=( Girls, please help

I've been going through this hair dilemma. So I have big curly poofy hair. I USED to get it straightened regularly at a hair salon-atleast once a week. They'd do the rolls, then put me in this hair dryer for 1hr and then blow dry it straight.

After a while I got tired of the same routine and a friend recomended me to do the Japanese straightening method. I tried it and it was like ... great. No more frizz, no more dealing with my big ol' head of hair. Now I got this done MORE than a year ago. So by now it's all grown out and curly again. Actually, there's a bit of straightness left, but it's only like an inch. I know I could've retouched it, but I couldn't imagaine doing that for the rest of my life. It is $$$$$, ya know?

So now that the curly is back, I don't want to go back to the same routine of going to the salon weekly. Money is tight nowadays, so why not just do it at home? Problem is, my hair doesn't come out too nice when I do it myself. I do the blowdry my hair till it's dry, then straighten it with the blowdryer, then lastly iron it with the straightening iron, but for some reason it comes out big at the top. =( Unlike when I get it done @ the salon, it comes out all nice and flowy.

I hate my big ol' head of hair. Sorry for making this long, but I just needed to rant and @ the same time seek for help. Are there any methods I could use to achieve what I'm looking for? Am I doing something wrong? Please help =(

actually hun . IMHO japanese hair straightening should onli be done once in your lifetime... i swear it strips everything good out of your hair. Maybe invest in a Chi ?

I had my hair straightened permanently in a salon too. my bro/and sis and me have my dad's hair. Thick, coarse, wavy ...

... well ... now my curly hair is growing back and i just straighten it out w/a Chi. Using Heat Protectant too of course. and it onli takes a couple of minutes 10min tops

Hmm, invest in a Chi straightening iron? Because I'm pretty sure they have hair products aswell, right? I wouldn't know which iron to chose though because there's so many! Def. going to look into getting a Chi.

I'm still opened for suggestions though!

I use a CHI iron and since my hair is not really wavy or anything it takes me less than 10 minutes to do mine. I recommend it too. Also, another suggestion is to find some products that you could use to tame your curly hair and maybe wear it curly.

why not wear your hair curly? if you learned how to do it curly at home and make it look good i think it would be a lot easier than having to flat iron it all the time. then you could go to the salon and get it straightened for special occasions

i do hair all day at work. on everyone that wants me to style it curly i put in a curl cream, then twist sections all over the head around my finger. so it kind of looks like dreadlocks (does that make sense?). it doesnt take that long really then you can let in air dry or diffuse it and it looks so good when its dry. really ringletty and kind of ropey curl with no frizz!!!

worth a try before you commit to straightening it again.....

all good ideas! If you go with the CHI - I would get the Original CHI (not the turbo) and get the smaller one so that you can get closer to the root. Blow dry it straight first, and use a heat proectant, for sure. CHI does make products... they have an Iron Guard spray that will help... also their straight guard cream will help loosen curls. I also like StraightSexyHair.... the Power Straight balm is great!!

I say embrace yor curls! Go to a salon where the stylist knows how to cut curly hair. That is always a HUGE problem! The stylist who does mine cuts it dry so she can see it. If it is cut wet, you can't tell where the hair curls and so it ends up looking like a big poof ball. I had that same 'look' for a great portion of my life.

I don't know where you live but check out naturallycurly.com They list salons and stylists who know curly hair. That is how I found my stylist. She is expensive but worth it. And I will go without a cut before I will go to someone who doesn't know curls. If they wet your hair before they cut, get the heck out of there!!! Run!! run!!

If you got Japanese straightening and it's supposed to last a lifetime, then I would go back to the salon you got it done at and talk to them.....or at least call them. They should have a record of your visit.

I recommend you go over to naturallycurly.com and see what curl type you are, then start reading through the posts as to what hair products would work best for you. It was there I discovered I'm a 2A/B curl type & that products like spray gels work better for me than a gel,which is too heavy, and a mousee, which is too light. The women over there can help you learn to maximize your natural hair, and even love it.

Embracing your curls is a really good idea, especially if they're really really curly. Just scrunch some mousse in and you're done !! Or you can straighten it like once a week and after just go curly, however you like. That's what I do, instead of blow-drying my frizzy hair straight every day.

i'm sorry you don't know what to do and are frustrated i do agree with karrieanne when she said embrace your curls. i'd love to have curly hair! i think you should focus on finding things that works for your hair.

have you thought about a relaxer? i understand that they work pretty well on all hair textures. the relaxer is used primarly by women of color to tame kinky, poofy hair. check with your stylist. i'm sure it's not nearly as expense as the japaneze treatment. i wore a relaxer for years before i decided to go natural.