Please help me with my hair! (pic attached)

[MumNeedsTea]

I am going through one of my 'I hate my hair' phases !!
I have very thick, wavy/curly hair and I never know what to do with it. The attached picture is how my hair looks when it's washed and left to dry naturally... It's still a bit wet in the pic. It's going to poof out a lot more when completely dry.

On most days I blow dry it and then put it up.. But I know that look ages me.
In an ideal world I would have inherited my mum's super soft straight hair!
Mine takes ages to straighten and even then it never looks as good as it does when I get it done in the salon.

I have tried the curly girl method and have decided it's not for me. It looks good on day 1, but then after that I really don't know what to do with it. And I have tried it for a long time..so it's not like I gave up in the first week.

I would like to cut it short, but not sure what cut to go for. My thinking was that if it's short I may be able to straighten it in shorter time. Do I get layers or not? I have never had a bob/lob and I would love to try it.

If you have got this far, thanks!

Well I think you've got lovely hair! Lucky you it looks like that went left doing nothing. If you want to cut it then go for it! Long bob yes, easier to straighten I guess. If you don't like it I guess you put it straight back up again? And it will grow...!

Thanks toast... You are not the first person to like my hair.. I wish I could see it too. I guess it's a case of green grass and all that
my hair does grow incredibly fast.. So I am going to take a risk and chop it off!

Please keep the suggestions coming

Something like this.

itsbetter you look great! I would love hair like that. What cut is that? I guessing you follow the curly girl method!

Rach I am going to have to google what rebonding is...

Be careful with a bob if your hair tends to poof out. Without the weight of long hair, it's likely to be massive. There are ways to take some of the thickness out; razoring, an undercut or a technique called invisible layers.
Ask around for recommendations of hairdressers that are good at cutting curly hair; it's an art.

Fwiw, I think you look lovely with it long, sorry!

I think that you have beautiful hair!
You look like you have a perfectly shaped face and lovely thick hair for regular buns; hair up and twisted around the hair band or high up on your head (messy neat or loose).

Try looking on you tube for everyday go to buns or hair back in a pony tail (you could even do a loose overnight plait to bring out the waves).

Maybe Boots Curl Creme (~£2) would help with the wave emphasis.

Arrrgg, if only I had hair like yours.....

The grass is indeed greener on the other side!
Thanks for the lovely comments.. I really wish I could see it too!

lostit that's my biggest fear of going short.. The poofiness! I shall look into invisible layering.

teaaddict nice name
I have looked through YouTube.. But it never ends up looking as good! I need to find some time to practice properly. Also, most of those videos start with straightened hair and then add hair spray.. I am looking for something easy and not needing loads of time.
I have tried the boots curl creme.. But it only looks good on day one. After that I really struggle with it. Also, I struggle with the whole 'not allowed to brush my hair' rule of the curly girl method. I know the rule is in place to keep the curls intact, but after 2 days I really want to run a brush through my hair!

You have gorgeous hair.

If it tends to 'poof' then be careful with a lob/bob.

Find a hairdresser who specialises in curly hair and have a consultation. I think a few well placed long layers would look great, together with the use of quality styling products.

Olaplex relaxes the hair massively. Tge home use bottle makes my hair like silk. Once a week for 1 hour does the trick. (I know youre not blonde!)

Wish I had hair like yours ! Grass greener etc. Honestly it is beautiful.

Have a good Brazillian blow dry

Lovely curls - I'm a fellow curly. I think your cut is letting you down. Wouldn't take much length off but needs a better shape. I cg method and recommend the Facebook gp.
I find it very little work Plop with gel. Gets me 4 days 2-3 with open hair and the rest with hair up. Maybe needs a refresh. On day 3. Need to follow to the letter- no wax no paraffin. But it's easy. I do my hair 2x a week for about an hour total.
I also like that shorter cut someone's recommended.

Your hair is lovely!

Your hair is just like mine!

I've tried all sorts to get mine smooth and manageable. Brazilian blow dries and chemical straightening (Xtenso) did very little (the latter just relaxed the curl, no impact on frizz or softness!)

Mine responds best to blow drying in sections (babyliss big hair or a hairdryer and brush).

PrettyGreyEyes I think my biggest problem is the lack of styling products and the knowledge of how to use them... also, the fact that I want swishy celebrity hair without putting any effort into it, makes matters worse.
Right now the only products apart from shampoo and conditioner that I use are coconut oil (an hour before as a pre conditioner) and a couple of drops of argan oil on wet hair to take care of the frizz. The use of natural products means I have healthy hair, but not the look I would like

Winterview you have my sympathies! Good to know that chemical straightening didn't work... I was very reluctantly considering that option.

lasttimearound can I ask what products you use and how exactly you style your hair? I use the body shop rain forest range of shampoo and conditioner... so no wax or paraffin here.

Sorry op I've no suggestions of what to do with your hair other than a fringe would look nice, but if you want more natural products I have to recommend this lovely shampoo and conditioner I've been using. My hair feels so silky soft with it. Suma rose petal and geranium, other flavours (?) available too. www.suma.coop/2010/07/why-use-suma-bodycare-shampoo-soap/ It's really lovely.

A fringe? Like a side swept one? Hmm will think about that one...
Thanks for the recommendations... I am always on the lookout for natural products :)

I'm the same but blonde. When you've had it all your life it does your head in.

I think curly/wavy looks old fashioned and ungroomed.

I have a cut which means I can straighten it but keep it big and bouncy, which we with thick wavy hair you can achieve. Takes half an hour and as I only need to wash it twice per week, that suits me.

I'll put similar photo in next post.

Shorter at back than the front, straight but lots of body. GHD's for me.

My hair is like yours, maybe a bit curlier.

I got sick of straightening it so now trying the curly girl method too. I know what you mean about it looking shit after day one. I have bought some mousses so going to trying using that until I wash it agai

James I wish my hair looked like that
Does your cut have a name?

Also, any recommendations for hair dressers in south east? Bromley to be precise? I may as well try someone new...

Mine is like the picture and I think it's called an A line bob. It can be shorter or longer than that. But you get the idea.

I'm in the north so can't help with hairdressers but if you ask for it to be big and bouncy I suspect they'll blow dry it then finish of with straighteners. I manage to do a reasonable job with it myself at home, although not as good as the hairdresser.

Let us see how you get on

Really like your natural hair, OP.