Does anyone's hair NOT slick back? Pics

[Nerd.]

Transitioning to natural, I know better to expect my new growth to act like relaxed hair. Hooowever, it is imperative for this transitioning situation on my head look at least somewhat decent before leaving the house
It seems like no matter how many times I brush or no matter how much product and water I use, my hair still looks like I just rolled up out of bed. lol

My mom recalls my natural hair as a kid being frizzy and puffy but really soft. She said she would have to "work it" to get it to lay down and do what she wanted... which sounds pretty extreme. Welll...things haven't changed. My 2.5 inches of NG edges are fuzzy and currently I am using Isoplus (same gel I used as a kid) with water. No luck.

Brushed with Isoplus and water:

Not the best pictures. This is me on a good day. I was wondering if any of you natural or transitioning women have edges that simply do not slick back smoothly even with gel and water? I am assuming texture could play an important factor perhaps?

Edge texture:

Pictures are welcome. Gracias

 

[bambieg]

Yup I have that same problem. It looks nice when I walk out the house, then when I walk out, it poofs up. I am relaxed but I would recommend and head band or airdrying with tight ponytails to stretch out the natural hair so there would be less poof.

 

[JadeFox]

try tying it down with a scarf after you apply the gel and water. i usually keep my scarf on till i get to my destination, by then the hair is almost dry and laying nice and flat. hth

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

ME!!! My hair will never ever lay down naturally or just with gel

Have you tried the scarf method? Thats the only way my 4b edges will lay down. I would put on a little shea butter and IC Fantasia Gel.

Are you sure the Isoplus gel doesnt contain drying alcohols?

 

[DiamondDivyne]

Have you tried tying it down with a scarf after you use the gel/water combo? I use shea butter prior to tying mine down.

 

[Starian]

We have what looks like the same hair, right down to the color. Almost the exact texture.

My edges don't behave, either. They never fully relax, and not even water, grease, and a hard brush can do anything to it. I've never been able to wear a slick style. My hair laughs at gel. Instead of fighting it I've embraced it. I don't wear styles that require my hair to be coiffed to perfection...I usually wear curly buns, french rolls, or a rollerset. I can't be bothered.

 

[sweetpuff]

Ever tried the scarf method?
moisten your hair a bit, seal with a bit of oil, then put on a scarf when you're ready to go out, take out the scarf.
Ever tried ecostyler gel?
I'm on aloe vera gel (keeps my waves) for i plan on moving on later on eco.
I think that the way your hair lays is ok. it's not like it's a puff ball. but I understand your desire to make it lay down a bit more.

Sweetpuff.

 

[Foxglove]

Gel plus a scarf for 1-20 minutes is the only way my 4b hair lays down. So far I've had success with Ecostyler clear gel, Fantasia IC with sparklites and KCCC

 

[sweetwhispers]

My hair laughs in the face of the scarf and gel method, even overnight. Always has

 

[Ladybug33]

I am almost 6 months post and the ONLY way my hair lays down is if I style it WET with ECOSTYLER GEL. If my hair is damp or dry I brush adding some more gel then put on my scarf.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

my hair does not slick down. and i'm tired of trying. thats part of the reason i like to wear my hair out. then i don't have to struggle so much to get my hair to look decent. ♥

 

[natty rebels]

usually the day after i wash and castor oil and tie down... it does.. .

HOWEVER... this week.. i washed my hair in the night.. and called myself going to sleep with damp plaits... telling myself that i would do my hair in the morning .. ha!... i pulled out my freshly opened ecostyler.. that i have watched numerous videos on... with successful slicker backers... please... while trying to wave up and brush back my coif in the front i was met by something like a stiff.... messy.... nappy wall of hair at the front.... sigh trynta follow people.. lol. needless to say.. i pushed it all back into a stiff puff, did a full face of makeup, and the largest earrings I own. I watched the clock all day.. wishing the day would end. lol.. um.... yeah.. sorry for the long passionate response... I said all of this to say... no my edges dont slick back.. with gel.. lol


Bless,
N. rebels

 

[Dragone]

It doesn't matter if I wrap it, coat it in oil/anti-frizz serum, brush it down, etc. If there's a water particle in the air my hair will engulf it and go 'muahahaha sucker'. This is why I only bun when I'm seriously too tired to do anything else with my hair.

 

[yardyspice]

I was just thinking about this! It's one of the drawbacks of being natural for me. I feel I don't look polished because my hair looks fuzzy around the edges even moreso now because of breakage.

 

[vkb247]

I can't slick my hair down if it is too wet. My hair has to be almost dry before I can slick it down with gel and it stays down. I have to reapply the gel everyday.

 

[danigurl18]

I can't lay mine down for the life of me! Once the air hits it, I look like a little kid that was playing on the playground all day

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Gel never got my edges to lay down. The only thing has worked is Almond Glaze from Hairveda. That stuff is a miracle.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I've also heard great things about ElastaQP's Mango Butter along with the scarf method....I need to give that a whirl one of these days....

 

[WantNatural]

Ecostyler gel + scarf overnight = layed edges

It took me months into my transition before I realized that I needed a HEAVY gel with MAXIMUM hold to lay my edges down. Using the scarf for only a few minutes is a joke. I HAD to use the scarf overnight. I would take it off in the morning to check my edges and redo the ponytail section of my bun, and then the scarf was back on until I left for work. I had to reapply the gel almost every day. It's funny though - now that I'm natural it doesn't seem to take as much work to get my edges to lay down!

 

[bellebebe]

Girl, mine sure aint lol and I'm relaxed.

 

[hair4romheaven]

I will try this eco styler Ive been using thick edges but now its finished

 

[Nonie]

My hair doesn't slick and I don't want it to either. Sometimes slicked back hair reminds me of that stiff hairdo where every hair was in place but the thing felt like a rock. I love the soft look of natural simply pulled back hair. When I was a kid, I used to think halos looked so cute that I'd pull out my nappy hair to create a halo along the perimeter when wearing a puff.

Love the absence of slickness! I think it looks so soft and so not fake/forced IMO. Hair that is normally slick looks good when it's slick. Hair that doesn't get that way naturally even with a little oil, like mine, I think should be allowed to just be. It goes back to what I was saying before: If you can just learn to observe and appreciate the unique behavior of your hair and not try to make it behave like someone else's hair, then you will start to see the beauty in it:

To someone else, these twists need redoing so they don't look furry/fuzzy, yet to me, that is one reason why I loved this do:

And when I talk about my twists, I tell you guys that I love the twists after they have been washed a few times (8 in the pic below), because of the fuzzy look...almost looks like a glow in some light:

I think even if I had type 1 hair, which is slick and should be smooth when pulled back, I wouldn't make an effort to make it perfectly slicked back. If I wore it in a bun, this would be good enough for me:

Helmet heads created by a holding gel are so not me AT ALL! I imagine you'd get the same effect if you applied snort or snail slime.

 

[Fhrizzball]

The only way my edges lay down is with some water based moisterizer a light does of creamy conditioner (gel doesn't work) and scarfing it down until it's mostly absorbed. Even then it sorta frizzes up as the day goes on.

 

[Fhrizzball]

@nonie. Your puff picture is how my hair comes out when I try to slick it back.I thought that's what a slick back is supposed to look like. I guess people have diffent versions of slick back. I hate hard hair too so that's why I can never get along with gels. I love fuzzy twists and braids and it's only once I get a little halo along with them do I start to enjoy them more.

 

[LadyRaider]

Nonie,
I have decided that at heart you are a Philosopher, or a Shaman. I look for your posts to see what you have to say. Plus I'm intrigued by the presence of a Snape fan.

My hair won't slick back either. I used hairveda whipped gelly once and it worked a little better than anything else.

 

[BlkOnyx488]

Way Off Topic:
Your Siggy is Riot, I followed the link
This man calls himself God
God help us all

We have what looks like the same hair, right down to the color. Almost the exact texture.

My edges don't behave, either. They never fully relax, and not even water, grease, and a hard brush can do anything to it. I've never been able to wear a slick style. My hair laughs at gel. Instead of fighting it I've embraced it. I don't wear styles that require my hair to be coiffed to perfection...I usually wear curly buns, french rolls, or a rollerset. I can't be bothered.

 

[chelleypie810]

Wow OP its like you were reading my mind. I have been bunning and I can't for the life of me get my sides slicked back how I want them. Normally I just clip all over the place and headband.

 

[crr0121]

I'm no expert but if that gel didn't work when u were younger, it prob won't work now either. I'm natural and the only gel that worked great w/ me was IC fantasia, clear or pink (for hard to hold). Put the gel on, slick down the edges how u want and then use a scarf (i use a tie band) to tie down your edges. Then don't take the scarf off until the gel has DRIED (like when they set it at the salon), like 20 mins later and your edges should lay down ALL day. this the type of "scarf" i'm talkin bout, hope it works 4 u!


ETA: and if you don't wanna use gel, I find that HE LTR or EQP mango butter work good 2, still just use the scarf.

 

[FroFab]

I have always had frizzy hair too (as per Mom's reports) but I think that pulling my hair back/brushing it back hasn't helped the situation. While I know that edge hair isn't normally as long as the rest, I did make some progress when I stopped brushing it back as much, which has given it a chance to grow out and be able to stayed glued to the rest of the slicked style. I now only do slick styles in moderation because the frizz always wins for me.

 

[longhairlover]

i'm relaxed but my hair still goes wavy regardless of how straight I relax it,

my edges curl up regardless, I would recommend at nighttime use your gel or whatever products you use and tie the scarf (I do this on my dry hair) making sure there's some tension on the edges not alot just enough to make sure they are smooth the next day. this normally works for me until water hits my edges from washing my face throwing water all over the place lol!, working out etc.

you don't want to do a tight ponytail because that can lead to breakage down the road and will not guarantee the hair will be smooth.

I also use wrapping paper: http://www.sallybeauty.com/Sanek-Mega-Wrap/GRAHAM01,default,pd.html

I use wrap it's from sallys go under the dryer (wet hair) for a few minutes and that also smooths down the edges just tie that with tension also it won't damage your hair either.

hth