I Hate To Say This But I hate My Hair!

[kbragg]

My hair and I are not getting along right now and I'm actually regretting the decision to go natural. Somehow my texture's changed. I trimmed and still no luck When I first BC'ed I LOVED my hair! It wasn't curly, but it was cottony soft. I was in hair heaven. Then I got the bright freaking idea to do an Aphogee treatment and my hair has gone to he!! No matter what I do my hair feels like wire; like brillo. The only time it feels somewhat nice is in the shower it doesn't seem to hold any moisture. I've clarified, DC'ed and nothing. I've tried Elasta QP and Cholesterol and it's like the conditioner just sits on top of my hair, no matter how I apply it. It doesn't seem to "melt into" my hair so when I DC I feel no difference.

It's like my hair is wire and will not accept moisture. I did the protein like 3 months ago, why is it still jacked? Did kill my hair?

I'm a 4a with densely packed fine strands and I don't know what to do anymore I feel like giving up and just going back to relaxed. The ends of my hair love to get into knots and right now my hair is too short to twist or braid out without it taking hours and hours. It always looks unkempt, like I haven't done anything to it. UGH HELP!!!

 

[Aidenberry03]

Try an ORS Pak....
Or a steam treatment with your favorite DC to open those cuticle up.

 

[JustKiya]

Hrmm...

Have you tried steam treatments/DC'ing overnight?

 

[BillsBackerz67]

hard water prob?

 

[locabouthair]

^yeah it might be that or youre not drinking enough water or getting enough fatty acids in your diet. all of those can cause your hair to be dry.

I think the knots just come with being natural. When I was natural I had knots galore, the hair somehow just knots itself.

I hope your hair gets better. Sometimes I feel like things arent getting better but we gotta keep trying. We dont have a choice but to take care of it right?

 

[MsBoinglicious]

yea, i think when you used the Aphogee you overloaded on the protein and threw your moisture balance off.

are you sitting under a hooded dryer when you DC? my hair was feeling really bad the other week. i deep conditoned and it was still bad. so i used the same DC and set under a hooded dryer for like 40 minutes with a plastic bag over my hair and my hair is so soft and its been like 4 days already.

 

[krikit96]

I'm bumping for you... I have no idea what to tell you but I know some ladies can tell you what you need to hear. Keep your head up.

 

[lovenharmony]

Did you chelate? Chelating is different than clarifying because it gets rid of mineral deposits as well. Afterwards DC with a plastic bag overnight. Have you tried Yogurt? When my hair is extra dry it helps to put the moisture back in and stays like that for days! HTH and keep us posted!

 

[carameldiva]

Kbragg,

Try this. It is great.

http://blackhairinformation.com/Oth...e_caramel_treatment_natural_hair_softener.htm

 

[glamazon386]

I would try DCing overnight for a few nights in a row.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

I would try to clarify first, then for the next few weeks, use products without silicones or proteins. My hair hates silicones and proteins and when I use them, my hair does not feel good at all. Since I've stopped using products with silicones and proteins in them, my hair has been very soft, and it keeps moisture.

 

[naturalpride]

When my hair feels extremely dry I do a mayonaise, 1 egg, and olive oil treatment with an applicator brush, then I shampoo and deep conditioner. I put shea butter in my hair as a leave-in and Eden Milk as a leave in.

 

[tiffers]

If you have hard water, I say try chelating. Clarifying gets rid of surface build up, chelating goes deep into each strand to remove hard water deposits

After you chelate, dc with heat for an hour with an ultra moisturizing dc.

How often do you dc? You may have to up that number until your hair gets back on track

 

[Keedah]

You can always put your hair away for a little while too. With wigs you can still deep condition as needed. That helps me when Im having a "I dont like my hair" episode.

But I cosign on the deep conditioning with heat. It really helps it penetrate.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

I would try to clarify first, then for the next few weeks, use products without silicones or proteins. My hair hates silicones and proteins and when I use them, my hair does not feel good at all. Since I've stopped using products with silicones and proteins in them, my hair has been very soft, and it keeps moisture.

Same here, my hair feels like you described when I use silicones. Protein I can handle, silicones, no. It makes my head feel like a different head of hair.

 

[kbragg]

Wow ladies thanks so much for the insight! I think the HH has cones so I'll be replacing that for my cowash. Also what's a really deep conditioner you recommend? I really want to get back to loving my hair again Oh I do Chelate, I use ORS Aloe Rid because we have VERY hard water in Texas.

 

[almond eyes]

It takes a while to figure out the whole moisture balance. I can completely feel you about how difficult natural hair can be to handle when you have worn a relaxer for years. I think you have to be patient because it is not an easy process. I was always able to rock short natural hair regardless of how jacked up it looked but to help the transition you might want to wear braids for a while to get some length. And I think by the way you look very pretty in your natural hair and are probably harder on your hair than you think. Try putting your hair in twists or braids (without extensions) with a product to hold the moisture.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[PAPRIKA]

I have found that a Silk Elements Mega Conditioning Pack (which cost about $2) for 30 min under plastic cap and soft bonnet dryer really makes my hair soft. HTH

 

[kbragg]

Hey ladies, I just updated my fotki with some texture shots: http://public.fotki.com/kbragg/natural/month-4/ How can I KEEP my hair looking like that when it dries? I'm totally clueless on what products to use or how to care for my natural hair. I've had relaxers since I was 6 years old...

 

[Ms Lala]

I agree that you should clarify. THen follow up w/ a moisturizing DC. Natural hair doesn't typically need a whole lot of protein. I would up the DC treatments to 2x per week. Some cholesterols have protein and so does ORS pak so I don't know that those are the best options right now. I like Hairveda moist 24/7 mixed w/vatika oil, I also agree w/the recommendation for the Silk elements treatment. Also what leave in are you using? THis can really make a difference in how your hair feels.

For your other question on maintaining curl definition, I like IC fantasia gel (olive oil/green kind), however it has protein so you I don't think you should try to use any gel right now. Get your hair in shape first because proper moisture will help you have better curl definition. I get super shrinkage though so I don't do many wash n go's.

 

[Irresistible]

as a natural we really dont need strong protein treatments , especially when not frequently using heat! all the clarifying, and chelating can be adding to the dryness/hardnes of you hair once you have protein overload and yes it can/might take months for your hair to recover

firstly stay away from all things protein, especially collagen and Keratin (the harder proteins) only use silk and wheat and soy in moderation

secondly use lots of natural oils, daily and overnight, and i mean LOTS! deep condition and oil , oil and deep condition

btw ORS has Collagen

you can come back from this, stop all the stripping things you might be doing and only concentrate on moisture, if you feel your water is not helping, for now use bottled water only