Newly curly hair! What to do?

[oxcat1]

I have had bolt-straight hair all my life, but for some reason (I blame an iron infusion...), it has become curly over the last year or so.

The photo below shows what happens if I leave it to dry with no intervention (after swimming in this case), but the moment I brush it, those curls and ring just turn to frizz. My hair is fine and pretty dry, but not coloured or blow-dried. How am i meant yo brush it to try and keep some curls without ending up with clown hair?

As an aside, I would like to cut it into a longish pixie. Would that work with hair as I described? I don't think I dare if I can't tame the frizz......!

[ZBWRDSM]

You can't brush it and keep the curls.

Comb through some antifrizz mousse and leave it. Then thereafter if you have any rouge/frizzy curls, take that lock of hair, wet it and twist it - google curly girl method.

[Laquila]

Don't brush it!! Don't even comb it, except when wet if need be, and only with an Afro comb.

I'd recommend a moisturising shampoo and a good, rich conditioner - having tried co-washing with Palmers Olive Oil Co-Wash, I'm back to L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay shampoo (ridic name) and Tresemmé Perfectly Undone conditioner. If you want to use a mousse, I like John Froeda Frizz-Ease, bit you may find it too crispy - I've got the crisp-avoiding down to a fine art. If you're feeling spendy you could try Living Proof Curl Creme, which I really like, but the one thing I've learnt about curly hair is that no product has the same effect on any two people, so it's sort of hopeless me recommending a holy grail product to you. You've basically got a shedload of trial and error in front of you. Good luck! 😉

[MoggyMischief]

Don't brush curly hair! Only use a wide toothed comb or your fingers in a shower. Use a diffuser on hairdryer to dry. Low heat. Use oils to keep moisture. I don't use shampoo as it dries my hair. As other poster has said it really depends on the hair. Mine is a beast I pretend to control - when it's good it's beautiful, when it's not I pin it and make it look deliberately messy.

[OneNightTimeMenaceStrikesBack]

Oxcat exactly the same happened with my hair for no apparent reason two years ago though mine is longer now so is more wavy than proper curls right now but when it's shorter it's properly curly. the only thing that happened around the same time was i went on medication to stop my awful awful periods so i think i had a big iron boost from that though whether that is the sole cause of the change in my hair i dont know

I definitely recommend avoiding brushing when it's dry and using silicone free shampoos and conditioners if you can tolerate them as they are kinder on the hair and seem to encourage a softer curl without the need for loads and loads of different products after washing. as for products, the umbero gianni curl friends range is good especially the curl scrunching gel but you really don't need much of it otherwise your hair will go crispy as well as curly.boots curl creme is also good but again, you don't need much otherwise you end up crispy not swishy. the boots botanics range of shampoos and conditioners are very good, ive been using them recently and my hair is very soft, nowhere near as dry as it was ont he ends and the wave is holding nicely with very little intervention after it's dried. I also don't use heat on my hair, i use a hair dryer maybe once or twice every six months or so and i don't use straighteners either but if you do want to straighten your hair or blow dry it, i recommend getting a good heat protection spray so as to especially protect the ends of your hair. a lot of it ive found is trial and error finding what works for you personally.

you might find that you need a different style cut as well to account for the curl in your hair rather than what you might have had in the past when it was straight

[Lucked]

Interesting I know one person whose hair went curly after chemotherapy and another whose hair went straighter but both of them had hair that fell out.

I think it could look great! I love curly hair.

[LifeIsGoodish]

You've got corkscrews! You've got corkscrews! (In a good way )

As I've got older my thick waves have become limper and straighter. Now I just have turned up ends, and frizz if it rains

I agree with don't brush it, except I used to brush in the evening before going to bed. Wide-toothed comb for day-to-day, medium-toothed comb in the shower while conditioning.

Never towel-dry roughly. Blot with the towel, but don't scrub. Scrunch lightly with your fingers while drying naturally, but if you need to dry faster user the diffuser on a gentle setting. Better to style after drying.

Won't comment on products, because formulations may well have changed since I lost my curls, and there are lots of new things around, too.

Corkscrews.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

This happenned to me too with high dose steroids.
It also fell out loads, still does and is so thin and just breaks.

Anyway, the only way I've found to deal with it is only to brush/comb when wet, then gently wring out moisture, apply mousse and scrunch to sort of define the curls. I leave to dry naturally, sometimes, if going somewhere use a bit of hairspray to make bits stay where I want.
I quite like the saltwater spray thingies too.

I can't dye it at all, it would break but I do use the superdrug colour shampoo, it blends the grey out at least a wee bit, but I use that once a week, other than that just conditioner wash it, and also coconut oil overnight once a week

[PotOfYoghurt]

I love you hair.

[oxcat1]

Lots of replies!

Interesting that other people have had it happen too... I have had three iron infusions now and each one increased the curl, although the effect has been lasting longer each time. I'm also on steroids, so that is also a thought.

I am pretty chuffed that people like it! Wow! I do have cork-screws - with the ringlets at the front I tend to look like an Orthodox Jewish man, unless I push them away. Nobody has ever wanted my hair before - yay!

Lots of suggestions of things to try too. Not sure how I will cope with no brushing though...! But it was certainly making it very frizzy, which just seemed to accentuate the dryness. I will work my way through all the suggestions - thanks.

Do you think I can still do a pixie cut with the curls or will it go a bit odd?
Thanks again,

[Choceeclair123]

I wouldn't cut it i think the curls are lovely. I'm not an expert but could imagine you may have trouble styling a pixie cut if you have curly hair. Probably best waiting for someone more knowledgeable to come along though.

[PickAChew]

It can work
therighthairstyles.com/wavy-pixie-cuts/

[OneNightTimeMenaceStrikesBack]

finger brush if you get knots, and get a wide tooth comb for brushing conditioner through it in the bath/shower

i've also, thinking about it, had some success with spray in gels or normal cheap hair gel watered down in a spray bottle. you don't need a thick coating though, just a light misting to stop the frizz and get the shape to hold

i too have been on steroids in the last couple of years so i don't know if that has anythign to do with my hair or if just the general change in my health for the better is more the cause of it

[Atlas15]

I have curly hair. I brush it all the time. If you want to style it curly west it, brush it, towel dry it, mousse it,

[Doinmummy]

Your hair is lovely !

[BuggersMuddle]

I am perhaps biased, as someone with similar curls but a bit longer hair.

Give up on the hairdryer. Some of my colleagues straighten it because they think it looks professional but IMO that only works with thick hair. Yours looks a bit like mine, so don't bother.

Aussie curl shampoo and conditioner is good. Also Tresemme (although that's a bugger for dirtying the shower). A decent mousse or curl creame is ideal (I like Scwartkopf Osis Curl Honey atm, but when I had shorter hair Sebastian Potion 9 was also great).

TBH I think the key is to work with it rather than against it. I had a colleague (same job) who thought curls were 'unprofessional' and got up at 5am to straighten her thick curls daily. We have similar salary and are same job grade years on...I've just had more sleep.

[BuggersMuddle]

Oh and if you need to dry - diffuser.

[redhat]

I think you will find a pixie cut difficult with it curling like that.

[Pisssssedofff]

Umberto curly hair gel is simply the best. I e been battling against mine for nearly twenty years, decided to just go with it at the beginning of this year and whilst I can't quite stop using shampoo I've cut down to once a week and just rinse it through to freshen it up in between. Huge improvement in the over all condition and the curls

[Pisssssedofff]

Short pixie cut hair will make you look like you have pubes on your head, you want it as long as you can manage I reckon