newbie here...help on shampoos/cond? overwhelmed

Well, as you can see, I'm new here. I've been looking for reviews on hair products for over 2 hours on google/yahoo and haven't found much except this forum (I love forums btw, great information resource).

I was wondering if anyone could point me into the right direction into which brands to go with. There are so many to choose from it's a bit tough to decide.

I'm a guy with short/medium length hair, I plan to grow it out a little longer. I'm asian, so I have thick hair and I really like it when my haircutter thins/layers my hair.

I want a shampoo that removes frizziness and leaves my hair soft and smooth. Some of my hair tends to be slightly wavy little bit and I want to get it straight.

After I shampoo and my hair dries, it isn't how I want it at all. It doesn't feel dry, but it looks dry, and hair isn't really as straight as I want it to be (some hair is wavy). The morning I wake up the next day though, I like how my hair feels and looks. It's a little bit oiler to look more vivid and managable. I'd like my hair to feel like this more often w/o having to sleep and wake up to get it.

So basically, I'm looking for a shampoo/conditioner that relaxes my hair but doesn't make it too flat to the point where there's no body.

Any suggestions? I would prefer to get a more expensive salon shampoo to acheive the best results. thank you!!

Lyris wrote: Hi, and welcome! I hope you enjoy your visits to this site--there are some great people here. I think we have similar hair; even though I am of European descent and have long hair, it is also on the wavy/thick side. I have to tell you, a LOT of people here will probably recommend Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner. It is wonderful and not horribly expensive. Frizzy hair tends to be dry, so introducing moisture is not a bad thing. Also, you might want to consider using a shampoo/conditioner containing film-formers. These are additives similar to those in hairspray which form a sealant around the hair shaft, thus helping hair retain a smoother shape. Look for ingredients such as polyquaternium 11, copolymers and acrylates. Most "smoothing" lines do contain some such combination. To get your hair really straight and smooth, though, you'd probably have to style it using gel. I hope this helps--good luck!

Thanks, I was hoping to get a response from you. I've seen a lot of your messages with my searches on various keywords. Is that you in your avatar?

anyway...thanks for your help, I'll keep researching on more products.

Lyris wrote: Heh, yes I do tend to post a *lot*, especially when I get bored. Yes, that is me in me icon, albeit several years ago with longer hair and a retouch courtesy of Photoshop. I will get you the infamous ingredient list on Monday.

wow, I have to say you're really good looking. Like a model for a cosmetic company or something.