Not really sure what to do with my hair? Helppp

CiaraCici

Hi Guys I'm brand new to this community and I found myself here looking to find out what kind/type of curly hair I have. So far I can't place an exact finger on my curl type except that I'm Anywhere from 2A or 2B I'm not 100% sure? My story basically is that when I was little and younger (I'm 22) my hair was super curly probably a 3A and thick with lots of curls, I've noticed that as I've grown my hair has gotten thinner (yes I pulled up my hair a lot because it was untamable and I'm a dancer) but I've stopped pulling my hair up as much now and it has gotten a little better. However it's still thinner than I'm used to, I did have highlights done a few times and dyed my hair once (never had bleach involved and the salon I would go to uses all natural products dyes and shampoos included). Recently my curls haven't been as prominent as they once were and they've gotten looser over time (I also barely ever curl or iron my hair, I only ever diffuse it occasionally after I shower and before I go to bed); I also know to steer clear of any pretty much "drugstore" shampoo because of harmful sulfates and other things so I stay on the natural end but nothing is helping my curls it seems. I'm on the fence about cutting my hair to a long bob or lob as its called in hopes of springing that curl back to life? Usually right after I wash my hair or the morning after I wash it the curls are a little more prominent but when it comes down to three days out or even one or two they fall hard almost flat; sometimes they aren't even very curly right after I wash my hair. I have attached a couple pictures to help get what I mean, the fourth fifth and sixth is usually how my hair turns out right after a wash but not always and then the others are about three days out. Thanks so much!!

Therese1

Welcome to the board!

The first thing I would suggest is a clarifying shampoo. It sounds like you have eliminated sulfates from your regimen, which in general is a good thing, but the nice thing about sulfates is they clear away build-up and give you a clean slate. Even well-formulated shampoos and conditioners build up on the hair over time; it's inevitable. Many of us on the forum do a sulfate cleanse every now and then to get rid of build-up. I do one every other week; some people do them every week, others once a month. 

The next thing I would suggest is finding out your hair's porosity. Damaged hair is usually quite porous and requires protein to correct its porosity (protein fills in gaps in the hair cuticle); healthy hair is usually lower porosity and doesn't require as much protein. In fact, sometimes putting protein on low-porosity hair can make the hair straighter, brittle, and dry (it seals up the cuticle too much, and then moisture can't get in very easily). But for hair that loves protein, protein will perk up the curls and they won't fall as quickly.

I would also suggest some kind of styling product to help hold your waves. Many of us on the board would not have curls or waves for an entire day were it not for a styler to hold them. Hard-hold gel is the favorite.

I would say that your waves are 2A currently. Sometimes people's hair texture changes when they go through puberty, so some of the loosening might be due to that. I would try clarifying, checking out how your hair responds to protein, and using a hard-hold gel, and see if that improves anything. Getting a haircut might improve your hair's ability to create wave closer to your scalp, though I don't know if it will do much for the lower lengths. (Wavy hair often gets wavier at the bottom, and if the hair is *too* short, like above chin length, it has difficulting curling.)

CiaraCici

Therese1 said:

Welcome to the board!

The first thing I would suggest is a clarifying shampoo. It sounds like you have eliminated sulfates from your regimen, which in general is a good thing, but the nice thing about sulfates is they clear away build-up and give you a clean slate. Even well-formulated shampoos and conditioners build up on the hair over time; it's inevitable. Many of us on the forum do a sulfate cleanse every now and then to get rid of build-up. I do one every other week; some people do them every week, others once a month. 

The next thing I would suggest is finding out your hair's porosity. Damaged hair is usually quite porous and requires protein to correct its porosity (protein fills in gaps in the hair cuticle); healthy hair is usually lower porosity and doesn't require as much protein. In fact, sometimes putting protein on low-porosity hair can make the hair straighter, brittle, and dry (it seals up the cuticle too much, and then moisture can't get in very easily). But for hair that loves protein, protein will perk up the curls and they won't fall as quickly.

I would also suggest some kind of styling product to help hold your waves. Many of us on the board would not have curls or waves for an entire day were it not for a styler to hold them. Hard-hold gel is the favorite.

I would say that your waves are 2A currently. Sometimes people's hair texture changes when they go through puberty, so some of the loosening might be due to that. I would try clarifying, checking out how your hair responds to protein, and using a hard-hold gel, and see if that improves anything. Getting a haircut might improve your hair's ability to create wave closer to your scalp, though I don't know if it will do much for the lower lengths. (Wavy hair often gets wavier at the bottom, and if the hair is *too* short, like above chin length, it has difficulting curling.)

Awesome thank you so much! I will try that and see how it goes I actually have a clarifying shampoo here at home that I’ll try, and I will have to figure out the protein thing and the gel. And I will lee the shortness in mind Incase I do decide to give a cut. 

Therese1

I hope things get back on the right track. When the hair no longer responds like it used to, clarifying is often the answer.

Note that when you clarify, the hair can feel stripped, so some people like to follow a clarifying shampoo with a deep conditioning. You can use your regular rinse-out conditioner for that if you like. After washing, squeeze out the excess water, and then work your conditioner into your hair. Then cover with a plastic cap and a towel on top of that (to hold in body heat), and let it sit for maybe 30 minutes. Then rinse out and style as usual. 

CiaraCici

Therese1 said:

I hope things get back on the right track. When the hair no longer responds like it used to, clarifying is often the answer.

Note that when you clarify, the hair can feel stripped, so some people like to follow a clarifying shampoo with a deep conditioning. You can use your regular rinse-out conditioner for that if you like. After washing, squeeze out the excess water, and then work your conditioner into your hair. Then cover with a plastic cap and a towel on top of that (to hold in body heat), and let it sit for maybe 30 minutes. Then rinse out and style as usual. 

I used the clarifying shampoo I had here at home and my curls after my hair dried tonight were there more actually! However I did make the mistake of using the matching conditioner and my hair is very dry right now so next time I clarify my hair I’ll need to make sure I use my own conditioner I already have that isn’t a clarifying product. And I will try that conditioning methond next time I wash my hair this week. I Still gotta find those proteins though 

CiaraCici

I wanted to update with this: this is how my hair turned out tonight after one wash with a clarifying shampoo 

Gretchen

Gorgeous!  We're so glad you've joined us here at CurlTalk!