How do you wear your curly hair on bad hair day?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

As you will know, curly hair is unreliable, to say the least. Mine is very manageable as it is short, but DD (15) is having hair misery at the moment.
She’s growing it long as she thinks it’ll give her more options. Currently just below shoulders (probably down to her mid back if straightened). It’s a mixture of 2C and 3A/B curls. She doesn’t want to straighten it, and doesn’t like to spend too much time on it. It’s at its best in the summer holidays when she can wash and air dry with all the time in the world.
On school days, it can look unkempt, and ‘scruffy’ rather than stylishly messy, although it’s clean. She struggles to do anything with it and says buns don’t stay in.
Any easy tips?
ND and needs the support, if anyone’s wondering why I’m so involved with a 15 year old’s very typical morning hair woes!

I use a curling wand (mine is Cloud 9) and go around the canopy to do about 6 fat curls, then split with my fingers. It takes away the frizzy halo and gives some shape back. I know you're not meant to use heat etc etc but I have never been able to live with it when it just looks "bendy" and slept on. Refreshing with water doesn't work (I'm a 2c).

How thick is her hair? At that age I had 2C curls but very fine hair and honestly growing it was a disaster, it couldn't take the weight so no volume and every day was a bad hair day.

It took me a good year to give in though as my DM had told me it was a bad idea and obviously I couldn't agree with her so I just carried on until it was inescapable that I looked like a drowned scarecrow and had to accept she was right.

Am also ND and using any form of styling tool has always been beyond my competence.

I have always found having shorter curly hair gave me more options. I have a bob, which I can wash and scrunch, or I can put the top bit into a clip/claw style. Or, two little top buns! Long curly hair was a pain as half the time I put it into a ponytail and it didn't dry properly. In terms of taming, a light oil helps. Curly hair tends to be dry and a bit of argan oil is good.

Forgot to add, am ASD and never got the hang of styling my mop!

I put some curl cream through it to dampen down the frizz a bit, then put it in a loose “pineapple” near the top of my head with a silk scrunchie. Keeps it out of the way and looks neat enough.

Has she tried sleeping in a silk bonnet/buff, or with it loosely tied up and a silk pillowcase? Might make it look much better in the morning so she'd have less need to do 'something' with it.

A messy plait

I wear a scarf wrapped round as a hairband.

DC uses this which makes light work of their thick long curly hair and wears a silk bonnet.

Twist it up and secure it with a claw clip. It's simple and easy.

I actually plait mine and then wrap it round my head, but it's pretty long.

It's a long time since I was that age, but banana clips were a lifeline until my hair got long enough to either plait or put in a loose, low ponytail. Or I'd twist the front and use tiny butterfly clips to hold it back (see pics - are the 90s back in yet?).

I sort of use a bobble and twist into a really messy bun high up. Or a ponytail

3c/4a here. Does she put it in a bonnet to sleep?

She can’t tolerate silk or satin so the bonnnet or pillowcase are out. Same with diffuser!
Thanks for style ideas. She’s bought a few accessories today and keen to let me help try ideas.

Shoulder length 2c/3b hair here, it's about 2-3 inches longer when pulled straight. I don't think it suits me pulled back and I CBA to do an upstyle, so i always wear it loose. The only styling aid I possess is my fingers!

I almost never use a hair dryer but I do wet it every day before combing through a bit of leave in conditioner. I prefer wetting it fully, but sometimes I just spritz it instead (with tapwater, the waters soft where I live) so it dries in a reasonable time if the roots haven't been soaked. It looks much better than if I try to leave it. Might this work for your DD?

Check out Only Curls - the enhanced hold curl gel (not the mega hold) is great and doesn’t leave hair feeling hard. Basically put it on wet hair, scrunch curls and let them dry. Then buy her a spray bottle you put water in to refresh the curls - day 2 after you’ve slept on it and it looks terrible you just spray water onto the curls and add a bit more curl gel and let it dry. Only Curls has a mist bottle but you can get them cheaper on Amazon.

Also, get her a silk/satin pillow case, massively helps curly hair not get so frizzy overnight!

Follow Only Curls on instagram for tips.

https://onlycurls.com
https://www.instagram.com/onlycurlslondon?igsh=MXFoY2J2M3NxY2wyeg==

Sorry just saw about her not able to tolerate satin so ignore that part!

Hi.

I had to read your OP again to clarify the problem and I think it is how the hair looks ion the morning yes?

I have the same curls, same length.

Sulphate free shampoo, As I Am Coconut Cocowash from Amazon alternate weeks, its a conditioner wash and doesn't strip the hair.
On other weeks use just a normal sulphate free shampoo, not a co wash.
This will make the condition better.

Deep conditioners with a bag on, hour at a time if she can.

No hair drying. Blot using one of those special towels.

Comb in shower with conditioner on.

Leave in conditioner and a bit of oil when it's almost dry, coconut will do.
Leave to dry.

That's my washing routine and it means no heat, no stripping, no over use of chemicals and no crap styling products.

Every morning I turn upside down and use one of those curly hair comb things, long ones. Can't remember the proper name! Comb from the roots to give volume.

Then a bit of leave in container, I use the hair food ones, only a fiver from anywhere. A bit of that and stick hand under tap to get hand wet, hair upset down and scrunch into the ends. Then stand up and slightly wet the hair, stroking with a wet hand from the tap. This puts water and moisture into the hair and tames frizz.

I then use two little clips to give two little pull backs, one above each eye, to keep it out of the way. This way it is out of my face but still pretty.

Curly hair isnt easy is it!!!