AIBU to not know how on earth to help DD with her frizzy hair?

[sunseeker19]

I am at a loss how to help DD style her hair type which unfortunately she's inherited from me - straight (only low-level waves not curls), greasy at the roots, dry and frizzy through the lengths. It's really thick, and very tangly, which means it always looks "big" and unkept.
She'd love smooth hair that lies flat, which she can wear in a hair-down style, and I've found the only thing that works for me with this hair type is keratin straightening, but I don't feel comfortable with that chemical strength for her age.
Suggestions like curly girl / using conditioner only / no dry brushing would leave her hair totally greasy or tangly or both. Please help, suggestions massively welcome...!

L'Oréal Steampod was a game changer for my dry, thick, frizzy hair.

I find colour wow dream coat good

It might be worth taking her to a curly specialist hairdresser...even though you say it's waves not curls, they often know how to style textured/wavy and thick hair really well.

Make sure that she is only shampooing the roots, she doesn't need to do the lengths as that will dry it out more. And equally a good quality conditioner on the ends. Lots of trims.

Good luck :)

Silk pillowcase and silk scrunchies helps me with tangling massively

Microfibre towels when hair is wet or just use a cotton t shirt

Head Jog Straw brush is great - I get less friz dry brushing

A good spray of water or hair primer before brushing also helps with frizz - I use a Noughty one for curls

If its frizzing it is likely that her lightly wavey hairnis wavier than you think. Look up curly girl method and embrace the curls. It's the only way to help stop the frizz

How old is she? Another one here for whom the only thing that works is keratin, unfortunately, but I wouldn't use it on a child (although there are some formaldehyde free ones apparently).

Prior to Keratin, I'd go through tonnes of Frizz-ease, which did help a fair bit. And straighteners after each wash.

Straighten it. Me and DD have the same kind of hair and both of us straighten it, have tried all the curly girl methods and soooo many different products and just always feel a mess with it curly.

Now just wash twice a week and straighten in with ceramic straighteners so much easier, DD has hers with gentle curls/waves also done with the straighteners

You need to get moisture into the hair basically.

How old is she? Personally I’d go with wash every 2-3 days, straighten in (do it for her if she can’t manage herself) and dry shampoo in between. If the straightening takes a long time consider a shorter style.

How sad that you're both so utterly down on your natural appearance. She's obviously got this negative image from somewhere

How old is she OP?

How old is she?

L'Oréal Dream Lengths is great for my dry frizzy hair. I do a small bit of shampoo, washing scalp only (very strict!!), rinse and repeat. Then the conditioner goes on from ears down to tips. Left a minute or two, then rinsed.

If I want it straight and sleek, I use my GHDs on it, but that's only if I'm going out.

I would use Products intended for Afro hair. Afro hair tends to use a lot of oils but the hair itself is fine and frizzy
most local Boots and Superdrug have products intended for afro hair that actually suit all hair types
try cantu ORS palmers ect

Every morning dampen her hair, use a very small amount of light leave in conditioner (I like garnier hair food but there's loads of types) and comb through with a very wide toothed comb, leave to dry naturally. Try not to brush curly hair, try not to rub dry with a towel, squeeze with a towel or old t-shirt instead.

Sounds like my hair...it's not straight but it's not really wavy ...it looks awful curly as the ends are dry. I wash my hair twice with a clarifying shampoo. Conditioner on ends only. I then rough dry with a hairdryer but aim downwards on the hair shaft. I then pin it all up and straighten it in very small one inch sections. Takes ages but I only do it twice a week.

I used to have super greasy hair, couldn't even go a full 24hrs before it needed washing. I started curly girl method and it's never been greasy once. I co-wash it once a week and wash with a clarifying shampoo once a month. Don't rule it out before you've tried it.

Oh and use wide plate ceramic straighteners

my hair sounds similar. I’ve hated my frizz and whilst I know it is curly I can’t bare to not brush my hair which then leads to frizz so I just starghten it. I’ve done a few keratins as well and would prefer to have that done all the time but I have to find the time and money for that which I’m short of both.

Have you actually tried curly girl method? Wavy/frizzy hair sounds like it could benefit from it!

How old is she? Going to a hairdresser that specialises in curly hair and admitting that I needed to be told exactly what to do helped me massively! My hair is wavy too, but I have found that embracing the 'curls' is waaaay better than trying and failing to straighten it into submission! (I did spend ££ on curl cream, mousse and a diffuser but it is so worth it).

I really agree that trying cowashing like the curly hair method shouldn't be dismissed without trying it for a chunk of time to get through the transition period. Greasy hair can be from washing too much as a dry scalp will produce more oil to try and combat the dryness

The less you do to curly hair, the better. I wash mine no more than every 4 days. Cantu shampoo on the roots only, and sparingly. Cantu conditioner, then Catwalk Curls serum, combed through wet hair in the shower. Gentle towel/drip dry. Never hair brushes, only wide toothed combs.

Curly girl encourages co washing which may not work on her hair or scalp. But low poo could - that's curl friendly shampoo and conditioner (no silicone, no harsh alcohols). Doesn't have to be expensive, you can find cheap options. Wash and condition, then try curly styling. A simple one is to comb through with fingers or wide tooth comb in shower with conditioner to detangle. Rinse (maybe leave a little in). Then glaze on a gel (there are supermarket options) and scrunch in. Use an old t-shirt to micro plop or plop (look it up). Leave to air dry or diffuse. Scrunch out the crunch. See how it looks. If good, protect with a silk/satin scrunchie in a pineapple at night on a silk/satin pillowcase.

It's easier when you understand how curls and waves work. On straight hair you can use silicones to make it look sleek and healthy. Then use harsh shampoo to wash it out and put a healthy look back in with silicone again. Silicone is the enemy of curls so you need to make it look healthy by getting water into it and using products that don't strip the hair. Once you get the concept you can experiment with products and styling methods.

My top tip is buy salon quality hair products. Lightly wash, focused on roots, and a good conditioner. A hair mask like the Aussie one won't hurt - just avoid it too much on the roots.

A light leave in conditioner could work but sounds like you're both concerned that it will be greasy so I'd agree with others on the straightener. Use a heat protection serum or product, blow dry and straighten. My hair is wavy rather than curly and when long, I used the straighteners not to straighten but to reduce the frizz.