Hair WWYD

[kleigh926]

Okay, I know we've had several hair posts lately (over at The Dump), but indulge me again if you like. I do not have particularly easy to style hair. It's some weird mix of frizzy, straight, and sometimes wavy. When it gets longer, I can actually get it to wave pretty nicely. But at the length it is now (about an inch above my shoulders), it just flips out in weird ways. What looks best right now is putting mousse or gel in it after it's almost dry, scrunching it, and then straightening the parts that flip out and look stupid. But it is still just kind of blah and nondescript without much body. 

I have been searching for the holy grail of hair for practically my whole life. I've tried long, medium length, and most recently, very short. I've also tried perms, none of which I really liked, and the first two I actually pretty much hated. For the third one I requested a "body wave," which is supposed to be a looser perm that just gives more waves and volume instead of tight curls. But it still didn't turn out how I wanted. It's kind of a running joke in my family that if I ever say I want to get a perm again, they'll try to stop me. 

So last week my SIL got a perm and now of course I want to try this body wave thing again. I know I didn't like all my other perms, but I also got them done by stylists who, in retrospect, I don't really think knew what they were doing enough to do a great job (the second one was done by DH's aunt for free in my IL's kitchen.... not my best move). I recently started going to a stylist that I really like and I think she'd give me an honest opinion of whether or not she could make it look how I want. I do love wavy hair and I just want something that will give my hair more definition and style until it grows out enough to get some of its own wave back. 

If you read all this, you deserve a cookie. WWYD? Am I crazy for wanting to try this again? Should I just let it go and deal with the blah-ness that is my hair? 

[laketide]

It sounds like you have a stylist now that you trust her opinion - so I would just ask her. She's worked with your hair so she should have a pretty good idea what will work and what won't. And if it makes you feel better - I think we all tend to dislike something and keep trying to make it work on our hair. For me its bangs. I want to love them and they look so good on everyone - but they drive me insane. Yet, I still cut them all the time then stock up on bobby pins until they grow out...then repeat.

[sagen]

IIRC your hair is really fine right? Before you try anything give hot rollers a try. I know a lot of people don't use them, but I have different times in my life. They give a lot of volume, and a nice look. If done right you can get nice waves. I am sure you can find YouTube videos to help. Perms are so damaging I would try something else first.

[kleigh926]

Feb 2, 2015 11:21:09 GMT -5 trichie5 said:

I love my Bob, if that helps. It have my flat, boring hair volume. I have naturally wavy (in an obnoxious, half my head way) hair, so I need to straighten it to keep that nice Bob look, but it's not terrible if I don't straighten either.

I'm actually growing my hair out from a bob style. I really liked it too, but I didn't like that it was too short to pull back. I was kinda bored with it, like I didn't have any options of things to do with it. But I definitely think I'll go back to that style someday, just when I don't have little kids that prevent me from having any time to fix it, because my hair does NOT air dry well  

[kleigh926]

Feb 2, 2015 10:43:25 GMT -5 sagen said:

IIRC your hair is really fine right? Before you try anything give hot rollers a try. I know a lot of people don't use them, but I have different times in my life. They give a lot of volume, and a nice look. If done right you can get nice waves. I am sure you can find YouTube videos to help. Perms are so damaging I would try something else first.

My hair is pretty fine, but I've been told I have a lot of it, if that makes any sense? But it's definitely not thick, lol. 

[sagen]

I also have thick fine hair, fine hair is more about diameter of the strand. So if you have a lot of hair you can do things to make it look thicker by styling.

ITA with @uncaripswife don't wash your hair often. I wash my hair every 3-4 days, use dry shampoo if you need. Blow drying it will help add volume but it can take a lot of time and be damaging as well. What I do is wash my hair at night, and I don't blow dry. Mine also doesn't dry well, but as long as you use something with heat to style your hair you will be fine. In the morning to get wavy hair I curl with a curling iron starring from the top if my hair by the root, not rolling up from the bottom. It is actually really quick. I also back comb a bit, not 80's crazy, but a little. If your hair is too sqeaky clean to hold a back comb you can always spray a bit if dry shampoo even on clean hair.

If you would rather blow dry waves try a little sea salt products for beachy waves.

[poppy523]

I have really fine hair, but have a lot of it too, if that helps. I have found that keeping mine short is the cutest look for me, but I am going against my own opinion and growing it out right now because I need to be able to put it up. I end up blowing mine straight then giving it wave with a curling iron and some sea salt spray. If you trust your stylist I would definitely tell her how you feel, you never know what suggestions she might have! I am always changing mine up to get rid of the blah!

[Deleted]

I bought a new curling iron in December and the thing is a game changer when it comes to styling hair. It was expensive, but it would be cheaper than a perm, and it is so worth it. It's the wand style, and it gets super hot, so you wear a glove. But I can curl my hair into pretty waves in less than 5 minutes.

I have puffy, mostly straight, kinda wavy hair too. So I dry my hair (or let it air dry), and then curl with this tool and it looks fab. Like just stepped out of the salon fab.

It's the Sultra Bombshell. I have the 1.5 inch one. Costco has them for $130.

[kleigh926]

I'm definitely going to try not washing it every day to see if that helps with anything. As far as curling it or using hot rollers- I thought about it but I really don't have the time or patience to do that in the morning. I am seriously terrible at curling hair- I just tried again and got the same-as-usual awful results. Right now it's almost too short to curl with rollers or a wand anyway. The point of a perm, for me, would be to have a style that I could just wash and go with a little product.

I am not jumping into this though, given my history with perms. I just called my stylist and I'm going in for a trim in a couple weeks. She said we can talk about different styling options then, and whether or not she thinks a perm would work well. Basically, I just wish I had different hair, probably like almost every other girl on the planet

[kleigh926]

Feb 2, 2015 14:33:57 GMT -5 @bruxannie said:

I bought a new curling iron in December and the thing is a game changer when it comes to styling hair. It was expensive, but it would be cheaper than a perm, and it is so worth it. It's the wand style, and it gets super hot, so you wear a glove. But I can curl my hair into pretty waves in less than 5 minutes.

I have puffy, mostly straight, kinda wavy hair too. So I dry my hair (or let it air dry), and then curl with this tool and it looks fab. Like just stepped out of the salon fab.

It's the Sultra Bombshell. I have the 1.5 inch one. Costco has them for $130.

A perm where I go is only $55  

I think once my hair gets longer, I might be able to curl it with a wand better. Possibly an option for the future. 

[Deleted]

Feb 2, 2015 14:35:52 GMT -5 kleigh926 said:

Feb 2, 2015 14:33:57 GMT -5 @bruxannie said:

I bought a new curling iron in December and the thing is a game changer when it comes to styling hair. It was expensive, but it would be cheaper than a perm, and it is so worth it. It's the wand style, and it gets super hot, so you wear a glove. But I can curl my hair into pretty waves in less than 5 minutes.

I have puffy, mostly straight, kinda wavy hair too. So I dry my hair (or let it air dry), and then curl with this tool and it looks fab. Like just stepped out of the salon fab.

It's the Sultra Bombshell. I have the 1.5 inch one. Costco has them for $130.

A perm where I go is only $55  

I think once my hair gets longer, I might be able to curl it with a wand better. Possibly an option for the future. 

fine, less than the cost of three perms!

The wand is great, can handle big chunks of hair and is really, really fast.  I'm really just amazed by it.

[kbates85]

OK, so I'm clearly in the minority BUT I have been dying to get a perm. That said, from the research I've done, when you get a perm it's more about finding a stylist that's familiar with perms NOT necessarily just a all around good stylist (if that makes since). To a achieve that wavy look with a perm (along the lines of the pic below) you really need to find someone with experience with this type of perm. I've heard that the best way to get this kind of look with a perm is to get a special perm called a "digital perm". Again, I emphasize the importance of finding someone with experience with this type of perm. I would do some serious yelp research if I were you. I still haven't done it because I'm nervous about that permanence of it. My issue is that my hair is basically straight but t DOES NOT HOLD ANY type of style EVER. It's so annoying. My hope with a perm would be that it significantly cut down on styling time as well as make it worth it because it would actually hold the style. Let us know what you decide!!

[summer]

Put me in the "lots of fine hair" camp. It can be really hard to style, especially because it is so heavy. Layering has worked the best for me, because my stylist can take out a lot of the volume but I can keep the length that I like (it's about armpit length right now). I either blow-dry straight in the morning or it goes in a ponytail because of the weird frizzy/oddly wavy quality of it. Most of the time, I go in to my stylist, tell her generally what I want from my hair, and then tell her to do whatever she thinks is best. It usually comes out pretty good! I just have no idea about what would work for my hair, and that's what they are trained to figure out, right?

I feel your pain, girl. But I would say no to another perm. It doesn't sound like they have been your friend.

[hangryhedgehog]

Feb 2, 2015 15:45:47 GMT -5 @sterling said:

I am picturing grandma curls when you say short hair with a perm. You need to PIP for me kleigh926 lest I think you're talking about some blue granny curls.

I agree, PIP what you are hoping it to look like. FWIW I have pain in the ass, wavy frizzy hair and I just got an A line long bob that I LOVE. It's just long enough to tie back but short enough that styling is fast.

[kleigh926]

@sterling, do these not look cute?!

kbates85, is that the pic you meant to post? Lol

[sagen]

They look cute, but my faith in perms is just not there, I think you would end up with fried crunchy looking hair. I could be wrong, maybe perms are better now a day.

[kleigh926]

Feb 2, 2015 16:40:39 GMT -5 sagen said:

They look cute, but my faith in perms is just not there, I think you would end up with fried crunchy looking hair. I could be wrong, maybe perms are better now a day.

My faith in perms isn't quite there either, lol.

That second pic is pretty curly, I probably wouldn't go that curly. And my hair is longer than that too. I just thought it was cute.

[colinsfebmommy]

I feel like that second pic is going to age you....I am with PP I think perm and I think little old lady getting her monthly one done.

[kleigh926]

@sterling I agree with you. Probably just wishful thinking that a perm would look that good. The second one especially looks natural IMO.

[kleigh926]

Feb 2, 2015 18:33:01 GMT -5 @sterling said:

Feb 2, 2015 18:31:10 GMT -5 kleigh926 said:

@sterling I agree with you. Probably just wishful thinking that a perm would look that good. The second one especially looks natural IMO.

And, uh, the first girl is black. I'm betting her hair has some natural curl to it. Just a hunch.

Yes, true. Haha. I just thought the second one looked bouncier. They're both most likely not perms, although I wish they were so that my hair could look like that.

[bluehairdontcare]

I'm sorry, but every time I try to read "perm", the 5 year old in my head reads "sperm". Just say no to spunk in your hair.

[sagen]

Feb 2, 2015 19:45:41 GMT -5 bluehairdontcare said:

I'm sorry, but every time I try to read "perm", the 5 year old in my head reads "sperm". Just say no to spunk in your hair.

I don't know, it might gel it nicely. 

[bluehairdontcare]

Feb 2, 2015 20:10:35 GMT -5 sagen said:

Feb 2, 2015 19:45:41 GMT -5 bluehairdontcare said:

I'm sorry, but every time I try to read "perm", the 5 year old in my head reads "sperm". Just say no to spunk in your hair.

I don't know, it might gel it nicely. 

If we refer to "Something About Mary", it does give excellent volume. 

[kleigh926]

Well I think I may have been talked out of the perm idea. How I want it to look is never how it actually ends up looking, which is the case with pretty much everything hair-related for me, but a perm is a pretty big commitment that I have not had good luck with in the past. I think I will talk to my stylist about products/cuts/ways to style my hair that might work better.

But I am not asking her about putting sperm in my hair

[itsmetarheel]

Chiming in with two things:

1. This thread took a hilarious turn and I appreciate that.

2. I have naturally curly hair and it is a betch. I flat iron the shit out of it on a daily basis. If you got a perm, you would feel my pain. It kind of traps you into having to wear your hair curly, or fighting it to the death to get it to do anything else. That's my two cents.

[itsmetarheel]

<----wish I had Matthew Gray Gubler's hair

[Gftf7]

Feb 2, 2015 20:10:35 GMT -5 sagen said:

Feb 2, 2015 19:45:41 GMT -5 bluehairdontcare said:

I'm sorry, but every time I try to read "perm", the 5 year old in my head reads "sperm". Just say no to spunk in your hair.

I don't know, it might gel it nicely. 

Wasn't that a scene in "Something About Mary"?! Ha!

Duh... After I posted, it took me to page 2. Never mind. Carry on.

[aydee]

kleigh926 See the thing about those pictures, is that whether those models had a perm or not, somebody spent a long time getting their hair to look that perfectly curly and smooth.

Speaking as a curly girl, the reality of curly hair is that it isn't just wash and go. If I don't wash, condition, and put product in my hair every morning and then allow some time to air dry before finishing with a blowdryer, it's a terrible mess. Even when I spend a lot of time on it, it's still often frizzy and not the smooth bouncy curls I wish I had.

It doesn't really matter what type of hair a person has, I've come to the conclusion that the only way to make it really look good is to put some time and effort into styling it. Sucks, but it's reality. I've also come to accept that while my kids are young, I'm probably not going to have that many great hair days.

I would skip the perm for now and see what other ideas your stylist has for you.

[itsmetarheel]

Feb 2, 2015 22:05:04 GMT -5 aydee said:

kleigh926 See the thing about those pictures, is that whether those models had a perm or not, somebody spent a long time getting their hair to look that perfectly curly and smooth.

Speaking as a curly girl, the reality of curly hair is that it isn't just wash and go. If I don't wash, condition, and put product in my hair every morning and then allow some time to air dry before finishing with a blowdryer, it's a terrible mess. Even when I spend a lot of time on it, it's still often frizzy and not the smooth bouncy curls I wish I had.

It doesn't really matter what type of hair a person has, I've come to the conclusion that the only way to make it really look good is to put some time and effort into styling it. Sucks, but it's reality. I've also come to accept that while my kids are young, I'm probably not going to have that many great hair days.

I would skip the perm for now and see what other ideas your stylist has for you.

YES. So true.

[poppy523]

I also have naturally curly hair. Unless you take a small curling iron to it you are not going to get smooth perfect corkscrews, unfortunately. It takes product, a difuser and curling iron to get a perfect head of curls, not to mention a lot of time :/