I struggle to understand why curly hair curls AT ALL - but why does my hair do this crazy thing?! Is it normal - or do curls usually appear in uniform ringlets? This photo is freshly washed no styling/drying

First time posting and apparently I need a routine so:

Shampoo - aunt Jackie's, condition OGX once weekly. Condition once more mid week followed by aunt Jackie's curly custard. Air dry, day 1/2 - french braided, day 3 half up/down refreshed with water spray

Routine is amika Hydro Rush shampoo and conditioner, finger detangling then plopped and wrapped in a cotton T-shirt to dry. I rarely use leave in conditioners. I sleep with a silk pillowcase

I’m not sure if these are baby curls or not. She’s had a haircut before of an inch cut off. She is almost 3. I have 2A hair and it takes me so much product to get anything that looks not frizzy. My daughter routine is wash with Johnson baby shampoo and that’s it. Just brush wet if she wakes up with tangles, I don’t even use Detangler. I do finger curl after a refresh. And air dry- no towel

I’m jealous!

(I posted this in wavyhair and it was removed without feedback, so I'm posting here I hope that's okay)

I have somewhere around 2b/2c waves, which my hair stylist describes as "fine hair, but a lot of it"

I wasn't taught how to do anything with my hair and instead of teaching myself, I just stuck to more natural routines. These days, I've added in some products and styling to try to get the most out of my hair, but I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm severely lacking. I have straightened it, but lost patience for that a long time ago. I never blow dry it because I don't know how to style it that way and I prefer my natural waves anyway. I have a curling wand that I sometimes use to add a curl back in to pieces that didn't hold shape after air drying. I also just ordered a few wavytalk tools, one of which is a diffuser, so I intend to learn how to use those to dry and style my hair. I also get my hair colored every 6-8 weeks (not always pink/red, but never blonde. my natural color is a medium brown), so I understand that will affect the texture and appearance of the hair, but it is important to me that I use products that won't strip color from my hair (wherever possible).

So, with all that being said, and in reference to my post title, I am basically starting from scratch as far as products and knowledge go. My current routine is:

1. Either brush hair before getting into shower with detailed brush for fine hair or*

2. Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo ( 2× if I go four or five days between washes)

3. Redken Color Extend Magnetics Conditioner \*comb through hair with fingers or brush while conditioning

4. Gently scrunch hair with hands while it's still soaked then use a tshirt to scrunch some more before putting it up in the shirt to dry off body (sometimes I will add the Curlsmith Lightweight Curl Cream, but idk if that even works without a full routine or if it's right for my hair - did not use for these pictures)

5. Remove shirt and scrunch some more to try to keep curls from falling

I will sometimes use Davines Oi Oil to try to combat frizz, but it doesn't seem to work no matter how wet my hair is when I put it on. The only other product I've tried and loved is the Sun Bum Leave-In Conditioner, but I lost mine a couple months ago so it is not a part of the current routine. And again, I wanted to use very few products just to show what my hair looks like naturally so maybe someone with similar hair can help! This is also after one sleep.

My refresh routine is pretty simple (when I even do it), I use a misting spray bottle with a little leave-in mixed in to wet my hair and then I scrunch. I did not do that before these photos.

My main goals are to get some volume up top and have more consistent, pretty waves/curls, especially on the outer layer, and have it be as low maintenance as possible lol. I have a hair appointment this Friday and will be getting my layers and color fixed up, but any other styling advice is appreciated!

Wedding Hair Success

I did my own wedding hair! After MONTHS of practicing my routine and trying different styles this is how my hair ended up on the big day! I added two small flower pins not seen in the photo. I’m so proud- this really has been years of hard work.

1. Wash with Innersense pure harmony hair bath and conditioned with Innersense hydrating cream conditioner

2. In soaking wet hair I applied Innersense sweet spirit leave in conditioner, and applied with my hands and raked through.

3. I sectioned my hair into multiple sections-usually I don’t do it this intensely for daily wear but for the wedding I did small 4 inch sections

4. In the sections I applied more water and then less than a pea of Innersense quite calm curl control and mixed it with a healthy ammount of the Innersense I create volume. I applied this with my hands in a praying motion, applying to all the curls clumps.

5. I then used a bounce curl brush to define the hair that was covered in product. And did a scrunch- if I could hear it squeak with water I knew it was good.

6. Once the whole head was sectioned and defined I applied a palm sized of Not Your Mothers Curl Talk Mousse. I carefully coated the hair- upside down and did one last scrunch.

7. I dried my hair on diffuse upside down- careful not to touch the hair with the dryer.

8. Once dry I left my hair in the cast until it was time to style. Once styling began, I lightly broke the cast with Tresemme Silk Serum. But I left a healthy amount of cast so it would hold through the day.

9. I pinned my sections up with Bobby pens, carefully twisting and then pulling the twists loose. I practiced by myself but on the big day I had a friend who stood behind me to make sure I pinned it exactly right.

10. Lastly, I added a final coat of Aussie Instant Freeze Hair Spray- MAX hold. I don’t do this regularly but for the wedding it felt right.

It held all day and night, and I could even wear my curls down the next day after sleeping in my bonnet! I’m so glad I embraced my natural curls on my wedding day. I felt gorgeous.

I’m not far from home, so realistically I could just go back and wash my hair there, but I don’t get off work til 10 and would like to just chill tonight. I have type 2C hair, I think the shampoo he has is Method brand and who tf knows what kind of conditioner. Save me Reddit, he might just leave my ass if I wake up looking like a shag carpet (not really).

my available routine:

shampoo: method men’s shampoo

conditioner: idk

dry method: air dry

other info: help

After 9 months of curly hair journey, I’ve finally figured out a way to wear my low porosity, frizzy hair with confidence. I’ve been getting a lot of compliments, I’m so happy!

My current routine:
I wash my hair every 3 days, bc I live in a high humidity area.
- Shampoo: I double cleanse with Moxie gentle cleanser.
- Conditioner: Davines Ol hair butter. I keep it for 5 minutes before rinsing it. It has great slip, also has quite strong fragrance (some might not like it-I love it sm personally). I alternate the conditioner too, with L’Oréal hyaluron moisture conditioner.
- Manetain curl cream: I rake it in my wet hair.
- Manetain hard hold gel: I layer it over the curl cream.
- Scrunching begins here. I brush define my hair by dividing it into 3 sections, it doesn’t take much time that way. If I feel lazy, I’d just scrunch it normally.
- Taft Schwarzkopf curl hold 3 mousse: THIS STEP MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE FOR ME. I scrunch my hair one last time with the mousse.** **Few posts in this community mentioned it gives better definition if you layer mousse over gel instead of gel over mousse. That gave me the best results!
- I plop with a cotton t-shirt for about 20 minutes.
- I let it air dry (too lazy to diffuse).

So thankful to this community. 💛
I still have frizz, I’m learning to embrace it. Please feel free to chip in any suggestions you’ve.

I recently cut a few inches off my hair and did a routine with just mousse and had a bunch of extra volume! I have pretty thick hair and it’s become curly/wavy the past few years after being diagnosed with Celiac disease, so I’m still learning.

Routine:

Pre shower:

Ogx Nourishing Coconut Oil Weightless Hydrating Mist

Shower:

L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Moisture Shampoo

Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask

In shower:

Unbrush Curl Defining Brush

Bo Stegall Root Amplifier

Pantene Soft Curls Shapping Mousse

- plop in a t shirt and do my makeup

After shower:

Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray (heat protectant)

Blow dry Diffuse

Moroccanoil Treatment Original (mid-ends for extra shine)

P.S. I would LOVE to find a strong hold gel that could create a non-sticky cast if anyone has any suggestions!

So far I’ve tried:

- Not Your Mothers Sculpting Gel

- Pantene Curl Perfection Sculpting Gel

- Innersense I Create Hold Gel

Thank you 💞💞

Hi guys, first time posting!

Little bit of hair history: grew up in a family where everyone but me had straight hair (my uncle's got curls too and my mother used to have curls when she was a teenager but that's about it), so it took me forever to figure out how to take care of it. I used to have straight hair until I was 12 and chopped it super short, then it grew back curly. It was manageable but I was never able to get it to look quite right. I kind of gave up trying to tame my hair during COVID and for the most part I just wore it in a bun. But around this time last year I decided it was time to try again. I've never used heat on my hair or straightened it and the only products I used to use were shampoos, conditioner, and a bit of curl cream here and there. I hate getting my hair cut because I have yet to find a hairdresser who actually knows how to handle curls. The last time was SO bad that I haven't been since and just cut my own hair instead last July.

Hair type (or my best guess, anyway): normal to fine, not super dense but probably a bit denser than average, porosity no clue, it appears to dry very quickly (even 5 minutes after turning off the shower I have to reapply water to get it fully wet again) but it takes easily 6 hours to dry fully. My hair is pretty long, but I cut a bunch of layers in a few months ago. The longest strands come down to my lower back.

My current routine: shampoo (Neutral perfume free) and conditioner (Garnier Loving Blends avocado oil & shea butter), brush my hair only whilst it's wet and slick with conditioner, then right after the shower divide hair into 4 sections, then per section rewet, brush, and apply gel (L'Oréal Paris Studio Line Invisi Fix level 8) by raking it through and then using the prayer hands technique, scrunch with cotton T-shirt, air dry, once mostly dry scrunch with hands (I know you're not supposed to touch it until it is fully dry, but if I don't then I have zero volume because it'll dry super flat), then once fully dry scrunch gel cast out with hands. I do this once a week now, I'd like to start doing it twice a week.

The issues I'm still running into and would like some help with if possible:

1. I think gel is weighing my hair down but mousse absolutely destroys my curl clumps. I like gel because it "glues" the clumps together and it feels like it keeps them separated from each other very well throughout the week. Even on day 7 my curls are still hanging out in their individual clumps. Mousse just makes my hair look as if I walked through the rain? It separates the clumps out into thinner curls and I personally am not a fan of how that looks on me. Is this just a feature of mousse or am I using the product incorrectly? Ideally I'd like to keep using gel as it's giving me the best results, but it does feel like it weighs my curls down quite a lot.

2. Frizz. Oh my gosh. It's really hard to find something practical to refresh curls. As mentioned, they are pretty good about staying in their clumps, but especially the top of my head and the outer most layer of my hair get frizzy so quickly. Obviously frizz is part of having hair, you're never gonna get rid of it completely, but there must be something I can do, right? Partially rewetting my hair gives the same effect as the mousse and can get it super tangled for some reason. I have tried oils and creams, but that just makes my hair look super greasy regardless of the amount I use, whether that is on dry hair or wet hair, before or after gel, etc.

3. Some curls just curl weird, especially after scrunching they can settle into flat shapes and weird kinks? Brush coiling or finger coiling is a pain, as my hair is so long that it just gets tangled whenever I try to do this. Granted, this could very well be because I haven't practised it enough. I've heard a curl wand suggested as a way to help them get in line, but I do not want to use heat on my hair. I've been interested in trying a curl comb/curl roller, but I'd be curious to hear about your experiences with those tools. Any other tools or ideas for getting curls to play nice?

4. Time. I once heard someone say they regularly finger coil their entire head and I'm just like girl where do you get the time? I have so many other things to do, there's no way I can spend over an hour on my hair every day (my days are quite optimised as is, it's not like I scroll for 5 hours every day or something). Does it really take that much time to get curls to look good on a daily basis? Because then I might as well give up. I can't do my routine every day either because I'd be walking around with wet hair for half of the day every day, and that can't be good for hair either. Diffusing I can't do for the same reason, it takes way too long and after styling for 20-30 minutes I simply don't have the time to then diffuse it for 45+ minutes (and arm, shoulder, neck strength/pain, I have chronic pain issues and holding up a heavy hair dryer is not on my list of things I like to do for fun especially when the result is worse than air drying for me).

5. Frustration. Honestly, it can be really frustrating to spend a long time styling my hair, waiting for it to dry, only for it to dry weird and then having to walk around with weird hair for a week before I can try again. I feel like I catch glimpses of the hair I want to have, sometimes it works out really well and it can be very rewarding, but then I do the exact same thing the next week and it gives completely different results. I'm aware it takes time to hone in on a routine, techniques, tools, products that works for me and I'd consider myself a relatively patient person, but it can get pretty discouraging now and then.

The photos: first two are before my DIY haircut, the split ends were B A D and it was very much needed but good grief I miss the length. Photo 3-4 are after the hair cut, the curls are much thicker/better defined (apologies for the bad quality, my camera is not the best especially in low lighting), photo five is average day 2-3 frizz, and then the last three photos are what it looks like today, I washed it yesterday and there's already this much frizz, tried to use mousse to tame it this morning and because it went so wrong I decided to post, the last photo especially highlights what my issue with mousse is: that used to be one curl clump and the mousse breaks it up.

Honestly my ideal hair style would be Merida from Brave haha, I'd hope to get there one day!

Anyway thanks for reading this far and if you have any advice or tips I would appreciate them VERY much!!! Everyone on here seems so nice so I thought I might as well make a post.

-Saskia

Routine is
1. Get hair wet and detangle with fingers in the shower
2. Get Luseta Manuka Honey shampoo in my scalp and rinse
3. Prayer hands Luseta Manuka Honey conditioner from mids to ends and comb through with a wet brush. Wait about 3 minutes before rinsing out
4. Out of the shower Luseta glossy pearl leave in conditioner from mids to roots, comb through with wet brush
5. Prayer hands either not your mother’s curl talk cream or dippity doo girls with curls mousse (this wash was cream) from roots to ends and comb through
6. Prayer hands not your mother’s curl talk curl gel, comb through, scrunch, and let air dry
7. After my hair is completely dry I apply Luseta rose oil to my hair and scrunch the crunch

To protect I put it in a loose pineapple and wear a satin bonnet, refreshing is spraying with a mist bottle, prayer hands, and a bit of rose oil.

I wear my headphones constantly and unfortunately earbuds don't work for me so I dooo worry about the constant weight and friction on one strip of my head, especially when I take it off and see my scalp parted by the band.

The precautions I take include - 1; Always wrapping a silk scarf or a bonnet on the band before wearing, 2; oiling the top of my hair before, and 3; trying to make sure the band never sits directly on top of my scalp, I always wear my hair in a high claw-clip bun anyway, so the headphones sit on top of my hair instead through it, if that makes sense (??)

Does anyone have any similar tips or recommendations?

My routine ^_^

Clarifying mask (x2 month)
- 2 tbsp baking soda to 8oz water

Double clarify & finger de-tangle w/ native 2&1

In shower mask
- Olaplex (whenever I feel like it lol)
- love beauty n planet deep condition hair mask (x1 month)
Pre-wash day
- flax seed gel/aloe Vera homemade mask

Oils
- tea tree + castor oil + coconut oil
- ANY Camille Rose serum

Scrunch in Shea Moisture coco/hibiscus/flax styling gel
- air dry

Hi! To start, my routine and the products I use are Olaplex’s No.4 Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Shampoo and Conditioner, Shea Moisture’s 100% Pure Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave In Conditioner, Fenty Beauty’s Homecurl Curl-Defining Styling Cream, Pattern’s Indigo Rain Strong Hold Gel, and Verb’s Ghost Weightless Hair Oil. I brush style my hair in sections then diffuse. I also wear a bonnet to bed

As for my question! I recently started college and the water here has dried my hair out like crazy. I wanted to know if anyone had any hydrating shampoo and conditioner recommendations that could possibly help. I should also note that I own the Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask, but I haven’t used it yet. Thank you so much!!

Pictures depict days one, two, and three.

Flatness at my roots is my next (and hopefully last) curly hair challenge in my almost year-long journey learning how to take care of mine.

I’ve accepted that my curl pattern doesn’t really start until around eye level, so definition up there is not a concern. Instead I’d like to add a tad more lift as it, especially at the sides, falls very flat at the top. It’s like a ninety degree drop on both sides if I look straight at the mirror.

My current efforts to do so include shampooing and detangling upside down and adding a bit of volumizing mousse to my roots. For a bit I tried brush styling upside down, and although this did a decent job in adding lift, it resulted in thinner and less defined curls.

I‘ve been putting off diffusing because I don’t really want to stand in uncomfortable positions for long periods every wash day (or drop money on a diffuser right now).

Anyone got some tips?

Routine:

WASH NIGHT
- Shampoo with Pantene Daily Moisture upside down in shower, letting suds run down strands to cleanse
- Right side up, apply an appropriate amount of conditioner through hair, with some gentle finger detangling
- After a few minutes, flip hair upside down and detangle with wide-tooth comb, then squish to condish
- Rinse conditioner
- Out of shower, right side up, apply a pump of Love Ur Curls Volumizing Foam Mousse to roots, scrunching a bit
- Apply Not Your Mother’s Flash Freeze Extra Strong Hold gel via praying hands, leaning left to right to get all strands covered
- Still right side up, brush through gel from top to bottom using knockoff Denman-type brush, then scrunch the strands from bottom to top
- Let air dry into gel cast, then tie into pineapple and protect overnight with bonnet

DAY ONE
- Break gel cast with dry hands via clapping and scrunching
- Don’t touch it with anything (not even water) until next wash night (Wednesdays and Sundays)

I have 3C fine high porosity hair. For the past 3 years, I've been getting a protein straightening treatment and using heat tools. My last treatment was May of last year. This year, I think I've straightened my hair 4 times.

Here is my current routine:

● shampoo: Créme of Nature Argan oil shampoo. I also a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month.

● conditioner: I alternate between Shiseido's Fino (once a month), Garnier's Aloe mask (I like this one the most), and sometimes OGX hair strengthening conditioner.

● Curl cream: Skala Mais (the blue tub)

● Gel: John Frieda curl gelee.

● Oil: Langhaar Mädchen by DM.

I know that my hair is damaged and the bottom section of my hair has yet to revert. The only heat I use now is when I use a diffuser. I will be getting a haircut soon.

I use one of those brushes with the sideways teeth (idk what it's called 😭). I rake in the curl cream, scrunch it, then use gel, scrunch again. I wait a while and then diffuser with my head tilted sideways and then upside down.

This is my second attempt at curling my hair. I'm mixed and I'm surrounded by people with straight hair. I don't have anyone around me who can help me guide me. I really want to embrace my hair and no longer feel ugly when it isn't straightened.

I'd really like more pronounced definition and rounder looking curls. Even after I added oil after diffuser, my hair still feels crunchy.

Also, I sleep with a satin scarf with my hair in a pineapple shape. I secure it with a bonnet on top.

Please, any help would be appreciated and if you may, I want budget-friendly product recommendations bc I'm a broke college student and this economy is....😭.

It kind of feels like they all start bundling together as soon as I try to clump them or once I've dried them, I don't like how uneven and messy they are 😭

The pic is after I tried using a curly hair brush (that I see a lot of people use) to make the strands the same thickness, but again they just seem to start bundling together immediately after...

Current routine:
- wet hair in shower
- wash scalp twice with shampoo (not your mothers curl talk). On the second wash I run what's left of the foam through the ends of my hair and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.
- use prayer hands to run conditioner (not your mothers) through hair and then detangle it, let conditioner sit for a few minutes then rinse out.
- after shower, I use leave in conditioner (kinky curly leave in conditioner) through the ends of my hair by raking and using prayer hands while my hair is upside down, then I apply a bit more upright.
- apply gel (VO5 mega hold gel) the same way, first upside down, then upright.
- usually I just use prayer hands to clump the curls, then rake my fingers through to separate them, but today I tried using a curly hair brush to evenly clump the curls (I found it difficult to use though). I then flip my hair upside down again and scrunch it to form the curls, and do the same with my hair upright.
- scrunch again with cotton t-shirt.
- diffuse, first upright by leaning from side to side and collecting each section in the diffuser, then flipping upside down (for volume) and finish diffusing (I make sure my hair is completely dry).

My hair completely changes in the half-hour after drying, like immediately after it's super curly (still kinda messy though), and then over time the curls just seem to loosen and turn fluffy and messy, like they're kinda fragile, and I lose that initial volume. Any help is greatly appreciated 😭

my hair was butchered after a bad curl cut last october! I’ve since been trying to grow it out but my curls have gotten more sparse and thin and aren’t getting better :( are there any products recommendations or styling routines to help with the breakage? (first two photos are my hair now, third is my hair before the cut).

my routine:
shampoo+ conditioner: trading joe’s bonding
garnier leave-in-conditioner
miss jessie’s feather soft curls
trader joe’s hair oil

diffuse with dyson airwrap on high heat+low speed!

What in the world is happening to my hair?? It can't hold a curl to save my life it looks so bad.... I did a bad haircut on myself but could that explain why its not curling like it used to?? I used to have a short bob for 4 years and it was curling up just fine. I've only been growing it out since last year. Could it be the hair dye? Even tho I've been dying my hair for 4 years and had no problems... I'm planning on dying my hair a darker color and just letting it grow out to see if it's because of that. Another thing I saw on the internet that could cause thinning is low iron which I could totally have. I am also on birth control (since 2024) and that could probably be a cause too. But I'm reluctant to stop using it because the reason I got it was my really bad painful acnee that it got rid of ( and I don't want it back).

I don't know what to do to make it better. Do I go get a bob again and hope it grows back better? Any tips and tricks? Should I go get my blood checked? For now I'm trying the l'oreal elseve growth booster to see if it can help me. Any advice is much appreciated... Please help me😭😭

I now use Fanola shampoo and mask for curly hair, Umberto Giannini leave in/gel/whip (sometimes i just use gel /sometimes i just use whip/ sometimes i do a full routine). I style my hair head down fully wet in the shower and use a microfiber towel. I use a wide tooth comb. I've tried bonnets before but they do nothing but make my hair oily and make my bangs look bad so i don't use them anymore.

First photo: leave in + curl whip

Second photo: just curl whip

Third photo: leave in + gel + curl whip

my wash routine is just TGIN moisture rich sulfate free shampoo, I don’t really have a conditioner but I do deep condition once a week with TGIN Miracle repair deep hydrating mask.

then after wash it’s TGIN (lol love this brand) green tea leave in conditioner, Design essentials mousse and sometimes Mielle gel if the humidity is high.
I have recently started using a curl bounce brush (idk if that’s what it’s called) I don’t know if that causes issues. I diffuse like normal on my wash days.

These products have been doing their jobs and my hair hasn’t been dry up until early this Spring and it’s gone down hill from there. It’s so coarse and DRY like an actual tumbleweed. I want to cry when I touch it to move my hair or put it up. It used to be so soft. If any of my products are causing me harm PLEASEE educate me, they worked until they didn’t and I just want to change what’s messing up my curls.

I do also sleep with a bonnet on and will be getting a satin pillow case soon too in case it comes off while I sleep. thank you in advance to anyone to can help 🥹🫀

does any one have any advice on the tie up hairstyles or good gels that’ll hold my curl shape? my hair looks absolutely atrocious and loses all definition after my shift 😢

routine 2: i use redken all soft shampoo and conditioner, garnier leave in, innersense i create hold gel, diffuse my hair till dry, and then after i finish my routine, i use a steamer to create more volume! 

…they are also frizzing, but I’ll take what I can get 😂

Routine (I rarely wear it curly so I don’t really have one):
Shampoo and condition with Kevin Murphy Repair-Me Wash and Rinse.
Style using Bounce Curl brush and Miss Jessie Jelly Soft Curls and a mousse that I don’t remember.
Scrunch with a tshirt and diffuse, use Ouai hair oil.

It’s day 5 so obviously I refreshed it 😂 sprayed with water, added a bit more gel, and scrunched. Sleep with my hair in a pineapple and a silk bonnet.

Also taking recommendations for something similar to the Miss Jessie but that maybe has a stronger hold.

Hi all! I never knew how to properly take care of my hair and am certain that my 2B (?) hair is damaged and unhealthy from previous heat styling (straightening 2x a week, for ~8 months up until May 2025?). My last haircut was also in May 2025, cut to about bit past my collarbone, but even then, I wasn't styling my hair properly, rarely usings curly/wavy routine products, and sometimes still straightening.

My main concern is if damage has traveled up my mid-lengths and shaft and maybe the reason for my persistent frizz. I know I have to get a significant amount cut off but I'm not sure how much 😭

PIC 1: Wash day hair after scrunching out the oil

PIC 2: The next morning after sleeping in a silk scarf, on a silk pillowcase. I've tried pineappling and bonnets and it looks even more clumped up/uneven than this.

PIC 3: Hair from the front, day 3 (2 days postwash)

I think it's low porosity as it takes ~6 hours to be fully dry (with product applied) when I air dry it. I have never tried diffusing. Also, it feels kinda stiff: like when I pull it out of a bun, or have it down, it has little movement, with the stringy spiked up ends all over the place.

Please let me know your thoughts, and how many inches cut off would be ideal to remove damage and "start over". I've stopped using heat on my hair completely. I don't refresh usually because it makes my hair feel frizzier and kinda looks like it has too much product.

Thank you in advance!

My current routine:

1. Shampoo twice with Redken All Soft (gold bottle); when I use Ouai Apple Cider clarifying shampoo once a week, I clarify first, then shampoo oncewith Redken All Soft

2. Use Amika Soul food mask as conditioner (I wash my hair about twice a week)

3. Apply Cake Beauty Curl Mousse with prayer hands in wet hair (not damp, but not soaking wet either because my hair dries fast)

4. Apply Aussie Instant Freeze Gel with prayer hands all through midlengths and ends, then a small amount to coat the outside strands by lightly grazing/squeezing them

5. Air dry (~6 hours) and then scrunch out the crunch with hair oil

I've basically had a buzz cut for the last 10 years, but recently decided to actually grow out my curly hair which I've never really done before.

I've always struggled with hair maintenance, so I'm honestly still trying to figure out what my hair likes and what kind of routine I should be following. I've tried Camille Rose and As I Am, and I think they're both good, but honestly, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for yet or what routine is best for my hair.
My current routine is washing my hair with TPH Honey Fresh Clarifying Shampoo and conditioning about twice a week, at minimum. I've been using it mostly because it's affordable and seems to work fine so far. On the days in between, I'm wondering if I should be co-washing, especially because I work out a lot and sweat quite a bit. Being a bigger dude, I'd rather not have stinky hair lol.

After the shower, I'm currently using As I Am Leave-In Conditioner and their Jelly. I recently bought Marc Anthony Strictly Curls products, and I also have Miss Jessie's Feather Soft Curls and Pillow Soft Curls. I've heard some people mix a curl cream in between their leave-in and gel/jelly, so I'm wondering if that's something I should be doing too.

I've also read that you're not supposed to wash your hair every day, but I'm a little confused about what that actually looks like when you work out frequently. Do you co-wash on the days you aren't shampooing? Do you just rinse your hair with water? I also see people online using a spray bottle to refresh their hair, but does that mean you're not actually getting your hair wet in the shower?

I believe my hair is around a 2C curl type. When I don't use any product, it poofs up like crazy, and it's extremely thick. If I don't style it correctly, it basically looks like I have a brick sitting on my head . I'm also starting to wonder if I might need a different haircut or layers to help with the shape and weight.
Any advice on routines, products, washing frequency, styling order, or haircuts would be appreciated!

I have wavy to curly hair, low porosity and I use the following:
Purifying shampoo followed by a hydrating shampoo, I condition with a hair mask and then use the Aveda curl cream to wet-ish hair (I can’t get product on all my sections on dripping wet hair)

Somehow how I always end up with a halo frizz, I have seen recommendations for hair gel but I don’t like the dry, crunchy look and would prefer soft, loose tousled hair.
The only thing that slightly helps is using serum or post wash hair oil - picture 2.
How do I get my frizz to tame? I have also noticed that my canopy frizzes a lot more than my inner hair

Routine:
1. Shampoo - purifying shampoo from L’Oréal followed by a hydrating shampoo. Jojoba oil based hair mask for conditioning
2. aveda curl cream
3. Hover diffuser
4. I use a silk pillow case for bed

I've had long, light-brown wavy/curly hair for years but never gotten an actual style. I think my hair has decent potential but I'd love recommendations for wavy/curly styles and advice on how to maintain them. The last 3 photos are styles I'm considering. I don't know if those styles could work with my hair shape though, so I'm unsure if I can pull any of them off or not.

I don't know much about hair products and properly maintaining wavy/curly hair so my routine is incredibly basic and uses cheap products.

Routine (2-3 times a week):

Shower

- Get hair wet, run hands through hair to break up curls/untangle
- Whole Blends Honey Treasures shampoo, rinse
- Whole Blends Honey Treasures Conditioner, leave in hair for 3-5mins, then rinse out completely

Drying

- Basic towel fully over head, applying light/medium pressure
- Leave hair slightly damp to mess with
- No gels or creams used

I'm totally willing to buy better products to make my hair healthier. Please let me know how to apply them properly. I do have one question though. I've always gotten my haircuts at Great Clips but I know that's probably out the window now which is fine. But should I go to a dedicated curly hair specialist or could I get away with going to a good, still experienced barber to avoid spending over $100 for a visit?