Impossibly curly hair - Help!

eminenz2

eminenz2

Cathlete
So I have lots of hair again (yeah!) but unfortunately it's unruly and impossibly curly (sigh). It's not Amy Irving beautiful curls, but more like Bob Dylan in 1963, or God help me, Little Orphan Annie.

I use Frizz-Ease on it after washing it (every couple of days), along with Ruskin Str8 creme. I sometimes use a small ceramic hair straightener in the morning, but it takes a *long* time (ha- a pun!)to get things under control, and even then, it's still resistant to straightening.

I'm trying not to blow it dry because I don't want to damage it, what with the straightening and stuff. I haven't had it cut since last January when it started to grow. It's about three inches long all over my head, growing is all directions. I'm afraid to get it cut because I'm worried it would make the curl worse.

I am begging for suggestions for getting my hair under control (and getting me out the door in the morning in a relatively decent amount of time). I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking of just wearing my scarves again until my hair gets longer.

My original hair was wavy.

Thanks!

Susan L.G.

P.S. My new hair is too short to striaghten with a brush and a hair dryer. I've tried it already.
 
My sister's hair is super duper curly. She keeps it cut in layers which seems to help enhance the curl without the friz. Since you haven't had it cut since it started growing out, it may just need to be cut into a style. My own hair is not curly, just frizzy. I could not live without Biosilk, Silk therapy. Another product that I like is Redken Smooth Down heat glide. I use it when I use a straightener.

Jean
 
I use Sleek Looks shampoo & conditioner and love it - on the back of the bottle here is part of what it says:
Smoothing system including unique patented formulas, balances moisturization levels to lock out frizz and help transform curly, frizzy, dry or course hair. It really works & I love it.

Also, after shower I use Biolage leavin in conditioner-the fortifying leave-in-treatment (there are two) is the one I use. Takes 10 seconds, you just spray on hair and comb.

After I style my hair I use Sleek Looks water-free lockout - I would die without this stuff. It works like majic in helping keep hair under control, it does take much though b/c if you do use to much then your hair will be oily, I spray two small sprays in my hand and then just use hands to put on hair.

Hope that helps! :)
 
Get the book "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey It's great!
Lorraine is a hairstylist specializing in curly hair, which she has herself. - She has a salon in NYC called Devachan.

Hope this helps

Lesly
 
I use Redken's Smooth Down line - the shampoo, conditioner, and heat glide, and I do think it helps for blowing out my wavy/curly hair. Plus, I love the way it smells. That being said, I do get lazy - it takes me a good 45 minutes to dry it and then smooth it with the ceramic flat iron. Sometimes, I think: why bother if I'm just going to go running in the afternoon and mess it up all over again? Very often, I wind up going to my ol' standby: the ponytail.

My hairdresser recently told me about a ceramic straightener that also dries the hair at the same time. She said it was around $200, which made me laugh. I don't know if that's something you'd be willing to invest in, but perhaps something like that would help.

But I think your best bet, as another poster suggested, is going to your salon w/ your concerns and seeing if your hairstylist can help. Maybe it just needs a little shaping. If that doesn't work, I say rock the scarves for as long as you need to!

Good luck!
Cathy :)
 
I also have incredibly frizzy, curly hair. I keep mine very short. I'm sure it's shorter that 3 in and I get it thinned with every cut. That helps immensly! I find that as long as it's short, I can blow it dry and have it look fairly normal. It's way to short for a straightener. Believe me, my DDs have tried! Otherwise, I use tons of gel it retain the curl but keep the frizz in check. I've begin using Garnier Fructris leave in conditioner, and that helps somewhat with the frizz. Heavy sigh, I understand your feelings. I can only look a haristyle magazines and dream..... You are not alone!
Good luck! Phyllis

http://www.picturetrail.com/pwmatt check out new pics posted 12/06
 
Curly Girls is a great book! I second it. My hair is long and curly and for the most part I don't have issue with frizz except on the most humid damp days.

I have used expensive (Aveda Brilliant Retexturing gel) and cheap (Herbal Essence gel) that worked well for controlling the curl. I never ever blow dry! I also don't use shampoo. Instead I scrub my scalp with conditioner. It works just the same without the drying effect.

Do you have hard water? I do, and for a while my hair was frizzy, when we first moved here. I do an apple cider vinegar rinse three times a week and it works like magic to remove the minerals.

HTH! Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
I feel your pain! Although my hair is more wavy than curly, it has a mind of it's own. Have you looked at the Jessie Curl products? They are the only thing that makes my hair look healthy ( when I style it curly. They are so good for your hair too. She has videos on her site showing how to use her products and how to scrunch/ air dry etc. Here is the link:

http://jessicurl.com/

Read through the site and if you decide to order, she has a sample pack available that let's you try all the products for your hair type.
 
My first advice is DO NOT straighten it! Curly hair is by nature very dry and brittle. To use straightening products and appliances (flat iron) just makes it worse.

My curly hair is fairly long (below my shoulders), cut in layers. I use Redken's "Fresh Curls" shampoo and conditioner. Then, after towel drying, I apply Humectress conditioner and leave it in. I apply it down to the roots and comb it through with my fingers, hanging my head upside down. Afterwards, I blow dry on low heat with a diffuser. It makes my curls soft and frizz free.
 
Your hair is not the problem. Bob Dylan had beautiful hair, and I'm sure yours is beautiful too. Stop cutting it, stop straightening it and stop brushing and combing it. Brushing your hair will make you look like Lil Orphan Annie because it breaks up the curl. You should use LOTS of leave-in product for curly hair, even combine a few products. (I use Wella Biotouch frizz control leave-in cream and Wella Hypercurl.) Then twist your hair into ringlets. Keep letting it grow and the ringlets will look better as you grow it out. Once it's long enough, go to a hair stylist who knows and loves curly hair, and get a fabulous cut. You'll be all set! :D

Nancy
 
Hey Susan--another Buckwheat here. :) I found the solution last summer. I'd been considering Japanese straightening but was very hesitant b/c 1) I really didn't want to lose all my curl & the Japanese straightening is dramatically straight, & 2) the maintenance on the Japanese straightening is very high b/c you can see the curl growing back in within about a month.

So I had a consultation w/the straightening expert at my salon & she told me about this product I'd never even heard of called curl reducer. It's made by Redken, I believe the product is Vertical. It comes in 3 strengths (mild, medium & seriously straight). It's much less than Japanese straightening (about $150 compared to about $800) and takes much less time (about an hour compared to about 4 hours). Biggest bonus is much less maintenance--since you can't really tell when the curlier hair grows back in, it only needs a touch up about once or twice a year. I got it done in July & haven't had to touch it up yet.

Anyway, of course I went for the mild strength b/c I was really nervous w/my "virgin" hair. The results have been really amazing--when it's humid my hair is curly but not frizzy, when it's dry my hair is wavy but not frizzy. According to the woman who did it the mild strength reduced curl & frizz by about 50%.

Oh, & almost no damage at all. I'm very careful about my hair care--I don't rub it to towel dry it, drying it is the last thing I do before I leave the house & takes less than 5 minutes, & I deep condition w/heat once a week. I'm still getting my hair cut once every 4 months or so, so the curl reducer hasn't really affected my healthy hair.
 
I went to naturallycurly.com this afternoon and bought a trial size kit of the jessicurl products.

Here's to curly hair!

Susan L.G.
 
Laura,
I was going to have the Japanese process done last fall -- scheduled it with the appointment secretary at my salon only to be called back by my stylist who said, "Absolutely not!!" She doesn't like to do ANY chemical straightening processes, but she said she especially does not like what that one does to hair. (And I don't know about your salon, but mine charges $500 for it!)

That's interesting about the Redken Vertical...I will look into that. It sounds good. Although I don't straighten every day, I just love the blown-out look and have not had a problem with frizzed or damaged hair. Redken makes a great product.

Cathy :)
 
I'm another fan of naturallycurly.com and Jessicurl products!

For the longest time, I hated my curly hair and wanted so badly to have straight hair. It sounds silly, but naturallycurly.com helped improve my "curly self-esteem" :). There are a lot of articles over how curly hair is often portrayed as undesirable in the media--no wonder we're so down on having curly hair sometimes! Anyway, I learned a whole bunch of techniques on there and found Jessicurl products, and now I love wearing my hair curly. My straightening iron is permanently stuck in my bottom drawer now ;).
 
I'm also a fan of naturallycurly.com and from that site I found Ouidad and I love her products. You can see her stuff at Ouidad.com. I agree with the others who said not to blow dry your curls straight. Embrace your curly girl self (although I do sometimes cut longish bangs and straighten them and then they get breakage and I feel so guilty :)).

Good luck! I'm so happy you have your hair back.

Suz

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France

http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
 
This is interesting to me that straightening curly/wavy hair would be considered not embracing oneself or having low self-esteem. My feeling is that, as long as your hair is healthy, go with the style you like. :)

Cathy :)
 
>There are a lot of articles over how curly hair is often
>portrayed as undesirable in the media--no wonder we're so down
>on having curly hair sometimes!

I just don't get this. I think curly hair is very feminine and flattering on women. It seems odd to me to think that the media portrays it as undesireable. I wouldn't trade mine for straight hair, ever!!
 
Another vote for naturallycurly.com and Ouidad products. What I have found is that you can't put too much goop in your curly hair--lol! Really though, leave-in conditioners and a good gel are key and essential ingredients for curls that are well formed and frizz free. Also, it's important to leave your hair alone. The only time my hair sees a comb is when it's soaking wet--I comb product through, give it a good scrunch, and let it dry. If I have to blow dry I use a diffuser (the sock--the best type of diffuser IMHO).

Oh, do please report back to us after you've experimented some :) .
 
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