After being natural for 5+ years, what else turned your hair around?

[Maracujá]

I've been natural for 6 years now, my hair has become so blah and I'm ready to turn it around. I deep condition about once a month and ascribe to the moisture-protein balance, that's about it. I'm thinking about investing in a hair steamer...

Ladies that have been natural for 5+ years, what do you do to maintain your hair's health?

 

[Harina]

Have you trimmed recently??

 

[SimJam]

are you having problems with your hair? is she unhappy?

at 6 years after my BC (3 more years to go) I hope and expect to be in cruise control

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Honestly - what turned my hair around was a Whole health lifestyle change. Intense workouts and clean eating - changed my hair for the better.

 

[prettybyrd]

When I went natural (for real) in 2005, I was a member of a Yahoo group and tried every product and concoction those ladies mentioned. My hair suffered. When I got here, I did the same. I developed a super long and drawn out regimen and when I couldn't maintain it, my hair suffered.

These days I have settled into a very easy and low maintenance regimen and my hair is great. I have to say that giving my hair TLC when necessary and not using so many products and so many tools really has turned my hair around.

 

[constance]

Low manipulation, dc every 2 wks, s&d only (no trimming). Also, I groaned when the formulations of my staples changed (I'd been using them for 2-3yrs) and I had to find new products, BUT I discovered even better products. I would never have found these if those old products had remained the same. Take home point: do not be a product junkie but do reexamine your staples periodically.

 

[prettyinpurple]

My major aha moment: Using conditioner as leave-in. I've been doing that for the last 1 1/2 years or so. That changed the game for me and helps my hair remain moisturized as it dries.

I finally have a regular schedule for washing and dc'ing which helps too.

Trims! I go 3-4x/year and may hair thanks me for it.

 

[SimJam]

Oh and even though Im not natural over 5 years, my ahaa moments were
1. using aloevera juice/herbal tea spritzes. Thats what turned my hair around earlier this year,
2. simplified regimen which includes regular DCs with light protein (something i was neglecting) wash/DC every 7 - 10 days

ironically I cant wait for enough length so that I can just wash/DC, slap in some huge chunky twists to stretch my hair, then wear buns and updos as my go to style. Some ppl may think thats blah but thats my goal lol

 

[NaturalPath]

I have been natural for almost 9 years, I BC'd again in 2011 due to being unhappy with the condition my hair was in (due to moving to an area with hard water) <---- mistake, do not do that!!

Here is what I am relearning, what has helped me:
*Protein shakes
*Hydration
*Tea/coffee rinses for decreased shedding, shine and increased growth and scalp health
*Protein treatments
*The use of QUALITY products, before I used to use cheap stuff like suave and cholesterol
*The only shampoo I use is whatevers found in natural health stores without all those stupid chemicals
*Deep conditioning 1x a week
*Invest in a shower filter
*Stretching out my hair using a blowdry tension method and producing low manipulation hair styles, this helps me prevent SSK's and split ends


I am still trying to obtain thicker hair, I have already tried henna and castor oil :/

 

[Maracujá]

Have you trimmed recently??

I haven't trimmed in aeons

are you having problems with your hair? is she unhappy?

at 6 years after my BC (3 more years to go) I hope and expect to be in cruise control

My hair is very unhappy, it's dull, gunky and the curls are not as defined anymore.

Honestly - what turned my hair around was a Whole health lifestyle change. Intense workouts and clean eating - changed my hair for the better.

I noticed that in 2010 and 2011 when I was paying attention to what I put in my mouth, I experienced a major growth spurt. I'm still fine tuning my diet so I'll def get back to this, thanks for the tip!

I have been natural for almost 9 years, I BC'd again in 2011 due to being unhappy with the condition my hair was in <---- mistake, do not do that!!

Here is what I am relearning, what has helped me:
*Protein shakes
*Hydration
*Tea/coffee rinses for decreased shedding, shine and increased growth and scalp health
*Protein treatments
*The use of QUALITY products, before I used to use cheap stuff like suave and cholesterol & no shampoo
*Deep conditioning 1x a week
*Invest in a shower filter
*Stretching out my hair using a blowdry tension method and producing low manipulation hair styles, this helps me prevent SSK's and split ends


I am still trying to obtain thicker hair, I have already tried henna and castor oil :/

Will do this!

 

[JulietWhiskey]

Here's what has helped my hair grow and thicken up due to PP shedding:

*Remembering what worked for me when my hair was at its healthiest: my super-fine hair loves Cetyl Alcohol, hates silicones/BTMS, loves glycerin, needs regular doses of protein and loves being left alone!
*Keeping a super simple regimen and while I only use a hand full of products, I use them consistently for consistent results.
*Weekly DCs, with or without heat, for at least 30 minutes, no excuses or exceptions!
*Weekly co-washing
*Only combing my hair during the detangling process when I'm rinsing out my co-wash or DC
*ADDING APHOGEE GREEN TEA AND KERATIN RESTRUCTERIZER TO MY REGIMEN! My super-fine strands are so much stronger and happier!
*M&S every other day with KCC and grease! Keeps my hair moisturized, defined and super soft.
*CONSISTENCY. When I fall off (which happens from time to time because although I'm part Unicorn, I am also part human), my hair reads me from the table of contents to the glossary. So when I listen to her and give her what she needs, we're both so much happier.

As a result of these things, my hair is slowly making its way back to a healthier, longer, stronger, thicker version of itself!

 

[JulietWhiskey]

Low manipulation, dc every 2 wks, s&d only (no trimming). Also, I groaned when the formulations of my staples changed (I'd been using them for 2-3yrs) and I had to find new products, BUT I discovered even better products. I would never have found these if those old products had remained the same. Take home point: do not be a product junkie but do reexamine your staples periodically.

Yes.

When I decided to get back on my weekly DC game, I sat down and thought about all the products I used when my hair was at its healthiest (Giovanni, Nature's Gate, Dominican Conditioners to be precise).

Not nam one of them contained BTMS and my hair was THRIVING.

Apparently, BTMS acts very similarly to silicones in the sense that it's not water soluable so after time, it leaves buildup and its hard to wash off with shampoo. And since I'm a strict co-washer, the buildup on my hair was causing dryness and breakage.

Since I've stopped using products that contain BTMS, my hair is returning to its former glory and beginning to thrive again. I liked the detangling properties of BTMS but I can't hang with the buildup and my current products still provide a ton of slip (which is why we love and look for products containing Cetyl Alcohol at the top and citric acid which is a ph balancer/adjuster and helps close the cuticles for detangling).

 

[**SaSSy**]

After 6 yrs you should have nice length. You got pictures?

 

[CurliDiva]

JulietWhiskey,

What exactly does BTMS stand for?

What are some BTMS-free products?

 

[PatTodd]

Grease

 

[greenandchic]

There's been a lot over the years, its hard to pinpoint one in particular:

1. Correcting porosity issues. Using henna, light proteins, Roux, ceramides, products with vitamin B5, etc.

2. Weekly deep conditioning.

3. Dusting.

4. Washing 2x weekly instead of stretching washing cycles out made a huge difference.

 

[Dee Raven]

Here's my list (when I'm being good to my hair):

1. Applying conditioner and coconut oil prior to washing.
2. Henna every couple of months.
3. Detangling with Denman brush.
4. Leaving in conditioner and Vatika oil when styling.


I think the thing I need to add is better DCing. I'm looking for a good product now. I also am considering going back to sitting under the dryer for DCing as well.

 

[BostonMaria]

Natural for 5 years chiming in...

I haven't had any set backs in 5 years but low manipulation, monthly search & destroys, deep conditioning 2-3 x a month, and rollersetting has kept my hair in good shape. I keep my regimen very simple and I try not to use more than 2 products (leave in + gel) when I do leave it out curly.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

Natural x 7 years:

-DC at least every 2 weeks
-sulfate free shampoo
-detangle on dry hair w/conditioner
-keep hair stretched
-dust every 2 months

 

[Butrsoft]

I haven't trimmed in aeons



My hair is very unhappy, it's dull, gunky and the curls are not as defined anymore.



I noticed that in 2010 and 2011 when I was paying attention to what I put in my mouth, I experienced a major growth spurt. I'm still fine tuning my diet so I'll def get back to this, thanks for the tip!



Will do this!

When my hair felt like the bolded, I clarified and it made a world of a difference.

 

[JulietWhiskey]

@JulietWhiskey,

What exactly does BTMS stand for?

What are some BTMS-free products?

@CurliDiva

BTMS stands for Behentrimonium Methosulfate.

This is the info that stood out to me from the curlynikki.com site:

"Alkyl quaternary ammonium salts, such as cetrimonium chloride and behentrimonium methosulfate have been found to build up on the surface of hair after multiple uses. They can be rather difficult to remove once this happens. They are also incompatible with anionic surfactants in shampoos, as they form an insoluble complex in the solution. Another undesirable property for use in shampoos is that they depress the foaming ability in such formulae. For this reason, they are most preferred in conditioning products."

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/04/ingredients-101-cationic-surfactants.html

 

[NaturalPath]

@CurliDiva

BTMS stands for Behentrimonium Methosulfate.

This is the info that stood out to me from the curlynikki.com site:

"Alkyl quaternary ammonium salts, such as cetrimonium chloride and behentrimonium methosulfate have been found to build up on the surface of hair after multiple uses. They can be rather difficult to remove once this happens. They are also incompatible with anionic surfactants in shampoos, as they form an insoluble complex in the solution. Another undesirable property for use in shampoos is that they depress the foaming ability in such formulae. For this reason, they are most preferred in conditioning products."

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/04/ingredients-101-cationic-surfactants.html

Dang never knew that, I always search for BTMS when looking for deep conditioners because they make your hair feel really soft and give some really nice "slip".

 

[greight]

All I know is collagen works, protein is my friend, and split ends need to be cut ASAP. That's all.

 

[greenandchic]

All I know is collagen works, protein is my friend, and split ends need to be cut ASAP. That's all.

greight
What form of collagen do you take, internal or is in your hair products?

 

[Shadiyah]

I haven't trimmed in aeons



My hair is very unhappy, it's dull, gunky and the curls are not as defined anymore.



I noticed that in 2010 and 2011 when I was paying attention to what I put in my mouth, I experienced a major growth spurt. I'm still fine tuning my diet so I'll def get back to this, thanks for the tip!



Will do this!

I think you need to clarify, dust your ends and deep condition 1 til 2x a week. once you clarify maybe a protein treatment and then deep moisturizing conditioner and you should see a great difference.

 

[blondemane]

JulietWhiskey how do you incorporate the APHOGEE GREEN TEA AND KERATIN RESTRUCTERIZER into your regimen? Do you use it with heat? I wanted to try this product out.

 

[greight]

greight
What form of collagen do you take, internal or is in your hair products?

greenandchic

I take internal collagen. I also use products with hydrolyzed collagen in them too

I take Marine Collagen by Nature's Life. I tried Neocell and Marine and Marine is the better brand, hands down. I want to do Viviscal in the future. Probably wait until Nature's Life runs out.

 

[greenandchic]

greenandchic

I take internal collagen. I also use products with hydrolyzed collagen in them too

I take Marine Collagen by Nature's Life. I tried Neocell and Marine and Marine is the better brand, hands down. I want to do Viviscal in the future. Probably wait until Nature's Life runs out.

greight, I take NeoCell brand in powder form. I've noticed great results with my skin within a week and a half of taking it.

Sent from my ADR6350 using LHCF

 

[greight]

greight, I take NeoCell brand in powder form. I've noticed great results with my skin within a week and a half of taking it.

Sent from my ADR6350 using LHCF

greenandchic
ahhh, I'm not taking the powder. I took the Neocell pills. Hmmm, have you ever taken the pills? I prefer the pill form of supplements. I do take MSM in powder but it's so hard to remember to drink it.

Now I'mma order the powder form for Neocell, SMH Just when I thought I had knocked one supplement off my list

 

[greight]

Also, I saw a difference in collagen after a week too! Skin and hair