##Overview I have not cut my hair since 2018. I went to a stylist maybe 3 years ago to get my hair thinned but otherwise it's been just growing freely for many years. I've never had hair like this prior to now and any advice on treatment for it so it can be healthier would be appreciated.
It's incredibly thick. When it's in a pony tail, at the base of my skull it is probably about 1"—1¼" diameter. I've never really been able to freely run my fingers or a straight comb through my hair, as it gets caught on random kinks or tangles along the way. I use a soft bristle wet hairbrush and it has been fantastic for controlling my hair.
I notice texturally my hair tends to have a somewhat paradoxical feeling of being dry and oily at the same time. Even after shampooing, if I feel my hair, the skin on my hand will seem to have a bit of oily buildup on it. But even so, you can see that my hair is often frizzy and the physical sensation as I touch it is of it being rather dry.
It often takes a bit of time to soak my hair when showering, maybe 3-4 minutes of running water. When wet, my hair sits at about my pec, and I've measured some follicles to be over 16" long, though when dry the hair bounces up significantly, barely touching my shoulders.
##Goals I would love my hair to not be so voluminous when dry. It is poofy, out of control. I just want it to sit down a little more so I can have it down without constantly battling it to not get in my face and mouth.
I want my hair to feel smoother. Is silky a goal? Who knows. I've gotten a lot of compliments on my hair over the years and I feel like it could be much better looking than it is now.
If kinkiness and tangles are an inevitable symptom of my hair type, so be it. Otherwise, I would really enjoy being able to run my hands through my hair without accidentally putting strands out in the process.
Thank you for your consideration and time!
The main thing that made a world of a difference in my hair feeling silky even though it still has some frizz (that’s just a part of life with curly hair) was using Olaplex #3 after showering. You have to wrap your head with a microfiber towel first so the extra water doesn’t dilute the product, and then once it’s still damp but not soggy, apply the olaplex (like you would conditioner), and comb it through with a deiman brush or similar. Then you tuck it all into a plastic shower hair mask (like the cheap ones you use to dye your hair), and put a beanie on top of the shower mask. The beanie warms and opens the hair cuticle so that it absorbs more of the good stuff, so make sure all the hair is tucked under it. I tend to leave this on for 20 min and then rinse as usual. Once every 1-2 weeks gives amazing results IMO.
I will look at that, thank you. I have to return some products I initially wanted to try but decided against given the scathing reviews online and I'll stop by Ulta tomorrow to see if they have that, and do some research on other shampoos and conditioners they have.
I used to use Pattern for a while, and although I did generally like it, the price was very high. Maybe that's just normal and the cost of having healthy, long hair.
I’ve never heard of Pattern, but for me what has been the most easy and economical approach has been the Shea Moisture Products. I only wash my hair with shampoo 1-2 times a week so I don’t focus so much on the health benefits on that end. Every other day that I shower I mainly use conditioner on my ends to de-tangle my hair, and none/very little on the scalp to avoid weighing down the curls at the root, and I try not to rinse out too much of the conditioner bc it helps maintain frizz when I style it. Using that shower cap/beanie method with various hair masks has made all the difference. Another one I highly recommend is Joico K-Pak reconstructor deep penetrating treatment. This one won an award it’s so good. The olaplex line has proprietary technology which is what makes that one so good. I hope you find something that works for you! I’d love to hear how it goes if you do end up finding your thing!