I Have Awful Hair!

Just thinking... How often do you shampoo? My hair is very, very thick and coarse and also wavy ... It is not easy deal with. I only shampoo/ cond about 3 days a week now. My hair really looks it's best when it hasn't been freshly washed and is easier to deal with. Mine is about shoulder length.

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Just thinking... How often do you shampoo? My hair is very, very thick and coarse and also wavy ... It is not easy deal with. I only shampoo/ cond about 3 days a week now. My hair really looks it's best when it hasn't been freshly washed and is easier to deal with. Mine is about shoulder length.

Have a stylist do a razor cut and do layers. My mom always called my hair style a gypsy cut. I find the ends don't last long because I get it trimmed every other month or so.

If you like the length, like I do, then a layered cut is good because it frees the hair to curl more. I wash with a good moisturizing shampoo then towel it off a bit. I use a mousse foam and just apply it to the ends and not from the scalp out. I use a pick style comb or a brush that hasn't very many bristles. To get the hair off my scalp and looser looking. Then I let it dry naturally.

I think my hair style is pretty dated but it suits me and I like it. I can manage it pretty well since it's just dabbing a bit of foam on the ends and back where it's the most frizzy.

I googled layered hair styles for curly hair. I will point out a few that might work for your hair since you say it's not too curly and not too straight.

https://www.google.com/search?q=layered+hair+styles+with+...

There is a picture on the second row, it's an actress from the soaps, she's in a teal formal dress. Her hair is a lot like mine if I blow dry it then use hot rollers. I don't do bangs though.

There's a picture of Catherine Zeta Jones a bit further down on the left. Her hair is probably allowed to dry then curled with a curling iron or hot rollers. Hot rollers work better for dry frizzy hair. The heat lasts longer so it tames the hair better.

There are a lot of different hair styles on this page of images. I hope you can feel confident about one or two of them and can take the pictures to a stylist and let her do a good cut. It can make all the difference when your hair is layered.

Dying a lot with commercial dye will fry your hair.
I had a similar problem but then I switched to henna (oh gosh, it's got to be 10 years ago now).
I no longer have any split ends on my head and because my hair is so much less damaged I can grow it much longer than I was able to before.
My hair is shiny and very manageable - it looks great!
Henna is not for everyone.
A dye session means sitting with goop on your head for 4-5 hours (once every 8 or so weeks) but it's done with vinegar (or lemon juice) and my scalp loves it.
If red or a redish cast is not for you, you can get a variety of colors using indigo, or other herbs.

Here's a great site that will tell you all about it:

http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/

I use body art quality henna for my hair.
You can wear it for as long as you want.

My hair was terrible and falling out after I had baby #2. Turns out I had vitamin d deficiency, thyroid can also effect hair/nails. Maybe talk w dr about lab work. Try taking biotin daily that helps

I haven't read the other answers so I apologize in advance if its a repeat. I have super dry hair like you and it showing the signs of gray also. My hair dresser does what they call a "recovery conditioning treatment". It is a TOTAL life saver for me. She does the treatment and then flat irons it for me. I can keep it like that for a few days. Since its so dry I can go a long time in between washes. You might check it out and see if your salon has something similar. Good luck!

Maybe try using an alternative hair dye? I dont dye my hair so Im not aware of many products out there for that but Im sure there should be some kind dye that is easier on your hair. Also, what about Vitamin D supplements (isn't that good for hair and nails?) it would probably take a while to notice but it may have lasting benefits.

Your hair sounds similar to mine in some ways. Curly but not really curly. Mine isn't dry but is thick and can get severe breakage from too much heat - drying, curling ect.

You say you typically let yours air dry. I wish I could let mine air dry all the time. When I do let it air dry, I take it in segments and twirl it. Periodically untwirl and the re-twirl different segments. It may sound silly but it takes my hair that has some curl and makes it look wavy and curly with great body. No heat, nothing to cause drying or breakage, just takes time!

Well my little girl and myself both have issues with our hair.
This is what I found that works. First we starting using products from "its a 10." They are expensive but people now tell us our hair looks so great. Also we both started taking " Biotin" along our mult vitamins. I noticed it helped our hair after consistently taking " biotin" for 6 mo. Good luck.

Is your hair very dry due to coloring it? (As in, it was once healthy, and now it is dry due to coloring?) If so, interview a new colorist. A good colorist can color your hair without totally over-processing it (as a platinum blond, I have some experience with this ;). I think for now, you might consider cutting your hair. I know, I know, you think it needs to be shoulder-length, but think about Mariska Hartigay, Ginnifer Goodwin, Christina Ricci, or Kelly Clarkson. They've all had shorter hair and they have round faces. A good stylist should be able to cut your hair to work with your texture so you don't always have to straighten it or curl it. At the end of the day, you don't want to style your hair, and you don't want to put it up all the time, so what you need is a wash-and-go hairstyle while your hair recovers from the coloring damage. Such a style doesn't exist for shoulder-length hair, unless you were blessed with perfect texture (and let's face it, almost nobody is).

My hair has become drier, thinner, and had changed color very unevenly since menopause. Because I'm sensitive to most synthetic chemicals (and because some of the chemicals in commercial hair dyes, especially in the dark colors, are actually toxic), I tried henna several years ago. I've liked the results so well, I'm still using it once a month or so.

It's messy to use, but it has several real pluses:

It conditions the hair, adding body, dimension and gloss by coating it with a layer of plant proteins.

It's supposed to wash out gradually. On my grey/red hair mix, it does not wash out very much at all, which works well for me, since I mostly just touch up roots.

It comes in a wonderful range of colors, (including no color, for conditioning only).

It's non-toxic, and contains only natural plant materials. Some brands/colors include other herbal tints as well. (Some people develop allergic reactions.)

It's inexpensive. One package, around $10, lasts me for three treatments on my short hair.

ADDED: I see that B uses henna, and keeps it on for hours. The Light Mountain brand that I like recommends less than an hour, but I usually keep it on for an hour. Very good, lasting color and conditioning.

Maybe try curlers at night? Or a night-time hairstyle that will come out looking nice... I have seen people braid, French braid, twist braid, and put their hair in buns and when they take it out, the hair is wavy, curled, etc. for me, my hair looks best if I put it in two high, sloppy buns.

Maybe think of trying a Keratin smoothing treatment (NOT a straightening treatment). It is a very deep conditioning protein treatment that lasts for 12 weeks and takes away frizz - it really makes my hair more manageable. I get mine done at Ulta - I found them to have the best prices. You can go first for a consult to have the stylist look at your hair and tell you if it would help a lot. Good luck - I know how tough difficult hair can make your day!!

I tried some of the sulfate free shampoo. Loreal I think - Sorry too lazy to get up and go check. It came in what looked like a big toothpaste tube instead of a traditional bottle. It WAS more pricy that I usually go for, but I also have the part curly/part wavy/can get really frizzy hair. The result was not immediate, but it did make a difference. Also I found that even though it was more expensive I used less of it, so maybe it wasn't really costing me that much more.

When you shampoo, also, you really only need to shampoo by your scalp. The rest gets rinsed/washed well enough with the residual shampoo from your scalp and water (unless you use a ton of product in you hair, which I don't) . Then condition with a good quality conditioner.