does anyone here have "stiff" hair?

[kristymarie87]

I'll try my best to explain what i mean....

My hair is almost APL. If i pull my hair to the front on either side it doesnt just flow over my shoulders and rest on them, it sort of goes over them but sticks up and out - like the hair isnt heavy enough....I have no idea if that makes sense!

If you have long hair ir usually just falls to the shape of your body, but mine doesnt...This is too hard! It doesnt really bend, like look natural, it looks as if i've gelled it straight....

So does ANYONE understand my very poor description and relate to my problem???

[aenflex]

Yup. The strands of your hair are very light, and perhaps slightly coarse. They don't bend under their own weight. I have the same thing, sort of. The longer my hair gets the more it tends to lay flat and form against the curves, but I also use a *teeny* amount of coconut oil when I wear my hair down, to help it be more 'heavy'....

[Anje]

I'm thinking that you probably have dry hair, and possibly product buildup. I know when my hair gets dry, it gets stiff and doesn't really move like it should. Buildup of course can also cause stiffness, and it can block moisture in products you do use.

If you haven't clarified recently, start by doing that. Follow up with a good long moisture treatment. I'm fond of the SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) for moisture, myself.

[Delila]

Your hair may have more body than you realize. That's what gives hair the whole 'stand away from the head' quality. Good stuff, and it seems to occur regardless of wave pattern or strand thickness. (I've got almost none in my hair, sigh.)

[kristymarie87]

Well i use an SLS shampoo - the pantene aqualight one which i have heard is quite harsh - would that be a clarifying one? I follow once or twice per week with an olive oil/avacado oil mixture - so im not sure my hair is dry? I CWC aswell and use olive butter as a leave in ont he very ends.....

[kristymarie87]

Yup. The strands of your hair are very light, and perhaps slightly coarse. They don't bend under their own weight. I have the same thing, sort of. The longer my hair gets the more it tends to lay flat and form against the curves, but I also use a *teeny* amount of coconut oil when I wear my hair down, to help it be more 'heavy'....
This sounds about right -the longer it gets the better.

Cant really use coconut oil, my hair hates it no matter how little i use!

[MAO]

My hair behaves like this when it is damaged. The bottom half of my hair behaves exactly like you described and the top half of my hair is much softer and lies flatter. I have bleach and dye damage and I can hold up the lower half and it will stick straight out without falling down.

[kristymarie87]

My hair behaves like this when it is damaged. The bottom half of my hair behaves exactly like you described and the top half of my hair is much softer and lies flatter. I have bleach and dye damage and I can hold up the lower half and it will stick straight out without falling down.

I guess there is a little damage but my hair is in the best condition its been in since i was 17!! I used to dye every month, perm, highlight and straighten everyday then and it never behaved this way!! I can finally see my ends and there a no splits that i can notice....if anything my layers have the damage not the lengths....

[lara grace]

I know exactly what you mean. My hair used to be around your length when it was at it's stiffest. It's just past APL now and it's "flowing" a lot more.. I just think it's stopped being stiff from treating it with more moisture, no heat and no chemical damage really. Like I used to lift up a strand of hair and it would stick straight out, now it falls like real hair! Just keep taking care of it and it should be okay. Maybe start using a sulphate free shampoo. Aqualight is harsh.

[kristymarie87]

I know exactly what you mean. My hair used to be around your length when it was at it's stiffest. It's just past APL now and it's "flowing" a lot more.. I just think it's stopped being stiff from treating it with more moisture, no heat and no chemical damage really. Like I used to lift up a strand of hair and it would stick straight out, now it falls like real hair! Just keep taking care of it and it should be okay. Maybe start using a sulphate free shampoo. Aqualight is harsh.

I cant do sls free - my hair is very against it, i tried for a few months hoping the greasey stage would pass but it didnt! I do want to get a less harsh one though since it is very harsh! It was just cheap at the time and im on a budget :D

It gives me hope that it will improve since yours did!

[Anje]

You're probably doing fine if you wash with a sulfate shampoo, and the ingredients list on the Aqua Light shampoo doesn't look like it'd cause much buildup. If anything, it also might push you toward dryness.

Your experience may be different, but my hair's not happy with oils alone for nourishment, and it eventually gets a bit dry and stiff when that's all it gets. It likes conditioner with all its humectants and fatty alcohols for moisture. Consider just applying a bunch of condish or condish plus a few other ingredients (honey or treacle, aloe, smidge of oil), bagging your hair, and letting it soak for an hour or two.

[jujube]

I have the same thing, but at my length I think it's normal for those with coarse and thick hair like mine. When I flip my head, my hair doesn't really follow...

[McFearless]

Thats how my hair used to be when I had your haircut and also straightened and dyed it. My hair isn't like that anymore.

[Ligeia_13]

YES! Mine is like that too! I put it down to my terrible split ends though. :/

[luxepiggy]

I wouldn't worry, if I were you - I suspect it's just b/c your hair at its current length is too light to weigh itself down when you pull it over your shoulder. It looks like we have kind of similar hairtypes, and my ends do something similar sometimes with messy updos:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/porkbun-1.jpg

See how all the end bits stick straight out? But rest assured they all align themselves in the expected orientation when I wear my hair down, so I'm sure yours will too once you gain a bit more length (^(oo)^)v

[morecowbell]

Yet another chiming in to say "Me too!" ;)
My stiffness is due to dye damage and dryness from damage, and my undyed roots that are about at chin now are much softer and flow better. I find that my ends feel like they have buildup half of the time, and that's just because they're so coarse and dry.
Have you ever tried the SMT? It's been a miracle for my damaged ends! :)

HTH :)

[rena]

My hair is so stiff and infexible, that I can flip it over my head, comb it straight down, stand up straight again, and the hair will not have budged an inch---it literally stands up. Shorter hairs on the sides and back of my head stand horizontal. Something like this:

||
'' )~

For me, I believe this is because my hair in its present state is very "catchy" or velcro-like" being very porous from past abuse. The stick'em-up effect is even worse when my hair is dirty. Yes, I definitely understand.

MAO and I have close hairtypes, and how she descirbed hers (especially about the bottom part) is very much how mine is.

[xoxophelia]

If I remember correctly you were still flat ironing your hair not too long ago (and maybe still are?). I still have this with my hair to a degree but it was definitely worse when I was straightening it. I would try out a mix of honey and EVOO and see if that helps.

[kristymarie87]

Thanks everyone :D all good things to try!!

I dont really use heat too often now and havent for a few years....plus i used to get v.regular trims so it was all kept in check. I have a really good natural cheap condish which helps alot. I hope as it grows it will look more "normal"! The texture has changed alot in the past year, and also since i was younger!

[Lianna]

Your hair doesn't sound damaged to me. I think between shoulder and APL is called the "flip stage" for a reason. When I used to blow dry with a round brush in high school, I got that flip out, with natural waves/curls not so much. My mom who has straighter (1b/1c) hair also had this flip at this stage you have, she's a tad longer now and much weighed down (mostly 1b).

[Lassie]

YOur hair sounds like mine. It just 'hangs' rather then 'flows' is the only way i can ever describe it. Even it its most moisturised, its the same. I think its just the texture

[smileycat]

Wow, I already see lots of good suggestions here. For me, I notice a difference depending on the products I use. When my hair is stiff, I find I either need to clarify or use need more moisture.