Beauty and the Real Girl: Getting Thick Hair to Behave
Going backstage and learning tips and tricks from the professionals may be an adventure, but sometimes, the best tricks come from real girls. In “Beauty and the Real Girl,” we learn the best beauty tips, tricks and secrets from girls just like us.
When it comes to hair, everyone needs to figure out what works best for them. If you’ve got fine hair, you’re likely always on the hunt for products that’ll make it look thick. If your hair is extraordinarily dry, you probably have a stash of hair masks and oils in your medicine cabinet at home. But if your hair is thick, and we mean really thick, taming your mane can be a bit of a process. One of our favorite thick-haired ladies is Julie Gerstein, an editor at StyleCaster, who learned after trial and error just exactly how to make her hair behave. See what Julie had to say below about taming thick hair!
MORE: 8 Ways You’re Making Your Hair Look Thinner
“I have really thick, coarse hair, and it takes a really strong product to tame it,” Julie tells us. “I’d tried everything — gels, mousses and serums to get it to lay flat, but nothing worked. My secret? Around 10 years or so ago, a hairstylist friend of mine suggested that I try African American styling products. Designed for hair with coarser textures, these pomades and waxes seemed to work much better on my unruly locks. Her personal favorite? A pomade called Hair Food — a medium-weight pomade that, when applied wet, weighs down and adds shine to coarse hair.
Over the years, I’ve perfected my use of Hair Food. These days, I add a quarter-size amount to my hair when wet, and mix in a couple of drops of Davines Absolute Beautifying Potion. I’ll blow it dry and then finish it off with a dab or two of Aveda’s Brilliant Emollient Finishing Gloss to whip it into an extra shiny, super soft shape.
If that seems like a lot to go through on a daily basis just to get your hair into some semblance of “not crazy,” well it is. But it’s definitely worth it. Because the alternative is definitely not cute.”
Image Courtesy of Julie Gerstein
Where to Buy: Pro-Line Hair Food, $10.26, Amazon.com
