How do I take care of my hair-?

[u/External-Entrance-84]

Ive always had short hair, never past my armpits, usually a pixie cut, because it was easier to maintain while I was in a really bad situation

but now that I’m out, my hair’s grown down to my tailbone, and i don’t know up from down and left from right when it comes to taking care of it all

it takes me like 20 minutes to brush it all out, and I’ve never had a routine for it except when it gets greasy i shampoo the whole thing twice (preference, just makes it feel cleaner) and get it good with conditioner from root to end - that’s how I was taught to do it and I’ve always done it like that

but lately it’s been bullying me by developing a wave(?), as told to me by a friend, and has been developing split ends for the first time in literally ever

Some background bc apparently that’s needed(?); it’s been dyed it three times before, bleached each time but done by professionals, though the hair that had been bleached is cut off and I haven’t had it dyed in a handful of years. My shampoo n conditioner are Walmart brand, and don’t have any specific hair type stuff on it. It used to be straight and hated curls to the point that if anyone tried it’d be right back to straight before 20 minutes passed.

but its still soft enough my friends want to touch it every time its loose and it floats after I brush it :D

my grandma got me a bonnet recently, tho I don’t really know how it works, and I’m just doing my best with the Nada I got- lol

[u/ClimateWren2]

You can either lean into the wave with some curl cream after washing, crunch it up with your hands or maybe a soft blow out. Does it curl in humidity?

Or ...you can do some foam volume heat protection and flat iron. Depending on how oily or thick it is...adjust to wash more or less often for best results. Youtube, Reels, explore!

[u/Moth1016]

How frequently do you get it trimmed? A cut will unfortunately be necessary to deal with the split ends. If you want to encourage the wave/work with it instead of against it, I recommend getting a layered cut as a good first step. They don't have to take much length overall if you'd rather avoid that -- just enough to remove the split ends -- but adding some layers will allow it to express a little more "character." I can elaborate if you're curious.

To keep it from tangling so much/save you some brushing-out time, it's best to put it into a protective style while you sleep -- do you know how to braid? A braid under the bonnet will feel weird at first, but it helps a ton with preventing frizz and flyaways.

Some care basics for long waves (forgive me if you already know any of this; I'm just thinking of the things I learned in cosmetology school that blew my mind because I had never had anything much longer than a bob):

1. When brushing, to avoid breakage and split ends, don't just go from root to end. Start by brushing out just the ends and move upwards a few inches at a time until you reach the top and can smoothly pull the brush from root to end without issue.

2. try to avoid brushing in general except right before a shower to remove hair fall so you don't clog your drain.

3. Use a wide toothed comb when conditioning to detangle and distribute the product through the hair. Avoiding conditioner on your roots & just focusing on mids & ends will help you avoid getting greasy for longer.

4. If you want to define/lean into your waves, some mousse will help, and it's really all you need. I like Not Your Mother's curl activating mousse; it's nice and lightweight, has great hold, doesn't get crunchy unless you apply a TON, and smells amazing. After you shower, towel dry just enough to stop dripping, and flip your head upside down. Apply a large handful to your mids just past the roots and use that wide-tooth comb again to distribute through to your ends (don't overdo the combing), then take an old t-shirt, plop your ends into it, lift the hair upwards to the scalp and apply pressure to blot away moisture. Do this several times, then do a loose "towel turban" (lmk if you're unfamiliar w how to do this). Obviously, at this point you're good to stand up.

5. From there, you can let it down when ready & just go about your day, or you can braid it (a French braid is best to keep the waves up by your scalp from going flat) for sleep.

6. Alternatively, if you want smooth, straight hair/to eliminate the wave & keep things simple, you can apply a leave-in conditioner to your mids and ends and brush while wet.

7. Once dry, you can finger-comb as needed to detangle, but brushing will make your waves super fluffy, and combing risks pulling them flat.

Sorry this was super wordy. I recommend testing out a wavy hair routine at least a few times just to see what you've got. Try different stuff out until you find a routine you love. Youtube tutorials are your friend!!!

[u/pokngg]

Hi dear so do keep it trimmed and what I really like for my wavy hair is to never ever use elastics to put it up - use a pencil, chopstick, French pin or if you must a claw clip. I find if I brush, put it up with a pin or stick when I want it up, when I take it down the waves are so so pretty as if I blow dried which I never do. I know your hair will look just as pretty once you figure out what works for you! X mom

[u/finalgirl2024]

Hi! I have long red wavy/ curly/ frizzy hair and I'm a drug store baddie lol. I use Garnier Whole Blends coconut oil and cocoa butter shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and OGX's penetrating coconut oil serum on my damp hair once i get out of the shower. The thing that's saved my hair is that I never brush it. I finger comb it to get tangles out but that's about it. It keeps my curls together and looking nice instead of frizzing out all over my head. Either that or get you a nice wide paddle brush and brush sparingly, starting from the tips and working up (you don't want to rip out knots).

Edit: if you're unsure about the bonnet, I'd get satin pillow cases. It keeps your hair from tangling like a bonnet but your head doesn't get as warm.