Crunchy, Coarse, Drt Wirery, UGH! Help ME!

[kbragg]

I don't know what's going on! Nothing seems to soften my hair or keep it manageable for more than a day. If I don't cowash it daily it becomes dry, hard, and brittle. I've tried leaving a little conditioner in, shea butter, CON leave in, Miss Jessies, and nothing is working I've only been natural for 2 months and already getting the blues. I've tried DCing, I've even done a stream treatement and same results, dry and brittle once it dries. I have no problems detangling in the shower, actually my denman glides right through it without a snag, but once it dries me and my hair are no longer friends. I have gurl definition when wet, but no matter how I dry it, air dry, diffuser or bonnet dryer, it just looks like frizz afterward. Also it dries with these little knots on the ends.

Products I've tried so far:

CON Poo
CON Condish
CON Leave In
ORS Pack
ORS Aloe Shampoo
Herbal Essences Total Twisted
Un Refined SHea Butter
Miss Jessies Curly Pudding
Miss Jessies Baby Butter Creme
Miss Jessies Quck Curls
Elasta QP Mango Butter
Elasta QP DPR-11
S Curl Spray & Blue Gel
Fantasia IC Gel
Infusium 23
African Royale Braid SPray

I have 4a hair and while I'd love to have poppin' curl definition right now I just want my hair to be soft and touchable I'm so frustrated that I'm planning to put twist extentions in the weekend just to not have to deal with it. Help?

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I tried the same products you did when I was natural. They did not work for me. Elucence MB conditioner and herbal eseence HH helped. I am going to be looking into natural poos and conditioners. The one thing that I noticed is that co washing alone made my hair dry and hard. I needed shampoo. I'm not really the best source of natural advice, but just adding my 2 cents. BTW, I love your twists and coils. Go, girl!

 

[locabouthair]

lots of things to consider.

1. are you newly natural? maybe it's scab hair
2. do you have hard water?
3. how is your water and diet? upping your water intake and getting more omega fatty acids can soften your hair
4. check for cones in your products

I know I tried the elasta mango butter and the DPR11 and neither did anything for me. I have very coarse wirey hair as well.

 

[Nonie]

CON Poo
CON Condish
CON Leave In
ORS Pack
ORS Aloe Shampoo
Herbal Essences Total Twisted
Un Refined Shea Butter
Miss Jessies Curly Pudding
Miss Jessies Baby Butter Creme
Miss Jessies Quick Curls
Elasta QP Mango Butter
Elasta QP DPR-11
S Curl Spray & Blue Gel
Fantasia IC Gel
Infusium 23
African Royale Braid SPray

I'm w/ DDtexlaxed: I've never just CW'd. I shampoo at least once a week, but usually twice a week, just before a condish or DC. Also the products in red my hair hated. The ones in italics I haven't tried. Infusium 23 has protein so it's bound to make your hair hard. CON products coated my hair and left it looking dull. Hair felt good during the wash but looking and felt bad afterwards. I don't know whether I've used Elasta QP DPR-11 (is that the condish? If so, it was OK.) I love SCurl but only use it when wearing hair out.

Do you use several things at once? I find simplicity is what works for me. Why not poo and condition and then try only one thing. Not anything w/ protein so Infusium is out. How about trying just S Curl spray? And see how you hair feels. Do you baggy at night?

 

[anahnamuslyyours]

I agree that getting more omega fatty acids in your diet might help. Also, have you tried oil rinses? Or doing a hot oil treatment before each wash/DC? I had to do hot oil treatments and pre-poos before every DC for almost 6 weeks before my hair decided to behave. Now, I can do oil rinses or add coconut milk to my DC and it helps a lot; not just with moisture, but also curl definition. HTH.

 

[sareca]

lots of things to consider.

1. are you newly natural? maybe it's scab hair
2. do you have hard water?
3. how is your water and diet? upping your water intake and getting more omega fatty acids can soften your hair
4. check for cones in your products

I know I tried the elasta mango butter and the DPR11 and neither did anything for me. I have very coarse wirey hair as well.

I could be hard water or overly treated water. Try rinsing/washing your hair with bottled water. I always need at least 2-3 co-washes before the hardwater if off my hair.

 

[natural2008]

girl I felt the same way when I was natural. Once my hair dried it was a mess. I am now have a texturixer.

 

[natural2008]

By the way. I stayed natural for 4 and a half months. Before that I had not had any chemicals for almost 10 years. I wore braids.

 

[Napp]

have you tried a curl activator gel? smooth n shine for extra dry hair works wonders just look in my fotki.
also i havent tried some of those products mainly miss jessies but a mix of scurl,infusium as a leave in under gel makes me have coils for days

 

[Southernbella.]

I don't know what's going on! Nothing seems to soften my hair or keep it manageable for more than a day. If I don't cowash it daily it becomes dry, hard, and brittle. I've tried leaving a little conditioner in, shea butter, CON leave in, Miss Jessies, and nothing is working I've only been natural for 2 months and already getting the blues. I've tried DCing, I've even done a stream treatement and same results, dry and brittle once it dries. I have no problems detangling in the shower, actually my denman glides right through it without a snag, but once it dries me and my hair are no longer friends. I have gurl definition when wet, but no matter how I dry it, air dry, diffuser or bonnet dryer, it just looks like frizz afterward. Also it dries with these little knots on the ends.

Products I've tried so far:

CON Poo
CON Condish
CON Leave In
ORS Pack
ORS Aloe Shampoo
Herbal Essences Total Twisted
Un Refined SHea Butter
Miss Jessies Curly Pudding
Miss Jessies Baby Butter Creme
Miss Jessies Quck Curls
Elasta QP Mango Butter
Elasta QP DPR-11
S Curl Spray & Blue Gel
Fantasia IC Gel
Infusium 23
African Royale Braid SPray

I have 4a hair and while I'd love to have poppin' curl definition right now I just want my hair to be soft and touchable I'm so frustrated that I'm planning to put twist extentions in the weekend just to not have to deal with it. Help?

K, how are you wearing your hair every day?

Also, you may want to try Castor oil or Coconut oil to seal. I agree with a pp that you may have scab hair.

 

[Platinum]

Have you tried Worlds of Curls moisturizer? Maybe you can try that and seal with an oil.

 

[LunadeMiel]

Avocado butter

 

[RedVelvet310]

When I had this issue I would DC overnight and seal with castor oil. Casotr oil is really good at keeping your hair soft after it dries

HTH

 

[hothair]

Clarify and try Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol for DC (or Dom conditioners) they were the best for me, the others a bit pricier, Nexxus Humectress and Aveda DR Treatment Aphogee 2 min used every 2 or so weeks also worked for me and my sister who is still natural 4a.

 

[FindingMe]

Try Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner (see my siggy) and rinse with 1 gal distilled water...

 

[Irresistible]

K, how are you wearing your hair every day?

Also, you may want to try Castor oil or Coconut oil to seal. I agree with a pp that you may have scab hair.

I agree, try some oils, although the Shea Butter should have helped

to be honest my hair does the same thing once fully dry, forget it , but at this length I can put it up to stop that, try to be patient to get through this phase to gain length to have more options, it will be worth it

I think everyone made good suggestions, I dont see anything in your reggie that is majorly moisturizing

try Redken Butter Treat and All Soft

 

[NGraceO]

What worked for me was a daily moisturizer of water=glycerine. My hair LOVES it! You could even substitute the glycerine for honeyquat. people say that is even better than glycerine..HTH

 

[BeautifulFlower]

I would try a professional quality moisturizing deep conditioner. Kenra, Nexxuss, etc.

 

[kbragg]

I wear my hair like in my avatar....it's the only thing I can do with it. I'm cornrowing it/braiding it tonight so I won't be tempted to dabble in the chemical fire cream

The only thing I can think of is that protein treatment I did a few weeks ago. It didn't feel like this when I BC'd. What's wierd is the hair underneath is really soft an manageable, it's the ends mainly that are so rough. It all matts together and gets these little knots on the ends Is there ay way to undo the protein hardening if that's it?

I just washed and did S curl and it dried the same

 

[carameldiva]

May I reccommend Aussie Conditioners- they are great and Nature's gate daily herbal conditioner and Sally's Gallon size SalonCare conditioners too. Baggying worked for me as well.

I have 3c/4a natural hair. HTH.

I don't know what's going on! Nothing seems to soften my hair or keep it manageable for more than a day. If I don't cowash it daily it becomes dry, hard, and brittle. I've tried leaving a little conditioner in, shea butter, CON leave in, Miss Jessies, and nothing is working I've only been natural for 2 months and already getting the blues. I've tried DCing, I've even done a stream treatement and same results, dry and brittle once it dries. I have no problems detangling in the shower, actually my denman glides right through it without a snag, but once it dries me and my hair are no longer friends. I have gurl definition when wet, but no matter how I dry it, air dry, diffuser or bonnet dryer, it just looks like frizz afterward. Also it dries with these little knots on the ends.

Products I've tried so far:

CON Poo
CON Condish
CON Leave In
ORS Pack
ORS Aloe Shampoo
Herbal Essences Total Twisted
Un Refined SHea Butter
Miss Jessies Curly Pudding
Miss Jessies Baby Butter Creme
Miss Jessies Quck Curls
Elasta QP Mango Butter
Elasta QP DPR-11
S Curl Spray & Blue Gel
Fantasia IC Gel
Infusium 23
African Royale Braid SPray

I have 4a hair and while I'd love to have poppin' curl definition right now I just want my hair to be soft and touchable I'm so frustrated that I'm planning to put twist extentions in the weekend just to not have to deal with it. Help?

 

[EMJazzy]

Curl Activator Gel

 

[naijamerican]

The only thing I can think of is that protein treatment I did a few weeks ago. It didn't feel like this when I BC'd. What's wierd is the hair underneath is really soft an manageable, it's the ends mainly that are so rough. It all matts together and gets these little knots on the ends Is there ay way to undo the protein hardening if that's it?

Honestly K, you might need to trim your hair and cut off those ends that are so problematic for you. When I took my hair out of braids a few weeks ago, my hair was so dry that I practically didn't recognize it. It tangled together and everything. I went to a salon to get a hair cut/trim and the person who did it said the precise thing that you are saying about your hair - my ends were tangly and hard, while underneath it was very strong and held moisture well.

What I strongly suggest you do is to go ahead and use the Redken Butter Soft (or whatever it's called, sorry!) that Irresistible suggested and to use salon quality conditioners like everyone else said. You may not even need protein (I find that natural hair doesn't require it as frequently as relaxed hair does, so if you do find that you need it, do a deep protein treatment once a month as opposed to daily using a product that has protein in it). Use good MOISTURIZING conditioners. I personally used Wen (thanks January Noir) and it helped me a lot, and I also deep conditioned my hair two or even three times a week. (I say use Wen because you may not need to condition wash, but it's a great cleanser that you can use once or twice a week and then deep condition). Using Wen paid off for me - I got my hair twisted last Thursday and the stylist said that my hair looked great and that she saw curls popping everywhere.

If you're willing to pay the price... the Aveda Dry Remedy line is absolutely fantabulous! The shampoo is so moisturizing it's not even funny. Another suggestion that I am finding to work for me is to put my hair in twists. My hair is very moisturized and soft right now.

Sorry for the long response but I hope this helps. If you decide to put that creamy crizzack in your hair that I totally support you! But don't give up without a fight and without some good, salon quality moisturizers in your hair!

PS: Qhemet Biologics is something else you should look into with respect to daily moisturizing. They're closed temporarily to re-stock but that will end shortly, like next week.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

you might have to do a small retrim. I did when my hair was behaving like that and it was a lot better after the small trim. But give all the suggestions a try and trim as your last resort.

 

[metro_qt]

Curl Activator Gel

I fully agree.
Leave in a heap of conditioner in your hair while it's drying
Then put in curl activator gel or any GOOD gel (another good one is IC Fantasia)
with a good handful of serum.
Your hair will be soft for days.
Trust.

 

[TexturedTresses]

My lil cousins ends were really dry when she came back from vacay in Florida. I prepood with oils. Then did an at home steam treatment with mop extreme moisture. Then I put A LOT of mop hydrating conditioner and left it in. Her hair softened right up. Basically, I'm suggesting you try an at home steam treatment and use a daily conditioner and leave it in. Then seal with castor oil, it really does make your hair dry soft. Good Luck.

 

[pattycake0701]

lots of things to consider.

1. are you newly natural? maybe it's scab hair
2. do you have hard water?
3. how is your water and diet? upping your water intake and getting more omega fatty acids can soften your hair
4. check for cones in your products

I know I tried the elasta mango butter and the DPR11 and neither did anything for me. I have very coarse wirey hair as well.

I agree with all of these. In addition, maybe it's time for a clarifying or chelating shampoo to get rid of build up and hard water deposits on the hair. I naturally have very coarse, wirey and very tight hair. My hair seems to love Lekair Cholesterol to deep condition, and Kids Organics Shea Butter Detangling lotion as a leave-in moisturizer with just a tad bit of oil to seal.

Good luck

 

[Irresistible]

I wear my hair like in my avatar....it's the only thing I can do with it. I'm cornrowing it/braiding it tonight so I won't be tempted to dabble in the chemical fire cream

The only thing I can think of is that protein treatment I did a few weeks ago. It didn't feel like this when I BC'd. What's wierd is the hair underneath is really soft an manageable, it's the ends mainly that are so rough. It all matts together and gets these little knots on the ends Is there ay way to undo the protein hardening if that's it?

I just washed and did S curl and it dried the same

Yeah girl protein will do that, my answer is lots of oils and moisturizing conditioners, like overnight and daily, you might be able to bring it back with some work, if not then you might have to trim. I bought my hair back from a protein overload a few times, sometimes though it can reach the point of no return, but just work on it with some good natural oils and conditioners

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

I had this same exact problem, although i had not cut my ends and i had begun my transition (i even have pics and comments on the dryness in my fotki). my hair was so hard and brittle and i could not understand why. I was using s-curl, cowashing, deep conditioning, oiling, etc. and guess what i found my problem to be?....

SCURL!!!

I have not used it since and my hair has not felt that way since! Never ever!

While it appears moisturizing, once it dries in your hair, it's a wrap!

I agree with everyone else about keeping your hair moisturized and doing frequent co-washes, but if you delete the s-curl, i'm sure that will solve about 85% of your problem.

 

[Irresistible]

I had this same exact problem, although i had not cut my ends and i had begun my transition (i even have pics and comments on the dryness in my fotki). my hair was so hard and brittle and i could not understand why. I was using s-curl, cowashing, deep conditioning, oiling, etc. and guess what i found my problem to be?....

SCURL!!!

I have not used it since and my hair has not felt that way since! Never ever!

While it appears moisturizing, once it dries in your hair, it's a wrap!

I agree with everyone else about keeping your hair moisturized and doing frequent co-washes, but if you delete the s-curl, i'm sure that will solve about 85% of your problem.

YEP Glycerine can draw moisture out of your hair if there isnt enough in the air, my hair hates glycerine, it just ends of feeling like a sticky, tacky, dry mess

 

[kbragg]

I agree with all of these. In addition, maybe it's time for a clarifying or chelating shampoo to get rid of build up and hard water deposits on the hair. I naturally have very coarse, wirey and very tight hair. My hair seems to love Lekair Cholesterol to deep condition, and Kids Organics Shea Butter Detangling lotion as a leave-in moisturizer with just a tad bit of oil to seal.

Good luck

I've been hearing good stuff about the Kids Organics. I just may pick some up. I'm going to give Lekair a shot