Talk to me about flyaways?

[Wicked Princess]

So after a year of browsing through these wonderful forums and learning so much...I still find myself clueless when it comes to flyaways. :o

What exactly ARE flyways? I always assumed they were the hairs that were of varying lengths compared to the majority of your hair, or the little wispy hairs at the top of one's head (the "halo", according to the LHC terms and abbreviations thread :D ).

But I've seen so many people speaking of them negatively here! I usually notice when people refer to them in the same posts concerning damaged hair, whether about their own or someone they've come across. This has begun to make me think I'm wrong about what they are! :confused:

So, what are flyaways and how can they be avoided? If you have them, what products/washing method/etc do you use to hide or otherwise get rid of them?

I do apologize for such a noob-ish question!

[farewell_nancy]

I've had flyaways for...forever. I think it's more of an issue for people with especially fine/wavy/curly hair. They're the tiniest hairs framing the face one me and makes it virtually impossible for me to pull off "sleek" updos. I tend to look like dagwood if I try. The short hairs beside my ears refuse to do anything other than curl and stick away from my head. I can kinda sorta fix it if I wet my hair down and then mouse it in place, but mostly I don't fight it and just stick to looser styles where it isn't a factor.

[Ash]

I have lots of these. :( The short ear length hairs on the top are the ones I find the most irritating because they stick out everywhere and look like damage but they have always been this short.
Ways I minimize them - I wear a bandanna and have my hair braided all day at work and when I comb it out, those hairs are flatter. On days off, I can't really get rid of them. Lately I have been waiting until they start sticking out (about an hour after washing) and I put shea butter on them. This doesn't work as well as the bandanna though. and if I was to use enough shea butter to completely flatten them then my hair would look stringy.

[GoddesJourney]

It's what happens to me when my hair gets frizzy (due to humidity of environment or dryness of hair) and all the little hairs stick out and blow in the wind... Anyway, I've found that CO washing (conditioner only) is actually helping me. I tried all the coney serums to "tame frizz/ flyaways" and, of course, they don't work for me very well. This CO thing seems to leave just the right amount of oil/moisture on my head to eliminate this issue without looking too greasy.

[verene]

I have lots of fly-away hairs around the whole of my head. My entire outer layer of hair is wispy, thin, and short. If I pull them back tightly into a hair-style with damp hair I can ususally disguise them for the greater portion of the day. If enough come loose about my face, I can use them to make fake face-framing fringe. Some days though there is nothing I can do and I just have to live with them.

I also have fly-away strands in the length of my hair, which may be the kind of fly-aways that people refer to when talking about damaged hair, or negative fly-away strands. These are stands of hair that frizz out away from the bulk of my straight hair. Most of the time I don't get them when I do it is either a sign of the weather (high humidity) or that I need to be using more conditioner in my cleaning regime.

[Xandergrammy]

My hair always has fly aways. I've tried everything to help tame them, but they are never totally calm. I don't even know if super glue would help with my flyaways. I do have limited success with gel, pomade and coconut oil (used separately, not all at one time!)

[Capybara]

Those stray hairs that stick out of braids and up-dos! The way i see it, flyaways can be any length, but not as long as your longest hairs.

I get TONS of flyaways when I wear english/french braids, but herringbone braids seem to do a pretty good job of keeping them contained. With an english braid, if I don't oil the ends before braiding, I get flyaways all down the entire braid by the end of the day. It looks like a cactus!

[FrannyG]

Everyone has flyaways, because old hairs shed and new hairs are always growing. So we all have hairs of varied lengths. With some hair types, it looks more like a halo than others.

Flyaways caused by damage are a little different, as they can be more profuse, and unruly.

I actually kind of like my flyaways for the most part.