Hair help! Taming the frizz..

[Sopdet]

I use organic moroccan oil.
I also use aveda shampoo/conditioner.

My hair is shoulder length and has a natural curl to it which does go frizzy. I also have my hair cut ever 5 weeks and a treatment every 2nd or 3rd cut. I now have to factor in colouring, which is every 8-10 weeks.

[Emma09]

Gigi- is your hair completely dry, when you straighten it?
Are you using a straightener with ceramic plates?

I used to have wavy hair before I had DD- I found a serum on the mid lengths and ends would make my hair soft and manageable- PPS make a nice one, you only need a really small pea sized amount.

Also agree with a PP-don't brush your hair- combing it reduces the upset to curly hair.
Try an Afro comb when your hair is wet or dry.

Use a lot less shampoo and conditioner.
A lot of the time curly hair is oily on the scalp and dry on the ends- the oil can't slide down the hair shaft as easily with curly hair- use conditioner on your ends only.

Find a length that suits your hair- my sisters curly hair looks kinky when she wears it long, but when she wears it at her shoulders, it looks amazing.... Full off body and bounce.

On a side note- I do an at home Keratin treatment on my neighbors hair every 3 months, we get it on the Internet- but you can buy it in Priceline.
It's super easy to do yourself.

[Feijoa Mum]

Ohhhhh first of all I feel your pain I really do.

I have not curly more like kinky, dry, very grey extremely frizzy and so incredibly thick hair and I HATE it. It is almost permanently pull into a messy bun because I cant do ponytails either. I would take out someones eye if they came within a metre radius of me!
If I happen to have an hour spare to straighten it properly it is awesome and to be fair does last a few days BUT I also have psoriasis so the tell tale snowflakes soon give me away forcing me to wet it again. I dont bother in summer as straight hair and sweat make for a lovely frizzy hairline - not a look im awfully fond of.

You name it I have tried it over the years but I think I may have finally semi tamed it.

I dont brush it at all anymore - I finger brush it in the shower but thats it.
I dont towel dry it anymore - I use old cotton teeshirts to wrap it up in. Towel drying encourages separating and the frizz, we want the curls to stay together!
I only wash it once a week - I wet it everyday but unless I need to I stretch out washing for as long as possible trying to keep the natural oils
I do a warm oil treatment once a week - half a cup of any warmed oil but rice bran is really good (just happened to have it in the cupboard) thoroughly soak through your hair and wrap in old teeshirt. Or like PZ in gladwrap first if you want to sleep in it, but I usually aim for at least an hour. Rinse out wash and condition normally - no brushing, no towels. Very hydrating for dry hair.
I also use a tiny bit of coconut oil through the ends when I style (hahahah put in ponytail)

Now it is by no means magazine worthy but I am feeling better about it, it is certainly feeling better and the frizz is manageable. Moisture is the key with frizz so if you can replace as much of that as you can it really does help

[Gigi]

Gigi- is your hair completely dry, when you straighten it?
Are you using a straightener with ceramic plates?

I used to have wavy hair before I had DD- I found a serum on the mid lengths and ends would make my hair soft and manageable- PPS make a nice one, you only need a really small pea sized amount.

Also agree with a PP-don't brush your hair- combing it reduces the upset to curly hair.
Try an Afro comb when your hair is wet or dry.

Use a lot less shampoo and conditioner.
A lot of the time curly hair is oily on the scalp and dry on the ends- the oil can't slide down the hair shaft as easily with curly hair- use conditioner on your ends only.

Find a length that suits your hair- my sisters curly hair looks kinky when she wears it long, but when she wears it at her shoulders, it looks amazing.... Full off body and bounce.

On a side note- I do an at home Keratin treatment on my neighbors hair every 3 months, we get it on the Internet- but you can buy it in Priceline.
It's super easy to do yourself.

i am using the straightener when hair is very nearly completely dry.
i shampoo and use an afro comb, then towel dry with a microfibre sports hair towel (the sort that dry your hair faster).

i blowdry the fringe before it kinks, let the rest air dry, then straighten the rest (if i have the opportunity) with a very cheap hair straightener, it might have ceramic plates, not sure. It cost very little.

i hate using the straightener, for so many years i avoided using heat on my hair.

i have so many serums and Moroccan oil things that i have bought to try.

My hair is nearly to my shoulders now, i get a haircut whenever i spy a Daily Deal type thing in my area (around every six months - some of these are for very suss places, some have been great. It's a lucky dip. i would love to find an "experienced stylist" who knows fluffy hair and could thin mine out for me. I feel like all the hairdressers i end up with, are just glued to their straightener, have no idea how spending heaps of time on my hair is not going to happen for me, so even when i ask for a low maintenance hairstyle, they STILL give me one that requires DAILY straightening and fussing about.

ANgel pants, mention of layers etc, haven't heard of that before. I tried bob cuts (all one length) and it really didn't suit me, so i usually do ask for some grading/layering - do you think that's the problem?

AFter reading all these posts, i think i will lean more towards COMBING my hair, and give the brush a rest. I don't want to look like a model, i just want to be presentable outside in the world of people. I want to stop embarrassing bilby in public. She is very much noticing how well presented, the other mummies at school pickups/drop offs are.

i rarely put my hair in a ponytail now, feel so self conscious with the other parents, last thing i want to do is expose my sticking out ears AS WELL, as my fluffy, woolly sticking out hair. i wish i could walk around with a paperbag over my head.

There's some infomercial hair product, that straightens and curls your hair at the same time, once only sold on tv, but now sold in big w as well. Does anyone know the thing i mean? and more importantly, has anyone tried it out? wish i could remember the name.

i'm curious, if i went really short, like ears length, would that make things better.

So many older women have shorter hair cuts (which i have avoided, as i realise short hair cuts, mean more freq trips to hairdresser). Do the older women go short, due to woolly hair? I'm about 20 years younger than those women, have always had shoulder or a bit longer (shoulder blade) length hair. I will go short, if i thought that would solve the woolly problem. Need to hide ears, so does that mean, short bob? (which i already have found out, bobs don't work on me, i can't get my hair straight enough for them to sit right), so my hair kinks allover the joint, and bob doesn't even look like a bob.

maybe a wig is the answer - sigh.

[little_O]

Gigi: does your hair have any curl to it? Like if you were to put curl product or mousse in it, scrunch and leave it would that work?
I find with mine, the least I touch it when not straightening it the better. Also with my curls it's better to have some layers.
As a thought, next time you go to the hairdresser, ask them to cut your hair for natural and leave it natural when you leave. I know you don't feel as special, but I find it makes them cut your hair to suit you, otherwise you leave as a bad advertisement for them

[Gigi]

LITTLE O, i always thought that a hairdresser would want to leave, looking your best too, but the last haircut i had, the voucher covered colour and cut, but blowdry was an extra 45 that i didn't have, so i walked out with very wet hair - and they didn't blink an eyelid. So i would assume, they didn't care. The place was dodgy though, i don't think the people owning/running it, had done a hairdressing apprenticeship/tafe course, they missed out so many "basics".

Next cut, i will ask for a natural haircut, not 100% confident asking that, but will try. Does Natural in this case, mean "a haircut that involves ZERO straightening?".

My hair does scrunch up, with mousse put in it, after a wash, had forgotten about that, with all the emphasis on straightening (over last two years). thanks for reminding me of that.

[little_O]

Some of those vouchers are for their apprentices to get practice, my SIL found that out when she got a voucher for her usual hairdressing salon!

A natural cut should mean that it's cut to suit your hair how it is naturally. My hairdresser does them occasionally on me so he can check that it's cut for my hair, not a "style". So yes it should be less fuss, hair looks fine naturally. Sometimes it's good for them to do a dry cut that way they've cut it how it will sit normally (without their magic serums and sprays ) then they wash and style after.

I think a good hairdresser is half the battle! Also my label m curl cream...saves my curls!

[Emma09]

I reckon a hairdresser should never let you leave with sopping wet hair- how did they check your cut properly, I'd they didn't at least give it a rough blow dry?

Should have mentioned in my previous post- my sister always has her curly hair cut dry.
Curly hair is very deceiving when wet!

And yes, finding a good hairdresser is a battle!!!
With my normal hairdresser, she knows what I like- I've been going there 10+ years....
If I want a quick trim and I go to someone else- I make sure I'm very vocal about what I want!