Suggestions to make my hair hang better

[lynnala]

I am so sick of my hair! It's very thin and flyaway. I just wear it in a braid all of the time because if I wear it down it looks awful within minutes of combing or brushing. In my siggy, I had just brushed it, so it looks okay, but within seconds it has split up into stringy, scraggly clumps that hang all over the place. Washing with Indian herbs helps with the volume somewhat, but I'm ready to try anything to get my hair to hang better when it's down. I don't know what to try first. My routine is to wash about 2 or 3 times a week, either with poo bars or Indian herbs, a teeny bit of coconut oil on the ends. I don't do anything for volume or texture. Suggestions appreciated!!

**BTW, I've tried CO washing but it leaves my hair limp and greasy.:(

[Aditi]

How about cutting your washes like you are washing your hair 2-3 times, how about making it to just 2 or once? I am guessing more washing can rip off the moisture from your hair and will make it frizzy or flyaways (just a thought)

[Ineedmorehair]

I have thin, fine, flyaway hair, too ("Ineedmorehair" get it, get it :D ) and I have been using Nioxin shampoo for a few months and let me tell you it looks and feels a lot better than it has in a very long time. It's pricey but for me it's been worth it. I highly recommend it. I'm always looking for something better, but like I said, right now it's been the best I've had in a long time.

[lynnala]

How about cutting your washes like you are washing your hair 2-3 times, how about making it to just 2 or once? I am guessing more washing can rip off the moisture from your hair and will make it frizzy or flyaways (just a thought)Unfortunately, less washing just makes it stringier. I've been contemplating washing it more often actually. I think I need something I can put on it after I wash it that makes it heavier. I'm going to try giving it a coat of aloe vera next time I wash.

[Leoneska]

Have you ever tried Henna or Cassia? I have used Cassia for the second time within 6 weeks now as a treatment and I'm very happy with the results. It built up my hair a bit (-:

[kdaniels8811]

Lynnala - my hair is the same way so please post anything you try that seems to work. Conventional shampoo strips my hair - I have tried many of them. Piling my hair on top of my head to sleep on seems to be the only way it will have some body - but that is only good for a day or so. Tips appreciated!

[lynnala]

Have you ever tried Henna or Cassia? I have used Cassia for the second time within 6 weeks now as a treatment and I'm very happy with the results. It built up my hair a bit (-:Cassia added a lot of body, but it also made my hair golden blonde, which I didn't like! I don't want to color my hair, so I can't use henna.:mad:

[juliaxena]

I have the same problem. I posted this in "My hair strands gather around in groups post" too. I'm going to be washing my hair every day now becase I will be working out every day. But I think I might have to do it in the morning because after sleep it already gets that way. Not the exercise (I'd die), the washing. I think your hair doesn't look as thin as mine though.

[Honestwitness]

Lynala, I have hair like yours that does the stringy, clumpy thing, too. Here are the things I have done that really seem to help.

1. Satin pillowcases
2. CWC or SC or CO every day or every two days. I've been much happier since I stopped SLS and cones.
3. One of my knit tops makes this problem noticeably worse. It must have microscopic fibers that snag my hairs as I move and clumps them together in long stringy bunches. It's part cotton. Maybe cotton is not good for our type of hair. I know it's not good for my pillowcases.
4. Homemade moisturizing/volumizing spray. In a 4 oz spray bottle I put about two tablespoons of aloe vera gel, two tiny drops of castor oil, about one teaspoon of cone-free conditioner and fill the rest up with distilled water and shake well. I love what this stuff does to my hair. I spray it on liberally after washing and towel drying and scrunch. I either air dry or diffuser dry on low or no heat. I might spray on more during the day, if the weather is dry. I always comb after the scrunched curls are dry. It fluffs it up nicely.
5. I often use a curling iron on lowest the possible heat to smooth the hair. As long as I don't get it overdry, my hair drapes better when it's smooth. But if I get it too dry, it gets flyaway and static-y, which defeats the purpose. I am trying to iron less often and learn how to embrace my natural hair.

Hope this helps.

[Leoneska]

I know that Cassia can make hair "darker", so I added some ingredients to the Cassia mix that are known to be lightening or just good to enhance the natural blonde without causing a "yellowish" color:

I steeped 1 handful of dried camomile flowers in one cup of boiling hot water and prepared the Cassia mix with that "tea" instead of water + juice of 1 fresh lemon + 1 tablespoon of honey.

I don't have a golden or yellowish blonde, it's still kind of whiteish (-:

[Silver & Gold]

You hair looks similar to my own. I don't have the length you have but what I've found that works for me is keeping the ends moist, this also gives weight. If my ends get overdry then my hair can get flyaway.

I make my own version of Kimberlily's derfrizz spray and then I also will very, very lightly oil if I need just a bit more weight. I generally need to do both on the day I wash and I may actually spray my hair a couple of times as it is drying on the ends. Once I get my hair properly conditioned with these items if I find I need to add moisture I can just spray my hair with plain distilled water. My ends tend to be dryer than my new growth because of past coloring. Until they grow long enough to cut them off I have to treat them with great care to keep them moistened enough. They lose moisture faster than my new growth because the cuticle is more open.

I also have made updos my friend. If I want the look of hair hanging down I do a half-updo. Until my hair is improved by growing and cutting off the colored ends I've realized that this is my best choice.

Oh, I thought of one other thing that helps my hair to hang nice. I sometimes twist it as it is drying. This makes the hair cling together in more controlled spirals. Sometimes after my hair is dry I'll spritz it with distilled water or Kimberlily's defrizz spray, twist it and pin it up for a little while.

[Anje]

Mine gets stringy too. I think it's a 1c and 2a thing that we get the stringy "definition" but don't have strong waves to define. Mine gets like that more when it's moisturized, so I would actually tend toward suggesting that you wash it more, toss more shikaikai in the mix, or something similar. You might have less stringiness without oil, too, but I don't know how well you and your hair would like that (I prefer mine oiled anyway!).

Personally, I don't notice henna altering the stringiness, but since other people keep suggesting it, I thought I'd mention that Catherine of H4H lists something called Zizyphus spina christi (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/zizyphus/) that's supposed to give similar conditioning but without depositing any color.

[rags]

I have the exact same problem - I think it's common with fine, thinner hair. And a bit of wave in it makes it worse.

For me, honestly? The only way I feel like my hair looks good down is with cones. Lots of them. Nothing I ever tried otherwise worked.

When I am using no-cone stuff (I'm alternating at the moment), I wear my hair up. A LOT. :shrug: Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[embee]

My hair makes strings, always has, even when I was a little kid. My mom called them "rat tails" - ugh. My solution is an updo. That's all there is to it.

Short or long, my hair is stringy. An updo will hide that.

Oh, I could get a perm and have frizz - and terrible breakage etc., but Been There Done That. Not much fun. Plus, the perms only hold a week or so, then I need another: more breakage. Sigh.

[Lilli]

Shampoo bars make my hair look awful - dull, sticky, stringy, and darker than it is. CO does the same. Have you tried just a normal S&C? I have fine, straight hair and that is how I look best.

[heatheradair]

Cones help me with my fine, stringy hair (probably because it coats the whole strand and thus makes it heavier). Also, I was shocked to discover that brushing it more helped! For the past five or six years, I only ever brushed it when I was about to get into the shower or when I came out of the shower. This was because my chemically-/heat-damaged hair would go limp and all oily if I brushed it. But with my virgin hair, a gentle brushing separates the stringiness and moisturizes my hair a bit, as it distributes sebum down the shaft.

[spidermom]

Top of head ponytail at night, roll the ends on sponge rollers or pincurl them.

[Raederle]

I am so sick of my hair! It's very thin and flyaway. I just wear it in a braid all of the time because if I wear it down it looks awful within minutes of combing or brushing. In my siggy, I had just brushed it, so it looks okay, but within seconds it has split up into stringy, scraggly clumps that hang all over the place.

Hmm, I'm wondering if your hair would respond better without the brush. We have fairly similar hair types, which is why I'm suggesting it. When I brush, the mass gets fluffy, but not really in an an appealing way. OTOH, if I just fingercomblet wet hair dry unmanipulated, I get waves like in my profile picture. When I use the horn comb, the waves come out, but the whole bit hangs together. If I choose, I can do as spidermom suggests, and it hangs more like gladtobemom's hair.

[lynnala]

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions. I need to get a spritzer bottle, I'd like to try that. My latest experiment has been to really coat my hair well with aloe vera gel after I've washed it, while it's still damp. It dries crunchy, but after I've combed it the crunchiness is gone and it has extra weight and less fuzzies.

[kdaniels8811]

Lynnala - by the way, your hair is just lovely. The color, the length... I think it is really pretty, even if it is freshly brushed. So is mine in my picture, brushed upside down to make it look fuller. Someone even commented on how thick my hair looked, ha! Only for five minutes...

My trick for making my hair look fuller is a bun, orchid or sock bun. Being up on my head all day makes for fuller looking hair when I let it down, as do bun waves.

[MsBubbles]

For me, honestly? The only way I feel like my hair looks good down is with cones. Lots of them. Nothing I ever tried otherwise worked.

When I am using no-cone stuff (I'm alternating at the moment), I wear my hair up. A LOT. :shrug: Sorry I couldn't be more help.


Cones help me with my fine, stringy hair (probably because it coats the whole strand and thus makes it heavier). Also, I was shocked to discover that brushing it more helped!

I agree 100% with rags & heatheradair. My cheapie Sunsilk drugstore conditioner does it for me. My hair hangs down, stays put and stays more together than when I do the once weekly breather condition with organic conditioner.

I don't believe there is any 'natural' way to make my hair unflyaway. :(