Best affordable tool for thick frizzy hair with minimal styling time

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I have thick and frizzy hair that looks messy all the time. Little time to style it and also I am a little lazy.
I have a very old GHD hair straightner that needs to be thrown away soon. I was reading that they are not as good as they used to be.
I am looking for an easy to use tool that will make my hair look tidy, eliminate frizz, that is quick and doesn’t cost a fortune (so no dyson sadly).
What should I get? I am open to a hair straightner type of thing or also a hot brush/hairwrap etc

I just got the Remington shine therapy straighteners. £27 and I swear they are the best I have ever used. I have thick, dry, 2c-3a hair with a tendency to frizz and they make it look swishy and glossy and smooth and are fast!

Hiya - I have a different idea...

Have you considered trying Curly Girl?

Reasons for it - low maintenance, costs less, less time, healthier nicer hair..

I too have thick curly hair. Used to straighten it - but it ruined it. Used to hot brush it - ruined it. More frizzy, high maintenance etc.

Saw endless mentions of curly girl, read about it and went for it.

Here is my routine now -

No products, as can't wash them out using no sulphate shampoo. Products and stripping the hair go hand in hand, so if you stop stripping the hair, you can't use products...

Started with two shampoos - co-wash (conditioner for shampoo) and no sulphate shampoo, alternating. I use Faith In Nature range, inexpensive and natural.

This alone stops your dry hair from being stripped.

Then I learned that you have to find out whether your hair strands let water on or not. Mine do not, they are low porosity. That was when I realised that my cheap conditioner, the aloe vera Faith in Nature one, really thin consistency, worked the best of all. Thick oily conditioners sat on top of the cuticles and didn't go in, weighing the hair down.

To find out your hair type, get a strand and put it in water. If it takes on the water, it is high porosity, if it doesn't it is low. Then you can choose which products to use.

So I'm using a non stripping shampoo, the right conditioner. I comb in the shower with conditioner on. I rinse out, then finger brush through, towel for five minutes only, and a little of the conditioner on the ends. Then leave to air dry - seriously. No styling, nothing, just do the parting and leave it.

I look at photos from ten years ago and see that my curls are much better, the hair is softer and shinier. It fits with my aging learning that natural is best.

On a daily basis I use an Afro comb to lift the roots, and spray every morning with a water / conditioner mix to refresh the ends.

And my most recent best addition to this simple routine is - a heated hair cap £19.99 from Amazon. I wash, rinse, put conditioner on, pile loosely and put in cap, then sit under the heated cap for 20 mins - game changer. This opens the cuticles and allows the conditioner to go in more. Hair is even softer now.

All in all, I recommend stopping heat treatment as it ruins hair, stopping using shampoos that strip the natural oils and start using the heated cap.

No what you asked for, but thought I'd say anyway in case it is of use.

@something2sayinteresting! Commenting mostly so I can come back to this.

Thinking outside the box - why not consider a permanent solution? I get a Brazilian blow-dry which at £150 is less than the cost of a tool and lasts about a year. You'd need to find a salon that does it properly (other treatments are 'Japanese straightening') but the results are awesome - shiny perfect hair that you just rough dry and lands perfect every time.

Just to clarify, my hair isn’t curly, just frizzy!

I have heard about that but am always put off by the strong toxic chemicals used for it and also was told it is more likely to last like 4-5 months? I live in London so it would be quite pricey…

I live in London too. I get it done in the Brazilian salon in elephant and castle. The chemicals are more an issue for the staff members who are exposed all day every day (vs an hour once a year) but they wear protective gear. Don't know about the 4/5 month thing - mine's also frizzy more than curly and lasts close to a year. Problem with frizz is the more I straighten, the worse the frizz long term because of heat damage. So I leave the house with it looking shiny and it's a frizzy mess a few hours later. Brazilian only real solution to this in my experience.

John Frieda blow dry spray and then Revlon's One Step once it's nearly dried with a normal drier.

Decent curl cream or gel. Personally I love Kevin Murphy Killer Curls, but it takes a lot of experimentation. I don’t have time to straighten anymore - it takes about 40 mins every time. Embracing my natural curl was the only way to go. My husband hates it but he can go swivel. It’s so much easier - and it suits my face better IMO.

This is what I thought as well until I tried the curly girl techniques. Mine is wavy rather than curly, but i used to blow dry it straight at which point it would resemble a haystack. Honestly it’s worth trying a routine for wavy hair. Mine is as follows:
shampoo x 2
condition
scrunch mousse in to form waves
wrap in T-shirt to dry for 15 mins (called plopping)
use diffuser on hairdryer until almost dry
air dry until completely dry
scrunch in tiny amount of hair oil to define waves

if its frizzy it’s curly. I had no idea my hair was curly until I was about 20 and lived with someone who was part Egyptian and she was horrified I was blow drying, gave me products and full on Jane Austen ringlets emerged. I was shocked!

By the way I also can’t use any heat or I get frizz. Even a diffuser doesn’t work for me. Air dry only.

OMG this would be my dream. Except I tried it and it was just kind of vaguely wavy but not nice uniform waves, and looked greasy and weird. Stupid hair.

I'm just piping up to say that I agree that your hair is likely naturally curly or wavy and it's worth exploring. I had dreadfully frizzy hair growing up but in my twenties a hairdresser showed me it was actually that my hair is curly.

The curly girl method is a step too far for me for using conditioner to 'cowash' instead of shampoo. I prefer to use a gentle shampoo with no harsh chemicals, then a light conditioner (having previously used thick ones as I thought that's what the frizz needed) then after I get out the shower I just put some Boots curl cream through my hair, brush through once while wet with a Denman curly hair brush to make sure the curl cream is distributed and then I put a hair clip on each side at the front to keep it out my face and leave it to dry naturally.

Been doing this for 20 years now and my hair looks so different to when I was a teenager. It's shiny and I'm generally happy with it.

You sometimes need to persevere for a while. If you use a lot of products sometimes you need to start by using a stronger shampoo to remove all product then start from that point. Things like towel drying / wringing hair out also pulls out curls and frizzes it up. Then try allowing your hair to dry naturally for a couple of weeks. Could be worth another go

I’d honestly go for a heated brush. It’s much easier to use, quicker, and gives a more natural smooth finish. You just brush through like normal and it tames frizz while adding a bit of shape. If you prefer a straightener, look for one with good temperature control and ceramic plates.

My natural hair is like Hagrid from Harry Potter.

I would spend ages drying and straightening it or putting in a curling mouse. The curls never looked the same two days in a row and because of the products would need constant washing!

Three years ago I had a keratin smoothing treatment and not going to lie it changed my life. I now no longer have to plan my life around my hair washes. It’s actually nice enough to go out just after air drying. Saying this I still run straighteners through it as I like a polished look but it’s so quick - and lasts.

I pay £75 in SW and get it done every three months.

Revlon one step, the oval brush for straight with bouncy ends. I've just got the round brush one step that is fab for bouncy curls, takes about 5m with almost dry hair.

If your hair is frizzy then it’s not straight, so it’s either naturally curly or wavy. Never brush or comb your hair when dry. Use a really good curly shampoo and conditioner and a wide tooth comb while conditioner still on your hair and soaking wet. Use a curl crème and mousse or gel and let it almost dry then use a diffuser for 5 /10 minutes. I bet you my life savings that your hair is amazing with the right products.

Products equal the need to strip the hair though, and that is not good for curly dry hair.