Long hair help

[Miklagaard]

so i got pretty long hair (at least 20" minimum) and i love having long hair but my hair is just so dense/thick (theres just so god damn much of it), its not a problem if im just around my house and not doing stuff but pretty much if i start doing anything it just fizzes like nuts and it just ends up being this huge hiar mess (kinda like dave mustaines hair but not curly). To solve this problem ive just been straightening for the past year, and this solves the problem because it kinda compacts it and solves the fizzy-ness, but im just getting sick of straightening my hair every day. So does anyone know anything i could do to fix this?

 

[steve1]

Not sure what the solution is, but straightening every day will damage your hair and make the problem worse.

 

[Miklagaard]

yeah currently im rocking the ponytail just because im fed up with straightening, but i know theres gotta be something i can do about having thick/dense hair, i cant be the only person who wants to have long hair with thich/dense hair.

 

[ilyti]

You may want to switch to a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed to keep frizz away. Practically every major shampoo company has a line like that. Higher end stuff like John Friedas Frizz-Ease could work, but you may only need the straightening serum (which you smooth through your hair after washing it) and it will theoretically keep your hair straight and frizz free for a few days. I know this because my wife used the Avon version when she had very long, colour treated hair: Amazon.com: Avon Advance Techniques Lotus Shield Frizz Control Anti-Frizz Treatment: Beauty and she seemed to think it worked.

Something else you might try if you can find it locall, Hair One cleansing conditioner. Fiske - Hair One - Hair One Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner Its an alternative to shampoo that isnt very well known yet, and my wife keeps bugging me for a trip to Syracuse so we can buy some, haha.

 

[ozzman619]

thanks a bunch man, ive been having the same problem and ill definately go out and buy a few different smaller bottles of a few brands and see if something works.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

i have fizzy curly hair too. when it was long, i would remedy the situation by not using shampoo, just soap to clean it here n there. It would lock up in curls (not dreads) and no longer frizz after a few days of no shampoo, i'd just have nice curly locks. Try it, it'll work

 

[Miklagaard]

ive used some different shampoos and conditioners but no luck, ill try the soap method and see if that works.

 

[AliceLG]

I always used conditioner, and I seldom combed my hair. Since it's crazy curly, it just took too much time/effort

 

[Miklagaard]

soap method doesnt seem to be working at all, ill try some anti-frizz conditioners and shampoos and see if that'll work.

What about blow-drying vs towel-drying, would that make a difference?

 

[Konfyouzd]

Dread that shit

 

[Miklagaard]

i was actually considering getting dreads, i dont know if i could pull it off but ive been thinking about it ever since i saw Jonne from korpiklaani

 

[Konfyouzd]

It's always hard to imagine someone with dreads but I rarely see anyone with dreads that look "out of place." They always look really natural to me anyway. The worst I see is folks who don't take proper care of them and it can look really bad in those cases.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

soap method doesnt seem to be working at all, ill try some anti-frizz conditioners and shampoos and see if that'll work.

What about blow-drying vs towel-drying, would that make a difference?

Well, it's the natural oil in your hair that you really want that shampoo/conditioner washes away, it takes a few days, the soap is just to keep hygiene in mind - i probably should have noted that - but hey it might just be that my solution is not going to work for your hair - good luck

oh yeah, a comb is frizzy hairs worst enemy. don't brush it either. I should probably not neglect to note i was going through a hippie phase at the time of all this - still no dreads, but still....

 

[Konfyouzd]

Brushing and combing already bushy hair sounds like static city...

 

[Aevolve]

Make sure to always condition your hair properly.

Also- there are sprays that help to protect your hair from straightening damage and prevent frizz, albeit a bit expensive: Amazon.com: It's A 10 miracle shine spray with noni oil 4 fl oz (118 ml): ITS A 10: Beauty

(source: my sister worked in a hair salon for 3 years.)

 

[mniel8195]

i shave my head personally but my gf is a hair stylist and when i had longer hair she would use these scissors that had teethe on them. they thin out the hair and give it my texture and less density. kind of hard to describe. just go to a salon

 

[mniel8195]

you may also want to look into products that cater to ethnic hair types

 

[JStraitiff]

I have extremely thick curly hair. The last time i wore it in pony tails for long periods of time and it would get knotted and matted because i wasnt taking care of it. It eventually got so bad that i had two large masses of hair on each side of my head with my bangs pulled around them into a pony tail lol. I cut my hair after trying conditioner, olive oil, cutting grooves into it etc etc.

This time ive been taking care of my hair much better and ive realized two tricks to avoiding the knotting and masses. 1) Dont put wet hair in a pony tail. 2) when it gets knotted, empty a handful of conditioner onto each section of hair and comb it out from the bottom up. Saves a lot of pain and loss of hair.

I too have a problem wearing my hair down. If i get straight out of the shower it looks great because the curls are clumped together in a way but as i wear it throughout the day the strands of hair separate and my hair thickens more and more. My first solution to this was to towel dry my hair, shake it around a lot to get it to come back together and then put mousse in while it was still a little wet. That would help quite a bit. But after a few hours my hair would eventually get out of control again. Part of the trick to this is not touching it or moving it around as much as possible.

But an even better solution to this is to use a stronger gel. What you can do which is really cool is take a really rock hard gel that people use to spike their hair and while your hair is still a little damp, spread it throughout your hair. Once it all dries up the water should have diluted it down a little bit but itll still be hard. Now you can just use your fingers to break apart the gel a little bit so your hair flows nice.

One big tip i have is never ever thin it. That only works for straight haired people. With curly or anything in between hair it just makes it worse.

If all else fails, get dread locks. Ive considered it. But id probably get smaller ones so it looks more reasonable and less white trash.

 

[troyguitar]

I always used a blow dryer (still do even after cutting my hair much shorter) and that does 95% as good of a job as the straightening iron without taking as much time or doing quite so much damage.

 

[SpaseMoonkey]

I'm going to sound like a girl for this.

On my normal days when I work I just toss it in a ponytail, I use 2 hair ties, 1 at the base and then a longer one that ties almost half of it up. That helps me from getting it tangled when I work or go to the gym.

As for washing my friend nags at me I do it wrong. She says to wash the hair rinse, lather up the conditioner rinse, then put a leave in conditioner/anti-frizz solution. That way your hair has extra moisture in it so it won't dry out and frizz as easy. Also rinse with cool to luke-warm water because hot water can damage it. Also if you haven't had a haircut in awhile check for split ends, that is a sure way to tell if you have dry unhealthy hair also.