The problem in english is that “for” can have multiple meanings in this case. It can mean the product is just meant to be used on item X or it can mean it intended to make the product more like X.
In this case, I’m confused because some people with curly hair hate it and want it straighter, so “for curly” hair might make it straightens or at least not make it curlier, while people with straight hair who DO want it curly would want a intentional product “for curly hair” to make their hair curly.
Which is it?
Best question I’ve seen here so far.
Wavy hair people unite
I’m one of those people with curly hair that hates it. I hate it, because I can’t opt out of dealing with it.
That out of the way, products for curly hair are designed to assist in caring for curly hair.
Products that are designed to straighten hair, or intensify curls will state that explicitly for all the ambiguous wording issues you’ve mentioned
Technically you can opt out of it. Bald.
Nobody can opt out of the type of hair they have.
I’m one of those people with curly hair that hates it. I hate it, because I can’t opt out of dealing with it
As a person with straight hair, I empathize with this so much. I cannot opt out of it either, my hair will not hold a curl to save my life and it’s dull, scraggly, and takes so much effort to manage when it’s long.
I know it’s not an option for everyone, but I just said fuck it and cut it all off. I’ve had a pixie cut most of my adult life lol
Opting out and getting dull and scraggly as a result is the type of opting out I want
lol I wish we could switch hair because I’d love to have my hair be able to have any kind of body at all
Curly hair is great for people that love beauty routines and self care sessions!
It’s not so great for people who don’t
I get that. I feel like it’s the actually really similar for my hair type. When it’s long, if I don’t have an extensive routine with conditioners and hair oils, it just knots up with the tiniest breeze. Like, if it’s a sort of windy day, I will end up with a rat’s nest of knots.
But that’s why I cut mine all off, I’d rather deal with a pixie cut than spend an hour+ keep it manageable every day. It’s probably a grass is greener kind of thing lol
I think it’smostly a problem that straight hair is taken as the default and everything is made with that in mind.
It’s because if I just ignore my hair, it turns to knotty frizz that takes hours to deknot. And I can’t brush my hair unless I’m in the shower washing it. Which means I have to wash it 2 or 3 times a week. And every time I wash it, I can’t dry it with a towel. I have to either use a hair dryer for 20 minutes, or wear a towel on my head for an hour, and then let it air dry for another 30 minutes or so after that.
I don’t do skin care, I don’t do makeup, I don’t do my nails, yet my fucking hair… My skin, face and nails are fine despite me ignoring them. Sure, they might look better with a bit of attention, but they function just fine even when I don’t put any time in to them. But I have to have a routine for my hair, because the only other option is cutting it all off
That’s why I resent my hair.
I do like doing my hair, and to some extent curly is easier (at least it always does something, I can just scrunch it) but occasionally it’s nice to go let the stylist blow it out straight - that will hold for a week.
And I wanted to comment on the brushing - I used to have SUCH tangly hair that “tangled” was my hair type. If I looked from one side to the other, it would tangle. These ladies on the old Naturallycurly site kept telling me to stop brushing it, just detangle with a wide tooth comb in the shower and then it would not be so tangly. I thought they were out of their minds, that my hair was just different - it wasn’t damaged, no split ends, nothing, just tangly. Well I tried it and guess what? Once I had a crop of never brushed hair, it was not tangly. Ever since putting down the brush it is so much easier. No big detangling sessions. Just wash, can comb the shampoo through it. Condition, some styling products, and go. It doesn’t dry as fast as yours but if I wash in the morning, diffuser a few minutes, it’s dry by lunchtime.
I may have to try that. My curls are never happy
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate sure does seem to have a lot of uses.
Generally speaking, products labeled for curly hair are gentle (because curly hair is often delicate) and designed to help reduce frizz and help with definition.
So it won’t make straight hair curly, no. It will help curly hair look “curlier” because less frizz and better separation of the curls makes it look curlier, but it doesn’t literally tighten them, may even relax them very slightly.
So they are for people with curly hair, to improve the look and/or health of curly hair.
Products for curly hair are designed to minimize the negative effects of curls (such as frizzyness) while attempting to accentuate the curl.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a product for straight hair other than maybe a straightening iron (and mists, etc. designed to be used before/after ironing), which does indeed iron your hair in an attempt to make it straighter. Edit: straightening your hair with an iron only lasts until you wash it again (or it gets wet by other means, including heavy humidity).
There are two exceptions to this: a permanent (“perm”) solution does actually make your hair more curly. Despite being called permanent, it only lasts a few weeks or months. The opposite of this is called a hair relaxer. It’ll make your hair more straight for a similar amount of time. Both of these are more harsh chemicals, and people generally go to a salon to get them done professionally. There are also home versions sold.
In summary, read the entire package before you use it on your hair.
Yes.
As someone with slightly curly hair my experience is that products for curly hair are intended to make it more curly and products for straight hair make it slighty more straight. I wouldn’t expect a product for curly hair to make it straight, but if you have straight hair don’t expect to get curly hair from it either.
Are you straight or are you curlyy? 👀🏳️🌈
I’m wavy and the curly/straights don’t take me seriously.
You my friend, I bet you have textured hair like tones and tones of women who have been tortured in salon with wet cut, straightened hair or waved with a curling iron, only to end up crying going back from the hairdresser. There are so many of us that have neither straight nor curly or kinky. They call our hair freezy, unmanageable, dull, or we get the witch (the crazy maniacal one, not the cool crazy maniacal one) look when long.
A few of the curly girl hair methods have worked to some extend for me, but I feel like we do not have the technic or technology to care for that kind of hair because it was just not considered a thing until recently. It requires a tremendous amount of trials and errors to find something approximate and if you ever find a stylist who understand your hair, keep them very very close and never let go.
Anyway, to answer your question, curly hair products are supposed to care for your curls.
I was mostly making a joke about bisexuality… but my hair is kind of thick and wavy except for some flat spots. My go-to-solution these days to add a little interest is a home-made sea-salt water spray.
Sorry for your hair troubles. It’s true for any minority issue–most people don’t know how to treat you, a smaller number THINK they know how but don’t, and only a very few people actually do.
Hahaha, it went right over my head. Good one! And thank you for your sympathy. Now I shall crawl back to me freezy cave
I’m a curly girly
We have the same issue in French, but I would say that it depends on how positive the topic is. Dry skin is bad, so a product for dry skin will mean to take care of and hydrate it. For curly hair, it is a neutral description of the hair, so taking care of it would be more like caring them (maintaining the hydration, helping them curl, opposed to scraightening them). If you look for product that would help straightening curly hair, it would be marketized as “straightening curly hair”, not “for curly hair”.
i think that hair product that straightens curly hair should be labeled “against curly hair”
Those products are toxic AF, surprised they are still legal.
If you want to think about it grammatically, it would be “for curling hair” or “for straightening hair” if the function of the product was to make your hair more curly or more straight.
For curly hair: you have curly hair, or wavy hair and want more curls.
