Some questions for people with coarse, wavy, thick hair

[talula_fairie]

So, I am growing out my hair from a pixie. I was growing it out before, but I couldn't quite get to bra strap length before it would get too stringy and damaged from all the times I'd dyed it. I cut it all off --and I do mean, I cut it ALL off, to a (short) pixie. I think I had slightly more than a buzz cut in the beginning. I've grown out and cut off all the dyed parts since, and now it's back to my natural color, healthy again, and ready to be grown out.

I have coarse/medium (all the hairdressers say it's really coarse but I think it's on the coarser side of medium, personally. It doesn't crunch when I roll it between my fingers and it looks to me to be about the width of cotton thread) hair that has a slight loose wave to it (1c/2a). And I have a LOT of hair, definitely iii. When it's long it hurts my scalp to put it up sometimes. And it takes hours to dry if I don't use a blow dryer when it's long...at least 6 probably more like 8 hours.

here are some examples so you get an idea:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2401/2509105936_d347fcca41_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/222/487350583_26d50faa5a.jpg

(blown straight)http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/308298565_5ed645ef3f_o.jpg

This is my hair now. I think it's cute but it's SOOO short. I have to admit I've had pangs of regret that I cut it all off. But...it was getting really damaged and black hair dye is a PITA. Plus, if you remove black hair dye you have to bleach, and that FRIES my hair. I knew it wouldn't feel like my hair anymore and the only solution was cutting it all off. *sigh*

This is what it looks like now (bigger version of my icon)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2077/2497945026_01bcda5d19_o.jpg

So anyway, my questions are, is there anything I need to be doing right now for it? I think my hair is a little short for CWC. I've just been washing it once with SLS-free shampoo and using conditioner all over. I also wash every day. Should I not?

Also, for those of you with thick, coarse, wavy hair, how do you take care of it when it's long? I always seem to go to allllmost brastrap length and then hack it all off because I get frustrated and can't deal with it.

What are some tricks for wearing it up so that it doesn't hurt your scalp, how do you wash, how do you keep the frizz down, how do you keep it from getting stringy at the ends? I read one thread where someone said they wear a "hair drying shirt" when they are drying their hair and thought that wasn't a bad idea. Though I always really hated having wet hair for a long period of time...especially in the winter.

And about blow drying...is that like, really bad? I've been a daily-blow dryer for as long as I remember, but I think I might have to stop if I really want to have long hair. I have to admit I have not loved the waviness of my hair and have often blown it straight. It's actually not the waviness that bugs me so much as that it's really frizzy if I don't blow dry. And my hair hates silicone.

Sorry this is so long. I'm happy to be a member of this community and hope to learn a lot. Thanks in advance for reading and giving tips :)

[Euphony]

Also, for those of you with thick, coarse, wavy hair, how do you take care of it when it's long? I always seem to go to allllmost brastrap length and then hack it all off because I get frustrated and can't deal with it.



hahaha you sound just like me before I found LHC! (BTW I only have about 1/4 coursies, the rest are medium with some fine thrown in for good measure :D)

Things that have helped me immensely - ditching the brush. I comb only now, and I start from the bottom to the top. Ditching the blow dryer, my hair is stupendously soft now I attribute that to no sulfates, no cones and no blow dryer. Another thing that has helped me not to get so frustrated with the huge POOF of hair that resides on my head, I comb it once directly out of the shower (many comb while still in the shower), then I do not touch it again until it is completely dry. If I do comb it before it's dry it disrupts the wave pattern making the waves go every which way, then the hairs are fighting against each other instead of playing nice resulting in POOF.

As for updos, balanced updos are your friend. You will learn how to balance them, and if it's not balanced take it out, redo it and that will shift the imbalance. Sometimes I take my hair down and put it back up 5 times during the day. Fortunately I can do a figure 8 in less than 60 seconds, a bee butt in about a minute and a half (because I always pull it when I'm fastening it), an infinite takes me about 60 seconds and today is the waterfall, which took me about 2 minutes because I have thick hair and have to get it in that flexi just right or the flexi won't close.

[talula_fairie]

It never even dawned on me to use a comb. I don't know why, exactly. I could barely get a brush through my hair when it was long and thick. Thanks for the tip!

I've been ditching the blow dryer lately, much as it pains me, and I switched to a sulfate free shampoo.

[DMARTINEZ]

Im a 99% coarsie! :lol:
some tips:
1.No brushing
2.Get a good wide tooth seamless comb
3.No heat
As far as products go, that will be your choice and experiments will be trial
and error. But I will say, heavy pre-wash oilings are nice. And leave-ins are
pretty much a must.
Coarse hair is a different creature, but its a strong creature! I would say coarse
hair is a moisture hog. :)


Deb

[talula_fairie]

So I was doing everything wrong! ha!

At what point should I get a comb like that? Right now I am using a wide-tooth wood brush. But my hair is so short, I don't think a wide tooth comb would work on it right now. Maybe I should get one when it's shoulder length?

[Medvssa]

Coarse hair tends to be more porous and lose all the moisture very easily, so what I recommend is to keep it well moisturized, that might help avoiding frizz, damage and split ends. And yeah, use a wide toothed comb :)

[jojo]

well im a fine haired, thickish gal (apart from my ends but thats another story!)so my routine probably wont work for you, but id advise ditching the hair fryer and also advise regularly oiling your hair.

You may not realize it but you are in an excellent position for growing your hair, start babying it now and before long your hair will thank you for it! Your hair looks very healthy and cute BTW!

You are also one of the lucky few who suits their hair either long or short.

oh and welcome aboard, this place has and the lovely people who come on here have been my god send, hope you stick around and i look forward to seeing you grow. xx

[Euphony]

So I was doing everything wrong! ha!

At what point should I get a comb like that? Right now I am using a wide-tooth wood brush. But my hair is so short, I don't think a wide tooth comb would work on it right now. Maybe I should get one when it's shoulder length?

My first 'good' comb was a wooden one from the Body Shop, I have two and while they are good I only use them now if I can't find one of the ones I bought from Hairsense (http://www.hairsense.com/bonecombs.htm). The bone/bohn combs I have from Hairsense just glide through my hair, they are amazing little creatures! I have one of the really wide toothed ones and I have a more 'normal' toothed one as well, I love them both!

ETA: I don't see any reason you can't start with a good comb now. I plastic comb you get at the store isn't going to cut through your hair like a brush will. But I can about guarantee that a good comb will cut through it.

[akka naeda]

Everything is entirely up to you, including your use of a dryer, sulphate shampoos or a brush. What I do is not what the previous posters do:)

I used a brush until my hair was knee-length before, when I joined here I trimmed up to classic to thicken up the ends. You'll find it's easier using a comb, but for me anyway it doesn't stimulate my scalp so much. I detangle my hair with a comb every morning because I sleep with it plaited, and then once it is tangle free I brush it through a couple of times.

I use a sulphate shampoo on my scalp and a cone-free conditioner on the length.

I also use a dryer, but then I only wash my hair once a week to once every 2 weeks. In the winter I will sometimes dry the whole lot because I am not giving myself a cold just to have lovely hair; in the autumn and spring I dry off most of the drips, plait it and leave it to dry that way (it will still be damp the next morning) and in the summer I air dry it.

I never wore updos until I came here, just half ups, or a single plait. But then I'm not worried about always wearing the same style:)

The thing my hair likes best is oiling on damp hair. SMT is also nice for it.

[talula_fairie]

Is there an article here about hair oils? I've never used them before, and I definitely want to try some.

Thanks for the tips, jojo. I actually did plan to cut it all off so I could grow it out. Though it's been painful to be without the long hair I had for several years!

[florenonite]

I've got similar hair to you, though mine's fine. I don't actually brush or comb at all, just use my fingers and that gets the tangles out. Frizz when you've washed your hair is often because it's too dry, so you'll want to try things that take away less moisture. I see you've switched to sulphate-free, which is good. You also said that you wash daily, which may be necessary at this shorter length, but because you have problems with frizz I would recommend trying to stretch out your washings as your hair gets longer. In addition, I find that using a t-shirt between my towel turban (just an ordinary towel) and my hair also drastically reduces the frizz.

[talula_fairie]

What is SMT and what is a plait?

[mira-chan]

85% coarsie (and increasing).

I second the combing and oil/ leave ins.

For frizz I had reduction from oils and also using herbs to wash. I wash once every week to two weeks and never use heat. I use a brush (denman or a hard bristle BBB) on hte scalp only.

A plait is a braid. SMT is a deep conditioning treatment, Snowy's Moisture Treatment that contains a cone free conditioner, aloe and honey.

[jojo]

Everything is entirely up to you, including your use of a dryer, sulphate shampoos or a brush. What I do is not what the previous posters do:)

I used a brush until my hair was knee-length before, when I joined here I trimmed up to classic to thicken up the ends. You'll find it's easier using a comb, but for me anyway it doesn't stimulate my scalp so much. I detangle my hair with a comb every morning because I sleep with it plaited, and then once it is tangle free I brush it through a couple of times.

I use a sulphate shampoo on my scalp and a cone-free conditioner on the length.

I also use a dryer, but then I only wash my hair once a week to once every 2 weeks. In the winter I will sometimes dry the whole lot because I am not giving myself a cold just to have lovely hair; in the autumn and spring I dry off most of the drips, plait it and leave it to dry that way (it will still be damp the next morning) and in the summer I air dry it.

I never wore updos until I came here, just half ups, or a single plait. But then I'm not worried about always wearing the same style:)

The thing my hair likes best is oiling on damp hair. SMT is also nice for it.

and very nice your hair looks off your routine too:)

[MoldyCake]

My hair, pre-bleachastrophy was really thick. It wasn't coarse, but it did have a bit of a wave to it.

I think, as far as hair washing goes you can't think up a routine as much as you can go with what your hair wants. If it gets greasy, I washed it, I always conditioned because it left my hair soft. I also wash my hair in luke warm water and do a really cold final rinse on it. I heard its good for your skin and hair, not sure if its true but I like doing it.

I didn't and still down blow dry because I hate the noise, so I just wrap my head in a towel until its dry.

Brush your hair every day, because ti pulls the natural oils from your scalp down the hair shaft. Always start at the ends to get out all of the snarls before working from your scalp down.

Since your hair is coarse, it must really love it when you condition it, so maybe even a leave in conditioner would help?

I really admire you for cutting it and going natural, that is something that takes a lot of cahones! And your hair seems to be growing in beautifully!

Oh! Don't over oil, it can block the pores in the scalp and lead to scalp acne and hair loss due to a blocked cuticle.

[jojo]

Is there an article here about hair oils? I've never used them before, and I definitely want to try some.

Thanks for the tips, jojo. I actually did plan to cut it all off so I could grow it out. Though it's been painful to be without the long hair I had for several years!

your welcome, i cut from waist to a cropped bob not intentional just had a scissor happy hairdresser, so understand how it is to miss having long hair but it will grow and look as beautiful as before;
these link may help
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=456 my favorite oil!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4971

and some abbreviation's they confused me at first!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=10

hope this helps xx

[Medvssa]

In the winter I will sometimes dry the whole lot because I am not giving myself a cold just to have lovely hair
Fortunately that is a myth (http://www.commoncold.org/special1.htm) ;)

[spidermom]

My best hair care change has been diluting my shampoo. I keep an empty shampoo bottle in the shower area, add a small amount of water (maybe 1/3-1/2 cup), then a small squeeze of shampoo, shake well, squirt all over scalp area, massage, rinse. As your hair gets longer, you can put conditioner on the ends first.

[Elle]

My best hair care change has been diluting my shampoo. I keep an empty shampoo bottle in the shower area, add a small amount of water (maybe 1/3-1/2 cup), then a small squeeze of shampoo, shake well, squirt all over scalp area, massage, rinse. As your hair gets longer, you can put conditioner on the ends first.
This works especially well for scalp washing, too! I put my diluted shampoo in a processing bottle. Since it has a narrow nozzle it's a lot easier to get beneath the bun. :)

Talula - I think your hair looks really cute! :flower: If you're aiming to grow longer, I'd suggest a good moisturizing conditioner. If you're not averse to silicones, I'd suggest L'Oreal Mega Moisture. This is a staple of mine and it works really well. Also, IMHO misting (I use plain distilled water) between washes is important. It helps to keep your hair moisturized and in good health. :grin:

[talula_fairie]

Cones are bad bad bad for my hair. I try to avoid them. I also think I might be allergic because they make my scalp itch.

[trolleypup]

As you can see, routines are incredibly diverse. You just have to find what works for your hair, your scalp and yourself. Mine, FWIW, is water only every 4-ish days, finger detangle, fine tooth wood comb finish. Detangle/comb out pre-wash, use a strong spray to wash the scalp and nape area only (2 times), white vinegar rinse, rinse out, turban with a microfiber towel to get out the loose water, air dry before detangling.

ETA: Water Only is more for my scalp than my hair...product + my scalp = itchy flaky buildupy : yuck!

[talula_fairie]

Definitely. I have very sensitive skin -like crazy sensitive, it's really annoying- and so I have to be super careful about chemicals.

[Dianyla]

Coarse, thick, and wavy, represent! :D

In my opinion, coarse thick hair gets easier to manage and work with the longer it gets. I've had fairly long hair as long as I can remember, while my sisters have the same hairtype as I do but they keep it short. They seem to spend (IMO) inordinate amounts of time styling/blowdrying/setting their coarse wavy hair to get it to lay down and "behave" at shorter lengths. When coarse wavy hair is very long, the weight pulls it down and forces it to behave. :)

My hair takes anywhere from 8-18 hours to dry depending on the temperature and humidity. I always wash it right before bed, blot/wring as much extra moisture out of it as I can, then lay a towel on my pillow. In the morning it's about halfway dry, and will no longer soak through my clothes or drip on anything.

My skin is also irritated by cones (and, pretty much everything else for that matter). Oils work really well for me, especially coconut and jojoba. I've got more information about my routine in my (mostly neglected) blog.

Welcome! :cheese:

[velvetcat]

IME, coarse, frizzy and wavy is hair begging for more moisture. I have a very similar hair type (except I'm still coloring mine black) and mine turned out to be curly hair, hidden by brushing and being too dry.

I do CO (conditioner only) now, washing my scalp with shampoo when it feels like it needs it. I use a wide tooth comb if I need to detange. I plop dry my hair now, because it helps to enhance the curls.

Welcome to the board, it's great to have you!

[Ursula]

Thick and wavy hair - I'm not sure about the coarse, some hairs are, some are medium.

My hair was waist length when I started here. I began my experimenting by doing CWC with my old shampoo and conditioner, and also doing heavy pre-wash oiling with olive oil. Two experiments at once - not the best idea. These days I reccomend people try one experiment at a time, with at least two weeks between experiments, to know the results of each change before starting the next.

(See the article linked to in my signanture, "Ursula's Standard Newbie Advice.")

These days, I CO, use a variety of oil-based leave-ins, and the occasional wacky experiment, when the mood strikes.

You're starting from short, with healthy hair, and know the basics to avoid damage. That puts you ahead of most people growing out their hair, already. A (very) wide-tooth comb would be a good tool to have, and if you want to avoid blowdrying, a microfiber towel can greatly reduce air-drying times. Other than that, at your length, if your scalp is healthy and comfortable, you probably have a suitable routine for your current length.

[chelles2kids]

I just read through this thread and since you have already gotten all the great advice for your hair care that you really need.

I thought I'd answer another one of your questions: how do you wear your hair once it gets longer?
I personally use a modified cinnamon bun with a single hair stick. But alot of people here can some really beautiful updos with a Ficarre or another hair tool.
But I would advise making sure to keep it up and away from your face during the summertime, I've noticed this is when my hair begins to get on my nerves more.
When I'm hot & it's humid outside, I don't want to deal with it sticking to my neck, forehead, etc.

Oh & another suggestion that I might have missed in my reading, I've found a cool rinse for my hair helps to keep it shinier and it always seems to "lay" a bit better once it's dried? Cool/cold water is supposed to "seal" the cuticles and help them to lay flatter and any help I can get, is worth it to me.:p

Welcome to LHC, you've got lots of great people here, who will help you along the way with your long hair journey.

Happy growing!

[fatmoogas]

Good all ways--but you look a bit angrier with the short hair!

[LilyMunster]

A silk or satin pillow case does wonders for keeping frizzies to a minimum.

[Mitzy]

I have really thick, coarse hair, too and have grown out to 20 inches from about the same length as yours. My hair is nothing to crow about and I have been keeping it layered with a fringe to get it to this length. I am about ready to grow out my layers (or so my hairdresser tells me, but I will probably keep my fringe. I have that long, horse face, Stevie Nicks look going on and now that my hair is getting longer, I need the fringe if I wear it up.
I brush only before I wash, with oil (monoi or some mix) and a bbb (boar bristle brush). I do a scalp massage before I wash and try to wash about twice a week. I also cannot handle cones, my hair loves them, but my skin suffers badly, so I use natural shampoos (Alchemy brand, I think it's an Australian brand). 'Cones make me itch soooo bad. I have some bone combs from Heavenly Harvest and some wooden ones from Ric Combmaker.
I have found that the longer my hair gets the less often I have to wash, the easier it is to manage, etc. I also am finding right now, that putting my hair up or otherwise "controlling" it somehow when it is wet, helps it be smoother and not so "poofy". Even if I just put a scarf over it or a headband for awhile when it is drying, it helps.
Oh, yeah, I use a silk pillow case, too. I also take biotin. There is probably a lot more I do, but.... HTH

[RedRose]

I have the thick coarse wavy crazy hair too! My hair is affectionately known as "the beast" by my closest friends.

I'm growing my hair out from chin, it's currently about 20 inches now so just past shoulder length.
Things that have helped me with the frizzies: realising that sometimes my hair needs PROTEIN not MOISTURE and that's why it's a mess. So try protein treatments as well as deep conditioning. (I do a treatment about 3 times a week, but I also have colour-damaged hair so it really needs to be babied - once a week would probably be fine otherwise).
I do no heat styling at all: I just find that it takes so much more heat to get the coarse hairs dry and thus they end up damaged really easily.
Oiling my hair (coconut oil) on clean approx 50% damp hair has helped too, especially with the frzzies and just making it feel nice :-) I only really put it on the ends.

When your hair starts getting longer , I think you should strongly consider (long) layers - I know they'll be a pain to grow out when your hair starts getting below BSL, but for that bit up until you get past shoulder length and can tie all your hair up then can help stop triangle head hair which for me always led to me doing so much STYLING (evil flat irons) which damaged my hair too because it was too short and thick to tie it all back. But obviously layers aren't for everyone, and I am now trying to grow the shorter ones out and it is annoying hehe.

I also support the no-brushing-only-wet-combing advice. Brushing can lead to frizz and it doesn't get all the way through on thick hair. I separate my hair and give it a really good brush about once a week to brush in the coconut oil from a heavy oiling (night before a morning wash). But that's it.

With having a sensitive scalp I'm not sure what to reccomend, but trying to use less shampoo or no shampoo (see the CO (conditioner only) threads for advice on that) could help as it might be the 'lather' ingredients which cause the irritation as they can be pretty harsh, especially as you wash your hair every day. I liked the other posters advice about diluting the shampoo.

Hope any of that helps! Keep experimenting and you'll find a way to control your hair I'm sure :-)