new thread
I'm wondering what type or brand of shampoo and conditioner would work well for my hair type. I've been wearing my hair long for about eight years, and it has been as long as it will get for about five or six; that is, somewhere between my shoulders and the middle of my back. My problem is that not only will my hair not get any longer, but it's very thick and wavy/curly, and when it's dry, it curls up and looks much shorter than it is. I can't really wear it in anything other than a ponytail, because it just becomes a big curly afro-mess. Washing it less often helps, and I've tried many different department store shampoos and conditioners, to no end. If I slather it with gel or mousse I can keep it under control for a while, but not really, and it looks bad. Is there some professional products I can use, or is there something else I'm overlooking? Or am I just screwed with bad hair? I can post pics if it will help...
For thick wavy/curly hair it isn't so much what brand you use as much as what you use. Some people with hair similar to yours have had luck washing with conditioner only and skipping the shampoo and that moisture from the conditioner allows the curls to form well. If you are combing or brushing it when dry you hair will be poofy but combing only when dry will allow the waves to find each other better.
Bill C. here has had good experiences with water only washing which allows your natural oils to remain in trace amounts taming hair by giving weight. It may be shampoos that are contributing to your hair problems so this might be something worth trying, a lot of curlies have dry hair and shampoos can just make that worse for some people. Bill C. has great instructions on his hair pages- http://www.choisser.com/longhair/two.html. Also see http://www.naturallycurly.com/ for people with a lot of curl experience but it is heavy on the advertising.
Elizabeth
Yeah, I usually only shampoo maybe once a week or so, but I've always felt there must be products better than what is available at Target or something. I was just looking for some suggestions as to what people with similar hair types like...