Dry Coarse Hair

Updated on June 14, 2012
A.K. asks from Omaha, NE
10 answers

Hi Mamas! (& Papas)
I have extremely thick, coarse curly hair. It feels like straw when its dry. I have tried everything it seems, hot oil treatments,, leave in conditioners but my hair still does not feel soft. I flat iron it sometimes and can go a while without having to wash my hair but when its curly i wash it every other day at most so I don't think I am overdrying by washing it too much. I use moisturizing shampoo & conditioner with no luck. Anything that you guys find to make your hair feel soft? When its curly I don't use a ton of product on it and none of my products contain alcohol which would dry it out. Thanks for your help!

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

i use aussi three min leave in conditioner as well as there spray leave in condidtioner. if i am wanting a lot of controll when flat ironing i put aussi moose in my hair before blow drying! (i live near the gulf of mexico and its humid...my hair goes afro on me quickly). i get dandruf easily so i use tgel shampooh. then before flat ironing i use silk therapy but my salon has switched to chi iron solution.

i have never ever been to a salon where they did not comment on how thick my hair is and they had"never seen hair this thick before". its super dry, and has a wave or loose ringlets if left wet to dry. hope these things help. in a rush i skip the moose and spray condidtioner and am a true beliver in the aussi three min leave in conditioner!!!!

I really want to try Wen but havent yet!!! perhaps its cheaper than what the other poster described????

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

I have battled this my entire life and have a couple of thoughts:

1) Brazilian straightening works great on my hair. I've stopped doing it, though, because I worry about some of the agents they use in the process.

2) Via a long, drawn out process of detoxifying my son, and deciphering some of his health issues, I have learned that I have an MTHFR genetic mutation. I take a special type of folic, and seem to need more biotin (a certain type of B vitamin) than most people. I feel like I don't absorb B vitamins easily. When I stay diligent in these areas my hair tends to be less frizzy (though it's still plenty curly).

I would not start supplements without professional advice. I've had better results with alternative MD's and health care practitioners than I have in the mainstream medicine world.

I truly believe that our skin and our hair can be external signs of our internal health sometimes.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Something else to consider...

Your hair can also reflect the nutrients in your diet. Do you eat a lot of low-fat things? If so, this can be a big culprit. Your hair, skin and nails need fats in your diet in order to be healthy. Hydration - with water - is also key.

Don't be afraid of fats, but take in the right ones. Use olive oil in your cooking, eat fatty fish such as salmon (and/or take an Omega-3 supplement) consider a vitamin E supplement and use real butter. Just keep things as natural as you can, definitely avoid trans fats (used in processed foods and fast food oils) and hydrate - you'll see what it means to be beautiful from your inside out!

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from New York on

My hair can be very dry and course when I don't take really excellent care of it. For me that means saturating my hair with a special tea I create from natural hebs. Locking in the moisture with some kind of natural oil that penetrates the hair shaft.

Mainstream products don't work well on my hair which is why I have given up on them all together. I recently came across a brand of natural shampoo and conditioner at Target which seems to work well. It has shea butter in it.

If you want the formula I use to create the tea, PM me. Also raw honey for a conditioner makes my hair particularly soft. I also like vanilla greek yogurt too. Often don't have the time for deep conditioning more than once a month but with summer beginning soon, I will have too.

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M.O.

answers from New York on

Me too! Same kind of hair, I mean. Maybe we share an ancestor, way back ;). The only thing my hair "listens" to is keratin treatments. These are expensive, but the results are wonderful. I also think you can wash even a tad less. I shampoo twice a week and condition daily.

Cheers,

Mira

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E.S.

answers from New York on

Wow, you are totally me!!! My hair looks like straw would if straw had tight curls.

I use Giovanni conditioner as my styling product. It really helps the frizz and leaves my hair softer. Giovanni is organic so it's sans alcohol and anything that ends in "ene."

I did the Brazilian straightening once but suffered so much flat iron damage, it took me a year to heal my hair.

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G.R.

answers from St. Louis on

My niece recommends Moroccan argan oil. She is a hairstyist. You can get it at Sally's beauty supply I also found it at walmart. Good Luck.

J.B.

answers from Kansas City on

My hair has always been dry and frizzy. I had tried the hot oil treatments, etc, to no avail. The only product I've found that works well for me is Matrix sleek look. But I have to use all three products - shampoo, conditioner and styling creme.

Another thought would be to go no 'poo. Not sure if you've heard about the trend, but it basically means that you stop shampooing and let your body's natural oils take over. (You still wash it with water, I think - I haven't read enough about it yet - CrunchyBetty.com has great info.) Anyway, it's supposed to help people with really dry hair as it naturally rebalances the moisture levels.

Good luck!

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

I have the same hair. I have to get it wet everyday, but I only shampoo twice a week and condition daily. Sometimes I will flat iron it, and wear it straight for a week without washing. After a week it is just starting to feel oily, but then when I wash it my hair is super soft.

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N.W.

answers from Eugene on

My hair is no longer thick but it is still coarse, dry and wavy/frizzy. I quit using the flat iron. And started using serum to tame the frizz and I run my fingers through my hair with a little almond oil on my wet hands once a day or so. It smooths, adds shine and takes away the dry look and feel.

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