Suppressing my natural texture?

[Sara_1987]

I'm really confused about my hair type/texture.

It tends to be frizzy and poofy so when it dries (I always airdry) I twist it (all my hair at once, just twist it to one side, let it dry a bit, and then twist to the other) and I smooth it out and even comb it through with a wooden comb (terrible thing to do on wet hair. I know! eek) while it dries.

My hair comes out of this pretty smooth and straight, but there are some weird waves in the bottom layer of my hair.
It's just that I feel my hair really isn't naturally straight but has some waves, but since I don't know how to work with this I just always try to make my hair straight.

I would like to know how I can find out if I have waves and how to make them defined and not frizzy weirdness. I'm talking about basics: should I comb? (I feel like I have to comb or my hair will dry a tangled mess!), should I finger com, what kind of styling products should i use, do I touch my hair while drying, do I scrunch.

Help me please :(
I like wavy hair, so if I could get that naturally it'd be great.

[Quixii]

After you next wash it, comb through it in the shower (yes, while wet), and then try leaving it alone. Don't touch it. It may feel like it's going to be super tangled, but don't comb it! Then you should see how it looks really.

Should I post the before and after pictures of my hair brushed vs. not brushed? Seeing my hair brushed you'd never think it's curly at all. I actually did the same thing - always brushing it while it was drying and being frustrated with how frizzy it was - for years, until I once let it dry without brushing it and realized I had curls. :doh: Now I don't detangle at all while dry, because that destroys the curls or waves.

[spidermom]

I get great waves and curls by combing conditioner through in the shower and then leaving my hair alone while it dries. It also helps to stroke some gel over and through my hair, also curl creme, although my hair needs to be washed more often when I use it (so I don't anymore).

[Yozhik]

You can try adding aloe or a little bit of coconut oil to the ends while it's wet, and don't bother to brush it. At first I was really worried that my hair was going to be super tangly, but surprisingly, it wasn't really -- I just always had the mindset that I couldn't go without brushing my hair, which always ended up with me having a huge poofy mass!

Also, if you put your hair up in a turban for a while and then take it down when more of the water has been soaked up, then I find my hair is more boingy. You could also tilt your head to the side and scrunch it upward -- this encourages your curls to clump and spiral together :)

Hope that helps! :flower:

[Sara_1987]

Ok, I will try that.
But usually I put my hair in a towel for a couple of minutes after a shower, meaning that I bend over and flip my hair over and then do the towel turban thing (not tight though).
When i take it out of that it looks terrible and airdrying will make it a mess.
So do you all just put a towel over your shoulders and leave your hair down?

I always though I knew a lot about hair but now I feel so clueless....

[Roseate]

Ok, I will try that.
But usually I put my hair in a towel for a couple of minutes after a shower, meaning that I bend over and flip my hair over and then do the towel turban thing (not tight though).
When i take it out of that it looks terrible and airdrying will make it a mess.
So do you all just put a towel over your shoulders and leave your hair down?

I always though I knew a lot about hair but now I feel so clueless....

You might try plopping (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/its-a-curly-world/to-plop-or-not-to-plop) into an old t-shirt or flour-sack towel. Terry-cloth towels make my hair crazy frizzy, all the little loops make my hair puff up.

[klcqtee]

Mine is wavy! I brush my hair before I shower, then wash as normal. When I get out of the shower I wring my hair out and pat it down with a towel, squeezing out as much water as I can. If I want it wavier, I'll go to bed with it wet. I wake up with 3a/3b wurls. If it dries naturally, it's about a 2c. A stronger conditioner, or going CO can really help with frizz. It's made a world of difference for me.

[Captain Nikki]

All good advice above.
The best way for me to avoid frizz is to CO wash with a cone free condish. I then wrap it in a towel while i get dressed, then comb through, put it in a ponytail & apply some aloe vera gel to the top part of my hair. I don't like curly, frizzy hair all over my head! I leave it in a ponytail til it's half dry. I apply a little sweet almond oil to the tail part of my hair.
On the days following washing i finger comb. Normal combing destroys the curls for me.

[Isilme]

My hair gets nice s-shaped curls at the bottom if I scrunch it while airdrying (in a microfiber towel) or let it airdry on a surface (like the bed when I'm sleeping) But the top always gets frizzy and my hair goes straight if I just look at a comb.
I haven't tried this myself, but what about combing with conditioner in the shower, then leave to airdry/plop and just smooth out the top with a paddle brush or comb?