lemon rinse defines curls dramatically and fights frizz

[mariika]

in this other thread here dedicated to sun bleaching one's hair I wrote this already (no pix though) but I think most ppl missed this:

after I shampooed and conditioned my hair as usual I dipped my hair in a tube with about 5-6 liters of tap water and about 50 ml of fresh lemon juice squeezed out of a whole lemon. and the result was unpredicted - my curls lost their usual frizz and were VERY defined and didn't lose their structure:


it was a nice discovery cause my hair often looks like this:


p.s. the only problem is I still hate curls and am struggling to find ways to make my hair looks more wavy than curly. but hope this tip will help someone here. I guess lemon rinse might work with waves too, make them more defined and less frizzy.

[Centaur]

Very pretty curls, Mariika!

For a more wavy hair day, have you tried damp bunning? Every once in a while I do an abbreviated form of damp bunning, and I end up with more waves than defined and separated wurlies.

[manderly]

Have you ever done vinegar rinses? Seems like your hair has just benefited from an acidic rinse - unless I'm missing something special about the lemon?

And about you hating curls - well, I understand that sentiment. I hated my curls and couldn't feel like they belonged on my head for a while. But I have to be honest, with the curls you have, you are going to be hard pressed to find a natural and/or non-damaging way to make your hair wavy or frizz free.

[mariika]

Centaur, didn't try damp bunning before but I'm afraid it'll take forever for my hair to dry, won't it?

manderly, never tried vinegar rinses either, maybe I should, I didn't know it's about acid. although I don't really like getting this much curl, no frizz is cool but at this cost.... you are right, I need way too much effort to get my hair wavy let alone straight (this comes really as a joke when it comes to my hair... how sad actually, I just looked through my photos - god, I am so curly and frizzy in every single one! I hate it)

[Kathie]

I was thinking the same regarding the vinegar rinse... it smooths down the cuticle so it kind of makes sense that it could help define curls and tame friz

[mariika]

is acid bad for hair? cause, to be honest, lemon did make my hair feel different than usual, it looks great but feels weird. it's like lemon keeps my curls fixed just like hairspray or other product would have, it doesn't feel like product on my hair, of course, but still

[Centaur]

Centaur, didn't try damp bunning before but I'm afraid it'll take forever for my hair to dry, won't it?

Hmmmm...I see you classified your hair as a lot thicker than mine, so even though we are around the same length it might take your hair a lot longer to dry that way than mine. Maybe one of the thick haired ladies or gents could give you a better time estimate. It doesn't take me long. I wait until my hair is almost dry and just damp, then bun and leave that way for about 3 hours and then turn it loose! In fact, it has been a while since I have done my own weird version of damp bunning. So, this weekend I am gonna try it again with the aloe vera and light oil application in my hair.

[manderly]

is acid bad for hair? cause, to be honest, lemon did make my hair feel different than usual, it looks great but feels weird. it's like lemon keeps my curls fixed just like hairspray or other product would have, it doesn't feel like product on my hair, of course, but still

Too much is, yes, but an acid rinse only counteracts the alkaline in our products and water. The reason many people follow washing with an acid rinse (vinegar or citric acid) is because most cleansers are basic and raise the hair cuticle. An acid rinse closes the cuticle back down and keeps frizz at bay and brings out shine.

Another reason is that if you have harder water, then an acid rinse can help remove buildup from your products.

An acid rinse can leave your hair feeling strange, kind of oily but not, maybe gummy or stringy if your dilution is too strong. If you ever have that happen, make your acid rinse weaker. I like my hair to feel a bit slippery after (kind of like it's a little overly conditioned) but not greasy or it will dry looking kind of icky. You have to just fiddle with it to know what your hair likes.

Have you checked out the wurly and curly thread? I think you will find a lot of help to make your curls happy and maybe even get you to appreciate them

[dfotw]

is acid bad for hair? cause, to be honest, lemon did make my hair feel different than usual, it looks great but feels weird. it's like lemon keeps my curls fixed just like hairspray or other product would have, it doesn't feel like product on my hair, of course, but still

I remember being told that when my dad was a child, my grandmother used lemon juice in place of the hair-products they could not afford, to get the look of pomade and hair-spray in those 50s hair-dos.

So, hmmmm, maybe I will try this in my constant search of more definition for my curls!

[mariika]

manderly, I did try the wurly and curly thread but didn't get very far - I'm in the stage where I HATE MY CURLY HAIR SO FRIGGIN MUCHCHCCHCHCHCH, even today when my curls look stunning I don't like them! I just don't like them! I am so tired I wanna cry. just now I was looking for curly hate thread in our community. no luck yet. it cannot be so that no one here hates their curly hair. and I'm not the iron-them-every-day team.

maybe vinegar won't make my curls stronger like lemon did. cause that's just frustrating. I can't get them out of my hair without combing and I don't comb - why bother, result is just ugly.