I have your moms hair minus the do it your self dye. My hair is super curly, thick, and used to be dry. I couldn't let it air dry without putting in mousse, because i'd have an afro. [I'm white.]
Try Morracan Oil [spelling?] or Aquage Oil Treatment. A bottle of morrocan should last 6 months, same with Aquage. It did WONDERS for my hair.
Also, Pantene curl spray is good too, it's not a hairspray, just a pump bottle of conditioning spray
