Mixed hair help?

I am mixed (my dad is white and black, my mom is white). I have mixed hair and no idea what to do with it. Either short or long, it doesn't look good. When it's short it's soo curly and unruly. When it's long it's too puffy. I always wear it in a ponytail 'cause I can't do anything with it. My hair is VERY thick, dry especially on the ends and frizzy/poofy. Whenever I wash it I get tons of dead hair underneath that comes out, same when I brush it. I could use any help, tips, suggestions on how to get my hair soft, shiny and pretty.

(Also, I am very, very light --white skin tone-- so I don't usually go to the African American beauty stores because I'm afraid of getting weird looks or laughed at).

Mixed hair help?

Don't worry about getting any laughs from an African American beauty stores! If you are really worried about that then you can go to Sally's, where they offer a good selection of products for African American hair.

I would recommend Redken all soft (it is pricy). I have also heard good things about Aphogee (not as pricy, but I have never tried it personally).

You should only have to wash your hair about once a week- any more than that will be damaging- any less than that will also be damaging.

Also you should use a good leave in conditioner. I like the root stimulator carrot oil because it does not have mineral oil or petrolatum in it.

I do my hair by rolling it up and sitting underneath a dryer. Its not glamorous, but it makes my hair look nice. You can get magnetic rollers from Sally's or Walmart and a dryer from Sally's. They have a good selection of dryers so you do not have to worry about sitting under one of those big salon ones. You also need a setting lotion like ultra sheen (dilute it with water- if it is too strong it will make your hair fall out)

In order for you to learn how to roll your hair, I would recommend that you go to a hair salon so that you can see how it is done and how it works out on you. You should ask for an african american hair specialist. (JcPenney's usually has a good salon even though they are pricey. Ask around to find a good salon)

You might not need a relaxer even though people may suggest it to you- if you don't need it don't get it.

You can press your hair out after you roll it up- you only have to do this about once a week.

At night wear a silk night cap.

This is how I got my hair soft shiny and pretty (after wearing it in a bun all through highschool). It can take a while to perfect everything so don't get discouraged! I'm sorry for the long answer!

Mixed hair help?

Go to an African American beauty store and ignore them -- you shouldn't care what people think of you.

Try hot oil treatments and deep conditioning, and cutting off those split ends. I have european hair so I'm not sure how to deal with nappy, African hair but I'm going to give you my best guess.

If you like the straight look you can have it relaxed; be sure to go to an Asian place. Not to sound racist but, they know what they're doing. Relaxing hair is putting chemicals into your hair, and it breaks down the structure of your hair then rebuilds it. Naturally, this process is VERY damaging to your hair and requires a lot of care to keep in good condition. Regularly do hot oil treatments and deep conditioning. Shampoo once and be very gentle with it. Never brush your hair; only comb it. And comb it very gently when wet. Use leave-in conditioners also and let your hair air dry.

If you like curls, you can get a perm to make your hair curly. The same rules apply.

Or you can use a straightener and straighten it everyday but, this is time consuming if you have very thick hair and just not worth it to do everyday.

Hope this helps and good luck. :]

Mixed hair help?

try usin a relaxer