Wavy frizzy hair - definitely not curly

[BeginnerSAHM]

Hello!

I'm at a loss with what to do with my hair. It's naturally wavy but frizzes all the time. It only looks nice when dried at the hairdresser in smooth loose waves - that takes ages and I can't do it myself. I've tried BBH, and ghds. It looks ok/quite nice dried straight (and ghd-ed if I do it) but frizzes up quite quickly.

If I let it dry naturally, and don't touch it, it still goes wavy but still very frizzy (after using low sulphate shampoo, conditioner and Moroccan oil).

It's a long bob (shoulder length) with a few very long layers in. I have a half head of foils every now and then (some blonde but some a little darker than my natural light brown to stop me going too blonde/brassy). I'm growing it a little longer as had it chopped off a few months ago as was so fed up with the frizz but it's still awful.

So... I always wear it scraped up.

Is it worth trying the curly girl method even though I don't have curly hair? I hate the idea of greasy hair and not using shampoo though - seems wrong! As it is, I only wash it every 4 days or so. I feel a total scruff. No hairdresser has suggested anything useful and 'treatments' don't seem to do much.

Anyway, if anybody has any success stories with similar hair, I'd love to hear them! Thank you...

[TulipOHare]

Sounds just like my hair. I have no solution but am watching thread in case anyone else does

[PhoneSexWithMalcolmTucker]

Likewise Sorry OP.

My hair has this annoying helmet shape where it's straight to about ear length, then goes wavy below that. Think Darth Vader's silhouette and you're there

[BeginnerSAHM]

Heh - the darth vadar look sounds familiar... Have been googling and some people with similar sounding hair appear to have success with the curly girl method. Am going to bite the bullet and try the 'low poo' variation which does involve using shampoo every 4 days - just shampoo without sulphates. No silicones allowed at all though so am going to have to ditch my expensive oils and treatments (Moroccan oil stuff that smells gorgeous - v v annoyed...) Will report back on how I get on...

[TulipOHare]

Although, actually, I have just washed my hair after putting camellia oil through it (per another thread here a few days ago), and it is noticeably softer and calmer. Frizz still there somewhat, but I only rough-dried it with my hairdryer, no other styling, and it feels really lovely.

Merits further investigation!

[BeginnerSAHM]

Ooh, camellia oil you say??? Hmmm! Will look it up, thanks!

[MadBusLady]

Sounds exactly like mine (used to be curlier, now it's longish it's just wavy) and I use the no-poo method, works very well for me. I wash every other day with conditioner and use shampoo about once a week. Hair much silkier and better behaved than it used to be, and weirdly I find I can now brush it with a hairbrush and it looks better, the same way other people's hair does! I used to use comb only.

[MadBusLady]

By the way how in hades do you get hairdressers to style it in loose waves? I've never met one who didn't stare blankly when I suggested this, and proceed to either give me poker straight or poodle hair.

[TheRaniOfYawn]

I wash my hair with shampoo around once a week, wash with conditioner every couple of days, put curl creme on very wet hair and then plop it and leave it to dry naturally. I have a fringe so straighten that and sometimes straighten the first inch or so of the test of my hair which seems to stop the frizz from looking bad. On the days I don't wash my hair I spray it with a salt spray and scrunch. I only comb it when pouring conditioner in. The waves look messy rather than sleek but I've had more compliments about my hair since doing this than I ever got over allele more styled hair.

[BeginnerSAHM]

Thanks all - right, definitely worth trying the CG method then...

The hairdresser 'loose waves' only works with good hairdressers! And when my hair is a little longer. They use a round brush and sort of twist it. I've tried to copy it but it comes out as a frizzy mess . The brush is a bit thinner than the BBH though so I guess that helps.

[MrsRogerSterling]

Sounds like my hair until a few weeks ago when I started using this shampoo and the conditioner the difference it has made to my hair is amazing, it is so much more defined and lovely and wavy. Can't recommend enough.

[AskBasil]

What pray, is the Curly Girl method?

[Mumelie]

Sounds like my hair!
Sad to say the only thing that has ever worked is using mega pricey Aveda shampoo and condition. Not a cheap option (I use the scalp Benefits range as have a very dry scalp).
Been using for a few weeks now and I have glossy swishy hair - only ever achieved at the hairdressers before (and then rarely). It looks fab straightened and I can actually get those soft waves with a round brush.
I also use a hair oil before blow drying. Have tried a few - L'Oreal, moroccan, have a Keratase (sp?) one at the moment.

[BeginnerSAHM]

Hi mumelie!

This is the curly girl method....

Think my hair is roughly type '2a' but a lot more frizzy than the description.

Mumelie - trying to embrace the not-dead-straight look when trying to look 'groomed' because of the 'natural ingenue' thing. (For those of you who don't know what that means, it's part of the house of colour cult thing...)

[Mumelie]

lol sorry beginner didn't see it was you
I do mine wavy most days but have straightened today and even with this rain it's still ok after using Aveda.
Looking at the curly girl method - I'm probably a 2a/ 3c inc frizz! I need to wash everyday so not sure how this would work for me. Let me know how you get on.

[Mumelie]

Sorry 2c / 3a !

[crypes]

I wonder whatever happened to Infrared lamps in the hairdressers. I remember in the Eighties to get the shaggy perm look but I had really curly hair the hairdresser would cut my hair then put me under the infrared lamp and then I had a lovely glossy shaggy curly style that stayed for weeks.

[justkeeponsmiling]

Hiya, your hair sounds a lot like mine! I don't follow the curly girl method exactly but have adapted it to suit me - tried going without shampoo and it was disgusting! So this is what I do:
Wash and condition with the gorgeous Eversleek range (as mentioned above)
Flip my hair over my head and rinse thoroughly with cold water
Gently squeeze out any excess water
Pat/squeeze in a generous amount of boots curlcreme (NO rubbing at any point!!)
Pat/squeeze in some curl gel (I can't recommend a brand as the one I use is now no longer available in the uk :( No idea what I will do when I run out...)
"Plop" my hair for 20 mins or so with an old tshirt (as in the curly girl method)
Let my hair down and leave it to dry naturally without touching it/fiddling with it or moving my head too much. It takes ages to dry but is well worth it. I have done it like that for about 6 months now and my hair has gone from a frizzy mop to mostly nice ringletty curls (except on windy days...)
Good luck!!

[justkeeponsmiling]

Oh, and never use brushes or combs of any kind! They are evil and do unspeakable things to my hair!!

[justkeeponsmiling]

And I forgot to say, oils of any kind make my hair frizzy... no idea why!

[BeginnerSAHM]

Thanks keeponsmiling!

[BeginnerSAHM]

OMG - I've just washed and 'plopped' and look like I have a 1980s poodle perm.... Not dry yet though so it still could frizz. And maybe 'relax' a bit

[burnishedsilver]

Have you considered a 12 week blow dry?

[BeginnerSAHM]

I've tried a keratin straightening treatment ('Brazilian blowdry') but it didn't make a lot of difference to my hair.... Annoyingly!! I'll keep experimenting!!

[JoanRanger]

I feel your pain. This is my current solution:

Use BBH conventionally for some volume on top "canopy" of hair.

Then use it vertically, moving downwards, twisting it around itself, on the length of your hair. This makes loose sausage curls. Spray these with the new John Frieda curlmaking stuff and do not touch.

[JoanRanger]

That should be "twisting the hair around itself"