First of all, stop using the mousse. They usually have a lot of alcohols in then and are very drying. Your hair is dry and frizzy because it is damaged and dry. If you use regular shampoo, stop! This is the single most important thing you can do for your curly hair. 'Wash' your hair with conditioner only or a low or no poo product like is available from Devachan. I also don't like to use any products that have any of the 'cones, like dimethicone, in them, because while they can work at first, they build up in your hair. That means most serums are bad for curls too. Then, get rid of any brushes you own. Detangle your curls with a wide tooth comb or fingers only. A brush destroys your curl. I like using Kinky Curly Knot Today conditioner and finish off with a little 'Archangel' gel from Devachan, but the particular products that would work best for you would depend on your particular hair texture. I have thick, fine, soft, not very damaged, loose corkscrew curls in a short cut but someone with coarse, tight corkscrew curls would use very different products, as would someone with long Botticelli s-curls. But whatever you do, lay off the shampoo. Your hair will thank you for it. Here is a link that might be useful: Deva curl

I can give you recommendations as to what products to try, but you'd need to e-mail me as the list is 4 pages on a Word document. In the meantime here's some info for you... Water-soluble silicones are dimethicone copolyl (sp) & PEG-modified dimethicones. These are the only silicones 'good' for your hair. Drying alcohols are SD-40, 40-B, 23, & Isopropyl, for instance. A couple of the 'good' alcohols are steryl & ceteryl (sp). The main cleansers of shampoos are ammonium and/or sodium sulfates. They're pretty harsh/drying though. There are two books full of good information that you could borrow from your library on the subject of curly hair... Curly Girl by Lorainne (sp) Massey Curl Talk by Ouidad And there's a website dedicated to wavy & curly hair... www.naturallycurly.com There's a chemist & a shampoo, conditioner, & styling product-maker who post there, plus many other gals who are professed product junkies who've learned by trial & error. There's an ingredients dictionary, curl-411 guide, product lists/guides, articles, etc., on that site. It's free to join.

Thank you all for your helpful comments. I looked online yesterday at several and planned a trip to Ulta after a meeting at a location nearby yesterday afternoon. I was all set to purchase a Conair, but wanted to try out several at Ulta. They still have their set-up where you can turn them on and feel the heat and speed. I probably increased the store temperature in that corner by 10 degrees trying out several at a time. I ended up with one made by Hot Tools, the Hot Tools Professional, for $42.99. I switched from the Conair after talking with someone and looking, feeling and testing. It was only a few dollars more and I had a $3.50 coupon, so the price wasn't really a deal breaker. The placard said it was good for fine hair, it has 3 heat settings and 2 speeds and a cool shot button, which I used a lot on my Chi. So did the Conair. The main difference was the weight and it seemed quieter. It is very light. Used it this morning and am happy. Funny, but my hair didn't seem to have those little frizzies around my part that I sometimes notice, even after getting out in the humid air. I asked the sales person about the brand and she said they get very few returns of that brand and if I wasn't happy after a few days I could return it. I did ask what brand seemed to be returned the most and guess what? It was Chi. I have to say, mine lasted at least 7 years. I took my old Chi to the lake and bought this one which is used every day, so I really can't complain.

If you want the spiky look, then mousse would probably give you the finish you want. My hair has gotten some curl in it which tends to get unruly in the summer, so I've found "It's a 10" leave in conditioner which seems to control and add a lot of shine. I get the walmart equate version though. I figure if it's popular enough for walmart to copy it, it must be well received in general. This is me on vacation in ID, just toodling around...I also don't color my hair...never have and am delighted to not have to start...yet anyway. But short hair is wonderful. It takes me 30 sec to dry my hair and go. Last thing I want to do is complicate my life. Congrats on the new do!