HELP! Hair now thin and not-properly curly after pregnancy

[Laquila]

AAAAAAAAAGH. I used to have a LOT of thick, curly, bouncy hair that is JUST nade my peace with and worked out how to style when my first child came along, leaving my with a lot less hair. It wasn't too bad though, and was still pretty curly until I had my second, and 18 months after that it's bloody hopefless. It's thin, frizzy, and won't hold its curl no matter what I do. The fact that I've got more grey coming through doesn't help, as the grey has a more wiry texture.

I've been to Matt James once before and was impressed, but he's too far (and pricey) now. I've half-heartedly tried Curly Girl before but it wasn't great for me (can't even remember what products I used). I currently use Pantene Repair shampoo and a Redken curl conditioner, and Frizz-Ease mousse (after a hell of a lot of wasted product trials, this was the thing that worked best for my old hair...but no more!)

I've also had success in the past with the pink Boots curl creme and Living Proof curl creme, but again, neither seem to do much good now.

Help me!! What the hell can I try? It's making me miserable!

Did you used to use different shampoo and conditioner, maybe a higher end one before having your babies? Is that what Curly Girl is?

I only ask as I have curly hair too and Pantene and other cheaper brands like it just really don't agree with my hair. I tried using some after i has DS to save money but my hair just ended up looking shit, as soon as I started using my usual, Aveda Damage Remedy it went back to looking lovely again. It is a bit pricey but I find I only need to wash it once a week and a little goes a long way.

Thanks Paradise! I didn't use high-end shampoos - mainly Aussie and L'Oreal, I think (feels like a lifetime ago!)

Curly Girl is a method involving washing hair with conditioner, and as infrequently as possible, as well as drying in a particular way. I follow their advice about adding product to super-wet hair and never rubbing it with a towel/not touching it as it dries, but I've never found a conditioner I like as a cleanser.

The only time I've tried Aveda was their curl creme, and it didn't do much for me, but I'll look up the shampoos and conditioners.

Aargh been trying to post that for over 24hrs but the bloody mobile site hasn't been working! FINALLY

What about the no foam L'Oréal shampoo ? Can't remember the name

After dc3 I had my hair cut very short, from boob length to chin length bob. Very blunt. It's made s bit difference to the thickness but that's probably because ds is 2 now.

Argh! Sorry to say - this is exactly what happened to me- and 5 years after my second I never did get those thick glossy curls back! Major boo! No help I am afraid, just to say I feel your pain

Lounging!! Agh. What do you use on your hair at the mo, if you don't mind me asking? I can't be doing with this hair of it's not going to go back to how it was but I will NOT suit a pixie crop, that's for sure! I might need a rethink...

Bump for any curly-haired MNers of the evening :)

How about trying to smooth it into waves instead rather than full on curls.
Try switching to smoothing hair products - one I find good is a studio fix fibre gel thing in a blue tub think it's called re fix in the men section. It smooths and holds but no stickiness.
Then for styling, pull all hair really tightly into a pony at nape of neck, then divide pony into four pieces and wrap each piece tightly around your head and pin in place. So you're using the curve of your head to smooth the hair. Go to bed and in the morning, unwrap it all and you should have smooth waves.

Thanks Joe Mangel but I'm afraid it just wouldn't work for me - I need a bit of volume in the roots otherwise it just looks weird :(

What I need really is to go back to my 18-yr old self and tell her to stop bloody moaning about have curls and make the most of them before they disappear!!

Hi- I use Elnett volume mousse which at least keeps the waves quite smooth and gives the body. I also love the Phil smith be gorgeous conditioner with argan oil. Urgh! Hope your curls come back! I spent half my life cursing them and now would love them back!

I also used to love Aussie 3 min miracle for my curls, but I've (just!) realised that it makes my hair frizzier now.