Curly - Frizz on top has stopped growing

[MortalEternity]

So my brother's hair is extremely curly. He's the only on in my family who has it; my sister and I grew out of our soft toddler ringlets. My brother did not. I never could get the photos to load for reference, but from the text description, I'd guess that he's about a 3c? He's got tight curls the size of my little finger and others slightly larger. They're very soft and pretty... underneath. (My curls tend to be underneath as well, but the top layer for me isn't frizz like his!)

The entire outer layer of his hair is impossible to tame. It's basically a layer of frizz that poofs out everywhere. It also doesn't grow to the length of the rest of his hair, and this irritates him to no end. It's stuck around shoulder length while the rest is halfway down his back. Cutting it to be uniform would look tacky, as the top layer simply trys to make a triangle shape, and he doesn't want it that full at the bottom. It looks ridiculous. He hates his hair being short because the curls give him an afro, but all he can do with it now is keep it in a ponytail. At least in the ponytail, you can somewhat see the soft, healthy curls underneath (another reason not to cut it to unform length just yet: you wouldn't see the healthy curls!)

He only brushes his hair in the shower, never while dry. I don't know about his conditioner habits. Any tips on getting rid of that top layer? He wishes it weren't there, but it's not as if it can just be cut off. When it's wet, it looks nice hangs rather than puffs out horizontally, but even if he doesn't brush it, it gets crazy on top when dry.

[JaneinMarch]

My top layer/canopy became less of a chore when I used acidic herbs periodically, like amla or shikakai. A very mild apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (very dilute) can also help.
Right now my favorite is amla. Oh, ginger powder also has helped smooth out my curls.

[Kiwiwi]

Does he dry his hair with a normal towel after a shower? And rubs it on his hair?
If so I suggest he uses a t-shirt to squeeze/scrunch out the water. This will not disrupt his hair too much.

Also, does he maybe move his head around a lot in his sleep? My BIL does that, a lot. He has frizzies too. You cant really stop what you do in your sleep but then I'd suggest using a silk pillowcase so the friction won't be as bad.

Does he use a leave-in conditioner/oil? It can really help the curls stay together and to minimize frizz.

What age is your brother?
He could be slowly balding. You often see then that the hair at the crown turns different, frizzy. It can still take a long while before you can actually see any balding but this could (could, doesn't have to) be a sign. Or has his canopy always been like this?

Lots of questions for you (well, him) to think about ^_^

Get him The Curly Girl Handbook as a present ;-) I really suggest this method for him. Worked amazingly for me!

[MortalEternity]

Thanks for all the advice. There is almost no way he's balding. He only just turned 16, and his hair has always been like this. He's been growing it out since he was, I think, 12.

[Anje]

Top layer hair (the "canopy," as it's known around here) tends to get a lot more abuse than the rest of the hair.

If he's ponytailing his hair and if it tends to be fragile (mine is this fragile), it could be that it's breaking off at the ponytail elastic. Expect this particularly if he's in the habit of grabbing two sections of the ponytail and separating them to tighten it. I had to entirely give up ponytail holders to get this huge section of broken hair to go away. For me, buns held with something other than an elastic worked the best. Braids are great and often more well-received by guys, but it might take several months to get the sections grown to the point where they'll stay put. A slight french braid (just a few additions, wouldn't look that different from a normal braid) would help them stay in better.

With hair as curly and as long as his, he almost certainly needs conditioner. Most people do, and curlies more than most. He might want to try leaving a fairly large amount of it in, as well. If he'll ignore the name, there's a lot of good information in the "Curly Girl" method (NaturallyCurly.com is the website associated with the original book). Another useful form of haircare that would work well for his texture can be found at TightlyCurly.com. (He might wish to forgo some of the curl sectioning depending on his goals, but what the site discusses about how to come hair and use conditioner might be enlightening and important to him.)

[DancingQueen]

Lots of good advice already. ;) But, when you say he brush his hair in the shower? Does he use a brush, or a wide tooth comb? If so, that might very well be the reason.

Some hair types, especially curly hair, does not go well with any type of hairbrush. I know that when I use a hairbrush, my hair looks like a stack of hay, sticking out in every direction. Additional, hair is the weakest when wet, so brushing in the shower might not be ideal for him. Maybe just detangle thoroughly with a wide-tooth comb before the shower?

Also, this video might be helpful, even though she has (gorgeous) straight hair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEjdmXaUUU

Good luck with everything, and no matter what: don't let him cut it! More guys should have long hair.

[Hollyfire3]

Lots of good advice already. ;) But, when you say he brush his hair in the shower? Does he use a brush, or a wide tooth comb? If so, that might very well be the reason.

Some hair types, especially curly hair, does not go well with any type of hairbrush. I know that when I use a hairbrush, my hair looks like a stack of hay, sticking out in every direction. Additional, hair is the weakest when wet, so brushing in the shower might not be ideal for him. Maybe just detangle thoroughly with a wide-tooth comb before the shower?

Also, this video might be helpful, even though she has (gorgeous) straight hair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEjdmXaUUU

Good luck with everything, and no matter what: don't let him cut it! More guys should have long hair.


I second this, also I LOVE Torrinpaige, isn't she a memeber here? I never see her on, what happened to her?

[spidermom]

It may not be that the top layer doesn't grow, just that he keeps getting new hairs. Unless I use product to encourage it to lay down, I always have a layer of frizz, too. Those hairs are shorter and lighter than the longer hairs, so they fluff out.

Your brother can try combing conditioner through his hair very carefully just after he washes it, rinsing, then using something soft to squeeze out the extra water (I use a flannel pillowcase). He should let it dry without touching it again. If the surface is still too fluffy, he can take something like aloe vera gel or styling gel, rub it between WET (very important) palms, then smooth his palms down the surface of his hair. This will help to stick down the shorter, fluffier hairs. If I really want a smooth look, I have to use something like styling wax, pomade, or putty. A little goes a long way, so if he tries this he should only run his finger over the surface, then over the fluffies. I usually only have a few that the gel doesn't control, and I stroke them down one by one.

[DancingQueen]

I second this, also I LOVE Torrinpaige, isn't she a memeber here? I never see her on, what happened to her?

I know, she taught me a great deal about hair care (I was doing all the wrong things, no wonder it was acting crazy!) :)