Beauty

[Caffeina]

Nothing has worked better for me than mousse. Try Tresseme. It's even available in the travel size section of many stores if you don't want to get the full size.

[riley1]

@angeldoren - get a Keratin treatment - lasts about 4 months - 

[Katcat1]

@angeldoren  Check out Farewell Frizz which received 5 star reviews @ Nordstrom.  It's by Briogeo for $24.  Protects hair up to 450 degrees.  Contains rosehip oil, argan oil and coconut oil.  Nordstrom ships free and returns free if you don't like it but I think you will.  Read the reviews and the information on the product at Nordstrom.

[Witchy Woman]

@JeanLouiseFinch 

I have two nearly full bottles of this that I'd love to give away.

While they seemed to work the first few times, when it really got humid, it just made my hair a dry mess.

Decided to just let my curls do their thing (see my post above on the Clown wig).

[2penny]

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@Shanus wrote:

Not to belabor my point, but I was born with a head full of very tight curls. From day one of nursery school, frizz was an issue. It went all through my school years and college with frizz until I became an aesthetician. That's where I learned about conditioning the hair, adding moisture, not coating it with silicone products that is a temporary fix and is not removed by the sulfate free shampoos (non-drying) we should be using.

Silicones are only removed by clarifying shampoo that strips the hair of styling products (and hair color if you dye it) which I do once a month before an additional deep conditioning treatment. Frizz, again is dry hair seeking moisture from the air. It causes the hair shaft to swell. 

***As I've gotten older and learned to care for my curls, they've loosened and become more manageable. 

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@Shanus wrote:

Not to belabor my point, but I was born with a head full of very tight curls. From day one of nursery school, frizz was an issue. It went all through my school years and college with frizz until I became an aesthetician. That's where I learned about conditioning the hair, adding moisture, not coating it with silicone products that is a temporary fix and is not removed by the sulfate free shampoos (non-drying) we should be using.

Silicones are only removed by clarifying shampoo that strips the hair of styling products (and hair color if you dye it) which I do once a month before an additional deep conditioning treatment. Frizz, again is dry hair seeking moisture from the air. It causes the hair shaft to swell. 

***As I've gotten older and learned to care for my curls, they've loosened and become more manageable. 

@Shanus  I learned something today - that silicone products don't wash out with sulfate free shampoos.  That could be my problem with dull hair.  So thanks!  What product would you recommend  for styling for straight, almost grey hair.

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@Shanus  

[Shanus]

@2penny  Wow, not much experience w/ straight hair, but mine is silver/white, too. I have curly/wavy hair that I can easily blow dry straight using alcohol free mousse. I use Biotera styling products (Amazon or Sally's). I wash my hair at night and air dry and then style in the morning limiting the time hot tools are in my hair. In the morning, I leave it curly or if I want to wear it straight, I have a heated brush (similar to Calista's Perfector). By drying it the night before, I don't have to keep the heat on my hair long enough to dry and straighten each section. Of course, I have used a leave in conditioner (Biotera) and a heat protectant the night before. I also keep my dryer (if using one) on low heat and my heated brush also on low heat. To wear it curly, I apply Biotera Defining Gel while wet. To style it straight, Biotera mousse. Success comes from deep conditioning twice a week. If hair is moisturized and has some added protein, it's healthier, has more shine, less frizz and more manageability.

***My S&C are either Shea Moisture (use their deep conditioner, too) or others that have no silicones. Look for "cones" in the ingredients not just "silicones". Start out fresh with a shampoo that does have sulfates to clean off the hair shafts and the scalp/hair follicles. Then begin with your alcohol free, silicone free products.

Hope this additional info helps. Let me know if I can be of more help. 

[Shanus]

@2penny 

[Icegoddess]

I use Tweak'd Restore Rejuvenating Oil (more of a solid cream) as a styling cream to control frizz.  In winter I do add oils to it which probably does coat the hair, but I feel the mositure thing is a 2-way street.  In winter you want to keep the moisture in your hair and not have the dry outside suck it out.  I can definitely tell a diffrence in how my hair reacts between winter and summer.

@Shanus, I mostly avoid silicones too.  However, if you're going to flat iron, a silicone is really the best heat protectant out there.  I don't flat iron, so not an issue for me.  I was on a sulfate manufacturer's website (popped up in a Google search for some ingredient) and it said that amodiemthicone and one other silicone could be removed by even a sulfate-free shampoo.  I have no reason to question that since they are in the business of selling sulfates so why would they lie about that?  I do have to clarify regularly though since I have super hard water.  

I'm on a group on FB for curly hair and I have seen a change over the last year or so in product recommendations.  Now, they're all about water-soluble ingredients to avoid buildup.  To me, it's not that simple because most cleansing/conditioning products contain emulsifiers which make non-water-soluble ingredients water-soluble.  

ETA:  I see you use Shea Moisture.  That's one of the product lines they cliam is not  water soluble and causes build-up.  I used to use a Shea Moisture styling product and still use it as a 2nd day refresh mixed w/water and sprayed into my hair.  I'm using the Curls line right now.  Didn't realize Bioterra was CG friendly.  I'm using Matrix RAW S&C and they also have an anti-frizz spray I like.

[2penny]

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@Shanus wrote:

@2penny  Wow, not much experience w/ straight hair, but mine is silver/white, too. I have curly/wavy hair that I can easily blow dry straight using alcohol free mousse. I use Biotera styling products (Amazon or Sally's). I wash my hair at night and air dry and then style in the morning limiting the time hot tools are in my hair. In the morning, I leave it curly or if I want to wear it straight, I have a heated brush (similar to Calista's Perfector). By drying it the night before, I don't have to keep the heat on my hair long enough to dry and straighten each section. Of course, I have used a leave in conditioner (Biotera) and a heat protectant the night before. I also keep my dryer (if using one) on low heat and my heated brush also on low heat. To wear it curly, I apply Biotera Defining Gel while wet. To style it straight, Biotera mousse. Success comes from deep conditioning twice a week. If hair is moisturized and has some added protein, it's healthier, has more shine, less frizz and more manageability.

***My S&C are either Shea Moisture (use their deep conditioner, too) or others that have no silicones. Look for "cones" in the ingredients not just "silicones". Start out fresh with a shampoo that does have sulfates to clean off the hair shafts and the scalp/hair follicles. Then begin with your alcohol free, silicone free products.

Hope this additional info helps. Let me know if I can be of more help. 

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@Shanus  you are so helpful!  Thank you for taking the time to explain.  Like you I wash my hair at night too so tonight I washed with some old pantene and finished with some tweak'd conditioner.  I pretty much just use a styling brush when my hair dries. Tomorrow I will check out Biotera and the Shea Moisture.  My hair thanks you!

[Shanus]

@Icegoddess   I used to follow the CGM to the letter, but as you said, the list of products keeps changing and I had cabinets full of stylers that just didn't work for my 2C/3A curls. I stay as close as I can to an approved ingredient list and my main goal is to try to keep alcohols/silicones off my hair. If they appear at the bottom of the ingredient list and the product works, I try it. I use a clarifying shampoo once a month to "detox" anyway. Sodium Laureth Sulfates have been disguised as other sudsing agents, so it's still buyer beware.

I've returned many products to stores, Aveda also, when they did not do what they claimed. I can tell, after all these years, when my hair feels slick/coated & know the label has some long name I can't pronounce that's the same as a "cone". 

Re: Shea Moisture products. They have been on the CG approved list. I shop for most hair care on the black haircare aisle or ULTA and ask a black stylist which products are safe to use. Of course, many tend to use oils for control and that's way too heavy for my hair. BTW, using silicones or oils on my silver hair as a heat protectant  can sometimes cause it to scorch/fry and turn yellow even on a low setting with a flat iron.

I also use the Olaplex products...just because of the way they rebuild/bond the hair. I have the S&C and the deep conditioner. Tressame recently came out with a clear, natural line that's sulfate, silicone free (the S&C). I try not to use styling products if possible. My hair feels dirty sooner and I like to go 3 days between washings. It's definitely hit and miss with hair products and I try to stay with ones I find that are effective. 

Everyone's hair is different. Yours must be thicker and maybe more coarse. Mine can't handle the Tweak'd oils/conditioner...too heavy. NC winters may be more mild than where you are, but even in the coldest weeks, staying w/ deep conditioning and not coating my hair w/ a product has kept it mousturized...same in summer humidity.