(Part 2) Top products from r/femalehairadvice

Your hair looks super thick and healthy! So kudos for that. I would suggest that you get a copy of this book and follow her recommendations. It will change your hair. I was given a copy of it five or six years ago and I've never looked back. My hair went from frizzy mess to beachy waves. I didn't know it was possible!

Some tips I've learned along the way:

• Don't use a brush. Ever. Use combs, and only when your hair is wet. I comb my hair in the shower, either while the conditioner is in or just after I rinse it out. Then I don't comb it again until the next washing, unless I'm planning on braiding it - then it won't matter if I comb the waves into fluff because it'll be tied back anyway.
  
  
• Don't blow dry it. All that does is create more frizz. Let it air dry, and before you do, scrunch some product into it that is designed for curly or wavy hair. If you must blow dry your hair, use a diffuser on a low heat setting; it's much more gentle.
  
  
• Don't tousle it dry. Squeeze it gently.
  
  
• Switch shampoo and conditioners. Find a brand that is SLS-free. I love Live Clean; it's got a full range of products for all different kinds of hair needs, and they're all SLS-free. That stuff is super hard on your hair - very drying. Curly hair is a bit on the dry side to begin with; increasing the dryness by using what amounts to dish detergent on your hair isn't going to do it any favours! Your hair may be a bit oily/flat looking for the first few weeks while your scalp adjusts; if you currently use shampoo with SLS, your scalp is accustomed to producing extra oil to replace the oils that are being stripped from it by your shampoo. It takes a few weeks for it to "catch up" and get used to not being stripped dry. Don't give up! It will get better; if it doesn't, then it could be that the shampoo is leaving a residue on your scalp and it's time to find another SLS-free brand (been there, done that - Jason Naturals left my hair looking super gross because of the residue it left on my scalp).
  
  
• Shampoo only your roots. Leave the ends. Having suds rinse over them when you rinse the shampoo out will be enough to clean them. Scrubbing them with shampoo disrupts the curl pattern.
  
  I would also suggest a trim...you look like you could use a couple inches taken off the ends. Curly hair does well with layers. Also, you should totally get on the blue dye idea!! It would look awesome. The ladies at /r/fancyfollicles could help you with that. Plenty of 'em have wild hair. Manic Panic makes awesome dyes...Atomic Turquoise is my favourite! If you leave it in for a few hours the colour lasts a good long time.

I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and I love how my stylist curled it (see photos). With the new cut, my hair is longer in the front and has layers in the back. My stylist used two curling irons (1 inch and a smaller one, maybe 3/4 inch). I have a 1 inch curling wand but I just can't get my hair to look like it did when she curled it! I can't seem to get the curl close to the roots like she did and I'm so frustrated. I've watched many youtube videos but I can't get it to look right. Does anyone have any tips for getting this look? I've been curling away from my face, but should I alternate? Is my curling wand the issue -- should I buy a curling iron? I'm considering this Conair one and maybe the 3/4 inch one as well because they're cheap and have good reviews.

I would also love product recommendations (especially heat protectant)! I currently use the Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Working Serum (it's good but not amazing) and the Loreal elnett strong hold hairspray (I hear flexible hold is better for curling?). My hair is naturally wavy and frizzy, and I typically blow dry my hair before curling. I'd prefer drugstore or Sephora recommendations. Thanks!

Hiya, have you ever thought about going no poo? I quit using shampoo altogether almost a year ago and have been experimenting with different techniques, what's worked best for me is the conditioner only method. My hair is fine and dry but my scalp is oily, and this has absolutely completely changed my hair, I've quit using styling products or anything and now I get complimented all the damn time. It's soft and has pretty, full waves and a lot more volume. I rarely blow dry it now because it looks so much better when I don't; I usually sleep with it in an upside down french braid and I love it, it cuts out so much time in the morning. The big key to this is cutting out anything that can build up on your hair (silicones and, to a lesser extent, waxes), because that's what you need surfactants to remove. I still occasionally (maybe once a month? Probably not even that much) will use a mild, moisturizing sulfate free shampoo if I've gotten really dirty or something; I like the Shea Moisture line. They also make a good conditioner that I use on my ends probably once a week. For my regular CO-washing (which I do every other dayish) I use Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner which is insanely cheap if you buy it at TJ's, which is good because you do use a lot of conditioner with CO-washing.

Umm, ok, I didn't mean to write a novel, but here are a couple more links you might find helpful...

-Jumping off point for products

-Info on protein v moisture and how to determine what your hair needs to be healthy

Feel free to ask me anything about this, I LOVE it.

For your bangs, a few easy but low-maintenance suggestions (you may already be doing one or both, but!)

1. shampoo your bangs daily. even if you don't/don't want to wash your whole head of hair daily (I have hair extensions so I definitely don't lol) I still shampoo and blow dry my bangs every day. I have fine hair and having "fresh" bangs helps a lot.
   
2. blow drying: get a brush like this. Doesn't have to be this exact one, just one this shape and type. blow dry those suckers daily, alternating the direction that you're brushing and blowdrying. by that i mean brush the wet bangs down and to the right 2-3 times with the dryer pointing down, then switch and brush to the left 2-3 times. keep alternating until they're dry. if needed, finish it out by brushing/drying to whichever side you wear them. the alternating will give them volume and keep them from feeling so flat. you may have to practice with getting them how you like for the finished look (hairspray is the magic touch for me) but that back and forth motion is a game changer.
   
   Based on your inspo photos, you could probably do some variation of photo 1, 2, or 6 (6 being the easiest) BUT they're all going to require heat stying and 1 & 2 are going to require adding curl/waves, so more heat styling. Your hair is short so it's not a massive time commitment from a hair length perspective, but it is a daily time commitment nonetheless! <3 The only thing that might change that is if you have natural curl/wave in your hair that a product could emphasize so you could do less work. People with natural texture can use products to their advantage that way sometimes. The rest of us gotta work for it :'(

I use shimmering lights.
https://www.amazon.com/Clairol-Professional-Shimmer-Lights-Shampoo/dp/B000TBVGBM it does really well for me and if I leave it on for a little too long it leave a very soft lavender color which I enjoy but you may not. I usually condition my hair..use that shampoo and then conditioner another time and it hasn’t dried out my hair too much. I would recommend a good leave in conditioner.
If you’re thinking of a color difference I would just recommend you have a toner put in your hair to also help get rid of the brassy(if you do not like the look)

Other people I know who have used Paul M has said it was god awful for drying out their hair. So you’re not alone!

I have ridiculously thick/wavy hair and my sister has thick/straight, we both use Conair curling irons and it works fine for us. I tend to lean towards curling irons for thicker hair because wands take too long/I feel like they hold less. I leave the ends out of the curl to keep the more relaxed look.

Maybe try a strong hairspray while curling (spray on each curl while in the barrel) and a styling paste to finish. Use heat protector spray prior and use the highest heat. I’ve also found that not blow drying before curling helps A LOT. I have to let my hair dry naturally and then I can curl it. Same with my sister.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: this is the iron I use

I think it looks cute on you! Though one thing that I could suggest if you want it to be cooler toned is to use overtone. You should probably listen to the hair dresser who commented though. Bleach it again in a month or so if it's in good condition. L'oreal silver shampoo is one of the best toning shampoos.
https://www.amazon.com/Loreal-Expert-Silver-Shampoo-Unisex/dp/B0031TSC34/ref=sr_1_10_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1541474069&sr=1-10&keywords=loreal+silver+shampoo

I'm pretty sure, I'm lazy and just order everything. For moisture I use NuNaat Silicon mask, for protein I use Aphogee Two Minute treatment and as a leave-in Redken Anti Snap smells and works amazing. I do heat both the treatments. If you don't want to get the bonnet, you can just as easily put on a shower cap and wave your dryer about your head for 15 minutes... ;)

Here's an idea I think you'll appreciate as a hands-on field geologist.

This undercut would really suit you. Add the pink roots on top and you'll have a ridiculously rad combo.

Besides looking totally fabulous, the beauty of this style is you can easily maintain it yourself for months at a time without it ever getting remotely mullety. All you need is a simple cordless trimmer. Just set the trimmer to a length of 3/8" (i.e. #3 guard) and go over the back and sides every 1-2 weeks with the top part held or clipped up out of the way.

You can experiment with the length setting to shake things up a bit. Each trim will take you less than 5 minutes, and you can even use that cordless trimmer in the shower for no mess.

★·.·´¯·.·★Style Vixen★·.·´¯·.·★

I used to not blow dry my hair because I couldn't get a hang of the motion. BUT there is a great tool (Here on Amazon ) that allows you to kind of blow dry as you brush. I have pretty thick hair and it worked great for getting a fake "blow out" look. Just very natural hair.

Towel dry, add a heat protectant (I like Paul Mitchell), flip your hair upside down, and brush your hair from the top and from underneath. When it looks mostly dry, flip it right side up, find your part, and use a kind of flippy motion to brush the last of it dry.

I'm slowly graduating to a round brush and a standard dryer, but this has been my hair hack for the last five years!

It usually contains a lot of silicones and/or waxes. They make your hair feel awesome short term, but some people's hair doesn't do well with them as an everyday treatment.

You can buy the Feria version at Sally Beauty Supply or Amazon (the Sally link is cheaper).

I would suggest investing in a round blow dryer like this and using a texturizing mousse or spray like Rusk spray or Bumble& Bumble mousse to give you some lift. You can use the blow dryer to start from the roots to lift for volume, then towards the ends blow dry one way, and over-correct it so it turns out more straight.

I could never get the hang of regular blow dry and brush techniques. That round dryer is a life saver and dries super fast :)

edit: the dryer I have linked is not the one that I have, but its similar. Try looking for something with soft we bristles too.

i think both of these work great for growing thick hair!

https://www.amazon.com/Mane-Tail-Moisturizing-Shampoo-Ounce/dp/B000TG84AS?th=1

http://www.kerastase-usa.com/initialiste/KIN0000.html

I love this sideswept look. Blow dry your hair in the direction you want it to move, put paste in your fingertips and apply to the ends first, then kind of just smoosh on the flat side and pull on the full side. If that's too much trouble, I like the forward-swept look you have!

I have this one and I love it!

You're going to want something with the key words "copper", "gold", or "auburn"... Try one of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Clairol-Natural-Instincts-Golden-Sienna/dp/B001E5ECFE

http://www.amazon.com/Clairol-Perfect-Nice-Easy-Color/dp/B00164A6FS

http://www.amazon.com/NUTRISSE-67-GINGER-SPICE-Size/dp/B000R051MA/ref=sr_1_5?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1323582678&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Paris-Multi-Faceted-Shimmering-Shimmer/dp/B000Q6D08W/ref=sr_1_8?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1323582704&sr=1-8

Everyone's hair is different obviously, so what works for me may not work for you but I had a similar problem. I wash my hair about twice a week and use dry shampoo in between washes. There are tons of different brands out there and you just have to find one that works for you. I use Lush no drought dry shampoo. I have waves and it actually makes my waves more manageable. I also use Devacurl no poo cleanser and that has helped me tremendously.