Completely frustruated and intimidated by my unmanageable natural hair this summer, ANY thoughts, id

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I'm an adult (30++) AA woman who has no idea how to deal with her hair. I went from wearing an infamous "cold wave curl" back in the day b/c of it's ease, to putting a weave in (after a stylist read me for questioning her knowledge/skills, then proceeded in putting a hot iron on the back of my processed hair, burning a Huge section out).

I slowly transitioned to a relaxer (keeping the weave) but I moved so much I couldn't keep consistant care w/1 stylist. I've gone from Harlem 2 High-End 2 specialty salons (J.Atchinson) trying to find anyone who would listen to my plea that just bcause the texture looks deadly coarse, it's actually Really fragile %26amp; they don't need to fry it to death with ultra strength relaxers. It always came out limp, unable to hold curl, breaking %26amp; I burned. I gave up %26amp; have worn braids for 3 yrs now going natural. They're out 4 the summer, but I have no idea how to manage. Any ideas or resources? I don't want to relax again but...

Completely frustruated and intimidated by my unmanageable natural hair this summer, ANY thoughts, ideas, HELP?

Gurl, I feel your pain.

I used to flat-iron my hair to get it straight, it would take four hours and revert as soon as I walked out into a humid summer day. So, I relaxed it. It turned to straw. Out of frustration, I shaved my head. But, you know, it grows back so I had to find a solution. Mine:

SISTERLOCKS

They are locks, like dreadlocks, but much smaller so you can continue to style them. They also don't use any product to create the lock. Unlike traditional locks, you can wash your hair as often as you do now. It's healthy for your hair and, honestly, makes thick, unmanageable hair much more tolerable. Certified locticians are all over the place, so keep-up is relatively simple.

I know I sound like a commercial but I promise I'm not with the organization. :-) I've had my sisterlocks for almost 5 years and it was the BEST thing I've ever done to/with my hair. If I'm lazy and don't feel like styling my hair, I don't have to. But if I'm in the mood to be very feminine, I can twist it into bantu knots, sit under a dryer and roll out with spiral curls that last two weeks or more. They're versatile, like braids, but your hair gets to breath. They are permanent, however.

I wish you lots of luck. I also wish I could offer another suggestion but, seriously, I have zero hair-imagination.

Completely frustruated and intimidated by my unmanageable natural hair this summer, ANY thoughts, ideas, HELP?

I am not AA, so I can't say I know what you're going through, but I am Middle Eastern and have very curly, dry, coarse hair. I have recently started using products from Carol's Daughter to moisturize my hair. You should at least check out the website carolsdaughter.com. The ingredients are all natural. I keep the my hair in a curl cap with Tui Hair Smoothie on overnight and rinse it out in the morning. Good luck.

Completely frustruated and intimidated by my unmanageable natural hair this summer, ANY thoughts, ideas, HELP?

For now, I would keep putting it up in a loose bun or loose french braided bun or pony tail. Every day do a softening, deep conditioning treatment to make it more manageable and while you do this wrap a hot, moist towel around your head.

Mix 1 tbsp. of brown sugar, or sea salt into your shampoo and use it to exfoliate your scalp. I don't know how often you wash your hair but you shouldn't wash it more than twice a week if its that damaged.

When you get your hair done in a salon, ask for a steaming treatment which allows your hair to absorb moisture more easily.

If you're looking for something to make it straighter i found a straightening treatment called Curlaway (formerly Curlex) that claims to be all natural and actually good for your hair. But people using a similar product told me that it causes serious breakage and hair loss. I would talk to someone who's used that particular product before.

Good Luck!