Grasshopper Green

My hair is of medium thickness, slightly coarse, wavy and has random ringlets here and there. I have styling products I like, but not a shampoo and conditioner that I like. I've tried Pantene products geared toward curls, but I hate the smell. I've tried Ouidad, but it's out of my price range at the moment and the regimen is too time consuming (at least it was 7 years ago when I tried it). I just recently picked up a L'Oreal Vive set, but again...I hate the smell. My hair tends to be dry, so I need a decent conditioner. Everything I try that is touted as "moisturizing" always weights my hair down and generally turns my hair into a mess. Just for reference, I color my hair and use a diffuser on my blow dryer, but try to avoid other heating tools if possible. I do not have a regular hairstylist that I can ask for advice, and the few that I have asked in the past always seem like they don't know a damn thing about curls and have never been very helpful.

If you have curly/wavy hair and buy shampoo or conditioner geared towards curls, what do you use? Does it help combat frizz? Is it moisturizing enough? I can browse Sephora and the aisle at the market for eternity, but I would love real opinions instead of a description on a product.

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

ametc

I use a heavy shampoo and conditioner and that makes my hair less frizzy.. but also a little less curly and more wavy. (L'Oreal Vive Pro Nutri-Gloss)

Try Tresemme shampoo and conditioner or even Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner for curly hair.

Grasshopper Green

I'll give the Sunsilk a try, thanks!

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

Starkizzer

I like sunsilk too, but because the water here is so harsh I use Dove intense therapy for shampoo and conditioner. I still use the Sunsilk products like gel and cream twist and the defrizz leave in cream. Hell sometimes if Im running low on actual product I just put a decent amount of conditioner in my hair for the day. It keeps my hair curly and fairly tame.


Oh and I tried the frizzies stuff I think by John Frieda, it made it worse!

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Frivolity, at the edge of a Moral Swamp, hears Hymn-Singing in the Distance and dons the Galoshes of Remorse. ~Edward Gorey

Shaindra

Also, don't forget a decent silicone-based serum. You can find lots of affordable options at Sally's.

__________________
"Never regret something that once made you smile."

ametc

John Frieda Frizz Ease did NOT work for me either! BUT.. Biosilk works very well. Also the Victoria's secret Very Sexy Shine serum for hair works very nicely.

To give your curls a little more oomph try TIGI BedHead Curls Rock(blue cylindrical bottle $15) for crunchy curls.. for softer curls use TIGI BedHead Foxy Curls(purple round bottle $16).

BedHead products tend to smell like candy and sweets... so be aware of that before buying them. haha

ItWasMe

I use Aveda color conserve shampoo and conditioner. I don't have curly hair, but it is wavy. My hair went from flat/straight to wavy by itself when I got older and started coloring out my grays. One of the good things about getting older, for me at least. My hair is also very thick and gets frizzy if I don't weigh it down with mousse, so I finally just had it thinned out.

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"Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez

I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

little_tippler

I use Curls Rock and my curls aren't crunchy...maybe that's just using too much product. I have to say I love the smell...people always ask me about it. I have been told it smells like little girl, which makes sense given the candy reference.

For conditioner, I like Kerastase Elasto Curl or Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. They are very balmy and softening. Aussie products also smell great.

But I'm curious about that foxy curls stuff...may give it a try! Thanks ametc.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

snowy

Despite the fact that I do not color my hair, I use Paul Mitchell Color Care shampoo and conditioner; my salon was having a sale and the Color Care was the only thing left (2 giant bottles for $26). I like it because it isn't super-heavy, and it doesn't make my hair greasy (an important consideration when I'd rather not wash my hair every day). I use it along with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. Seems to work pretty well for me. My hair isn't very curly, mind you--about half of it is curly and the other half is wavy, but regardless it's thick and prone to frizzing. The above regimen seems to allow me to skip blow drying/straightening my hair.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Psychologist

urgh i have the exact same problem as you! i've tried sunsilk, to dove, to some unknown korean brand, to loreal professional, to kerastase and NONE OF THEM WORK WQIEJIOQJUAIHFAUHFAOFH

I recently coloured my hair and oh my god, it's more frizzy and dry now T_T

I need a solution fast!!! I tried some serum the other day and it just didn't work (yet another Korean brand).

It seems that NOTHING I do to my hair will work.

And yes, it's naturally curly. Sometimes I feel happy that other girls go "OMG THOSE ARE NATURAL!!!???" (cos over here in my country, the girls have silky straight black hair and have to perm their hair for curls while mine are natural) but WTF it's so hard to maintain T__T

ItWasMe

Psychologist, I had the same problem with thick hair trying to go frizzy, until I had it thinned out. Now if it frizzes due to weather, at least a little 'poof' instead of a big 'pwooooof!' I do use a mousse and small amount of spray if needed. I use the Aussie brand of mousse/spray because it's enough to weigh it down. It leaves hard curls when it dries, but I flip my hair upside down and run my fingers lightly through it to loosen it up.

Someone mentioned lately not to use 'body building' products designed for thin/fine/limp hair if your hair is thick or curly. Many of them have a small amount of wax or such, so they separate strands to make hair fuller. In thick or curly hair, it can cause bad hair days. Frizzies, poofing, failing curls, etc. Just a thought.

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"Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez

I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

Grasshopper Green

It sounds like we have almost the exact same head of hair - half curly, half wavy and thick. How often do you wash your hair with the above shampoo regimen? I wash every other day, but I'd skip 2 days if my hair didn't get greasy.

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

little_tippler

I just recently bought Tigi's Foxy Curls products, and while it's not a bad product, in that the curls are quite nice, I far prefer Curls Rock from the same brand. Also, I find the smell of foxy curls off putting. It smells like strong cough medicine to me!

I was recently in London and brought some Umberto Giannini products. They do a good job and smell lovely and mild.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

snowy

My hair is so coarse I can get away with shampooing twice a week, sometimes only once a week. It depends on how much product I put in at the outset. If I do straighten my hair, I can usually go longer, because I use a boar bristle brush to redistribute the oils. My stylist recommended I try baby powder on my roots if I get too greasy, just because she would prefer that I not wash my hair too often but I've yet to have it get that bad.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Shell

...my hair is longish but not overly thick,nor all that curly...but what i use would work well for anyone who needs control. i use heat-activated Thermasilk Shampoo and a separate application of heat-activated Thermasilk Conditioner, rinse it, apply a little "Aussie Volumizer" (the one with the purple cap), zap it with a hairdryer on the hot setting and, while my hair is warm, I style it. Quick and easy.

__________________
..."Say what you think. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ~ Dr. Seuss

Acetylene

Ok, listen up people!

DO NOT blow-dry your curls! Ever! Let them air-dry, undisturbed.

This will keep them from fluffing. The weight of the water keeps them lying tamely and looking soft as they dry naturally. They will stay moist and conditioned without the harsh wind and heat.

I'm amazed at how many beauticians have no idea what to do with curls. They all ruin my hair, every single one. I have my husband cut at home and take care of it myself.

The bottom line is, the less you touch your hair, the better. Leave it alone! Let it breathe and be beautiful! If you like to keep it out of your face, then put your clip or headband or whatever in while it's still wet - otherwise it will stick out and be fluffy when you try to do it later. The exception is if you want to pull it straight back into a ponytail or roll or braid, because then it takes forever to dry.

Personally, I like Sunsilk's gel-creme twist, and am currently using Herbal Essences Totally Twisted conditioner to good results. I have to use soap-free baby shampoo because I am allergic to soap, which dampens my curls a little, so I have to scrunch them a little with my hands after applying the gel. I color my hair with gentler colorants like Natural Instincts, partly because I really like the conditioner that comes with the dye - never found anything better, and deepening the color makes my hair look shinier, a problem for curly hair because the hair shaft doesn't reflect light as well, being flat.

One advantage of the baby shampoo, though, is you can use it a lot more often than regular shampoo. It doesn't strip the oils so badly so I can use it every other day, no problem.

But honestly, shampoo and conditioner matter very little to me, the thing that makes all the difference is a good gel-creme and letting it air-dry. Silicone serums are what I used to use, but they aren't necessary when I use Sunsilk's twist stuff. I may apply them to dry hair to refresh it if I don't have time to shower but that's it.

Don't use mousse. Don't use volumizer. Don't let a hairstylist mess with your hair. DON'T BLOW DRY IT. Be free and curly!

__________________
There's no justice. There's just us.

Grasshopper Green

Hear, hear! I can not tell you how many times I've been to a stylist and had him/her try to blow my hair dry and be perplexed and dumfounded when my hair turns into a lions mane of frizz. Don't beauty schools teach how to cut and properly style/care for curls?

However, I disagree with the never dry your curls. I use a diffuser and my hair looks much better than when I air dry. I try to air dry on the weekends, simply to give my hair a rest from the heat, but during the work week I diffuse. I also use the Sunsilk gel/creme stuff. It works great.

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

YellowBird

I agree - you dont blow dry your hair - it just makes it frzzy - if you use a deffuser it's ok but still better to just let it dry. as for shampoo/ conditioner - I use anything that costs more the $1.50 a bottle and doesnt come off the bottem self. - I find this shampoo is gross, there's no other word and the conditioner doesnt soften your hair like it's supposed to. but other then that i use just about anything the key to getting rid of the frizz is heeps of hair product and i recently discorved vitem E cream is really good - does almost the same thing as product but doesnt work quite as well but is a million times cheaper.

jewels

Any good shampoo and conditioner will do, but I seem to always go back to Infusium for conditioners. Many years of trying every brand and spending tons of money have taught me that. It all comes down to what you use after.

I saw a curly-haired young girl with fabulously gorgeous curls a few months ago and asked what she used to keep her curls so shiny and frizz-free. I've been using ISO Bouncy Creme ever since she told me about it and love it.

__________________
We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
Mark Twain

little_tippler

I disagree on the air dry. It makes my hair look flat on top and the curls, though they may be unfrizzed, look a bit stuck together.

A diffuser is perfect, or a set of velcro rollers with a hair-drying bonnet work well for that extra salon-hair factor.

I find a diffuser gives me the volume I need and also doesn't frizz my hair up. The rollers and bonnet make it silkier and more stylish, though sitting for 30 mins with it on is a hassle.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

ally_cat

I absolutely love Deva Curl's products! Their no-poo doesn't have sodium laureth sulphate, which is the chemical in most shampoos that makes them really bubbly/foamy, but it can really dry hair out. Their conditioner works really well for me too and has kind of a minty-lemongrass smell that I really like. Their products are kind of pricy, but I only wash my hair once or twice a week, so they last me a really long time.