So, I've been growing my hair for a year now.  Growing it out from a pixie cut, which was my transition cut last April.  I never really had my hair short by "Army Standards".  I kept atleast 3 to 4" (which pissed off my Sergeants Major off quite a bit).  I say this as reference that my hair was not wavy in the slightest.  Contrary, bone straight.  Over the last year, I have noticed it getting somewhat wavy.  Then about 3 weeks ago I woke up and POW!  My hair was just a frizzy mess! Come to find out that my hair had gone curly.  Who knows if it was age, hormones, or that my hair just wasn't long enough to show that it was actually curly...  Bitter sweet.  I get compliments on the curls but my hair is essentially "short" and found out the heart wrenching truth that I have about 4 more years before it gets to my neck.  WOOF! 

You have two options. The first is a flat iron which is the reverse of a curling iron and will take the wave out until your hair gets wet or you can learn to work your hair with a blow dryer and a round brush to remove as much wave as you want. My hair is straight but it wants to curl at the end which does't work with my hair style so I use the blow dry to remove the wave and redirect it inward for the proper look. Congratulations on a really nice head of hair.

My girlfriend has a similar white girl 'fro.  The flat iron is most certainly her best friend.

That said, a few years from now that hair is going to look awesome without having to mess with it assuming you can grow it out.

Mine turns to ringlets if I do not use conditioner and comb it out. It still gets wavy after but much better as it looks straight after 2 months of doing it everyday. 

I started in December 2015 growing it from a 4" buzz cut. So around.. 15 months with the tips trimmed every 10 weeks. It just takes time to grow out which sucks

I use this brand:


I wash my hair with shampoo ever two days but every day I condition. First day I wash with shampoo then leave in the conditioner using a big blob to coat from tips upwards only leave a tiny amount on the crown of my head. I then leave it in for 10 mins followed by working it upwards again letting what is on my hair already get used to now coat the crown, wait one min and rinse in shower with temped water. On the second day (non-shampoo day) I use about a 5c coin (a quarter size coin) rub it throw my hair and rinse after 2 mins just to hydrate my hair.

This is my result from 6 months ago until now taken in the same room. I just plucked eyebrows yesterday for first time in my life so no laughing. On a side note I never noticed how much my hair grew in 6 months until now!! Anyone else freaked by their hair growth.

It still gets frizzy as you can see but it is staying straighter:

Thanks Dena. It's a huge make or break for my transition. Having hair that is... it was balding like no tomorrow. Dr. Gabel did some amazing work on my temples and finasteride/spironolactone for my crown. Major distress over that one.

Hair surgery



Just testosterone blockers

Before


6 months


Thanks Colleen. "White Girl Fro" classic!! Ha ha ha...

I've tried that product before Sarah. The frizz-ease didn't work that well for me.

Wonderful Harley, I never though you ever had hair transplants, it always looked so natural.
They did do a great job.
Curls are cute though, will be tight to grow them out. Flat iron from time to time to enjoy your length, but not to much to keep your hair quality high

I agree, that is fantastic work.

Your curls are freaking adorable. It doesn't look frizzy at all in that pic. Just curly

If I may, I'd like to offer some contrary advice I wish someone had given me when my hair got to your length as I was growing it out -

Don't straighten it
Don't blow-dry it
Don't dye it or chemically alter it in any way
Don't rip through tangles with a brush or comb - I finger detangle exclusively now and do much less damage to my hair as a result

Do wash it as infrequently and gently as possible - start stretching out your washes and try to use more conditioner and less shampoo as you go, you may find one day you don't need shampoo at all.

Avoid things that have dimethicone and other *cones, these will leave a build-up and you'll have to use strong shampoos to wash it out.

Leave-ins shouldn't really be necessary - if it's dry, put just a drop or two of a light oil* on your palm and rub it in, so your palm is just a little shiny, then smooth that over your ends and length.

In a few years, when it's really getting long, you'll have the most gorgeous mane of curls and chicks everywhere will be super jealous of your hair, no lie. It's already beautiful, please don't ruin it with heat and chemicals!

<3

* - sweet almond, jojoba, or maybe coconut...find the one that works for you; my hair hates coconut, loves jojoba, and it's so-so on almond...there are other oils out there too if none of those work great...just don't over apply!

I grew my hair out from a buzz cut and it's past my shoulders after 1.5 years. My hair also came in so curly that people thought I got a perm.

I guess the weight of the hair adjusted it a bit. It's just wavy most of the length now, with the tight curls only near the ends. People ask me how I got my hair to look that way and I say I washed and let it air dry.

Quote from: Harley Quinn on March 31, 2017, 09:38:24 AM
Thanks Dena. It's a huge make or break for my transition. Having hair that is... it was balding like no tomorrow. Dr. Gabel did some amazing work on my temples and finasteride/spironolactone for my crown. Major distress over that one.

Hair surgery



Just testosterone blockers

Before


6 months


Thanks Colleen. "White Girl Fro" classic!! Ha ha ha...

I've tried that product before Sarah. The frizz-ease didn't work that well for me.

My First round implants are nearly 12 months old and my second round are about 4 months old...You seem to have had the implants in a similar place to mine and I am stoked with the result. Your results are fantastic...

Looking great

Liz

I was told to "stop" and embrace the curls... apparently I was frying my hair to get it straight. Who knew.... well apparently the hairdresser, stylist etc.. she knew. And did a deep condition then said WOW YOUR HAIR IS SUPER CURLY! Game me shampoo and conditioner and said come back when it's longer and threatened my life if I flatironed it again.

Not bad for a consult

Quote from: Emileeeee on March 31, 2017, 05:04:14 PM
I grew my hair out from a buzz cut and it's past my shoulders after 1.5 years. My hair also came in so curly that people thought I got a perm.

I guess the weight of the hair adjusted it a bit. It's just wavy most of the length now, with the tight curls only near the ends. People ask me how I got my hair to look that way and I say I washed and let it air dry.

I have been asked about the perm three times.lol... they knew me when it was straight

Quote from: Harley Quinn on March 31, 2017, 05:49:51 PM
I was told to "stop" and embrace the curls... apparently I was frying my hair to get it straight. Who knew.... well apparently the hairdresser, stylist etc.. she knew. And did a deep condition then said WOW YOUR HAIR IS SUPER CURLY! Game me shampoo and conditioner and said come back when it's longer and threatened my life if I flatironed it again.

Not bad for a consult

Last time I went to the hair dresser I got a lecture about not washing my hair everyday...I have stopped and it is so much more manageable...every three days I wash and condition it, prior to this I did it every day... and my hair was really frizzy and dry...the implants take awhile to mature properly and lose that frizz look which they all seem to have in the beginning

Liz

In that case, this will become your best friend. The bigger the teeth the better. I used one for many years with my perm and it was the only tool I needed. I had one for my purse and one for the bathroom. The thing I miss about curly hair is it air drys just great. I would wash it in the morning and it was dry by the time I got to work.

Quote from: IdontEven on March 31, 2017, 04:35:17 PM
Your curls are freaking adorable. It doesn't look frizzy at all in that pic. Just curly

If I may, I'd like to offer some contrary advice I wish someone had given me when my hair got to your length as I was growing it out -

Don't straighten it
Don't blow-dry it
Don't dye it or chemically alter it in any way
Don't rip through tangles with a brush or comb - I finger detangle exclusively now and do much less damage to my hair as a result

Do wash it as infrequently and gently as possible - start stretching out your washes and try to use more conditioner and less shampoo as you go, you may find one day you don't need shampoo at all.

Avoid things that have dimethicone and other *cones, these will leave a build-up and you'll have to use strong shampoos to wash it out.

Leave-ins shouldn't really be necessary - if it's dry, put just a drop or two of a light oil* on your palm and rub it in, so your palm is just a little shiny, then smooth that over your ends and length.

In a few years, when it's really getting long, you'll have the most gorgeous mane of curls and chicks everywhere will be super jealous of your hair, no lie. It's already beautiful, please don't ruin it with heat and chemicals!

<3

* - sweet almond, jojoba, or maybe coconut...find the one that works for you; my hair hates coconut, loves jojoba, and it's so-so on almond...there are other oils out there too if none of those work great...just don't over apply!

That was what the hairdresser said. Followed up by, "I wouldn't cut it." And that was a $$$ in her pocket. She is awaiting my hair to grow out. She was adamant about the curls. The was speechless about how curly it got.
. "Wow!, Your hair is super curly..." and then I was a "Deva" for the rest of the conversation. "Deva" girl this .. "deva" girl that...

Quote from: Dena on March 31, 2017, 05:58:39 PM
In that case, this will become your best friend. The bigger the teeth the better. I used one for many years with my perm and it was the only tool I needed. I had one for my purse and one for the bathroom. The thing I miss about curly hair is it air drys just great. I would wash it in the morning and it was dry by the time I got to work.

I timed it... it takes 4 1/2 hours at this length

I have to flat iron mine every morning.  The secret I found to not fry my hair was to use a leave in conditioner and to set the heat at the lowest I could with it still working and to not press it together very hard but rather just enough to heat and straighten the hair without flattening it.  My hair is not super curly though, just wavy with the ends curling outward. 


Conform and be dull. —James Frank Dobie, The Voice of the Coyote

Quote from: Harley Quinn on March 31, 2017, 06:02:12 PM
I timed it... it takes 4 1/2 hours at this length

I had to drive the Los Angles freeway system. What can I say? 
The other part is my hair wasn't more than 4 or 5 inches long in the cut I was wearing but I used the pick to fluff it up. My hair grows fast, about 3/4 of an inch a month so I needed a cut about every two months. By 4 or 5 months, I was ready for another perm.  If were to grow my hair long, I could have a massive amount of hair in a year.

One other thing to consider, as your hair gets longer, the weight of the hair will pull the curl out thus giving you more length without waiting years to reach the length you want.

I can get my hair to dry pretty quickly (~1 hour) if I gently shake it around and wear a t-shirt to help soak up the length (towel drying can be frizzing, also my arms get tired!). Basically, continually exposing new parts to the air and getting it to separate the giant locks that will hold water in forever.

Doing this does shake out the waves/curls though - if you want to keep those then I find going to sleep with wet (but not soaking wet) hair lets it dry in the curl. Just wear something warm so you don't freeze :p

Quote from: Harley Quinn on March 30, 2017, 08:17:31 PM
So, I've been growing my hair for a year now.  Growing it out from a pixie cut, which was my transition cut last April.  I never really had my hair short by "Army Standards".  I kept atleast 3 to 4" (which pissed off my Sergeants Major off quite a bit).  I say this as reference that my hair was not wavy in the slightest.  Contrary, bone straight.  Over the last year, I have noticed it getting somewhat wavy.  Then about 3 weeks ago I woke up and POW!  My hair was just a frizzy mess! Come to find out that my hair had gone curly.  Who knows if it was age, hormones, or that my hair just wasn't long enough to show that it was actually curly...  Bitter sweet.  I get compliments on the curls but my hair is essentially "short" and found out the heart wrenching truth that I have about 4 more years before it gets to my neck.  WOOF! 

If your hair can go curly, can my hair go straight?  Curly hair is hard to deal with, and it does make it appear shorter.  I've been working on it for a year and have gone from basically a buzz cut to when my hair is wet (straightish) down to below my eyes.  When it is dry it puffs up above them.  No iron will fix that problem for me.

I use a relaxer to help deal with the frizz and just slick it back as I am not out.