Help my disfunctional curls...please?

[chaoticwaves]

I have 3a curly hair that starts right below my ears. The canopy is becoming more and more straight after using coconut oil for a couple months now. Using coconut oil on the more curly under layer just makes the curls even more prominent. Don't get me wrong, I love those little spirals and they definetely need the moisture as those hairs are frizzy and more coarse than the canopy as well.

My problem is it makes my hair looks unkept. The hair underneath is way shorter because of the curls, and the canopy is kind of limp and hanging over it making my hair look wierd. :rolleyes: I thought maybe it was only noticable to me, but one day I was complaining slightly to my brother and SIL (who is also growing her hair) about how unruly my hair looks and my brother asked if it was because of how curly my hair is underneath.

Does anybody else have hair like this? What do you do? I know that there are some curlies/wavies that have curlier canopy hair and straighter under layer but I haven't heard from anyone with the opposite.

I do have a picture in my album and my wurls look nice, but I had to use curl product and diffuse my hair dry while scrunching the top layer to get a uniform look. I'm hoping that massive length with just pull those curls down... I can't wait to get there! :)

[curlylocks85]

Maybe you can twirl and pin the straighter parts when you hair is wet and let it dry that way so you have curl throughout your hair.

[kitmarlow]

(first post!)

I have hair exactly like that! I've been this way my whole life long and it runs throughout my family. Since my hair starts curling around my ears, I generally put the top layer in victory rolls or just pin it back, usually in a vintage style. I hate being half-up nearly all the time, but that just what works best (and easiest) for me. sometimes I'll sleep with pin curls in just the top layers and it'll be more uniform, but I'm usually too lazy. I also have really prominent bangs to take up some of the thickness/straight parts, but I'm also sans cowlick of any kind and my bangs naturally lie in a really pretty way.

[Copasetic]

You can always scrunch in your hair product to encourage curls. Other than that, I really think gaining length will help with this problem. My hair looks more uniform now that it is longer. That said, I most curlies have multiple patterns.

[emmabovary]

I have hair like that too! Way curlier underneath! Half-ups are indeed the easiest way to make it look decent. It drives me crazy. It usually gets better as it gets longer, though!

[bumblebums]

Ha! That's what my hair is doing right now. The hair around the hairline is curlier than the hair on the top... I think that's almost the definition of 2c hair.

What I do is plop if I want it to be curly, or else air-dry and comb it if I want it a bit straighter.

I hear things get better as the hair gets longer and heavier.

[chaoticwaves]

Thank you everybody. I never even thought about half-ups LOL. That is a great idea. I usually just wear it all up in a pony with the ends tucked under. What do ya'll use to pin up the halfups?


I like to air dry my hair, so scrunching it to give the canopy definition would take quite a while. I'll have to look into pin curls because I don't know what they are.

[chaoticwaves]

I have hair like that too! Way curlier underneath! Half-ups are indeed the easiest way to make it look decent. It drives me crazy. It usually gets better as it gets longer, though!

Your hair is really pretty!

[chaoticwaves]

(first post!)

I have hair exactly like that! I've been this way my whole life long and it runs throughout my family. Since my hair starts curling around my ears, I generally put the top layer in victory rolls or just pin it back, usually in a vintage style. I hate being half-up nearly all the time, but that just what works best (and easiest) for me. sometimes I'll sleep with pin curls in just the top layers and it'll be more uniform, but I'm usually too lazy. I also have really prominent bangs to take up some of the thickness/straight parts, but I'm also sans cowlick of any kind and my bangs naturally lie in a really pretty way.

Welcome! That is neat it runs in your family! I don't know of anyone in my family that has hair like I do. It is funny though because my brother's goatee is red and his hair is brown, but he gets that from my Grandpa "Red".

[Anje]

My hair's not curly, but I'm going to speculate that your canopy is straighter because it's drier. (Most of us end up with more dryness and damage in the canopy layer, since it gets the brunt of handling, sun, etc.) Extra conditioning might help, and you might want to leave some conditioner in your hair to help keep it moist and encourage clumpy curls.

You'll also get more curl if you try something like plopping (which basically involves spreading out a towel or t-shirt on the bed, hanging your head upside down, lowering it onto the towel so the hair piles up and coils, then securing the towel to your head). I get lots of waves if I put my wet hair in a satin sleep bonnet and let it air dry in there til morning, so I'll recommend trying that.

[Shicurls]

I was also going to suggest plopping and conditioner! Also, I would look into a mister bottle and fiddle around with those recipes. I know there are some here somewhere!

[GeoJ]

Thank you everybody. I never even thought about half-ups LOL. That is a great idea. I usually just wear it all up in a pony with the ends tucked under. What do ya'll use to pin up the halfups?


I like to air dry my hair, so scrunching it to give the canopy definition would take quite a while. I'll have to look into pin curls because I don't know what they are.

For securing half-ups I have used: Terry cloth hair bands, small/mini flexi-8's, braiding it, or making a small bun or knot (secured with pins, jaw clips, or small hair sticks). In the past I used to use metal barettes. When my hair was shorter I used half ups a lot because I had varying waviness (it is not noticeable anymore).

[chaoticwaves]

For securing half-ups I have used: Terry cloth hair bands, small/mini flexi-8's, braiding it, or making a small bun or knot (secured with pins, jaw clips, or small hair sticks). In the past I used to use metal barettes. When my hair was shorter I used half ups a lot because I had varying waviness (it is not noticeable anymore).

Great! It sounds like I need to do some toy shopping. I have some tiny claw clips and bobby pins. I could do something with those for now.

[simplysnuggle]

I get this too! What I usually do is let my hair dry up for a little while either in a messy bun or pinned curls (which is basically twirling pieces of hair and pinning it to your head) I let it dry like that for a little while then take it down and alternate up and down till its dry. No diffuser needed. You could also use a 'poo or conditioner that had curl enhancers in it (it usually has other stuff there that you might not want tho) Another Option is french braids or dutch braids when its wet and let air dry that way so you have uniform waves. Hope this helps :)