Bad Hair Day(s)...
 

It’s that time of year again… when the heat, humidity, and rain wreak havoc on hair. On top of struggling with the usual hair issues, people are dealing with the summer weather. Use this thread to discuss what to do!


My dilemma:

I guess you could say I have thinner hair. It is generally pretty oily at the roots (I can’t go more than 24 hours without washing it, like I know some girls can – otherwise, it looks disgusting). I blowdry and straighten it every day… I have to. If I don’t, it gets wavy, and not in a good way. Most of my hair is pretty dry, but I have to shampoo numerous times in order to cut down on the oil in the roots.

99% of the time, my hair looks great before I leave my house in the morning. But...

When it’s humid, raining, or foggy/misty, it goes flat, and the bottom half gets wavy and frizzy. And when I go on vacation south of the border, my entire head is one big wavy, frizzy mess, no matter how long I spend on it.

Can anyone give me some suggestions for shampoos, conditioners, products, etc. that I can use to solve this?! I’ve only tried a handful of products that can be found in most Wal-Marts, CVSs, grocery stores, and the like. Every time I do, I end up disappointed, because I buy the shampoo that dries out my hair, but then the frizziness kicks in.. or I buy the spray that smoothes my hair, but then it makes my hair look greasy. What can I do?! I’m willing to order anything that might work, even if it’s a little more on the expensive side. I’ve never gone crazy with products, because every time I buy something, it’s a disaster. I’m willing to spend a little more money, but I only want to do so if I know there’s a good chance the product will work in my hair. I understand that not everyone's hair is the same, but if I get some good suggestions here, I'm willing to go through a little trial-and-error to find the right items for me and my hair.

I’ve Googled “oily, frizzy hair” numerous times, but I find that there’s a different answer on every site I click on. The only things that I’ve seen mentioned two or more times are:

Use Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner for oily hair
Use Dove’s shampoo and conditioner for dry hair
Use hair serums to minimize frizziness
Use a deep conditioner/hair mask once a week

Can anyone help?!

Put Sea Breeze on your scalp and don't wash as often. If you're washing every day PLUS blow drying and straightening it's no wonder your hair is frizzy.

Plus, regular blow drying, straightening, curling, etc. stimulates oil production at the roots.

This is exactly my dilemma! With oily roots, I have no choice but to wash it every day. And with washing comes blowdrying and straightening, because if I don't, my hair is flat and wavy.

What will Sea Breeze do/what is it?

Everyone out there who read this and thought "holy crap I feel old", raise your hand.

Sea Breeze is an astringent. It'll suck up the oil.

http://www.amazon.com/Breeze-Astring.../dp/B000FSAZY8

You can get the big-ass bottle pictured at Sally Beauty Supply, but I would try the smaller bottle from the drugstore first and see if it works. Don't get the blue bottle, it won't do anything for the purpose you want it for.

I CAN'T FIND SEABREEZE ANYMORE!

I was having more breakouts than usual, so I went looking for an astringent and found a bunch that were REAL PROUD ($$$) of their product, and when the sales lady asked if she could help, I asked where the Seabreeze was, and she told me she hadn't seen any in awhile. :(


ETA: Yes, I feel old. Pass me my reading glasses and needlepoint, please.

Look on the bottom shelf.

Go to the locally owned drugstore that has items on the shelves from the Clinton administration.

Go to Sally's. They have the old-school graphic on it, but I don't think it is the truly old stuff. Clairol no longer makes it, it's one of their products they sold to Idelle Labs (WTF??).

Oh, um.. I mean.. Yes! Sea Breeze! That stuff is works wonderfully! It um.. really is amazing! I used it just last week, and it’s spectacular. From what I understand, all the teenagers and twenty-somethings think it’s the coolest stuff around..

:p

I will try that.

I'm not so much for paying $19.99 for 10oz of minty alcohol...unless I'm at the Kentucky Derby, and it comes in a pewter cup.

So are there any other products that are similar to Sea Breeze, in case I can’t find any?

And if I shouldn’t blowdry/straighten my hair, what do I do so it isn’t wavy/flat? Keep in mind that I also have a cowlick at the back/top of my head on one side, so the only way to cover it is to blowdry and brush the hair over it repeatedly.

(This is why I seriously hate my hair. LOL).

What about using a dry shampoo to help suck up the oil? I like the Suave Professionals one (yellow cap) and it's only about $2.50 or so at Walmart.

Have you tried that new Garnier product (sorry, I forget the exact name) that is supposed to leave your hair in blowout condition for 7 washes? I tried it... it helped some, but I also have THICK hair.

Any chance you can find a way to embrace the wave? I don't have much room to talk, as I do the same as you to try to tame mine, but I always wonder if there's some way to just let mine be natural and still not look like a poof-ball.

^^^
Use dry shampoo! Just sprinkle a little in your hair and it absorbs the oil so you can go a few days with out washing. Just be careful if you have dark hair to not sprinkle too much, then it looks like you have dandruff.

your hair could also be getting greasier because you wash it every day to over compensate. you could try this method - No Shampoo. It uses baking soda and apple cider vinegar (not at the same time :P) instead of traditional shampoo and conditioner

Someone mentioned this to me, but I've never had any luck with any other Suave products, so I shyed away from it. Maybe I'll try it.. for only $2.50, why not?!

I've never heard of this product you speak of. But I'll definitely look for it!

And this wave isn't cute by any means. haha. I don't even know that I'd call it a wave. It's more like the top half of my hair is flat, and the bottom has a slight wave/curl in it toward the bottom (my hair is at my shoulders). And again, it just looks blah. It pretty much looks the same if I don't blowdry/straighten it as it does when the humidity/rain gets to it.

I'll see if I can find a picture online (or even one of myself) to show you what I'm talking about...

I thought of this thread yesterday....

My husband's new project while he's job-hunting is clipping coupons with the kids. While I was getting them organized to start, I happened to notice a coupon for.....Sea Breaze! It was like $1.50 off. Back in my day, that would have made it almost free. Has anyone seen my walker?

Here you go AF. I remember this ALWAYS playing during American Bandstand on Saturdays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SVpRvZi-Mc

I have to say it - once you've tried to do the hair of woman of color's hair, no white woman should be allowed to say that she's having a Bad Hair Day!

My foster cousin's poor daughter finally laughs at my attempts to do her hair, instead of running from me with fear on her face. If you've seen The Princess Diaries, when the hairdresser breaks his brush on the princess's hair, well, that was me.

PS: I say this out of very real sympathy. I completely understand why so many black women wear hats to "occasions".

Oh, trust me.. I can definitely have a bad hair day. However, I also understand what you're saying. One of my best friends from college is black, and her hair is, well.. she would DREAD washing it, because it meant she'd have to spend 2 hours after that trying to get it to behave. We would get ready to go out on Friday nights together, and I stood next to her while she tried to do this.. and I didn't envy her at all. I also didn't blame her for wearing scarfs/bandanas on her head to class. Hell, even I had my hat days :)

Baby powder for oil

I tried that. I had to use so much of it that it made my hair white. LOL

I think we have very similar hair, but different climates. I live in a dry and not very humid climate with very hard water, but when it is humid or I travel I get the curls and frizz. My hair has definite waves and curls but I keep it pretty long and that weighs it down. I've found a few hair styles that keep it back or up and they make it to a second day. Usually product for smoothing then clip it up so it dries in nice waves and it spares a day of heat styling, or minimizes the amount of heat needed.

In regards to shampoo I use a couple different ones throughout the week. I've got a shampoo that helps with the hard water darkening my hair, so if you're blonde that is useful, and it helps with the oil. I sometimes have to wash my hair twice, so the first shampoo is to get rid of the oil, and the second is for the hard water. I also use the head & shoulders oily if I have some itchy or flakey action, but just the shampoo, not the conditioner. The best shampoo I use though is Matrix Normalizing, it has a slight citrus scent and works great. I previously used Neutrogena Clean but I'm allergic to some ingredients, it may not be an issue for you. There's also a bar shampoo from One that is for oily hair and I like it a lot, especially for camping.

I rarely use conditioner, and if I do only on the end of my hair. In the summer I use Paul Mitchell Color Protect because I'm outdoors a lot. Since conditioner really weighs my hair down and doesn't help the oily issue, I use a spray on treatment or something a styling product that will do double duty. Aveeno Nourish & Condition leave in treatment sprays on, I comb my hair, and it does a great job even when I don't blow dry or straighten my hair. I think if you're doing heat styling daily you may be using too much product and could cut back on conditioner if you have a really good styling product. Ends get the frizziest anyway, so just using a tiny amount on the ends may give you protection without oiling up your scalp. Biolage Matrix Smoothing Serum with a very light application did triple duty as conditioner, heat styling protectant, and keeping the frizz at bay.

I switch products a lot and get things at Sephora. Since I have allergies to chemicals I've had very good luck with Sephora and my one trip to Ulta, and they carry a lot online. Bumble & Bumble hair powder is even better that it now comes in colors so that could solve the issue of baby powder giving you an antique look. Keeping the ends trimmed and avoiding split ends will help cut down on frizz and the halo effect.

My bad hair days mean my hair is poker straight with no volume. Seriously considering a body perm after this week.