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.

I bought mine to use for my dog but he wouldn't stick around when the vacuum started so that was out. One day I decided to try it myself. Been using it ever since. Couple things, first, you need a fairly powerful vacuum to work efficiently since it needs to go through the hose and pull the hair up to cut it properly. I use my shopvac since my regular vacuum wouldn't work it right. Next, static electricity can make the hair hard to pull in there. However, that's seldom an issue. Also, if you're taking off a lot of hair, take it in sections. For instance, I usually take an inch or more so I usually take it down in about 1/2" steps to make it even or at least take the bulk and then go down a little bit more to finish it off. Seems to work better and not leave stray hairs that are longer. If you're a little unsteady with your hands this is far better than a scissors. It has the maximum length to be taken off so you can't slip and take too much. Oh, and it really makes a difference (I think anyway) to cut clean hair. Couple other things I do: When doing the sides and back, have the clipper so it's, well "vertical", that is the long part is vertical and the blades are clipping horizontally. I then bring it around the sides, flip the handle the other way and get the other side. When I'm done, I use a mustache & beard trimmer with the attachment (sort of a mini hair clipper) to trim around the ears and do the neck up to the hairline. A little clumsy the first few times you do it but then you get used to it. Some people said they just used an electric razor to trim. I used a Trac II a few times too if I wanted it really smooth I also wrapped a folded towel around the back of my head so it was at the base of the hairline. Held that in place by pulling on it from the front and then used the clipper to trim up to the towel. Now, I don't get quite as fussy, I trim the sides and around the ears and it's fine. The mirror made things kind of confusing, so I trim more now by feel than watching in the mirror. Look in the mirror and see where it needs trimming, put a finger on it so I feel where it needs to go and run the trimmer along there and I'll feel it and know when it's right. I guess I'm making it sound more complicated than it is. It really is very simple. Take your time and you'll get more efficient as time goes on. At first it took me about 45-50 minutes to do a clipping, now about 20-25 including the time to pull out the unit, the shopvac and put it away. Even at first it was still far less time than driving to a barber, waiting my turn, getting the cut, come back home and then have to take a shower to get rid of the hair that goes down your back and neck! This eliminates that problem except for the possibility when trimming. Maintenance is simple. Drop of oil on each of the cutting blades and all is well. If your vacuum doesn't have very good suction the hose can hold some hair, especially where the electric connections are at. No big deal, Straighten out the hose and the vacuum takes care of it. Most people are surprised when I tell them I Flobee'd it. I'm very satisfied. Especially considering the number of bad haircuts I've gotten over my years too!

Okay I tried the Redken and didn't notice a difference as I always use the super star. How much do you use regularly? Perhaps I didn't use enough. Between the two the super star won. I'm going to try a larger amount tomorrow. Doing a few comparisons. I also use a root lifter spray for those who like a fuller lift. There are several on the market.