Acne.org Products
I'm in 
. I bought a microfiber twisty hair towel that buttons on the back to keep it in place. After wearing this thing for about 20 minutes or even sleeping in it, talk about major root lift! I've got curly hair and using this instead of plopping or air drying gives waves instead of curls. It's a nice change and since I'm a fan of big hair this is definite WIN! 
My hair has been doing better lately. Still about 2 inches of brittle hair that needs to grow out and about the last 1/2 inch of the brittle hair is split. I have cut down on protein and increased that moisture use. I know I will always have some split ends from what I do to my hair, but as long as I keep them under control and in just like the last inch of my hair I am ok, lol.
Arghh I'm terrible, I never do anything to my hair except shampooWell, occasionally, I use olive oil and it softens it... but that's it... I've never styled or highlighted or dyed or hairsprayed
I ought to try it sometime...
You shouldn't, your dark hair color really suits you. If I change my hair color, I only go a shade or so difference, just for a little depth. Sometimes what you were born with is flattering enough. 
Dear Most Esteemed Ant,
I got a body wave put in, and (because I cannot remember and my hairdresser is closed) yahoo answers says I have to wait 48 hours before shampooing it and a full week before using conditioner. Is that true?
Gratefully yours,
~D~
You know, I'm actually not quite sure. However, I assume that conditioning would disturb the wave, and weigh down your hair; shampooing would probably cause excessive frizz, and disturb the change in your hair since a wave takes on a completely different shape in the strand.
I would see if rinsing your hair with cool water does anything, without shampooing or conditioning. Of course, I'm not a professional; but from observation and experience, I can imagine that shampooing and conditioning so soon after a change in your hair might revert it back to its previous state.
Unlike most people here, my problem is probably TOO MUCH volume.
Okay, so I don't know if something like this has been asked before, but here's my problem.
I have to skip a day washing my hair because it gets oily washing two days in a row. Every time after I do wash it, however, it becomes HUGE. I blow dry it (cold air) wash it (cold water) have tried sleeping with it, letting it naturally dry, putting serums in it... nothing.
I have to straighten it every other day, and I don't want to have to anymore. It's damaging.
So I have this:
On the left is the the day after straightening it, before going into the shower again. On the right is right after a shower, where I usually let it dry and straighten it.
My hair's naturally thick and wavy, so it's hard to do anything in general. Looks like this straight:
But even a couple hours later it gets wavy again 
Any tips on the poof? I really, really hate it. 
I'm in
Where'd you get it??? It sounds perfect!
Ok... I'm a Cosmetologist with 21 years experience... I'm going to bring some straight talk about some of the things that go round and round about Good/Bad hair days and hair myths... This will be loooong, but I hope very informative and help you all be able to make better informed decisions.
Vocabulary:
Elasticity: The ability of hair to stretch without breaking. While wet a single strand should be able to stretch up to 50% of it's current length and then come back just like a rubber band.
Porosity: The hair's ability to hold moisture. Think of it like a bucket. Normal hair would have no holes. Chemically treated hair would have some holes in the bucket, but they could be patched. Damaged hair is full of holes. It's a ship that's sinking fast.
Cuticle: The part we feel. It's the outer layer of the hair that protects the insides like shingles on a roof.
Cortex: Just inside of the cuticle it's the spongy inner core where all chemical services take place. This is where the damage of hair actually occurs.
1. Think of hair like a fabric. If you just wash fabric in the washer (shampoo) and stick it in the dryer (blow dryer)... What's going to happen over time? Dry out.. fray... lose color... so on... Right? Now let's add fabric softener (conditioner)... Less color loss, not so dry, less fraying... now we're getting a bit better... Now think of TYPES of detergent and fabric softener... Have you ever used something from the dollar store?... What happened? Did it work as well? Did it get clean, or sorda clean?... and what about the softener? Did it actually soften? Not really all that much I bet... More expensive does not = better... but quality does come with a slightly higher price tag...
2. The more you do to your hair... The more maintenance you will HAVE to invest in. If you are going to be a colored red head for example... Red is the hardest color to remove AND the hardest color to keep because it is the most unnatural. So it will require specific treatments and care in order to maintain it. Otherwise watch it wash down the drain, cause that's where it's going to be, and sometimes within 3 days it's that high maintenance for some.
3. Let's talk bleach blonde... Highlights, half head, all over... Blonde is an ABSENSE of color when talking about hair. Born or bottled it's missing it's 2 primary partners blue and red... Remember your primaries? Colors that exist on their own in nature? Good old Red, Yellow, and Blue... Blonde is only yellow... If you PASS that stage and try to go white with bleach? That's called colorless.. the hair is then an empty straw... By the time you reach this stage with bleach alone? Consider the porosity and the elasticity will go bye-bye... Even if it hangs on and doesn't completely break, it's still been seriously compromised.
Now let's talk types of hair...
Fine, medium or coarse is not by feel alone, it's the literal diameter of a single strand of hair. Coarse is the largest diameter, followed by medium, then fine... Density is how many of those hairs per square inch. So you may have fine hair... but such a ton of it you've always called your hair thick... Density and diameter are 2 different things.
Curly hair is curly because the cuticle layer is uneven. The twists in the hair are caused by the uneven growth of the cuticular layer. This kind of hair is most fragile at EVERY twist. So the curlier your hair? The more prone to breakage and snapping no matter how well you care for it. It's also what we call the "frizzies" it's breakage, new growth, and just plain shorter hairs peeking out from the longer ones.
Wavy hair can be from 2 things Either the uneven growth of the cutlicle (like curly hair) at longer intervals then curls OR damaged cutlicle. If the cuticle has become porus from abuse? It can cause the hair to wave from the minimal damage occuring at the wave point.
Straight hair has a compact and slicked down cuticle. It's not "most desired"... It's just what makes it straight. This could be annoying if you would like to use a curling iron. It's like trying to get a board of wood to bend...
Color needs 2 things to get it to stay in the hair. Protien (Keratin to be specific) and existing pigment, natural or artificial. This is where treatments can be essential. Protein treatments can get Reds to STAY Red. You would use them PRIOR to coloring to replace any missing protien from whatever you've done prior to becoming a redhead. Yellow hair can be toned to "beige" "wheat" or "platinum" by using colors made to attach to the yellow and settle in... Remember if the hair is ALREADY white? It's ALREADY colorless... therefore it will pick up on ONLY the color your ADDING... that means if it is "purple based" you will BE purple or some variation of lavender.
Ok so now what? I'm not going to lecture on Store Bought Vs Salon bought. I will say this... The difference between them is similar to teeth whitening. You can go out and get Crest White Strips and get your teeth white. They will work. But you know that going to your Dentist and paying the higher price will work better, work faster, and last longer. You also know that the dentist's materials are going to be of higher quality.
The more you are doing to the fabric on your head? The more maintenance you're going to need... period. If you do not chemically alter your hair but you DO Blow Dry and Flat Iron it to death? You are in as much trouble as if you chemically treat. You must go higher maintenance on your hair!
The higher maintenance for color requires a protien treatment at least twice a month, and before every color (the same day). The shampoo must be gentle and the conditioner must be able to temporarily "fill" the holes caused by the chemicals. I will have to say here that store bought uses waxes, resins, or sloppy low grade silicone to coat the hair's cuticle layer. This leads to ACV working so well... Yes it does everything you've heard people saying. It's got a PH of about 3 and your hair needs a 4.5 to 5.5 so after using all the "crappy" stuff ACV is a welcome idea as far as your hair would be concerned LoL. BEWARE of store bought protien even Sally Beauty Supply. The cheaper ones use protien derived from animal hides, hairs, feathers, and hooves thrown into sodium hydroxide and melted down. Even the ones using veggies are also using the sodium hydroxide method to get it to liquid. You can't remove the sodium hydroxide completely... It's just not good.
For blow drying and flat ironing, it's mechanical stress and it's going to be about your styling choices. For blow drying choose the styling option best for you. Volumizing, straightening cream, whatever... just make sure the point is for the blow drying phase. For Flat Ironing my personal fav is to get a spray version of the silicone drops and spray each section to be flat ironed and then flat iron RIGHT over it... It will burn the silicone and not your hair... but use the spray at least 6 inches away from the hair and spray once on every section. I like Bed Head Head Rush, or Rusk Shine Spray, or Biosilk Shine On. Shine On doubles as a full heat styling tool, so if you use a curling iron in the same way you will have incredible results.
For Curly hair... Let's get something straight... What happens when it's humid outside? Or you go where there's a lot of water? POOF that's right.. So why are you buying "moisturizer" for your curls? When it comes to our hair we just can't think right can we? LoL... Yes you need something to keep them from dreadlocking and becoming a tangled mess... but moisture causes your frizzies and fly aways to be noticable and all kinds of annoying problems. Either buy something for curly hair... or get those protiens under control. The protien has been pouring out of your hair since the day you were born... poor thing... and now you've been abusing it with all kinds of moisture and pulling it and twisting it... It's no wonder your hair has been misbehaving... Try a new approach... Leave the moisturizing to the garden and get your daily dose of balancing... More oil based moisture and protien...
I'm sorry this was so long... I hope I helped in any way? I hope no one's too dizzy LoL
I love Herbal Essences, the blue shampoo and conditioner that smells like coconut. It's to hydrate dry hair. That's my favorite.
Then I just use a heat protecting serum, that also helps prevent frizz, and blow dry my hair. The serum also makes your hair soft, and give it a nice sheen.
I pin my hair up if I want it extra wavy, or leave it alone for loose waves, or straighten it for straight hair. And I have a full set of bangs.
I used to use the Herbal Essences (in the blue bottle) that Hydrates. But it dried out my hair. It's tough switching to a natural shampoo I've noticed recently. I HATE the oily feeling. But the problem with sulfate shampoos, is that you have to condition every time you shampoo or else you get really tangled when you comb. [/rant]
Anyone doing something fun or new for summer with their hair?
Herbal essences tests on animals.
I use Avalon organics Biotin B Conditioner (LOVE) & Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo (Both have AMAZING ingredients, and use Vitamins A, C, and E instead of parabens). For a treatment, I put extra virgin organic coconut oil all over the bottom half of my hair until saturated (on dry hair), twist into a bun, and leave overnight or up until I shower next.. Hair is SO soft the next day!
My hair is spiral curls unless I flat iron it.... complete frizz if I don't use ethnic hair products in it. I currently use Cantu shea leave-in conditioner, sometimes it smells kind of funny but it works great. I also use some water-based shine wax by garnier fructis or whatever. If ever I grew my hair out long enough, I would love to let my natural curls show. But I dye it and iron it so much as it is that I need to keep it short to keep it looking healthy. I use a hai flat iron at 340 degrees temp...
Here's my hair currently:
(I cut and dye it myself )
My hair is spiral curls unless I flat iron it.... complete frizz if I don't use ethnic hair products in it. I currently use Cantu shea leave-in conditioner, sometimes it smells kind of funny but it works great. I also use some water-based shine wax by garnier fructis or whatever. If ever I grew my hair out long enough, I would love to let my natural curls show. But I dye it and iron it so much as it is that I need to keep it short to keep it looking healthy. I use a hai flat iron at 340 degrees temp...Here's my hair currently:
(I cut and dye it myself
GORGEOUS!
