new thread
I'm here on behalf of my boyfriend, seeking some advice for his hair. The above photo is really the only one I have that shows his hair at all, and it's obviously several years old...but you can already see the frizzies...
He's been growing his hair out since he was 15(making it nine years now), and has only really had one trim(which was not much) a while ago. The longest bits of his hair are currently a little past his tailbone, shorter ones probably about six inches above that.
It's naturally got a weird wave thing going on, and is very fine and tangles easily with tons of frizzies. He brushes it out with some sort of bristle brush and washes it with whatever shampoo and conditioner winds up in his bathroom every few days. Once out of the shower he usually brushes it again, gives it a middle part, and immediately pulls it back into either a braid or sections it off with fifty thousand hair ties every like, 1.5 inches of hair.
The problem is that the ends get really tangled and look very gnarled. Neither of us want him to cut any length off, and we are hoping for some solutions that will help the overall health of his hair without having to sacrifice length.
So...any suggestions on shampoos or conditioners... Any specific oils that might help... Really anything you could let us know would be really helpful...
Thank you so much in advance, and sorry for being so text-heavy with only the one horribly outdated photo for relief...I should have a current photo soon that shows his hair better.
Im not an expert, but ive been growing my hair a few years.. It sounds like the braiding and tieing bakc is putting alot of stress on his hair, making it damaged, alot of the "frizzies" in that picture seem to just be new hairs growing out and is natural, ive got the same thing going on... the new hairs are short and have no weight to pull them down into place, so are rebellious and stand out.
it does sound like hes not treating his hair with as much care as he should be though, tell him to be careful with the ties, make sure their not too tight and they dont pull on the hair too much. Hair is strong but can be damaged by long term strain and stress.
If he washes his hair with shampoo and conditioner too often that will strip his hair of the oils it needs to protect itself from the environment, and can cause damage too. There are alot of sites out there giving good information on hair care and what shampoos to avoid, and which to embrace.. choissers is a good one, its in the link section of this site.
Thank you so much for your response!
He's usually really good about now putting too much stress on it. He rarely braids it as he did in that picture anymore, generally just like four little braids to seperate up the length, and never super tight ones. When he does the sectioning thing, it's never really tight...just something to keep the hairs bundled together.
I've been doing a bunch of research into different products(I myself have been using Matrix Sleek for over a year now...We've thought about him using it as well, but weren't sure if there was something better out there for his specific situation) and just wanted some more personal advice.
Hi Toni glad you came by. I know many users will have suggestions so allow 1 to 3 days for them all to chime in. The only thing I know of is to treat the ends with olive oil after he washes. It should help the gnarly problem and keep things from frizzing hopefully. Could also try leave in conditioner on the ends after washing as well as applying on the off days.
I'm thrilled to hear neither of you want to trim off any length. Hopefully we can help.
Kevin
Thanks for the tips!
And yeah...I adore his hair, and would hate to see him loose any of it... It would definitely be an absolute last resort.
Hey and welcome. I understand your bf's concerns. Kevin and Pattoe gave great advice, especially regarding conditioning ends. My best suggestion is to have him get a Biotin supplement. They're like $5 at walmart and have definately improved the quality of my hair personally. Give it 3-4 weeks to feel a difference, it will make his hair stronger and less prone to breakeage which is the main cuase of frizzies, along with dryness but conditioning properly should help with the dryness.
Good luck!
-Phil
Oh awesome! We will definitely look into that! Thank you!
Welcome Toni;
Your boyfriend's hair looks great in that photo and the length is impressive. Both of you hang around this board and you will get encouragement and many good hair care tips. Bristle Brushes can really aggravate frizzies in fine hair, so he may want to use either a large tooth comb (gently) or better yet finger comb only. Olive Oil and/or Jojoba oil on the ends will help greatly.
Hope we see an update soon.
WWT (Walter White Tail)
Thank you for the compliment and advice! It's not usually back like that it was in that picture anymore. The next time he takes his hair down we'll get some pictures of it. And yeah, from reading through the old posts, you all seem pretty awesome so I don't know why we wouldn't be hanging around for a bit. :)
He usually finger combs his hair out right before he showers, and uses the bristle brush mostly on the roots, keeping them smooth throughout the day and when he wakes up in the morning.
Your Boyfriend looks like the guy that was on american Idol last year Jason Castro :)
My hair isnt as long as his (getting close to waist length) but I have the same problem with the dry tangled ends. I found a cheap product that works pretty well for me. It's called Silk Drops and can be bought anywhere. I try to condition really well and thoroughly then when the hair is still damp I apply the silk drops to the ends. I was really impressed when I did a gig with my hair out (frontman of 3 bands) and when I was finished for the night my hair was still in pretty decent shape
Well, I have no idea what Jason Castro looks like...but thanks I think!
Silk Drops, eh? We'll definitely have to go check that out! Thank you!
Hi Toni,
Thank you for finding us on the web and we're only too pleased to answer any questions if you can and welcome to you both. Your boy friend has a great head of hair there are not many people that grow it that long and all the more a great inspiration and example of longhair on a person. I would certainly agree trimming would be the last thing you should do and there are other things you can do.
I have thick hair and I get frizzies when mine is dry and I do apply some Jojoba oil on the ends and that certainly helps. The frizzies do not bother me that much and having thick and wavy hair I suppose it comes with the territory. So I hope trying Jojoba oil will help and always best to keep away from scissors.:-)
I hope you will both stick around you'l get some grea advice here and of course keep it growing.
Cheers,
John.B
Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad I did stumble across this place, because everyone seems really lovely so far! And thank you so much for your kind words! I don't know if he really planned on being an inspiration to anyone, but he thanks you heavily as well
Scissors will be kept as far away from his hair as possible. It doesn't seem to be all that thick, so the frizzies worry me...I don't want to think about how bad his split ends may be if that's what is going on, since the last time anything sharp touched his head was over 6 years ago... We're trying to do what we can to avoid it though, and thank you as well for the tip about the Jojoba oil...We're definitely going to get some.
Well, I went through the pictures on my phone and found one that may be helpful(I also found one of him from behind where, theoretically, you could see the length, but the photo is way too dark to be able to see much of anything)
It shows what I mean when I say he ties his hair into little sections... And you can see the width and whatnot(Photo is from a crossbow adventure we had in December)
Also, for giggles, here's one of us so you can see my face too(if this is at all relevant, since I see you had previously discussed ages on here and perceptions, he is 24 and I am 20)
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/guess_the_betta/cuties.jpg
*Great photo and nice long hair!
*This would be normal as hair has a lifespan. 100 fall-out per day while meanwhile new hairs begin their own life.
*Tell him to be very careful brushing it when wet. Hair is most vunerable to breakage and damage while still wet.
*Does he "Finger-Comb" first before anything else? This is important. "If" the ends at this point are very narrow and wispy, as a last resort they may now need just a tad snipped-off so that the ends will be blunt which will eliminate alot of which you speak. Those who know me KNOW I am not one for advising trims UNLESS really needed, OR if a certain length goal has been reached.
*Perhaps try the standard Aussie line of products? This seems to be pretty basic.
*It was a great photo. Long hair never becomes "outdated."
He does finger comb for the most part, and will use a wide tooth comb to gently pick out any of the knots before he showers.
I think we're going to take the advice of everyone and wait another month or so before trimming... And if it does come to that, I believe we are going for the one-by-one method that I read about in the other posts.
Good idea. Best of luck to your friend.