Achieving Julianne Hough's 'Safe Haven' Hairstyle for Thick Wavy Hair

Question
Hello. I have really thick wavy hair and when I let it air dry or blow dry it it tends to get a little frizzy and poofy. My recent cut has long layers and it has worked really well for me. However, I love the cut/length of Julianne Hough's hair in the movie "Safe Haven." I was wondering if there is a way to cut my hair similar to that but without it going crazy and poofy. I didn't know if h inh it the same length or layered or angles would help.... Thanks for your time!

Answer
This is probably as much of a product issue as it is a hair cut issue. Getting your cut the same is certainly the way to start but it sounds like your hair is thicker than Julianne's. You need products that are designed to  smooth your hair and condense the cuticle so that it lays flat. While we can cut hair to create or minimize volume, I think the texture of your hair is what challenges you.

Without being able to see you, or having any idea about what products you use, I can only make some broad suggestions. Redken Smooth Lock products along with their Steam infusion conditioning treatment would work beautifully. SexyHair also has a very nice smoothing line that's easy to use.

For a more long lasting effect, there are many smoothing treatments that are amazing. Brocato, Redken, Chi all have both permanent and demi permanent smoothing systems that are gentle and extremely effective. I prefer the Demi's to the permanents because you don't have a weird grow out line and if you choose to never do another smoothing service again, it just gradually gies back to normal after several months. Based on what little information you've given me here, I think this type of treatment may be the closest to getting you what you want. You'll still be able to curl your hair if you want to or wear it wavy or straight. I'll post a couple of links for you so you can see some examples.

Brocato
http://youtu.be/ul7PDMk8Dww

Chi
http://youtu.be/fBDpiJ9QUXY

Both of these are pro only systems and I never recommend using at home chemical services because too much can go wrong. But I do think that a smoothing treatment is what you're looking for. If you decide to do more research on smoothing treatments and have questions, I'm happy to help.