questions and then some

Hi everyone,
Just found this site this morning, and boy am I so happy! I have an appointment set up for this Friday to (sadly) cut off a significant portion of my hair, because I just don't know what to do for it.

I've already gone through most of the articles on here and gotten some very good tips on general care - I've been shockinly neglectful of my hair, so no wonder I've had such problems! I'm now headed in the right direction, but could use some pointers.

For instance - my hair is fairly thick - when I measured my ponytail it was roughly 4 1/2". It is also very coarse, and stubbornly wavy. I now live in Texas which is much more humid than where I used to live (Seattle-Tacoma). I have a VERY hard time getting my hair pulled up and it's becoming more prudent for me to do so with the hot weather and humidity here.

I would like to do more than the basic ponytail, but when my hair is dry, it is very hard to control and I end up giving up on it with aching shoulder and neck muscles. Is it bad for your hair to braid it while it is still wet?

Also, to keep the tangling down, I would like to pull it back somehow when I go to sleep, but the 'do always seems to get in the way and be uncomfortable since I sleep on my back a lot.

Pointers on accessories would be good - I go through seamless elastic bands like crazy. They also pull out a significant portion of my hair. Most clips and such for thick hair do NOT hold enough of my hair or end up simply sliding out. Does anyone know of a good accessory for thick hair?

Where the heck do I find a bbb? Do I have to order it?

I love the way hair sticks look, but can't seem to get them to NOT slide right out of my hair. Any personal experience would be very helpful!

Sorry for the long post, but I want to salvage as much hair this Friday as I can!

Hairy facts of life - 24" long, type 2ciii, coarse and thick, color very dark brown/black with liberal sprinkling of bright white. Not sure how long I want to grow it - depends on how well it does on the new regimen!