Hi. I have hair down to my shoulders, not course or really thick, with a slight wave to it. When clean and dry, it has too much volume to my liking. I actually like the way that it looks when damp, as it still has some wave (not totally straight) and lays closer to my head. I tend to finger comb my hair, as brushes and combs only seem to exacerbate the "poofyness that I don't like. Have tried gels (hate them - they all leave my hair hard and feeling like sticks)and have been told to avoid conditioners, as these ADD volume to hair. I did get it thinned out, but it's still too full looking.
Any one have this same issue? I really don't want to treat my hair with a whole range of things. Just wondered if there's a product that will lessen the volume without making it hard or overly greasy. Am not looking for a "slick" look, just a natural look with less fullness or volume. Thanks!
I'm reminded of a bit of old Italian wisdom from my grandfather: "I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." At some point, you just need to be happy with what you've got.
--Val
I love that story val, my favorite one is the guy who came into town and everybody was really stingy so he started to make stone soup in the town square. and as people would walk by he would say this stone soup sure would taste good if i had some carrots so somebody said i have a few carrots. then this soup sure would tast good if i had some meat, so someone said i have a little meat ect. ect so he shared the soup- stew with everyone in the town . well i hope you got my point. your friend James
Yes, I've heard this before and there's wisdom to it. But it kind of negates the reason for this blog existing doesn't it? I've seen many topics here dealing with hair problems. Why bother interacting if we should just be happy with what we have?
Please post a photo that would help us figure this out, your friend James
Hi-
try a new AVENO product, its a hair "gel" that really helps yet leaves hair natural with hold but non greasy.
It also helps nourish the hair.
I have blonde hair down to my shoulders, a little wave and thick, I don't like product in my hair and here is what finally works for me, (my friends used to call me mufasa when my hair was puffy, before I tamed it..lol).
1. I only shampoo etc my hair 1x per week,sometimes just rinse with cold water before shampoo time.
2. I use vatika coconut oil, massage it into my scalp and saturate my hair then wash it out after a couple of hours. I use matrix shampoo and conditioner, pat with a towell gently, comb with a wide tooth wooden comb and air dry.
3. I use parachute coconut oil if my hair gets too puffy and a pinch of baby powder if my hair gets to greasy looking, thus the cold water rinse..
Hope this helps
It kind of sounds like your hair is too clean and dry. Overly dry hair will tend to poof and fly about whereas well moisturized hair won't be nearly as prone to. I think avoiding conditioners is making things worse. While some conditioners may be formulated to add volume, daily clarifiers with ingredients such as aloe should add some moisture without adding volume. It may also help to lightly oil your hair as has been discussed further down list.
As someone else noted, you might want to post a picture to help us identify the problem.
--Dale
Thanks! "Too clean and dry" very likely IS the problem. It never occurred to me. I checked out all kinds of trendy hair stuff at a store last night (some of it pricey) and an elderly clerk directed me to a "men's" hair care section at the back of the store that had old time products like Brylcreem and Vitalis. I opted for "Groom and Clean", made by Suave. It's a green gell like product in a tube with a not bad smell. I applied it to damp hair - and it worked! The fullness/volume is gone, it isn't greasy to the touch, looks natural, my hair is still soft, hangs like it should, and this stuff washes out easily.
My thanks to all of you for your input. Will keep using this and will also look for the conditioner that one of you suggested as well.
Best,
Hans
I'm glad you found something that works for you. I'd forgotten about "Groom and Clean", it's a product I haven't used for a while. I used to use it when my hair was 'longish' but I switched to using coconut oil when my hair got longer. There was nothing really wrong with the product other than I had a hard time getting just the right amount consistently. One other thing you may wish to try is not shampooing as frequently. As your hair gets longer you'll find it takes longer before it starts feeling greasy. When my hair was short I *had* to shampoo daily. Now that it's over my shoulders I only need to shampoo about once a week, though I tend to rinse and condition every day or so.
Good luck! It takes a bit of trial and error to find the best combination of products that works best for each individual.