curly hair

Hi all!I have shoulder length, thick wavy hair, such that it looks like a lion's mane when i let it down.......thus, i always have to tie my hair up when i go out.Can anyone tell me how i can make my hair thinner, straighter and more manageable??Thanx!

> Hi there!> I also have curly hair that tends to be quite volumous> too! Anyway, what you DO NOT want to even think about> doing is having your hair 'thinned' with thinning> shears-- do you want to talk about frizz!!!! With> thinning shears, the pieces that are cut are left to> stick out all over the place (this method of thinning> is best left to straight haired people whos hair lies> flat without any help).UGH! I've had someone take thinning shears to my hair and it's a DISASTER! Don't do it... even if the stylist tries to talk you into it. Sherry's right, it will only make things worse.There's no real way to make your hair thinner, you'd need a relaxer to make it straighter, but you *can* work with what you have to make it a lot more manageable. I don't exactly have lion's mane hair, it used to look more like the late gilda radner... you know, triangular. :-) Fortunately thanks to hair talk and some diligent reading I've got it under control.My first suggestion would be to do everything you can to get your hair in good condition... and salon quality products are a good start if you can afford them. However don't go for the stuff that's oil free or won't weight your hair down... go for the *thick* conditioners, the stuff that *will* weigh your hair down. I generally have no problem using a deep conditioner twice a week. (My fav deep conditioner is a health food store brand called Aubrey Organics GPB.) A leave-in conditioner can also be a good choice... or even a leave-in used after a normal conditioner. I even use a hair oil... either something called goldilocks hair oil from the health food store or shea nut butter. The idea here is both to protect your hair from frizz inducing damage and to weigh it down so it's more manageable.The second thing that really helped me was to put away my hairdryer. I know... it's the only thing that will straighten out your hair... but in the long run it does more damage and makes your hair less manageable. I still use mine on special occasions, or when I'm sick, but for everyday I just let my hair dry naturally.My third tip may not apply to curly hair, but definately works for wavy hair (your subject line says one thing, your message another... and since I haven't seen your hair, I dunno if it will help). Do your best to encourage your hair to hang down. By this I mean: Don't pile it on top of your head when it's wet, shampoo with it hanging straight down your back and then don't put it up in a towel. For everyday wear, keep it in a style that stays under control, for me it's a bun at the nape of my neck... it helps because it hold my hair flat against my head and wrapped smoothly around itself. At night, I braid it, so it's not going crazy all over the place when I sleep. The idea here is not to fight your hair, but to encourage it to lay as flat as it naturally can without blowdrying it straight. After a few months my hair started to get the picture and now lays somewhat smoother than it used to. Also if you let it grow longer the weight can help pull it out flatter as well.Good luck.-jj