Wavy-Haired Girl's Dilemma.
Until I hit the age of 14, m hair was naturally straight. It was thick, and had lots of body to it. But this was 1991... And I had been getting my hair permed at the local JC Penney Salon for a few years, always with the same style: spiral curl.
After about six months, the perm would be nearly all gone. But I managed to make it last quite a while. My trick: mousse, Aussie Scrunch Spray and gel. I washed it every single day. And every single day, these three products would go in it.
But when I reached the age of 14, for some reason, my hair decided to become wavy. (Must have been the hormones of puberty.) And I no longer needed to pay for my hair to be permed. But by the time I was 15, the "Kelly Taylor" straight hair and soft bang was the preferred style... And a new vicious cycle began...
The straight perm.
I would take at-home perming kits and put them in my hair. Only instead of curling my hair, I would take a very fine-toothed comb and constantly comb it straight while the activator was in it. Eventually I trained my hair and could get it to be thick, soft and full of body... With just a touch of curl at the ends. The trick was hot rollers. And to this day, I still use them when I wash and dry my hair. But that doesn't happen that often.
No... I have now embraced my natural waves. Occasionally, I will wear it straightened. But I like the "boho" quality my natural hair type has. And I am not alone in feeling this way about my natural hair... One other reader feels the same way about her own hair.
From Brahmin in Boston:
I was thinking about the right kind of shampoo for my hair. It seems that we both have same kind of hair type.
...My hair is wavy/slightly curly. I would love to keep it that way. I wash my hair twice a week.
Now to the problem:
After I wash my hair, it stays smooth and curly but after it dries out. It is a different story altogether! Curls go away... And it becomes frizzy. Also I NEVER blow dry my hair - partly because I fear the damage and partly because it is waaay to thick to do it single-handedly!
Do you know of nay hair products which can maintain the waves just as they are without turning them frizzy after drying? I don't have any patience at all with the gazillion products on the market anymore! Currently I am using Dove conditioner which seem to be good but I am searching for the better...
To be honest, it's a never-ending quest for the best products for wavy/curly-haired girls. Here is what I recommend, currently, as I have found it to work for me, and hopefully it will work for you too:
When Wetting Your Hair:
When Not Wetting Your Hair (Days that you skip washing/rinsing it):
After about six months, the perm would be nearly all gone. But I managed to make it last quite a while. My trick: mousse, Aussie Scrunch Spray and gel. I washed it every single day. And every single day, these three products would go in it.
But when I reached the age of 14, for some reason, my hair decided to become wavy. (Must have been the hormones of puberty.) And I no longer needed to pay for my hair to be permed. But by the time I was 15, the "Kelly Taylor" straight hair and soft bang was the preferred style... And a new vicious cycle began...
The straight perm.
I would take at-home perming kits and put them in my hair. Only instead of curling my hair, I would take a very fine-toothed comb and constantly comb it straight while the activator was in it. Eventually I trained my hair and could get it to be thick, soft and full of body... With just a touch of curl at the ends. The trick was hot rollers. And to this day, I still use them when I wash and dry my hair. But that doesn't happen that often.
No... I have now embraced my natural waves. Occasionally, I will wear it straightened. But I like the "boho" quality my natural hair type has. And I am not alone in feeling this way about my natural hair... One other reader feels the same way about her own hair.
From Brahmin in Boston:
I was thinking about the right kind of shampoo for my hair. It seems that we both have same kind of hair type.
...My hair is wavy/slightly curly. I would love to keep it that way. I wash my hair twice a week.
Now to the problem:
After I wash my hair, it stays smooth and curly but after it dries out. It is a different story altogether! Curls go away... And it becomes frizzy. Also I NEVER blow dry my hair - partly because I fear the damage and partly because it is waaay to thick to do it single-handedly!
Do you know of nay hair products which can maintain the waves just as they are without turning them frizzy after drying? I don't have any patience at all with the gazillion products on the market anymore! Currently I am using Dove conditioner which seem to be good but I am searching for the better...
To be honest, it's a never-ending quest for the best products for wavy/curly-haired girls. Here is what I recommend, currently, as I have found it to work for me, and hopefully it will work for you too:
When Wetting Your Hair:
- Wash hair only once a week with shampoo. I like L'Oreal's EverPure (sulfate-free) Shampoo.
- Rinse hair daily (or every other day) with just water. Follow with a thick, creamy conditioner. I like Pantene.
- After you conditioner your hair, spray Bumble and Bumble Hair Tonic in it. Let it's tea tree oil infusion set in to your scalp. You will feel it "tingling."
- Comb through your hair with a wide-toothed comb.
- Spray and scrunch a "beach wave" product into your hair. Twirl some pieces around your fingers, making chunky curls. This will help define the curls as they dry. Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray is a classic. But I also like the Wave Creating Spray by Frederic Fekkai.
When Not Wetting Your Hair (Days that you skip washing/rinsing it):
- Sleep with your hair twisted up (loosely) in a scrunchie. (No, I am not kidding.)
- When you wake up, mist some water in your hair. (Keep a spray bottle with water, or use those Evian misters.) This will lightly moisten your hair.
- Use a styling wax (I like Umi's Sitewax) to comb and redefine your locks.
- Never run a comb through your hair unless it's wet from being washed.
Comments
I am going to try every single product and will eventually let you know what worked/did not work for me.