Taking Inventory: What worked and Didn't in 2011

[Ozma]

Worked: Mud washes, oil rinses, less frequent manipulation, wet bunning

Did not work: wash and gos, flat ironing

 

[ms.blue]

What worked for me was
-Washing my hair every two weeks and in 4 sections.
-Airdrying is a long process for me but I retain more moisture that way. Also airdrying in small bantu twists allowed my hair to remain stretched.
-Human lace wigs allowed me to play w/ heat w/o damaging w/ my own hair. I only flatironed my hair once his year which is a huge step for me when last year I flatironed about 5 times.
-Adding silk amino acids and honey into my dc's gave my hair softness, moisture and shine.

 

[coyacoy]

The most important things I have learned this year: 1)my hair needs regular protein and 2)the best way to assess and ultimately determine the effectiveness of any product or reggie is to examine single shed hairs regularly including weekly porosity tests both b4 and after completing a DC (after wash on clean hair and after DC rinse again w/clean hair). By doing this I can see improvements or setbacks in splits, knots, strand thickness and strength in order to determine what my hair needs most
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[Evolving78]

going back to roller setting and finally being able to do it on my own instead of paying someone. i am really proud of myself. also the products i am currently using are helping as well. the only thing i need to stop doing now is being lazy and airdrying with conditioner in my hair or leaving the plastic cap on for too long, making my hair feel mushy.

 

[felic1]

bumping,bumping

 

[NappyNelle]

WORKING:

*STEAMING, STEAMING... STEAMING, STEAMING, and I hope I mentioned, STEAMING!
*Aubrey Organics conditioners; particularly Honeysuckle Rose and Glycogen Protein Balancing
*Realizing that being natural does not mean that I am excluded from protein treatments

 

[**SaSSy**]

Doing less is working good for me as my natural hair gets longer, and protective styling in twist is good for me retaining length.

 

[Cendra]

I forgot techniques


If I don't feel like doing my hair I leave it alone

Love that!

 

[Cendra]

Great thread...one thing I've learned this year is to take stock of what's working and document this for future reference. By doing this I've learned the following in 2011:


4)KISS - keeping it simple. I discovered that my hair hates constant change and experimenting with new products. When I keep it consistent, my hair thrives so now I use the same products and routine for at least 1 month and then change it up at that point if I'm getting bored with it.

I hear you on that one! What Komaza products do you use, I've been curious about them.

 

[Cendra]

I made a lot of changes this year because it is pretty much my first year being on my hair journey.

I dry my hair with a microfibre towel, I drink more water + eat more healthily, I protective style a lot more, I do search and destroys every eight weeks, I do everything in sections and when I seal, I always pay close attention to my ends.

Search and Destroy: that's something I have to incorporate into my reggie. Thanks for reminding me!

 

[Cendra]

I learnt that if I treat my hair like a problem, it becomes a problem.

Great point. Our hair has been presented as a problem in so many ways that it scares and prevents many women from learning to properly care for it.

 

[hair4today]

I hear you on that one! What Komaza products do you use, I've been curious about them.

Cendra, I think Komaza has a great line of products. Their shampoo, conditioner and stylers are good but you can get better for less with other vendors like DB, SSI etc. Where they excel IMHO are their special care/growth products. My absolute favorites in order of preference are Honeycomb Hair Rejuvenator, Intense Moisture Therapy (recently discontinued) Olive Moisture Mask, Moku Hair Butter, Moku Pre-shampoo Treatment and Califa Moisturizing Spray. They're a bit pricey so try their samples to see what works for you.

 

[Cendra]

hair4today, Thanks, I think I'll be trying one of the sample packs soon.

 

[hair4romheaven]

Komaza olive moist. mask
Anything w/ shea butter
2 strand twist

 

[CarefreeinChicago]

Never put anything that did not grow out of the ground on my hair! BKT

 

[ScorpioBeauty09]

Perfect thread for me! This year I've learned so much about what my hair needs to thrive and retain so I can achieve my length goals!

What's worked:
--ACV rinses: it's imperative I maintain my hair's pH balance, otherwise it won't retain growth
--Hairfinity: the only good thing that's come out of my setback is discovering these. I'm growing more hair in a couple months than I grew in a whole year
--Rotating products: although I have my favorites, I love having a stash of shampoos, conditioners and moisturizers to choose from depending on my hair needs at the moment. my hair loves it too!
--Blow drying my hair in no less than 8 sections
--Castor Oil as a sealer

What hasn't worked:
--moisturizing conditioners: I've finally accepted my hair just does not like them
--Tresemme Thermal Protection: unlike as discussed above, when it comes to heat protectants I do have a staple and plan on sticking with it for a long time
--Essentious Shampoo/Conditioner: I tried this line since it's advertised with Hairfinity but my hair did not like it, except for the moisturizer.

 

[orangepeel]

What worked:
2 strand twists. I saw the most growth when I was routinely using this as a PS.
Taking a multivitamin. My nails were constantly breaking and I couldn't figure out why- obviously I was missing something. Finding a good multi + biotin has helped.
Moisturizing regularly has worked as well.
And I stopped watching youtube "you gotta try" videos.

 

[temfash]

What worked


Pre-pooing with olive oil and aloe juice
Pre detangling hair with above mixture before washing in twisted sections
Regular light protein treatments
No combing i.e using my fingers exclusively
Using the buffering technique after shampooing (before rinsing shampoo use an instant conditioner then rinse)
Cassia
washing every 2/3 weeks

What didnt work

Moisture heavy regimen results in breakage breakage breakage.
Henna same as above ^^^^^^^^^^^^
Washing weekly too much manipulation

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

Keep it simple worked for me. When I started out, I had a large regimen; but, I've come to realize that my hair doesn't need or want that.

 

[tbaby_8]

Store bought/ easy to do keepers

Qod gold self applied on wet hair and flat ironed at 375 every 2-3 months

GVP Paul Mitchell the conditioner

Ceremides(especially wgo/rice bran) incorporated into pomade, oils, poos and conditioner

Silicon mix bambu

How do you like the Silicon mix Bambu? I've been eyeing for awhile and wondered if it is any good.

 

[Chioniso]

After 3.5 years of being natural, this is the first year that I think I finally got it and followed a hair regimen, exercised, ate right (well, mostly) and even drank my 10 glasses per day.

What did YOU change this year that really made a difference in your hair/life?

For me it was the following:

Exercise
Satin bonnet
Protective styling
Washing hair in sections
Steaming

Cendra Sorry to be a downer but the 8-10 glasses of water a day is not always healthy - the thing is, a lot of that water is already in our food. http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

 

[blackmaven]

What worked
Being natural again was not easy. Adding silk amino acid to my conditioner and shampoo has made a huge difference. My hair feels stronger can easily take in moisture.

What did not work
Buying every product with rave reviews for natural hair was a no no for me.

 

[Renewed1]

Didn't work....

Brushes (denman; tangle teezer) - tore my hair up!!

Detangling every other week

Cones, etc

Cutting SSKs - I'm natural I learned to love them; instead of losing my length

What work....

Terressentials Mud Wash - I love this stuff, I gave away all my other products.

JBCO - is thickening up my hair strands.

AT LEAST finger detangling every three days on damp hair.

Steam every week or other week

My hair prefers flax seed gel - LOVE this stuff

Keeping to a style once a week - low manipulation; better retention

 

[winona]

tbaby_8[/USER];14513079]How do you like the Silicon mix Bambu? I've been eyeing for awhile and wondered if it is any good.

I really the Bambu one My hair is soft and moisturized for at least 5 days before I feel a need to rinse and start over. This is probably due to me being so heavy handed with moisturizing and sealing than the effect of bambu wearing off. I like the regular silicon mix too but the bambu is the bomb.com HTH

 

[ellebelle88]

What worked
Being natural again was not easy. Adding silk amino acid to my conditioner and shampoo has made a huge difference. My hair feels stronger can easily take in moisture.

What did not work
Buying every product with rave reviews for natural hair was a no no for me.

blackmaven Where do you buy silk amino acids from? How much does it cost? And about how much do you add to your conditioner/shampoo? Sorry for all the questions but I want to try it out.

 

[WantNatural]

What worked:
AOGPB - weekly light protein DC
Cowashing
Terressentials Mud Wash
Heavy sealing with castor oil or grease
Twisting w/grease - using grease period was a BIG surprise - glad I tried it! (Sealing hair only, not on scalp!)
PS w/buns
Gentle finger detangling
DCing w/relaxer method
Overnight DC
Detangling, washing, moisturizing/sealing in sections
Rolling twisted nape hair tightly on small rods when twisting for twist-out - this is a big one too - I have a severe mullet, couldn't wear a twist-out because my nape hair was too long and a looser curl pattern. By curling the nape on small rods it allows me to blend my nape with the rest of my hair for a successful, full twist out. Didn't have to cut my hair to shape it, just to wear the occasional twist-out. Love it!

What Didn't Work:
Wearing hair in perpetual puff, exposing ends without properly moisturizing and sealing
Not moisturizing daily
Not sealing at all - nothing seemed to work so I stopped, until I read the heaving sealing thread and began using my castor oil straight
Rinsing only during the week instead of cowashing
Not using protein
Homemade moisture DCs - this is always hit or miss for me, even when I use the same recipe from one week to the next. Think I'll just stick with AOHSR and add olive oil, castor oil, and honey when needed.


Whew! I learned a lot this year. And I have a feeling that's not all, just all I can remember right now!

 

[blackmaven]

@blackmaven Where do you buy silk amino acids from? How much does it cost? And about how much do you add to your conditioner/shampoo? Sorry for all the questions but I want to try it out.

I have logged on to lhcf everyday. I would have responded a lot quicker. This is first notification today showing someone mention my name in a thread.

Here ya go! I purchased silk amino acids for $17.45 for 8 ounces.
http://www.lotioncrafter.com/silk-amino-acids.html

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

Didn't work for me: I'm a relaxed head (always have been) and yet I did & used everything a natural head would do & use. Sigh..I LOVE CURLY HEADS OF HAIR! Enough confessing. LOL

Worked: Sticking to one product line because despite what people say, ALL CONDITIONERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. LOL.

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[felic1]

bumping for more....

 

[sillygirl82]

Worked:
Washing every 2-3 days
Oiling my scalp before washing/conditioning
Deep conditioning with heat
Adding oil to my hair dyes/hennas. It makes the color stick my hair better.

Not worked:
Switching product lines
Getting off my wash schedule
Not trimming
Just being lazy