Not counting LHCF . . .

[Glib Gurl]

. . . how did you learn about haircare? Did you research through books and articles? Spend a lot of time chatting up hair care professionals? Or maybe you are a haircare professional yourself!

I'm just amazed by the body of knowledge you ladies have and I'm curious where you learned all of this information.

Glib

 

[Legend]

I learned from my mother, some from my sister who went to cosmetology school. I also had an excellent veteran stylist I asked a thousand questions of. But mostly from extensive research and reading; and trial and error. The facts about hair care change as new advances emerge, so I'm very interested in the science of hair.

 

[ChocalateDiva]

Cathy Howse put me on and then Carolyn Gray set me staight. Then off course all the ladies here on LHCF. I got all my knowledge from these books and this board.

 

[glamazon386]

I read a lot of books after I had a bad bought with braids my freshman year of college. I had gotten a short hair cut a year 1/2 before that and my hair grew back nicely and then I had to go and listen to my mama and get braids my 2nd semester in school. I had to get a haircut and start all over again so I wanted to do it right. I read every book about black hair care that I could get my hands on. 2 years later I found BHM and then this board.

 

[HoneyA]

Did a lot of reading on the internet long before I joined LHCF. Cathy Howse, Robin's site growafrohairlong and other articles I found online about black hair care. LHCF was just the icing on the cake because it provided a forum where I could actually talk til my heart's content about hair and learn more.

 

[Legend]

Did a lot of reading on the internet long before I joined LHCF. Cathy Howse, Robin's site growafrohairlong and other articles I found online about black hair care. LHCF was just the icing on the cake because it provided a forum where I could actually talk til my heart's content about hair and learn more.

So true!

 

[cutiebe2]

Shamboosie!!!
My mother and I read the book. Went out a brought all Nexxuss and Dudley products (which he promotes...although I don't agree with that, at least they were high quality brands)
Shamboosie promoted washing the hair 2x or 3x a week which was good. The only thing I did wrong with that is I used heat everytime I washed (hot blow dryer then flat iron on High heat) so my hair didn't grow much
but at least that book got me thinking about god hair care and why my hair was not growing

 

[MissFallon]

When I was 13 I went to a white salon in Manhattan and the owner of the salon taught me how to wrap my hair and how to keep it moisturized and strong. He also told me to wash my hair each week and roll it the big rollers and blow out the roots only then wrap it. He also told me what products to use to keep my hair in good shape. I still follow his routine mostly. Kinda wish he woulda advised me at 21 about how to care for weaves.

 

[Princess Pie]

Cathy Howse put me on and then Carolyn Gray set me staight. Then off course all the ladies here on LHCF. I got all my knowledge from these books and this board.

Same here. I also read some other books, and got bits and pieces from magazines (the ones targeted at white women erplexed).

 

[bellesocialite]

Aside from LHCF...
Uhm, the site for the c&g method, other black hair forums and my mother. For as long as I could remember, I could count the number of times my mother has gone to a stylist on my hand. She has been rollersetting her hair for YEARS, does her own relaxers and to my knowledge has never touched a heat appliance. See, if I had followed suit and not have taken matters into my own hands, I'd have been a lot better off than when I first discovered LHCF.

 

[EMJazzy]

My grandmother went to cosmetology school and basically taught me everything she knew (which in hindsight is limited) all she did was press and curl....when it came to maintaining relaxed hair she didn't have a clue (neither did I)....a lady that I post with on another board told me about LHCF....after lurking for a long time I finally joined.

 

[caramelcutieinva]

I took cosmetology classes in high school. I also watch the style channel and read fashion magazines alot. They give you a bunch of tips on how to do styles easily and they give you tips and tricks that are used on celebs.

I had to unlearn all the bad hair info I received from family and stylists in the past.

 

[Reinventing21]

Hi ladies ! Well this is the perfect thread to officially introduce myself. Why? Because I have been an obsessed LHCF type since I was 7 years old! My mother whose hair is in the 3 range and waist length told me when I was 7 that certain types (aka my type) of hair couldn't grow long. Being an observant kid, I just didn't buy that. It seemed to me that if I could just glue back the millions of broken ends to my strands that my hair would be like Rapunzel. Dealing with my hair was very difficult for my mom as no one in her family has my kind of hair. I had twice the amount of hair on my head as most, with very thick strands, and while it always looked like it was thriving, it never achieved length due to those breaking ends! So thus began my obsession. At 9 I found my mom's cosmetology book and learned about the science of trichology as well. By 11 I was able to take over the washing, drying, and combing out of my hair. My mom was reduced to styling. That is when my hair began to grow. I was obsessed with reading ingredients and experimenting so I figured out the joys and curses of cones from using baby oil. This was before all the cone serums. Later between 13-16 I discovered that my hair liked products with polyquanterniums, and polysorbates and hated those with alcohols, and that glycerin was a humectant. Then I found a book that explained cosmetic ingredients; I learned which were preservatives, which were for moisture etc.

I so wish LHCF had been around then. As it was I only had my own hair to experiment with. Everyone else thought I was mildly nuts with my obsession, but it has been my dream that every girl be able to have healthy hair at whatever length she chooses. Being latina also brings up other issues, but that's another post or not!

Sorry so long, but I just finally want to say that I have been a lurker for a year and a half and I so love everyone here, and I'm so impressed with how everyone works together to achieve goals. I finally have the internet at home so I can post. So to finish answering the question, I have learned about the science of hair through research, and reading everything I could find

 

[tenjoy]

I was always a self thinker, and didnt by everyones philosophies even as a kid. I was and still is the longest haired in my family so as a child I got a hairstyle and had it for weeks. My mom was and still is a workaholic so all that stylin' and barretts, I knew nothing about. I never used grease, could never see the point. . I always knew that clipping my ends didnt make my hair grow (I use to get in fights about this) Tried oil sheen and immediatley new it was too drying for my hair. My mother always had creme moisturizers like Pink Lotion and Palmers Success. All that to say that a lot was common sense.

Now everything else I learned on LHCF. I more info than I paid for. I too was and still am truly amazed at the knowledge, truth and honesty. The willingness to help. This is my first forum ever. And I have not run into one "suspect hair" person yet. I love LHFC, they are going to get me fired, cause im on all day . I need no book, because I learned from here and learned what works for my hair. I dont feel like my hair is a chore anymore, and that I can wash it regulary.

 

[hothair]

Reyna! Good story.

Well I learned about hair and particularly colour cause I never liked having the same hair as anyone else, so if straight was in I went curly if short was in I went long, I was/am a product junkie and have expensive tastes After Dark & Lovely colour broke my hair I decided products marketed towards black hair was not for me (I've since learned there are a few reputable brands), I went natural cause my natural hair tended to get the shade as shown on the box. My hair grew great (I was always in some funky braid) and would pro'lly have been quite long but 1. it never occured to me 2.I kept chopping it up cause it made my braid look rough

From trial and error I found everything from what loreal or schwarkopf line works for my colour to Aphogee, Nexxus, Kercare and Phytospecific lines (amongst others). I came to the site last year after a friend in NY gave me a stinky thing (MTG) she heard about from her cousin on a hair site that grew my hair from neck to full shoulder length in 2 months! I bleached the hair to death (2ce in an 3 hours) making it even dryer and BC-ed in February but now is the healthiest though not the longest I can ever remember

 

[WesternEyes]

I learned about my hair through trail and error. Too much flatironing left my hair horribly damaged and split, so one day I just hopped in the shower and washed my hair and discovered that curls are great! Since then I began to experiment with my curls and realized I could do alot more than just flatiron.

 

[Dayjoy]

I originally learned growing up with my mother. Then my first job was at 13 in a hair and nail salon. That is where I met my current stylist 24 years ago and she has taught me a WHOLE lot. She is really into the health of the hair.

 

[curlcomplexity]

Honestly...Fotki.com! A few years ago, when I was still gluing in tracks I did a search to learn how to sew in weaves better. I came across Renieces Fotki and I saw how much her hair care paid off on her own tresses. Through her fotki I found others like Sistaslicks and Ms Kibibi and then found blackhairmedia.com...that led me to this website and since then it has been

 

[mscocoface]

I hit the internet like a woman possessed. I read everything I could get my hands on dealing with black hair and its natural care.

I talk to people then someone suggested NP and I think I learned about this site through someone on NP. Started visting other sites I became of member of everything.

Got a hold of a natural hair magzine called Naturally You and have found other natural hair care magazines.

It is an on going never ending process of learning and exploring.

 

[janeemat]

I stumble across Cathy Howse web site and ordered her book. So she jump started me to washing and deep cond 3 times a week. This brought my damaged hair back to life. Then I found the forum and the rest is history.

 

[Reinventing21]

Hi Hothair ! Thanks for the welcome!

 

[remnant]

. . . how did you learn about haircare? Did you research through books and articles? Spend a lot of time chatting up hair care professionals? Or maybe you are a haircare professional yourself!

I'm just amazed by the body of knowledge you ladies have and I'm curious where you learned all of this information.

Glib

Before LHCF, I learned on some others websites:
Growafrohairlong, Motown girl, Nappturality,
or blog:Crazy coils, Den1
and Cathy Howse's book and website

 

[nappity]

Before LHCF, I learned on some others websites:
Growafrohairlong, Motown girl, Nappturality,
or blog:Crazy coils, Den1
and Cathy Howse's book and website

'
This is how I learned too!

 

[MissMeWithThatIsh]

I used to read Sophisticate's Black Hair.

My mom knows how to handle her hair, and my sister knows how to handle hers, but mine has always been a challenge. They do not share my hair type nor texture.

Reading the hair magazines actually taught me nothing, as I feel they are simply full of product advertisements and celebrities in "weaves" who pretend their length is theirs.

I hear the same things and see the same photos in every issue:

- I don't relax. My stylist flatirons my hair and it lays down so smooth.
- I wrap my hair every night.
- Moisturizing is a key part of my regimen.
- I love to weave it up.
- tying it up every night.

Eventually I took things into my own hands and began experimenting. I didn't want a relaxer but my hair was too much, so I texturized. I colored, and I did everything on my own by myself, and occaisionally asked others what they did, and then I found LCHF and I'm chilling.

 

[Desarae]

Honestly...Fotki.com! A few years ago, when I was still gluing in tracks I did a search to learn how to sew in weaves better. I came across Renieces Fotki and I saw how much her hair care paid off on her own tresses. Through her fotki I found others like Sistaslicks and Ms Kibibi and then found blackhairmedia.com...that led me to this website and since then it has been

Co-Signing...Reniece20 is the reason that I wanted to start growing my hair. It was the first fotki that I looked at and to be honest, the first thing I said was, that's not her hair, why is she playin. Then after I realized that it was, I was blown away! Somehow I made my way to Sistaslick's album, read everything that was in it, then went to BHM. I've been a member there since June and I love it. Now I'm here for even more knowledge.