"Wiry" hair?

[brave]

Just wondering if anyone else knows what I am talking about! My hair is very sort of "stiff" and wiry, I guess. It doesn't exactly fall down from my head, it kind of goes down but holds a shape and is very curvy and stuff? If I put it up then take it out, it will not come completely down. It holds any wet styles until it is completely soaked again. Once upon a time I used to try to straighten it, and it never actually worked, even with a damp-to-dry hair straightener.

I used to think this meant my hair was coarse, but now I'm not sure. The individual hairs don't seem that thick to me, just stiff? It holds hairsticks and hairforks extremely well for my length (longest layers touching APL) I think. It is the opposite of slippery -- it doesn't fall out of braids and updoes, it just forces its way out with wiry determination.

Here are some pictures (1 (http://i.imgur.com/bSJL7.jpg), 2 (http://i.imgur.com/NMRG8.jpg), 3 (http://i.imgur.com/VKxJX.jpg), sorry for the grossness!)-- as you can see, the hairs aren't very thick, they're just very stiff or something. I don't know what the word to use would be.

Does anyone else here have this hair type? What's the word you'd use to describe it? How do you deal with it? Sometimes I like that it will be full of volume and hold styles, other times I hate that I can't take out a bun and have my hair fall perfectly out and loose. It's never very soft feeling, even at its most conditioned and pampered you can feel all the wiry individual hairs. Mostly I just try to make its natural messiness seem intentional but I'm wondering if there's some miracle treatment that will make it soft and behave when I want it to. :brickwall

[holothuroidea]

The hairs in the picture do seem pretty coarse to me, but I have the finest hair of any adult I have ever seen.

You can borrow my fine hair for a couple of days if you want. That'll probably change your mind about wanting it. :D

I envy people with medium hair who don't have to deal with either extreme of fine floating slippy hair or coarse stiff wiry hair.

[auburntressed]

From what you describe, my hair is similar to yours - but not to the same extent.

[Anje]

Some of it might just be your texture. I've got individual hairs that are coarser and they feel wiry and a bit uneven-textured to me, but most of my hair is fine, so they're oddballs rather than the rule with my hair.

However, I think you should make sure buildup isn't a culprit, since that can also cause hair to feel stiff and rather strange. There are several ways to clarify hair -- the one I prefer recommending to anyone who doesn't have an allergy to SLS is to get a "clarifying shampoo" and use it full-strength on your hair from root to tip, twice. Many brands make these, I know that Neutrogena Anti-Residue is one of the best. Afterward, let your hair have a good soak in conditioner. Clarifying is harsh and something you should only do on occasion, but it's a good way to reset when hair is behaving oddly.

Hope that makes a difference for you!

[unknown]

I have a similar hairtype. The hairs themselves aren't very thick but they are "wiry" and stiff. My hair never flows like it does on other LHCers and my braid doesn't "move", it's just stiff and heavy. Also, it is very resistant to heat tools.
The difference for me is that my hair is dead straight and layered so it tends to fall out of braids and such.

I made my hair feel softer by using a lot of conditioner mixed with microwaved honey. CO-washing was great and made my hair manageable, but I had to stop because it made my hair greasy too fast.

I'm pretty sure that you've got coarse hair. Maybe you should try CO-ing for a while?
EDIT; Hot oil treatments are also wonderful.

[brave]

I clarified a few days ago. There was no change in texture at all.
I used to CO with silicone-laden conditioners and it did help. I am impressed in retrospect that buildup wasn't way worse for me, because I didn't shampoo for months and months and used enough silicone to build some really nice boobs.

I did do an SMT without any aloe and my hair loved it. I discovered I'm not too big on the smell of honey in my hair, but I can live with it ;)

Maybe I'm wrong and this is just what coarse hair feels like. From the descriptions I thought coarse hair meant something way thicker.

[PolarCathy]

I have wiry hair myself and to be honest I'm quite ok with that because if I had softer and more supple hair it would probably lay flat on my head (I am a iii but my individual strands are not that thick - I still don't know my hairtype by the way, I'd say "medium").

I just live with it. It will never be as supple as most LHCers' hair but that's just the way I was born.. I call it "wild" hair. It's certainly very unique. Especially in Sweden, the country of The Babyfine Hair ;) Also it doesn't hold curl, it's pretty much dye-resistant, I'm fighting with my indigo to take all the time; when it used to be curlier years ago, it couldn't be straightened either. It has its own mind. If it's shorter it's sticking out perpendicularly creating a huge huge mess. It practically never lays flat, especially not at the roots.

PS. I have no product buildup and my hair is not dry; it's just one hairtype I guess.

[unknown]

I clarified a few days ago. There was no change in texture at all.
I used to CO with silicone-laden conditioners and it did help. I am impressed in retrospect that buildup wasn't way worse for me, because I didn't shampoo for months and months and used enough silicone to build some really nice boobs.

I did do an SMT without any aloe and my hair loved it. I discovered I'm not too big on the smell of honey in my hair, but I can live with it ;)

Maybe I'm wrong and this is just what coarse hair feels like. From the descriptions I thought coarse hair meant something way thicker.

Cone-free conditioners made my hair softer than the ones with cones. I believe that it is because of the build up one can get w/o shampoo.
Have you tried ACV rinses?

[dwell_in_safety]

My hair is like that. I can often take a hairstick out of a bun and leave it be for more than half an hour before it begins to slowly sink down. Sometimes I've unwound a cinnabun to have my hair stay in a ponytail before I bring it down. The strands also vary in thickness down their length. Honestly I only classify my hair as M/C instead of C because my hair gets soft, it doesn't make noise when I run it between my fingers, and I do have medium and even fine-textured hair on my head as well. I get poked fun at by my SO a lot when she finds a shed hair, because it looks very different from her shed hairs.

[brave]

It has its own mind.
This is usually my excuse. It does what it wants.

I have tried ACV rinses and while I'm still tweaking it (I use too much, then my hair is oily too fast) my hair likes it. My nose isn't happy, but I'm getting used to it.

I like shampoo bars quite a bit, but I feel like they may be contributing to the wireyness. I know other people have said they get more "hold" with a shampoo bar.

I'm probably going to pick up more AO Honeysuckle Rose and try to stretch actual shampoo washes by sort-of COing with that.

[nobeltonya]

My hair looks just like that.. I've been oiling regularly at night and using a lot of conditioner [massaging it nicely into the hair and leaving on for a good 5+ minutes] and leave-in. Also, braiding or wet bunning seems to help keep it soft and nice looking during the day. But I still wash daily.. :p

[spidermom]

I remember reading somewhere that some hairs have an extra layer rather than the standard 3 (medulla, cortex, cuticle). So maybe that's yours.

My white hairs are wirey, also coarse. If I had a head full of them, I'd probably have the same issues.

[brave]

My white hairs are wirey, also coarse. If I had a head full of them, I'd probably have the same issues.
I actually have a lot of white hairs. I heard it was due to being a redhead. I've also heard that redheads are supposed to have the thickest strands but the fewest actual hairs? Unsure of the truth of that, but eh!

Nobeltonya, I love your hair pictures! Are you really able to wash every day without it bothering your hair? I've been trying to stretch my washes but with bangs and all I really can't go more than a day, and even that makes me feel yucky. I'm not really oily at all, I just feel better when it's freshly washed.

[nobeltonya]

Yes, my hair/scalp/face are all so gross if I don't... oiling regularly the night before seems to help, but I've gone the past 2 nights w/o oiling.. also, leaving conditioner [currently Aussie Moist] on for most of my shower seems to help as well.. and using leave-in [GF sleek & shine intensely smooth]. I have SO many problems if I don't.. oily, itchy, flaky scalp.. oily face.. dull, limp hair.. and it smells .. weird. :p It smells [and looks] good all day when I wash it. :D

[MonicaJean]

To me, it looks coarse. :) I had fine hair as a child, and fine hairs are almost transparent. I'm mostly medium now (except for an area that still has fine straight hair), and it's still not as coarse looking as those hairs.

[Springgrl]

Yeah I would say your hair is coarse... That is really interesting spidermom about some hairs having an extra layer. I wonder how someone would find that out? Is there a hair typing lab somewhere? Maybe I should start one... :)

I say coarse, because if I hold an individual strand of hair up I can't see it. It would also disappear if I put one on the counter or computer keys. You would have to kind of move your head to see it haha. So your hair is not fine... but seriously you should be super happy with your hair texture. Mine never stays in anything. Fine hair is wild too! There is hair flying out everywhere when I try and do up-dos. Braids look nice for about 1 minute and that's it... I have to take them out after that or they just fall apart on their own!

[holothuroidea]

Yeah I would say your hair is coarse... That is really interesting spidermom about some hairs having an extra layer. I wonder how someone would find that out? Is there a hair typing lab somewhere? Maybe I should start one... :)

I say coarse, because if I hold an individual strand of hair up I can't see it. It would also disappear if I put one on the counter or computer keys. You would have to kind of move your head to see it haha. So your hair is not fine... but seriously you should be super happy with your hair texture. Mine never stays in anything. Fine hair is wild too! There is hair flying out everywhere when I try and do up-dos. Braids look nice for about 1 minute and that's it... I have to take them out after that or they just fall apart on their own!

I can see individual strands in good light but I cannot feel them in my fingers. Also they do not photograph at all.

[solitudinarian]

At first I wasn't sure if I could relate, haha but when you said your hair wouldnt fall down, I was like.. yeah that sounds like my hair. Which is annoying cause it can actually look SO grimey then...to others. Anyway, I use the word coarse for my hair. I have slightly thick hair, coarse, "individual" hairs all the time.. when I pet the back of my head and stroke the hair, it's not hard, but it's def not soft and silky like others....it's almost....stringy perhaps, yet... not? XD Haha we need more defining hair terms! :-p

[Springgrl]

I can see individual strands in good light but I cannot feel them in my fingers. Also they do not photograph at all.

Sounds familiar! :) Hairdressers always freak out about how tiny my individual strands are. I didn't really notice (besides that I have always been really careful with my hair) until it was pointed out. I am glad to discuss this with another fine haired person! haha. It is hard work having fine hair! Please feel blessed M/C haired people:D

[Laylah]

My hair is like that! I can braid it without tying the end and it will stay like that for half a day. I can easily put it up in a bun and not secure it and it will stay. It doesn't really swing when I walk, it just sits there. I think it has more to do with the texture than the strand thickness. Afro hair is very fine, but it "sticks" like that even when it's relaxed straight, while Chinese hair is usually very thick in strand but is flowy.

[xoxophelia]

Things that make my hair even more like how you described:

-coloring my hair
-heat damage or excessive damage from the sun
-when my hair becomes overly dry

Things that seem to reduce the amount I have those hair problems:

-regular oiling before washing
-growing out virgin hair..
-cassia (made my hair feel a bit more limp instead of stiff)

To me, it seems like a combination of thicker hair strands and increased porosity that makes it more stiff. That is just my hair though. It is possible somebody with coarser hair would have that all of the time?

[MaryMarx]

Yes! I have that "problem" too. My hair is only SL, but I can really relate to this.
I can't wear my hair loose because of this. When other peoples hair flows down their shoulders, mine is like... horizontal??
When I take it down after wearing it up, it can actually stand straight out from my head.
Although I think damage is a big part of this. But it's weird. And you're not alone.