I'm growing out my hair and I'm not sure about my hair type?

Prz

Hey there ,

First of all, I'm a Spanish guy and I've been growing out my hair for 9 months now. At the beginning everything went okay, but right now as it is 5 inches long (right in the awkward stage), it's really dry and frizzy and I don't know what to do with it. I saw this website some time ago and I thought this was the best place to know more about my hair (omfg, finally a forum for curly haired people). The problem is that I don't know which hair type I have and how should I take care of it

My aim is to achieve something like Giaro Giarratana's hairstyle or Jay Alvarrez.

Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad English :')

Glamourstruckk

Your English is fine! It may be hard to determine your hair type right now because it may not be at its full potential. You mention that your hair is dry and frizzy. Let's tackle those.

There are beginner links in the sticky posts here that will help get you started with the Curly Girl method. You could also read the book (library or buy) but the information is online for free.

Curly Girl will get your hair moisturized and will cut down on frizz. Then we can see your hair type better.

naturecat

Hair type is much less important when figuring out how it care for it than your hair properties. What is your strand thickness? What is your hair density? And porosity? (You can tell porosity by drying time; 6+ hours = low porosity, 2-6 hours is medium, less than 2 = high. Also if product just sits on your hair and doesn't absorb, it's low po; if your hair drinks up product like there's no tomorrow it's high po)

I do agree with Kayla that going CG will help cut down on frizz and make your hair type clearer. I see 3a potential in there but you also have wavy bits too. One of the best ways to learn how to take care of curly hair is Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey. Highly recommend reading this to help get you started.

Prz

Thanks for replying ,
I just saw the Curly Girl method and I think I'm going to give it a try (I might have found the answer to all the problems in my life ). Btw naturecat, I've checked the hair properties post and I would say I have medium porosity, fine/normal width and high hair density, any tips?
*offtopic* I've been using a leave-in conditioner for a while as it makes my curls look more defined and moisturized. The problem is that it contains silicon between its ingredients and I saw that you should avoid silicon in products in the CG method. Should I replace it with another product?
*can't wait to have long hair :')*

Therese1

I would recommend starting with Massey's Curly Girl book also. You might also find this link helpful (but overwhelming?): http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/112371-techniques-links-supersoaker-spritz-condish-plopping-frizz-clipping-icequeen-etc.html.

If you are going to try the Curly Girl method, then yes, you will want to replace your silicone leave-in conditioner. Massey's point about silicones is that the sulfate shampoos needed to remove them eventually dry your hair out. So she wants to focus on keeping the hair moisturized, which means not using the sulfate shampoos. Some people find that they can use a little bit of regular conditioner as a leave-in, so you could try that if you don't want to purchase another product.

naturecat

Re: Your post, if you're trapped in the vicious silicone/sulfate cycle, the first thing you want to do is get out of that cycle, see how your hair responds, and let it get moisturized. Judging from your pictures your biggest issue is that your hair gets dry. So just cutting out harsh surfactants and silicones will be a great start.
You might want to try a silicone free leave in too.
Fine hair tends to like protein and get weighed down easily, but given that yours is also medium width and high density, you might not have to worry about that as much. Your hair might like occasional protein treatments. But moisture (in my experience) is usually the first, most important order of business when first going CG. You may want to try a deep conditioning treatment in the beginning to help your hair get more moisture faster.