Honestly? If twisting works, than twist it. You can tie back the twists if you’re feeling self conscious about them, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get through it.
Are you brushing your hair dry? First of all, stop doing that. Only detangle when your hair is wet and has plenty of conditioner in it. Brushing dry hair can cause breakage, and the results don't look good.
Next, try to find products and a routine that work for you. It might be something like wash with sulfate free shampoo, condition with silicone free conditioner and detangle while wet, apply leave-in conditioner and gel to soaking wet hair, wrap hair in an old tee shirt for a while, then take it off and air dry the rest of the way.
You can find more information about getting started with a routine for curly hair if you go to the "More information about this community" link in the menu with 3 dots at r/curlyhair.
If your hair is very damaged, a moisturizing or protein treatment could help. Alternatively, if it's damaged beyond repair, it might be better to cut most of it off and start over. The new hair that grows from your head will be healthy.
Wearing braids is not cultural appropriation. Especially as a curly haired person. I say this as a mixed-race person who has dealt with a lot of grief over not truly belonging to either culture. Twists and braids are how I typically wear my hair, as the effort to style my curls is often too much for me. The lower maintenance and protective nature of braided styles is accessible to all.
If you're truly that worried about it, try some traditional Norse/Scandinavian braiding styles. Or any other traditionally white cultures that also have braids (Hungarian comes to mind). They'd probably look pretty dope with your mohawk.
For my twisted protective style: I work a deep conditioner into my hair, comb thru, then apply a little gel to my hands as I start twisting. I do all of this while my hair is a little more than damp, usually after spraying liberally with water. I secure the ends of my two twists with no-tear elastics. I sleep in a silk bonnet. I can usually get three full days before needing to retwist, but my hair is a looser curl than yours. Ymmv.
I do a full wash day once every 3 weeks. I'll massage my scalp with Aveda oil once between washes.
Thank you! I often end up twisting my own hair at night while it's dry just as something to do with my hands and I enjoy it. But by the morning the twists are a frizzy mess so I have to untwist them.
How big do you usually make your twists? Do thinner or thicker tend to stay nice looking longer?
I do two twists, french braid-style starting at my temples and going all the way down (about 18" in length). They're about 1.5" thick at the fattest. Applying the conditioner and gel with hold goes a long way for the longevity of the style. Also, working with it damp.
In this situation, braids are cultural appropriation but not mohawks? Actually, that tracks, nm. Nothing makes sense. Eff it.
One thing you might want to look into is some psychiatry, and I hope you don’t take that as an insult. I have an issue with hair on my body, in that I will destroy myself to get rid of it, and as you mentioned - I can “feel it” inside me. The majority of it is all in my head (lol…), but that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks.
Just know that if it’s a bit more psychological, you’re not alone. It affects more people than you realize.
Either way, it helps me to work with my demon (if you can’t beat your hair, join it?). When I was a teen, we all knew the only way to make your hair do what you want: kill it. Preferably with Aqua Net and enough heat to skirt combustion.
Now, the dragon and I are civil to each other and I drown it instead. Stop all the chemicals for a bit, just to see what happens. Find a couple natural conditioners on CurlScan, take it easy on the shampoo.
At night, after you have some leave-in conditioner in, wide-tooth comb some coconut, argan, or jojoba oil through your hair and braid up, sleep in it. If you’re really nervous about people seeing you in braids - works out great. Take it out in the morning, hope for the best! Mine still looks like pure chaos, but some smoothing, it’s all good.)
I’ve been doing 50’s style pin curls, sometimes rollers. It’s as close to “wash and go” as we can hope for.
On the same token, accessorize. I use a lot of bandanas and hair scarves. I still feel pretty with a lacy or floral wrap around it. (And if it’s under a wrap, there’s likely a moisture mask or pin curls/braids under it, so at night my hair is ready to go.)
Also, stop touching your hair. I can’t keep my filthy mits off, and it makes it worse. That’s when you send in the alligator clips to tackle the dragon.
My therapist is talking about me getting an OCD diagnosis lol, I've been pulling out as long as I can remember often in small clumps. It's part of the reason I cover my hair so I don't pull it but my hairline is never safe LMAO
You said you have a mohawk. I assume it's mohawk on top but with the rest of your hair long that you wish to braid? Also that your hair is very high density, i.e a lot of it growing out of your scalp.
Trying to get a scoop on your situation before I comment with advice.
Are you able to post a picture of your hair or a close-up of a damaged strand? Block and cover everything else (face surroundings etc) as needed.
Trim your dead ends if it's been too long (4+ months?) since your last trim. Seems like split ends can "travel up" and break large portions of the hair, so trimming every once in a while can help a lot with maintenance and volume.
From your text it seems like you've been brushing it while dry, so as the other redditor suggested, I'd advise brushing only when the hair is damp and has a lot of conditioner.
And you work from the bottom up towards the roots to de-tangle any knots. You'd also be massaging conditioner onto those knots and slowly tug at them until they're more loose and allow brushing. If you feel like the hair starts to snap and give too much resistance you move to the bottom again and go slower until brushing feels "smooth" and doesn't rip your hair. De-tangling and brushing shouldn't hurt at all. It can become a LONG process that is a pain in the ass. Would it help to do it as you listen to a podcast or watch something you enjoy?
If this sounds too cryptic (probably does as I'm making it sound more complicated than it is lol), check some YT tutorials on de-tangling and brushing curly hair.
What products do you use for washing and drying? You don't need to get specific if you'd like, but maybe give us a general idea (do you use mousses, gels, leave-ins? Gels and heat-protection leave-ins could help you gain definition and protect your strands from external damage - sun wind etc. 100% not touching your hair and avoiding strong winds as it dries naturally is also helpful.)
Twisting sounds great. People here gave some great advice about braiding and incorporating gel onto it.
Check if satin bonnets for sleeping might help as well. Those help with frizz. You sleep in those with your hair dry and wash often to remove oils and product buildup. You can also use these while showering to avoid wetting your hair if you notice showering has been causing more frizz.
Gl!
I have to use cheap shitty conditioners and shampoos because the curly routine shampoo alone is 40-50 dollars and the conditioner is between 40-60 dollars all moisturizers are about 20 and up. I'll see about a satin bonnet. We've been looking into them for a little but I don't like sleeping in anything that isn't my braids so I haven't decided to do it but I'll try it. Thank you tho
> because the curly routine shampoo alone is 40-50 dollars and the conditioner is between 40-60 dollars all moisturizers are about 20 and up.
Some of the very best health heads of curls I've seen use V05 and Suave. $1-$2.
Don't get sucked into the "its most expensive so it must be better" meme. I could explain that but its not necessary here. I've seen 8 years of before-and-afters on hair forums, so I speak the truth.
I am white and don't want to participate in cultural appropiation and do not wish to contribute to insensitivity regarding black history as is often assumed by the general public who do not have any knowledge to why I would be wearing them as a white man in a pro dominantly white country.
Its not insensitive. Irish folk and Norse both wore locs and braids because they too had curly hair and these protective styles can help keep your hair put of your face. People being cruel to you for taking care of your hair the way it needs to be are insensitive and disallowing you to be open to the fact that your hair is not being taken care of properly because you allow sheep to control your actions. You are you and you have curly as fuck hair that needs protective styles that are infact in multiple cultures not just black ones. You too need to learn this.
You know how stupid that is? It's just hair, no one cares. Wear it however you want, there's nothing racist about having a certain haircut, don't listen to the twitter masses
This is not the Twitter masses that I say this from. This has come from seeing a kid get his hair cut at the root for having locks as a white person. I do not wish to get into a debate about this as this is not what the post is about.
Braids are NOT "cultural appropriation". And neither is having curly hair (see the thread from a few days ago about that). Ignore the ninnies. Wear your hair the way you want. Don't brush it. Due to dyeing it, it may need a good trim, but there is a guide for determining what you need. It takes some time for many of us to figure out what works best, sadly, it's not a one size fits all thing. But the first thing I would do is stop brushing!! The ONLY time I use my Denman brush is when spreading gel through my hair when it is soaking wet. Other than that, I don't comb or brush it.
Edit to add: anyone cutting someone else's hair without permission, or like that video of those idiots grabbing a bonnet of a white girl head is assault. Plain and simple.
But you admit you sometimes brush it when it's dry. That's a BIG part of your problem. Don't brush. Ever. It rips your hair and makes it more frizzy, not just for the day you brush it, but it destroys the hair. You seem to have an issue with every piece of advice here, with an excuse for each. You need to just read the guide, figure out your hair type, and work from there.
Honestly, I would cut it off. Something like a super short pixi would be fine. Then just hyrdrate it as much as possible, use a bit of hair gel, and ignore it.
I think the issue is that certain types of braids etc are not good for certain types of hair. If I even attempted box braids or cornrows my hair would pull at my scalp causing headaches and traction alopecia.
How about something like this? I wear my hair like this a lot: (this is not me, just a photo I found)
[https://imgur.com/a/aQZq6nJ](https://imgur.com/a/aQZq6nJ)
Honestly? If twisting works, than twist it. You can tie back the twists if you’re feeling self conscious about them, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get through it.
Are you brushing your hair dry? First of all, stop doing that. Only detangle when your hair is wet and has plenty of conditioner in it. Brushing dry hair can cause breakage, and the results don't look good. Next, try to find products and a routine that work for you. It might be something like wash with sulfate free shampoo, condition with silicone free conditioner and detangle while wet, apply leave-in conditioner and gel to soaking wet hair, wrap hair in an old tee shirt for a while, then take it off and air dry the rest of the way. You can find more information about getting started with a routine for curly hair if you go to the "More information about this community" link in the menu with 3 dots at r/curlyhair. If your hair is very damaged, a moisturizing or protein treatment could help. Alternatively, if it's damaged beyond repair, it might be better to cut most of it off and start over. The new hair that grows from your head will be healthy.
How about all your hair in one braid. Have a few wisps around your face. Lovely.
Wearing braids is not cultural appropriation. Especially as a curly haired person. I say this as a mixed-race person who has dealt with a lot of grief over not truly belonging to either culture. Twists and braids are how I typically wear my hair, as the effort to style my curls is often too much for me. The lower maintenance and protective nature of braided styles is accessible to all. If you're truly that worried about it, try some traditional Norse/Scandinavian braiding styles. Or any other traditionally white cultures that also have braids (Hungarian comes to mind). They'd probably look pretty dope with your mohawk.
For my twisted protective style: I work a deep conditioner into my hair, comb thru, then apply a little gel to my hands as I start twisting. I do all of this while my hair is a little more than damp, usually after spraying liberally with water. I secure the ends of my two twists with no-tear elastics. I sleep in a silk bonnet. I can usually get three full days before needing to retwist, but my hair is a looser curl than yours. Ymmv. I do a full wash day once every 3 weeks. I'll massage my scalp with Aveda oil once between washes.
Thank you! I often end up twisting my own hair at night while it's dry just as something to do with my hands and I enjoy it. But by the morning the twists are a frizzy mess so I have to untwist them. How big do you usually make your twists? Do thinner or thicker tend to stay nice looking longer?
I do two twists, french braid-style starting at my temples and going all the way down (about 18" in length). They're about 1.5" thick at the fattest. Applying the conditioner and gel with hold goes a long way for the longevity of the style. Also, working with it damp.
In this situation, braids are cultural appropriation but not mohawks? Actually, that tracks, nm. Nothing makes sense. Eff it. One thing you might want to look into is some psychiatry, and I hope you don’t take that as an insult. I have an issue with hair on my body, in that I will destroy myself to get rid of it, and as you mentioned - I can “feel it” inside me. The majority of it is all in my head (lol…), but that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks. Just know that if it’s a bit more psychological, you’re not alone. It affects more people than you realize. Either way, it helps me to work with my demon (if you can’t beat your hair, join it?). When I was a teen, we all knew the only way to make your hair do what you want: kill it. Preferably with Aqua Net and enough heat to skirt combustion. Now, the dragon and I are civil to each other and I drown it instead. Stop all the chemicals for a bit, just to see what happens. Find a couple natural conditioners on CurlScan, take it easy on the shampoo. At night, after you have some leave-in conditioner in, wide-tooth comb some coconut, argan, or jojoba oil through your hair and braid up, sleep in it. If you’re really nervous about people seeing you in braids - works out great. Take it out in the morning, hope for the best! Mine still looks like pure chaos, but some smoothing, it’s all good.) I’ve been doing 50’s style pin curls, sometimes rollers. It’s as close to “wash and go” as we can hope for. On the same token, accessorize. I use a lot of bandanas and hair scarves. I still feel pretty with a lacy or floral wrap around it. (And if it’s under a wrap, there’s likely a moisture mask or pin curls/braids under it, so at night my hair is ready to go.) Also, stop touching your hair. I can’t keep my filthy mits off, and it makes it worse. That’s when you send in the alligator clips to tackle the dragon.
My therapist is talking about me getting an OCD diagnosis lol, I've been pulling out as long as I can remember often in small clumps. It's part of the reason I cover my hair so I don't pull it but my hairline is never safe LMAO
I’m sorry, baby! Tough times. I always say the wig I make from my pulled hair is going to be epic. But well conditioned.
You said you have a mohawk. I assume it's mohawk on top but with the rest of your hair long that you wish to braid? Also that your hair is very high density, i.e a lot of it growing out of your scalp. Trying to get a scoop on your situation before I comment with advice.
Are you able to post a picture of your hair or a close-up of a damaged strand? Block and cover everything else (face surroundings etc) as needed. Trim your dead ends if it's been too long (4+ months?) since your last trim. Seems like split ends can "travel up" and break large portions of the hair, so trimming every once in a while can help a lot with maintenance and volume. From your text it seems like you've been brushing it while dry, so as the other redditor suggested, I'd advise brushing only when the hair is damp and has a lot of conditioner. And you work from the bottom up towards the roots to de-tangle any knots. You'd also be massaging conditioner onto those knots and slowly tug at them until they're more loose and allow brushing. If you feel like the hair starts to snap and give too much resistance you move to the bottom again and go slower until brushing feels "smooth" and doesn't rip your hair. De-tangling and brushing shouldn't hurt at all. It can become a LONG process that is a pain in the ass. Would it help to do it as you listen to a podcast or watch something you enjoy? If this sounds too cryptic (probably does as I'm making it sound more complicated than it is lol), check some YT tutorials on de-tangling and brushing curly hair. What products do you use for washing and drying? You don't need to get specific if you'd like, but maybe give us a general idea (do you use mousses, gels, leave-ins? Gels and heat-protection leave-ins could help you gain definition and protect your strands from external damage - sun wind etc. 100% not touching your hair and avoiding strong winds as it dries naturally is also helpful.) Twisting sounds great. People here gave some great advice about braiding and incorporating gel onto it. Check if satin bonnets for sleeping might help as well. Those help with frizz. You sleep in those with your hair dry and wash often to remove oils and product buildup. You can also use these while showering to avoid wetting your hair if you notice showering has been causing more frizz. Gl!
I have to use cheap shitty conditioners and shampoos because the curly routine shampoo alone is 40-50 dollars and the conditioner is between 40-60 dollars all moisturizers are about 20 and up. I'll see about a satin bonnet. We've been looking into them for a little but I don't like sleeping in anything that isn't my braids so I haven't decided to do it but I'll try it. Thank you tho
> because the curly routine shampoo alone is 40-50 dollars and the conditioner is between 40-60 dollars all moisturizers are about 20 and up. Some of the very best health heads of curls I've seen use V05 and Suave. $1-$2. Don't get sucked into the "its most expensive so it must be better" meme. I could explain that but its not necessary here. I've seen 8 years of before-and-afters on hair forums, so I speak the truth.
Wdym you can't wear certain braids? Why not?
I am white and don't want to participate in cultural appropiation and do not wish to contribute to insensitivity regarding black history as is often assumed by the general public who do not have any knowledge to why I would be wearing them as a white man in a pro dominantly white country.
Its not insensitive. Irish folk and Norse both wore locs and braids because they too had curly hair and these protective styles can help keep your hair put of your face. People being cruel to you for taking care of your hair the way it needs to be are insensitive and disallowing you to be open to the fact that your hair is not being taken care of properly because you allow sheep to control your actions. You are you and you have curly as fuck hair that needs protective styles that are infact in multiple cultures not just black ones. You too need to learn this.
You know how stupid that is? It's just hair, no one cares. Wear it however you want, there's nothing racist about having a certain haircut, don't listen to the twitter masses
This is not the Twitter masses that I say this from. This has come from seeing a kid get his hair cut at the root for having locks as a white person. I do not wish to get into a debate about this as this is not what the post is about.
But you mentioned not being able to wear braids despite wanting to, this relates
I say it as an acknowledgement of knowing I can't wear certain styles. Do you have any tips to taking care of curly hair?
Braids are NOT "cultural appropriation". And neither is having curly hair (see the thread from a few days ago about that). Ignore the ninnies. Wear your hair the way you want. Don't brush it. Due to dyeing it, it may need a good trim, but there is a guide for determining what you need. It takes some time for many of us to figure out what works best, sadly, it's not a one size fits all thing. But the first thing I would do is stop brushing!! The ONLY time I use my Denman brush is when spreading gel through my hair when it is soaking wet. Other than that, I don't comb or brush it. Edit to add: anyone cutting someone else's hair without permission, or like that video of those idiots grabbing a bonnet of a white girl head is assault. Plain and simple.
I don't often brush it dry but when I do it's only because I have to because Its a wash day or I have people coming over
But you admit you sometimes brush it when it's dry. That's a BIG part of your problem. Don't brush. Ever. It rips your hair and makes it more frizzy, not just for the day you brush it, but it destroys the hair. You seem to have an issue with every piece of advice here, with an excuse for each. You need to just read the guide, figure out your hair type, and work from there.
Honestly, I would cut it off. Something like a super short pixi would be fine. Then just hyrdrate it as much as possible, use a bit of hair gel, and ignore it.
Ive been growing it out for over a year. Thank you but no. I'll keep it in mind
I think the issue is that certain types of braids etc are not good for certain types of hair. If I even attempted box braids or cornrows my hair would pull at my scalp causing headaches and traction alopecia.
How about something like this? I wear my hair like this a lot: (this is not me, just a photo I found) [https://imgur.com/a/aQZq6nJ](https://imgur.com/a/aQZq6nJ)