Washing and styling your hair is an exhausting process that takes hours, and even your hairstylists complain about just how much hair you have – yup welcome to the world of a thick haired girl. While people are always commenting on how lucky you are to have such lush, voluminous locks, only you know the real struggles you go through to tame your excess tresses. We give you a few handy tips on how to have thick hair and manage it that will definitely help you appreciate all that hair more.
1. Don’t Rush
Thick hair is prone to frizz. The fact that it takes forever to dry can make us pretty impatient. What you should ideally do, especially during the summer heat and humidity is let your hair air dry for a little bit before styling it with your blow dryer. Once you’ve finished taming it, and it’s completely dry, give it a shot of cool air (the setting is there for a reason). Wait for 10 minutes and spray it with a smoothing, light hold spray like TIGI Bed Head Spoil Me Hair Styler before heading out. This will ensure that your locks don’t frizz up during the course of the day and all your careful styling stays in place.
2. Skip the Shampoo
Believe it or not but these remedies for thick hair work with well for girls with very thick, frizzy hair as they can get away with skipping a shampoo or two without worrying about that unattractive greasy look. It’s tougher for your natural oils to get distributed across all your hair compared to fine hair, which means your hair is drier in comparison. Plus, we all know that shampoo strips moisture from your hair, so do yourself a favour and spread out those hair washes. It’s actually a blessing not to have to go through the whole wash and style process as often as girls with finer hair. If you feel like your hair is rough or brittle, you can wet it and condition the ends without bothering with the shampoo sometimes for softer strands.
3. Get Rid Of The Wrong Products
A girl with lots of hair needs to be a bit product savvy in order manage her mane. Your locks are naturally voluminous (yay!), so stay clear of volumizing mousses and sprays – trust us, you don’t need them. A good smoothing, anti-frizz serum (something with argan oil in it) is what you should use instead and if you have wavy-ish hair that’s high on frizz then you should try using a leave-in conditioner for some extra moisture. Also, thick hair is quite prone to attracting loads of dirt and grime so a good clarifying shampoo like Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo is a must.
4. The Right Tools Will Be Your BFFs For Life
Girls with thick hair can only scoff at the little combs and flimsy hairbrushes that their friends use and offer when they want to fix their hair on a night out. Remedies for thick hair require more sturdy tools like a boar bristle brush to get rid of knots and to bring a healthy shine. Also, a high-wattage professional hair dryer should be on the top of your beauty arsenal to help tame unruly hair. Seriously, we can never travel without it.
5. Work In Sections
It’s always more effective to divide your hair and work in sections while styling or applying products to your mane, rather than trying to tame your hair all at once (that’s exactly how the professionals do), which is especially helpful with thick hair as you could end up with parts that you missed, leading to a not-so-great look. Divide your hair into 4 sections – 2 in the front and 2 in the back while blow-drying to really help tame frizz, and for a look that will last longer.
6. Channel The Power Of A Ponytail
Putting your hair back into a cute ponytail on a bad hair day is completely fine, and doesn’t mean that your thick hair has gotten the better of you. They’re every girl’s go to for perfectly hiding not-so perfect hair, and help you channel some effortless style. Plus, other girls wish their ponytails were as full and lush as yours so keep that in mind. Also, flirty braids are perfect for your hair as thick braids look, and hold better in your hair.
7. It’s All In The Cut
Your haircut makes all the difference to how fab your hair looks and can help keep an unmanageable mane in check. Thanks to all that volume, it’s always safer to grow out your locks for some weight to hold them down. Long layers are a must to add a nice shape, to provide movement, and to help make your mane easier to manage. Also, a stylist who understands thick hair will thin and texturise your locks to remove excess weight, help your haircut sit better, and to really make your hair easier to manage.
If you’re one of those who loves going bold and think long hair is too boring for you, then try going short with a versatile bob. Any girl with thick hair is apprehensive about cropping her hair short, but a shorter style that is longer in the front than in the back can help keep all that volume in check. Who said a thick haired girl couldn’t rock a LOB?!
GIF: Crushable.com
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