Hair like this??

Coming from a gal with fine hair, I`d say the picture shows a gal with thick hair. So if you are going for that look, you don`t need to thin out your already thick hair. I have a friend who has hair like you describe. She has great sucess in smoothing it out with big rollers or blowdrying it straight. Her hair could look like that photo you posted if she worked at it. Personally, I`d love to trade hair with you both and have thick wavy hair!!! Funny how we`re never happy with what we`ve got!

As for the stray curly baby wisps, maybe there`s a hair product out there that you can apply and then smooth down with your fingers as you set the dryer on low?

I can`t really answer your questions. I have long curly hair, but I don`t straighten it. I tried before when it was short and it always came out fuzzy. Why not work with your natural hair instead of trying to get it to be straighter, thinner, etc.? Try www.naturallycurly.com There are lots of tips there.