Defined Curls

Man with African hair
Photo: Samuel Borges Photography/Shutterstock
Q: Hey there. Finally, I found a legit site where it seems people really understand my hair issues! I am an African-American male with I guess you can say Indian-looking hair. When it's very short, it's straight and then becomes very wavy.
 
When my curls grow in, they look nice for a while but then start to look as if I have a dried up S-curl in my hair no matter what I do. I have tried a million products. One time, I misted this product into my hair that my mother had on the shelf 2 nights in a row before bed.
 
I didn't spray my hair again, but for a good month my hair was so defined it was ridiculous. My waves were so deep and indented and laying flat against my head regardless of length. There was absolutely never any frizz. Even when my hair grew long every ounce of my hair laid so close to my scalp and when my curls came in they were so defined and I didn't have to struggle with them in the morning.
 
Please help me, I can't for the life of me remember what the product was and I refuse to waste any more money. Your help would honestly be greatly appreciated.
 
A: With the sheer number of products that have been made for treating the hair in the last decade alone, I would have to be clairvoyant to be able to tell you what you used that gave you such satisfying results. Since I’m not psychic, let’s approach this from another direction:
 
It sounds as though your hair may be in need of conditioning. Remember that your hair should be conditioned every day, even if you don’t shampoo it... and especially if you do. Rinse the conditioner from your hair using tepid or lukewarm water at most – the cooler the better.
 
Towel the hair dry by patting and blotting the hair to press out the excess moisture. Once towel-dried, apply an anti-frizz serum to the hair and comb it though to distribute it evenly using a wide-tooth comb. If you blow-dry your hair, you should also be using a spray-on leave-in conditioner on the hair and a diffuser attachment on the dryer itself.
 
You may also want to use weekly deep-conditioning or hot-oil treatments to help restore and retain the hair’s moisture.
 
Having healthy, well-conditioned and manageable hair is a process, and you have to keep to your hair care routine for lasting results. Considering your hair type, you might also want to consider one of the various “oil sheen” products or “shine enhancers” available on the market.
 
Oil sheen sprays typically use heavier oils and are for coarser hair types, while shine enhancers generally use light fruit oils and are great for finer hair types. Both help to seal and smooth the cuticle layer of the hair and leave the hair smoother and shinier.
 
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