Why can't I use a round brush (stylist, conditioner, look)

[fleetiebelle]

I have just above shoulder-length fine hair that is dense and wavy, and I use a round brush every time I style it. I don't know how to explain it, since using it is second nature. After I wash my hair, I do the towel turban thing while I dry off to get it to half dry. I blow dry upside down and use the round brush to finish. I think you're just going to have to practice with different angles with the brush to see what gets you the results you want.

[Mink57]

Originally Posted by ilovepizza1975

I just got a bob haircut.

For reference:

I have very few gray hairs so they are not a factor in my hair's unruliness.

My hair is a little wavy naturally but is much more straight than not.

I have baby-fine hair but it's not super-thin.


I'm using multiple sizes of round brushes and a regular hairdryer. I wash my hair with sulfate-free shampoo and use both conditioner and leave-in conditioner (per my hairdresser's strong recommendations). I also use mousse (again per her recommendation).

She told me to dry my hair "to 50% dry," whatever that means. I don't know what that means.

She has tried to show me twice how to use a round brush. I still can't get it to work. I put the brush under my hair and twirl it around to get my hair on the brush. I dry my hair on the brush. As soon as I pull the brush straight down, my hair flips out instead of being straight or curling slightly under. I hate this haircut so much. Don't even get me started on "sectioning." I can't section my own hair to save my life. I try. And fail. Every morning.

I'm ready to literally shave my head at this point.

I've watched multiple YouTube tutorials; they aren't helpful since the vast majority of them are someone round-brushing someone else's hair or they're a professional hairdresser round-brushing their own hair. I need a civilian in their own sloppy bathroom juggling a dryer and a round brush like I do.

Or a hairdresser to show me once and for all what I'm doing wrong...AND LET ME DO IT INSTEAD OF WATCHING THEM DO IT.

I even paid my hairdresser for a tutorial that involved me holding a mirror and watching HER work. This is not helpful. I am obviously the problem. If watching her do it was enough, I wouldn't need a tutorial.

I have several suggestions:

1. When you use a blow dryer and a round brush, instead of pulling straight down, you can try UNROLLING your hair, once it's dry.

2. You can also try adding a touch of mousse while your hair is damp, and style...again, UNROLLING instead of pulling straight down.

3. You can try curling your dry hair on the brush and adding a spritz of hair spray. UNROLL after the spray is added.

4. You can try purchasing a curling iron with "teeth". Conair Instant Heat Hot Curl Styling Brush is a pretty decent one that I've used for several years.

Good luck! Hope one of these methods helps.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by ilovepizza1975

I just got a bob haircut.

For reference:

I have very few gray hairs so they are not a factor in my hair's unruliness.

My hair is a little wavy naturally but is much more straight than not.

I have baby-fine hair but it's not super-thin.


I'm using multiple sizes of round brushes and a regular hairdryer. I wash my hair with sulfate-free shampoo and use both conditioner and leave-in conditioner (per my hairdresser's strong recommendations). I also use mousse (again per her recommendation).

She told me to dry my hair "to 50% dry," whatever that means. I don't know what that means.

She has tried to show me twice how to use a round brush. I still can't get it to work. I put the brush under my hair and twirl it around to get my hair on the brush. I dry my hair on the brush. As soon as I pull the brush straight down, my hair flips out instead of being straight or curling slightly under. I hate this haircut so much. Don't even get me started on "sectioning." I can't section my own hair to save my life. I try. And fail. Every morning.

I'm ready to literally shave my head at this point.

I've watched multiple YouTube tutorials; they aren't helpful since the vast majority of them are someone round-brushing someone else's hair or they're a professional hairdresser round-brushing their own hair. I need a civilian in their own sloppy bathroom juggling a dryer and a round brush like I do.

Or a hairdresser to show me once and for all what I'm doing wrong...AND LET ME DO IT INSTEAD OF WATCHING THEM DO IT.

I even paid my hairdresser for a tutorial that involved me holding a mirror and watching HER work. This is not helpful. I am obviously the problem. If watching her do it was enough, I wouldn't need a tutorial.

Not sure why you're drying your hair, esp with a brush. To rule the unruly frizzies? To get it to turn under?

I've had bobs before. A properly cut bob will naturally curl or gently fold under. Bobs need to be undercut. If it's cut straight (outer to inner is straight cut), it'll tend to flip up, or at the very least, not naturally curl under. Are you sure your hair is undercut?

I like bobs and have had them several times in my life, but I don't get them any more because they're so gosh darn hard to cut. They have to be precision cut in every way. It's the rare hairdresser who can do it. Price of a haircut has nothing to do with the hairdresser's skill in precision cutting. It's a talent.

As for round hairbrushes, I tried using those a few times in my life (to smooth the frizzies or give my straight hair some body). I got the round brush tangled in my long hair every time.

I don't dry my hair at all these days, letting it dry naturally. Then I put it in a bun overnight, which gives it some body and smooths the frizzies a bit. Sometimes I strategically dampen the hair and use old fashioned rollers for an hour or two, to smooth out the frizzies & give some body. I use a silk serum to smooth frizzies usually. I use conditioners that wash out, but sometimes add my conditioner to the ends and leave it, after it dries.

[NCviaMD]

My hair is all one length (little about shoulder length) and fine, I have long layers and I use a round brush on the front and sides. I shampoo and condition everyday. I will towel dry my hair a little bit and let it air dry until I'm finished getting dressed. It half dries during this time. Then I brush it all back and then I turn my head upside down and blow-dry and move my hands through it while I am drying, mostly in the front. Then I flip my head up and my hair USUALLY falls right where my part is and I grab the round brush, here is how I do it. Hold brush in dominant hand and hair dryer in the other hand. I am right handed so I have the brush in that hand and the hair dryer in my left hand. Start at the roots and roll hair around the brush while drying. When you get to the end hold the brush and hair dryer there for a about 10-15 seconds, move hair dryer away while still holding brush for a few more seconds (like 5-10 seconds) release the brush. Your hair should have an inward curl or outward depending on which direction you are holding the brush. You might have to do it a couple of times until it's actually dry. I don't really do anything with the back, I can't see it or reach it so I mostly let it dry and give it a brush so it looks halfway decent. I don't use mousse or anything else in my hair. I think leave on conditioner and mousse could really weigh your hair down and then you can't do anything with it.
Hope this helps.

[ilovepizza1975]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

I have just above shoulder-length fine hair that is dense and wavy, and I use a round brush every time I style it. I don't know how to explain it, since using it is second nature. After I wash my hair, I do the towel turban thing while I dry off to get it to half dry. I blow dry upside down and use the round brush to finish. I think you're just going to have to practice with different angles with the brush to see what gets you the results you want.

Nothing has worked so far.

Originally Posted by Mink57

I have several suggestions:

1. When you use a blow dryer and a round brush, instead of pulling straight down, you can try UNROLLING your hair, once it's dry.

2. You can also try adding a touch of mousse while your hair is damp, and style...again, UNROLLING instead of pulling straight down.

3. You can try curling your dry hair on the brush and adding a spritz of hair spray. UNROLL after the spray is added.

4. You can try purchasing a curling iron with "teeth". Conair Instant Heat Hot Curl Styling Brush is a pretty decent one that I've used for several years.

Good luck! Hope one of these methods helps.

I have a round brush dryer on the way but it's not here yet.

I've tried all the other suggestions already.

Originally Posted by bpollen

Not sure why you're drying your hair, esp with a brush. To rule the unruly frizzies? To get it to turn under?

I've had bobs before. A properly cut bob will naturally curl or gently fold under. Bobs need to be undercut. If it's cut straight (outer to inner is straight cut), it'll tend to flip up, or at the very least, not naturally curl under. Are you sure your hair is undercut?

I like bobs and have had them several times in my life, but I don't get them any more because they're so gosh darn hard to cut. They have to be precision cut in every way. It's the rare hairdresser who can do it. Price of a haircut has nothing to do with the hairdresser's skill in precision cutting. It's a talent.

As for round hairbrushes, I tried using those a few times in my life (to smooth the frizzies or give my straight hair some body). I got the round brush tangled in my long hair every time.

I don't dry my hair at all these days, letting it dry naturally. Then I put it in a bun overnight, which gives it some body and smooths the frizzies a bit. Sometimes I strategically dampen the hair and use old fashioned rollers for an hour or two, to smooth out the frizzies & give some body. I use a silk serum to smooth frizzies usually. I use conditioners that wash out, but sometimes add my conditioner to the ends and leave it, after it dries.

No matter what I do, my hair looks terrible when I try to style it. I shared pictures with a friend on Twitter (who is also a hairdresser but is not the one who cut my hair) and she thinks the problem might be the cut. I'm going to see her after work today to see if she can't fix my haircut.

If she can't fix it it'll be far too short to put in a ponytail; I'll have to figure something out while I grow it back out and NEVER get another hairstyle as long as I live. I've worn my hair long in a ponytail for years and only cut it when people in my life told me it looked "sloppy" and I needed to look more "professional" at work (nobody at work has said this to me).

Now I'm left with a haircut I can't style that looks worse than what I had before...and it's too short to pull it back off my face when I'm having a bad hair day (which is every day since I had it cut).

[Threestep2]

Time to change hairdressers.
Someone on Twitter does not have access to your hair.
You will do fine with a "hamster tail" until your hair grows out.

Wash, pat dry (I use a big micro fiber towel with no loops), section with big clips, pre dry with blower then dry every section starting with the bottom ones.

I have not used a round brush in years. A curved vented brush works with my fine and curly hair. A dab of oil to keep fly aways at bay. Second day solution - sections and flat iron.

You will just have to work on sectioning. Big comb, clips. Play around on the weekend not when you are pressed for time. Look for other products. I found a drugstore heavy conditioner for past ear level only which works wonders detangling and encasing hairs.

[SnazzyB]

Originally Posted by Mink57

I have several suggestions:

1. When you use a blow dryer and a round brush, instead of pulling straight down, you can try UNROLLING your hair, once it's dry.

2. You can also try adding a touch of mousse while your hair is damp, and style...again, UNROLLING instead of pulling straight down.

3. You can try curling your dry hair on the brush and adding a spritz of hair spray. UNROLL after the spray is added.

4. You can try purchasing a curling iron with "teeth". Conair Instant Heat Hot Curl Styling Brush is a pretty decent one that I've used for several years.

Good luck! Hope one of these methods helps.

I was thinking this as well. Don't pull it straight down, unroll it. But also, I wanted to suggest that you hold the brush like you're holding a toothbrush, and continuously roll the brush in your hair, AS you are drying it. (As opposed to rolling the hair into your brush, and then 'freezing' as you blow the dryer on it.) When using the brush, you're constantly rolling the brush in your hair, until you decide you're finished.

And 50% dry is when your hair is damp to the touch, but it's not wet anymore.

[ilovepizza1975]

Originally Posted by Threestep2

Time to change hairdressers.
Someone on Twitter does not have access to your hair.
You will do fine with a "hamster tail" until your hair grows out.

Wash, pat dry (I use a big micro fiber towel with no loops), section with big clips, pre dry with blower then dry every section starting with the bottom ones.

I have not used a round brush in years. A curved vented brush works with my fine and curly hair. A dab of oil to keep fly aways at bay. Second day solution - sections and flat iron.

You will just have to work on sectioning. Big comb, clips. Play around on the weekend not when you are pressed for time. Look for other products. I found a drugstore heavy conditioner for past ear level only which works wonders detangling and encasing hairs.

I'm going to the Twitter lady today to see if she can't save my hair. She runs a hair salon. The first hairdresser I went to was very highly recommended by a friend of mine who admittedly has a very different hair texture from mine.

Originally Posted by SnazzyB

I was thinking this as well. Don't pull it straight down, unroll it. But also, I wanted to suggest that you hold the brush like you're holding a toothbrush, and continuously roll the brush in your hair, AS you are drying it. (As opposed to rolling the hair into your brush, and then 'freezing' as you blow the dryer on it.) When using the brush, you're constantly rolling the brush in your hair, until you decide you're finished.

And 50% dry is when your hair is damp to the touch, but it's not wet anymore.

Thanks; I've tried twirling the brush and it doesn't work for me. Something is really wrong with my technique.

Thanks for the 50% tip; I am a complete moron when it comes to styling my hair. I have never put much effort into it and I have not learned much.

[SnazzyB]

Originally Posted by ilovepizza1975

I'm going to the Twitter lady today to see if she can't save my hair. She runs a hair salon. The first hairdresser I went to was very highly recommended by a friend of mine who admittedly has a very different hair texture from mine.



Thanks; I've tried twirling the brush and it doesn't work for me. Something is really wrong with my technique.

Thanks for the 50% tip; I am a complete moron when it comes to styling my hair. I have never put much effort into it and I have not learned much.

I can sympathize. I'm not all that great with my hair either. lol

[puginabug]

Originally Posted by ilovepizza1975

I'm going to the Twitter lady today to see if she can't save my hair. She runs a hair salon. The first hairdresser I went to was very highly recommended by a friend of mine who admittedly has a very different hair texture from mine.



Thanks; I've tried twirling the brush and it doesn't work for me. Something is really wrong with my technique.

Thanks for the 50% tip; I am a complete moron when it comes to styling my hair. I have never put much effort into it and I have not learned much.

Hopefully you can have this new hairdresser watch what you’re doing as you try to style it. Maybe she will be able to teach you a better or more correct technique.

Good luck! Please let us know how it goes!