I have done one before. Probably the same as the eye glass app. You upload a pic of yourself and then you can "try on" hair. I don't remember which website it was though, it was so long ago.

Are you trying to grow your hair out?

Yes I am growing it out and it is driving me bonkers. It looks awful both curly and when I blow dry it straight. If I cut it and give up I will probably always have short hair because I don't ever want to go through this again. Growing out bangs in my eyes is the pits!

Can you post a photo of your hair? Maybe we can help if we know what you're dealing with. Is your hair smoothing out on top as it grows? In my growing-out experiment, my hair is the longest it's been since I was in high school, but my curls are on the end mostly. Now I'm debating whether I should have long layers cut in.

Holly, I empathize. I am growing out my hair too. It is the worst. my hair is full of flips, and cowlicks. I think I will wear a baseball cap 24x7 for the next 8 weeks.

Holly

i too battle curly hair in the constant humidity of FL. Check out naturallycurly.com for a wealth of information on how to deal with it. It may be less of the cut that matters then the products and procedures you use. With the proper products and methods I think you may be pleasantly pleased with your hair.

May, I have a pic of me but it won't show it quite as long though it pretty much looks the same except my bangs are much longer. Not sure I want to post a picture of myself to be forever on the web.

Thanks Cmm. I have spent a lot of time on that site and I have spent so much on different hair products specifically for curly hair. It could be that I have worn my hair smooth for so many years that I am having trouble getting used to curls but when I analyze critically I just think I don't have nice looking curls. Both my DDs have curly hair and they both have beautiful curls.

Is that you in your profile pic? If so, is your hair shorter or longer than that?

Holly-Kay, no, I haven't tried a program like that, but would like to. In fact, I fully intended to before my hair appointment tomorrow as I am due for a cut. I am in the same boat with my curly hair. It doesn't look good curly or straight. (It's sort of a shoulder length bob now, and I'm contemplating long bangs to give me a little lift - right now it feels like it's dragging my face down.) I find that going back and forth between curly and straight doesn't really give my curly style a chance to look good. If I go several weeks with curly hair, the better it looks. If I go back and forth between straight and curly, the curls don't look so great. But I also think I just don't like my particular curls. If I could have gorgeous curls, I'd wear my hair curly all the time. I feel your pain.

Always, yes that is a pic of me but it is almost eight years old. My hair is layered on that pic. Right now my hair is cut in a chin length bob with bangs that are growing out.

Bluebell, I wore my hair curly for about two months but I got tired of looking unkempt and messy so one day I decided to blow dry smooth but found it looked awful that way too. I could have posted what you did because I feel exactly that way. I don't like my curls but I love curly hair, just not mine.

I am leaving my bangs grow out but that isn't optimal either as my brows are very sparse and bangs were a good camouflage for thinning brows. I also find that the length of my hair is dragging my face down but I need some length to my hair if I go curly because it is significantly shorter when it curls.

I just downloaded and tried a hair style app on my iPad. I selected the most highly rated one that was free, but has in-app purchases. I took a quick picture of myself with the app, with my hair pulled back, and tried some basic hair styles. The results were dismal enough that I'm not going to buy any additional hair styles. I may try another app, but this one was pretty bad. Some people gave it high marks, but it really was a stinker for me. Maybe because the hair "styles" look so fake. Plus, you really can't get them to fit your head or face.

Thanks Bluebell, I was afraid of that. When I tried the eyeglass app the glasses were huge. they looked like a pair of giant glasses from a carnival. I finally figured out how to resize but it still was pretty awful.

I know nothing about hairstyle apps but I do know a thing or two about curly hair. Mine is very curly. When short and layered it is unmanageable and when long and layered, it required more messing with either for a smooth straight or curl/waves look. I have found that slightly below shoulders, all one length, with just slight tapering at sides is the best for weighting down my hair. This allows for waves and not frizzy curls when I leave it to dry naturally and a pleasing smooth curve to my hair when I do a blow out to straighten. I am 58 and have gray hair and just yesterday a 30 something guy in a store paid me a sweet compliment on my hair.

Now My DH 82 year old youthful aunt (just retired from nursing last year) had worn her hair in a typical old lady short curly shag above collar style for the past 30 years. Since retiring she had allowed it to grow out to a shoulder length bob. She has wave to her hair now but the length only allows curls at the bottom.

She looks fantastic!!!

It has easily taken 25 years off of her. She doesn't need to color her hair yet (that is amazing in itself) it is a pretty salty brown. She said its so much easier for her to deal with now and she is surprised.

Can DH take a photo of the back of your hair? Just looking for the type of curl you have at the length it is now. So your natural curl, no blow drying.

I think if you want a curly hair style you need to go to a place that specialize in curly haircuts, like a Diva. My sister has curly hair. But, it's not only the cut. They have products and a technique that you do to get the results.

It is also not easy to find a curly cut that can then be blown out into a nice straight hairdo. It's one or the other.

Missymoo, would you be willing to post a picture of the back of your head? No identifying marks, but your hair sounds quite like mine, and I'm not happy with mine. It's a bit below shoulder length, mostly one length with bangs. I have varying degrees of brown and gray, mostly brown in back and mostly gray on top. I'm not interested in coloring, but I'd like a cut that doesn't look like a Brillo pad when it's humid!

First of all, cute profile pic!

My advice....just grow it out. Once your hair gets past your shoulders, you can do so many things with it, life is so much easier. My mom was having the same problem, but once her hair got past the shoulders, she can put it back, up, ponytail....a lot of options. Her hair is about two inches past her shoulders....just long enough to put up. She kept the bangs, but they're just light bangs and very cute.

My hair is long and layered. Too heavy to have long and not layered. While short hair seems very popular, it sometimes takes more work than longer hair. Depends on how long it takes to dry and if you like it pulled up on the sides and out of the way : )

I definitely agree that longer hair will give you more options. From my late 30s till about 3 years ago, I had short hair. I tried to grow it a few times and never got very far and chopped it off, I swore my hair would be short the rest of my life. But I had plenty of bad hair days. If my hair is bad, my day is ruined. There's nothing to do but get back in the shower and start over.

Somehow I survived growing it out this last time. Now I'm 71 and quite gray and my hair is shoulder length. What?!! I think the secret to success this time was to grow out a lot of the bangs on the sides, and blend them in to the rest of the hair. I need bangs, but now they're longer and swept to the side. Less of a bi-level look.

I get lots of compliments about my hair from old and young alike. It's healthy and thick, for which I'm extremely grateful. I still can have naughty hair, but I can pull it back on the top or in a ponytail and not want to kill myself.

I can't work in the garden or do any messy projects without pulling my hair back because it will get into everything. But it is fun to go out and let my hair down and not just feel like a sensible granny.

May, my hair is blown straight today. I will wash it and let it curl tomorrow. I will see if I can walk my husband through how to take a pic with my iPad.

I liked my hair styled the way it was before I started letting it grow out. It had some layers but just enough to give the top portion some lift. Now that it is just past chin length the top is totally flat which is not a good look for me and the length is dragging my face down. The reason I decided to go curly is that it takes a long time to blow dry and style my hair, and frankly I was tired of fighting my curls. I am not sure that my face looks good with curly hair but it would probably be fine if my hair actually had a pretty curl.

i do agree that if I keep growing my hair out I can wear it up but that still doesn't help the flat head look. I am very cranky and out of sorts when I have a really bad hair day and now it's not only a bad hair day, it's a bad hair two months! Some days I just wish I had a shaved head and a wig.

A deva hairstylist could work. There is one about 30 minutes from my home but the stylist gets mixed reviews. The salon I go to belongs to a friend, though I started going there many years before we became friends. The stylist who cuts my hair has a good bit of wave to her hair but you'd never know it because it's always smooth and straight.

Holly-Kay, I agree with your DD--long enough that you can incorporate layers, which will give it shape. A standard bob won't work. The flat top means the curl is weighing it down and more layers need to be incorporated.

Keep calling around for a stylist that works with thick, curly hair. I wouldn't rely on online reviews--try the deva, even for a consult. What do you have to lose?

First World problems, I know, but consecutive bad hair days can be just frustrating all around.

ETA, I'm so invested in you and your hair! We have to get this worked out!

Holly Kay, my hair is straight as a board and I am also interested in your curly hair problem, curly hair has always fascinated me! It is really difficult to get used to a new hairstyle, I know all too well. Almost a year ago I got bangs for the first time in thirty or forty years and I am still not used to them. When I look into a mirror I wonder who that is looking at me, and still feel a bit like an imposter when I realize it is me. That probably sounds ridiculous, but it is true. And I have to wet and blow dry these darned bangs even on days I don't wash my hair because they get even flatter than my straight hair. Sometimes, they even sweep over to the side like Princess Diana---eek----and I just have to completely wash my hair anyway to avoid that dreaded look! If I were a little older, braver, had a different wardrobe and lived in a cooler climate I might ape Emma Fellowes and just wear turbans all the time! Hair is just a LOT of trouble, isn't it?

here she is I. Her turban many years apart. It's not a fashionable look but it is certainly her own distinctive style:

Sorry those are so big! No idea how to size photos for GW.

LOL kswl, I actually had a turban once. I was in my twenties and only wore it once because, as you can imagine, it brought plenty of stares. EF looks wonderful in a turban! I have to fuss with my hair every day too. I'm thinking that maybe just cutting my bangs might help. I just don't care for my brows showing and somehow my face looks plain and bland without the framing of bangs. I started growing them because the front and crown of my hair is very curly and if I was going curly I didn't want to have to worry with straightening bangs, curly bangs look awful! Yes hair is an awful nuisance.

Lisa, you are always so sweet! Hopefully I will find a solution and if I can go curly with flair I will have it cut back into layers and blow dry it smooth.

I feel like Lisa, we've got to help Holly love her curls!

In my case my hair is very fine so it is easier to keep it smooth. I'm trying not to be that older, graying woman with long hair that's kind of coarse and frizzy. Kind of the Lily Tomlin look in Frankie and Grace. I do like how longer hair hides a saggy neck, which looks like it's going to be my most noticeable aging sign. Ugh.

I am thinking maybe if I call my stylist and get my bangs cut it would look better. I wouldn't let her touch my hair with scissors last time and I honestly hate my looks without bangs. Now when my bangs are straight they are to the end of my nose, when they curl swept to the side they are above my brow.

It's gorgeous, Holly! So you have fine texture, so no Lily Tomlin going on. I think the top layers may be too short, unless you want fullness around your face. I avoid that with my roundish face. Mine has that much curl in the back but not the curl on the crown. Even with layering, it would lay flat.

Did you see my link with the video in the other thread about leaving your hair almost dripping wet and then generously adding curl cream? You let it air dry. It sticks your curls together, and then you can gently finger comb them apart for softness and volume. You might not want to touch your bangs though.

Oh, wow, H-K! That is a gorgeous head of hair! I cannot imagine that it looks like a nightmare at any angle. Some light layering might help you get a bit more bounce for those amazing curls. Really, I'm a little bit jealous of them!

I think it needs more mid-layers to lift it. Like this:

Are those pictures from naturallycurly.com? I browsed through there a while back, but to me every style just looks messy. The first two look a little like mine if I go to bed with my hair wet!

Lisa, both those styles are gorgeous! The top gal has much looser curls than I do, but isn't her hair gorgeous?. The bottom one seems to have more curl but my crown and front bang area is very curly, her's looks fairly tame. I sure wish I could achieve that fullness!

I think I will let my hair go through another stylist cycle with no cutting then reevaluate. If I cut bangs I will have to do them every. single. day! If I could get them to look like the second gal it would hide some of my sparse brows.

May, thank you. You are right, I need to have the top get longer because it is so curly that it looks a lot shorter. I will check out the video. I use a microfiber wrap and just squeeze some of the water out. The only hair product I have on in the pic is a palm full of Moroccan Oil. I think I look like a cartoon character with all the curls on my crown. I keep thinking about letting my hair go grey, both daughters are firmly against that and I think I need to get used to the curls before I start that process.

TR, thank you for your kind words. Take my word for it when I say the front view needs work. The curly bangs are crazy but maybe another inch of length will get them under control. The good news though is that DH now likes my curls or at least claims to!

I bought an app called Juxtaposer. It allows you to combine 2 photos into one. A very quickly (read poorly) done example trying on a hairstyle:

I wouldn't cut it anymore. You're going to need to let it grow out. What about using LARGE hot rollers or large barrel curling iron on the top and bangs, sorta pulled out then swept to the side?

For those who are unhappy with both their curly and blown-dry hair, are you using a flat iron after blow drying? My curly hair looks horrible after a blow dry, and using a flat iron afterwards greatly improves the look, texture, and everything else. I have a shortish layered cut.

Jelly, yes I have a Chi flat iron that I use. The problem with the flat iron is it makes my hair absolutely flat to my head. I am wondering if the ceramic coating is shot on it. I don't want stick straight hair and that is what I would end up with if I used it for more than just a quick go-over on the top layer.

Always1step, I was thinking this morning that a curling iron might help with the front and crown. I will research brands and order one. My stylist said I probably wouldn't like hot rollers because they burn your fingers.

Natebear, you are adorable. I don't think I could get a realistic vision using that but thank you for sharing. I guess an app won't be helpful.

What I like about the two curly looks above is that they taper down towards the bottom instead of flaring out. I have big hair and without that tapering, my hair just looks like a big upside down fan. Holly, you have gorgeous hair with an envious curl pattern and I'll be the right stylist would be able to give you that look.

I like the idea of the curling iron to help smooth out the top curls while you grow out that layer.

I like Hot Tools curling irons (I have a lot of hair). I like that they have adjustable heat. You can get them at Sallys Beauty and Ulta...and other places too I'm sure.

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Tools-Professional-Multi-Heat-1181/dp/B0002L992C

Thanks always. I ordered a Sultra curling wand. I went with the one inch barrel. Overstock had them for a much better price than Amazon. I hope that helps my issue.

May, I hope it does help.

Jelly, yes, exactly I sure don't want a pyramid look. I would gladly take either of the styles above.

aok27502 wrote: Are those pictures from naturallycurly.com? I browsed through there a while back, but to me every style just looks messy. The first two look a little like mine if I go to bed with my hair wet!

I just grabbed them from a google image search of medium-length curly hair. They do look messy in some eyes, but I can't find a way to make curly hair like mine look neat without a significant amount of time.

And this "messy" look is in style now. Last weekend, I was at an outdoor sporting event and took a break from the wind by getting a coffee at a local shop. My hair looked like the first photo I posted--I literally had just gotten out of bed and did nothing to it that morning. The young girl who served me coffee complimented my hair. Her words were, "By the way, I love your hair." (I wanted to hug her... they probably train them to say that to women my age!)

I'm 45, and to have someone more than 20 years my junior give me a compliment--trained or not!--made my day. Yes, I'm both vain like that and appreciative that, at my age, I still have some flair.

Call it messy. For me, it's easy and makes me feel good. I'll take it!

Lisa, I think one of the reasons I have a hard time with my curls is that I am used to having well groomed looking hair and curls are always untidy looking. The funny thing is I adore curly hair, just not on me!