Curly hair help - drastic haircut needed

[babycornplease]

Evening all, wasn't sure where to post this!

I have found myself in the position of being a slightly overweight mother of a toddler, with fairly long, curly hair, that requires a hair wash and condition every evening. And then I lovingly coat it with hair food or whatever the heck else I have to hand, and then just put it in a plait.

When I take it out of the plait it's lovely, long and curly, but to be honest, I've got no occasion to wear it down, and am not likely to anytime soon, and it's a pain in the arse to have keep washing it and then doing the same just to shove it in a plait. Rinse and repeat (pardon the pun) plus wearing my hair in a plait makes me look like an overgrown toddler as it is, it just does not suit me:

I suppose my question is:- if I chop it off myself, will I regret it? Can't be going to a hairdresser at the moment, working full time from home and I don't even think they are open.

I just need a proper hairstyle!!!!!! Help!

@hatemyselfrightnow I always wanted a 'Rachel' haircut' and always cried when I ended up with mushroom hair!
I just need an easier style, and one where I don't just shove it in a plait the whole time!!

Wondering if something like this would work? Or would it just be a pain in the ass to style all the time?!

These were my last cut; before and after. Much prefer my curls shorter otherwise I just end up tying hair up.
Definitely recommended finding a hairdresser who will cut curls dry (curly cut) makes such a difference and shows they understand curly hair.

Just creeping back onto this thread. I had the ends chopped off. Ok I did it myself.... I discovered WHITE hairs today. I knew I was stressed but this is a while different ball game

Plaits are definitely ok for grown ups! (One plait is anyway). I have really long wavy hair and it is DEFINITELY easier and quicker to shove it in a bun/ponytail/plait than mess around styling it. Do you definitely have to wash it every day?! I wash mine twice a week max.

I’d also question washing every day.
If your hair needs that much product you could easily go a week without washing.

Brush before washing only - when wet add leaving in conditioner and leave to dry naturally

Ask the hairdresser for a spiral cut which will lift the curls

I have to wash it everyday or face the frizz.. I tried a couple of times but you literally couldn't see my face for frizz... some might say that would be am improvement 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Then you need a better leave in conditioner and a silk pillow case!

Some are lighter than others and make a huge difference to hair texture

Are you using silicone free shampoo?

Try the Avon one - it’s cheap and works wonders

Which leave in conditioner do you recommend?

Using Garnier hair food, the macadamia one at the moment...

Agree with pp re washing every day. Following the curly girl method reduces frizz, like massively! I wash every 4/5 days. Using products with silicones can also create frizz. Agree that shorter hair can be easier to look after. Mine sits around shoulder length, so can put up easily too. Any shorter would mean cutting more often to keep specific length.

The hair food conditioners are great, smell amazing too. I love tressemme botaniques as a leave in.

They smell amazing!!! And for the most part, male my hair look ok.

My issue is I am a single parent working full time, so my time is so limited

This ones good, smells nice and recommended by a hair dresser - still not empty after 12 months

If you were able to get an efficient routine going using curly girl method, it might mean saving you time as you wouldn't be washing every night? I appreciate it's time consuming at first, and you have a lot on though!

Hi OP,

Your hair is lovely and I like the colour. Maybe a LOB would suit you?
Curls unleashed do a nice leave in conditioner that smells great too.

Also have a look at this recent thread, loads of great advice and photo's on there.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3959400-Curly-hair-Would-a-bob-work

Do not use a towel to dry your hair, use an old tshirt. Massively limits frizz IME

Hi there,

After 20 years of straightening my hair, and never being able to leave it wavy because it was so frizzy I've spent the last couple of months learning about and applying the curly girl method. I had it cut last week. It's got wavier and wavier.

You have beautiful hair. I would say chop a few inches off before going the whole hog. It's hard to recommend products because it depends on quite a few factors. The Curly Cailin blog is excellent for this.

I used to wash and dry my hair daily. I could sometimes go two days but it felt horrid. Now I can wash 2 or 3 times a week and it doesn't get at all greasy in that time. Wash day routine is quicker than drying it straight and I do it less often. It saves me time (after the initial learning curve). I will never go back!

I'd say try a shorter, more manageable style and the right products and techniques for you first.

My hair is similar to LakeFlyPie 's hair.
After lots of hairdressers attempting layers or to 'lighten' it and ending up with 'triange head' I started cutting it myself the mumsnet way, now it's a all one length bob with a long side fringe it looks much better!

I also usually wash it with just conditioner and not every day. I get it wet in the shower in the morning and then brush it with a bit of DSs kids detangling stuff.

argh - don't cut it, you will end up with a triangular frizzball unless you spend a lot of time farting about. The nauseatingly-named 'curly girl' method is for people with huge amounts of spare time.

it's lovely, leave it long. Short curls are so elderly.

my natural frizzball is now overdue for the annual straightening, which probably won't happen this year - but a wash every 3-4 days and 10 mins with the straighteners and I have tidy hair with a bit of shine. And I can use a comb. Which takes 2 mins in the morning. Curly hair is such hard work, who can be arsed?