Too much volume, dry hair, big mess!?

Ok, I'm a male and have longer hair.

It's not too long, but it's not short either.

It's wavy/curly, and it's pretty thick..

My problem is:

My hair, when I run my hand through will stand up in a very puffy manner, like an afro.

When I try to comb it down, it just puffs up again.

I dislike often imitating a marshmellow.

My hypothesis is that my hair is dry, but I'm not sure.

I've tried Pantene revival products (those 'deep' conditioners you leave in for 4-5 minutes, but they've done nothing but make my hair glossy.

Any suggestions?

I don't want a hair cut, longer hair looks much better on me.

Too much volume, dry hair, big mess!?

a hair cut doesn't always mean that you'll get your hair to look shorter =) why don't you try to get you hair's thick volume reduced? i do that all the time, even when i want to keep the current length of my hair.

Too much volume, dry hair, big mess!?

Try Bio-silk. It is fab. I am a chick, but my husband uses mine all the time. Sounds like he has the same kind of hair as you.

Too much volume, dry hair, big mess!?

try the garnier line, it makes you're hair "sleek and shiny" so it says. I've used the long and strong and I absolutely love it.

if you have a super walmart by you or know a hairdresser's salon, there's a conditioner called nexus and it does wonders for dry frizzy hair too.

I liked your marshmellow comment though. very nice.

Too much volume, dry hair, big mess!?

Dove Defined Texture molding cream. Put it on when your hair is wet, it gives you more control when it dries.