stupid. curly. hair.

[Kayla Nyx]

When I was younger I was stupid and decided to chop my waist length hair off. this is what I got

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/7817_1065833426688_1851617055_134579_5658276_n.jpg

a couple of years later it was back to BSL, but it had turned curly on me. later I again cut it short. yay me. Over the course of a few more years I always had it layered and cut the same way.. hoping it would curl nicer or something. and ever since then, the top layers or section has never curled. ever. Nope. Before I had it layered ALL of my hair curled. but now it's just.. stupid. I hoped as it got longer it would curl again. not the case.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/309784_1776012180713_1851617055_1178207_318570993_ n.jpg

this is my hair now. and I've been planning of growing it out and slowly trimming just the bottom, planning on it being the same length someday. though.. Im scared the top part wont curl, and it'll just hide everything under :( I cant, for the life of me, get it to curl.. help..

[turtlelover]

My stepdaughter has this hair type. What she does that works best is wear it midback length w/ just a slight bit of layers on the ends. Either too much layering or no layers is a disaster....the key is layering just enough to blend the 2 hair types together. If she lets it get too long, the top gets really flat.....around BSL works well.

[Kayla Nyx]

In my pictures I just cant tell if the ends of my top layer are starting to curl.. I just notice it gets longer and longer.. so I guess not

[Roscata]

Things that can bring out curls: Curly Girl Method (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/to-plop-or-not-to-plop) (you can use clear aloe vera gel for this), CO (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898), SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). Remember to Clarify your hair before trying CO and if you use cones (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53389) you should clarify every now and then anyway. Good websites with unseful curly information: Live Curly, Live Free (http://www.livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm) and http://www.naturallycurly.com/. Good luck! :D

[Tealpuffin]

My hair is the same but frizzes up :( x

[spidermom]

I think I recognize the hair type. The little girl across the street has a perfectly straight canopy and lovely curls peeking from underneath. I hope she gets it layered someday so the curls show more.

[annieangel149]

i understand how the two hairtypes you have must be frustrating and im afraid i have no advice to give being a straighty myself but just wanted to say that your hair looks so pretty and healthy :D

[MinderMutsig]

Things that can bring out curls: Curly Girl Method (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/to-plop-or-not-to-plop) (you can use clear aloe vera gel for this), CO (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898), SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). Remember to Clarify your hair before trying CO and if you use cones (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53389) you should clarify every now and then anyway. Good websites with unseful curly information: Live Curly, Live Free (http://www.livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm) and http://www.naturallycurly.com/. Good luck! :D

This ^^

I recommend homemade flaxseed gel (FSG) but I'm not a fan of aloe vera gel unless it's an ingredient in something else.

Basic recipe:
1/4 cup of flaxseed
3/4 cp of water

Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. It's done when it has the consistency of egg whites (or snot). Then you strain the seeds out and put it in a container. I use an empty soap bottle but you could also use a squeeze bottle of some kind.
Stored in the fridge it has a shelflife of about a week.

You can reuse the seeds 2-3 times if you store them in the fridge but I just throw them away. It's too messy for me to try and get all the gel off the seeds.

Oh and make sure you rinse or wash everything you used as soon as possible because it's easier to clean when it's still warm.

You can experiment with FSG by adding honey for extra hold, adding a bit of oil, adding epsom salt to bring out the curl (this can be drying so it depends if your hair likes it or not), mixing it with aloe vera gel and even use it to make your own curl cream.
For preserving it you can add citric acid, vitamine E oil and grapefruit seed extract but I don't really bother.

It's runnier than regular gel and you also need a bit more than you might use of commercial products but it works really well for me. After you scrunch out the crunch you get soft and touchable frizz-free curls. The stuff is magic!

[MissAlida]

Your hair looks just like mine. The only difference is that I love that the top is sort of , well, flat. I always comb just the top 3-4 inches, and leave the curls alone. Now that it gets longer, I finger comb it , then comb it with a wide tooth comb, then put it in a french/or english braid (depending on how tired I am), then just sleep like that. When I undo it in the morning, I get nice waves. They are easier to maintain than curls, wich(at least for me) tend to get frizzy.
Oh, I forgot to mention...I have layers. And I'm not going to grow them out. They give space for my hair to curl nicely.