Curly Haired Catastrophes?

[RitaHayworth]

It can be overwhelming and sometimes when you read some tricks you go "Are they crazy!" but its true, you try these things and you do see some results!

I went condition only washing. I rarely use silicone's and my hair has undergone a big transformation in health (until I tease it through the week), but I don't use heat on it anymore and I don't bleach - so I figure a bit of teasing is okay!

 

[Heather]

It came along when I needed it!! lol

No, in all honesty, I'd straightened and bleached the life out of mine...and it was only a random search on the net one day that I came across it and realised.....there was more of us out there who had:

1. Never had a hairdresser know how to do curly hair
2. Also thought we had to scrub the life out our hair because everyone else did
3. Had no "owners manual' to curly hair

That's how I found it too! Whats your name on the forum? I never even knew I had curls until after I had my 2nd daughter. I had always just assumed I had straight, frizzy hair. I'm in cosmetology school and surprisingly, my instructors are very aware of the shrinkage characteristic of curly hair and emphasis it to us. I'd be curious to know how many of the students it sticks with though since there are so many scissor happy stylists out there. :eusa_doh: It's definitely a lot trial and error with curls. Finding its "personality".

 

[Idledame]

I have always had very curly hair ( I had the biggest, best Afro in the 60's and 70's and it only took about 3 minutes to do!) But I find it's not as curly as it gets more gray. I use oil products that are marketed to black women, to cut down on frizz, but it is trial and error to find the right amount. I think silicone is a scam which makes your hair frizzier so you have to use more. I've been trying to do a 30's wave which my hair used to do on its own, but it's too short now. I seem to have to straighten it, hairspray it, then lightly mist it with water and hope it waves right. The problem with pin curls is that you absolutely can't use a hairbrush on dry curly hair or you'll lose the curl and just get frizz. So you would have to just use your fingers to gently separate the hair and try to loosen the curl.

 

[Antje]

I actually changed my style of cutting hair in the salon trough naturally curly.
I now have a lot of curly customers.
I pincurl my hair anyway if I want to achieve a nice vintage look but I don't have to do it so often

 

[Sydney Loren]

I went condition only washing.

I tried that and as soft as my hair became that's about all that happened.

 

[Lareesie Ladavi]

I may end up pulling a britney on my hair. hahaha! lol
One thing that always worked for me, was only washing the roots and let the shampoo rinse through the ends (this was before my heat abuse). Once I gave my hair a break from bleach, for 6 or 8 months, that helps, but I wouldn't recommend it, if you're in the working world.

 

[live vintageous]

I have natural, Shirley Temple ringlets and fine, thin hair - though you wouldn't know it because the curliness makes it look fuller and thicker than it really is.

For me, the best thing to do is gently blot my hair after showering, part it, and then leave it to air dry. I don't use any serums, conditioners or oils, and the like because they weigh my curls and hair down and I end up with flat, greasy hair - but that's just me. A dime-sized amount of a light styling gel or mousse gets me through summer days. In the winter it's usually not humid enough for my hair to curl as much, so I don't use mousse as often.

And I do something weird: I don't brush my hair. It ruins my curl definition. I know it sounds terribly strange and potentially unhygienic. I'm sure my scalp would benefit from a good brushing. But my curls keep their definition and shape so much better without it.

Another thing you could try is using conditioner only. A lot of curly girls do that. Curls love moisture, so it's one way to help beat the frizz. I used to do it, but don't currently use that method.

 

[Minerva]

My hair has been going straighter since my daughter was born. I think my great-grandmother would say that someone in the family finally got 'good hair'. :eusa_doh: The lot of us tend to have wild corkscrew curls.

The trick is, use a wide-tooth comb while it's wet to unsnarl (or de-dreadlock, in my case) as needed and don't touch it once it's dry. If it's staying loose, finger fluff it a bit when it's almost dry to shape the curls. After that I leave it be.

 

[live vintageous]

I went condition only washing.

Rita, what conditioner do you use? With winter here and drier skin and hair, I'm thinking of switching back to conditioner washing for the moisture.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

The OP mentioned twisting her hair -DON'T twist it. When you curl it, it should stay flat, either around the curler or in a pin curl. Twisting it creates uneven curls and frizz.

 

[Sydney Loren]

The OP mentioned twisting her hair -DON'T twist it. When you curl it, it should stay flat, either around the curler or in a pin curl. Twisting it creates uneven curls and frizz.

Ah, well that would explain a lot. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Caity Lynn]

I know how to do my hair with an Iron, but lately I've had to cut my hair due to heat damage, So I've given that up, I'm trying curlers...and well...a picture is worth a thousand words so...enjoy and don't take a drink before you click, I look so ridiculous you'll laugh, I did!lol

After an hour in those odd bristle rollers
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm29/Caity_Lynn_Susan/me for editing/DSCN8410.jpg
it looks crazy!!!

Heres how I had it rolled. I can't figure out why it flipped OUT, I rolled it UNDER...anyone have this problem and know how to fix it!!

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm29/Caity_Lynn_Susan/me for editing/DSCN8404.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm29/Caity_Lynn_Susan/me for editing/DSCN8406.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm29/Caity_Lynn_Susan/me for editing/DSCN8409.jpg

 

[MissHannah]

This is my hair untamed...

I'm just about to go to Nina (the specialist vintage hairdresser in London) to get it all chopped off.

 

[Laura Chase]

Yes, I have that problem too - especially with curlers when I have not had them in for very long. I rarely ever have it with wet pin curl sets. Anyway, I find that it helps to be careful when brushing, try to brush it the way you want it to set, so if you want it not flip out, you need to brush it less on the outside and more under. If that makes sense...

 

[bronzewolf]

Ive always had quite curly hair, after childbirth it went terribly lank and 7 years after suddenly sprang back to life, so i have made a conserted effort to look after my curls and keep them alive, bcs i do love them so much

I have found these products and routines to work for me.

1) I bought some TIGI Catwalk - "Curls rock" shampoo and conditioner, this seemed to make a difference in keeping the bounce.
2) Towel dry hair
3) Apply Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave in Conditioner.
not only does this smell lovely, but somehow it reduces frizz,defines and gives my hair alot of curl and bounce, and also makes my hair super soft.
4) lightly comb through hair with a wide toothed afro comb and shape with clips drawn away from face if you want to
5)DONT BLOW DRY - leave hair to dry naturally, later on when hair is dry you can gently comb through hair with fingers or afro comb to give it a fuller softer look..... if you want it to look even curler throughout the day wet your hands a bit and pump it into your hair, your hair will spring even more i have had tight ringlets form if i do this several times a day
6) If your going out later and want a shiny more defined look and dont mind wearing hair spray UMBERTO GIANNINI Curl friends quick fix spray does the trick although a bit sticky for moi.....

i know it sounds like alot here the TIGI stuff i got at cost price so thought i would try it out, otherwise i would not spend alot of money on shampoo and the hairspray was out of curiosity BUT the AUSSIE leave in conditioner has made the biggest impact on my hair coupled with not blow drying it. :eusa_clap

 

[VintageRed]

My hair regimen...

...is pretty simple.

I use the Coconut Milk line of products (smells heavenly and the egg white proteins do a good job at keeping it healthy) http://www.organixhair.com/coconutmilk.asp.

My hair has a lot of natural wave and curl, but when I set it, I air dry to a damp state, put in the coconut milk mousse, wrap it in 2 dif't size foam rollers and leave it overnight.

The next morning (making sure it's dry), I take all the rollers out, FINGER comb the curls after they sit for 15-20 mins, spritz it with Tresemme No Frizz Ultra Light Shine Spray. Totally tames any frizz, especially if you have to brush it for any reason. If I have to brush it, I twist the curls in spirals and they spring back and separate again. That shine serum is great though-it comes out in an ultra fine mist so you can control how much you use. My hair is very fine, so if I use too much, it looks oily.

In any event, maybe that will help anyone battling the frizzies!



~Red

 

[DancingSweetie]

I agree with not brushing curly hair. I use a wide tooth comb (or pick) when it is wet to get the tangles out and that is it.

 

[Miss RM]

Ugghh! Girls, *every time* I try vintage hair, I end up with a curly haired catastrophe! My hair is naturally curly, but certainly not in a vintage way. I've tried curling with a curling iron and with a flat iron, but even with 400 degree heat, the curls fall out within a half hour. I've tried wet sets with velcro curlers - and ended up with a frizzy mess, and most recently, sponge rollers - still a frizzy mess! Last night, I though I was on to something. I applied a straightening lotion to my hair before putting it up in sponge rollers. I thought this might tame the curls and make me look less like an 80's secretary in the morning NO luck! It was actually MORE frizzy, if that's possible! Give me a blouse with a big polyester bow on the front and I could intern for Ronald Reagan! HELP! I got so frustrated that I grabbed the V05 Hairstyling in a funk and ended up applying FAR too much. I really don't want to give up on achieving smooth vintage style curls, but I can't spend a fortune on products, either! Am I missing something?

Karen

 

[kyda]

curls

Every time that I use curlers I come out of it looking like a poodle lol lol lol lol and when I use a curling iron it falls out, so I don't curl my hair.

 

[Odalisque]

Ugghh! Girls, *every time* I try vintage hair, I end up with a curly haired catastrophe! My hair is naturally curly, but certainly not in a vintage way. I've tried curling with a curling iron and with a flat iron, but even with 400 degree heat, the curls fall out within a half hour. I've tried wet sets with velcro curlers - and ended up with a frizzy mess, and most recently, sponge rollers - still a frizzy mess! Last night, I though I was on to something. I applied a straightening lotion to my hair before putting it up in sponge rollers. I thought this might tame the curls and make me look less like an 80's secretary in the morning NO luck! It was actually MORE frizzy, if that's possible! Give me a blouse with a big polyester bow on the front and I could intern for Ronald Reagan! HELP! I got so frustrated that I grabbed the V05 Hairstyling in a funk and ended up applying FAR too much. I really don't want to give up on achieving smooth vintage style curls, but I can't spend a fortune on products, either! Am I missing something?

Karen

What size rollers are you using? Remember, the smaller the roller, the tighter and more prone to frizz your curl will be. Often, I've used the pink foams (biggest size) but rolled too tight and ended up with curls that wouldn't brush out at all.