Help with frizz and CO washing!

[Cafe au Lait]

I am going to whine. I apologize in advance. :)

My hair is driving me nuts, and I almost want to start straightening again (but I won't). I cannot get rid of the frizzy. I've stopped using AVG because of the air being dry. It didn't work that great in the first place. Oiling isn't helping. All the products I've bought and tried aren't working. I just end up with waves/curls and a huge halo of frizz around it. I don't brush, I comb in the shower when I CO wash. Should I stop scrunching?

I cannot find a conditioner my hair likes. It hates protein, and a lot of them seem to have it, if even a little. The ones that don't, my hair is like "Meh. I'll just puff up anyway sucker!" I have so many conditioner bottles it's ridiculous.

I miss my corkscrew curls. Poor little me! Anyway, thanks for putting up with that. Any thoughts?

[caadam]

No whining is allowed.

;) lol

Have you ever tried mineral oil? It helps a lot of people with frizz, including myself. You can read more about here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

In my experience, I found the best way to use mineral oil is to use it right after washing with a clarifying shampoo (like a shampoo that is made specifically for clarifying. Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo is an example of this). Just wash with the shampoo, squeeze out excess water, comb, and then use a few drops of mineral oil on the length of the hair. Works very well.

So there's an option!

[Madora]

No whining is allowed.

;) lol

Have you ever tried mineral oil? It helps a lot of people with frizz, including myself. You can read more about here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

In my experience, I found the best way to use mineral oil is to use it right after washing with a clarifying shampoo (like a shampoo that is made specifically for clarifying. Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo is an example of this). Just wash with the shampoo, squeeze out excess water, comb, and then use a few drops of mineral oil on the length of the hair. Works very well.

So there's an option!

Yes, MO helps with the frizzies. However, for what it's worth, I'd suggest that after you gently squeeze out the excess water, then apply the MO...just a few drops (not more than 3) on your palms and fingers, then run your hands through your hair. Then gently finger comb through your hair, then take a wide tooth comb and gently detangle as usual. MO really helps with detangling issues..but I found it works best if you put it on the hair first, then do your detangling.

It also calmed down my wash day frizzies (those really short fly away front hairs that used to bug me).

[Pixie0763]

I ditto what they've said, but I use Argan oil instead and love the results!

[Cafe au Lait]

Mineral oil, the one thing I haven't tried! I'll pick up some, thanks for the tip!

Okay, embarrassingly, maybe this is my problem - I CO-wash nearly every day. I find when I wake up in the morning my waves/curl is all mashed and rather than face the daunting task of fixing it somehow, I start from scratch. My hair is so short and thick yet that I can't do a lot of styles.

How can I freshen up my hair for second day goodness?

I dumb like I should know this already, but I was just taught to run a brush through it when I was younger and have no idea how to care for curls..

[Tia2010]

I agree with the mineral oil. It tamed my frizzies but I have to use it on really damp almost wet hair, and I use about 6 drops.

[caadam]

Mineral oil, the one thing I haven't tried! I'll pick up some, thanks for the tip!

Okay, embarrassingly, maybe this is my problem - I CO-wash nearly every day. I find when I wake up in the morning my waves/curl is all mashed and rather than face the daunting task of fixing it somehow, I start from scratch. My hair is so short and thick yet that I can't do a lot of styles.

How can I freshen up my hair for second day goodness?

I dumb like I should know this already, but I was just taught to run a brush through it when I was younger and have no idea how to care for curls..

Nah, you're not dumb. :flower: Everyone's gotta start somewhere, and that's why you got us LHCers!

You really want to consider the fact that you could dealing with some buildup, and again, this is where a clarifying shampoo will come in handy.

I notice that when I get bad buildup, my hair feels dry, and my ends will get crunchy. No matter how much conditioner I use or oil or leave-ins. This is usually my hair's way of showing that it needs to be clarified.

A good clarifying shampoo is going to be simple without much added botanicals, and no fatty alcohols (cetyl, stearyl, and cetearyl alcohol. There's another that starts with a B that'll sometimes be in hair products, but I forget exactly what it's called). One of the first ingredients listed should be a sulfate, usually SLS (sodium laureth sulfate). I know a lot of people don't like dealing with any sulfates, but most of the time, it tends to be the clarifying agent you can use for your hair and scalp. It takes everything off, kind of a reset button for your hair.

One clarifying shampoo to stay away from is Suave's clarifying shampoo. It tends to coat the hair and doesn't do a good job of removing anything. And remember, any shampoo that has extra botanicals in it (like extracts and oils, including silicones, too) won't exactly clean everything off, but just put more stuff on.

Also, a clarify might be exactly what your curly hair needs in order to be "refreshed," as you put it. It might be heavy with residue from CO washing too often.

There are plenty of other things, too, that you can do to help retain your curl. While CO washing is usually a preferred method for curlies, buildup happens, like I said. If you're brushing hair while it's dry, perhaps you can get yourself into the habit of using a wide-toothed comb instead, or finger-comb. Whatever works. If you brush through curls, the usual result ends up being fluff and even some frizz. If you don't want that, then maybe it's time to try another method. :)

[Cafe au Lait]

Ah, I'm sorry I did not touch on that. I use Neutrogena's clarifying shampoo. :)

I only use a wide toothed comb in the shower when I CO (with conditioner in). If I brush when my hair is dry, my hair gets a little BIG, but I get shiny waves and no frizz. Maybe I should just embrace that..

Anyway, thanks for the tips everyone. Who knows where my hair would be without this site.

[brave]

We're close to hair twins and I have this problem as well. Frizz frizz frizz. Mineral oil didn't cut it for me, nor did other kinds of oil (MO is still definitely worth a shot for the price!). I just went back to coney CO and that helps a lot but I understand why you might want to avoid that.

[Natalia]

im sure you probably already tried this but my hair reacts differently to oiling depending on where it is at in the drying process. wet acts different than damp and both react different than dry maybe a different timing may help with the oiling part?