What the HECK is my hair DOING?!

[RedHed]

Today, I saw my virgin, unstyled hair for the first time in thirty years.

But first, the back of my head story...

For over thirty years, I have heat styled my hair, hating every hot, humid minute of it.

I tried perms. Yeah, I didn't have to blow dry my hair, but I looked like Bozo the Clown.

Three times I had my hair straightened. Yay! My hair was shiny and smooth, but I STILL had to blowdry my hair because otherwise my hair was flat with weird cowlicks... and eventually my almost melted.

Many times, I sat in a hairdresser's chair, thinking they could tame my hair. But no, they made it WORSE! I finally learned that layering, feathering and "taking some of the weight off" makes my hair poof out in strange shapes and halos.

So chopped off my hair and grew it out, though I still have some shoulder-length layers.

I also quit using SLS on hair, which did help make it softer.

Then, one day, I was searching the net for hair answers... and I found the HOLY GRAIL!! (The Long Hair Forum... :eyebrows:)

(End of back of my head story)

After reading the article on Hair Types, I assumed I had Type 2a hair, M/C mix, ii.

But then, as suggested by the Hair Type article, I washed my hair and let it dry, untouched, from soaking wet to mostly dry.

And now, I don't have a CLUE what type hair I have.

In the back, I think it is Type 2a.

But in the front (where it's more layered and shorter) I have long, stretched out ringlets (2-3" S pattern but ringlet-style). (See Picture #1)

And ALL OVER MY HEAD, I have a halo of alien hairs trying to escape from planet Earth! (See Picture #2)

I like my waves, but I hate, hate, HATE the alien frizzies!

So - what type of hair do I have, and any recommendations for annihilation of the aliens?

http://i1036.photobucket.com/albums/a442/suzetticus/haitType1.jpg (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/%3Ca%20href=)">http://i1036.photobucket.com/albums/a442/suzetticus/haitType2.jpg (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/%3Ca%20href=)">

[whoanellie]

Your hair looks beautiful! But if you can annihilate the aliens, let me know. I have many myself. :p

Actually your hair seems similar to what I think mine might do naturally once it gets to that length, but I'm not really sure yet. I haven't ever actually done the typing test and as I haven't been letting my natural waves appear lately (mostly brushing them out once dry because they are persnickity and rather elusive anyway), I'm now curious what it would do. I might have a new project. :D

[kdaniels8811]

While I am not a curly, my hair does frizz - especially now in the humidity. Check out this thread - Nightblooming Panacea? - under conventional products. One of our members makes it and she has a line of great products on Etsy. Good luck and welcome to LHC!

[linda g]

I dunno, but your post made me smile. Welcome :)

[freckles]

I have no idea what your hair is doing, but I wish mine would do it too! :crush: Your waves! Your colour! :crush:

I hope someone more knowledgeable about your hairtype can come along and give you some decent advice, and I hope you don't mind my totally useless post. :)

[Sammich]

*Giggle*
Loved your post! Wanted to sneak in and tell you, you have lovely hair! :D Plus, I have no good advice to tame the frizzies but they're certainly not alien to my head. ;)

[spidermom]

I would go along with 2A type, and the alien frizzies are not so alien after all. We all have them. Every single day, you shed out old hairs and grow new hairs. So you're always going to have newer, shorter hairs, and for most of us, they show. Only the people with the sleekest, straightest hair escape the curse of the sticky-ups.

[RachelRain]

I have the same alien frizzies. I love the way you described them though :)

[ericthegreat]

Hey RedHed. My well informed opinion as a hairstylist (the good kind that wants to promote healthy hair!) is that because in the past, you have had everything under the sun done to your hair, your hair right now doesn't even know how to completely revert back to its natural, virgin state.

You have said that you have heat styled your hair constantly for thirty years. And then you've also had it colored and permed and also straightened. Constant heat styling and also chemical processing all eventually wears the very structure of our hair down. The constant brushing and heat styling and the chemicals wear away at the cuticles that form the outer layers of our hair. When those outer cuticle layers are worn away, the hair strands literally become thinner and weaker.

Right now Redhed, I would suggest that you keep moisturizing your hair with a good moisturizing conditioner. You might also want to look into using oils in your hair as a pre-shampoo deep treatment. Simply apply the oil of your choice directly to your hair, leave it in for maybe an hour or more if you have the time, and then wash it out with shampoo. You could then follow that up with conditioner. I personally like coconut oil the best, but other people also like jojoba oil or olive oil.

The more your hair is moisturized, the more it will start to reform nicer looking waves. Just keep conditioning your hair and either stop the heat styling altogether or at least minimize the heat styling, and your hair will eventually start to get healthier again.

[RedHed]

Thanks folks, I'm appreciatin' the feedback and welcomes! ;-)

kdaniels8811 -- Thanks -- am checking out the Nightblooming Panacea? thread. At this point I'm willing to try anything, short of an A bomb -- I already have an H bomb going on.... =)

spidermom -- "sigh" that makes sense. And there I was, thinking it was only me and blaming it on my otherwise sainted Mother.

ericthegreat -- thanks so much for the post and the care. I'll look up the VIT (very Important Threads) for the one that lists the cone and SLS free products, and then I'm off to the store to find the necessary oils and moisturing potions!

----

Thanks again, guys and gals. I'm glad to be here!

[StarryNight]

I would go along with 2A type, and the alien frizzies are not so alien after all. We all have them. Every single day, you shed out old hairs and grow new hairs. So you're always going to have newer, shorter hairs, and for most of us, they show. Only the people with the sleekest, straightest hair escape the curse of the sticky-ups.

Haha, curse of the sticky-ups!
I have no advice, but your hair is beautiful. I made peace with my frizzy baby hairs when I was about 12. I knew I would never get rid of them, but now I kind of like them. I have learned how to work with them, a little. :)

[Anje]

Hi RedHed!

I'd agree with most that you look like a 2a to me (about the same type as me, though you say your individual hairs are thicker than mine), and I definitely get those alien frizzy things too. The best way I've found to deal with the suckers is actually more moisture for the hair, and maybe weighing them down a little. Mine spring up like crazy every time I shampoo!

Conditioner-shea butter blends (like Fox's Shea Butter Conditioning Cream, which is somewhere over in the Recipes section) seem to be effective at taming the suckers, though applying oil of any kind to my hair seems to calm them down a bit. (I like sesame oil myself, but jojoba, olive, and coconut seem to be the perennial favorites, and each behaves a bit differently in hair.) Also, be sure to give conditioner-only washing (aka CO) a try, using a fairly light conditioner like VO5 or Suave Naturals. Minimizing breakage also helps keep the mutant alien frizzies down to their minimum level, so that only the short, growing hairs spring up out of the mass of hair while the rest get contained in whatever updo you might want.

[OperaTeacherMom]

Welcome! I LOL'd at the alien frizzies. Is it possible they are just breakage from all the former heat styling? I definitely agree that more moisture is in order! Do you know the porosity and elasticity of your hair? I would hazard a guess that you don't need much protein, but a good moisturizing treatment would help.

Have you considered trying out co washing instead of using shampoo? It helped my frizz tremendously, and brought out a lot more curl than I thought I had!

[GRU]

I'd also go along with 2a. You can see other 2a pictures here: http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/PhotoAlbum20.html

Other than curl pattern, our hair is very similar: M/C and ii/iii. This translates into moisture, moisture, some more moisture, and just a tad bit more moisture. :D

You may see your curl pattern get stronger/more defined if you go into "Curly Girl" mode. I haven't had shampoo touch my hair since October 2009 and my hair doesn't miss it at all! I wash with conditioner, detangle with conditioner, and then leave conditioner in my hair (pretty much full-strength), and my hair has never been happier in my entire 41 years on this planet.

Here are some examples from a couple weeks ago. This is after a full day at the office on a hot and humid day:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/2010-June/outdoor-c-resized.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/2010-June/duallighting-c-resized.jpg

The only product in my hair in these pictures is Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner. (Possibly some evaporated ACV -- I do that about 60% of the time, depends on how much time I have in the morning -- my body prefers sleep-time over shower-time in the morning!) If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be leaving full-strength conditioner in my hair all day long, I'd have thought you were insane... I thought it would leave my hair all gooky, sticky, and dull-looking, but mirrors (and cameras) don't lie -- my hair is happy, shiny, curly, and relatively frizz-free.

Coarser, thicker hair loves heavy moisturizers... and like any wild animal, it's more likely to be tamed if you feed it what it likes!

[Katze]

First of all I LOVE your waves.

Secondly, as others have already said, you are not alone with the baby hair thing (just look in my album if you wanna see some REALLY scary new growth).

Personally I think that on hair as wavy as yours (not fake mixed wavy like mine) that a little bit of 'alien hair' looks good. As a real hair nerd, I always look at hair on other people in real life and think about what they do (or should do!) to care for it. When I see hair that looks like yours, I always think 'healthy and thick' and am envious. I think people who know can tell the difference between wavy and wild and frizzy and dry. :D

You are probably using leave-in already but I LOVE Fox's shea butter conditioning cream (1/3 coconut oil, 1/3 shea, 1/3 conditioner) and it is working very well for my DH who has wavy APL fine hair. Oiling might work well for you too since you are not a finehair - as others have already said, any kind of moisture! Play around and see what works. :)

[whoanellie]

GRU, I love your curls!

Second, wow, maybe I'm completely 2a after all in looking at the link you posted. I always thought I was sort of bridging 1c/2a, but in looking at that site I think it's possible I'm 2a, with a couple of 2b areas thrown in (as I look at my middle signature pic with two spirals when I was at shoulder length). This is really making me want to let my hair dry naturally and photograph it. The waves won't last past sleeping.. then I'll be back to mostly 1c. Stupid hair. :p

[GRU]

GRU, I love your curls!

Thanks!



This is really making me want to let my hair dry naturally and photograph it. The waves won't last past sleeping.. then I'll be back to mostly 1c. Stupid hair. :p

Have you tried plopping or pineapple-ing overnight?

[jivete]

For me, skipping shampoo, ACV/distilled water rinses and only "washing" in cool to tepid water really helped tame my frizzies. They aren't eliminated, but certainly tames. Full on shampoo or too warm water brings them right back.

[Bellalalala]

WO was the only thing that got rid of the frizzies for me, but my skin couldn't ultimately take it.

My hair is very similar to yours but more curl and more frizzies.

I just learned to embrace my frizzies and try to think of my fuzzy, curly hair as "beachy"

If I really want it smooth, then I load it up on special occasions with a super coney goop.

added a more representative pic I just took, bad hair day, but more accurate than my siggy, which is heat styled
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3607&pictureid=75625

[schweedie]

the alien frizzies are not so alien after all. We all have them. Every single day, you shed out old hairs and grow new hairs. So you're always going to have newer, shorter hairs, and for most of us, they show. Only the people with the sleekest, straightest hair escape the curse of the sticky-ups.

Can I just say thank you for saying that? I mean, it sounds obvious when I hear it - well, read it, but I always assumed that all of my frizzy sticky-ups was the result of damage and breakage. I like this explanation much more!

[whoanellie]

Have you tried plopping or pineapple-ing overnight?

While I've tried plopping while letting my hair dry, it was not quite long enough last I tried. Even just twisting it up in a hair towel leaves me with these weird sections at my roots that are pieced together, but not in an attractive way. I usually end up having to do a lot of finger work at the roots to not look ridiculous once dry. Pineapple-ing overnight, now honestly now, I've never tried that! And my hair is now long enough that I could try, too. :eyebrows:

[GRU]

If you wash at night, you can plop overnight and have "set" waves in the morning.

Also, try not to twist your hair up in a towel -- it breaks up your curl pattern. I use a Turbie Twist, and I do what I call a "modified plop" with it. I bend over and catch the bottom half of my hair in the "longish" part of the TT, then I lift it up so the "cap" part of the TT kind of plops the upper half of my hair (and scalp hair). With your hair length, you should be able to plop the whole thing in the cap part of a TT (or whatever you use to plop into).

[spidermom]

Can I just say thank you for saying that? I mean, it sounds obvious when I hear it - well, read it, but I always assumed that all of my frizzy sticky-ups was the result of damage and breakage. I like this explanation much more!

You are most welcome. Most of us probably have some breakage, but the majority of those sticky-up hairs are really and truly newer and therefore shorter growth.

[embee]

As a person with fine thin stick-straight hair, I can only say your hair is lovely, and those "aliens" give a softness that is charming.

When I've worked hard in my garden and come in all sweaty I will see wispy curlies and fuzzies, and wish there were a way to have them more often, on demand. But no, only when I'm working hard in hot humid weather. Sigh.

I understand the desire for smooth sleek hair, but think of how lovely a cat looks when the sun hits the fur and the wispies light up! It's like a halo.

[ravenreed]

I like to think I have straight hair because if I brush it when it is wet, it looks like straight hair-- although I have a halo of sproingy looking hairs that refuse to go with the program. I finally let my hair air dry and was so surprised at the amount of wave I had, which also explains why my ends always curl under and grab onto each other for dear life, leaving me with tangles to deal with.

The best thing for me was giving up shampoos. I CO and my hair is much less frizzy even after it is just washed. After a shampooing I have amazing volume but I also look like I stuck my finger in a light socket. So I only use shampoo as a clarifying step, and at most do it once every few months. You may have to play around a bit to see what your hair likes. It took me some time to figure out my routine and now if I vary it, my hair protests.

[Yozhik]

Wonderful hair! I love your color and your newly-discovered waves :)

Everyone else has pretty much said it all, but I'd like to add that one method of dealing with my "alien fuzzies" is to smooth some conditioner/leftover face lotion/aloe/coconut oil on my palms and gently run it over my head.

[Vanilla Mint]

Oooh, honey! I've got some aliens lurking in orbit around my head, too, but I'd take on a whole planet of the suckers if the ends of my hair would curl like yours.