Dry and Frizzy hair

Young girl with wavy hair — Photo: Halfpoint/Shutterstock

Q: My 11-year-old daughter has full, dry wavy hair. We are constantly buying different conditioners, humectants, coconut oils, etc. but nothing really seems to help. Her hair is long and is cut straight across. She refuses to wear it down, only in ponytails because she hates the "frizzy" look.

Is there a hair cut that would work for her hair type or a certain product that would work to moisturize her hair? I'm afraid it affects her self-esteem at this age, and I would really like her to be proud of her beautiful, wavy, full head of hair. Thank you.

A: It’s possible that it’s not the products themselves, but perhaps the grooming routine that is the trouble with your daughter being able to maintain the moisture levels in her hair.

You don’t specify how often she shampoos, but I would encourage her to shampoo her hair at most two or three times a week, and on the days in between, either use a rinse-through conditioner alone instead of shampoo and conditioner. If having to dry her hair daily is a problem, then skip the rinse-through and just use a spray-on, leave-in conditioner and a smoothing serum. I can recommend Infusium 23 and Silk Drops.

I also recommend using the Infusium and Silk Drops in the hair even if she does use the rinse-through conditioner, for the added smoothing and conditioning. She should also give her hair a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week. To do this, use your favorite conditioner - or get a tub of cholesterol from your beauty supply shop - and apply the conditioner or cholesterol liberally to the hair and cover with a plastic cap.

Use a blow dryer on low airflow settings, or a hooded dryer, or even towels warmed in the clothes dryer and wrapped around the head to warm the hair for about 20-30 minutes. Then rinse the conditioner from the hair. If you used cholesterol, then you’ll want to shampoo the hair after the treatment.

Note: some hair types don’t need the heavy conditioning treatment of cholesterol. Cholesterol is generally only recommended for coarser hair types. I would not recommend it for use on fine hair or thin hair as the added weight will leave the hair flat.

Once you know that you are addressing the hair’s needs on the proper routine, you can consider the haircut. Some layering will help to reduce the bulkiness of your daughter’s hair, and if she prefers the look of “one-length” hair, she can have the layering done underneath the hair to allow the hair to lie flatter, without the layers showing. However, with the right layering and texturing, she may find she really likes the wave her hair has.

It sounds like the key here is making sure the hair is getting conditioning from a number of sources. You should also look closely and what environmental factors the hair is exposed to. Avoid leaving the hair loose or uncovered in heavy winds, and in the winter, be aware that going from damp cold exteriors to warm, dry interiors can leech the moisture from the hair rapidly.

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See also:

What exactly is deep conditioning?

Basic hair care

Causes and solutions for dry hair

How to tame frizzy hair