a-HAH! A frizz insight!!

[intothemist1999]

I had a bit of an epiphany shortly after typing my first ever blog post earlier today. While looking at the boards there was a big banner ad that said "I HATE MY FRIZZ!" I thought, "HOW TIMELY!" so I clicked it :)

It took me to a site called "Mixed Chicks (http://www.mixedchicks.net/)", products for "biracial hair texture". After looking at the site a few minutes, it dawned on me that my uncle has very wavy, wiry hair. Never thought about my mom (his sister) along those lines, but yes, her hair was very course.

Even though I have essentially straight hair (floaty and fly-away) , now I'm wonder if I'm fighting some hereditary traits.

I was hoping to stick to not using commercial products in my hair (besides shampoo or conditioner), but if anyone can suggest anything, I'm all ears. For the record I limit my purchases to items not tested on animals, or that contain animal products, but I'd still be interested to hear about any options or drying/styling tricks.

Tangent: Here's another weird thing: my mom's hair must have been around chin length, until she got it cut short and started using curlers in her 40s. Come to think of it, I honestly don't remember ever seeing her hair DOWN! She always wore it up and was very big on teasing!! That's so weird that I've never realized I never saw it down! Strange...I wouldn't be able to identify her hair type at all. :-(

[AJoifulNoise]

I saw that ad after replying to your blog. Gave me a good chuckle. I didn't click on it though. I'm keeping an eye on this thread, too.

[mommy2one05]

sorry I do not have any ideas but I cant wait to see the ones people tell you cause frizz is something I fight with ALOT. I did buy a new goody brush that is supposed to be infused with ion to reduce frizz but have not tried it yet since my hair is still wet after csc this am due to the bs mess.

[bellawave]

Best thing I've found for frizz is CO-washing. I do have coarse, wiry, wavy hair, and am now getting more frizz as more gray comes in (the gray is even coarser and more wiry). Unfortunately I can't CO all the time or I get scalp acne. But I do it when I can and it really helps the frizz.

Incidentally I tried the Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner when it came out. Loved it at first, but it became drying after a while. There's PVP in it (chemical gel ingredient) which I think was the culprit, as PVP gels turn my hair to straw.

HTH!

[Euphony]

I've reduced my frizz a great deal - I'd say it's nearly non-existant. But with my hair type I don't think I can ever be completely rid of it.

I've started washing my scalp only, while holding a loose ponytail out of the way of the water so it doesn't get wet. I do this in the kitchen sink with my sprayer. I use hair soap and rinse, then rinse again with mild citric acid. Then I wrap a towel around my scalp leaving my dry hair out of it (yeah it looks pretty silly!).

I comb with only my bohn combs (they reduce static). If I'm a bit extra special on the frizz department I take some unrefined coconut oil about the size of my pinky nail, rub it between my hand then run my hand through the length of my hair, then comb.

I also like rose water with a bit of glycerin in it as a mist. I'll mist my hair with plain water if my waves are being fussy. I'm washing my hair in the shower (getting it all wet) once a week. I only wash my scalp even then though, and I use a very moisturizing no cone, no protien conditioner after.

[intothemist1999]

If I'm a bit extra special on the frizz department I take some unrefined coconut oil about the size of my pinky nail, rub it between my hand then run my hand through the length of my hair, then comb.

.

Thanks for the info! I've never heard of that washing method before!

Do you apply the oil on the top of the head as well? That's where I get my worst frizz, but I'm afraid to do it because I tend to get oily at the best of times.

Today is wash day, so I plan to try a VERY light oiling on the top of my head and see what happens.

[shell78]

Frizz is thirsty hair that wants to be fed.

Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair? If you're using a brush at all, try switching to just combing, and keep your hair well moisturized. I like leaving in conditioner, using oils to seal in the moisture, and my hair loves aloe vera gel too.

I totally agree with the CO-washing suggestion. Sulfates and harsh cleansers dry out already thirsty hair.

[Riot Crrl]

Frizz is thirsty hair that wants to be fed.

Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair? If you're using a brush at all, try switching to just combing, and keep your hair well moisturized. I like leaving in conditioner, using oils to seal in the moisture, and my hair loves aloe vera gel too.

I totally agree with the CO-washing suggestion. Sulfates and harsh cleansers dry out already thirsty hair.

Shell and I are coming from the same "hair philosophy," so I can't be anything but ITA, ha.

[Euphony]

Thanks for the info! I've never heard of that washing method before!

Do you apply the oil on the top of the head as well? That's where I get my worst frizz, but I'm afraid to do it because I tend to get oily at the best of times.

Today is wash day, so I plan to try a VERY light oiling on the top of my head and see what happens.
I get a halo going on with the top of my head. The coconut oil spread throughout the length and combed will latch on to the comb a bit so when you get to the top of your head the comb should have coconut oil on it. Hopefully enough to tame the frizz a bit, but not too much as to cause greasies.


Frizz is thirsty hair that wants to be fed.

Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair? If you're using a brush at all, try switching to just combing, and keep your hair well moisturized. I like leaving in conditioner, using oils to seal in the moisture, and my hair loves aloe vera gel too.

I totally agree with the CO-washing suggestion. Sulfates and harsh cleansers dry out already thirsty hair.
Absolutely! Detergents are so bad at drying out already dry hair.

I found a non-sulfate shampoo at the store it's called ABBA - it's some good stuff. I generally use hair soap, but on the off wash time that I don't want to I grab the ABBA, I haven't had any problems with it.

[intothemist1999]

Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair?



I wondered about that. Someone (Euphony, I believe) suggested that some time ago. By coincidence I was just checking the typing website that includes photos and was debating between 1b and 1c. I also checked the 2's but they are WAY wavier/curlier than mine.


ETA: given the thoughts I had aboute my mom's hair and her brother's, could be that there's more wave in it than I thought.

You make an interesting point though...maybe if I get it better moisturized, it will change.

Never thought of my hair as dry, but maybe it is.





If you're using a brush at all, try switching to just combing, and keep your hair well moisturized.


I dont' use a brush. Occasionally I use a detangling comb, but normally I just finger comb.



I like leaving in conditioner, using oils to seal in the moisture, and my hair loves aloe vera gel too.

I was using aloe vera for some time, but it didn't make a difference to the frizz, but I imagine it's good for the hair anyway.

I haven't used a leave-in conditioner since well before joining LHC. I can't remember if they helped, but most of them made my hair feel like it had a residue on it (kinda greasy) which in turn made my skin feel funny and sometimes itchy. I think I will give it another try though. Any suggestions?

I use coconut oil on my length (from about ears downward) and I'm really happy with it. I'm leary of using it on the top of my head since I'm an oily one, but I'll give it a whirl today.



I totally agree with the CO-washing suggestion. Sulfates and harsh cleansers dry out already thirsty hair.

Actually CO was my favourite option (which I've done on and off), but it usually meant I had to wash every day because of either oiliness or scalp itchies. I pretty much have to wash daily if I use that which I don't really want to, but if that fixes it, I'll do it. Maybe I never stuck with it long enough to see results related to the frizz.


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[Nevermore]

Aloe made my hair worse in the frizz department because it dried it out, I think because even the clear, no-scent bottled kind is full of chemicals to keep it from going funny or changing color or whatever they're there for.

You could try using shampoo on your scalp, rinsing carefully to avoid getting much in the length and use conditioner only on your length, if you haven't already.

[Anje]

I've been smiling at that ad all day. My frizz is generally related to the fact that the first inch of new growth thinks that I'm a curly, so I always have ends sticking out. :) (Seems to be a typical problem for 1c and 2a folks.)

For me, the best frizz reducer was WO washing. My hair took on this cool, heavy characteristic. I've given it up for the time being because I could never get my ends to stay sufficiently moisturized, and switched to CO. Lots more frizz, but I'm messing with aloe and Kimberlily's defrizz spray to see if that does anything.

[intothemist1999]

Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair? .


I've been thinking about this alot after you posted that, and remembering that my mom and her brother both had wiry hair.

It's a bit of a revelation. If I DO in fact have type 2...now what? *lol* I've been fighting it, trying to make it straight.

After washing last night I noticed it was in fact quite wavy when almost dry. By morning it was considerably straighter, but still a hint of a wave. I'm aiming to give up the fight. Is there something I can do to perk up the wave, to "work with it"?


TIA! :flower:

[Shanarana]

My frizz has been controlled so much since using coconut oil. I also use a wooden comb that helps with static and gives me a smoother look.

[Riot Crrl]

I've been thinking about this alot after you posted that, and remembering that my mom and her brother both had wiry hair.

It's a bit of a revelation. If I DO in fact have type 2...now what? *lol* I've been fighting it, trying to make it straight.

After washing last night I noticed it was in fact quite wavy when almost dry. By morning it was considerably straighter, but still a hint of a wave. I'm aiming to give up the fight. Is there something I can do to perk up the wave, to "work with it"?


TIA! :flower:

That's what a lot of wavies and curlies say when they realize. It is what I said! :)

You might want to read Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey. But to save time, I'll just break it down for you:

- We are supposed to avoid sulfates, they dry our hair
- Since we're avoiding sulfates, we should avoid cones as well, since sulfates are the only way to get some of them out
- Lucky you, as a wavy, you get to CWC with a gentler shampoo once in a while, as opposed to curlier folks who are supposed to CO only
- Moisture moisture moisture

We are also supposed to avoid blowouts and flatirons, which you probably do already. Diffusers, on low and for a short time are sanctioned. It is "heat with the intention of straightening" that is not.

I don't necessarily agree with every word of Curly Girl, and I do make fun of it at times, but the truth is that it has helped me a lot.

[intothemist1999]

For the record, I did apply the TEENSIEST bit of coconut oil to the top of my head yesterday. It really looked fantastic!!

It was near the end of the day so I didn't pay too much attention to the frizz after that, but my hair looked really good for that hour anyway (which is more than I can usually say for it!) :cheer:

My main fear is that would make my head look very greasy, which fortunately it hasn't. I will keep trying it and see how it works out.

Yay!! :D

[rhubarbarin]

My frizz has gotten worse lately and it's driving me crazy. Even when my hair is greasy (which happens very easily) it is still frizzy.

Some of it appears to be all the new hairs I am growing (yay!), probably thanks to my improved nutrition and weight gain.. but some of it is just misbehavior. I need to try some new leave-ins.


Frizz is thirsty hair that wants to be fed.

Sometimes, but some of us are just stuck with it in one form or another.. even as a child, when my hair had never known cones, was only washed once a week and worn up at all times, it was BIG. And it wasn't nearly as curly then as it is now.

My hair just has an excessive, dramatic amount of body, even when it's full of products to make it heavy enough to lay down. Every hair wants to float by itself. Like Spidermom said about her hair - it's cobwebby.

[intothemist1999]

Like Spidermom said about her hair - it's cobwebby.


I noticed that description, too! It's perfect! *lol*


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[kamaram]

Dumb question ladies. Do I apply oil when the hair is wet or dry. I hate my fly away frizz. They always have an elevation of an inch in the air.:mad:

[intothemist1999]

Dumb question ladies. Do I apply oil when the hair is wet or dry. I hate my fly away frizz. They always have an elevation of an inch in the air.:mad:


Not dumb at all!

Not that long ago someone posted that coconut oil is good on dry hair. I'd been putting it on damp! I asked about it and was assured by our WONDERFUL experienced people on TLHC that either is good! It's all about experimentation and what works for YOU.

I'm not sure, but it might be that certain oils are better on dry vs. damp. Others could address that better than I can.

For myself, I've fiddled a bit and what works best is the virgin coconut oil. I always put it (the tiniest bit) on damp hair from about the ears down, focusing on the ends.

If I'm going to work, I've just starting adding some on dry hair, at the back mainly (I get alot of frizz and floaty hair there, too)...I crook my head forward and smear it on the back hairs, near my neck. I've started (just the once so far) to take the oil to work instead and apply it there, and yesterday was the first time I applied the tiniest bit to the top of my head, which worked nicely.

I see you're a newbie (Welcome!! :) ) so in case youi haven't read it elsewhere already, the trick is to use a TINY bit of oil. If liquid, one or two drops. For something more solid, like coconut oil, I've always heard "a fingernail's worth". When I first joined, thought that meant (or read it somewhere perhaps) that that meant like if you scape it with a fingernail, which is what I was doing. Maybe that wasn't enough for me, so I've added a bit more. Recently I'm reading what suggests more like the "size" of a fingernail, so maybe that's why I was putting too little. Rule of thumb to avoid too much is rub it between your hands to get just the thinnnest layer of oil on your palms.

Try different oils, as some seem better than others for some people.

I think the most common ones are coconut oil, jojoba oil, extra virgin olive oil, and shea butter. There are others like broccoli, almond, and camellia.

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[1nuitblanche]

From my hairdresser, I was under the impression that the halo of little frizzies I have is mostly new hair that isn't long enough to be weighed down with the rest of my length. So, I always just kind of accepted it as part of having hair. I might try this oiling trick though because when I wash my hair less often, the halo is usually less conspicuous.

[Elenna]

Frizz is thirsty hair that wants to be fed. Your "floaty and fly-away" may actually be thirsty type 2 hair? If you're using a brush at all, try switching to just combing, and keep your hair well moisturized. I like leaving in conditioner, using oils to seal in the moisture, and my hair loves aloe vera gel too. I totally agree with the CO-washing suggestion. Sulfates and harsh cleansers dry out already thirsty hair.

Ah ha! The light dawns! This may be the ultimate solution to dry hair on wurlies.

[intothemist1999]

My frizz has been controlled so much since using coconut oil. I also use a wooden comb that helps with static and gives me a smoother look.


I think we used to have a wooden comb thread or article on the old boards. Can you recommend one? Do I remember correctly that The Body Shop had wooden combs? Or was that brushes?

[Katze]

what a great thread!

I've been really dismayed by the texture of my hair lately. Everyone else I know with 'long' hair - except BF, who never brushes or combs - has smooth hair that hangs in all one piece. They can put their hair in a ponytail or bun that stays smooth for hours. Mine gets messy within 1-2 hours unless I oil and gel and brush it flat. Even if I put mine up - *especially* when I put it up! - I get all these wisps, frizz that sticks straight up and all over the place, never lies flat and smooth. It's why I say I have witchy hair.

Even in my sig pic where my hair looks straight (Cause the waves are pulled down and hidden in my scarf) my hair is flying all over the place - it just happened to land for a moment in a nice way. Profile pic is 'normal' - and yes, it was combed! My hair is mostly straight, except for the spirals at the end, but it ACTS like curly hair.

Aloe doesn't do diddly for my hair - it makes it wet, then it dries, frizzy, again. 'Cones help it - today I am wearing it down and the messyness, from a coney CWC wash last night, looks more deliberate than not. Gel helps a bit but then hits a point where it doesn't do anything anymore.

I would love to be able to put my hair up and have it stay that way and look good without 8-10 bobby pins holding the top, sides, nape frizz/layers in place. But instead no matter what I have a 'halo' of 4-5 inch 'baby hairs' that stick up all over the place.

Misting and oiling help to a degree, too, but my mister broke and I have not had time to get to the store that sells them. Oiling is very easy to overdo on my hair.

I'm watching this thread with interest, too!