Hey guys, and gals of course. I'm a 16 year old guy with hair a little past my ears when its stretched out, but it has a problem. If i don't use product, it curls up really really short and it bugs me, so I use (i know it's probably a bad idea but..) a conditioner, and leave it in there to keep it more or less straight. But it really bugs me that it gets hard and stuff, so my question is: Is there a hair product (preferably the kind of thing you could find in any drug store, non barbershop kind of thing) that holds hair in place, but keeps hair soft too?

Thanks in advance :)

For the record, the usage of conditioner instead of 'product' is NOT a bad idea. In fact that's a really good thing to do, so way to go  I can't recommend anything but I hope someone else comes along  

Anais

Ahhh, yesss, all curly heads have the same problem, curl shrinkage.  Like Anais said, it's great that you are putting conditioner on your hair at night.  You could try a styling gel with medium to firm hold such as: L;Oreal Studio Line FX Aqua Gel or L'Oreal Studio Line Grab, Mega Hold Texture Gel, Suave Sculpting Gel, Maximum Hold.  But beware of gels, they can leave your hair crunchy, so don't use a lot. 

When you use your conditioner in the shower, wash it out of your scalp, but leave some on the shaft of your hair.  Then run some gel through your hair, and it should keep the length a little better.

I know you won't be happy with this suggestion because you can only buy it at salons, but my fave styling cream is Back to Basics Green Tea Texturizing Lotion.  It leaves hair soft and holds it in place pretty well (not as well as a gel, though).  You could search the net and buy it on-line if you don't want to go to a salon. 

Goodluck!