Advice needed - 78 yo mum needs to wash her Afro hair for the first time in her life 😵

[CalmCalmerCalmest]

I know. It’s so weird actually typing this.

My mum is S European. She has always told me she has “Afro hair” that she has been having straightened since she left school and started work at 14.

I’ve only ever seen it straight (straightened).

My entire life (50+ years!) she has gone to the hairdresser’s once a week for a wash and blow dry.

She has never been in a swimming pool or the sea as she has always refused to get her hair wet.

Obviously now she can’t get to the hairdresser’s so when I did her weekly shop yesterday I got her some shampoo and conditioner. I have lent her a hairdryer and a paddle brush.

The world is going mad around us and her biggest stress right now is washing her hair.

Does anyone please have any advice re any styling products she could try (which I can pick up next time I’m at the supermarket for essentials) or any blow drying tips? Her hair is all one length, just above her shoulders. Obviously she is going to have to do it herself.

I inherited my father’s straight hair so I really don’t know.

I have washed my hair every day since I was about 12 so we are polar opposites!

But please if you have any tips I’d be really grateful.

Thanks

Does she normally leave the hairdressers straight? If yes she just needs to get some straighteners and send her some you tube tutorials for doing it .. if she is going to leave it curly then she could do with some cantu products and put then on damp hair and either diffuse or leave to dry .

Yes she always leaves with it straight. It needs to be straight. I’ve never seen it curly! I would love to! Funny how my DCs haven’t inherited a single curl either!

She’s not online but I didn’t realise there would be tutorials online. Thank you for replying.

DD has some straighteners she can borrow.

Yes, Cantu shampoo and conditioner. I use this (Caucasian but with dry, curly hair) and also use Tigi Catwalk Curl serum. You apply the serum to soaking wet hair, then dry with head upside down using a diffuser (don't towel dry first, hair must be soaking wet). This will give nice volume and tight curls. If you're after straight hair solutions I guess the same but with straighteners?

If she doesn't know how to straighten it then she will have to leave it curly .. I'm Amazed she hasn't learnt herself . I have curly hair and I can pretty much do anything with it and taught myself ( everyone else in my family has straight hair ) .. it's easy once you get going although I appreciate she is pretty aged ..
For a start I would get some curl custard ( cantu) and whack a bit of that in and let it dry .( I bet it would look amazing!!)
If she goes down the straightening route get her some section clips and start at the bottom and work round in layers upwards .

mis read your title OP!
can you guess what I thought it meant?

Sounds like it’s blow dried straight so she might need a round brush to use as she blow dries. However blow drying curly hair straight on yourself can be difficult, it can actually tire your arm out, so it might be easier using the straighteners.

I don’t think you should borrow her heat tools, because won’t the products be back and forth between your households? Perhaps get your mum her own hair dryer and straightener

Heat protectant and serum for products

Can she tie it back when wet? Then just the ends will curl.

She will know if the hairdresser uses straighteners or if she blow dries it. My dd has really curly hair but it can be blow dried straight with a babyliss big hair so I imagine it could be dried straight with a hairdryer and brush by someone else.

Make sure she knows her hair needs to be dry to use the straighteners.

Thing is if she had paid someone for all those years she won't have a clue will she ! 😬😬my friend is a hair dresser and said she has people begging her to go and do their hair !!!🙄 idiots

Id her hair truly afro? Or is it just curly? Her hairdresser may well be able to blow dry it straight but chances are your mum will struggle. Better to blow dry it roughly then run straighteners through it. Start with underneath layer, then from top of ears down. Then do the top.

Depends on if it's actually Afro hair or just thick and curly. Does she have it blow dried, straightened or actually relaxed?

Has she washed it yet?? I'm intrigued to know what it looks like ( prob too much time on my hands ! )

She has options.

1. Don't wash it. Plait it tight and leave it it in plaits. A French plait, or just regular pigtail plaits.
2. Wash it and plait it immediately.
3. Wash it and let it go natural.
4. Wash it and have a go at blow drying it.

If it were my mum, I'd get get her to to wash it and let it go natural, see what she's dealing with. She can always re wash it if she hates it!
Superdrug do an argon oil treatment that a dupe for elasticizer. If she puts that in damp hair before she washes it, it'll be much easier to blow dry straight.

As far as I’m aware she still hasn’t washed it 🤮

I can’t even go 2 days without washing mine!

She has always described it as “Afro” but I have only ever seen it straight (straightened!). Like I said she’s never been swimming or got it wet or washed it at home! There is no way she would plait it or let it go natural / curly intentionally.

I have curly hair and only wash it every 5 days or so.. at the moment I've blow dried it wavy with no product and I'm going to see how many days I can go before it changes .. it never goes greasy or looks different. Weird really

How about embracing the https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/all-about-the-no-poo-routine-2