Curly hair

[tomthom]

what do you people do with it? it's such a hassle sometimes. Was it affected by HRT?

Open forum on curly hair... all the awesome and all the woe.

[Emily Aster]

It can be a pain, but it can be awesome too. Don't ever go outside when it's high humidity without a pony tail unless you like your head looking like a pad of steel wool. I find that if I get out of the shower and don't even towel dry it, just let it dry on its own, it looks completely fine (as long as there's no humidity). I've also recently found some stuff that actually straights it and holds for a decent amount of time. It's called Fructis Style (Strong version). A bit of that and a blow dryer and my hair is about as straight as it can get. It's the ONLY stuff I've ever found that could even come close to straightening my hair.

[tomthom]

my trick is putting on a beanie right after I get out of the shower, and usually leaving some conditioner in it. this is usually an overnight process. it either leaves it wavy, straight, or in rare cases it just poofs anyway.

[DanicaCarin]

Check out a book by Loraine Massey, "Curly Girl Handbook".  It has lots of info on curly hair and how to take care of it. Its all about keeping it hydrated. Don't use shampoo that has sulfates, flat irons, blow dryers, brushes, and harsh chemicals. Once you get it properly hydrated the "humidity" problem lessens dramatically. Grow it out. It behaves better long. Have it cut dry, by a stylist that knows curly hair. If you go online to a website called mydevacurl.com you can see short instructional videos.

[suzifrommd]

I have very curly hair. I'm growing it out, and it's a frustration because it's taking the "scenic route". Been about 8 months and it's only a couple inches down my neck (but very thick. Except on top, but that's a different story.)

I just don't have time to baby my hair. I have a spritz bottle and I spritz water on it before I brush it. That makes it a bit more manageable, if minimalist solutions are OK with you.

[JennX]

My curly hair, got way more curly. Not fun times.

[Cindy]

I use product, hair dryer and flat iron. Hair takes 30 min each morning. As a pretend guy I use to have it cropped, wash and leave, never looked in the mirror anyway. Don't you just hate being a woman 

My avatar is after my hairdresser about 6 months ago. I could fill the area of the pic in an afro. It is now neck length. Without care I would look like a poodle on hair steroids.

[PaigeM]

I never knew I had curly hair until I grew it out. As it grew, I kept trying to straighten it and it kept doing its own thing. Once I figured out what was going on, after I watched a ton of YouTube videos and did a lot of reading, I finally figured out how to style it and take care of it. Now I love it! I can't wait for it to get even longer!

[Sara Thomas]

I put a little product in it, after showering, and then shake my head like a wet dog... after that I leave it alone so I don't break up the curly "clumps" and turn it into a 'fro.

My hair didn't start curling until puberty - and I hated it when it first happened... and fought it with a blow-dryer and brush; but as anyone with curly hair knows - it's a losing battle, and much easier to just go with the flow.

On the plus side, I haven't brushed my hair in thirty years either... it doesn't tangle so long as the "clump-principle" is adhered to.

But yeah... as others mentioned - it's a bummer trying to attain the appearance of length, when you've got ten inches of hair inatwirl between your ear and shoulder.

[PrettySoldier]

I never do anything to mine because I can't do anything with it haha. It is so curly, frizzy & unruly & just never looks how I like. & I also never do anything cause it's really dry & a little damaged but I have no idea from what since I never do anything to it except put it up in a clip. I don't wash my hair everyday either, I'll wet it but not shampoo it or anything to hopefully help it be less dried out. I'm guessing  sleeping is what may be causing problems for me cause I'll wash my hair & let it air dry & it looks fine but when I go to bed & wake up it is a absolute disaster!! I had long extensions like 2 years ago so I'm thinking of getting those again cause my hair seems to never grow past my shoulders now.

[Penny Gurl]

With curly hair you really need to let it do it's thing.  Trying to straighten it will do more damage in the end.  condition condition and condition.  Also Argon oil has helped me to contain the frizz, length will also help tame it as it will tend to lay down more with it's own weight.  Harsh shampoos with sulfates are evil, the best place for them in in the trash.  You really need to keep the natural oils in it if you want to have any hope of controlling the frizz.  Heat is another curly hair killer if you HAVE to blow dry don't totally dry it out, just take it about 70% dry then let it air dry.  Also any product containing alcohol in it will dry out the hair and damage it.  Honestly once you get it to a healthy state it's easier to take care of then straight hair since you don't need to worry about a stay hair, it wants to stay together and curl.

[AllieM]

I have long fairly wavy curly hair (down to just above my butt)

No amount of anything can really tame it, but I have recently started making sure it was conditioned well and had plenty of moisture and that's been _great_ so far. It was noticeably softer and nicer looking within a few days of starting that sort of care for it.

I have alot of split ends (need to get that taken care of) so my hair tends to tangle easy. But hopefully once I get that sorted out, just keeping it hydrated will keep things in order.

I've also reduced my shampoo-ing to maybe once or so a week. I found that REALLY dried it out even if i put conditioner after, and used some leave in conditioner after the shower.. So mainly I just rinse my hair and condition it. The shampoo seems to strip away all the oils your hair has naturally..

Staying away from alcohols in your hair products is prob not a bad idea either, as that can dry it out as well..

[muuu]

.

[suzifrommd]

The laws of gravity are universal, right?

So sooner or later my curly hair will stop sticking straight out and fall around my neck and shoulders.

But, alas, for now it's pretty much horizontal. I'm only a little bit of make-up away from circus clown.

[Sara Thomas]

The laws of gravity are universal, right?

So sooner or later my curly hair will stop sticking straight out and fall around my neck and shoulders.

But, alas, for now it's pretty much horizontal. I'm only a little bit of make-up away from circus clown.

lol - That's me, right now. This time I'm determined to let it grow... usually I get frustrated and get it all chopped off after about a year. I think that I'm at about six months right now... thereabouts.

[Penny Gurl]

I'm going on almost two years without getting it cut... Probably atleast another one or two until it's the length that I want it.  Right now it's just past my shoulder but until I can put a hair tie on it and keep it over a shoulder I plan on letting it grow.  But from when I started growing it out to now it does indeed behave much better the longer it gets.

[Shodan]

I used to have long hair way back in the wee dawn of time. I loved having it, and I kept it at about shoulder length. It was very fine and curly, and therefore prone to a lot of frizz if I didn't condition it almost every day. I miss it dearly, and I'm trying to grow it back, but... enh... I dont' know how successful I'll be. I really wish I hadn't been forced to cut it off. 

[DirtyFox]

I have naturally curly hair that can be fun at times and others a downright hassle. As it is growing out further it has been getting much better. Hydration is your best friend. Not water but with conditioner. Curly hair tends to need proper hydration to keep it looking wonderfully healthy. Some curly girls use shampoo, some do not. This is because a lot of shampoos strip the hair of hydration. I use a light shampoo to clean and then use generous amounts of conditioner to rehydrate. After that I apply a leave in conditioner that keeps it nice throughout the day. If you are going to straighten, I highly recommend a heat protector (mine is a leave in conditioner mix) and a dial flatiron. Try using different amounts to see what is right for your hair. Hope this helps you =)

[DanicaCarin]

I never do anything to mine because I can't do anything with it haha. It is so curly, frizzy & unruly & just never looks how I like. & I also never do anything cause it's really dry & a little damaged but I have no idea from what since I never do anything to it except put it up in a clip. I don't wash my hair everyday either, I'll wet it but not shampoo it or anything to hopefully help it be less dried out. I'm guessing  sleeping is what may be causing problems for me cause I'll wash my hair & let it air dry & it looks fine but when I go to bed & wake up it is a absolute disaster!! I had long extensions like 2 years ago so I'm thinking of getting those again cause my hair seems to never grow past my shoulders now.

Try satin pillow cases. They helped me with the same problem. Also, as far as the dryness & frizz........

1. Try the web site I mentioned in my first post. It has lots of info.
2. Try Matrix hydrating balm. I thought I would never find a conditioner that would hydrate my hair, and that stuff does that and more!
3. Try a hair,skin, nail vitamin. I have been using GNC "be beautiful" and my hair & nails are growing like wildfire.
4. Make sure your shampoo does not have sulfates. Sulfates strip hair/scalp of their natural oils and pretty much "fry" curly hair!

[Chris29]

I have a naturally waivy/curly hair too. Can be nice too, if it fits your style I think. If I shower it and then go to bed I can style it really awesome the next day, even though it ll be very curly
Curls can make u look more girlish