Frizzy, Undefined curls.... Please help.

[hazelnut]

So I washed my hair out yesterday and discovered that I have very loose curls. Almost stringy and noddle like. I don't know why. After I let it dry I noticed that I had some curls but on other parts of my head, my hair was either frizzy and undefined or semi-straight.

I'm African American, with, what I originally classified, as 3b/3c/4a curls. I've straightened my hair for 7 or 8 years and now I want to wear it natural but my hair looks....... odd. Can anyone help me please? :(

[marajade]

There was a nice gal on here that was growing her hair out natural- maybe she'll pop by and help out. :)

[LilyMunster]

What products did you use and it what manner?
CWC or DT, as a leave-in damp etc...?
I like to use a shower comb to comb a rich leave-in below the ears as a final step. I wear a satin or silk shirt and let it air dry with out touching. I cannot use a leave-in on my scalp. No comb or brush once dry.
All this part while hanging head upside down:
Spray with a distilled water and conditioner mixture to scrunch the curls in after sleeping over night. Refreshed curls, still not comb or brushing. Often after the mist and scrunch in the morning I'll put 5 or 6 drop of oil in my palms and scrunch into any portion of hair that is looking frizzed.

[manderly]

There's a new thread that started discussing this treatment:

http://www.cherrylola.com/?p=442

It might be something worth looking in to.

Here's the LHC thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23630

[hazelnut]

What products did you use and it what manner?
CWC or DT, as a leave-in damp etc...?
I like to use a shower comb to comb a rich leave-in below the ears as a final step. I wear a satin or silk shirt and let it air dry with out touching. I cannot use a leave-in on my scalp. No comb or brush once dry.
All this part while hanging head upside down:
Spray with a distilled water and conditioner mixture to scrunch the curls in after sleeping over night. Refreshed curls, still not comb or brushing. Often after the mist and scrunch in the morning I'll put 5 or 6 drop of oil in my palms and scrunch into any portion of hair that is looking frizzed.
My first washing I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted as a leave in, Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut for my shampoo, and then Garnier Fructis anti frizz cream. I put a little Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship split end protector on my ends too. After the first wash I looked at it and said, "this does NOT look right." So I rinsed everything out and put Loreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditoner for curly hair in my hair and then some mousse and that's it.

[spidermom]

One thing I'm sure of - you will need both protein and moisture deep treatments, as straightening is pretty hard on your hair. Always follow a protein treatment with a moisture treatment. There are good recipes in the articles section and some have listed the products they like in the conventional products category. As the condition improves, the curl should improve also. Don't be afraid of using styling products (as you posted while I was posting - I see that you aren't) . I like to comb a styling creme through my hair before blow-drying (on warm/cool) or air-drying. It encourages my hair to cling together rather than forming a bushy cloud of frizz.

[hazelnut]

One thing I'm sure of - you will need both protein and moisture deep treatments, as straightening is pretty hard on your hair. Always follow a protein treatment with a moisture treatment. There are good recipes in the articles section and some have listed the products they like in the conventional products category. As the condition improves, the curl should improve also. Don't be afraid of using styling products (as you posted while I was posting - I see that you aren't) . I like to comb a styling creme through my hair before blow-drying (on warm/cool) or air-drying. It encourages my hair to cling together rather than forming a bushy cloud of frizz.
Thank you! Where do you find the recipes on this site? (I'm still trying to figure everything out. :) )

[spidermom]

At the top of this page you can click on Articles (there is a lot of hair care information in there), also Reviews for products you might consider trying. At the bottom of this page is a place called Forum Jump; click on the arrow to see categories that might be helpful.

Good luck, also Welcome!

[SammieEve]

When you say straighten do you mean flat-iron or chemically straighten? I used to flat-iron my hair about once a week for about a year. Because of the damage I slowly ended up cutting my waist length hair back to about shoulder before I gave it up. It’s been over 3 years since I last used a flat-iron on a regular basis. When I stopped, I noticed that some of my hair curled and some didn’t. It was especially noticeable in the front where I would touch up the flat-ironed parts that got wet when I showered, washed my face, etc. I don’t really believe in Big Chops since I like to wear my hair up to protect it anyway. I’m not really sure how long your hair is right now, but I’d suggest wearing it up if you can and babying your current length.

I’ve had a lot of luck using SMT ( http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) and the Caramel Treatment ( http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=454). Manderly already posted a link to the Cherrylola treatment I’ve been trying, but if your hair is dry I’d suggest skipping the baking soda part of the treatment. There is a bit of debate in the thread about if it really does anything for the recipe. I’ve also been following Teri’s method ( http://www.biracialhair.org/Welcome.aspx) (She’s my curly hair role model!)

Good luck with your hair and welcome to LHC! :flower:

[hazelnut]

When you say straighten do you mean flat-iron or chemically straighten? I used to flat-iron my hair about once a week for about a year. Because of the damage I slowly ended up cutting my waist length hair back to about shoulder before I gave it up. It’s been over 3 years since I last used a flat-iron on a regular basis. When I stopped, I noticed that some of my hair curled and some didn’t. It was especially noticeable in the front where I would touch up the flat-ironed parts that got wet when I showered, washed my face, etc. I don’t really believe in Big Chops since I like to wear my hair up to protect it anyway. I’m not really sure how long your hair is right now, but I’d suggest wearing it up if you can and babying your current length.

I’ve had a lot of luck using SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) and the Caramel Treatment (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=454). Manderly already posted a link to the Cherrylola treatment I’ve been trying, but if your hair is dry I’d suggest skipping the baking soda part of the treatment. There is a bit of debate in the thread about if it really does anything for the recipe. I’ve also been following Teri’s method (http://www.biracialhair.org/Welcome.aspx) (She’s my curly hair role model!)

Good luck with your hair and welcome to LHC! :flower:
Thank you! I tried Teri's method yesterday and either I did it wrong or it's just not for me.

[MotherConfessor]

Give your hair some nice protein and buckets of moisture. You may want to wait untill you have given your hair some serious tlc before moving on to to trying out products or other treatments. Some things that worked really well before I started taking care of my hair either did not work afterwards or were just unesessary.

But mostly protein and tons of moisture.

[hazelnut]

What protein treatments and deep conditioning treatment recipies would you guys suggest? :)

[shaybabe8604]

I flat ironed my hair quite often a few years back and the same thing happend to me, my curl pattern was completely undefined. I have read in a few places that heat styling hair very coily/kinky hair can lose its natural curl pattern...

[Nightshade]

What protein treatments and deep conditioning treatment recipies would you guys suggest? :)

You can pick up Hask Henna n' Placenta (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/44/cat/3)(no worries it's just derived protien, not actual placenta) at Walgreens or Walmart very inexpensively and it has both protien and moisture :)

[3azza]

I would suggest herbal essences twisted curs or hello hydration, the shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in. They work for me. sometimes i switch to other brands, but the only way for me to keep curls and minimize frizz is to use conditioners and leave in conditioners, otherwise i'm in trouble...