Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....

[faithVA]

I wonder if that explains why they have worked so well on my relaxed hair...but not my natural hair. Does the relaxed process break down the porosity of the hair too? Cause of that is true I wonder if that has always been the root of the problem?

eta: does anyone have an suggestions on products that have no cones or sulphates? I dont mind proteins as long as they would be lower on the list...but I am having a hard time finding things with no cones/sulphates in them. I am going to try the hydrating mask I have tonight that only had proteins and seal with tea tree oil and see if that makes any kinda difference..

I buy almost everything on the ground: Giovanni, As I Am, Taliah Waajid, Jane Carter. (adding to those already mentioned).

 

[hnntrr]

As I Am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner, 16 Ounce - As I Am

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in Conditioner 8oz - Nubian Heritage

Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner - 11 oz - Liquid - Aubrey Organics

So this is what I have in my queue to order. I got one of each things you suggested to see what my hair likes. None of them have cones or sulfates...and if they do they are water soluble.

An then experiment with oils to see what works best on my hair. Right now I am using tea tree oil...

I thought maybe the cleaning conditioner could be used in place of shampoo so I could use that to 'clarify' my hair and then start using the other two products and stop using what I have.

This Modern Organic Products that I have doesnt seem to have any cones or sulphates in it...it does have paraben's though. So maybe it will work better once I get all my stuff straightened out. and I am going to try the One N Only Hydrating Mask as a DC since it only has protein (from what I can see. ) What do you guys thing? Sorry I am being so needy all of this is new information to me and hopefully the 'real' beginning of HHJ.

 

[DarkJoy]

The Aubrey condish works great as a leave in too if you water it down. The.hsr is good. The blue Camomile is better. The most hydrating condish I've ever had. Actually have to use protein more often with it As it over.hydrates! Unheard of!

The shea moisture line is hit or miss with ppl. My hair loves the restorative condish and deep masque. The Nubian line was a miss for most ppl.

I also recommend kinky curly curling custard. Great natural gel/styler. My hair hates all gels. It breaks off within 24 hrs of use. Not with this!

IM sure others have recommends too.

 

[faithVA]

As I Am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner, 16 Ounce - As I Am

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in Conditioner 8oz - Nubian Heritage

Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner - 11 oz - Liquid - Aubrey Organics

So this is what I have in my queue to order. I got one of each things you suggested to see what my hair likes. None of them have cones or sulfates...and if they do they are water soluble.

An then experiment with oils to see what works best on my hair. Right now I am using tea tree oil...

I thought maybe the cleaning conditioner could be used in place of shampoo so I could use that to 'clarify' my hair and then start using the other two products and stop using what I have.

This Modern Organic Products that I have doesnt seem to have any cones or sulphates in it...it does have paraben's though. So maybe it will work better once I get all my stuff straightened out. and I am going to try the One N Only Hydrating Mask as a DC since it only has protein (from what I can see. ) What do you guys thing? Sorry I am being so needy all of this is new information to me and hopefully the 'real' beginning of HHJ.

You can't clarify your hair with a cleansing conditioner. Go to a drugstore/dollar store and find the travel size shampoos for $.99 and find one without silicon and use that to clarify. That way you won't have spent much money but you can get one use out it.

You can get the As I Am as well. You can also try the Hair One Cleansing Conditioners.

Instead of the Honey Suckle Rose get the AO White Camellia or AO Blue Chamomile. You said you were low porosity right? If so you don't want a heavy conditioner like Honey Suckle Rose. It will just sit on your hair. The White Camellia is lighter and will penetrate.

Don't worry about being needy. The reason most of us ended up on this site was because we needed some help. And I feel like I also learn more about my own hair by helping others. So just think of it as you are doing me a favor

 

[hnntrr]

Thank you guys soo much this really helps a ton, hopefully this will help and i wont be so frustrated with my hair as much.. One last question...is there such thing as a heat protectant with no cones or sulfates? I am thinking it might be nesecary to help protect the hair...in which case I would have to poo my hair after i flat iron it (which might help me to flat iron less).

 

[kurlllz]

faithVA: i put in nexxus humcestress leave in, eq elasta mango moisturizer and ive been sealing with tea tree oil. then i bantu knot or cross wrap it.

I dont shampoo my hair at all, i have found that shampoo strips my hair horibbly no matter how light it is... I am working to try and figure out what I can use but my hair seems to not like anything... right now I am using mane and tail deep conditioner and organix moroccan argan oil and mixed chicks DC. I also havnt fully flat ironed for about 2 weeks. I only flat iron my bangs, if I am wearing it straight. I am low po so if anything I am using does have any of those things it sure isnt helping. But I have no real way of dcing with heat right now so I just throw a showercap on and a thick winter cap.

I stopped using humectress b/c of the cones. Try another moisturizing conditioner....I swear by Aubrey Organics island naturals as my DT conditioner and Aubrey organics white Camellia as my detangler and leave-in. ALSO, you might want to seal. I love using jojoba oil...not much is needed and it retains the moisture SOOO WELL!!!

 

[Cruzankink]

One last question...is there such thing as a heat protectant with no cones or sulfates? I am thinking it might be nesecary to help protect the hair...in which case I would have to poo my hair after i flat iron it (which might help me to flat iron less).

hnntrr I don't know of any. I suggest that for the period in which you are doing the CG method, put away the flat iron. You don't want anything to disrupt the moisture infusing/retaining process. Silicones and other moisture blocking ingredients are bad when you're trying to infuse/retain moisture. However, for straight styles IMO they are necessary to protect from heat damage and fight reversion. As you inferred, one of the downsides to flatironing after using silicone based heat protectant is that you have to wash w/ a clarifying poo. But you can always start the CG method again. That's what I plan to do once my hair gets to my desired length.

 

[MileHighDiva]

Thank you guys soo much this really helps a ton, hopefully this will help and i wont be so frustrated with my hair as much.. One last question...is there such thing as a heat protectant with no cones or sulfates? I am thinking it might be nesecary to help protect the hair...in which case I would have to poo my hair after i flat iron it (which might help me to flat iron less).

I've seen some YT videos with people using grape seed oil as an heat protectant for their blow outs and flat ironing, because it has an high smoke point. However, I don't know the efficacy of this. I haven't finished researching it, beyond YT.

Sent from my Speak & Spell using LHCF

 

[faithVA]

hnntrr[/USER];17981185]Thank you guys soo much this really helps a ton, hopefully this will help and i wont be so frustrated with my hair as much.. One last question...is there such thing as a heat protectant with no cones or sulfates? I am thinking it might be nesecary to help protect the hair...in which case I would have to poo my hair after i flat iron it (which might help me to flat iron less).

Try Nubian Heritages line. They sell it at Target, Walgreens and some CVS. They have several heat protectants without those elements.

http://www.walgreens.com/search/results.jsp?Ntt=nubian+heritage&x=-315&y=-116

 

[hnntrr]

would it be a good idea for me to start using rollers specifally for my bangs? They have no curl texture at all...which idint know if i shiuld attibute that to heat damage or distrpted curl pattern. If I can get away from heat that would be great. (Although I will probably flat iron for next weekend since I am going to an interview and havnt gotten my curly regimen down yet. after that i will look into roller setting instead of flat ironing.

 

[faithVA]

^^Rollersetting is a good idea. I did a rollerset a few weeks ago on my natural hair and it came out pretty good. So you should be able to work it, especially if its just the bangs.

 

[LivingDoll]

The shea moisture line, Aubrey organics are the first that come to mind that are cone and fate free.

I pretty much use the Shea Moisture line exclusively at the moment. I love everything I've used so far.

My scalp loves the CG method. I stopped doing it (cowashing) because my hair is too short to be able to get it in mid-week, but as soon as I can work it again, I will be back to it. My products are all CG friendly but I want to get back to cowashing, finger detangling, etc.

I haven't been cowashing mid week either because it's cold and I don't like my hair to be wet all the time (it takes forever to dry and I'm trying to lay off heat - even the diffuser is getting the side eye right now)...

As I Am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner, 16 Ounce - As I Am

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in Conditioner 8oz - Nubian Heritage

Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner - 11 oz - Liquid - Aubrey Organics

So this is what I have in my queue to order. I got one of each things you suggested to see what my hair likes. None of them have cones or sulfates...and if they do they are water soluble.

An then experiment with oils to see what works best on my hair. Right now I am using tea tree oil...

I thought maybe the cleaning conditioner could be used in place of shampoo so I could use that to 'clarify' my hair and then start using the other two products and stop using what I have.

This Modern Organic Products that I have doesnt seem to have any cones or sulphates in it...it does have paraben's though. So maybe it will work better once I get all my stuff straightened out. and I am going to try the One N Only Hydrating Mask as a DC since it only has protein (from what I can see. ) What do you guys thing? Sorry I am being so needy all of this is new information to me and hopefully the 'real' beginning of HHJ.

Are you using the Tea Tree Oil with a carrier oil (EVOO, coconut, jojoba, etc)? Tea Tree is an essential oil and shouldn't be used by itself.

You can't clarify with a cleansing conditioner. You have to clarify with a shampoo that contains sulfates. I use Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. No frills, costs $1 and gets the job done. You can clarify with any shampoo that contains some type of sulfate. You only have to clarify once, then you can use the cleansing conditioners/condish cowash's after that.

You can also get As I Am and Shea Moisture on the ground if that's quicker...I bought most of my SM products during B1G1 50% sales. Parabens are okay to use in CG method...I believe they are a type of preservative. People don't like them because they are potentially cancer causing.

I used to use the entire One n' Only line. I really liked it from what I can remember, but I didn't like only getting it from Sally's. The hydrating mask is a good DC from what I can remember (that's in the jar and not the tube right?)...I have to look at the ingredients again though.

@hnntrr I don't know of any. I suggest that for the period in which you are doing the CG method, put away the flat iron. You don't want anything to disrupt the moisture infusing/retaining process. Silicones and other moisture blocking ingredients are bad when you're trying to infuse/retain moisture. However, for straight styles IMO they are necessary to protect from heat damage and fight reversion. As you inferred, one of the downsides to flatironing after using silicone based heat protectant is that you have to wash w/ a clarifying poo. But you can always start the CG method again. That's what I plan to do once my hair gets to my desired length.

My thoughts exactly.

would it be a good idea for me to start using rollers specifally for my bangs? They have no curl texture at all...which idint know if i shiuld attibute that to heat damage or distrpted curl pattern. If I can get away from heat that would be great. (Although I will probably flat iron for next weekend since I am going to an interview and havnt gotten my curly regimen down yet. after that i will look into roller setting instead of flat ironing.

I wouldn't roll the bangs. I would two strand twist them then unravel when dry/set.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I know I need to DC. I know my hair is dry. I know I should do something other than keep hiding it under these adorable hats and putting it in puff. . .but right now, I don't care. ughhh, there I said it. Now let me get over it. lol

 

[hnntrr]

I pretty much use the Shea Moisture line exclusively at the moment. I love everything I've used so far.



I haven't been cowashing mid week either because it's cold and I don't like my hair to be wet all the time (it takes forever to dry and I'm trying to lay off heat - even the diffuser is getting the side eye right now)...



Are you using the Tea Tree Oil with a carrier oil (EVOO, coconut, jojoba, etc)? Tea Tree is an essential oil and shouldn't be used by itself.

You can't clarify with a cleansing conditioner. You have to clarify with a shampoo that contains sulfates. I use Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. No frills, costs $1 and gets the job done. You can clarify with any shampoo that contains some type of sulfate. You only have to clarify once, then you can use the cleansing conditioners/condish cowash's after that.

You can also get As I Am and Shea Moisture on the ground if that's quicker...I bought most of my SM products during B1G1 50% sales. Parabens are okay to use in CG method...I believe they are a type of preservative. People don't like them because they are potentially cancer causing.

I used to use the entire One n' Only line. I really liked it from what I can remember, but I didn't like only getting it from Sally's. The hydrating mask is a good DC from what I can remember (that's in the jar and not the tube right?)...I have to look at the ingredients again though.



My thoughts exactly.



I wouldn't roll the bangs. I would two strand twist them then unravel when dry/set.

The tea tree oil and the One N Only Hydrating mask both came from my BSS back near my parents house so the tea tree oil (I believe) comes carried in a bunch of other oils (its in a brown bottle with a brown top).

The hydrating mask worked wonders, I left it on my hair for about 5 minutes (because thats the only conditioner I have atm without sulfates and cones) and it felt like I had just left it on my head for 3 hours. And this morning it was still really soft and shiny. I am waiting on my Aubrey Organics, SM and As I am stuff to come tomorrow. I have Paul Mitchell Clarifying I also have Aussie Moist I could shampoo with to start using the sulfate and cone free products. I also heard that Aussie Makes a heat protectant that is sulfate and cone free? So I am going to look more into that.

And thats what I do when I do bantu knots, they are so I two strand twist them then twist the end so they are a little curly. I may start doing that cause flat ironing them is getting on my nerves (just cause they look so different now...thicker and there is way less breakage....I think 80% of my bangs are natural at this point since I cut them so often and they are only about 2 1/2 3 inches long.)

 

[LivingDoll]

The tea tree oil and the One N Only Hydrating mask both came from my BSS back near my parents house so the tea tree oil (I believe) comes carried in a bunch of other oils (its in a brown bottle with a brown top).

The hydrating mask worked wonders, I left it on my hair for about 5 minutes (because thats the only conditioner I have atm without sulfates and cones) and it felt like I had just left it on my head for 3 hours. And this morning it was still really soft and shiny. I am waiting on my Aubrey Organics, SM and As I am stuff to come tomorrow. I have Paul Mitchell Clarifying I also have Aussie Moist I could shampoo with to start using the sulfate and cone free products. I also heard that Aussie Makes a heat protectant that is sulfate and cone free? So I am going to look more into that.

And thats what I do when I do bantu knots, they are so I two strand twist them then twist the end so they are a little curly. I may start doing that cause flat ironing them is getting on my nerves (just cause they look so different now...thicker and there is way less breakage....I think 80% of my bangs are natural at this point since I cut them so often and they are only about 2 1/2 3 inches long.)

Oh, I see...the oil is from the One n' Only line? I have a bottle of that, I think mine is Argan Oil though. I think it has cones in it. I have to check.

Is there a way you can wear your hair so that you don't have to straighten it? That will help so much. Just laying off for a few weeks makes a world of difference.

 

[hnntrr]

Thanks so much for recommending the Curly Girl method. I have been finger detangling and if I need to only combing through the ends with a wide tooth comb. I started doing that Monday or Tuesday and I have already noticed a difference. My curls/waves are starting to move further and further up my head.

I also completely switched over to sulfate and cone free stuff (some stuff has parabens but I am not too worried about it atm...I come in contact with way more cancer causing materials in my line of work haha, although it doesnt help...) But tonight I got together my new stash which includes:

• One n Only Hydrating Masque
  ,Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Leave in Conditioner
  Aubrey organics white camellia,
  Shea Moisture Shea butter Leave in
  Rosewater & Glycerin (heritage store)
  As I am Coconut Cowash Cleaning Conditioner
  Wigs spray bottled filled with tea tree, argan, rose water, glycerin and water (remixing this so its a daily moisturizer.)
  Tea Tree Oil (Hollywood Beauty)
  Eco Styler Argan Oil
  Via Natural Argan Oil
  mop mixed greens moisture conditioner
  pure honey

I pre-poo'd with honey tea tree oil, a little coconut oil and EVOO for 30 minutes then Shampoo'd with Aussie Moist. Then I DC'd with One N Only for...I have no idea maybe 3-4 hours. Then finally did a slip conditioning with Aubrey and did SM leave in. I dont have a daily moisturizer so I didnt moisturize and seal this time. So I just put the leave in in...and then bantu knotted with eco styler argan oil. Hopefully I will be able to spray my spritz on it tomorrow. I havn't decided if I want to continue washing daily or not...

But I took some pics to see how the waves were forming and it excited me! So..pics! yay I hope they turn out tighter than this when I finally off all the ends but this is awesome. Thanks so guys so much!

 

[Cruzankink]

hnntrr Good luck on your HHJ!

 

[DarkJoy]

Well it's been about 3 weeks and I took out my install.

As a recap, I had SSK galore in the crown. I snipped off about 1/2 an inch. It's all looking good. It took me a while, but I remembered that I hadn't chopped off all the color damage during my BC--I still left 2-3" of hair. Now, it's looking and feeling good. Gonna spend the next week while it's down for moisture uppage (that a word?). I already did a protein treatment, I will moisture DC 2 more times and co-wash at least once.

Did I mention my hair is now loving protein?!?! I'm wondering if the color damaged bits were just so fried that protein dried it out more. Also, it behaves better for styling and holding moisture better. Either that or the AO BC usage is making it a bit too soft. Either way, I think it's a good thing and more balanced than it's ever been.

Bad news is this is my eczema time of year and my scalp is itchy, flaky and alligatory no matter how much condish, oil, butter I put on. I will mixtress my coco butter based butter again (with extra cocoa). That always kills the flares wherever it appears on my body--it's great head to toe. My DD is flaring too, so I know it's not just me.

The good news is despite the trim, I think I've officially passed the TWA phase--at least when it's not all shrunk up.

 

[faithVA]

^^Lucky you. I am looking forward to getting out of the twa phase

 

[DarkJoy]

You will get there! You chopped off more than me (VERY brave!).

it also depends on how you look at it faithVA. Shrunk it only looks 2". However, the nape stretches to the top of my shoulders. My crown has a bit to go before it gets NL (maybe 3"). When picked out, it's a nice little halo, though. lol.

It's still at an awkward stage. Not enough to bun or even wear in a french roll along the back yet...sigh.... Gonna PS until summer.

 

[faithVA]

DarkJoy[/USER];17999025]You will get there! You chopped off more than me (VERY brave!).

it also depends on how you look at it @faithVA. Shrunk it only looks 2". However, the nape stretches to the top of my shoulders. My crown has a bit to go before it gets NL (maybe 3"). When picked out, it's a nice little halo, though. lol.

It's still at an awkward stage. Not enough to bun or even wear in a french roll along the back yet...sigh.... Gonna PS until summer.

What PS are you going to do? It looks like I'm just going to do twist outs for a while until it is long enough to do something else. I bought some braid hair but I don't see myself braiding my hair anytime soon. And I can't seem to find a wig I like.

 

[DarkJoy]

Crochet braids. About 4 hrs install and an hour take down--which is why I do it so often. You can also easily M & S this way since its just cornrows.

When it's down for the week between installs, it's french rolls to PS the ends with Marley hair rolled in for thickness ....maybe I will take a pic of that for the TWA thread.

Holding out for bun length! faithVA

 

[hnntrr]

Oh, I see...the oil is from the One n' Only line? I have a bottle of that, I think mine is Argan Oil though. I think it has cones in it. I have to check.

Is there a way you can wear your hair so that you don't have to straighten it? That will help so much. Just laying off for a few weeks makes a world of difference.

The tea tree oil is by hollywood beauty.
And I think I am going to plan to flat iron once a month, I am seeing my SO next weekend so I am going to flat iron then, otherwise I hope to not flat iron the rest of the month.

Just going to keep stretched curly styles hopefully. Been cowashing daily cause my hair doesnt keep curls past day two.

 

[yuhlovevybz]

I passed this thread up too many times. Now I'm ready, I need help. For now I'm going back to being a straightened natural, because I LOVE the way my natural hair feels when its straight...its flowy but super thick. I'm afraid if I did a chemical process it wouldn't be the same. But I'm about to put in extensions next friday and take a break until summer, but when summer comes I wanna know what to do so...


Hair profile? ??? No one has ever been able to tell me. Mostly wavy and extremely frizzy, some curls the size of my finger or smaller, and did I mention frizz? And frizz, and some frizz in places (everywhere) sometimes (always).
Reggie and products? Cowash daily with biolage...shampoo occasionally with whatever... don't really have a reggie anymore its so confusing.

How do you style your hair? Bun, using As I am gel on my edges and giovanni leave in on the rest of my hair.

What problems do you have with your hair? Frizz...it seems to be getting worse over time... I'm starting to think I'm conditioning too much but the knots aren't worth it if I don't. Also my scalp produces a lot of sweat (sebum) so I can't use heavy leave ins or it starts to smell (gross I know) because any fragrance mixed with natural body fragrance tends to smell sketch. Also uneven textures, my roots have no texture at all, they are just very loose and cottony, my ends hold a better curl.

 

[DarkJoy]

A few posts up I recommended kccc. That everything else makes my hair break. Well guess what? I've been using it 4 days straight. Used some to twist last night and I have little balls of coils coming out in my fingers as I untwisted this morn. I saw this happening a cpl.days ago and assumed it was shed from my install. Some are.long hairs no bulbs and others are just tiny ends.

About to go sulfate clarify and get this ish out and dc for the next 3 hrs. Sigh......

 

[DarkJoy]

Natural products arent always good for you!

I went back and took a closer look at the ingredients and found the culprits!

1. Agave: my hair hates aloe and breaks when an aloe leaf is even broken in the vicinity. Agave is in the same family as aloe.

2. Marshmallow root: I'm a tea rinser. tried this and it worked great for about a week...then? break city. So there ya go.

Another one for the trash bin... *sigh* goodbye KCCC! It's been real....

 

[hnntrr]

Update: almost a week ito CG method (starting with noo brushes, then switched to no sulfates silicones or protiens on wednesday). Its weird how well my hair is responding to this new method. I have been bantu knotting my hair daily (* did twists today didnt work out well) so I have been daily cowashing with aubrey WC then knotting with eco styler argn oil... So I had that as I am coconut cleansing conditioner so i decided to use it to hey any eco styler build up off my hair. And its really protein based which had me worried. But i have used it twice this week and have had noo issues with protein, especially since the eco styler has protein in it.

So its making me wonder if all the cones on my hair were trapping protein in my hair which kept making me overload? So far my hair has been really soft and feels moisturied but strong...in a different way than it had before...it feels clean and there are more curl definition!

So I am excited for the next few weeks.

Also I bought giovanni leave in not knowing its also a heat protectant.. so I have checked the bottle at least 5 times and cross referenced it with soluable and non soluable silicones and it doesnt seem to have any sulfates, PEGS, parabens or pthalates in it. attaching the label. hopefully this will work as my flat ironing spray :s!?!

 

[cami88]

The one thing I hate about my hair aside from ssks are how thin and sad my ends are. How does one maintain thick and healthy ends? I am trimming them off little by little....

 

[Cruzankink]

DarkJoy sorry your KCCC experience ended on a sour note. hnntrr I am glad that your hair is responding well to CG.

UPDATE: As you may recall, I have changed my protein treatment frequency from 1-2 weeks to 3-4 weeks (starting in Nov. 2012) b/c my hair was getting dry. I have been trying ways to introduce protein more frequently w/o the side effects, I think I found it. For my prepoo, I spritz my hair w/ water to get it slightly damp. Then I coated my hair w/ a thin layer of in my quinoa protein mix. Then I heavily coated w/ EVCO. Put a plastic cap on and slept w/ it overnite. The following morning, I rinsed then CW using SM PM. My hair was really soft. I then massaged a heavy doucing of my moisturizing DC, place a plastic cap for appx. 4 hrs while I did my weekend chores. I rinsed, put LI, sealed w/ EVOO, put some twisting cream and then 2-strand twists. I did my twist out this morning and my hair is shinny, soft and supple. Just how I like it. I am going to do protein treatment every 2 weeks. I hope my hair responds the way it did today.

I have been on a 6 mo Biotin challenge but I think I'm experiencing some acne which is a side effect of taking Biotin. I am sooo disappointed. I have about 2 more bottles left of the stuff. I am going to continue trying it for the next 2 weeks just to make sure its Biotin and not my monthly.

STRUGGLES: Bushy ends. I have tried everything except trimming to get my ends under control. The last time I trimmed all of my bushy ends w/in a month my ends became bushy again. Any help ladies?

 

[Kindheart]

Cruzankink are you using products with glycerin on your ends>?