My hair is a little past shoulder length when dry. It’s curly and super frizzy. It’s mostly brown, but with some white mixed in. Fortunately, the white behaves almost exactly like the brown does (i.e. it’s not sticking up straight or refusing to curl). I used to color my hair and stuff but I don’t really want to do it anymore. And I don’t want to cut it shorter or redo the layers it has in it.
Mostly, I think, that I’m just tired of all the frizziness that it has going on. What doesn’t help is that my hair has gotten drier as I’ve gotten older. The last time I got it trimmed, they suggested some kind of oil spray to keep it from looking dry/frizzy. I’d say that helps minimally. What I’d really like is some product that I can use and put it in when it’s wet and just go. I don’t (and I’m not willing to) get up early enough to do much more. Most products that I’ve tried seem to leave it looking dirty/still wet all day even if I only use a tiny little bit.
I’ve also toyed with getting it straightened but I’m concerned about the cost and also that once I start that I’d have to keep going back. I do really like the way that it looks when it’s straightened with an iron.
Any suggestions/amazing product ideas for lazy hair care?
Stop washing it, seriously. It sounds gross but it works. I have very similar hair and I just use a light conditioner they way one would use shampoo and that’s it. About once a month or so I do shampoo the scalp, but that’s it. Goodbye frizz.
I co-wash my hair too. I’m black, so I know all about frizz, and the only time shampoo is in my hair is when I make my once-every-six-weeks trip to the salon. I was also weirded out by the idea of not shampooing my hair (“Won’t it be dirty?”), but I “wash” my hair just like I normally would, but using conditioner instead, and it works out great. My hair is moisturized without being greasy, smells good, and no more frizz. Every now and again on a particularly bad day, the frizz attempts to return, but the problem is more or less gone.
Agree with moejoe. Using just a light conditioner is called “no poo” shampooing and it’s great for ppl with dry, frizzy, curly hair. It’s basically what Wen shampoo is BTW.
You should also use a product to help define the curl and hold in the moisture. For less expensive, you can use Frizz-Ease. Or you can use the Moroccan Oil line of stuff. But you do want to put a treatment on the hair after towel-drying so it doesn’t frizz.
Also, if you dry your hair by wrapping it in a cotton t-shirt, you get fewer frizzies.
There are a lot of curly hair products out there which you can apply to wet hair, but you will need to take some time to shape your curls with your fingers. Avoid mousse or gel, as they will make your curls look stiff and crunchy. I recommend Aveda’s Be Curly Style-Prep or Redken’s Fresh Curls Curl Refiner.
Once you are out of the shower, remove excess moisture by patting your hair with a towel instead of rubbing it, as rubbing it will add frizz. Comb your hair out and then apply the product. Then use your fingers to shape your curls into ringlets or whatever your desired shape is. Then you can either blow-dry with a diffuser or let it air dry. Try not to touch your hair too much after that, because touching it will create frizz.
Yeah, except Wen is like $50, which is completely ridiculous. I also find calling it “no poo” ridiculous because I think it sounds like you’re constipated. But that’s just me – apparently most of the internet is calling it the no poo regimen, but still. Eww.
Anyway, just so we’re clear, not all “no poo” methods are created equal. Some involve not doing anything to your hair at all except rinsing it, while others involve using other non soap or hair care product items to cleanse your hair, like baking soda. I stick with washing with conditioner. I’ve been at it for a few years now, and about a year ago, after always keeping emergency shampoo around just in case, I stopped buying shampoo entirely. Don’t own it anymore, don’t need it.
You guys that do the no-poo…do you sweat much? I can’t imagine not cleaning my scalp after I sweat - and I sweat a ton just by having a massive head of hair. Does rinsing + conditioner keep your scalp nice and clean and healthy?
ZipperJJ – I had wavy, frizzy hair when I lived in FL. I sweat like crazy, always have.
I didn’t do full-on co-washing, but every night I would rinse, condition, rinse, and be fine. I’d shampoo maybe once every 2 weeks, with a tiny amount of moisturizing shampoo.
If you massage your scalp while washing, it’ll take off the gross stuff that makes you stinky. The conditioner also helps remove sebum – think about it - sebum is waxy, conditioners have oils. Oils remove wax.
And MeanOldLady – I agree that Wen is seriously crazy overpriced (and I buy Bumble and Bumble styling products, so I don’t mind paying for stuff I like).
I prefer the term co-washing as well, but as you mention everyone’s calling it “no poo”, and I was also without coffee when I posted initially.
I do. I’m always amazed by these women who come out of the gym sparkling, and not from sweat, but their natural inner glow. I come out sticky and with gross hair. But even with sweaty hair grossness, a nice good scrubbing with conditioner removes the icky stuff from my scalp and leaves my hair looking downright pretty. Me, Captain Frizzy over here, with pretty hair.
I have pretty classic frizzy Semitic hair, which would be probably 40% gray by now if I let it. Lately I swear by a small bit of extra-virgin coconut oil melted in my hands, rubbed into my hair just after I get out of the tub. I bought a huge jar at Costco and figured “well, if I don’t like what it does for my hair, I can just cook with it.” Lots of people also swear by it as a skin moisturizer. For sure it’s cheaper per ounce than any commercial product I could buy, plus no nasty chemicals or scents.
ETA: my post-shower hair routine takes 30 seconds, or maybe 2 minutes if I blow-dry a bit because it’s cold outside. The only time anyone expends significant energy on my hair is when I get it cut and colored.
for me, the co-washing and moroccan oil (fructis or aveda, depending on my budget) have made all the difference. Also, pretty much gave up coloring it, as at some point I’m going to lose that war.
I thought I had dry frizzy hair my whole life and suddenly now I’ve got shiny waves going on. Who knew?