Kinky/frizzy hair help! Any ideas?

[wookumus]

My hair was perfectly straight when I was young, then during puberty it went haywire, frizzy/kinky, totally out of control, not a fun experience for a teenager.  Fast forward a few years, hair relaxed a lot.  Then got pregnant, nursed for 2.5 years and now that we've weaned my hair is going crazy again.  I am not too wrapped up in my appearance and don't want to spend money on regular stylist maintenance but it drives me nuts and I can't do anything but stick it in a ponytail.  Any suggestions for natural products that might tame the beast?  Thanks!!

[htovjm]

I have naturally kinky, frizzy, curly hair that came about at puberty too. Totally not a good time for crazy hair!  

Here are my tips:

• Curly hair is naturally dry, so it's important not to over shampoo your hair...that makes it worse. I don't use any shampoo, but if you like the clean feeling you could stretch it to once a week and only condition in between.
• Comb out any knots in the shower while it's super wet, dab it dry very delicately with a towel just to stop it from dripping, and let it air dry without touching it. That's important! Touching it will make it crazier. If you need to, you can add a gel at this point by gently crimping it into the hair (I used to use one by Jason, but I've been going without it okay).
• Get it cut regularly enough to take care of split ends. This keeps it easier to maintain. 

This works for my hair, but yours may be entirely different. "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey has a lot of great tips for every type of curly hair.

Hope that helps! Nothing worse than being stuck with a ponytail all the time!

[wookumus]

Thank you!  Tried no shampoo today and it's already a bit better.  I started doing some research and learned that an occasional deep condition with natural oils might be helpful as well.  Thanks again for sharing!

[lifeguard]

I have very curly, knotty hair. I ONLY wash when my hair is actually dirty or I've been swimming because it dries out sooooo quickly & then is frizzier. Lots of leave in conditioner but more recently I've discovered coconut oil which is fabulous to keep it soft, easier to brush out & less frizzy. Everything you read will say to use a comb, personally I never have found it to be worth the effort. It takes me longer & is more painful to comb it & after months of doing so I did not find my hair looked any better so I went back to my brush.

I also have found that keeping my hair in a braid most of the time helps with the knottiness.

[htovjm]

lifeguard: Could you tell me your method with coconut oil? Doesn't it leave an oily residue?

[lifeguard]

I just scoop a little out into my hands, rub them together until it is all melted & then run my hands through my hair & then brush/style. My hair is extremely dry so the oil is helpful. It never looks oily though, just softer than usual.

[sunsetdancer]

I have frizzy, wavy hair and use coconut oil similar to how lifeguard does.  For me, it is a very fine line between using enough and using too much.  My hair isn't super dry, but it is thick and frizzes a lot in the heat/humidity.  I found that putting the coconut oil on the under layer of my hair and then blowdrying it keeps it from looking too oily.  If you try it, I suggest starting with a very little and then add more as necessary.

[Angelorum]

My frizzy hair got so much better after I went to conditioner only!  You can wean from the shampoo slowly if you need to, it's been a couple years for me, at first I needed a little shampoo at the crown of my head about once a week.  It would get a little oily there otherwise, but I haven't needed any shampoo for a long time now.  The other thing I like to do is curl my hair with a sock bun.  You have to have pretty long hair, but it only takes 1 minute to put it up in the bun at night, and when I take it out in the morning, my hair looks great!  The frizz is tamed, and my waves are coerced into pretty curls.  As long as you put the bun high enough on your head, it doesn't get in the way while you are sleeping either.  Here's the tutorial I learned from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV-YO46E8Y

[mum5]

I'm a curly frizzy hair girl too. I use bs and conditioner, scrub it in, then rinse it out, and finish with an acv and water rinse, leave it in for a few minutes then wash out. Then I use jojoba oil and run it through my hair to help control the frizz. I don't brush ( EVER!!!) and use a wide toothed wooden comb occasionally. I used to get bad dreads at the back of my head underneath when it got really long, and i haven't had them for a while.

[columbusmomma]

I love Moroccan Oil, great stuff!