Conversations through the middle

Am I the only person who has problems trying to keep their hair in some sort of respectable state? When I wash it, it refuses to dry straight. Which is strange when you think about it – until I had my baby I did have straight hair but since then it’s become curlier. Not good curlier that you can leave after washing and still look good, but frizzy curlier that always looks like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. And it’s big.

Now if this was still the ’80s that wouldn’t be a problem. It makes me smile to think I spent the entire ’80s having my straight hair permed to achieve the curly look and backcombing bits like crazy to make it all bigger (and I’ve got some awful photos to prove it though obviously I thought I looked fabulous at the time). Now, if I want to achieve the poker straight locks of yesteryear I have to plug in the straighteners.

And there’s another story. Over the years I have spent a fortune on straighteners, resisting the temptation to buy the most expensive brand on the market, baulking at the cost. So I bought cheaper irons that didn’t work, until I eventually caved in and purchased the GHDs. I could have bought them several times over, the money I’d wasted on other products! And they still work, four years later.

But I digress. Getting back to frizzy hair problems. One answer is to wear it up, which I do, a lot, but this causes it to break and there’s always loads of hair in the shower after I’ve washed it. I do like to wear it down at times but don’t want to have to straighten it every day. So what’s the answer?

There are so many products out there that claim to help. I’ve tried loads of them and I still haven’t found one that does it all well enough. Frizz Ease serum is one I like – it does tame the more wild traits of my tresses, but can’t control it all and there’s a Tigi product, Camera Ready, which is great for spraying lightly on your hair after you’ve finished styling it, to flatten those stray wisps or ariels that always seem to stick up no matter what.

In my continuing quest to find the perfect product I’m going to try the new Head & Shoulders Hydrating Smooth & Silky Shampoo and Conditioner, and Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener this weekend. I’ll let you know how I get on but in the meantime, any recommendations would be gratefully received.