Flat bottom and underside, curly top?

kellygreen49 · 04-09-2010, 09:50 AM

Hi ladies! It's been awhile!

Update on how my hair is doing:

Flat bottom and underside, curly top?-favvvvvvvvvvvvvv.jpg

Used Big and Sexy Shampoo, conditioner, and mousse.

Flat bottom and underside, curly top?-me1.jpg

Using Big and Sexy shampoo/conditioner, AG Re:coil, and Redken Curl Gel for Fine hair.

Flat bottom and underside, curly top?-dress.jpg

Using Giovanni Route 66 sulfate free poo, GVP balm (tiny dime sized amount as rinse out), AG Re:coil, Redken Curl Gel for Fine hair.

Even though I haven't been sticking to the CG routine, I am learning quite a bit about my hair lately:

My hair is a very fine texture like my Mother's even though the curl clumps don't make it look so.
I am over conditioned... surface frizz, mushy hair, hair falling out.
My hair may be lacking protein, even if it is sensitive to soy protein. I did an Egg/Mayo/Olive Oil treatment instead of my conditioning DT and it gave me the same results as one. It did get rid of a little "soft" mushiness, but it wasn't a cure all.
I have an oily scalp. I figured this out as my hair kept sticking to my scalp, even though I rake and shake.
Salons have no clue what to do with my hair. Which is awkward since I go to my reletive's and I can't just quit to go to a Curly Girl approved salon.

I still love my hair texture and curl... except for my flat bottom that I can never seem to fix. It also gets flat on the underside of my hair. I have been letting my hair strictly air dry. I've tried scrunching as it dries naturally which helps a bit, but I still end up with flat ends. My hair today (bumming around the house in my hoodie):

Flat bottom and underside, curly top?-flat-bottom.jpg

(I got my hair dyed last week)

Flat bottom and underside, curly top?-flat-bottom2.jpg

I think I need a different drying method or different product application? But I'm not sure what to use. Plopping was starting to give me those same flat ends. I make sure to use plenty of gel, even though that makes my top part looks poodle-y and barely gives my bottom any curl. My hair has been growing pretty rapidly since I started massaging jojoba oil into it once a month with a scalp massage... and I think that the length of it may be weighing it down as it did before I got the huge chop (see my Fotki if you're curious).

I know this isn't a HUGE deal, but it has been something that's just bothering me about my hair.

kellygreen49 · 04-10-2010, 09:47 PM

bump >.<

wavyblonde · 04-11-2010, 02:09 AM

Your curls are wonderful! I wish mine did that around my face so beautifully!

That said, I have the same problem with a different, looser curl pattern underneath. I haven't figured out what to do about it, other than using a harder hold gel on those parts and diffusing.

BlueBalloon · 04-12-2010, 10:02 AM

I have the same straight hair in the same place as you. My hair is not fine, so YMMV. I'll tell you what I've figured out so far... Pinning up the back of your hair in duck clips while wet may help. Also washing upside-down helps me a lot. Cut the protein if it's not working for you.

Aside from that, you may really need to not let your relative cut your hair. I don't know your situation... but the key to managing hair with a straight underlayer is to get a haircut that covers it. I've seen other threads on this problem... Bad haircuts lead to stringlets hanging out from the underside of your hair. I've had to touch up haircuts that I got at salons because they left that layer too long. It's not that hard to do with longer hair, but I don't know about about your length.

Good luck with your hair. Take your time and keep learning! It looks awesome.