yeah, i have the kind of stubborn, ultra thick straight hair. i can put anything into it but the result is the same after a shower,  thick and puffy. the only time it looks alright is when it gets a bit greasy, have tried putting a bit of olive oil in it but that seems to turn me into a really bad version of fonzy. i think next time i will use either more gel or less grease. mousse and gel dont seem to work for me but what about hairspray? didnt try it that many times because my girlfriend said it would 'dry out my hair' but what type of effect does it give?

beside's what was mentioned does anyone know anything else on the hairstyling market?

you could try ceramics which will thin it about abit..

tried any soft waxes?

oh yeh and mouse will give it volume..i dont think you want any of that, and gel is definately NOT for longer hair...

try using a f*ck load of conditioner in the shower, leave it on for quite abit..and then wash out, you could even comb it through your hair in the shower to untangle in abit? i always do that..i also give my hair a good comb after the shower to untangle it, while applying some leave in conditioner, its a spray thingy containing some sorta oils which softens it and tames it a bit..

as for styling it, just leaving it to dry in my opinion doesnt look good..so try a softish wax rubbed roughly through the hair which gives it a shiny textured look..nothing to thick though, dont try use texturising gums in thick hair it gungs them up!

as i said before, using a ceramic straightener will 'condense' the hair abit making appear thinner, more textured, and generally nicer looking though its a bit of a mission to do everyday, can have long term damaging effects on the hair etc etc..

like I said, i've been growing it for over 2 years and have had a lot of practice in styling it. it hardly ever looks good, but somedays it does so i know it is possible. I shampoo my hair with salon shampoo and many different conditioners but the result is always the same, thick and puffy. I let it air dry most of the time but even when I blow dry its the same sh*t... how do people get there hair to cooperate? this really start to piss me off. tried a hair straightener and it usually burns my hair... name a few more products and their effects and i will try them....

and another thing, just recently my hair started to dreadlock in the same place on the back of my head! this has never happened to me befor until now. i will untangle it and after a few days it will get into a knot so tight i have to untangle it or i'll rip the hairs out in the shower. when its tangled some hairs feel very rough and scraggly, but they feel normal when untangled... what the hell is going on?

I know what you mean.  my hair is medium-long and it can really tick me off after showering if I just let it air dry.  it gets...you said it...thick and puffy.  It's a pain.  So here's what I do that seems to work.  I rub a bit of Alberto "Smooth and Glisten Pomade" in my hands and run it through and into my hair and then blow dry.  I know I know excessive blow-drying isn't good but hey i get the results I want.  Anyway, after blow-drying, the pomade in the hair leaves it feeling smooth and nice...not so puffy.  Too much of the pomade and the hair starts getting a bit greasy, but just the right amount (like...a dime-sized amount for my length hair) and like I said my hair is smooth, straight, and a little silky after blow-drying.

Blow-drying might not be necessary, dunno.  I have to anyway cuz my hair's kinda wavy and if I just let it air dry it goes nuts on me.

you need a good hair cut

a stylist will cut your hair in a away that it will lose the thickness while maintaining the length. I think its called thinning the hair or something.

go and talk to your barber/stylist.