On Fine, Curly Hair
Oct. 18th, 2016 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI've been noticing that my hair's been looking rattier lately.
I did some research and apparently if you have hard water, you should use detergent, not soap, to wash your hair. So I switched from Dr. Bronner's back to shampoo. There's been no obvious improvement, but this may be a gradual thing.
As I've gotten older, I've not been able to grow my hair as long. It's now getting to the point where gravity is no longer straightening my hair into mere waves. So I've done some research on how to treat curly hair.
My hair is also fine--a lot of advice for fine hair is intended to make it look bigger, but mine is already too Bozo-the-clown-ish for my tastes, so I'm trying to ignore that advice. There's still plenty of bizarre advice out there.
Never brush your hair.
Um, what? How could that possibly help?
Apparently that hundred-strokes-a-day thing only works for people with straight hair. The hair is all smooth, and the oils get brushed down the hair shaft, so you have nice, shiny hair. But curly hair is that way because the hairs are all lumpy, and so the oil doesn't go down the shaft, and you just have oily hair at the top and dry hair at the bottom no matter what you do. Plus fine hair is delicate like lace, so you should be super gentle with it.
So how do you get the rat's nests out?
Comb your hair only when it's wet.
Dripping wet. Preferably while still in the shower.
Okay, combs do not like to go through my hair. I could decorate my hair by sticking combs in it in random places, combing it from there to 1/2 - 2 inches that it will go, and just leaving it there. (I don't quite have Marge Simpson holding power, though.)
Brushes go through much more easily, at least the boar-bristle brushes that I use.
It's true that it does become possible to get a comb through my hair while it's wet, after conditioning it. But I've read that your hair is weaker when it's wet. So, I brush before I get in the shower, then brush it again after I get out, then comb it to get the last tangles out. I don't see changing this strategy.
Let your hair drip dry.
Basically, when your hair is wet, it can clump into ringlets. If you blow-dry it or brush it after it's dry, it goes all Roseanne Roseannadanna.
Interestingly, if I put my hair up in a ponytail after a morning shower, it can still be wet in the evening where the ponytail holder is. That can't be good.
Cut it off.
Curly, fine hair is just too fragile to grow long. So don't even try.
This is actually the strategy that R. and my mom use. My mom actually tells the stylist, "Cut my hair as short as you can without making me look weird." Occasionally, it comes out a little short for her taste and she wears big earrings and bright red lipstick for a while.
I have a tiny little head, plus I love long hair, so I will not be doing this either. Obviously, if my hair can only grow to be two inches long when I'm 85, then sure. But meanwhile, no thanks.
Sleep on silk.
I'm surprised they don't say to sleep standing up. Cotton pillow cases will damage your hair! So get silk pillowcases. Or silk hairnet thingies. Sexy!
I read somewhere earlier that putting your hair up in a ponytail while you sleep will damage it. So you should either leave it down (where the ceiling fan blows it all over my face making me itchy so I can't sleep) or put it in braids. Heh, braids. Those are another recipe for giganto-hair!
Do you have any advice for curly hair? Do you have any odd-sounding strategies for your hair care?
I did some research and apparently if you have hard water, you should use detergent, not soap, to wash your hair. So I switched from Dr. Bronner's back to shampoo. There's been no obvious improvement, but this may be a gradual thing.
As I've gotten older, I've not been able to grow my hair as long. It's now getting to the point where gravity is no longer straightening my hair into mere waves. So I've done some research on how to treat curly hair.
My hair is also fine--a lot of advice for fine hair is intended to make it look bigger, but mine is already too Bozo-the-clown-ish for my tastes, so I'm trying to ignore that advice. There's still plenty of bizarre advice out there.
Never brush your hair.
Um, what? How could that possibly help?
Apparently that hundred-strokes-a-day thing only works for people with straight hair. The hair is all smooth, and the oils get brushed down the hair shaft, so you have nice, shiny hair. But curly hair is that way because the hairs are all lumpy, and so the oil doesn't go down the shaft, and you just have oily hair at the top and dry hair at the bottom no matter what you do. Plus fine hair is delicate like lace, so you should be super gentle with it.
So how do you get the rat's nests out?
Comb your hair only when it's wet.
Dripping wet. Preferably while still in the shower.
Okay, combs do not like to go through my hair. I could decorate my hair by sticking combs in it in random places, combing it from there to 1/2 - 2 inches that it will go, and just leaving it there. (I don't quite have Marge Simpson holding power, though.)
Brushes go through much more easily, at least the boar-bristle brushes that I use.
It's true that it does become possible to get a comb through my hair while it's wet, after conditioning it. But I've read that your hair is weaker when it's wet. So, I brush before I get in the shower, then brush it again after I get out, then comb it to get the last tangles out. I don't see changing this strategy.
Let your hair drip dry.
Basically, when your hair is wet, it can clump into ringlets. If you blow-dry it or brush it after it's dry, it goes all Roseanne Roseannadanna.
Interestingly, if I put my hair up in a ponytail after a morning shower, it can still be wet in the evening where the ponytail holder is. That can't be good.
Cut it off.
Curly, fine hair is just too fragile to grow long. So don't even try.
This is actually the strategy that R. and my mom use. My mom actually tells the stylist, "Cut my hair as short as you can without making me look weird." Occasionally, it comes out a little short for her taste and she wears big earrings and bright red lipstick for a while.
I have a tiny little head, plus I love long hair, so I will not be doing this either. Obviously, if my hair can only grow to be two inches long when I'm 85, then sure. But meanwhile, no thanks.
Sleep on silk.
I'm surprised they don't say to sleep standing up. Cotton pillow cases will damage your hair! So get silk pillowcases. Or silk hairnet thingies. Sexy!
I read somewhere earlier that putting your hair up in a ponytail while you sleep will damage it. So you should either leave it down (where the ceiling fan blows it all over my face making me itchy so I can't sleep) or put it in braids. Heh, braids. Those are another recipe for giganto-hair!
Do you have any advice for curly hair? Do you have any odd-sounding strategies for your hair care?