Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....

[NikkiQ]

I have a question that may be a bit silly...

Whenever I do a set of twists or braids for an out, I always end up with fluffy ends. How can I keep that from happening? I'm not the best at braiding all the way to the end. My hair was cut in layers and grabbing the hair towards the end just doesn't happen. Fluffy ends+braid/twist out= No Bueno

 

[pookaloo83]

I have a question that may be a bit silly...

Whenever I do a set of twists or braids for an out, I always end up with fluffy ends. How can I keep that from happening? I'm not the best at braiding all the way to the end. My hair was cut in layers and grabbing the hair towards the end just doesn't happen. Fluffy ends+braid/twist out= No Bueno

NikkiQ I just twist as much as I can and twirl them with water about can curl up. It I put perm rods on the end.

Sent from my iPhone 4s

 

[JudithO]

Hair profile? 4c, fine med & thick strands, low po

Reggie and products?
prepoo w/ olive oil
poo w/ SM retention poo
dt w/ CJ RM(hardly ever) or olive oil & honey(weekly)
ro whatever... tresemme naturals, gvp cb
leave in Oyin dew or CJ smoothing lotion
spritz juices and berries

How do you style your hair? twists

What problems do you have with your hair? Dryness, Tangling and SSKs. I need something to keep my hair moisturized for more than one day. I always hear naturals saying product X kept my hair moisturized for three day or even a week. The product is usually a butter/cream but all the butters I've used just sit there. erplexed

@blackeyes31626 following what Nonie says... Please DC more often with something that contains no protein... CJ RM is a reconstructor I think.. Can you DC with a moisture only conditioner? So far as the softness.... I loved qhemet's aohc for my natural hair... Kept it soft for days.

 

[Nonie]

NikkiQ your question isn't silly. We all get fluffy ends at the end of twists or braids. You can see mine on the top pics below. Wetting the twists as pookaloo83 said causes the ends to coil up and look tidier:

If the twists open up to form two "legs" as seen below I just press them together and roll between fingers to get one neat end.

Here's another freshly done twist looking fluffy at the end:

Here's what twists look like after a few washes:

If your hair doesn't have small curls/coils (if you're type 3 and above) then you will need rollers.

 

[Poohbear]

Poohbear, interesting that your observation is that wet twists look spacey? My experience is the opposite. You can see what my twists look like when freshly done on stretched hair even though I carefully stagger my parts so each subsequent row covers the parts in the one below it; yet my twists look spacey.

But when I wet them, shrinkage causes a thickening and fullness. The photo below is another example of how well wetting twists works for me in creating a fullness effect:

And remember those wonky twists I posted earlier from freshly done twists? This is what they looked like after several more washes (below). Yes they are shrunken but that doesn't bother me. I love the look of fullness and neatness way much more than length:

Nonie, my twists don't do that. My twists have more fullness and thickness and length when dry. When wet, they are more puny and shrunken which I do not like.

 

[softblackcotton]

If you have issues you are struggling with.. Please share...

Hair profile? 4B, fine to med strands, high density, Collarbone Length.

Reggie and products? My Reggie has changed throughout the years on lhcf because nothing seemed to be working for me. The lastest Reggie is For the past few months wash once a week with Giovanni Organics Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Wash hair in large twists.Deep conditioner every week with Shea Moisture Deep Contioner, every 2 months aphogee treatment. Use tangle teaser to detangle with scurl/water glycerin to moisturize, seal with castor oil. I have started to trim my own hair. Last trim 5/6 months ago. Just trimmed last night. I trim by twisting my hair and trimming off thinnest overhang pieces. You know where the bulk of the hair ends and you get the few longer strands overhanging.

How do you style your hair?
I usually wear my hair in a wash and go curly fro. I used to use eco styler but because of the flaking I switched to kinky curly custard, however, I had my hair in micro (not too small) twists for the past 3.5 months. I am getting them re-done today.


What problems do you have with your hair?
It seems like it is growing at an extremely slow rate plus experiences excessive breakage despite high moisture and PSing. For example, although I was resting it for the past 3.5 months, it has only grown about 3/4 inches. I have two bald spots from severe "hand in hair syndrome" that have not grown in yet. I am very disappointed and disgusted with my hair. I'm seeing people who went natural at the same time and at the same.length (CBL) I joined lhcf (2009) with BSL to MBL. Even with slow growing hair I should be at least at BSL by now. What can I do?

 

[lushcoils]

Hair profile?

4b natural, 5-8 inches, fine/medium strands, thick density, spongy, needs protein


Reggie and products? E.g wash and DC weekly with X, Y, and Z products

(i don't use all of these products at once or everyday)
shampoo 1x-3x a week - natural's gate biotin
conditioner 2x-3x a week - trader joe's nourish spa
deep conditioner 2x-3x - aubrey's honeysuckle rose
moisturize (every day or every other day) - shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
seal with (every day or every other day)- castor oil and/or hempseed oil

baggy with dc and seal with oils 1x-2x week; steam once a week

protein - aubrey's gbp once a week. seal with oil. baggy

I trim/dust every 2 months.
Attempt to detangle monthly or every 2 months.

How do you style your hair?

twist extensions every 1-2 months
break: twist outs for a week then back to twist extensions

What problems do you have with your hair?

shedding/thinning
recent setback - my hair just started to shed from the roots and it was very sore and now i have several thin spots on my head. I'm not sure what happened. It could be mix of stress from school and low ferrtain levels.

I'm taking iron pills. School should be over soon. Massaging scalp with jbco, aloe vera gel, and sulfur. I also bought some garlic conditioner to stop shedding. I hope this works.

Also, just started cleaning scalp with baking soda/honey/tea tree oil once a week. This is very soothing to my scalp/roots.

slow growth (less than .5 inch a month)


I'm taking iron pills. Adding sulfur to scalp. Trying to be healthier..multivitatmin, water, better diet, exercise, managing stress..


I really need help with the following. I've been natural for years. Though my breakage has decreased and dryness has improved somewhat, I still struggle with the following:

breakage
Sometimes I feel like my hair breaks when I look at it. I don't know why since I use moisturizing products and use protein. My breakage has decreased over time now that I added some protein, but it still breaks when I rub my hand through my hair or manipulate it (twist, comb, etc). Tiny little hairs everywhere daily.



dryness

I feel like if I don't baggy everyday this hair just gets crispy. Ugh. I don't know how people can go days without moisturizing. The most I can do is every other day. But for the most part, my hair gets dry within 12 hours. i don't know, I feel like I use the right products and I don't get weeks of moisture like everyone else does.

I started oil rinsing and using the aloe vera juice dc method. It helps somewhat, but my hair still feels dry afterward several hours later. WTf is wrong with my hair?


(Again, I don't use every product at the same time everyday.)

 

[mslionheart]

Use tangle teaser to detangle with scurl/water glycerin to moisturize, seal with castor oil.

I usually wear my hair in a wash and go curly fro.

What problems do you have with your hair?
It seems like it is growing at an extremely slow rate plus experiences excessive breakage despite high moisture and PSing. For example, although I was resting it for the past 3.5 months, it has only grown about 3/4 inches. I have two bald spots from severe "hand in hair syndrome" that have not grown in yet. I am very disappointed and disgusted with my hair. I'm seeing people who went natural at the same time and at the same.length (CBL) I joined lhcf (2009) with BSL to MBL. Even with slow growing hair I should be at least at BSL by now. What can I do?

How long have you been using the Tangle Teaser? There have been other members who were happy with it at first, but after a bit of time they noticed that it was causing breakage and splits. When Mwedzi (who is a hair twin of mine) reported that it damaged her hair, I knew to stay far away from it.

Are you saying that you have been CBL since 2009? When did you stop relaxing?

Reggie and products? E.g wash and DC weekly with X, Y, and Z products

(i don't use all of these products at once or everyday)
shampoo 1x-3x a week - natural's gate biotin
conditioner 2x-3x a week - trader joe's nourish spa
deep conditioner 2x-3x - aubrey's honeysuckle rose
moisturize (every day or every other day) - shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
seal with (every day or every other day)- castor oil and/or hempseed oil

baggy with dc and seal with oils 1x-2x week; steam once a week

protein - aubrey's gbp once a week. seal with oil. baggy

My hair wouldn't be able to handle all of that manipulation in just one week. Is there a reason you need to shampoo and condition more than once a week? Have you tried simplifying your routine?

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie, my twists don't do that. My twists have more fullness and thickness and length when dry. When wet, they are more puny and shrunken which I do not like.

@Poohbear, I don't mean twisting on wet hair. I mean wetting the twists after you do them on dry hair. They WILL fatten. Why? Coz shrinkage will make them do that. I don't think there's any way to avoid that unless your twists are coated with a serum. When I twirl before I twist, I get very skinny twists but they hang longer than if I didn't twirl. If you do the twirling, you'll see what I mean about getting skinny twists that are also very tight. But every time you wash them, they WILL fatten. It is the nature of shrinkage. Shrinkage causes poofing, so it cannot be avoided.

Still I find it odd that you get bigger twists when you twist on dry than when you twist on wet. Do you twist loosely? Is your hair shrunken when you twist on dry or stretched? Do you have photos of the twists you get with dry and with wet hair? I'm intrigued.


Below is an experiment I did a little over two years ago. The twists you see starting from left represent:

• Twist done on dry hair then dunked (It's not much fuller but will get fuller with subsequent washes);
• Twist done on wet hair (a lot shorter and also slightly fatter than that done on dry hair--which is what I'd expect coz wet hair shrinks);
• Twist done on dry hair (hangs longer than all others but is skinny and frayed at the ends)

 

[greenandchic]

I've been cowashing my hair twice a week these days. My hair loves me for it, but I sometimes get confused if its too much because many people here wash their hair once a week or less. I guess time will tell if its good for me or not.

Back in the day (2002-2004) I cowashed daily. My hair looked good, but it was a bit much...I think twice a week or every 3-4 days is a compromise.

 

[Nonie]

greenandchic I do complete washes (ie shampoo, conditioner or DC, then ACV rinse) twice a week and I am very comfortable with that; so you're not alone in this. Don't worry about what others do; do you.

 

[Nonie]

It seems like it is growing at an extremely slow rate plus experiences excessive breakage despite high moisture and PSing. For example, although I was resting it for the past 3.5 months, it has only grown about 3/4 inches. I have two bald spots from severe "hand in hair syndrome" that have not grown in yet. I am very disappointed and disgusted with my hair. I'm seeing people who went natural at the same time and at the same.length (CBL) I joined lhcf (2009) with BSL to MBL. Even with slow growing hair I should be at least at BSL by now. What can I do?

What PSing and resting of your hair do you do? softblackcotton?

 

[lushcoils]

My hair wouldn't be able to handle all of that manipulation in just one week. Is there a reason you need to shampoo and condition more than once a week? Have you tried simplifying your routine?

@bluehatter

If I don't shampoo my hair at least every 3 days, my scalp gets very itchy. And it's a non-sulfate natural shampoo so it's not very drying. Plus, I have to counteract the product I put in my hair so I won't get build up from my products and from working out.

I have to deep condition/cowash/baggy about twice week...again either every other day or every 3-4 days because my hair gets really dry. Is it really extra manipulation if I'm just adding more moisture to it?

 

[Nonie]

I really need help with the following. I've been natural for years. Though my breakage has decreased and dryness has improved somewhat, I still struggle with the following:

breakage
Sometimes I feel like my hair breaks when I look at it. I don't know why since I use moisturizing products and use protein. My breakage has decreased over time now that I added some protein, but it still breaks when I rub my hand through my hair or manipulate it (twist, comb, etc). Tiny little hairs everywhere daily.



dryness

I feel like if I don't baggy everyday this hair just gets crispy. Ugh. I don't know how people can go days without moisturizing. The most I can do is every other day. But for the most part, my hair gets dry within 12 hours. i don't know, I feel like I use the right products and I don't get weeks of moisture like everyone else does.

I started oil rinsing and using the aloe vera juice dc method. It helps somewhat, but my hair still feels dry afterward several hours later. WTf is wrong with my hair?


(Again, I don't use every product at the same time everyday.)

lushcoils I wouldn't worry too much about your growth rate. This isn't supposed to be a race and I can tell you that as long as I've been on the forum, it's the women whose hair grew at snail pace that seemed to reach great lengths with full, beautiful heads of hair. Those who made crazy claims of getting 2 inches a month never seemed to reach where the slow growers reached and if they did, their hair was just a'ight. Not Wanakee-ish or anything. Slow but sure wins the race.

About broken pieces...that happens when your ends are too weak to hang on. That happens when you have splits.

Now I know you dust regularly, but depending on how long you'd waited before you started this, chances are you may be leaving splits behind. What I mean is say you start dusting today and you do your first trim at an inch. That's a big cut and should leave you with nice healthy strands that you can maintain with 1/4 inch dustings every 2 months. But what if your damage was actually 1.5 inches up the strand. You would have left behind partial strands that are .5 inches long. They are weak and will break. Breaking on their own, they leave tear notches that continue to tear away leaving weak ends that continue to break. Every time you dust, you barely get rid of the damage so it stays and continues to break away.

I know it's disheartening to hear this but until you get rid of those ends, you will be experiencing breakage. It's OK to see a few broken strands but if it's a common thing, and they are tiny, then you know that much of your hair is less than whole strands--which is why they are breaking. Do a trim a little more than what you see breaking off...and you may actually nip the problem in the bud.

As for moisture...every time I see Shea butter mentioned, I reach for my lip balm coz to me that's not moisture at all. I am one of those people who can moisturize my hair one the day I wash it and not need to moisturize again until I wash it later in the week. Why, because I use something that actually has lots of MOISTURE and also has properties to hold MOISTURE to my hair. Yeah, you guessed it: S Curl. But I only use that when I am wearing my hair out. The rest of the time, I use nothing. I just baggy.

You see, I know Shea butter and even concoctions of it feel "good" on application on my hair but always end up leaving my hair feeling dry and rough like a brush. I can see how baggying would give a temporary feeling of "moisturized hair" but the minute you take it off, it's dry city--because I'd expect nothing less from Shea butter. Yes, it's the debil in my book.

Anyway, I keep daring people who say that their hair is dry to give the products they use to "moisturize" a miss and baggy bare hair after DCing and see if they don't discover a softness that is "NORMAL" to their hair that they never knew they had because they were using products that made their hair hard.

 

[PureSilver]

Hi everyone


I'm really looking forward to some support on this thread.

Hair profile? 4B Natural, expremely fine strands, density is medium and currently i'm 2'' below APL stretched.

Reggie and products? Wash and DC once per month with VO5 conditioners for washing and baking soda. I DC with trader joes Norish Spa, Pantene prov moisture conditioner and Tressemme moisture conditioner. I oil my scalp with WGHO and glycerine 4X per week. I think MTek makes me shed abnormally so i'm giving it a rest for another week.

How do you style your hair? I love long hair but i hate combing at this point, i wear weaves and wigs 99% of the time

What problems do you have with your hair?
Single strand knots are my enemy right now, my edges are also thin and have a cluster of baby fine hairs. My thin edges i think are due to my wig wearing and too much tension on my edges during my weave wearing

 

[darlingdiva]

Hair profile?

4b natural, 5-8 inches, fine/medium strands, thick density, spongy, needs protein


Reggie and products? E.g wash and DC weekly with X, Y, and Z products

(i don't use all of these products at once or everyday)
shampoo 1x-3x a week - natural's gate biotin
conditioner 2x-3x a week - trader joe's nourish spa
deep conditioner 2x-3x - aubrey's honeysuckle rose
moisturize (every day or every other day) - shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
seal with (every day or every other day)- castor oil and/or hempseed oil

baggy with dc and seal with oils 1x-2x week; steam once a week

protein - aubrey's gbp once a week. seal with oil. baggy

I trim/dust every 2 months.
Attempt to detangle monthly or every 2 months.

How do you style your hair?

twist extensions every 1-2 months
break: twist outs for a week then back to twist extensions

What problems do you have with your hair?

shedding/thinning
recent setback - my hair just started to shed from the roots and it was very sore and now i have several thin spots on my head. I'm not sure what happened. It could be mix of stress from school and low ferrtain levels.

I'm taking iron pills. School should be over soon. Massaging scalp with jbco, aloe vera gel, and sulfur. I also bought some garlic conditioner to stop shedding. I hope this works.

Also, just started cleaning scalp with baking soda/honey/tea tree oil once a week. This is very soothing to my scalp/roots.

slow growth (less than .5 inch a month)


I'm taking iron pills. Adding sulfur to scalp. Trying to be healthier..multivitatmin, water, better diet, exercise, managing stress..


I really need help with the following. I've been natural for years. Though my breakage has decreased and dryness has improved somewhat, I still struggle with the following:

breakage
Sometimes I feel like my hair breaks when I look at it. I don't know why since I use moisturizing products and use protein. My breakage has decreased over time now that I added some protein, but it still breaks when I rub my hand through my hair or manipulate it (twist, comb, etc). Tiny little hairs everywhere daily.



dryness

I feel like if I don't baggy everyday this hair just gets crispy. Ugh. I don't know how people can go days without moisturizing. The most I can do is every other day. But for the most part, my hair gets dry within 12 hours. i don't know, I feel like I use the right products and I don't get weeks of moisture like everyone else does.

I started oil rinsing and using the aloe vera juice dc method. It helps somewhat, but my hair still feels dry afterward several hours later. WTf is wrong with my hair?


(Again, I don't use every product at the same time everyday.)

I agree with bluehatter's response to you. I think that your regimen has a lot of layers, and that may be what is causing the dryness & breaking. You said that you have started using protein, but you may not have been using it long enough for it to make the impact that it needs to make.

AO GPB is great because it is already moisture- and protein-balanced. If you don't find that it's working for you, some other alternatives are Aphogee 2-Minute Keratin Reconstructor and MillCreek Botanicals Keratin Conditioner.

 

[JudithO]

If you have issues you are struggling with.. Please share...

Hair profile? 4B, fine to med strands, high density, Collarbone Length.

Reggie and products? My Reggie has changed throughout the years on lhcf because nothing seemed to be working for me. The lastest Reggie is For the past few months wash once a week with Giovanni Organics Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Wash hair in large twists.Deep conditioner every week with Shea Moisture Deep Contioner, every 2 months aphogee treatment. Use tangle teaser to detangle with scurl/water glycerin to moisturize, seal with castor oil. I have started to trim my own hair. Last trim 5/6 months ago. Just trimmed last night. I trim by twisting my hair and trimming off thinnest overhang pieces. You know where the bulk of the hair ends and you get the few longer strands overhanging.

How do you style your hair?
I usually wear my hair in a wash and go curly fro. I used to use eco styler but because of the flaking I switched to kinky curly custard, however, I had my hair in micro (not too small) twists for the past 3.5 months. I am getting them re-done today.


What problems do you have with your hair?
It seems like it is growing at an extremely slow rate plus experiences excessive breakage despite high moisture and PSing. For example, although I was resting it for the past 3.5 months, it has only grown about 3/4 inches. I have two bald spots from severe "hand in hair syndrome" that have not grown in yet. I am very disappointed and disgusted with my hair. I'm seeing people who went natural at the same time and at the same.length (CBL) I joined lhcf (2009) with BSL to MBL. Even with slow growing hair I should be at least at BSL by now. What can I do?

softblackcotton

Girl... RUN from that tangle teaser... that thing detangles like a dream but shred by 4z fine strands to many pieces. Make your twists a little bigger... medium sized so you don't lose hair from detangling... I've never had any success with anything from shea moisture.... I like the Gio moisture SAS condish.... DC'ing with it should be okay as your protein.. and follow up with a pure moisture DC...

I suggest that you trim of all your split ends.... join the twist challenge... and twist your hair every other week or once a month... once a week wash and DC with a light protein and moisture DC like (Gio SAS and Shescentit Avocado).. refresh your edges... and twist your hair with a leave in like kimmay's leave in mix, and seal with castor oil based product like qhemet aohc or any mix that works for you.

Obviously, this is just a sample reggie... you can tweak based on how your hair reacts..

Hair profile?

4b natural, 5-8 inches, fine/medium strands, thick density, spongy, needs protein


Reggie and products? E.g wash and DC weekly with X, Y, and Z products

(i don't use all of these products at once or everyday)
shampoo 1x-3x a week - natural's gate biotin
conditioner 2x-3x a week - trader joe's nourish spa
deep conditioner 2x-3x - aubrey's honeysuckle rose
moisturize (every day or every other day) - shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
seal with (every day or every other day)- castor oil and/or hempseed oil

baggy with dc and seal with oils 1x-2x week; steam once a week

protein - aubrey's gbp once a week. seal with oil. baggy

I trim/dust every 2 months.
Attempt to detangle monthly or every 2 months.

How do you style your hair?

twist extensions every 1-2 months
break: twist outs for a week then back to twist extensions

What problems do you have with your hair?

shedding/thinning
recent setback - my hair just started to shed from the roots and it was very sore and now i have several thin spots on my head. I'm not sure what happened. It could be mix of stress from school and low ferrtain levels.

I'm taking iron pills. School should be over soon. Massaging scalp with jbco, aloe vera gel, and sulfur. I also bought some garlic conditioner to stop shedding. I hope this works.

Also, just started cleaning scalp with baking soda/honey/tea tree oil once a week. This is very soothing to my scalp/roots.

slow growth (less than .5 inch a month)


I'm taking iron pills. Adding sulfur to scalp. Trying to be healthier..multivitatmin, water, better diet, exercise, managing stress..


I really need help with the following. I've been natural for years. Though my breakage has decreased and dryness has improved somewhat, I still struggle with the following:

breakage
Sometimes I feel like my hair breaks when I look at it. I don't know why since I use moisturizing products and use protein. My breakage has decreased over time now that I added some protein, but it still breaks when I rub my hand through my hair or manipulate it (twist, comb, etc). Tiny little hairs everywhere daily.



dryness

I feel like if I don't baggy everyday this hair just gets crispy. Ugh. I don't know how people can go days without moisturizing. The most I can do is every other day. But for the most part, my hair gets dry within 12 hours. i don't know, I feel like I use the right products and I don't get weeks of moisture like everyone else does.

I started oil rinsing and using the aloe vera juice dc method. It helps somewhat, but my hair still feels dry afterward several hours later. WTf is wrong with my hair?


(Again, I don't use every product at the same time everyday.)

lushcoils

Please back off the twist extensions and twist with your own hair... I was in twists extensions for a year, and retained no length... my fine hair was just too fragile for it. Can you clarify your hair, and then DC with GBP and HSR following? Should help with the dryness.... I dont think baggying is necessary for u... since you DC often.... too much moisture can cause set backs for u...

@bluehatter

If I don't shampoo my hair at least every 3 days, my scalp gets very itchy. And it's a non-sulfate natural shampoo so it's not very drying. Plus, I have to counteract the product I put in my hair so I won't get build up from my products and from working out.

I have to deep condition/cowash/baggy about twice week...again either every other day or every 3-4 days because my hair gets really dry. Is it really extra manipulation if I'm just adding more moisture to it?

Can you cowash instead of shampoo?

 

[mslionheart]

@bluehatter

If I don't shampoo my hair at least every 3 days, my scalp gets very itchy. And it's a non-sulfate natural shampoo so it's not very drying. Plus, I have to counteract the product I put in my hair so I won't get build up from my products and from working out.

I have to deep condition/cowash/baggy about twice week...again either every other day or every 3-4 days because my hair gets really dry. Is it really extra manipulation if I'm just adding more moisture to it?

Is this the routine you follow while you hair is in twist extensions? If you are doing this while the extensions are in and then just leaving the hair alone to dry then it shouldn't be too much manipulation as you are not combing and detangling every time.

Nonie makes a good point about the Shea Moisture product. How long have you been using it? How does your hair (without extensions) react to it?

Have you considered cutting back on products to avoid build up? Deep conditioning AND co-washing in the same week might be a bit much. That's a lot of conditioner coating your hair.

 

[BlackHairDiva]

Ladies , I just wanted to share my breakthrough. I started my journey relaxed, over processed relaxed, thank to a local stylist. At the time, I had no clue that it was over processed but I knew something was off. I then I became natural for a year. Then I went back on relaxing my hair 2008-2009.In 2010, I was natural again but i became BKT'd and I still am to this day.

I had every hair status imaginable and at the same time I was trying to see what worked best for me. What I love about BKT is that it made my hair manageable, it cut down on time when it came to taking of my hair.

Here are some important that many don't realize is :

1- Find the right tools!!!! I have a ouidad comb. It help me a million when I was natural and when I was not. I love it and will never part from it!!!

2- Don't over look the power of oils. I stumbled on two oil staples!!! Two oils that my hair is madly in love with. Argan oil...also known as Moroccan oil and Buriti oil. Any hair product with Buriti oil...may hair goes gaga for it.

Argan oil = Moroccan oil.

3- One last thing that is good to know. Find a site that sells a large variety of oil scents at a low price. WHY? Depending what product you plan to try/ or will use. You might have to deal with scent issues.... I'm thinking of hair growth products... the sulfur smell. You want to have something to cover the smell or lessen the smell.


If you can get a bunch of sample smells, that you choose, for a low price. That is awesome. You can test and try and see what you like, what it smells like after a few hours...etc.

 

[bride91501]

Hi everyone


I'm really looking forward to some support on this thread.

Hair profile? 4B Natural, expremely fine strands, density is medium and currently i'm 2'' below APL stretched.

Reggie and products? Wash and DC once per month with VO5 conditioners for washing and baking soda. I DC with trader joes Norish Spa, Pantene prov moisture conditioner and Tressemme moisture conditioner. I oil my scalp with WGHO and glycerine 4X per week. I think MTek makes me shed abnormally so i'm giving it a rest for another week.

How do you style your hair? I love long hair but i hate combing at this point, i wear weaves and wigs 99% of the time

What problems do you have with your hair?
Single strand knots are my enemy right now, my edges are also thin and have a cluster of baby fine hairs. My thin edges i think are due to my wig wearing and too much tension on my edges during my weave wearing

SUNSHINE_BABY

Re the SSKs: if you are regularly applying Megatek to your scalp, and you're not taking or using anything to combat the shedding that comes along with it (garlic pills, garlic conditioner etc.), you're going to experience excessive shedding, which is going to lead to SSKs.

Thin Edges: I too suffer from this problem from my years of weave use/abuse. When I started my LHHJ nearly 2 yrs ago, I knew I had to give up my beloved weaves if I wanted my edges to recover. You may have to arrive at this conclusion too Wigs can be a good alternative....just be sure to get a good silk/satin cap to wear under your wig and lay the edges of the wig on the *cap*, not on your edges. I also make sure I keep my edges *well* moisturized and sealed/massaged daily with castor oil.

Questions: Why do you oil your scalp with WGO and glycerine? I've never heard of anyone doing this before. And....how are you wearing your hair under the wigs?

 

[dicapr]

Hi everyone


I'm really looking forward to some support on this thread.

Hair profile? 4B Natural, expremely fine strands, density is medium and currently i'm 2'' below APL stretched.

Reggie and products? Wash and DC once per month with VO5 conditioners for washing and baking soda. I DC with trader joes Norish Spa, Pantene prov moisture conditioner and Tressemme moisture conditioner. I oil my scalp with WGHO and glycerine 4X per week. I think MTek makes me shed abnormally so i'm giving it a rest for another week.

How do you style your hair? I love long hair but i hate combing at this point, i wear weaves and wigs 99% of the time

What problems do you have with your hair?
Single strand knots are my enemy right now, my edges are also thin and have a cluster of baby fine hairs. My thin edges i think are due to my wig wearing and too much tension on my edges during my weave wearing

I just started wearing a wig but I read that you should use a headband to protect your edges from the wig cap. I lay the headband on my edges and then place the wig cap over it. That way any rubbing is on the headband and not on my edges.

 

[NappyNelle]

Hair profile? 4b/4c, thick hair strands

Reggie and products? Homemade Hair Butter, Shea Moisture, castor and jojoba oil (mainly), givonni shampoo,Aphogee 2 min, AOHSR Condish, and Giovonni condish & leave in sometimes.

How do you style your hair? Up until a few weeks ago, all i would wear is twists, twists, and more twists!

What problems do you have with your hair? Dryness, Tangling,Breakage, SSKs, not retaining because of issues already mentioned

-FYI.. have decided to heat train.

LightEyedMami I know that others have addressed you, but I'd really like to reiterate that you need more moisture in your strands!! I suggest you deep condition with AOHSR or GIO SAS more often, and use a stronger protein; perhaps AOGPB, before you begin to heat train. If not, you will begin to melt your strands with the heat.

How do you maintain your twists? Do you seal your ends? Are you sure to trim your ends to lessen the occurrence of SSKS? Join the Twist/Braid/ Bun challenge! We will support you during this time.

If you have issues you are struggling with.. Please share...

Hair profile? 4B, fine to med strands, high density, Collarbone Length.

Reggie and products? My Reggie has changed throughout the years on lhcf because nothing seemed to be working for me. The lastest Reggie is For the past few months wash once a week with Giovanni Organics Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Wash hair in large twists.Deep conditioner every week with Shea Moisture Deep Contioner, every 2 months aphogee treatment. Use tangle teaser to detangle with scurl/water glycerin to moisturize, seal with castor oil. I have started to trim my own hair. Last trim 5/6 months ago. Just trimmed last night. I trim by twisting my hair and trimming off thinnest overhang pieces. You know where the bulk of the hair ends and you get the few longer strands overhanging.

How do you style your hair?
I usually wear my hair in a wash and go curly fro. I used to use eco styler but because of the flaking I switched to kinky curly custard, however, I had my hair in micro (not too small) twists for the past 3.5 months. I am getting them re-done today.


What problems do you have with your hair?
It seems like it is growing at an extremely slow rate plus experiences excessive breakage despite high moisture and PSing. For example, although I was resting it for the past 3.5 months, it has only grown about 3/4 inches. I have two bald spots from severe "hand in hair syndrome" that have not grown in yet. I am very disappointed and disgusted with my hair. I'm seeing people who went natural at the same time and at the same.length (CBL) I joined lhcf (2009) with BSL to MBL. Even with slow growing hair I should be at least at BSL by now. What can I do?

softblackcotton WnG is a no-no if you're having moisture problems; it was time to protective style! Ditch the TT, and Shea Moisture, and experiment with other conditioning brands for moisturizing your hair. Also, you need a light protein to combat breakage and to allow more moisture into the strand. Do you seal with an oil? Make a spritz for your extensions as well and use it 3-4x a week. Your hair may need a lot of TLC under the weight of the added hair.

Hair profile?

4b natural, 5-8 inches, fine/medium strands, thick density, spongy, needs protein


Reggie and products? E.g wash and DC weekly with X, Y, and Z products

(i don't use all of these products at once or everyday)
shampoo 1x-3x a week - natural's gate biotin
conditioner 2x-3x a week - trader joe's nourish spa
deep conditioner 2x-3x - aubrey's honeysuckle rose
moisturize (every day or every other day) - shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
seal with (every day or every other day)- castor oil and/or hempseed oil

baggy with dc and seal with oils 1x-2x week; steam once a week

protein - aubrey's gbp once a week. seal with oil. baggy

I trim/dust every 2 months.
Attempt to detangle monthly or every 2 months.

How do you style your hair?

twist extensions every 1-2 months
break: twist outs for a week then back to twist extensions

What problems do you have with your hair?

shedding/thinning
recent setback - my hair just started to shed from the roots and it was very sore and now i have several thin spots on my head. I'm not sure what happened. It could be mix of stress from school and low ferrtain levels.

I'm taking iron pills. School should be over soon. Massaging scalp with jbco, aloe vera gel, and sulfur. I also bought some garlic conditioner to stop shedding. I hope this works.

Also, just started cleaning scalp with baking soda/honey/tea tree oil once a week. This is very soothing to my scalp/roots.

slow growth (less than .5 inch a month)


I'm taking iron pills. Adding sulfur to scalp. Trying to be healthier..multivitatmin, water, better diet, exercise, managing stress..


I really need help with the following. I've been natural for years. Though my breakage has decreased and dryness has improved somewhat, I still struggle with the following:

breakage
Sometimes I feel like my hair breaks when I look at it. I don't know why since I use moisturizing products and use protein. My breakage has decreased over time now that I added some protein, but it still breaks when I rub my hand through my hair or manipulate it (twist, comb, etc). Tiny little hairs everywhere daily.



dryness

I feel like if I don't baggy everyday this hair just gets crispy. Ugh. I don't know how people can go days without moisturizing. The most I can do is every other day. But for the most part, my hair gets dry within 12 hours. i don't know, I feel like I use the right products and I don't get weeks of moisture like everyone else does.

I started oil rinsing and using the aloe vera juice dc method. It helps somewhat, but my hair still feels dry afterward several hours later. WTf is wrong with my hair?


(Again, I don't use every product at the same time everyday.)

@bluehatter

If I don't shampoo my hair at least every 3 days, my scalp gets very itchy. And it's a non-sulfate natural shampoo so it's not very drying. Plus, I have to counteract the product I put in my hair so I won't get build up from my products and from working out.

I have to deep condition/cowash/baggy about twice week...again either every other day or every 3-4 days because my hair gets really dry. Is it really extra manipulation if I'm just adding more moisture to it?

lushcoils You need to simplify your regimen. You are doing a lot with a lot of products, but not seeing the benefit.

I know you have an itchy scalp; do you have eczema too? Do you use a natural pomade to soothe the scalp? I would try a tea-tree oil and neem based pomade to address your scalp. Sulfate free shampoos can still strip the hair and scalp if used excessively; you are not adding enough moisture back into your hair and scalp to justify its usage. Have you tried co-washing?

Many of your products have protein; your poo, your moisturizer, you use AOGPB once a week, and then you wear extensions. It's too much at one time, causing your hair to shed and break.

You have the garlic shampoo, try that. It will dry your hair out, so be sure to use AOHSR mixed with your castor oil and steam it in afterwards. Then, air dry in twists or braids and protective style. For daily maintenance, make a spritz of AOHSR, AVJ, a tiny bit of oil, and lots of water. Seal your ends 3-4x week. If you must, sleep in your baggy. This should turn your hair around for the better, but it will take time.

Hi everyone


I'm really looking forward to some support on this thread.

Hair profile? 4B Natural, expremely fine strands, density is medium and currently i'm 2'' below APL stretched.

Reggie and products? Wash and DC once per month with VO5 conditioners for washing and baking soda. I DC with trader joes Norish Spa, Pantene prov moisture conditioner and Tressemme moisture conditioner. I oil my scalp with WGHO and glycerine 4X per week. I think MTek makes me shed abnormally so i'm giving it a rest for another week.

How do you style your hair? I love long hair but i hate combing at this point, i wear weaves and wigs 99% of the time

What problems do you have with your hair?
Single strand knots are my enemy right now, my edges are also thin and have a cluster of baby fine hairs. My thin edges i think are due to my wig wearing and too much tension on my edges during my weave wearing

SUNSHINE BABY Your products have a lot of protein too. You need a more moisture in your strands! Do you have castor oil to massage into your edges for the baby fine areas? Do you seal the ends of your hair under the wig? When was your last trim?

 

[greenandchic]

@greenandchic I do complete washes (ie shampoo, conditioner or DC, then ACV rinse) twice a week and I am very comfortable with that; so you're not alone in this. Don't worry about what others do; do you.

Thanks, Nonie. Its not so much a matter of what others do, its more wondering why my hair doesn't retain much length. I tried just about everything imaginable over the years that I started really embracing my hair.

(Re-posted from a recent thread)
It could be my imagination, but I think my hair grew 1" in this past month. I had a lock I had to cut out of my hair which left me a tiny piece 2.5" long. I measured last night and its now 3.5. My hair does grow faster in the back. Now if only I can retain my hair better. My hair overall is almost the same length as it was last summer...wonder why that is.

Terminal length?

 

[Nonie]

greenandchic uhmm...I don't follow. You say you were at 2.5 and now are at 3.5. What part of that means you have bad retention? If you had bad retention, you'd still be at 2.5.

 

[greenandchic]

@greenandchic uhmm...I don't follow. You say you were at 2.5 and now are at 3.5. What part of that means you have bad retention? If you had bad retention, you'd still be at 2.5.

Nonie - The part that's short is protected and very new. Its the ends of the longer part of my hair that I'm apparently not retaining, hence same length for 8-9 months.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie - The part that's short is protected and very new. Its the ends of the longer part of my hair that I'm apparently not retaining, hence same length for 8-9 months.

greenandchic How often do you dust? You know the longer your hair has been on your head, the more wear and tear it has endured so the ends can wreak havoc on the rest of your strands and affect your retention.

Hair that hasn't reached shoulder length is usualler newer and stronger because it hasn't been manipulated or subjected to the elements and it doesn't endure the friction of rubbing on shoulders, clothes. Being protected within the longer strands also works in favor of the shorter hair.

 

[Poohbear]

Nonie, I knew you meant wetting your twists after you did them on dry hair. The times that I have wet my dry twists after they have been done on dry hair, my twists get puny looking from the water, mine do not fatten.

No, I don't twist loosely nor very tight. And no, my hair is not shrunken when I first twist it on dry hair. My hair is previously stretched out before I twist on dry hair.

Most of the pics I have are of twists done on dry stretched hair. I never took pics of twists done on wet hair because I thought it was ugly. I may have a couple of wet twist pics from when my hair was shorter right after doing the BC but not any recent ones.

@Poohbear, I don't mean twisting on wet hair. I mean wetting the twists after you do them on dry hair. They WILL fatten. Why? Coz shrinkage will make them do that. I don't think there's any way to avoid that unless your twists are coated with a serum. When I twirl before I twist, I get very skinny twists but they hang longer than if I didn't twirl. If you do the twirling, you'll see what I mean about getting skinny twists that are also very tight. But every time you wash them, they WILL fatten. It is the nature of shrinkage. Shrinkage causes poofing, so it cannot be avoided.

Still I find it odd that you get bigger twists when you twist on dry than when you twist on wet. Do you twist loosely? Is your hair shrunken when you twist on dry or stretched? Do you have photos of the twists you get with dry and with wet hair? I'm intrigued.


Below is an experiment I did a little over two years ago. The twists you see starting from left represent:

• Twist done on dry hair then dunked (It's not much fuller but will get fuller with subsequent washes);
• Twist done on wet hair (a lot shorter and also slightly fatter than that done on dry hair--which is what I'd expect coz wet hair shrinks);
• Twist done on dry hair (hangs longer than all others but is skinny and frayed at the ends)

 

[greenandchic]

@greenandchic How often do you dust? You know the longer your hair has been on your head, the more wear and tear it has endured so the ends can wreak havoc on the rest of your strands and affect your retention.

Hair that hasn't reached shoulder length is usualler newer and stronger because it hasn't been manipulated or subjected to the elements and it doesn't endure the friction of rubbing on shoulders, clothes. Being protected within the longer strands also works in favor of the shorter hair.

Nonie - I admit I don't do much dusting. I may have tried it twice last year. I don't know how effective I was when I did. I guess I have a hard time doing it with my hair always being natural and never straightened.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie - I admit I don't do much dusting. I may have tried it twice last year. I don't know how effective I was when I did. I guess I have a hard time doing it with my hair always being natural and never straightened.

@greenandchic, I started dusting not because I believed I'd see anything. It just made sense to me that if you leave a withered end on your head--and no hair is beyond this because all organic matter will grow old and wear away--then like a cancer it'll just cause weakening of more of the strand as the tear travels up or breaks off leaving a weaker end that will just break as fast as my hair grows.

For 30 years, I stayed at SL. Even during jheri curl era which is when my hair really grew long, the longest I ever saw my hair get is 6 inches. People with coarser strands may make it beyond that without trimming. But in time, even their tough strands reach their limit and will break off...even though it may be at a longer length than fine haired ladies.

I keep posting this image coz nothing makes more sense to me than seeing how wearing of strands affects them than seeing it magnified.

Assume you haven't dusted in a long time and then you decide to dust. Dusting means cutting off a tiny bit (say @ C) Look at the damage you leave behind. The third stand is so worn it's thinner than the first/top strand. Why is that? Because it started off looking like the top strand but part of it ripped off. In its skinny state, it doesn't have a prayer. It will take very little manipulation for it to break off. The top strand has a tear which will taper to a thin section on one side and fall off. Leaving a tiny skinny strand.

So after 6 months, the strands endure more wear, and you dust at B. You still leave behind so much damage that continues to rob you of retention.

Now consider if you started off with a good cut to the left of A so that you removed all the already-there damage. Then just before the tears get big, you cut them off right at their beginning. You end up leaving yourself with WHOLE strands that are stronger and that won't be breaking and your retention improves.

When I didn't dust, this is what happened to my strands. They grew long alright:

But they got thinner and thinner at the ends because the damage I showed in the earlier diagram was happening to them. (Bottom pics show how I got rid of the damage I was saying is necessary to get rid of if you hope to retain better) And those thin ends would break off and I'd stay at SL. (I should mention that the length you see of the skinny ended strands was not achieved with me not dusting. Actually until just 4 months before that pic was taken, I was dusting like clockwork every 6-8 weeks. And I went from one inch of natural hair to this first pic in one year following that schedule:

Granted, it's nothing to write home about and even though my strands are thick all the way to the ends, one could argue that my hair is still fairly new so should be retaining well. But I should mention that I never ever saw my hair get to that length in a year. It would take its time and that was my terminal length.

After another year of religious dusting every 6-8 weeks, my hair grew to the longest it had ever been in over 30 years of my life on earth:

Now notice how thick my ends are. And when I dropped the ball on dusting, my hair went to the state below and it took only 4 months for me to get weak strands that clearly were going to break off if I didn't decide to cut them myself:

I started to dust religiously again like clockwork in 2010 and I'm about BSL now and my strands are thick. I don't make a lot of effort to care for my hair so I cannot expect miracles but for someone who is as careless with her hair as I am (not moisturizing, sealing or PSing) that I'm steadily making progress and not feeling stuck when for over 30 years I was, surely is evidence that there's something in regular dusting so you remove tear notches.

I never dust on straightened hair. My hair is in mini twists and I just put them up in a pony and pull one out at a time and snip off the same amount from each one. So you do not need to straighten your hair to dust. Many of us on the forum dust our hair in its shrunken state. By making sure the twists and braids are small, you can get a more or less even results if you take off the same from all of them.

 

[Xaragua]

Hair profile?
I have 4b hair with fine density strands in the front and medium strands in the back

Reggie and products?

I use to wash my hair every 2 weeks with beautiful curls shea butter shampoo and i would condition with either herbal essence hello hydration, totally twisted or garnier fructis come clean conditioner.
I deep condition once a month with either hairveda sitrinillah mix with AOGPB,or shea moisture purification mask.
i moisturized with shea butter mix with castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil before twisting it, after that i would moisturize as needed.

How do you style your hair?
I mostly wear my hair in medium twists, but i just install my first set of mini twists last week and i plan to keep it for 3 weeks or a month.

What problems do you have with your hair?
I have a lot of problems with my ends, SSks, split ends, tangles (mostly the front)
I don't know exactly why, but he front of my hair sheds way more than the back.
I also have thinning edges,

PS- allergic to sulfur, cannot really do sulfur mix.