Soft Natural Hair

[Tawana]

Hey Everybody!

I'm Tawana & this is my first post! I've been lurking for awhile but I finally decided to join ya'll! I have been natural almost 5-months & I have about 4" of natural hair (Big chopped at the end of September after a 6-month transition). The only problem I have is dryness. My #1 hair goal is soft hair! Not greasy hair, soft hair! Did I mention soft hair?

I don't care if it LOOKS as if someone dropped an ashtry on my head! I just want it soft! I no-poo once a week with any one of the 50 moisturizing conditioners I have. I do hot oil treatments, clarify when necessary & moisturize daily (spritzes & creams). Maybe I'm just using the wrong stuff. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Erica78]

Welcome to the forum Tawana! Which brand of conditioner do you use/like the most?

 

[Tawana]

Thanks for the welcome Erica78! Let's see...I use VO5 Blueberries & Cream, Pantene Hydrating Curls, Nature's Gate Jojoba & Aloe, Suave Awauphii (sp?), Suave Vanilla Floral...That's all I can remember at the moment. I mean, its soft when wet, but once dry, it "crispy" especially the back. Oh, I believe I'm 4a/b.

 

[BronzeBrown]

Hey Tawana, I had that problem for the first year or so of being natural because I hadn't yet discovered the right moisturizers. What you need to find is a product or product-combo that allows the hair to retain moisture after application. If you live in a humid or semi-humid environment, I HIGHLY recommend Carefree Curl Instant Spray Moisturizer. I used this product for two years consistently and it was what made me realize that it's not a characteristic of natural hair to be hard and crispy - if you're taking care of it. Due to CFC's glycerin content, I found that it worked against my hair under dry conditions (eg air conditioned rooms or in the cold months of the year), so I've since retired it (except in the humid summer months) and have progressed to using Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme. I haven't been using it for long, and currently my hair is in braids, but I found that it contains the right thickness (consistency-wise) to continue moisturizing, even in drier conditions. Another possibility is the application of a natural oil (I use vitamin-e oil because it's nice and thick) on damp hair - very important that the hair be damp. So those're my suggestions. Good luck

.

 

[Tawana]

Thanks BronzeBrown,

You know I think I actually looked for the Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme, but all I could find was their Carrot Creme. Do you think that would work?

 

[brittanynic16]

I don't know if you have been to nappturality.com but that is a natural hair forum and there is a thread on there that talks about a lot natural using no oils because it doesn't work for them. I think I may be one of those people. You might want to look over there too.

 

[Tawana]

Thanks, Brittanynic16!!!

 

[Erica78]

I'm no expert, but I think that the Pantene might be what's drying your hair out. I had a really dry scalp during the summer months. When I started using KeraCare Humecto Conditioner, I no longer had a problem. Last month...I tried some Pantene mixed with my regular conditioner for 2 days in a row. My scalp was so dry, and I had flaking like you wouldn't believe. Some other ladies on this board had drying when they used Pantene too.

 

[Ipanema]

You should try Sta-Sof-Fro. It really softens the hair & has a pleasant scent. If you use it after a wash, apply it once the hair is dry or almost dry.

 

[Tawana]

Thanks, Ipanema! Sta-Sof-Fro, huh?

Oh, you sure have some healthy hair!

 

[missykeyana]

My favorite moisturizers

ORS Olive Oil
BB Oil Moisturizer
Elasta QP Mango Butter

 

[inthepink]

If you're using Pantene conditioners regularly, I would recommend clarifying once in a while or your hair may appear dry.

 

[hotshot]

welcome!
nothing has given me LASTING softness like stay so fro, especially when used before ORS carrot oil or healthy hair butter by carols daughter.

 

[Ipanema]

[ QUOTE ]
Tawana said:
Thanks, Ipanema! Sta-Sof-Fro, huh?

Oh, you sure have some healthy hair!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the compliment Tawana. I've learned a lot from this board.

 

[sheba2000]

Hi Tawana and welcome! (I'm pretty new myself). One of my friends recently went natural and she was having the same problem. Then another natural told her (and she swears by this) that the best way to keep her hair soft is to keep it braided up. If you want to wear it out that's fine, like if you go out or something, must as soon as you get back home put some good moisturizer in it and do a couple of braids, they don't even have to be neat as long as its braided. She said that this has worked wonders for her. HTH

sheba

 

[NGC]

Hey Tawana!

I have a few questions:
How often do you switch between conditioners? Does your hair react better to some of them? What styles do you wear? Maybe you can try a protective style like flat twists?


Maybe you can bump up the number of times you no-poo each week.

Another good spritzer you can try is Elasta H-Two. I have been using it recenting and I love it.
HTH

 

[Tawana]

Thanks to all you ladies who responded.
*
@ Sheba2000: I think you hit the nail right on the head. When my hair is twisted, it is so moisturized, but once wearing it out for a couple of hours w/o spritzing with something, it is dry.
@ NGC: I usually no-poo once a week & use a different conditioner everytime. (Trying to use them up before I buy more - But feel free to recommend any!

)

 

[Spagirl]

Do you use a steamer if so how often?

Do you use a leave-in conditioner?

 

[Tawana]

Spagirl,

I was GIVEN a hair steamer about 3 weeks ago! Can you believe that?

I only used it once because I wanted to research the uses! How much usage do you think is safe? I've started using Nexxus Humectress as my leave-in! If you know of a better one, let me know. I'm open to any & all suggestions!

 

[Tawana]

Spagirl,

You have some gorgeous hair! (Sigh)

 

[Spagirl]

Thanks Tawana.

Congratulations on being given a hair steamer! What luck!

Some one on this forums has a steamer and suggested using it no more than once a month due to her hair having dry ends. When surfing the net I also notice someone, on another forum, was using her steamer weekly for what appeared to be a few months and didn't post any problems ( I never posted there and can't find that forum now). So as far as how often, I probably wouldn't use it less than once every 4 wks until I had a chance to get more info.

As far as the leave-in is concerned I use Giovanni's Direct leave-in that I mix a little Aloe Vera Gel in it. After that I seal my hair using an oil (Wild Grow Oil or a blend of Jojoba, Olive Sesame and Castor oils). I re-apply this as my moisturizer as needed during the week. This works for me (relaxed hair) but what works for one may not work for another. HTH!

Tip: Purchase your products from stores that have a satisfaction guarantee policy so you can return products your hair isn't happy with.

 

[Spagirl]

Tawana, I just notice that I didn't recognize you as a

on the LHCF (Long Hair Care Forum)....Welcome aboard girl!

 

[Tawana]

Thanks for the welcome, Spagirl...and the advice!!

 

[Chimma]

Hi Tawana,

I am a type 4b transitioner, but I've been transitioning for over a year so a lot of my hair is natural - this is my regimen to keep it soft and looking nice:

I conditioner wash once a week. I use Finesse Heat-Protectant. I don't think it matters at all which you use, but I use that because I have it and I figure that if I ever put any heat on my hair, i'll have a tiny bit of protection.

Essential: I do a combination oil/deep conditioning treatment for about an hour after each wash. I usually wash once a week, but now my hair is in cornrows so I haven't been. Get a good, working deep conditioner and put in in your hair, and a good oil as well. Saturate your hair. I use olive oil. I recommend heating the olive oil first if you aren't lazy. Rinse this out after it has soaked into your hair for an hour. Both the oil AND the deep conditioner are essential.

Essential: Apply leave-in's that *work* for your hair while hair is damp. I use a mix of shea butter (100% natural shea butter) and olive oil. It's about half half. I heat the shea butter to an oil when I first got it and mix in olive oil with it.
It absorbs very easily and very well when the mixture is heated, but I don't recommend heating often because I've heard that too much heat can ruin the properties of the shea butter and olive oil. Shea butter is a nice oil, not too heavy on my hair, great at absorbing rather than sitting on my hair, but it takes a while for me to work it in usually. You've got to rub it between your hands and work it in. I actually recommend using jojoba oil instead, if you can afford it, because jojoba is closer to natural sebum but olive oil works well on my hair.

Sometimes I put in Sta-Sof-Fro, no real difference really.

Keep a spray bottle with water for dampening hair to apply leave-ins.

Comb through well with a K-Cutter, much much better than other wide-toothed combs.

Great combination! My hair doesn't look dry, doesn't feel dry, is nice and soft, easy to comb even when dry. Both my natural and my relaxed hair have all these characteristics.

Clarify when you suspect that there is buildup on your hair.

The ingredients are cheap and the time is not much!
When I'm out of the finesse, I will probably just buy Suave Conditioner for my conditioner wash.

Suave Conditioner - .79 c
Deep Conditioner- 3.50 every two months. I can't remember the name of mine at the minute, but just make sure to get a good one that works even if it is more expensive.
100% Natural Shea Butter - $8.00 (I think) probably every 2 months
Olive oil - not sure the price since I don't buy olive oil specifically only for my hair
Time:
1.5 hours a week for the wash with conditioner and the 1 hour hot oil/deep conditione, but the time doesn't have to be spent twiddling your thumbs.

Probably 15 minutes a day to comb through, moisturize with the water spray bottle, and apply the shea/oil.

 

[Tawana]

Thanks, Ms Chimma! I have olive oil (it is always in my cabinet for cooking)! I wonder if the olive oil would work with my steamer?