Fixing my frizzy hair

[Lauren710]

Hi everyone :) New here, I'm trying to tame my frizzy hair. I've been lurking for a couple days and I know there's about a million things to try, but I was hoping I could get some specific advice from you all. Trying to include all the relevant details, let me know if there's anything else that would be helpful to know.

The hair: Fine but there's a ton of it, currently in layers from chin to BSL. I think it's 1b? But could maybe be 1c when it's in better condition as it curls at the ends/underneath. Very frizzy, tangles if I look at it the wrong way, tends to get oily at the scalp. I figured out that ponytails make the frizzies worse so I try to leave it down as much as possible.

The routine (and possibly bad habits): I've been using Organix macadamia oil shampoo and conditioner and I've been mostly cone- and sulfate-free for about a year now. I never blow-dry or straighten it but I do have a bad habit of brushing it too much, wet or dry (seriously, it tangles itself when I'm sitting still, head not touching anything). I've always dried it with a normal towel but I have a microfiber wrap that I just started using instead.

I've read a bunch about the Curly Girl method and CO washing, it seems like maybe my hair is dehydrated so I'm going to give CO washing a try and just generally try to handle/brush it less. Good idea? Is there anything else I should try? I'm just really tired of looking like a frizzy tangled mess :(

[afu]

I think CO is definitly a good place to start, worked wonders on my frizzy, dried out hair and brought my curls back. You might also want to consider some sort of leave-in to prevent your hair from drying out too much between washes. Regular conditioner can be used without problems as a leave-in (ears down to avoid greasy looking roots) and if you have any oils on hand they are also good for sealing in moisture. For fine hair you'll probably want to stick to a light oil and use it sparingly - Sweet almond is likely a good place to start as it can be bought cheaply and works well with fine hair in my experience. Good luck and try not to change too many things at once, make sure you know what is giving you the effects you are noticing

[akilina]

If you don't use cones then you could always just use a little dab of some kind of oil....You would have to find an oil that your hair likes though. Many like coconut oil but I find it a lil heavy on my medium fine hair. Sweet almond oil is good for this...it is nice and light to me. There are SO many oils out there to try but its all sort of trial and error. Something that works for one, wont work for another. A little can go a long way with oil.
Also I would recommend frequent deep conditioning treatments maybe once a week to help improve the health possibly resulting in less frizzy hair. The SMT is very popular around here and really nice. SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) <-- link. When I do mine I usually skip on the honey though. Right now I have the true SMT on my head with honey also though.
I usually just like to mix a few conditioners I like and a few drops of oil and real aloe vera. Leaves my hair feeling amazing and healthy.

[Lauren710]

Wow thanks for the quick replies! I actually tried the SMT last night :) It's still kinda rough looking today but feels a little softer. I picked up some jojoba oil yesterday too (I figured that would be a good place to start because I can use it for my face even if my hair doesn't like it), I'll try sweet almond next if that doesn't work so well.

I'll try leaving in a bit of conditioner next time I wash too.

[afu]

As far as i am aware jojoba oil is more like a liquid wax in the way it behaves, so i would really be careful with your fine hair - use a tiny amount. Also, most oils mentioned on here can be used both on hair and body/face, I use sweet almond oil for my OCM face wash

[Paladin]

This is what I do... and I use Nizoral shampoo every day for hair growth reasons so it already starts out in a "dry" condition before applying conditioner --

I use a generous amount of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, rinse the nizoral out with warm water and then apply the conditioner right away. I smush it into my hair thoroughly instead of rubbing/working it through to avoid pulling and shedding as much as possible, then let it sit for several minutes. I then turn the water as cold as I can stand and rinse, but not completely rinse, since this conditioner works really well as a "leave-in". I rinse just enough so there's no filmy conditioner residue on my hands when I rub the back of my head.

Then gently pat dry with a towel and air dry.

No more frizz! And it used to be VERY frizzy.

Hope this helps!

[spidermom]

Number 1: do not brush wet hair. Careful wide-tooth combing is all right.

I have a feeling your hair is more wavy/curly than a 1. What happens when you brush waves/curls is POOF, also known as frizz. Try combing your conditioner through with a wide-tooth comb, rinsing, then not disturbing your hair at all. Let it dry naturally; see what it does all on its own.

[Indigostreams]

Wow thanks for the quick replies! I actually tried the SMT last night :) It's still kinda rough looking today but feels a little softer. I picked up some jojoba oil yesterday too (I figured that would be a good place to start because I can use it for my face even if my hair doesn't like it), I'll try sweet almond next if that doesn't work so well.

I'll try leaving in a bit of conditioner next time I wash too.
Since you went out and got some jojoba oil, if you get some aloe vera gel you can make up some of Kimberlily's defrizz spray: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277

I'm new here too, but I also get frizzy hair, and this spray has been helping me lots! (I've been using the spray without the glycerin, personally, and it still works.)

[jacqueline101]

I like argan oil it works on mine.

[Lauren710]

Thanks for all the help :D

Afu: good to know re: jojoba, maybe I'll pick up the sweet almond anyway then.

Paladin: I'll have to try smushing my conditioner in, since my hair is fine I'm probably breaking it by being too rough.

[Lauren710]

Number 1: do not brush wet hair. Careful wide-tooth combing is all right.

I have a feeling your hair is more wavy/curly than a 1. What happens when you brush waves/curls is POOF, also known as frizz. Try combing your conditioner through with a wide-tooth comb, rinsing, then not disturbing your hair at all. Let it dry naturally; see what it does all on its own.

Yeah, I felt rather silly after I started doing some hair research. No more brushing while wet for me!

I sort of think it might really be more curly than a 1 as well. It was very curly when I was a toddler. After that it always looked pretty straight, but it's always had the frizz thing happening and I never really thought about caring for it like curly hair (or just treating it more gently in general). I'll leave it alone after the next time I wash it and see what happens.

[curlymarcia]

I agree with spidermom, wurly/curly hair becames frizzy when it's brush dry. You can finger comb when is dry and put few drops of sweet almond oil (and maybe flaxseed "gel").

[nobeltonya]

My hair is frizzy, tangly, and feels like straw if I don't oil regularly and use conditioner and leave-in with cones.. and I only comb wet with a wide-tooth comb :rolling:

[RitaCeleste]

Um I have wavy hair and frizz. Brushing even dry isn't the best way to avoid frizz. I do it, but l had to live with the frizz from it. Learn to finger comb dry hair, it makes a huge difference when compared to a brush, even those with hardly any bristles. Oil, two cheap readily available ones are Coconut oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. There is a thread on curl cream floating around, might want to read the stuff in there as well.

[dollyfish]

I tend to have VERY dry hair, though my hair is also thick and somewhat coarse (I say I'm an M but I'm more like M/C) so my routine might not work for you... but you are in the experimenting stage, so I'll provide some input. ;)

My hair absolutely LOVES ACV (white vinegar too, I just use ACV because I prefer the smell) so I (almost) always end every shower with an ACV rinse. I also use coconut oil on my ends, as it's my favorite smelling oil and my hair just eats it up. I use olive oil for deep leave-in oiling. I use a shampoo bar only once a week (flipping my hair upside down to scrub the bubbles into my scalp with fingers). My hair is still prone to dryness but it's way less frizzy!


...now that I've been typing it so much in a row the word "oil" looks really silly to me :cheese:

[brave]

The routine (and possibly bad habits): I've been using Organix macadamia oil shampoo and conditioner and I've been mostly cone- and sulfate-free for about a year now.

The conditioner and possibly the shampoo from that line do have dimethicone in them. Maybe try a different conditioner for a while, even possibly try CO-washing with something cone-free, and see if that doesn't help? Lots of people find that cowashing eases the frizz quite a bit and brings out more curl.

[RitaCeleste]

I got inspired by this thread. I did my usual pre-oiling, followed it with Pantene Relaxed and Natural conditioner (Yeah, it has cones but leaves my hair the waviest of all my coney products) and forced myself to leave it alone while it dried. I used a little Lusti Organics Olive Oil Hair Dress I picked up at dollar tree when it was dry. I tried finger-combing but I ended up brushing it. It was way less frizzy than usual. If my sister comes over with her camera, I'll make her take pics. I got to thinking the healthy hair people would be really shocked that I could get my hair to look like this and I don't usually do it. :D People tend to think frizzy hair is fried hair. My sister was all mad at me when I mentioned hair pics Monday night. "Bun it when its damp so your ends don't look dry first!!!" She has lovely hair and it has grown so much I'm gonna get a pic of it. She got Mom's straighter hair. Frizz can be tamed, even mine!:cheese:

[Lauren710]

The conditioner and possibly the shampoo from that line do have dimethicone in them. Maybe try a different conditioner for a while, even possibly try CO-washing with something cone-free, and see if that doesn't help? Lots of people find that cowashing eases the frizz quite a bit and brings out more curl.

Ohh I'm silly. I'm not really cone-free then, just sulfate-free. I'll definitely try something different then and see if it's better for my hair. I have VO5 for CO washing, suggestions for a good moisturizing conditioner?

I CO-washed, combed in the shower with a wide-tooth comb, and then left my hair alone until it dried this morning (which was REALLY REALLY HARD to do, I didn't realize how much I touch my hair!). It actually looks like I'm pretty firmly in the 2a camp, not 1, which is kinda cool :) I wonder if it'll end up being even more wavy/curly than that once I get a good routine down.. it still looks very frizzy today, just much more wavy/curly than it usually does.

[brave]

The moisturizing ones are harder to find. I like Everyday Shea, it's pretty thick. Mane and Tail is pretty thick but can build up/give protein problems. Most people seem to just rinse out their first, light conditioner, and then also use it as a leave in. I'm still perfecting the CO process but I got good results using Shea Moisture's leave ins. I still have a lot of frizz myself :(

Maybe consider posting pictures for hair-typing? Give it a wash and condition, whatever your preference of product, no combing, air dry, and let the experts here type you. Isn't it exciting to be curlier than expected?

[RitaCeleste]

The hair dressing stuff I used helped a lot. I usually oil a little and that helps some but with the hair dressing stuff, I don't have to be as careful not to over oil it. The hair dressing has some oils in it and vegetable protein and many things I can't pronounce but it only costs a dollar. Some people use aloe and gels and spray bottles with special mixtures to tame the frizz. Also I found out the more I brush it when its dry, the more frizz I end up with. If I brush it with the hair dressing damp the results are not good, it pulls the wave into the frizz zone.

[Lauren710]

The moisturizing ones are harder to find. I like Everyday Shea, it's pretty thick. Mane and Tail is pretty thick but can build up/give protein problems. Most people seem to just rinse out their first, light conditioner, and then also use it as a leave in. I'm still perfecting the CO process but I got good results using Shea Moisture's leave ins. I still have a lot of frizz myself :(

Maybe consider posting pictures for hair-typing? Give it a wash and condition, whatever your preference of product, no combing, air dry, and let the experts here type you. Isn't it exciting to be curlier than expected?

Hm. Maybe I'll just play around with the VO5 as a leave-in and/or a teeny bit of oil for now.. I'm trying not to give into the temptation of changing my entire routine at once, I tend to go really gung-ho into everything, haha.


The hair dressing stuff I used helped a lot. I usually oil a little and that helps some but with the hair dressing stuff, I don't have to be as careful not to over oil it. The hair dressing has some oils in it and vegetable protein and many things I can't pronounce but it only costs a dollar. Some people use aloe and gels and spray bottles with special mixtures to tame the frizz. Also I found out the more I brush it when its dry, the more frizz I end up with. If I brush it with the hair dressing damp the results are not good, it pulls the wave into the frizz zone.

Interesting.. I'll look for it the next time I'm near a Dollar Tree. For a dollar it's certainly worth checking out!

I took a picture today actually, since it's hard to see the back of my own head :) I will add the disclaimer that I very gently finger-combed through it once or twice, if that's enough to make it inaccurate I'll take another pic to post after I wash it again.

http://i.imgur.com/dJuq9.jpg

[Lauren710]

Oh and I've always had a few tighter spirals underneath, if that means anything for hair typing.

[Silverbrumby]

Lovely hair. I think you'll really get a lot out of these changes. My hair even with them loves to frizz but it's better now.

[RitaCeleste]

For me that would be an awesome hair day! Yeah, the hair dressing might smooth down some of the new growth that is trying to get wild. Your hair looks really healthy and the frizz looks pretty minimal to me. Mine looks like I stuck a fork in a light socket most days. :p

[Amethyste]

My hair doesnt like ANY oil other than baby oil. Try that, it could help :)

[lapushka]

I took a picture today actually, since it's hard to see the back of my own head :) I will add the disclaimer that I very gently finger-combed through it once or twice, if that's enough to make it inaccurate I'll take another pic to post after I wash it again.

http://i.imgur.com/dJuq9.jpg

That looks like 1c hair to me.

[pepperminttea]

It's worth trying it without the finger-combing. :) Any touching whatsoever and my odd spirals just disappear.

[Lauren710]

Lovely hair. I think you'll really get a lot out of these changes. My hair even with them loves to frizz but it's better now.


For me that would be an awesome hair day! Yeah, the hair dressing might smooth down some of the new growth that is trying to get wild. Your hair looks really healthy and the frizz looks pretty minimal to me. Mine looks like I stuck a fork in a light socket most days. :p

Aww thanks :) The lighting + door in the background minimize the frizz, there's still a halo of it around my entire head as we speak :o


My hair doesnt like ANY oil other than baby oil. Try that, it could help :)

I'll add that to my list of things to try!


That looks like 1c hair to me.

Thanks :) Hard for a newbie to figure out the whole hair-typing thing, I just know that I'm somewhere between stick-straight and actually curly, haha.

[Lauren710]

It's worth trying it without the finger-combing. :) Any touching whatsoever and my odd spirals just disappear.

Yeah, I finger combed a little more after taking that pic and now I just feel greasy and don't look any less frizzy. Hm. Lots of trial and error is in my future, I think.

[askvivi11]

You should try some Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil, this stuff helps nourish and condition your hair, plus it de-frizzes and increases shine.

I have 2a hair that gets really frizz with heat or humidity and I use the argan oil on it and voila! My hair's looking great :)

[Lauren710]

So my first conditioner (VO5 Strawberries and Cream) didn't work out so well - left me greasy, still frizzy, and started giving me cystic acne on my scalp after 2 washes. Not so good.

Today I picked up a cheating shampoo to use once in a while because my water is a little hard and did SMT with a new conditioner after clarifying with that (365 lavender from Whole Foods). O.M.G. My hair is mostly wet still, but my bangs are dry and they look amazingly soft and smooth :D Not frizz-free but the closest I've been in a long time, so now I know it's capable of behaving :joy: I kind of want to stay awake until my hair is totally dry (uh, like 3-4 more hours) just to see what it'll look like!

[Wildcat Diva]

My hair doesnt like ANY oil other than baby oil. Try that, it could help :)

Yes, I agree, but do only like 2 drops rubbed in your hands and finger combed through damp hair. Ktani has an awesome article on mineral oil, it is classified as an anti-static so that's why it takes care of the frizz. Also, it doesn't weigh your hair down at all if you only use two or three drops.

A big bottle that you would never get through is under three dollars at Wal-Mart.