My hair! What’s going on?!

[JustLikeStitch]

I have very fine/thin hair, goes lovely and ringlet type curly when wet, excessively frizzy and bushy when dry. It has always been a complete nightmare, nothing short of straightening it within an inch of its life will tame it (and even then the second I walk into the kitchen or outside it does some kind of magic trick where it forgets I’ve straightened it and goes back to its curly/frizzy/bushy wild mess of a mop). I’ve tried different anti frizz treatments and hair spray/gel, tried heat protection spray etc but the second anything that isn’t shampoo or conditioner goes near it, it looks and feels extremely greasy when dry.

I’ve gotten extremely sick of looking like a scarecrow, so I bought some L’Oréal elvive fibrology thickening shampoo/conditioner, thought perhaps if my hair was a bit thicker/heavier it’d stop looking so bushy/frizzy. Instead I’ve ended up with hair that feels kind of plasticky and instead of making it look thicker it’s just given it a hell of a lot more volume so the frizz looks so much worse.

I’ve tried the curly girl method but even after a month my hair still gets greasy if it’s not been washed on a daily basis. Tried dry shampoo and looked like I’d stuck my fingers in a socket. Tried leaving to dry naturally and blow drying as soon as I’ve got out the shower but absolutely nothing works.

I’m at the end of my tether. My hair is chest length, I’m ready to shave it off (or at least cut it extremely short). I just want tidy looking hair that doesn’t feel greasy, doesn’t feel plasticky, doesn’t frizz up the second I hit a mildly humid environment and doesn’t make children run shrieking at the sight of me. Please help?

Mine is very similar, except it's pretty thick, but goes very curly and frizzy when washed and I try to straighten it just to tame it as much as possible. It also goes fuzzy and wavy as soon as I go outside which is extremely frustrating. I'd like to know what (if any!!!) products actually work to combat the frizz, I've tried Frizz ease which doesn't work on my hair. Hopefully someone can suggest something!

Try the curly girl method. It stops the frizz and helps the curl. You may not need to go full on , it's worth googling the city girl for wavy hair.

My hair is like yours. Salon brand shampoo and conditioner without sulphates is the only thing that tamed my mane.

They're costly to buy but per wash it's much cheaper in the long run because you only use tiny amounts. And you have fabulous hair

Try a modified version of curly girl, so if co washing’s not for you, get a sulphate free cleanser. Salon brands are best, but if you want to give it a go for cheapish, umberto gianini and noughty stuff is decent.

The ‘plasticky’ feel is silicone build up. Your scalp gets greasy because harsh sulphates strip the oils and so your scalp produces more to over compensate.

Wash with your CG products then use a tiny tiny tiny amount of styling product applied to very wet hair with very wet hands. Squish it in so you hear a squelching sound, this is your hair telling you it’s being hydrated. The styler is there to hold the curl pattern and seal water in. Silicone stylers and heavy oils, and even CG approved stylers if used in excessive amounts build up on the hair and end up sealing moisture out, which is why it goes frizzy.

Hold your head upside down and diffuse gently, you can just diffuse a bit and let it air dry if you like.

Sleep in a silk scarf or bonnet or buff band. Cotton is absorbent and so as well as roughing the hair cuticle up, it dries your hair out.

Don’t expect miracles straight away. Be patient, it can be a long process working out what your hair likes. Invest in the best products you can but make sure they’re right for your hair type - lots of big known curly girl brand stuff like cantu or shea moisture was originally formulated for afro hair, so if you are caucasian those products will be too heavy for your hair. Look on instagram for CG ‘influencers’ and follow the ones that have a similar hair type/ethnicity to you. Application technique is at least as important as the products you use, so watch how they apply their stylers/how they diffuse their hair. Don’t go down the curly girl rabbit hole and get into all the mad shit like putting eggs or chickpea water or lube on your hair!

Keep it simple to start off with and if you experiment with new products, change just one thing at a time, so you know which product has caused a better/worse effect. Find a curly salon and get a proper cut for your texture, a good salon should cut your hair dry then wash and diffuse. Good luck. Try and work with your texture rather than fighting it. It all sounds daunting and complicated and faffy but i promise you that once you get the hang of it, it’s way easier than battling against what your hair naturally wants to do.

Use flax gel or aloe Vera. It acts a bit like wet look gel, but traps moisture in the hair. You can scrunch it with your hands when it is dry, to soften the definition a bit.

Thanks everyone, I’ll have a look at some salon brand shampoos etc

@picklemewalnuts I’ll give these a try too, thanks!