A: It sounds like your hair is giving you fits! Here are some ideas about how to help with frizziness and breakage.

Never brush your hair while wet, always use a comb, or even better, your fingers. Brushing while wet causes a significant amount of breakage.

Don't wash your hair every day - the natural oils will help keep your hair soft.

If your hair is long, consider cutting your hair into a cute, shorter style. The more hair you have, the harder it is to manage. Better to have less hair that always looks great rather than long hair that always looks bad.

As far as shampoos go, I would suggest either Aveda's new Sap Moss shampoo, which is, by far, the best shampoo I have ever used, or Stephen Knoll's Maidenhair, which is available from ibeauty.com. Both are excellent choices for fragile hair.

For conditioning, consider Komenuka Bijin Hair Treatment. It is rich and wonderful. Also, try the Aveda Sap Moss conditioner - I haven't used it yet, but if it is as good as the shampoo, I'll buy it by the case. Also, go to Reflect.com and register to design your own conditioner. It's only $12 and one of the best conditioners I have ever used.

For styling, I swear by Aveda Phomollient, a mousse in a pump-style bottle. It seals out moisture, so your hair won't be frizzy. Also, if you want to use a leave-in conditioner, Biolage by Matrix makes a leave-in tonic that I have used for the last 8 years. It is really amazing.

Good luck!