comments:
I hear your frustration, it really does seem like you've tried a lot of things that I would otherwise suggest if you hadn't tried them! Do you live in a humid climate? Or do you style your hair in a steamy bathroom after a hot shower, or spend any time near a swimming pool or large body of water? I ask because humidity is a major culprit of frizz. If that's the case, you might try using leave-in products with carboxylic acids (citric acid, glycolic acid, malic acid, maleic acid) as these help the hair resist humidity. Film-forming humectants may help too, believe it or not! Have you tried flaxseed gel? I know you have tried layering different hold products in different ways, but it may require changing the hold products you're using/trying different ones. Try products with firmer hold or products that claim to be humidity-resistant if you think humidity may be a factor. How would you describe your hair strand thickness; are they quite fine, coarse, or sort of medium thickness? If they are pretty coarse, coarse hairs tend to be less cooperative and require more softening conditioning to coax them into a different shape; I'd recommend experimenting with layering a good leave-in conditioner or curl cream under the hold products that helps soften it. Pantene pantene molecular bond repair leave in cream is a nice one that's pretty light. Some Brazilian hair creams (combined curl cream/leave-in) may be useful for this too, although you may need to dilute it / just use a small amount so that they don't weigh down your hair too much. I like Novex "My Curls" (Meus Cachos) - Soft for wavy hair. Another approach you could try is to add something that adds "grit" to the hair, in other words they make the surface slightly rougher or more sticky, which makes it more difficult for the hairs to move out of place in a different way than hold products do. This could be something like a sea salt spray, volumizing spray or foam, or even hair spray used on damp/wet hair. I know some folks with waves have had success with Not Your Mother's Beach Foam. I've been experimenting lately with Wella EIMI Body Crafter spray and like it a lot; I still use mousse and sometimes a gel as well over that. I have also found some curl creams/leave-ins leave a slightly sticky texture; for example the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control All-in-One Leave-in Conditioner spray is on the thicker side for a spray and leaves a slightly sticky texture that I take advantage of to create more definition in my hair. Because waves tend to get weighed down easily, I spray it into my hand first, add a few drops of water, spread it across my palms and then spread it onto my wet hair with "prayer hands" method to get just a light & even coating of it. Also, I notice that you said that you've tried oil, but have you tried an anti-frizz serum (in addition to the hold products, etc.)? I recently tried a silicone-based one from Giovanni and was surprised at how thick it is; the thickness helps really goop onto my hair which forces the loose hairs down more than some lighter weight silicone-based hair oils I've tried, and still doesn't make my hair look or feel oily. I don't think that alone would do the trick, but it may help in addition to some of the other things I've suggested.