Trial and error with natural hair

[levette]

So I am officially one month natural and I am a little overwhelmed with all the info out there. I watched Anthony dickeys video and he basically said that tightly coiled 4 type hair is like a Jhericurl in that it needs daily moisture which is why he recommended daily cowashes. I think my hair type is 4a. The issue is have is waking up daily to shrunken dry hair even when I band it . I have to spritz water on it daily. Is this because my hair is shorter like an Afro. It shrinks if I don’t braid or twist it after washing but I have a spiral curl pattern. I have also become a product junkie trying to figure out what is working. . I want to work smarter not harder as of now it’s time consuming daily to get my hair presentable .Here’s some pics of my trials and errors. But I must say my hair loves the extra moisture it’s been getting and is growing Since I cut it in January 2021. The last pic I blew it out and lightly flat ironed to trim my ends and was shocked that my hair had some length while it it is straight. I had transitioed my hair for 14 months from relaxers before my big chop.

 

[Prettyeyes]

It looks great to me!

 

[kimpaur]

It’s definitely because your hair is on the shorter side. It’s impossible to sleep without smooshing it in some capacity.

My fav stylist says we need to just embrace our shrinkage and accept that this is what it does and I agree. Shrinkage means our hair has great elasticity and is healthy

If shrinkage really bothers you tho,stretching with a concentration attachement on the end of your blow dryer is an option

ETA
I was literally just watching his Type 4 WNG video with Taryn this is funny

My hair absolutely needs shampoo so I’m
not about that cowash life ,but I do want to become an every 2-3 days WNG girl vs Once a week
His technique was so quick, I can’t wait to try it !

 

[awhyley]

So I am officially one month natural and I am a little overwhelmed with all the info out there. I watched Anthony dickeys video and he basically said that tightly coiled 4 type hair is like a Jhericurl in that it needs daily moisture which is why he recommended daily cowashes. I think my hair type is 4a. I used Olaplex to try to revive curls and get some definition and it worked. The issue is have is waking up daily to shrunken dry hair even when I band it . I have to spritz water on it daily. Is this because my hair is shorter like an Afro. It shrinks if I don’t braid or twist it after washing but I have a spiral curl pattern. I have also become a product junkie trying to figure out what is working. I like Mielles twisting cream. I just tried melanin twisting cream and it gave me good definition. I want to work smarter not harder as of now it’s time consuming daily to get my hair presentable. Here’s some, pics of my trial and errors. But I must say my hair loves the extra moisture it’s been getting and is growing Since I cut it in January 2021. The last pic I blew it out and lightly flat ironed to trim my ends and was shocked that my hair had some length while it it is straight.

Red: I too am having a similar issue. I have to run my fingers through the hair in the morning, just to "wake it up". I wet it in the shower sometimes, but I don't really like doing that and I don't want to use product every day. Blue: Same. I'm thankful that I cut/big chopped during furlough, but getting closer to work starting back up again, I need a routine that is short, with products I can rely on and that I can master and stick with.

(P.S. Your hair (blown-out) still looks long and healthy to me. So whatever you're doing, it's working.)

 

[ckisland]

It’s definitely because your hair is on the shorter side. It’s impossible to sleep without smooshing it in some capacity.

My fav stylist says we need to just embrace our shrinkage and accept that this is what it does and I agree. Shrinkage means our hair has great elasticity and is healthy

If shrinkage really bothers you tho,stretching with a concentration attachement on the end of your blow dryer is an option

I totally agree with this! Embracing your shrinkage will save you so much headache. Also, you don't have to wet your hair everyday. This last time when I BC'd, I had like an inch of hair and I still didn't need to wet my hair everyday to maintain it. I've been natural for a long time and I only wear wash n'gos. I had no interest in washing, wetting, or doing my hair every day or every few days . What I focused on was finding products that made it possible for me to do my hair ONCE a week. It was a good bit of trial and error. Since you're newly this will possibly take a bit of time, but it will be so worth it to find products that do what you need them to do. And there are so many styles to wear and try out! If wash n'gos don't give your the look you want, maybe flat twistouts do! Being natural is so much fun!

 

[levette]

I totally agree with this! Embracing your shrinkage will save you so much headache. Also, you don't have to wet your hair everyday. This last time when I BC'd, I had like an inch of hair and I still didn't need to wet my hair everyday to maintain it. I've been natural for a long time and I only wear wash n'gos. I had no interest in washing, wetting, or doing my hair every day or every few days . What I focused on was finding products that made it possible for me to do my hair ONCE a week. It was a good bit of trial and error. Since you're newly this will possibly take a bit of time, but it will be so worth it to find products that do what you need them to do. And there are so many styles to wear and try out! If wash n'gos don't give your the look you want, maybe flat twistouts do! Being natural is so much fun!

I love my curls it’s just finding the right products. It’s expensive and exhausting but strangely I enjoy rewetting my hair more often it’s like my hair craves water.

 

[levette]

It looks great to me!

Thank you

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

for my hair daily co washing would be way too much manipulation.... When my hair was that length i protective styled. Extention braids twists foe locks wigs are all good protective styles to grow out your hair. Also i would suggest not co washing every day and instead doing a full wash with sulfate free shampoo and a dc twice a wk until ur moisture game is up.... get a good moisturizing cream to moisturize ur hair in between washes and braid ur hair under a wig or nice scarf.... u can also prepoo with heat on wash day and then dc with heat for an extra conditioning boost.... i dont agree with co washing.... i think its damaging to the scalp...

 

[kimpaur]

I love my curls it’s just finding the right products. It’s expensive and exhausting but strangely I enjoy rewetting my hair more often it’s like my hair craves water.

Water is what gives moisture(nothing else...everything else just softens but doesn’t truly moisturize)so I’m sure it does crave it.Definitely listen to your hair

The first time I went natural I would cowash every other day and my hair seemed to love getting wet as well. My hair would never dry though

 

[ckisland]

I love my curls it’s just finding the right products. It’s expensive and exhausting but strangely I enjoy rewetting my hair more often it’s like my hair craves water.

I'm glad that you're loving your hair ! Finding the right products can definitely be an expensive process, but eventually you'll see a trend in what ingredients and formulations work for your hair, and you can cross products off the list without even trying them. I don't know if you have one yet, but since your hair is going to be constantly wet, you may want to invest in a protein deep conditioner. Moisture overload/ hygral fatigue is a real thing and it can mess your hair all up.

 

[awhyley]

I'm glad that you're loving your hair ! Finding the right products can definitely be an expensive process, but eventually you'll see a trend in what ingredients and formulations work for your hair, and you can cross products off the list without even trying them. I don't know if you have one yet, but since your hair is going to be constantly wet, you may want to invest in a protein deep conditioner. Moisture overload/ hygral fatigue is a real thing and it can mess your hair all up.

I've heard of protein overload, but not moisture overload. What is the effect? Does it break your hair still?

 

[ckisland]

I've heard of protein overload, but not moisture overload. What is the effect? Does it break your hair still

Every time you wet your hair, the strands swell and then contract when they dry. This constant swelling can damage the hair cuticle. Overtime curls will become limp, mushy and breakage can occur. I experienced this when I was washing my hair everyday to every other day. Coating your hair with coconut oil can help reduce the chances of hygral fatigue. This article goes more in-depth!

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curl...-moisture-and-protein-to-avoid-hygral-fatigue

 

[Theresamonet]

Anthony Dickey does great WnGs, but I’ve never seen him grow anyone’s hair... I would not follow him for general hair care advice. I think daily cowashing is too much manipulation for most type 4s. And if your hair is dried out after a single day after a cowash, you’re doing something wrong.

 

[naturalagain2]

Every time you wet your hair, the strands swell and then contract when they dry. This constant swelling can damage the hair cuticle. Overtime curls will become limp, mushy and breakage can occur. I experienced this when I was washing my hair everyday to every other day. Coating your hair with coconut oil can help reduce the chances of hygral fatigue. This article goes more in-depth!

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curl...-moisture-and-protein-to-avoid-hygral-fatigue

Be careful with coating your hair with coconut oil. You can cause your hair to be waterproof over time and will cause your hair to be dehydrated.

 

[faithVA]

@levette, I am the oddball of this group. Last year I did a 30 day detox of oils, butters etc. and just did shampoo, conditioner and styler. My hair was also dry the next day. And as much as I tried, over a period of 2 months, the condition did not get any better.

I literally had to wet my hair daily for 4 to 6 weeks, followed by my styler to get my hair to retain water. Yes, it was clarified. Yes it was free of all product. But it did not hold water for an entire day. But once it got past this point, I never had problems with it again.

Most people will never have to do what I did. But it also doesn't mean because most people don't have to do it that no one has to do it.

Make sure your basics are straight and you start with a clean slate and good foundation. After that listen to your hair. You have to give your hair what it wants, when it wants it. Clarify to start fresh. Then Clean, condition and style. Keep it simple until you figure out what your hair likes.

 

[ckisland]

Anthony Dickey does great WnGs, but I’ve never seen him grow anyone’s hair... I would not follow him for general hair care advice. I think daily cowashing is too much manipulation for most type 4s. And if your hair is dried out after a single day after a cowash, you’re doing something wrong.

Be careful with coating your hair with coconut oil. You can cause your hair to be waterproof over time and will cause your hair to be dehydrated.

I second both of these. For me, daily wetting/ wash n'gos were so much more complicated than my routine now. Moisture/protein balance, over-manipulation, worrying about build up and when to shampoo or clarify, and the literal time it takes to do everyday are things I don't have to worry about nearly as much.

 

[levette]

Now I will say that I notice this with my sons hair. He is a teen and wears it in like a high top box fade, he sets it daily from the shower doesn’t shampoo but maybe one day a week, he moisturizes it daily and his hair grows super fast with no breakage at all. Is it a myth that black hair can be misted weight daily. It seems like other races do it with not much difficultu

 

[faithVA]

Now I will say that I notice this with my sons hair. He is a teen and wears it in like a high top box fade, he sets it daily from the shower doesn’t shampoo but maybe one day a week, he moisturizes it daily and his hair grows super fast with no breakage at all. Is it a myth that black hair can be misted weight daily. It seems like other races do it with not much difficultu

I don't think it is a black or non-black thing. I think it has to do with your hair. When I talk to my white coworkers many of them aren't washing their hair daily either while others are. They really do have different routines based on their hair characteristics. And those with children say how they have to do their hair one way while their daughter has to do something totally different.

There really isn't a one size fits all. There are black women who can rinse their hair daily and there are others who can get by with cleansing once a month.

 

[levette]

Anthony Dickey does great WnGs, but I’ve never seen him grow anyone’s hair... I would not follow him for general hair care advice. I think daily cowashing is too much manipulation for most type 4s. And if your hair is dried out after a single day after a cowash, you’re doing something wrong.

I do not cowash daily but Mist my hair daily is that too much?

 

[Sarabellam]

Be careful with coating your hair with coconut oil. You can cause your hair to be waterproof over time and will cause your hair to be dehydrated.

Coconut oil can lead to build up in the same way that any commonly used oil can.

It will not make your hair waterproof. If you are referring to the fact that coconut oil can enter the hair shaft then the oil that enters will eventually leave, it is not a permenant bond.

Some people with low porosity hair don’t like certain oils because their hair is already low porosity. Even then their hair doesn’t become waterproof.

No one developed waterproof hair back when every product was stuffed with heavy silicones. Coconut oil is definitely safe.

Any time you are concerned about build up just use a good shampoo or clarifying shampoo.

 

[DutchessNeilani]

I would recommend JenniferRoseNYC’s advice. She’s very blunt, but when you think about it from a scientific perspective, her reasoning makes sense: https://instagram.com/hairbyjenniferrosenyc?igshid=92tmxlman0su

Her methods seem similar to those blackgirlscurls ladies who have that $50 (?) Wash Your Damn Hair ebook. Her lives are super long but if you catch her live, you can ask questions and she tries to answer them. She’s big on washing regularly which means at least once a week if not twice or more with a shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair type. She seems to like Redken products a lot. She also says you cannot bank conditioner because the hair can only absorb so much at a time, therefore leave in conditioners aren’t necessary. She doesn’t recommend using oils or creams because they coat the strands and creams don’t dry. If you aren’t shampooing regularly you will get severe build up which will lead to dryness. She recommends just gel for wash and go’s and to refresh and wrapping foam for twistouts. The last big thing is getting regular trims like every 2-3 months depending on whether you have fine or coarse strands. She’s not big into hair typing either. She says 3b, 4b, etc doesn’t really make a difference.

Granted, I still have like 15 bottles of leave in conditioner to use up before I can truly experiment with a long term trial not using leave in, but I noticed after a fresh wash and a trim (at home), my hair felt so moisturized naked and I’m sure I could have skipped my leave in and it would have been fine. I prefer to use an actual deep con as a conditioner while I’m in the shower so I think that may be part of why but she says a good regular con should provide you with the same moisture and that once your hair starts feeling dry again, it’s time to rewash.

As soon as I use up these darned leave in conditioners, I look forward to trying wash and go’s with just gels and maybe just a bit of serum for a bun. I have never been into using many different products at once so my wash and goes are ideally just two products like a leave in and a gel applied to sopping wet hair. I refresh the next day by cowashing but Jennifer says you can do it by just adding gel to your wash and go. I think she actually advises against rewetting your wash and go because it’ll cause frizz.

I started out using the Anthony dickey method for wash and goes, too. I wouldn’t recommend doing it daily, though. Once your hair gets longer, depending on how much product you use, your hair may take too long to dry and I don’t think it’s good for your hair to be wet literally 24/7. You can always diffuse but I don’t know what effect that has on hair long term since I always air dry.