Is there Life Beyond the Pony Puff ...

[LegallySpeaking]

Since I've been natural, the pony puff is the only hairstyle I've been able to master without using heat. Now granted, the pony puff is a cute hairstyle, but it gets a little tired day after day ... after day ... after day ...

I like wearing my hair down (not into twists and braids), but it doesn't seem like I'm able to combat my shrinkage enough to create a hairstyle with any hang (exept when I do twist/braidouts on reverted or blow dried hair). I think I could get the style I'm looking for with a texturizer, but don't want to give up on natural yet.

Any suggestions?

 

[Boadicea]

You can try using a clip on the ends of your curls while they're wet to encourage them to dry in a slightly stretched, downward stye.

 

[mkstar826]

have you ever tried banding or letting your hair air dry in large twists? this is a way that you can stretch your hair out w/o heat. then you can twist or braid on dry, stretched hair and that way you can wear twist-outs/braid-outs more w/ no heat.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

Do wash and go's with some type of gel/curl product not work for ya?

 

[Carefree]

After air drying, sometimes I'll put my hair in a low ponytail for a little while. This seems to help with shrinkage without using heat.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

You could stretch your curls out with perm rods while it's drying. Or you could put a diffuser on your hair dryer, and stretch the curls while drying. As for a texturizer, I've been there done that---just know that if you get one, you'll have new hair issues to deal with.

Do you have a good technique/advice about doing that? It's confoozing because they say not to touch your hair while it's drying!

 

[LegallySpeaking]

Do wash and go's with some type of gel/curl product not work for ya?

I'm not sure because I don't know what type of gel to use. I use Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter, but that's not really a gel.

 

[NGC]

Try Chocolate Bubble Up and then use a diffuser to stretch your hair while drying.

 

[babyblue]

a diffuser+ curl defining gel should give you the look your going for. just grab damp sections with product and run the blow dryer over each section while stretching the hair downwards with your hands. This stretches the curls and the hair dries with more lenght. Ive never tried this but thats how ive seen it done in some curve fingerstyling demonstration pictures.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

I'm not sure because I don't know what type of gel to use. I use Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter, but that's not really a gel.

Yup a healthy hair butter thing probably won't do it. Use Fantasia Gel with Sparkle Lites (very cheap at the drug store or BSS), Citre Shine Curl Booster combined with Loreal Alt Studio Whipped Gel, Jessicurl Rockin Ringlets and/or Confident Coils (jessicurl.com), or maybe the Caribbean Hair Activator that myhoneychild.com that some here have tried (I've never used it but have used all the others with success).

Try air drying or blow drying like Blue suggested. There's a demo video too on the http://www.jessicurl.com site

Blue--where did you see the Curve blow drying techniques?

 

[metro_qt]

I'm getting a little bit of hang these days without a diffuser. I'm not using heat in my hair for 6 months, so I've had to experiment alot)
This week, i'm using Salon Selectives Loosely Defined, which is a styling cream, mixed with S-curl Texturizing gel for waves and curls. I wash my hair, leave some DDTA conditioner in it,then in sections, i put the Salon Selectives. I towel dry my hair lightly (Cuz it is still winter!??!) then I put the S-curl Gel in sections. I get alot of frizz on top of my head, so as my hair dries, 5 or 10 minutes later, I put a little bit more Salon selectives at my crown to stop frizz, then I leave for work.

The S-curl texturizing gel lengthens my curls that can lengthen, I say that because I have more wavy hair in front and at the crown, and tightly coiled at the back. So at the back, i just let it do what it wants, and focus on the parts that actually will hang.

That combination is giving me nice spirals all over, little frizz and it's actually soft, and not crunchy. Hope this all helps, cuz i'm still experimenting myself everyday.

Oh yea, shrinkage is shrinkage, just keep that in mind.

 

[jetcitygirl]

a diffuser+ curl defining gel should give you the look your going for. just grab damp sections with product and run the blow dryer over each section while stretching the hair downwards with your hands. This stretches the curls and the hair dries with more lenght. Ive never tried this but thats how ive seen it done in some curve fingerstyling demonstration pictures.

That is how I do it when I want a stretched out style without having to wait overnight to airdry. It works better for me if I also use a setting cream or lotion prior to diffuser drying to keep my hair from shrinking afer it has completly dried. Putting it a couple braids for an hour or so after diffuser drying helps keep it lengthend too.

 

[FlowerHair]

After air drying, sometimes I'll put my hair in a low ponytail for a little while. This seems to help with shrinkage without using heat.

This is what I do, except I put my hair in a low bun instead.
I do this on and off while my hair is drying to stretch the curls out.

When my hair is competely dry I sometimes put my hair in two cornrows, make sure to moisturize first with some skin lotion + olive oil like I do LOL
If I go to bed with my hair like this my hair comes out wavy in the morning.

IMO it's best to go with the shrinkage/fullness/poofyness with a braid out or a twist out instead of trying to make the hair do something completely opposite to its nature...I'm sure you already know that, but I'm just writing that for everyone to remember. Learn to love the poof!

 

[LegallySpeaking]

Thanks everyone!

 

[AFashionSlave]

Hey LegallySpeaking!

Have you tried a twist-out?

When I want a curly look I do something called a lazy twist-out. I put my hair in Huge twists when it's soaking wet. I then allow my hair to dry over night when I sleep. I'm sure that you can also use a blow dryer.

My hair is a lot longer now so it hangs a lot more than it does in the pic below. Here is a pic of my lazy twist-out when my hair was shorter:
http://public.fotki.com/AFashionSla...hair_album/twist-outs/twist_out_close_up.html

Here is how I twisted my hair to create this style:
http://public.fotki.com/AFashionSla...ir_album/twist-outs/big_twist_close_up_2.html

Is that the kind of look you were going for?

 

[kandyland]

This is what I do, except I put my hair in a low bun instead.
I do this on and off while my hair is drying to stretch the curls out.

When my hair is competely dry I sometimes put my hair in two cornrows, make sure to moisturize first with some skin lotion + olive oil like I do LOL
If I go to bed with my hair like this my hair comes out wavy in the morning.

IMO it's best to go with the shrinkage/fullness/poofyness with a braid out or a twist out instead of trying to make the hair do something completely opposite to its nature...I'm sure you already know that, but I'm just writing that for everyone to remember. Learn to love the poof!

What skin lotion do you use? when I look at lotion ingredients sometimes...it makes me want to use it on my hair.

Sorry to Hijack the thread... a good gel to use is Proclaim...it costs 2.99 at Sally....I loooove this gel.....it doesn't get hard....it leaves my hair very soft and always brings out my waves....There is a member on here that used the proclaim with a diffuser....and she actually has pictures....I'll search and get back to you....I've been wanting to experiment with stretching mya hair out with this gel but have been lazy... (
HTH

 

[bellydancer]

check out babyblue's album! she has a lot of stuff to do with your hair in there. She's my inspiration.

 

[FlowerHair]

What skin lotion do you use? when I look at lotion ingredients sometimes...it makes me want to use it on my hair.

Sorry to Hijack the thread... a good gel to use is Proclaim...it costs 2.99 at Sally....I loooove this gel.....it doesn't get hard....it leaves my hair very soft and always brings out my waves....There is a member on here that used the proclaim with a diffuser....and she actually has pictures....I'll search and get back to you....I've been wanting to experiment with stretching mya hair out with this gel but have been lazy... (
HTH

I use LdB skin lotion in a yellow bottle mostly or Palmer's cocoa butter lotion. I don't know if you have the LdB lotion in the US?