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Hi and thanks for taking the time to read and help me. My hair is about four, four and a half inches long and i am having some trouble. My hair is very thin and dry and wavy/curly. As of now i dont like the curls too much and have been trying products to maybe keep it straight and stop the frizzing and maybe make my hair moist (like an asians hair) Lately i just use gel, slick it back, put a small towel to hold it back while it dries and then after it dries if is straight and not as frizzy. This only lasts a few hours before it starts to curl again and become a big mess on my head. What are the best products or ways to keep it smooth and straight and to keep it from frizzing?? I figure its not even worth to grow it if it is always gonna be like this, i dont want to look like i have long pubes on my head. So unless i can find a way to make it look nice then i dont want to have long hair if it is gonna look the same way, but i dont want to cut it, i want long hair, so i am looking everywhere for a way to make it nice. so please anyways to make it straight, moist, and not frizzy, even if i need to do it everyday i will, or something once a month or so...anything.
Thanks MH
DON'T GIVE UP...My hair is A)Curly Frizzy, B) Thin/Balding and C) Mid back length. I've used gel, mouse, setting lotion, straightening irons, Frizz Ease (and similar products), straightening balm, warm oil treatments, hairspray, and of course both rinse-out and leave-in conditioners. I even "chemically straightened" it once or twice.
Here is what I've found: All of the above help some. Nothing is really perfect for our kind of hair. Chemical straightening can really damage fine hair, and if your hair is thin already, avoid it like the plague.
What you do now, is actually "setting" your hair. Gelling it and letting it dry is fine and doesn't harm it at all. It will dry much faster under a hairnet than under a towell. Hairspray may keep it from frizzing a few hours longer, but in humid weather, and if you perspire a lot, you won't have "good hair" for longer than a few hours.
When it gets a bit longer, you might consider blow drying it with some mousse or straightening balm, and a bit of de-frizzer.
The best part is, that once it's long enough to put into a ponytail,
you can gel/mousse above the tie, and leave it slicked back, while wearing the tail either naturally curly, or blown/set srtaight. I try to pick a look that will work with the weather of the day. Some days a straight to wavy ponytail, other days, a wet-look curly tail.
I really appreciate your advice, i have tried almost all of the things you have mentioned but what if I dont want to wear it in a ponytail when it gets longer?? I mean i would wear it in a ponytail every now and then but what if i want to leave it long and flowing to blow in the wind =]. An example of how i would like it is similar to tom cruises hair in mission imposible 2. If i cant make it like that, then i dont really want long hair if it is always going to be frizzy and wavy and dry. I've seen guys with neck long/mid back hair which is like mine, and i dont like the way it looks at all, just doesnt look nice. Even if i could make it look nice for the day and have to set it every morning thats fine with me, i know i cant stop my hair from curling and frizzing forever, but making it look nice on a daily basis is fine with me. =] once again thanks for the help. I'll try to get a picture up so people can see exactly what my hair is like.(i am part egyptian so thats where i get the curly frizz) MH
all of the things you have mentioned but what if I dont
want to wear it in a ponytail when it gets longer?? I mean
i would wear it in a ponytail every now and then but what
if i want to leave it long and flowing to blow in the wind
=]. An example of how i would like it is similar to tom
cruises hair in mission imposible 2. If i cant make it
like that, then i dont really want long hair if it is
always going to be frizzy and wavy and dry. I've seen guys
with neck long/mid back hair which is like mine, and i dont
like the way it looks at all, just doesnt look nice. Even
if i could make it look nice for the day and have to set it
every morning thats fine with me, i know i cant stop my
hair from curling and frizzing forever, but making it look
nice on a daily basis is fine with me. =] once again
thanks for the help. I'll try to get a picture up so
people can see exactly what my hair is like.(i am part
egyptian so thats where i get the curly frizz) MH
hmmmmmmm so i guess u can blame ur mother and father for giving u the type of hair u have cause 9 times out of 10 their hair is the same way,,,tell u what come by and i'll cut ur hair off for free,,,,no charge,,,
I'm sure my curly frizz comes from Middle Eastern ancestry as well.
The good news is that you can have really smooth, flowing hair for a day or so at a time, it just takes work and "products." It actually gets easier as your hair gets longer. BTW..When you do have a curly mane, you will now and then have the delightful experience of a woman saying something like "Please let me touch your curls" or
"Are those curls natural?, I'd kill for curls like that"
Oh well it must be human nature...Straight haired people get tight spiral perms, and we try for stick-straight hair.
When mine was short to moderate in length, that is less than shoulder length, I used to wear it in a bob. This style required lots of blow drying while holding the hair partly rolled around a round brush, and pulled taut. It looked great when I first finished it, but it would go to pot in under an hour if just left alone. I found that if I used lots of spray on it, the style stayed "just so" and looked fine for over 14 hours. It was rather stiff, but I loved the look of hair that covered my ears and came below my chin. I guess I was going for a somewhat androgynous hairstyle at the time.
Now that my head is balder and my remaining hair much longer, I prefer a wrap set. Here is what I do when I have time. I shower/shampoo at night, condition and mousse my hair and brush it into a "wrap." It's a little hard to describe a wrap, except to say that all the hair is brushed around the head, as if your head was a big roller. Bobby pins, setting tape and a net hold it in place while I sleep. In the morning i carefully unwrap it and brush it out. When finished, I have straight hair. I add a tiny bit of glosser spray. In the Fall and Winter, I can wear it down and loose, and it stays nice most of the day.
There are products that say they will seal out moisture and keep hair looking good in any weather. Also, chemical straightening does help. If you go for that, get it done professionally. But even chemically straightened hair needs to be set regularly.
With hair like ours, the growing out phase is is a real trial of patience, but hang in there. You can enjoy long hair. It just takes us a little more work than it does those willowy, Northern European types, or those lucky Orientals.
yeah i know what you mean. A lot of people right now like the curls and even wish they had hair like mine, but as for now in the midphase i would like it straight. when it gets longer and can actually hang down longer i wont mind the curly look every now and then. I have been trying a lot of stuff and to my surprise olive oil works very well. Just put a small amount in my hand rub it all over my hair (roots and tips) and it does not frizz at all, it is not greasy to the touch, and its super smooth and shiny. It will still curl with olive oil but if u use some gel, olive oil, then set it, it is nice and not too wavy, but the second i do any physical activity, the curls begin to come =]. So i appreciate your help, i will try everything and i figure i might as well grow it since i never have had long hair and it is not a inconvenience to be growing it either so one day i can say to my grand kids "you know I was once a long hair???"" hehe =]
MH
I've used olive oil as a "warm oil treatment" but always washed it out after. I never used a combination of oil and gel. With my thinning hair, I'd probably get a "stringy" look. That even tends to happen if I'm not careful, and use too much "anti-frizz serum."
Just keep it growing. You'll have almost 2 more inches by fall. By the time it gets hot outside next year, you'll be able to tie it back if you want.
MH: Maybe you're trying to do something that is not natural to your hair. If you have curley hair, who worry and spend so much time trying to straigten it? Can't you try and work with your curley hair, not against it? A mass of long curley hair would look kewl!
I have shoulder length curly dark hair myself, I dig it, the straight hair types keep asking my curling technique, "air dry" is all I say.
Don't know if you're still reading this thread, but there is a site called naturallycurly.com - geared toward women, but with lots of advice on dealing with curly hair. Check it out. I know how difficult it is to grow out curly hair!