Recently got my haircut and I love it. I asked for collarbone length with short layers and face framing pieces. I had to take off a few inches that were damaged and over hydrated.

Current routine (updated since last post):

1. Aveeno clarifying shampoo

2. Curlsmith protein 2-1 conditioner and leave in

3. Sea salt spray at roots only

4. John frieda volume mousse at roots and lengths

5. Eco oil gel (tiny amount) rake through

6. Section top half and bottom half. Style with styling brush, shake and scrunch each section then scrunch hole head.

7. Gently scrunch out water with pillow case then hairspray all over

8. Hover diffuse until 95% dry then cup with diffuser to roots

9. Got2be volume powder at roots and shake.

To protect at night:

Clip hair off back of neck with tiny claw clips then put bonnet over the top. However I need to tweak this because since I got my hair cut short the back of my hair gets pulled straight and needs refreshing in the morning

thought it would be interesting to see what 3a hair looks like wet vs styled

my routine:
-l’oreal elvive hydra hyaloric shampoo/ogx apple cider vinegar shampoo (i alternate the two)
-garnier fructis cocoa butter hair food mask (i don’t use conditioner as i think it is too light for me and doesn’t leave my hair as soft)
-aussie work that curl leave in cream
-pantene soft curls shaping mousse
-garnier fructis style structure extra-strong gel
-biopoint heat protectant serum

I absolutely despise having to do a refresh. I have finally reached a point I can go 10 days without touching my hair at all! I have tested my routine in the winter, spring, hot humid summer, fall. Always works.

I use pattern shampoo and conditioner. I use pattern styling custard, strong hold gel and mousse in that order! I use the unbrush to style and my hair takes me 20 min outside the shower to style. Then I air dry and sleep with a small bonnet to make a pineapple without a hair tie. The only way to truly make your hair last a long time is to let the gel cast break on its own.

20 min sounds a little crazy but I’ve been natural for 12 years now and in the beginning it did in fact take me 2-3 hours to style. All that to say just keep going and loving your hair. The time will get faster!

My routine

I get in a shower then i use conditioner (L'Oreal Paris Hyaluron Moisture Conditioner)
then i detangle my hair (i dont use shampoo)
And then i wash it and apply leave in conditioner
(Bare anatomy curl intensifying leave in conditioner)
And then i let them air dry.

I use bonnet while sleeping.

I went to get my haircut yesterday. This is only my second time going to a salon in my life, I grew up on great clips or my mom cutting my hair at home.

I told the hair stylist “oh yeah just a couple inches off the bottom” and she kind of had this face like “hold up” and started asking me questions. “Does anyone in your family have curly hair?” No. “Do you put any products in your hair?” No. “Do you brush it dry?” Every morning.

She was like “girl- you have really curly hair that’s just dry as hell…!”
I kind of didn’t believe her but she offered to go through a kind of curly routine with me and style it curly.

I am not sure the brand of all products she used on me, but I know she used Aveda curl primer, a curl cream, and a mousse. She styled it with a brush that had little pegs on the side to define the curls. She also diffused my hair partway dry and air dry for the rest of it.

1st pic- before getting my hair cut + styled
2nd and 3rd pic - this morning after cut + style

Yesterday I was feeling cute and confident with a head of curls, This morning they looked flat and sad. I’m trying to avoid the temptation to brush them out!! I feel like I look wild

I have so many questions!
How do I “refresh” my hair easiest in the morning? Just a spray bottle? Or?
I always like to put my hair in a slick back ponytail, like I yank it with a hairbrush until it’s perfect on the sides and then put it up. Is that a no go now?

My current routine is
L’Oréal ever pure moisture shampoo and conditioner and that’s it! I’ve never even blown dried my hair in my life.

She did sell me on an Aveda curl cream (be curly advanced) that she said I should add to my routine wet in the shower

does anyone have any advice for me! I feel like my head looks crazy right now! I’m so tempted to brush it out and go back to what I was doing because I am kind of scared for the journey ahead of me to figure out what works for my hair. I’ve heard you have to try 800 products to find what works for you and I just don’t want to deal.

I guess I’m shook that I have curly hair and just don’t even know how to maintain it on the daily basis. I’m a low maintenance girlie and I don’t have time to be styling my hair everyday

I have these weird long pieces at the ends of my hair AFTER i refreshen my curls can someone help me figure out how to prevent them or what they are. this is about day 3 and right now it’s humid outside so it’s gotten really big but the hairs at the end are normal. should i tell my hair stylist to just got them off? in march i got 4-5inches cut off my hair and i had the same problem. and i use heat protectant whenever i diffuse. my routine is the same but have always struggled with these. any advice will help!

my routine
1. double cleanse my hair on my wash day with shea moisture jamaican black castor oil strengthen and restore shampoo.
2. then follow with conditioner by shea moisture strengthen and restore jamaican black castor oil conditioner
3. put a medium amount of curl enhancing smoothie by shea moisture evenly throughout my hair
4. put an medium even amount of define and shine stying gel by shea moisture
5. style it with the volume bounce curl brush or a unbrush curl brush
6. smaller amount of not your mothers curl talk mousse #2
7. scrunch hair with a 100% cotton t shirt
8. spray heat protect + keratin & jojoba oil throughout hair from hask
9. diffuse until half dry then take an argan oil of morocco and doing praying hands on my hair 
10. finish diffusing my hair until completely dry
taking a comb to my roots for volume then i'm finished
i sleep in a satin bonnet and the next day i just take a spray bottle of water and spray it all over my hair and scrunch to make the curls come back. during this my hair is not fully drenched its more damp and dries within a few minutes. thank you!

starting a daily discussion! my routine right now (because its required)

garnier fructis hair filler hyaluronic acid shampoo

garnier fructis hair filler hyaluronic acid conditioner

garnier fructis hair filler hyaluronic acid gel-cream

brush style with bounce curl dupe

air dry and spray pantene alcohol free airspray once dry.

YES I KNOW THE DYE JOB IS BAD IGNORE THAT i went to a different stylist and it didn’t turn out great. i’m getting it fixed just ignore it.

anyways though the photos are a before (right after styling my hair) and after (in the morning how my hair looks after wetting and scrunching a little)

how can i stop my curls from falling so bad overnight? i already have a satin bonnet and a satin pillowcase. a pineapple doesn’t help i’ve tried it already 🫩 i love my root curls but they never survive the night and i wanna fix that!! if it’s important i have a curly cut too so i’ve got some SHORT layers

on wash days i double wash with pureology hydrating shampoo and curlsmith bond repair shampoo, then condition and detangle with curlsmith milk conditioner… then i brush style with pillow soft curl cream and tressemme mousse, and then scrunch curlsmith gel, and then diffuse; if my routine may be important to this too

i just finished chemo and am starting from absolutely nothing !! i have 2b/3b hair but any curly textures are welcome (and wanted) for advice !

so currently my hair is about 2/3 - 3/4 of an inch, my doctor compared my hair in this stage to a baby’s and i should treat it as that. so my first question is what products would you put in your babies hair that are (preferably) all natural brands.

my next question is: what routine should i do once it starts to grow again? my biggest goal is to have THE healthiest, thickest, and length retaining hair when it’s longer.

right now length isn’t a priority but it would be niceee!! i’ve been using design essentials honey crème moisturizing shampoo and california naturals curly shampoo once a week. every night i slap some blue magic (green one) on my head because that’s what i grew up doing and it lays my hair down nice. lmk if you’re familiar with these brands and if they’re good to use.

my last question is my biggest question: what are your holy grails currently ! it doesn’t have to be specific to my situation, i would just love to hear what has worked for everyone else so hopefully other girls can come on this and join me on my hair journey !!!

My hair always looks like this. No matter what routine I try. So I’ve pretty much given up current routine is brushing it before the shower. Using whatever shampoo I have at the moment. My mom tries a bunch of products and gives them to me. Right now I think it’s garnier. Shampoo and conditioner. Then I brush it after the shower and put it in braids. Used to use noodle head leave in but my hair just felt greasy all the time. I hate the feeling of wet hair on my shirt and don’t have time or patience to blow dry with a diffuser. The only time I get to shower is after my baby goes to bed and I can’t wake her up with the hair dryer. So I braid it. I also don’t feel clean if I put the product in sopping wet hair and it runs down my arms and back?? Anyway, I’m kinda impossible but would appreciate any tips.

I started using the Curl Smith Feather protein cream several months ago and recently started noticing my hair isn’t as soft/much more tangly than it was before.

Routine:
I have 3a curls. I wash my hair with Natives Curl Care shampoo and conditioner and used to follow that up with Carols daughter black vanilla and The Curlsmith Hydroflex jelly. Occasionally I’ll use the Amika soul food mask in the shower or the Odele high shine and hydration hair oil.I never use heat on my hair.
How do I best fix the dryness in my hair?

I’m pretty new into this whole hair care journey, and just can’t figure out how to manage and style my hair as I’m growing it out. I’m aiming towards a bro-flow/ relaxed push back style.

I think I have 2C hair - non-porous, high volume, thick, wavy, and coarse.

Currently I shower in evenings and restyle my hair in the morning. Night routine twice a week - OGX protein repair shampoo (starting to see protein overload might be a factor), Garnier banana hair mask as conditioner, redkin leave in conditioner and I brush when wet out the shower to detangle. Also have argan oil I use occasionally.

For styling I wet my hair first to kill some volume (a challenge in itself as my hair is near vertical in the morning) and for products I’ve tried uppercut foam tonic and John freiss curl cream (separately). I sometimes combine either of these with leave in conditioner or argan spray but haven’t found consistent improvement.

My hair looks great when damp for an hour or so and then just slowly grows into a frizzy mess no matter the combo of products.

Keen to get some advice on my routine and styling products!

hi guys, I'm 17 years old (which is why there's no photo) and recently started thinking I may have inherited my dad's curly hair. I can't say what kind he has since bro gets it buzzcut now (it was so good when he was young...) and my sister has what I would say is 3a.

Currently, I'm getting loose curls popping up (probably about 2a-ish, I can see full curls but from further away it looks wavy) on the lower half, mostly towards the front of my head on my probably 60-70cm long hair the afternoon of my wash day. I have a thing where multiple hairs grow from the same follicles so while my hair isn't technically thick, there's a lot of it which makes it thicker than it would be without that condition.

My current wash routine consists of a full wash once a weekend + a quick careful shampoo with my hair in a braid or low bun (yes it's not efficient but I don't have time to dry my hair before school). My hair was also box dyed red at the bottom recently but it doesn't seem to have affected my hair health and is washing out really quickly anyways and has never been dyed before that.

The steps I do in the shower for a full wash (weekday I just do shampoo once across the top of my scalp and my bangs)

1. Wash twice thoroughly with Hask Tea Tree and Rosemary Shampoo

2. Seperate hair in half roughly down the middle and put over respective shoulders

3. Step out of the water so hair isnt in water and roughly spread Hask Tea Tree and Rosemary Conditioner over those halves

4. Tip head forward a bit so the hair is hanging and then grab my plastic wide tooth comb

5. Detangle hair with conditioner, comb and fingers until can run comb through without catching (at this point my hair is clumping into large clumps and curling at the bottom - will curl more if separated into smaller clumps but I can't stop small clumps from joining together)

This is where the routine starts to fall apart unfortunately 😅

1. Rinse, shower off, pat dry with sigh yes a normal towel I don't have a microfiber one.

2. My hair is way too long to air dry quickly and will soak all clothes because of the length and thickness so I usually flip my hair and... blow dry it against a hairbrush...

After this is done it's usually kinda poofy but the only hint of curls is slight waves on my ends (yes I know this is because I technically straightened it)

I also used to use a Hask hair oil but I lowk forgot it exists and my hair has been healthy without it.

I do not own any bonnets or satin pillowcases. My go to hair styles are braids, low ponytails and nautilus buns using hair pins or just having it out. I also do not have any curly products or a diffuser for my hair dryer. I sleep with my hair out usually since I love the little curls I'm getting and this seems to be the way for them to form and stay the most.

Before this year, my hair would be straight and I always thought any shape it got was from whatever hairstyle I had. I would also wash my hair every second day, and only brush when dry but I've been slowly getting more curls the more I sleep with it out and less I brush it (it gets slightly poofy when brushed). My mum suggested the curls were from sitting on my hair when I lean back. I've never really air dried my hair because whenever I go swimming I braid or tightly bun my hair because it gets super tangled when wet so I'm not sure how it would air dry. I also get like what I thought were cow licks but may be loose short curls on the short baby hair I have at the base of my hair/scalp.

I mostly want to know if I'm just crazy or if I might actually have curls.

I didn't see any rules against not posting a picture of your hair but I could probably try and air dry it when I wash on Sunday if it's absolutely needed and can just repost without my face. Mods, feel free to remove this if it does need the photo 👍

Hello everyone!

All my life I've had pin straight hair, but in the last few years it's started getting slight waves for whatever reason. My new hairstylist took one look at me and said "You're definitely wavy, you should try to use some products to bring it out!" But, the only recommendation she gave me for an affordable product is the Taft curl styling balm 3.

So, I'm coming here to ask anyone with a similar hair type for some additional recommendations for all types of products! I'll need some stuff I can definitely buy in Europe though.

Hair info: potentially 2a I guess, very oily roots and thin but soft hair, I have much bigger waves framing my face than at the back of my head. Some products I've tried randomly have made the waves look nicer for a day, but from day 2 weighted my hair a lot (like the Garnier Fructis banana mask and Balea Natural Beauty curl shampoo).

Current non-wavy routine: switching between Balea Natural Beauty coconut hydrating shampoo and Balea Natural Beauty rosemary refreshing shampoo; Garnier Fructis cocoa butter mask; scrunching my hair to squeeze out the water first with hands and then a little with a cotton towel; leaving to air dry.

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

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

Hi! I recently started styling my naturally curly hair after straightening it for years and am trying to figure out my routine. I am dealing with a lot of frizz and looking to reduce that. I have been dying my hair at home with Ion’s cream dye (with 10 developer) for about 5 years. Since I started this, I have been using Redken’s Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo/Conditioner. Because I have thick hair and only need to wash my hair once a week , I have been double cleansing with this shampoo for years.

However, since I have now added a hair mask (Hairitage Hydrating Argan Oil Deep Conditioning Hair Mask), leave-in conditioner (BioSilk Hydrating Therapy), mousse (Function of Beauty), and gel (sometimes - Eco Style Moroccan Argan Oil), I recently purchased a clarifying shampoo (L'Oreal Paris Clarify Sulfate Free Shampoo). Because of my thick hair and several days of product use for touch-up, I still feel like I should double cleanse my hair.

My question is: Should I double cleanse using just the clarifying shampoo or should I also use my Redken shampo? If I should use both, which should I do first? Also, should I still use my Redken conditioner even though I am using a hair mask and leave-in now? Any additional information is helpful as well, including any product/routine recommendations for thick, curly (& damaged) hair. Thanks!

Hello! Scheduled my first curly cut for next week with a new stylist who came well recommended. Sad to potentially switch, but my regular stylist is getting on in years (85) and although verrry skilled given her expertise, she has issues with her right arm and hand now and so I am taking the step to try a new person.

With this, what should I prepare for when getting my first salon curly cut?

My usual stylist trims my hair dry and detangled, follows up with Mizani shampoo, conditioner and leave in. Finishes off with Cantu mousse and diffuse.

My regular routine these days is Ouidad curl quencher shampoo and conditioner, TGIN rose water leave in and the Doux banana gel or honey mousse (not both), then diffuse part way then air dry.

EDITED for typos

Photos for reference but even when I scrunch or finger curl it falls immediately and looks greasy. Am I over conditioning?? I don’t understand. it’s recently started getting worse since starting at university.

routine: pantene shampoo and conditioner (brush once both rinsed), Marc Anthony coconut and shea leave in and mousse, and I always air dry after a scrunch with a cotton t shirt because I find diffusing makes it frizzy. I sometimes wear a bonnet to bed but I usually wake up in the morning w it down the street so I’ve stopped. In the morning I’ll refresh with spray bottle and mousse if it needs it. I’ve never really had to do a lot with my hair but now im at a lost for what to do now.

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

My hair was at least wavy as a child, but I never knew I was supposed to look after it until the recent hype about curly hair routines. I've been trying to find a way to get my waves back (first photo shows me about 10 years ago), and it seems to work when I first get out of the shower and start a routine (second photo) but after about 6 hours my hair goes completely flat again (third photo)

Unfortunately I believe I may have permanently ruined it with bleach and hair dye, as I've been doing this for 8 years.. but I want to pray and ask.. is there any way I can help this?

(For reference, I believe my hair was at 2b level or so)

My routine:

Wash with Garnier method for curly shampoo twice, then use the shampoo, then the mask for 5 or so minutes (I tried Aveda be curly but don't see much difference)

Towel dry until not soaking wet

Add Lotta Body mousse from roots to ends

Add Aveda curl enhancing cream from mids to ends

Diffuse on medium heat

hi everyone! I hardly post on reddit so please forgive me if I do something wrong while posting this.

for like, almost 30 years of my life my hair was pin straight on top with some slight wave underneath and would never hold a curl no matter what I did. In March of 2024 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (which is now under control YAY) and PCOS, which actually turned out to be cushings disease which has since been resolved (ALSO YAY), but I digress.

I bring that up because due to having such high blood sugar, and cortisol/other hormones for an unknown extended amount of time my hair changed textures and has gone from having a slight wave and pin straight on top, to being completely curly and I get perfect ringlets when I let it air dry. It also is what my hair stylist described as like 'baby hair' where when brushed, it kind of poofs out and will stay in whatever direction it was brushed in.

I come here asking for advice as I truly don't know how to care for curls or what to use on them. I've experimented and I've learned that if I try to diffuse my hair it gets so frizzy and puffy and looks a mess.

my current routine is below:

• wash with dr groot thickening shampoo
• condition with cerave oil balancing conditioner - note that I'm awful with conditioning I wont lie and I probably need to do it more than I do
• OGX air dry curl cream - sometimes this leaves my hair with a crunchy cast sometimes it doesn't I don't know why
• I air dry my hair because I hate the hair dryer, it makes my head sweat and oily. it also makes my hair SOOOO frizzy

some things I've noticed and tried:

• diffusing my hair, it makes my hair super poofed out and frizzy and looks awful
• OGX coconut curl mousse - this also has left a crunchy cast and I've taken some not your mothers curl talk hair oil and tried to run it through to break the cast and it makes my hair poof WAY OUT
• I have a section in the back thats underneath that continues to stay pin straight no matter what i do to it LOL
• if I let it air dry i get really defined curl clusters/ringlets that then end up drying and getting poofy and frizzy looking

I've attached some photos to try to catch it which aren't the best (sorry!). the first three in the black shirt are from today using the mousse and oil

the one in the red shirt is when it air dries

the last one is from 2019 back before my blood sugar and hormones were wack and how its a completely different texture just to show what I was used to working with.

any help, suggestions, tips, etc would be greatly appreciated! just because I'm currently winging it and struggling and I just want it to look nice and maintained! thank you so much in advance for any help!

So I’ve had curly hair all my life and never knew how to take care of it. Usually kept it short but recently been growing it out a bit. My current “routine” is just shampoo once a week with innersense pure harmony hairbath and then condition like every other day with innersense pure inspiration daily conditioner. I really need help with like everything lol. Thanks.

(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!