My Hair is really, REALLY gross. Advice please?

[khrystyne572]

I'm going to try to put the picture in this post, but if it doesn't work I'll do a link to photobucket.

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z462/kristineb5/DSC04891.jpg

Anyway, I washed and blow dried my hair, and put on my husbands ginormous stripey shirt for this picture. as you can see, My hair is hideous. I'm growing out layers so each end that Is there is frizzy and fried looking. The very end is really thin and disgusting looking. It looks worse ( if that's possible ) when I air dry.

What I've tried so far that seems to help some:
Coney serums
Coney conditioners
Conditioner only
cwc
sulfate free shampoo
Moisture treatment- molasses,aloe vera and apple conditioner)
wide tooth comb
Dyed a hot pink streak in the side to distract form the frizzy mess and just for fun.

What I tried so far that doesn't seem to help:
Air drying ( looks worse)
boar bristle brush
stretching washes ( gets greasy and flat from all the cones of the previous day)
coconut oil- gets sticky and gross.
microtrimming the ends. I've cut off millimeters and I've cut off inches. always gross.


What I admit I do to destroy my hair.( hey I gotta go out in public)
Blowdrying on medium.
I use two large velvet covered hot rollers on the ends to smooth them out so they won't look disgusting. It smooths them somewhat and they look less thin. ( this wasn't shown in the picture though)

So I thank you for reading all that through. So what can I do for all this frizz? It looks so unhealthy and thin! Should I chop until I can even up the layers? Or should I be doing something else?
Thank you!! :)





http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z462/kristineb5/

[littleizz]

Your photobucket album is private :)

[khrystyne572]

Oh gosh, ok, I just reset it to public. Thank you.

[barely.there]

i can see your photos. could you please post your hair stats? yours looks similar to mine, but not sure...

[spidermom]

Get regular small trims at the ends (example - 1/4 to 1/2 inch every 2-3 months) to thicken them a bit. It shouldn't take too long (6-12 months) to get all the layers evened up.

I'd have to see your hair air dried to give an opinion as to whether it looks worse or better.

[buttercupmcgee]

Do you color it at all? (Besides the hot pink bit.) Mine had a drier/more fragile look to it when I was using commercial dye. I switched to Henna and it helped tons.

Other than that, do you wear it up often, especially when carrying shoulder bags or going in the wind?

[buttercupmcgee]

Do you color it at all? (Besides the hot pink bit.) Mine had a drier/more fragile look to it when I was using commercial dye. I switched to Henna and it helped tons.

Other than that, do you wear it up often, especially when carrying shoulder bags or going in the wind?

For some reason it won't let me edit....just wanted to also add that I'm no expert, but the broken bits don't look like layers, they look like flat iron type damage. Maybe you could google some no-heat methods to use in lieu of the rollers--I make two buns on either side of my head, spritz lightly with water, and 30 minutes later have a subtle wave pattern instead of wonky ends.

[Tomoyo]

Might I ask your age?

Your hair looks similar to mine during my teen years, 12 up to about 16-17, due to texture changes triggered by hormones during puberty. Once I was done with puberty completely (for me, this is when my skin cleared up for good), my hair "calmed down" a lot and has since been a lot smoother and more manageable, if still considerably thicker than pre-puberty.

I battled and battled with it, washing it every other day and re-wetting it on in-between days and re-drying it *shudder*, thereby adding stress and wear to hair that was already prone to frizziness, dryness and such. Perhaps try stretching washes without cones?

Also, you say you blowdry (so do I, my hair looks ridiculous natural-dried) - how long do you wait before drying? The longer you wait, and therefore the more you minimize heat exposure, the better. It almost looks like you might have bubble hair (http://pgbeautyscience.com/bubble-hair.php), which can be minimized by less heat, for less time.

[Laylah]

It looks like the main problem is a lot of breakage up the length of the hair, which is why it's frizzy and the little hairs stick out. Unfortunately, the only way to permanently get rid of this is to let the broken hairs grow out and gradually trim it off, as Spidermom suggested. In the mean time, moisture can help the broken hairs lie down. How did you use the coconut oil? If it was too much as a leave in, you can try oiling your hair before washing it. This can keep the hair from becoming further damaged. The blow drying shouldn't be too bad if you don't let it get too hot. My rule of thumb is to put my fingers in my hair as I'm blowdrying, and if it gets too hot for my fingers it's too hot for my hair. The reason the coconut oil might be sticky is if it's cool where you live and it's solidifying in your hair. You could try a liquid oil like olive (might be too heavy if your hair is fine, but it works for me), jojoba (haven't tried this), almond (works great on me), or mineral (lots of people like it, but it didn't work for me). For any of these, start with only 1 or 2 drops and then add more if you need it.

Hope that helps!

[HintOfMint]

It is possible that you have damaged your hair to the point where regular airdrying isn't going to cut it, looks-wise. The problem is, you've gotten into a vicious cycle, where what makes it look decent is making it look terrible in the long run. And airdrying really only looks right on undamaged hair.

I used to have really damaged hair from heatstyling all the time, and just cutting out blowdrying wasn't enough to rehabilitate my hair, so I cut it all off to collarbone and started over.
From there, I would airdry, but ALWAYS WITH PRODUCT IN IT. Whether this is an oil or a store-bought cream, I always made sure to have something in it to keep the cuticle down as the water evaporated.

You might also benefit from hairtyping. You may have waves or even curls that you just haven't learned how to deal with which may explain partly why you don't like your hair airdried.

My advice is to be patient and think in the long term. Good luck and welcome!

[lolot]

you could trim an inch and wear your hair up for a while, and stop using those hot rollers,
also you could try av rinse once a week and oil a bit your ends, then wait for a few months and see if the condition got better

[khrystyne572]

i can see your photos. could you please post your hair stats? yours looks similar to mine, but not sure...
I'm not sure my stats? I think I need to by typed.

[khrystyne572]

Do you color it at all? (Besides the hot pink bit.) Mine had a drier/more fragile look to it when I was using commercial dye. I switched to Henna and it helped tons.

Other than that, do you wear it up often, especially when carrying shoulder bags or going in the wind?
Yes, I color. I forgot to mention that. Usually just my roots though to hide the gray. I haven't put commercial dye on my length in a really long time.

[khrystyne572]

Might I ask your age?

Your hair looks similar to mine during my teen years, 12 up to about 16-17, due to texture changes triggered by hormones during puberty. Once I was done with puberty completely (for me, this is when my skin cleared up for good), my hair "calmed down" a lot and has since been a lot smoother and more manageable, if still considerably thicker than pre-puberty.

I battled and battled with it, washing it every other day and re-wetting it on in-between days and re-drying it *shudder*, thereby adding stress and wear to hair that was already prone to frizziness, dryness and such. Perhaps try stretching washes without cones?

Also, you say you blowdry (so do I, my hair looks ridiculous natural-dried) - how long do you wait before drying? The longer you wait, and therefore the more you minimize heat exposure, the better. It almost looks like you might have bubble hair (http://pgbeautyscience.com/bubble-hair.php), which can be minimized by less heat, for less time.
Tomoyo- I'm older. Late thirties. so darn it I can't blame it on hormones.

I usually wait until it's .. well wetter than damp when I blowdry. I f I wait too long it gets really wavy and then it just looks like I air dried.

Oh my.... bubble hair? that's sounds awful ( running now to look up what bubble hair is)

Thank you though for the reply. :)

[khrystyne572]

I'll post an airdried picture tomorrow so you can see the "real" me. Prepare to be horrified. ;)

[khrystyne572]

I usually don't wear my hair up but maybe that's part of the problem. And you read my mind on the Henna. I've been considering that for awhile now.

[khrystyne572]

It looks like the main problem is a lot of breakage up the length of the hair, which is why it's frizzy and the little hairs stick out. Unfortunately, the only way to permanently get rid of this is to let the broken hairs grow out and gradually trim it off, as Spidermom suggested. In the mean time, moisture can help the broken hairs lie down. How did you use the coconut oil? If it was too much as a leave in, you can try oiling your hair before washing it. This can keep the hair from becoming further damaged. The blow drying shouldn't be too bad if you don't let it get too hot. My rule of thumb is to put my fingers in my hair as I'm blowdrying, and if it gets too hot for my fingers it's too hot for my hair. The reason the coconut oil might be sticky is if it's cool where you live and it's solidifying in your hair. You could try a liquid oil like olive (might be too heavy if your hair is fine, but it works for me), jojoba (haven't tried this), almond (works great on me), or mineral (lots of people like it, but it didn't work for me). For any of these, start with only 1 or 2 drops and then add more if you need it.

Hope that helps!
Laylah,

I used the coconut oil as a leave in but I could try it just as an overnight conditioning method and wash it out the next morning.. Ok I'll try that- and it has been cold so you're probably right about the oil solidifying. Never thought about that!

[buttercupmcgee]

My rule of thumb is to put my fingers in my hair as I'm blowdrying, and if it gets too hot for my fingers it's too hot for my hair.

Adding this to my bag of tricks!

[spidermom]

This is what I did for my hair typing picture.
Washed as usual.
Combed conditioner through in the shower.
Rinsed well.
Avoided messing my hair around or touching it in any way while it dried (I probably sat in front of the computer).

Funny - most people prefer my hair when I don't comb it. It clumps together and looks all ropey.

[khrystyne572]

It is possible that you have damaged your hair to the point where regular airdrying isn't going to cut it, looks-wise. The problem is, you've gotten into a vicious cycle, where what makes it look decent is making it look terrible in the long run. And airdrying really only looks right on undamaged hair.

I used to have really damaged hair from heatstyling all the time, and just cutting out blowdrying wasn't enough to rehabilitate my hair, so I cut it all off to collarbone and started over.
From there, I would airdry, but ALWAYS WITH PRODUCT IN IT. Whether this is an oil or a store-bought cream, I always made sure to have something in it to keep the cuticle down as the water evaporated.

You might also benefit from hairtyping. You may have waves or even curls that you just haven't learned how to deal with which may explain partly why you don't like your hair airdried.

My advice is to be patient and think in the long term. Good luck and welcome!


Thank you for the reply. I think you are spot on with the vicious cycle theory. I can't get off the heat styling anymore because it's so damaged. ( from heat styling!) I've thankfully been able to stay away from flat irons and metal wand curling irons but those dang velvet hot rollers must be the culprit.

Interesting you say that I may have waves or curls. I might possibly, if I tried to make them come out. I wonder what would happen if I air dried and use like a curl scrunching cream? Very good idea.

[XcaliburGirl]

How long did you try all those things and how many thing did you try at once?

If I try a bunch of things all at once, I can't really tell what works and what doesn't.

Air-drying isn't recommended because it looks better, it's recommended because it's better for the hair. After a while, your hair will look better from not heat styling, but it will take some time. If you can wear it up for a while instead of blow drying, that might help.

[khrystyne572]

Hmmm. XcaliburGirl-
Well let's see. Moisture treatment was 1x a week for about 3 months now.
BB brush if I skip a wash.
Coconut oil only once or trice because it make my hair look dirty, but I will try it as a leave in over night instead.
Air dry- only once because it scared me.

Maybe since summer is coming I can just start wearing it up and ignore it for awhile.

[barely.there]

this article will help you figure out your own hair type: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=227

[dulce]

The top isn't frizzy,just lower down.When I dyed and used a hot blowdryer I had the same frizzy look lower down look.I agree that it looks like damage from something you're doing rather than occurring naturally.

[lapushka]

"My Hair is really, REALLY gross. Advice please?"

I think that that's just too much of an exaggeration. Your hair is not really, really gross. I agree with those who've said that it might be wavy, even curly and that that's where the frizzy bits at the bottom are coming from.

I'd try the hair typing next. :thumbsup: The link on how to go about it is a few messages up.

[dulce]

Have you tried gently smoothing the top surface with a boar bristle brush ,just after applying a liquid shine serum[it's light so won't weigh your hair down]?

[heidi w.]

I'm going to try to put the picture in this post, but if it doesn't work I'll do a link to photobucket.

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z462/kristineb5/?action=view&current=DSC04881.jpg


Anyway, I washed and blow dried my hair, and put on my husbands ginormous stripey shirt for this picture. as you can see, My hair is hideous. I'm growing out layers so each end that Is there is frizzy and fried looking. The very end is really thin and disgusting looking. It looks worse ( if that's possible ) when I air dry.

What I've tried so far that seems to help some:
Coney serums
Coney conditioners
Conditioner only
cwc
sulfate free shampoo
Moisture treatment- molasses,aloe vera and apple conditioner)
wide tooth comb
Dyed a hot pink streak in the side to distract form the frizzy mess and just for fun.

What I tried so far that doesn't seem to help:
Air drying ( looks worse)
boar bristle brush
stretching washes ( gets greasy and flat from all the cones of the previous day)
coconut oil- gets sticky and gross.
microtrimming the ends. I've cut off millimeters and I've cut off inches. always gross.


What I admit I do to destroy my hair.( hey I gotta go out in public)
Blowdrying on medium.
I use two large velvet covered hot rollers on the ends to smooth them out so they won't look disgusting. It smooths them somewhat and they look less thin. ( this wasn't shown in the picture though)

So I thank you for reading all that through. So what can I do for all this frizz? It looks so unhealthy and thin! Should I chop until I can even up the layers? Or should I be doing something else?
Thank you!! :)





http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z462/kristineb5/

Ok, saw your photobucket photo. Your hair does indeed appear to be in some distress. Is that hair of yours naturally straight? I tend to think it may not be. Did you flat iron or something to get it straight? The worst offense that I see is that it appears from these two photos you presented that your hair is dry, and that you have the ends of a person who has been dying and frying your hair somehow.

I would say, first, to focus on solving one problem at a time. I suggest that finding a way to infuse the hair with more moisture will be helpful, but I can't suggest much as your list of what doesn't work in some ways, based on my read, seems in conflict somewhat with what does work.

I would suggest at this point, that you aim to work on one problem at a time. And I'd say that overall if you work on improving moisture in the hair that this will resolve a fair amount of other types of problems you may be experiencing.

It appears to me that you're doing something, somehow, that is drying your hair overly much, and that this is likely the culprit of all your frustration.

The photographed hair appears to me that one may be blowdrying too high or too close and/or too frequently. Your hair, to me, appears to show signs of flat ironing, but it's possible to be misled by a photograph. It appears to me that you are losing length perhaps.

For example, if your issue is dryness, you do not need to be Boar Bristle Brushing until that moisture is improved somewhat significantly, and you definitely do not need to be microtrimming. That isn't going to solve a dryness problem. Combing with a wide tooth comb, while best for natural healthy hair, doesn't improve moisture in the hair a whole lot.

I would advocate a deep conditioning treatment such as SMT, or something along those lines. And I would caution that you make one lone change at a time and wait around a week to two weeks to see the results of that change before evaluating if that change did or did not work. Usually if something doesn't work, and you do one thing at a time, it's easy to figure out what didn't work. If you do a couple of things at the same time in terms of "change" then it becomes a whole lot harder to identify what the problem is.

I'm sorry you're experiencing all this frustration. I am at a loss as to what to suggest, but I would agree with you that your hair is indeed dry. I think it's frizzy because it's dry. But I can't be sure you're even a straight-haired gal. It appears you might have also colored or something from these photos (although I don't see the pink thing you colored in). I have a very different approach to hair care than most. For one, I am all natural in that there is no color or texture changes I've applied to my hair.

I hope you do get the help you need, but I'd try a deep moisture treatment. There's also the option of having a strand test conducted by a licensed hair stylist such as someone who specializes in color only (not cutting) and have them test for porosity and protein. And I am betting that you likewise have issues with elasticity if your hair is dry.

I hope things improve over time. I will check in with this thread to see how it's going.
heidi w.

[ktani]

I'm going to try to put the picture in this post, but if it doesn't work I'll do a link to photobucket.

Anyway, I washed and blow dried my hair, and put on my husbands ginormous stripey shirt for this picture. as you can see, My hair is hideous. I'm growing out layers so each end that Is there is frizzy and fried looking. The very end is really thin and disgusting looking. It looks worse ( if that's possible ) when I air dry.

What I've tried so far that seems to help some:
Coney serums
Coney conditioners
Conditioner only
cwc
sulfate free shampoo
Moisture treatment- molasses,aloe vera and apple conditioner)
wide tooth comb
Dyed a hot pink streak in the side to distract form the frizzy mess and just for fun.

What I tried so far that doesn't seem to help:
Air drying ( looks worse)
boar bristle brush
stretching washes ( gets greasy and flat from all the cones of the previous day)
coconut oil- gets sticky and gross.
microtrimming the ends. I've cut off millimeters and I've cut off inches. always gross.


What I admit I do to destroy my hair.( hey I gotta go out in public)
Blowdrying on medium.
I use two large velvet covered hot rollers on the ends to smooth them out so they won't look disgusting. It smooths them somewhat and they look less thin. ( this wasn't shown in the picture though)

So I thank you for reading all that through. So what can I do for all this frizz? It looks so unhealthy and thin! Should I chop until I can even up the layers? Or should I be doing something else?
Thank you!! :)

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z462/kristineb5/

You have broken it down pretty well.


You could try blowdrying on cool.


To add moisture to your hair you can try mineral oil/baby oil on lightly misted hair to dampen not completely rewet it, after you have finished blowdrying for shape. There is information in my blog below on that in a series of posts. ETA: You use it instead of a silicone serum but it does not replace a heat protectant. Using it and then blowdrying on medium will not be as helpful.

For dyeing your roots, this should help, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-1-of-3-part-series-on-innovative.html.


If you have a lot of product and build-up on your hair right now, clarifying should help too. The mineral oil can add moisture to your hair and do much more. There is this to read through too, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86298

I hope this helps.

__________________
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/

Creating and supporting: safe, innovative, effective, economical methods of hair care.

[khrystyne572]

Thank you, you all have been very helpful. Heidi, your input is greatly appreciated.

I think what I'll try doing is more moisture first with an emphasis on getting rid of the blowdryer and see what happens.
I'm going to do a deep conditioning treatment tonight and then oil the ends overnight and see how things go with those two methods. I'll post an update in .. say a month?
Thank you again all!

[julliams]

I'm going to guess that you have some natural wave to your hair. The first step is to accept that. What I started to notice was that my hair which used to look great when flat-ironed, started to look very matt and dry and little bits stuck out that were really obvious under lights. I knew that my hair lacked moisture and needed a break from heat-styling.

I would recommend the following:

1. Trim a little every month until you are happy with your hemline, then trim every 3 months so that you can begin growing. Trimming every month will maintain your current length.
2. Start using SMT's (search the forum for the recipe) twice a week for a couple of months and then every week for about 6 months. Then re-evaulate how often you need moisture. This will help to put moisture back into your hair but it takes time and consistency to work and really see results.
3. Find a product you can put into your hair to airdry with to help bring out your natural texture. This can take a little experimenting with. I like Giovanni Direct Leave in Conditioner, or Nightblooming Panacea which you can buy on etsy. To start you could even just try a clear gel but this doesn't work great for me.
4. Accept that day 2 hair does not look like day 1 hair and go for different styles on those days. Embrace updos and find something that can be your "go-to" style that will look good no matter where you are going. Mine is to braid a small bit where bangs normally are across my forehead, plait it to the end and then put the rest of my hair into a low bun or high messy bun. Find something you love that you feel comfortable with and know looks good.

All the best. You have taken the first step and it's only going to get great from here.

[racrane]

Well, first of all, lots of others have given you great advice. I don't have much to add, except I think you have very nice hair. It needs some TLC but it is certainly not gross. :)

[Kaelee]

By any chance is your hair naturally curly? It looks like you have a lot of breakage, but also, like your hair just might be trying to be curly. I have stick straight hair so I know next to nothing about curls, but look up curly hair care and give it a try. I strongly suspect you might be really pleasantly surprised.

[Tizzles]

I don't think your hair is gross at all. Your hair is clean and it's obvious you've been trying. Your hair is just damaged hun and we've all been there at one point or another. My hair had to be cut up above my chin to get rid of all my flat ironing damage, and the others are right, it's a vicious cycle. I think the only thing you can do is trim the ends a bit if you're wanting to keep the length or go drastic and cut it to get all the damage out. My length looked a lot like yours before I did the chop and while I miss longer hair, I know that down the road my hair will be better looking for it. I still have some damage in the front of my hair where a lot of my highlights were and I can't get it out because I refuse to have short hair around my chubby cheeks.

It seems overwhelming but just try your best to find cute little up do's or braids you can do to style your hair instead of using heat. You may have more discipline than I do, so maybe you can find some way of non heat styling like wrapping to make it lay flatter or using old socks to roll your damp hair in and let them dry. I would definitely type your hair first, then work on adding some moisture back in. My hair never looked good when I let it air dry either, especially when it was shorter until I started letting it air dry with a little bit of product in it to keep the cuticle smooth as the hair air dried. Hair clips, braids, and hair bands are the only things keeping me sane as this mop of mine gets out of the awkward stages and grows more length.

I know how you feel, but don't give up, it's a long journey to hair recovery but it's very worth it in the end and you'll be proud of yourself for sticking with it when all you wanted to do was give up.

[lippleyluv]

Your hair looks EXACTLY like mine did starting in my twenties when I began to color, (to hide the crazy amount of white hair I was getting) flat/curling iron, blow dry, and wash frequently.


I thought the "frazzled" hair was the white hairs and the ONLY way to smooth them crazy suckers out was to "beat" them into submission! I did not realize the very same thing I was doing to make my hair look presentable was causing it.


All the advice here will get you pointed in the right direction. Then you just need to wait for the time to pass. It took me two years, at least, until I felt like the hard work and pampering began to actually show. Some days I STILL feel like "yuck! Is this as good as it will ever get?" But then I will have a great hair day and will carry on.

So read, research and experiment. In time that fuzzy stuff will get cut off (I am a fan of monthly microtrimming, for myself) and it will be replaced by healthier hair.

Oh, and I still color my roots and blow dry my hair (by standing in front of a a powerful fan, lol) but my hair is still improving. Hang in there!:)

[Emme76]

I have been in your sitution. And still am since it takes a LONG time for a change to show on damaged hair.
My best advice - do nothing! It might sound strange so let me explain what I mean. You will have to find a basic routine. In your case a perhaps: a mild schampoo, deep conditioner, SMT and mild oiling. I don´t think your hair will do alot better with to much change in your routine. Or for you to always try new things - and always be looking for that magial hairproduct that will change your hair over night.

If I were you I would:
Stop using rollers. I would try not to blowdry my hair - only on cool. I would wear my hair up ALOT. And I would get a good dry schampoo and use on my hair so stretch out the washes. And I would start to rinse with ACV.
When I started to put my hair up alot more, and started to use dry schampoo (it makes my hair look thicker and even better when I put it up. And now I am able to stretch my washes for about twice/week) - and didn´t mess so much with my hair - it started to improve. ACV also made it a bit better.

I know it is hard to let your hair airdry when it has damage because it makes it look even worse. But let it airdry until it is almost dry - then use your blowdryer on cool or very mild heat...and not so close to your hair.

And I also had to cut my hair because after a while I knew that my ends never would improve. The damage was done, and I had to cut. I am not saying you have to - bit for me it was the only way to start improving my hair. And it is still not in the shape I would like it to be in.
And once you made the changes in your routine....try to "forget" about your hair. And do "nothing". Just put it up, stick to your routine...and let your hair "rest" from all the styling and heat...and after a few months.....then you might see a change. There are really cute updos you can do, so in public you will always look great. :o)

Good luck!!!!!!!!

[Emme76]

That last smile face was suppoe to be a happy one. I think I klicked on the wrong once....Here comes a happy one :D!!!!

[Teazel]

Have you used a clarifying shampoo? You don't know what you're dealing with until you've stripped off any build-up - especially if you've been using cones.

Your hair does look damaged and dry. Again, it's important to clarify in order to get the full benefit of moisture treatments. Good luck!

[khrystyne572]

Thank you all. After thinking about all the advice, I decided to try a combination of things.

First I'm going to moisturize more, and I'm officially going off the hairdryer and hot rollers TODAY. THIS VERY SECOND. This is a huge step for me. I know it sounds silly but I've never airdried my hair in my life. I might have to make a separate post about this because it's such a big deal.

The next thing I'm going to do is see if I can get natural curls and waves to come out. I'm going to try some curl cream and scrunching damp hair and see what happens.

The very last resort if curls don't work or look awful is put my hair up. I don't care for this option because I think my face looks bad with updos but maybe i can find a new updo that suits me better.

Wish me luck. I'll update if anything life changing happens.

[manderly]

I see serious curl abuse, honestly. I think a healthy dose of the Curly Girl method will help you. I can tell you that my hair looks EXACTLY like yours when I don't use product and brush it when it dries, or if I blowfry and meet some humidity.

[heidi w.]

I just did an entire post, and now I can't find it. So now I'm freaking out that I replied to the wrong thread somehow.

heidi w.

[Maelyssa]

As everyone else is already saying, you've got great natural curls that just need a bit of extra care and a change in routine to bring them to their best form. Hardly gross, wish I had nice curls like that. Good luck!

[hototogisu]

Do you always wear your hair out? I have two choices with my natural, very weak wave pattern - I either scrunch and use a holding product like a gel, or I allow it to air dry 80% and then bun for the rest of the day. Bun waves after you put your hair up damp are just heavenly and soft.

I'd focus on keeping your hair up every day for a week or so to allow your hair to rest a bit, then type to see if you have waves or curls hidden in their.

Also, when was the last time you clarified? You might have some product build up exacerbating the frizz.

[thirstylocks]

The first 3 pics in ur album are so pretty. Your hair looks shiny and healthy. I really like your hair way better when it is wavy - why dont you stop blow drying and start putting it in braids/buns while it grows out?? I have very fried hair and instead of making it with heat (and continuing the cycle) I have been putting it in braids.

Also, you have a similar frizziness to me- have you tried argan oil? You should try it! Flaxseed oil works well for me too.