Reader question: How to care for thick, wavy hair

Hair

Nov 16

Hi Liz! First off, lemme just say that I am a BIG fan of Projectvanity.com and I always make it a point to check for updates when I go online. I really admire your sense of style and enjoy your no-nonsense reviews.

Now pardon my presumption in emailing you, but since I admire and trust your fashion and beauty sense, I thought I'd ask your advice. My thirteen-year-old sister has wavy hair much like yours, but it's very thick, dry and frizzy, and she's been getting quite self-conscious about it. My question is simple, what salon or home treatment have you tried that you would recommend as a remedy? Bearing in mind that she's still quite young and I wouldn't let her try anything that might potentially damage it. That's all, really. I'm sure you're a very busy person, but I would really appreciate a response. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Hi Paola! My gosh! Thanks so much for following Project Vanity! :D I always love hearing from readers.

Now about your question. You hit the mark - hair is something I'm really conscious about. Your sister and I seem to have the same hair and same problems. I was so bothered about my hair that when I was 15 I had my hair chemically straightened every six months until I was 17. I am still suffering the effects; now my hair is thinning and hair fall is a major problem. So if you or your sister is considering it - even when she's 20 or 25 - try not to. The cost, side effects, and maintenance is not worth it.

I think the key to having great hair is to adjust one's view of what great hair is. Right now, I am loving my wavy hair. I always wear it up (for convenience, also because I try not to apply any product on it as much as possible), but when I wear it as it is with only minimal styling, everyone thinks I had it digipermed or something! I'm sure the same goes for your sister. It's a matter of looking at things differently. Perhaps you guys can look online for pictures of glamorous women with thick wavy hair - there are lots!

Vanessa of Gossip Girl

Now that's out of the way, we can go on to products. For my hair, I like using a clear hair serum while it's damp. This manages the frizz and adds extra shine to the hair. I love Citre Shine (~P400), but a cheaper and similar version can be found from a brand named Hortaleza Professional available in HBC personal care stores. Luminux 2 Smoothing Serum is only roughly P100! Have your sister work the serum through her hair, starting from the area where her ears are. Why? Because she should avoid getting the serum on her scalp. It will make the area feel gross and oily, weighing down the hair.

To separate the lovely waves, I recommend using mousse afterwards. It can tone down the thickness of her hair as well as emphasize its natural shape and curves. Apply the mouse in a scrunching motion all over her hair, also avoiding the scalp. Focus on the ends. I love the Finesse mousse, which I am currently using (around P300). Other ones I've tried and liked are: V05 Curling Mousse (~P200) and White Rain (~P150).

For maintenance, I suggest she use a heavy conditioner to moisturize the hair. Frizziness is usually caused by dryness. I like Lorys Hair Cream (P350) as a deep conditioning treatment once in a while (mostly because I'm lazy haha) but normally it should be used twice a week. Have her leave it on for at least 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Like I mentioned above, I try not to load product on my hair as much as possible because of my hair fall problem. I only do the serum-mousse routine when I'm going somewhere special and I'm letting my hair down. Otherwise I just use my HG shampoo/conditioner, the Himalaya Herbals Protein Shampoo withConditioner (P89).