Naturals with no knots/matting/dreading...

[Southernbella.]

I was wondering if you could answer a few questions. I want to see if there's a common denominator.

Hair type:
Hair length:
How often do you wash?
How often do you clarify?
How often do you detangle?
How often do you straighten?
How often do you cowash?
How often do you wash n go?
What styles do you wear on a regular basis?
What is your moisturizing regimen?

TIA!

 

[JustKiya]

Hair type: 4a
Hair length: shoulder
How often do you wash? twice a week (cowash only)
How often do you clarify? once a month, or so
How often do you detangle? once a week
How often do you straighten? never
How often do you cowash? twice a week
How often do you wash n go? never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? two strand twists
What is your moisturizing regimen? DC twice a week, seal with oil, use a moisture rich twist creme.

Fun thread!

 

[Qetesh]

off topic. you and your hair is soo pretty!!!!

my hair doesnt matt. if i dont detangle it will knot... and no dreading

Hair type: 3c-4a
Hair length: prob a tad past brastrap
How often do you wash? co wash every other day
How often do you clarify? every 2 weeks
How often do you detangle? once a week when i shampoo
How often do you straighten? i am gonna start this fall every 2 months
How often do you cowash? every other day
How often do you wash n go? summer every other day
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? wash and go's braid-coil outs
What is your moisturizing regimen? moisturize at cowash or at night when i braid or pincurl.

 

[msa]

Hair type: 4ab mix
Hair length: neck-shoulder
How often do you wash? once a week
How often do you clarify? once a week
How often do you detangle? once a week
How often do you straighten? never
How often do you cowash? once a week
How often do you wash n go? I don't anymore because it was the main reason I had knots.
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Twists or cornrows underneath a wig.
What is your moisturizing regimen? I moisturize as I do my twists/cornrows. I also spray moisturizer on my hair at least once a day and then add some castor oil.


Great thread! I personally have learned that knots are avoidable for me when I started moisturizing more often, stopped wearing wash n go's, and was more careful when taking my twists/cornrows out.

 

[LunadeMiel]

Hair type: 3b/3c
Hair length: Ear length unstreched
How often do you wash? once per week
How often do you clarify? Haven't in months.
How often do you detangle? I finger detangle every day and detangle with a comb once a week
How often do you straighten? I straightened in early July (5 months after BC) and hated it. It gave me horrible knots erplexed I will not straighten for a very long time.
How often do you cowash? Everyday
How often do you wash n go? Everyday
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Wash and go. I've just started wearing buns but I don't think I will be doing that much.
What is your moisturizing regimen? I moisturize nightly with hempseed butter and avocado butter.

 

[Neith]

I'm not a natural, but I have a lot of texture. Also, when I was natural I didn't experience any matting or dreading or very bad knotting even though I detangle weekly.

Hope no one is mad at me for joining in

Hair type: Mostly 4a, some 4b and 3c
Hair length: Layered Shoulder Length
How often do you wash? Once a week
How often do you clarify? Once a month
How often do you detangle? Once a week, after washing
How often do you straighten? A few times a year, maybe 2 or 3 times
How often do you cowash? Twice a month
How often do you wash n go? Everytime I wash my hair
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Air dried. I wet it with water, run some moisturizer/oil through it and go.
What is your moisturizing regimen? Moisturize 2x a day. At night I fingercomb and braid my hair up. In the morning I take the braids out, put water on my hair, add a little more moisturizer and some oil to my hair.

 

[aja1121]

Hair type: 4a
Hair length: BSL
How often do you wash? Once a week
How often do you clarify? Whenever necessary or once a month
How often do you detangle? At every wash and cowash
How often do you straighten? Once a month
How often do you cowash? daily (with a bun)
How often do you wash n go? Never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? 2-strand twist, perm rods, bun
What is your moisturizing regimen? everyday with hydrating cream and/or oil

 

[amara11]

Hair type:
4a/4b

Hair length:
Somewhere between APL and BSL

How often do you wash?
Every 3-4 weeks

How often do you clarify?
Very very rarely. I don't even have a schedule for it (my hair is naturally dry, so shampooing every 3-4 weeks is normally more than enough)

How often do you detangle?
Now I do it about 1-2 times a week. Most times I only need to do it once, but I may do a 'touch up' detangle mid week just because.

How often do you straighten?
about 2-3 times a year.

How often do you cowash?
Basically everyday. My hair is thirsty, and I really scrub the scalp when I cowash, so I don't get much buildup and I my hair stays pretty clean just washing with conditioner.

How often do you wash n go?
I used to do it everytime I cowashed, but now I prefer the ponytail. WnG's tend to allow my hair to get tooo tangled.

What styles do you wear on a regular basis?
Right now it's a ponytail/puff. Occasionally I do a braidout- for some reason, my hair tangles less in a braidout than in a WnG, esp if I don't tease the braidout.

What is your moisturizing regimen?
Every every every every every day! I have that thirsty hair. I JUST found (after 2 years of being natural- 3 if you count transition) Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing conditioner. I had tried every expensive, or organic, or popular conditioner and none did my thirsty hair quite right. THIS one is MAGIC. My hair is MOISTURIZED- like deep down in the shaft, and what's best is that detangling (which used to take me HOURS) I can now do in about THIRTY minutes. THIRTY. I can NOT sing the praises of this stuff enough because detangling used to be a BIG problem for me. So much so that I avoid it and everytime I got around to finally doing it, it would be such a big intimidating MESS.

I love the silk elements conditioner. LOVE IT. I really don't need much more by way of a moisturizer (leave in) but I've always like Miss Jessie's Buttercreme as a moisturizer. Between that and Silk Elements, my hair feels AMAZING and no longer fear detangling.

Once I get my steamer- I think I'll probably marry my hair- b/c if I get the results a lot of the *steaming* ladies on this board have, and I can actually *improve* what Silk Elements already does for my hair (which seems impossible) then I think me and my hair will walking down the aisle. You won't be able to tell me NOTHING!

 

[Nonie]

Hair type: 4B

Hair length: Shoulder-ish

How often do you wash? Twice a week

How often do you clarify? Never

How often do you detangle? Not sure. I keep my hair braided or twisted and detangled in that state so I am not sure how to answer this. Like when I finger-comb in between redoing a braid or twist, is that detangling? Can undoing a twist be called detangling?

How often do you straighten? Seldom. I haven't done it since I had my BC in Feb 2007. Prior to that I did it once at Thanksgiving 2006...and before that in December 2004...

How often do you cowash? Maybe once a week; one of my two washes could be a co wash; but not necessarily...or I could throw in an extra wash that would just be a CW.

How often do you wash n go? I don't. Did it once in 2006 and didn't really care for it.

What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Braids or twists.

What is your moisturizing regimen? When in braids or twists, I get my moisture from washing my hair, particularly conditioning and baggying. When wearing my hair out, I use S Curl to moisturize and provide slip for easy combing.

 

[Southernbella.]

Hair type: 4A/B

Hair length: Almost APL stretched (lowest layer)

How often do you wash? 2 to 3 times a week

How often do you clarify? once a week or so

How often do you detangle? once a week or so

How often do you straighten? I've straightened about 5 times in 9 months

How often do you cowash? once a week or so if not in twists

How often do you wash n go? several times a month

What styles do you wear on a regular basis? twists, twistouts, puffs, freeform fro

What is your moisturizing regimen? None, really. I deep condition every now and then, but I think cowashing helps with moisture, as well as Fantasia gel and my Cantu leave-in.

 

[Southernbella.]

Thank you for your replies ladies! I'm going to come back in the morning and analyze all this data. It's late and my eyes are crossing LOL.

 

[discobiscuits]

Hair type: 4A-3C
Hair length:almost shoulder
How often do you wash? varies. once a week for flat iron, twists or coils, once every two for cornrows. up to daily for wet buns.
How often do you clarify?NEVER
How often do you detangle?i use a shower comb then a denman while rinsing the conditioner out.
How often do you straighten?depends on my mood or the look i want. i've flatironed once a week for about a month now. before that it was finger coils/coil out
How often do you cowash?never
How often do you wash n go?never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis?none really, it varies
What is your moisturizing regimen?don't have one. i "moisturize" when i condition. i don't add stuff after my hair has dried regardless of the style. i leave conditioner in before drying (usually air dry) and i use aloe vera gel too

 

[naturalmanenyc]

Hair type: Transitioning but so far 4a
Hair length: BSL
How often do you wash? with poo, once a week
How often do you clarify? about once a month
How often do you detangle? once a week with deman (& hair full of conditioner)
How often do you straighten? was a few times a month but going down to once a month
How often do you cowash? daily
How often do you wash n go? never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? phony pony
What is your moisturizing regimen? currently I cowash daily, add leave-in & shine wax with no additional moisture

 

[truequeen06]

Hair type: 3b/3c
Hair length: MBL
How often do you wash? Once a week
How often do you clarify? Every other week
How often do you detangle? Everyday
How often do you straighten? Major holidays (including my birthday lol) so 3 or 4 times a year.
How often do you cowash? 6 days a week
How often do you wash n go? 3 or 4 days a week
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Ponytail, bun, and wng
What is your moisturizing regimen? I moisturize with a conditioner/water/glycerin mix after washing or cowashing and moisturize at night, focusing more on my ends. I use coconut oil, evoo, or castor oil to seal.

 

[kblc06]

Hair type: Type 3 something with some 2c & 4a
Hair length: About BSL (still a little too early to claim)
How often do you wash? every 3-5 days
How often do you clarify? Depends on products (if they are no longer working the way the used to). But maybe 1x every 1-2 months
How often do you detangle? Whenever I wash
How often do you straighten? about 5x a year
How often do you cowash? Not on a regular basis (maybe 2 or 3x a month)
How often do you wash n go? Now that my hair is longer, not as often. Maybe once every couple of months
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? A gelled back ponytail (worn in different places with different parts). I apply moisturizer on my ends, braid it, and secure with a rubberband. I also wear braids around my hairline, rollersets, and banana comb ponytails
What is your moisturizing regimen? I try to moisturize once every day (usually at night before bed)

 

[SexyCap]

Hair type: 4a
Hair length: ear length
How often do you wash? once a week
How often do you clarify? as needed
How often do you detangle? finger detangle daily/ denman once a month
How often do you straighten? no
How often do you cowash? daily
How often do you wash n go? daily
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? wig
What is your moisturizing regimen? giovanni direct leave-in daily, baggy once a week w/ glycerin/conditioner mix

I also find that I get more knots when I play in my hair. If I don't pull it and mess with it then its ok, but when I start pulling apart my coils/curls then I may or may not end up with a single strand knot.

"D"

 

[LadyKaypnyc]

Hair type: Somewhere between 3c and 4a
Hair length: APL
How often do you wash? (See cowash question)
How often do you clarify? Once or Twice a month
How often do you detangle? Twice a week
How often do you straighten? Never
How often do you cowash? At least 2-3x per week, sometimes daily
How often do you wash n go? NEVER
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? It changes on a regular basis
What is your moisturizing regimen?I moisturize daily, even when it feels like my hair doesn't need to be moisturized, I do it anyway (but I'll use something lite)

 

[Crown]

Hair type: mostly 4a
Hair length: APL+
How often do you wash? 1x/week
How often do you clarify? 1x/week or every other week.
How often do you detangle? finger comb when needed, comb after wash.
How often do you straighten? Not yet, but I roller set my braids after wash.
How often do you cowash? 0-4x/week, I don't cowash anymore, just rinse.
How often do you wash n go? A long time ago.
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Bun, ponytail, braid out.
What is your moisturizing regimen? Daily or every other day at bedtime.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Hair type: 3c-4a I guess
Hair length: shoulder length in some spots
How often do you wash? at least once a week, if I wear a lot of wash n gos (which doesn't happen often) everyday
How often do you clarify? when I feel like I need it, not on a set schedule...no more than once a month though
How often do you detangle?Whenever I wash, if I wear a lot of wash n go's I fingercomb with a lot of conditioner, otherwise I use a denman or widetoothed comb with a lot of conditioner
How often do you straighten? I've not ever straightened except after a panicked moment right after I BC'd
How often do you cowash? A lot, everytime I wash pratically, unless I feel I have some buildup
How often do you wash n go? I try not to do it more than 2 days out a week, but lately I've been wearin them a lot. I try to mostly do twists/twist outs and fingercoils
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Twists, fingercoils mostly
What is your moisturizing regimen? If my hair is in twists or coils, I spritz with aloe vera gel/glycerin/water spritz once or twice a day. When I put my hair in twists I use liberal amounts of shea butter. For wash n go's or puffs, the cowashing provides enough moisture.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Hair type:4a, just a little 3c
Hair length: tapered in the back 2", 5-7" on th top, sides, middle of head
How often do you wash? Once a week
How often do you clarify? Maybe once a year
How often do you detangle?Once a week
How often do you straighten?Had straighten 1-2x per year
How often do you cowash?Once a week
How often do you wash n go?I don't
What styles do you wear on a regular basis?Puff
What is your moisturizing regimen?Long Aid Curl Activator gel

 

[chokolate miss]

ok, thanks lauren for this post because i really am trying to find the answer. so after some intense reading, lol, it looks like frequent washers are the ones who don't have major knot problems. the ones who are co-washers are looking really knot free. so is this due to moisture or what? i really want to figure this out! with all these knots and tangles i am really stunting my progress
keep it coming ladies...please, lol!

 

[Miss*Tress]

Hair type: Type 3
Hair length: MBL
How often do you wash? Every couple of days in summer; weekly or every two weeks the rest of the year
How often do you clarify? Every two months
How often do you detangle? Once a day
How often do you straighten? Roller set weekly or every two weeks; never flat-iron, blow-dry, or hot-comb
How often do you cowash? See above
How often do you wash n go? Never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Twist-outs in summer; roller sets the rest of the year
What is your moisturizing regimen? Moisturizing cream and coconut oil every couple of days

 

[anon123]

Cool thread. It's really hard to pick out a significant pattern so far.

JustKiya, I didn't know you were 4a.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

I used to have singe strand knots up the wazoo due to only combing every 5-7 days...Now I comb everyother day and Co wash about 5 times a week. I still have knots but they are not as numerous as they once where.

 

[Eclass215]

My answers:

Hair type: 4a/b
Hair length: A little past shoulder
How often do you wash? Weekly
How often do you clarify? Umm - monthly maybe?
How often do you detangle? Whenever I wash
How often do you straighten? Maybe once a month
How often do you cowash? Probably twice a week
How often do you wash n go? Never
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? A bun - or twist out
What is your moisturizing regimen? Daily with a leave in, DC weekly with my wash

Now of course things might change up a little, but generally this is it.

 

[imstush]

Hair type: 3a/b
Hair length: WL
How often do you wash? once to twice a week
How often do you clarify? i use baking soda once a week or once every two weeks
How often do you detangle? once a week or once every two weeks.
How often do you straighten? I normally rollerset more in the fall/winter, but I never flat iron/blow dry all the way to my ends. Just the roots.
How often do you cowash? once - twice a week
How often do you wash n go? I don't wear wng, but I don't dry my hair either. I wash, braid n then go.
What styles do you wear on a regular basis? brushed back into one braid. I used to bun but I realized my hair was always dry, matted and knotted.
What is your moisturizing regimen? when I wash or cowash I use leave in and JBCO or Organix coconut milk serum. I then put in one single braid. My hair stays moisturized. Sometimes I may undo the last 2 inches of my braid and add JBCO or Organix coconut milk serum to the ends.

 

[felicia]

When cowash or wash multiple times a week, do you do it with your hair loose or in twists/braids?
tia

 

[JustKiya]

Cool thread. It's really hard to pick out a significant pattern so far.

JustKiya, I didn't know you were 4a.

Girl, I don't know what I am, most days. This week, I think I'm a 4a, because last time I washed my hair - no, I hadn't washed it, I just let it get wet, loose (which I almost NEVER do), I was seeing little curlies and boingboings all over the place - which was rather surprising, as I haven't seen them before. So, this week, I'm a 4a. Next week, who knows.

ok, thanks lauren for this post because i really am trying to find the answer. so after some intense reading, lol, it looks like frequent washers are the ones who don't have major knot problems. the ones who are co-washers are looking really knot free. so is this due to moisture or what? i really want to figure this out! with all these knots and tangles i am really stunting my progress
keep it coming ladies...please, lol!

I notice there is a a lot of cowashing, and the MAJORITY of us detangle at least once a week. I think that might be significant.

When cowash or wash multiple times a week, do you do it with your hair loose or in twists/braids?
tia

I cowash twice a week - once is in twists, once is loose.

 

[Southernbella.]

The only thing I see is that we all wash at least once a week. Not all of us cowash. Detangling once a week is also common.

Interesting...We have lots of different lengths and hair types, so that isn't it.

It's still something of a mystery...

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Hair type: 3c/4a ish
Hair length: Mid Back
How often do you wash? 1 x per week
How often do you clarify? 1 x per month sort of...
How often do you detangle? when I shampoo.... if needed
How often do you straighten? 3 to 4 times a year ( but - it will be changed to 2x a year. I will be ironing again in December 08)
How often do you cowash? rarely
How often do you wash n go? um... I don't know what that means.. I always wear my hair in braids or twists.

What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Braids, twists, individual braids.
What is your moisturizing regimen? Home made leave in, coconut oils, other oils/Butters, Indian oils


The key to zero tangles are STEAM treatments, and consistant Deep conditioning.