Stringy hair

[greenbunny]

Since I've been using a flat iron, my hair tends to look stringy by lunchtime, and it never did before. What am I doing wrong? I use a dab of straightening balm and a spray heat protectant before blowdrying. I just had about eight inches cut off a few weeks ago, so it isn't a dead ends issue.

[PG-rated]

Did you always use the straightening balm? Because that would be my first guess; it can make fine hair stringy.

[greenbunny]

I will try it without. I am careful not to use a lot, but maybe another product would be better. Thanks!

[Peppy]

Is your hair really curly? Mine is reasonably curly and I don't use any product on it before straightening. Maybe just go without any product at all.

[fuzzy]

If your balm has silicone in it and your hair has a tendency to be even just a teeny bit oily (or, I guess, if you don't have dry hair), it can make it look stringy.

[greenbunny]

Yup, silicone, and I have oily hair. Is there a good alternative product that does the same thing? I've been using Bumble & Bumble Straight.

My hair isn't that curly, it's more wavy and frizzy.

[fuzzy]

Is there a good alternative product that does the same thing?

I'm still looking. No silicone = frizzy hair by lunctime. Silicone = a greasy mess. Umphf.

[Peppy]

In keeping with the Bumble and Bumble brand, I would try the following:

Gloss. I think this might be your best choice. It is very light, smells great, and is a pump spray. I would use it after the hair is completely straightened. It shouldn't make your hair stringy. My only concern is that, depending on the thickness of your hair, it might not be able to keep all of the frizz down.

Shine. I recently heard Gloss had been discontinued :( although I was able to find it online. If that's the case, apparently Shine is the replacement for it. It looks like Shine is an aerosol, whereas Gloss was a pump. I have never used Shine.

Defrizz. I know you were having problems with Straight, which has silicone, and Defrizz has silicone as well. But I think it is a little lighter than Straight. Again, I would use it after my hair was completely straightened.

What kind of straightener are you using? I think if your hair is just wavy/frizzy, rather than curly, the frizz should stay away if you are using the right straightener. I use a Sedu, which is a ceramic straightener. I would also recommend the Salano Sapphire tourmaline straighter or the Chi straightener. Those should allow you to straighten without any silicone-based products, and still keep your hair smooth.