I'm a black 19 year old and my hair is as nappy as you can get. I leave it in braids most of the time cause I'm scared of the pain I have to got through trying to comb it out. Combed out, its like 6 inches long, but after washing it its like 3 inches long, 2 inches when it dries out. Any advice on how to make it really soft causei don't intend to perm(relax) it? Good conditioners??

U should start detangling your hair every time you wash it (with a conditioner) and deep condition for atlist 30 minutes, trust me this will make your hair softer also I recommend getting a the pink musturizer and watching videos on YouTube they really help; GOODLUCK

Find the right type of brush for your hair. For pin straight hair for example, you should not use any round brushes. Brushes can be specific. Also try not to leave it in braids as to keep the hair healthy. Try not to apply a lot of heat [some blow drying or tools for different hair types in a small amount is not really bad though!]. Try difrizzing sprays. You could go to your hairdresser and have them wash, comb, and trim it a little. And then you should look into different products [you probably won't find the perfect one right away] to find ones for your hair type, and lenth. Thick, fine, short, long, curly, wavy, straight, oily, dry, etc.

It sounds like your hair is short and wavy and thick. There are many different hair care brands! Many of which are common. From drugstore to professional shops for haridressers. For example you could try head and shoulders, garnier fructis, bedhead.

Also for smooth and shiny hair--you'd have to look into this product a bit more, but you could try morrocan argon tree oil!