comments:
I have thick, curly hair, too. I recently started to get an undercut shaved--just about two inches. My hair was just about to my shoulders when I started and now, when wet at least, reaches my shoulder blades. It's still thick and heavy, but it does help. If you can afford it, look at seeing if there's hair stylists that specialize in curly hair near you. The woman I found is not cheap (60 USD for an 'express cut'--about 2 hours), but it might be worth it. I've also gotten layers cut in before, too, which can help some. I've also found just pulling back smaller sections helps lessen the strain. I also use the phone cord style bands. I wonder if the hair tape styles would help or hurt for you. I would also suggest posting in r/curlyhair and r/curlygirl to see if they have even more ideas.