Sleek-hair peeps: How do you add texture?

[sugarsugar]

I have very sleek, straight, medium-thick hair that is in three layers. Lately I have been trying to get out of my ponytail-bun-or-hairband slump. But whenever I attempt a braid, my ends stick out all over the place. Over the course of a few hours, I will get strands that worm their way totally out of the braid! Even when I try an up-do with bobby pins, I need to use 3x more than should be necessary because my hair seems to have a mind of its own.

How do you add texture to your hair so it stays put? Most of my searches suggest curling hair first, but I can't be bothered to spend all that time with an iron only to put my hair up :rolleyes: I just want some simple and effective techniques that will help keep a style in place for more than half an hour! So any suggestions are very appreciated.

[Jessy22284]

I have really slippery, fine, layered hair and I've been using sea-salt spray as a texturizer, that works really well. Or you could try damp braiding. That's been doing the trick for me.

[Seeshami]

The naughty mess doesn't believe in texture. He laughs in the face of texture. Damp braids and buns only stay for an hour at best.

[Jessy22284]

The naughty mess doesn't believe in texture. He laughs in the face of texture. Damp braids and buns only stay for an hour at best.

I damp bunned this AM with bits of aloe, VO5 conditioner, and sweet almond oil mixed in with mostly distilled water and its stayed all day without any fuss :D

[luxepiggy]

Another vote for damp bunning/braiding - be careful not to pull too hard on the hair when it's damp though, to avoid breakage. Those sprays meant to create "beachy waves" might be helpful as well.

[unknown]

I damp braid and apply some kind of mousse/leave-in conditioner. Holds all day!

[AnnaJamila]

You could also cut your hair to one length. Little stubborn pieces sticking out kind of comes with the territory of having straight hair but when the hair is layered the problem is magnified.

In my own experience layers looked really good in my hair when I did something with it, but just down and let to dry straight it just looked like messy hair cut to about a thousand different lengths. I was afraid to go one length because, well, pop culture says not to, but I was very happy with the results- it looks much thicker and neater with out as much effort on my part! :)

[littlestarface]

Damp hair and when my hair is oily thats the only times I can succesfully have my hair up and stay up.

[rock007junkie]

Another vote for damn bunning/ braiding.

[Tisiloves]

Coconut oil seems to work for me, it also convinces my hair to hold a braid wave for a bit.

[Alix]

Cut out cones. When my hair is on cones its sleek and wil not stay. Not on consist holds styles better.

[sugarsugar]

Thanks for the great suggestions :) My layers are a huge part of the problem, but I am currently trying to grow them out without losing any length.

I never got the hang of damp bunning: it always looks a mess when I take it down in the a.m. and I need to wash it again. Maybe I am doing it wrong?

I am trying the sea salt spray today. I found a great recipe online using sea salt and a bit of gel, so I will see how that goes.

Also, what are cones?