Straightened Hair Disaster! Advice?

in Hair Type 2
Hi! so im new here at naturally curly, and so is my mom. She has been using a flat iron for years, and years (way longer then I have!). The styling has been taking it's tole, and ruining her hair. She got a haircut because the split ends were so bad, and she got it layered, and thinned (but not with a razor, with the other tool, texturizing scissors I think they're called?). She was upset because her hair has been long forever, but they had to trim it to just 4 or 5 (maybe less) below her shoulders. She has the potential for beautiful hair, she just never knows how to style it. Her hair type is currently 2c/2b with a potential for 3a curls. She still has a lot of straightening damage, but she won't cut any more. She has very thick hair so too much pouf/volume is also an issue. Furthermore, she has lots of breakage in the front and on the crown, which also leads to frizz. In addition, some of her hair is permanently straight from so much damage, while others are curly. She is opposed to the curly girl, or "no poo" method because she loves shampoo. She doesn't like the crunchy feel, but at this point she would use products that crunch too get her pretty curly hair back, and be able to put the straightner away. What are some product suggestions (ie shampoos, conditioners, gels, mousses), curly routines, or styling techiniques that would be helpful?
Thank You a Bunch! :icon_smile:
sincerly,
a (hopefully) new curly hair lover
Thank You a Bunch! :icon_smile:
sincerly,
a (hopefully) new curly hair lover
0
Comments
A huge misconception of gels is that you have to walk around with crunch. I thought I hated crunch too before I found NC.com! But the gel cast (the crunch) can be scrunched out when hair is dry leaving nicely defined SOFT curls/waves.
There is tons upon tons of info on the boards and on the website about low poo or co-washing, styling techniques, plus reviews for pretty much every product any curly has ever tried (which is a lot!).
Straight pieces are a common wavy problem. My understory (the undermost layer of hair) is pretty straight, but diffusing helps pump it up so it blends ok. Pin curling can also help blend those areas in if they are noticeable.
Product recommendations are easier if we know hair properties. Is it fine or coarse? It's most likely porous if there is damage. Low elasticity, normal, high?
Live Curly Live Free has some pretty useful info in determining hair properties, as well as lots of other info!