though. The cream I have now is not your mothers kinky moves curl defining cream. Its not too bad if I use very little and it smells amazing.

[Katia_k]

I started with SM, and once I did henna I *hated* it. It completely betrayed me. I think it's too heavy for LP hair in general; I couldn't even really do their LP line, though I did try it because I have a product problem...

Also I hated gels too, but tried a Deeva one I actually really liked. It's also probably hard to find, but Nature Pure Curl Cream worked really well for me for a while, and was not crunchy at all, and didn't weigh my hair down. I got a sample in a subscription box, and really liked it. Alikay Naturals Dulce Curl lotion (or something like that...smells like water mellons) did a decent job of taming things, though I didn't like it as much as the Nature Pure.

[ghanima]

I still think that 2-5 mini-buns or loose bantu knots like also Arctic described, kept for 30 min and done when hair is almost dry, would give you the best of two worlds.
If your hair don't like stuff put on it, don't put it. I am cutting back down on styling products too and if feels and looks much better.

[lapushka]

Its too dry here for humectants, they pull moisture out of the hair instead of pulling it from the air into the hair. I can't use honey either, its too drying.

I tried LOC today after my shower. I didn't layer the products though, I mixed them together in my hand before squishing it into drippy hair. I didn't wrap my hair like normal either, I draped a towel over my head then wrapped it under my hair. It seems to have helped the frizzies some but my curls still aren't staying clumped. I think I'd need to use gel to keep the clumps and thats not something I'm willing to do, absolutely hate gel.

I'll keep trying LOC they way I did it today. The real test is to see how fast it builds up and how it feels once its completely dry.

Since 2b/c is "only" waves, you can't expect waves to clump like a real curl. My waves do that to an extent. LOC/LCO helps hugely for me. But sometimes a little frizz (depending on what product I used) is realistic.

And of course you did use henna (and are still using it?) so that will pull out some of it. Maybe now's the time to grow it out. ;)

[Obsidian]

After one day of LOC, I only have one word-gross. The first night my hair was silky and soft but after a few hours it turned stringy and oily. I think I'll just stick to using oils/serums and stay away from any kinds of creams. even when used in small amounts they seem to be too much.

Yes, my hair is mostly wavy but I do have spiral curls mixed in, especially at the nape. The different textures is another reason I've given up, maybe my hair wants to be treated like its straighter then it really is.

I am still using henna. I tried to grow it out but after a couple inches, I realised I still hate my natural color. I won't grow out until I get more greys.

[LongCurlyTress]

I still think that 2-5 mini-buns or loose bantu knots like also Arctic described, kept for 30 min and done when hair is almost dry, would give you the best of two worlds.
If your hair don't like stuff put on it, don't put it. I am cutting back down on styling products too and if feels and looks much better.

Me tooo!!! I am also finding that a drop of coconut oil on the length and ends makes my hair so shiny!! Love this!!

[spirals]

I admit I'm not reading all the advice in the thread but I'll just put in my experience which may or may not help. I don't use any styling products on wash day. I do CWC and for the cheap rinse-out conditioner I use V05 but for actual final conditioning I'm currently using some stuff from Big Lots I've never heard of and it's working well. I put my hair up in one of those microfiber turban things to soak up most of the moisture. Then I use this comb:

https://www.pharmapacks.com/products.php?product=Conair-Styling-Essentials-Style-%26-Detangle-Comb-1-ea&gclid=CMi5g5-uotQCFQSewAodHrgACQ#.WTMHaxgrLrc

I put it back up in a dry turban (always have 2 on hand) to soak up the rest. I take it down and use a plastic brush to gently comb it until it looks straight. As it dries it curls up into spirals.

The main ingredients of the conditioner are cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (which in my past experience helps with frizz; I always read bottles), and centrimonium chloride. So it has basically all the conditioners. It also has glycerin and a bunch of oils and various herbal extracts. If I can't find it again because Big Lots is unpredictable, I'll look for a similar ingredient list.

[lapushka]

After one day of LOC, I only have one word-gross. The first night my hair was silky and soft but after a few hours it turned stringy and oily. I think I'll just stick to using oils/serums and stay away from any kinds of creams. even when used in small amounts they seem to be too much.

Yes, my hair is mostly wavy but I do have spiral curls mixed in, especially at the nape. The different textures is another reason I've given up, maybe my hair wants to be treated like its straighter then it really is.

I am still using henna. I tried to grow it out but after a couple inches, I realised I still hate my natural color. I won't grow out until I get more greys.

Maybe just use a light leave-in (pea size) and a tiny bit of serum (tiiiiiny bit). Yes, that is the definition of 2b/c hair or 2c hair mostly.