Hair problem.

[KontanKarite]

I have hair that's about a foot long.

It's soft. It's silky. It's SUPER healthy.

But there's a problem. My hair is cut in the form of a deathawk and now that it's a foot long, it's a bitch to get to stand up. It's a bitch to get it to do anything anymore. I just don't get why it's being so stubborn with standing up.

I've seen a lot of impossible mohawks and I have to wonder. Is their hair dry and ratty anyway?

I don't want to ruin or cut my hair to get it to do a hawk. But it might be that I'll have to damage it to get it to do anything.

Anyone else have this problem?

[TopHaggardDoll]

Yes!

i'm getting an inverted bob soon though. Making it more impossible...but i've adopted the "flip hair over to one side" look.

One of my friends had good hair but could make it ratty enough to get up into a hawk and it was pretty damn long. I can't do it...my hair just doesn't like to stay up. I know how to do it aswell, i've done it on other people.

Bloody hair.

[Cicero]

Healthy hair can stay up just as easily as fried hair - often even better in my experience. The length is likely the only problem. Have you tried crimping it before teasing? Adds some texture to help keep it all together. Also if your hair is strong enough try teasing it with a flea comb (the really finely toothed metal ones they sell in petshops...). Causes some major ratting up, but never fails. It's what I use when my hair is being difficult.

[Bat Brains]

My hair's a bit dry after bleaching it to white but it's not much easier to make it stand up. You just need the right teasing and spraying techniques.
Crimping can also help with some peoples hair, but I only straighten mine

[KontanKarite]

My GF said that thinner hawks are easier to stand up. I'm not shaving my head into a trad hawk, but I am thinking about sectioning it off. Parting my hair in a gradual way, making several thinner fins stand up and then maybe getting a tad bit of glue to smash them all together unless they look like a good solid fat hawk without it. I might be trying to make too much stand at once.

[electrosexual]

Originally Posted by TopHaggardDoll

Yes!
"flip hair over to one side" look

I do that look too ^_^

In regards to your question, Kontan, I only spike my hair up all mental on weekends, because I just couldn't be bothered to do it for school. I condition my hair every day except for days when I do spike up my hair. Its all about keeping your hair light I think. If you shampoo your hair and skip the conditioner the morning you want to get it up, then it should work better perhaps. But at the same time I don't think it's a good idea to ditch conditioner completely, as doing anything like this with your hair is bound to damage it and you really should make it up to your hair.

[honeythorn]

Well I don't have a hawk, but I make mine huge by crimping it before spraying and backcombing sections. Perhaps if you crimped it on a medium to low heat, just enough to make it crinkle a bit, then spray and tease small thinnish sections, that may help?

[TopHaggardDoll]

Crimping definately helps. I think also you need the base of the mohawk quite heavy...but the top really light.

My dad's method in the 80s was just...as he put it..."Backcomb the shit out of it...then hairspray the shit out of it".
Wise man...lol!

[TopHaggardDoll]

Originally Posted by electrosexual

I do that look too ^_^

Mine is abit different...it's more like this

http://a48.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/...0c70ed5217.jpg

[Murasaki eyeliner]

superglue(yeah seriously, waterd down superglue) is probobly the bestway to get a foot high hawk to stand up,also sugar water is quite good.

[TopHaggardDoll]

You don't need superglue or sugar water..

We used it once on a mates mohawk and it was gross, never again.

[Cicero]

For a deathhawk any type of glue or gel is a bad idea. It just weighs everything down.

Hairspray is god of all things high and mighty. It's simple.

[electrosexual]

Originally Posted by TopHaggardDoll

Mine is abit different...it's more like this

http://a48.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/...0c70ed5217.jpg

:O you're beautiful.

[Bat Brains]

My hawk was around a foot long a while ago. You just have to tease and hairspray without worrying about using too much or teasing it too much.
Despite what some people will tell you, it really doesn't do much damage to your hair. Just condition it out and it will be normal again.

[Wormboy]

My hawk is seven inches and all I need is hairspray O_O

Get ICE or Aquanet and spray the bottom heavy, the top lightly, and blowdry on cold (don't know why cold not hot, but it works better O_O)

[KontanKarite]

Cold you say??? I've never tried that...

[Wormboy]

I don't know why it works well cold, but with the heat I ended up with it taking LONGER to keep up.I think it melts the hairspray or something. If you're doing an actual fan hawk, then cold and low pressure. If you're going for a deathawk, tease until you can't put your finger through the hair anymore, and very lightly spray. You will need a friend's help or a deal of dexterity to do the back nicely. Word of advice, rest your wrist against the back of your head when spraying it, you'll most likely spray the top otherwise, which causes it to droop. If you want liberty spikes (or just an easier hawk) take a comb and evenly comb, section, and tie your hair up in miniature ponytails. It makes everything much neater. I put up six spikes quick that way. (Twenty minutes or so) Also for the back, make them higher up at the tip than you think you need, they droop a lot. So instead of putting it straight out, put it a bit up and let it sag a bit. If you're doing a fan, I'm sorry, but you WILL need help. You need one person to slide their hands up the hair to hold it up flat then someone else to spray. You CAN do it on your own but trust me it's a pain in the ass. (I've been doing so much with my hawk, so I've learned some tricks right quick). Teasing helps fans, but makes liberty spikes tricky unless you section then tease. For liberty spikes, twist the tips after spraying your fingers with spray. Don't use glue for anything but reinforcing the base. It's heavy. Also, as bad as it looks, wrap something around your arms when you do this, like foil or cellophane. I can not tell you how much hairspray landed on my arm. My hawk is a fair touch shorter than you so you should already be aware, hairspray goes out fast. Use less expensive spray, so it won't hurt if you use it in good amounts. Aquanet runs three dollars a can at Gelson's market, though I don't know if you have that out there. Basically, if you find aquanet, use it. It's also less foul smelling. If you have the cash, hair ice. As an act of desperation, you can always do something drastic. Forget superglue or Elmer's, I'm talking about Knox. Go to any two bit supermarket and buy yourself a few boxes of Knox gelatin. Mix it with really hot though definitely not boiling water. Experiment with how much Knox you want per cup, but about eight to ten packages per cup will do you. Put it on your hair like gel, with the bulk at the base and less as you go up. Use cool air to make it solid. The application must be done quick, Knox solidifies quickly. You can use jello mix if you want a color and fun smell. Warning: This is a DESPERATE ACT. It will hold your hair up for a week and make it roughly bulletproof if you do it too much. It's also HARD to wash out.

[TopHaggardDoll]

Originally Posted by electrosexual

:O you're beautiful.

That's really sweet, thankyou...you're bloody gorgeous too, love.

[KontanKarite]

The cold thing worked wonders actually. What I did was part my hair 3 ways and sectioned it off in pieces of six.

First, I did the center of the hawk. I had what looked like dog ears and a thin hawk in the middle. Then I did one side and kinda smashed it into the center. Then I did the other side and did the same thing. Now the hawk is up and glorious again. ^___^

Thanks, Wormboy. The cold air was an ACE move.

[Wormboy]

You're most welcome love. Yeah thing about the cold, hairspray is essentially and adhesive in a vapor form. I think every form of adhesive in the world (certainly any I've ever encountered) melts with heat and solidifies with cold (much like most things in general). It would only be logical to put cold air, since hot air would make you do more work anyway. Also, there's a reason hairspray costs a lot versus a little. Aquanet is dirt cheap, but you need more of it to do the same job. Hair ICE is a bit expensive, but won't take you too much for a tall hawk (I have a seven inch hawk and one can of Ice(normal size) lasted me five times. If you want deathawks, then I really recommend Aquanet, it's incredibly light. If you want really tall fans or liberty spikes, then I definitely recommend Ice if you have the budget. Around here (Los Angeles) Hair ICE costs roughly $10 to $13 a can, versus level 3 Aquanet at $3 a can. Also, and I can NOT stress this enough, LOW settings for the power on your hairdryers. Using it on high will knock over your mohawk faster than you can say, "OH SNAP!". Also, for tall hawks, don't use gel. Even if you have a miracle gel to hold it up, don't do it. When gel-laced hair breaks it has a tendency to flop in my experiences anyway. Hairspray keeps your hair bouncy. Furthermore, only Knox out of desperation. It works amazingly well if you do it right and anything but a mighty wind or some form of high density projectile will not break it. That being said, it will last a week if you let it. If you do not mind this, then by all means. If you need to wash it out that night, hairspray is your friend. Also, for people with deathawks, make sure you go out and buy VERY strong Shampoo and conditioner that's intended for extensively damaged hair. While teasing won't screw your hair that badly, it makes combing it smooth again a LOT easier. I once had hair teased so thick you couldn't put a pencil through it, and one lather of conditioner and I was running my fingers through it, without combing. I think I should start a hawk thread.