Long haired naturals....

[jaiku]

My hair is APL when staightened. Or it used to be. I'm not sure anymore I have been getting alot of tangles and breakage the longer it gets. I used to cut my hair about 3 inches twice a year. This definitely kept it from tangling but now that I'm trying to grow it BSL thats no longer an option. I haven't a clue how BSL naturals who do not straighten their hair do it. My puff is a mess this winter. I am seriously thinking about texlaxing.

 

[Southernbella.]

OK, yall have me scared. My goal was BSL natural hair, but I don't want to get to that point and want to cut it or relax it (which won't happen!). My hair is so easy right now...I can't imagine it getting harder, but I believe it since so many of yall are saying it.

 

[Nefertiti0906]

OK, yall have me scared. My goal was BSL natural hair, but I don't want to get to that point and want to cut it or relax it (which won't happen!). My hair is so easy right now...I can't imagine it getting harder, but I believe it since so many of yall are saying it.

Don't be scurred! Lauren that style is so beautiful on you

Seriously though OP, I totally feel you. My hair was very managable up until it was about 5 inches all around. All I did was wash and go, my hair detangled very easily and was oh so cute!

But now I dread washing it or styling. erplexed So right now I'm wearing a wig unti I figure what I'm going to do

 

[zzirvingj]

The bolded was my issue. Once my hair got to APL, it was on. It was huge and thick. I couldnt really do anything with it anymore except twists and braids. Detangling it wasnt really all that bad b/c of my Denman brush, but it did take about 30 min to do even with the brush.

Lots of long haired naturals will either cut their hair so that it can look better in a puff/afro or they texturize or relax it. Once you hair gets even longer, see how it is dealing with it and you'll know what is right for you.

ITA with the bolded No sense in worrying about if your hair might be too much to manage if you haven't gotten to the point yet where it's getting to be too hard to manage, right?

 

[PinkSkates]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Don't fret over something that hasn't happened yet! Every long haired natural could have tons of problems with their hair...but that doesn't mean you will have said problems.

Originally posted by zzirvingj
ITA with the bolded No sense in worrying about if your hair might be too much to manage if you haven't gotten to the point yet where it's getting to be too hard to manage, right?

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I don't have any problems detangling my hair because I do it everyday while wet with a large tooth comb. I have wondered though, what its going to be like when it does get to my goal length...so, I'm right there with ya!

 

[glamazon386]

ITA with the bolded No sense in worrying about if your hair might be too much to manage if you haven't gotten to the point yet where it's getting to be too hard to manage, right?

But I don't even want to comb it now. I'm tired of doing all this washing and dcing and twisting and combing just to turn around and it not look like anything. I'm tired of not really having a "style" to my hair will all these Susie Ho Hum Homemade Kitchen Hair dos. I don't feel polished. That's why I wear wigs so much that way I can have a style. I'm so tempted to perm it and get a fierce short hair cut. I don't know why I didn't do it for a little while before I bced.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

But I don't even want to comb it now. I'm tired of doing all this washing and dcing and twisting and combing just to turn around and it not look like anything. I'm tired of not really having a "style" to my hair will all these Susie Ho Hum Homemade Kitchen Hair dos. I don't feel polished. That's why I wear wigs so much that way I can have a style. I'm so tempted to perm it and get a fierce short hair cut. I don't know why I didn't do it for a little while before I bced.

We are >>>>HERE<<<<, you and I!

That tis all!

 

[glamazon386]

We are >>>>HERE<<<<, you and I!

That tis all!

Thanks Nice and Wavy. It's good to know I'm not alone in feeling like this. I like my hair but I feel like I can't do anything with it but wear it out or pull it back.

 

[zzirvingj]

But I don't even want to comb it now. I'm tired of doing all this washing and dcing and twisting and combing just to turn around and it not look like anything. I'm tired of not really having a "style" to my hair will all these Susie Ho Hum Homemade Kitchen Hair dos. I don't feel polished. That's why I wear wigs so much that way I can have a style. I'm so tempted to perm it and get a fierce short hair cut. I don't know why I didn't do it for a little while before I bced.

Don't feel bad.......even though I can't relate totally to what you're going through I can relate somewhat because every now and then I'll see a woman with a HOT hairstyle and I'll just look in the mirror at "my" ho-hum bun and think to myself...."it sure would be nice if I had a fierce/trendy hairstyle....I mean an actual hair-STYLE....lol"

That's why I asked if you were concerned that you'd be able to maintain certain styles with the amount of natural hair that you wanna have...because you "are" a very stylish person and it seems as though you really do enjoy versatility, which is a good thing.

How often are you combing your hair?

 

[glamazon386]

Don't feel bad.......even though I can't relate totally to what you're going through I can relate somewhat because every now and then I'll see a woman with a HOT hairstyle and I'll just look in the mirror at "my" ho-hum bun and think to myself...."it sure would be nice if I had a fierce/trendy hairstyle....I mean an actual hair-STYLE....lol"

That's why I asked if you were concerned that you'd be able to maintain certain styles with the amount of natural hair that you wanna have...because you "are" a very stylish person and it seems as though you really do enjoy versatility, which is a good thing.

How often are you combing your hair?

I only wash, detangle and dc once a week. Sometimes I might rinse it real quick in the middle of the week to refresh a wash and go or loosen it up if it was slicked back but that's about it. I don't like to leave it gelled back for more than a few days at a time. Plus it'll start to look fuzzy.

I'm so tempted to go past my old hairdressers shop and tell her to hook me up. I haven't been to her in over 2 years but I know as soon as she sees my head without a perm in it she's gonna be like .

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Thanks Nice and Wavy. It's good to know I'm not alone in feeling like this. I like my hair but I feel like I can't do anything with it but wear it out or pull it back.

You are welcome, glamazon. I know exactly how you feel. When i was looking in the mirror this morning, I sighed....because I feel limited to only a few styles, and being in management, you have to look your best!

But, I'm just going to continue on with this....the yogurt treatment I did the other day was a blessing and made my hair really, really soft and tangle free. I can get a little excited at least with that.

I'm going to try other things before I decide to texlax though...so, I'm going to keep on keeping on.

If you ever want to talk about it...please, PM me...girl, we can do this together!

 

[glamazon386]

You are welcome, glamazon. I know exactly how you feel. When i was looking in the mirror this morning, I sighed....because I feel limited to only a few styles, and being in management, you have to look your best!

But, I'm just going to continue on with this....the yogurt treatment I did the other day was a blessing and made my hair really, really soft and tangle free. I can get a little excited at least with that.

I'm going to try other things before I decide to texlax though...so, I'm going to keep on keeping on.

If you ever want to talk about it...please, PM me...girl, we can do this together!

Alright thanks. I might have to try that yogurt thing myself. I'm planning on getting a weave for my bday so hopefully that'll get my mind off of it for a while.

 

[LHLover]

I'm thinking of transitioning and I too noticed so far that detagling my roots is the hardest job of the week. I was thinking of doing 6 loose braids and then washing my hair with the breads on, taking down each braid to apply DC and then redoing each braid and later rinsing the DC off, applying moisturizer to braids and wearing braid outs for the week. This idea came to me as I was struggling to detangle my hair during my last wash. I haven't tried it yet but I'll try it this weekend.

 

[glamazon386]

Bumping.......

 

[SoAnxious12]

since i discovered ltr detangling is not even a slight issue!
but these little knots drive me crazy, i noticed them mostly at shoulder length. In december i cut my hair from apl to a lil past my shoulders to get rid of some of these knots. Twisting my hair takes waaaaaaaay to long just for them to unravel in 10-12hrs!!!! As of right now my hair is usually kept in a banna clip, i'm co-washing everyday. When it gets longer, i'm not really sure what i'm going to do. I want an asymmetrical bob on some straight hair sooooooooooo bad though... but i know from experience that after i sleep on it i'll regret it.
I guess the best we can do in this type of situation is wait it out...

 

[SeatownSista]

I'm APL now and so for detangling is not that difficult. I do have some issue with knots every now and then especially if I let a couple of weeks go by without detangling. I have to make sure I detangle my hair at least once a week and I do this on wash days when I apply my deep conditioner using my trusty k cutter comb. It's the only comb that eases the detangling process. I wear wash and gos most of the time, even in winter.

 

[cmw45]

The bolded was my issue. Once my hair got to APL, it was on. It was huge and thick. I couldnt really do anything with it anymore except twists and braids. Detangling it wasnt really all that bad b/c of my Denman brush, but it did take about 30 min to do even with the brush.

Lots of long haired naturals will either cut their hair so that it can look better in a puff/afro or they texturize or relax it. Once you hair gets even longer, see how it is dealing with it and you'll know what is right for you.

I don't know how much I agree with the bolded statement. I think that the former is true, but is seems like most of the long haired naturals that I know that relax or texturize do it not out of frustration but because they just want a change. Kinda the same reasons they went natural in the first place.

 

[luzminerva]

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WASH YOUR HAIR:

Mix 1/2 Amala oil and 1/2 coconut oil.

My hair is 5" stretched.....I use 1 tsp for the scalp (massage for 5-10 min) and 1 tsp for the hair (roots, midsection, and tips). Sleep on a silk pillow case or scarf. It shouldn't be dripping like a Jerri curl but a few steps before it would look like a jerri curl. But not so much that it gets oil on your bedding. Dig....

The next morning it will be sooo easy to detangle. Add more oil to the areas that are difficult. Detangle with wide tooth comb, should be like buttta....use your fingers to separate any difficult knots.......

Then rinse your hair first with hot water then wash with shampoo or conditioner wash with or with out bakings soda in the conditioner or whatever your routine is.

This really works for me.

 

[velvet]

Long haired natural checking in here! 29 inches measured a few weeks ago.

I haven't read all the comments, but I'll say that from personal experience, detangling doesn't have to be a nightmare as your hair gets longer.

My basic advice is to find a good clarifying shampoo. I always though that shampoos were unimportant until I moved to W. Europe which has extremely hard water. My hair became impossible to detangle, and I experienced major knots, split ends, and breakage my first year, as a result of fighting with my hair all the time. I hated combing my hair, and would put it off, which made me end up with the beginnings of dred locs. It was awful.

When I found out that I had to clarify, everything changed for me. Now my hair is super soft and easy to manage. With the addition of a conditioner with a lot of slip (which means cones- sorry), and my Denman brush, I can completely detangle my waist length, 4a hair in under 5 minutes. No problem. I don't experience any breakage.

I also recommend not to manipulate the hair too much while washing and conditioning. I wash in a downward motion. I condition and detangle in sections. Sometimes only two- usually 6. I use my Denman brush under running water. And then twist each section immediately afterwards, so that I can have it already sectioned when I apply product.

I find that a weekly deep conditioning treatment (Caramel), shea butter, and periodic protein treatments (Redkin) help with detangling.

Oh- and this is weird- I find that after a hair cut, my hair is actually harder to detangle.

I hope this helps.

 

[zzirvingj]

Alright thanks. I might have to try that yogurt thing myself. I'm planning on getting a weave for my bday so hopefully that'll get my mind off of it for a while.

I went through a couple of periods where I wanted something different really bad AND I was tired of dealing with my hair...so I got braids It did feel good to have a style but I didn't have to worry about combing or detangling my hair for weeks

 

[Nice & Wavy]

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WASH YOUR HAIR:

Mix 1/2 Amala oil and 1/2 coconut oil.

My hair is 5" stretched.....I use 1 tsp for the scalp (massage for 5-10 min) and 1 tsp for the hair (roots, midsection, and tips). Sleep on a silk pillow case or scarf. It shouldn't be dripping like a Jerri curl but a few steps before it would look like a jerri curl. But not so much that it gets oil on your bedding. Dig....

The next morning it will be sooo easy to detangle. Add more oil to the areas that are difficult. Detangle with wide tooth comb, should be like buttta....use your fingers to separate any difficult knots.......

Then rinse your hair first with hot water then wash with shampoo or conditioner wash with or with out bakings soda in the conditioner or whatever your routine is.

This really works for me.

Sounds good. Your hair is very pretty!

 

[Twisties]

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WASH YOUR HAIR:

Mix 1/2 Amala oil and 1/2 coconut oil.

My hair is 5" stretched.....I use 1 tsp for the scalp (massage for 5-10 min) and 1 tsp for the hair (roots, midsection, and tips). Sleep on a silk pillow case or scarf. It shouldn't be dripping like a Jerri curl but a few steps before it would look like a jerri curl. But not so much that it gets oil on your bedding. Dig....

The next morning it will be sooo easy to detangle. Add more oil to the areas that are difficult. Detangle with wide tooth comb, should be like buttta....use your fingers to separate any difficult knots.......

Then rinse your hair first with hot water then wash with shampoo or conditioner wash with or with out bakings soda in the conditioner or whatever your routine is.

This really works for me.

This is really true about oils as a detangler. I have been doing this for my neice except I have been using Almond oil. Using this oil has really transformed her hair and scalp and the whole process with doing her hair!

 

[LynnieB]

I'm beginning to rethink my growth goals as a natural. Did any of you ladies start to feel overwhelmed as your hair got longer? At what length? Are you experiencing more tangling with long hair? How did you learn to manage it all that hair?

I never really wanted hair longer than APL but the longer my hair gets the more I'm starting to dread combing it. And my hair isn't even long yet. I bought some weave hair similar to my texture to have installed for my bday and I gave it a trial run this weekend. I don't think I'll ever want that much hair on my head. I couldn't imagine combing and washing and detangling all that hair. It's not so much the length but it's the bulk of the hair. I like the hair and I think it's going to be a pretty style but I can see myself getting tired of it after a month and wanting it out of my head.

i don't consider myself a long hair just yet so my pov may have no merit at all.

But you know what glam, when i first bc'd i had a panic attack on just how much (and how huge and bulky) my hair really was. very surprising man......but, i started learning how to get a handle on the situation (not 100% of course) but at least i know now that my hair doesn't have to be this huge dandelion puff cloud unless that's how i choose to wear it .

remember when i chopped i had about 5-6 inches of mass to deal with, i never got the opportunity to grow into it except via transitioning - so i had a bit of a shock for a minute or two .

anywayz.......think about it, dealing with relaxed (or tex'd) hair as it hits various stages also requires changes in the way we deal with it. Top of shoulder length, no matter if it's relaxed or natural, is always going to be less time consuming than mid back relaxed or natural hair. Successful long hairs adjust their techniques and regimens throughout these stages, it comes with the territory and your mental outlook. You get to the point where it becomes second nature to you and you don't even think about it anymore. Then again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting it to stay on the shorter side. It's a personal preference and that is all.

now, my hair is about 11-12 inches, i do not experience any more problems or difficulties than i did at 6" and don't expect to have much more at 18" - it'll just take a bit more time to work through due to the extra length.

i think once you get to the different length stages you learn to switch up your techniques to make the job easier. Washing/conditioning in sections, using fingers, wide tooth combs, effective conditioners, keeping a mist bottle handy to keep your hair from drying out too much while styling, setting aside enough time to do your hair instead of trying to rush it through all make the experience much more manageable and maybe even pleasurable (at least it has for me) .

Give it some time glam, you may find that it's alot easier than you think

 

[MizAvalon]

That's why I relaxed again after being natural for 4 years. It just became too overwhelming. If I had a place like this to turn to, I may not have done it. IDK.

 

[JustKiya]

since i discovered ltr detangling is not even a slight issue!
but these little knots drive me crazy, i noticed them mostly at shoulder length. In december i cut my hair from apl to a lil past my shoulders to get rid of some of these knots. Twisting my hair takes waaaaaaaay to long just for them to unravel in 10-12hrs!!!! As of right now my hair is usually kept in a banna clip, i'm co-washing everyday. When it gets longer, i'm not really sure what i'm going to do. I want an asymmetrical bob on some straight hair sooooooooooo bad though... but i know from experience that after i sleep on it i'll regret it.
I guess the best we can do in this type of situation is wait it out...

What is this LTR you speak of?? Ahhh - is it the Hello Hydration Long term Relationship con? *sigh* Okay.

 

[BrockStar]

I love this thread b/c all these long haired naturals are coming out of the woodworks! Yes! More fotkis for me to stalk! Ok moving on...

Glamazon...HEY! I feel a strange connection with u because I think we had very similar transition periods and BC times so we are kind of like unofficially growing buddies IMO

Anyway, I completely feel you. This in between stage is the PITTTS! The styles are limited and it's getting boring. then you look around and either see long relaxed hair, cute short TWA's, or long haired naturals(whom you feel you will never catch up with!) The thing is, you will. When I feel down I do one of the following:
Look up other people's pics whom I admire..lol..
Look at fotki's with hair types similar to mine to see what my hair might look like
Try something a little new (new updo, twistout, coiling)
Remember that now people have told me that I am their inspiration so I know there's no turning back

Now here's my cheesy message I made up just for you!

deep conditioner ORS Pack-2 dollars
Money you could be making during the time it takes to detangle-10,000 dollars
Tools to maintain you hair-30 dollars/month

The compliments and happiness from you too one day being a long haired natural and being able to then give your advice to others...PRICELESS!!

SMILE!!! It's called an in between stage b/c your halfway there!

 

[kinkylyfe]

I know EXACTLY how you feel! Somedays, I don't want to co-wash my hair b/c I already know it will be a struggle combing it afterwards.Trust me, I've gotten muscles in my arms just from combing my hair.

However, I noticed my hair is more manageable when using certain products as opposed to others. For instance, using more natural products has helped a GREAT deal. (Eluence, Jason and Giovanni) Also certain products help w/ combing hair if dry (Sheabutter for children/detangler,sta so soft fro, WGO) By all means comb hair while damp or w/ softening products!

Best of Luck!

 

[glamazon386]

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WASH YOUR HAIR:

Mix 1/2 Amala oil and 1/2 coconut oil.

My hair is 5" stretched.....I use 1 tsp for the scalp (massage for 5-10 min) and 1 tsp for the hair (roots, midsection, and tips). Sleep on a silk pillow case or scarf. It shouldn't be dripping like a Jerri curl but a few steps before it would look like a jerri curl. But not so much that it gets oil on your bedding. Dig....

The next morning it will be sooo easy to detangle. Add more oil to the areas that are difficult. Detangle with wide tooth comb, should be like buttta....use your fingers to separate any difficult knots.......

Then rinse your hair first with hot water then wash with shampoo or conditioner wash with or with out bakings soda in the conditioner or whatever your routine is.

This really works for me.

I don't use oil in my hair. My hair doesn't like oil. Neither does my skin.

 

[glamazon386]

I love this thread b/c all these long haired naturals are coming out of the woodworks! Yes! More fotkis for me to stalk! Ok moving on...

Glamazon...HEY! I feel a strange connection with u because I think we had very similar transition periods and BC times so we are kind of like unofficially growing buddies IMO

Anyway, I completely feel you. This in between stage is the PITTTS! The styles are limited and it's getting boring. then you look around and either see long relaxed hair, cute short TWA's, or long haired naturals(whom you feel you will never catch up with!) The thing is, you will. When I feel down I do one of the following:
Look up other people's pics whom I admire..lol..
Look at fotki's with hair types similar to mine to see what my hair might look like
Try something a little new (new updo, twistout, coiling)
Remember that now people have told me that I am their inspiration so I know there's no turning back

Now here's my cheesy message I made up just for you!

deep conditioner ORS Pack-2 dollars
Money you could be making during the time it takes to detangle-10,000 dollars
Tools to maintain you hair-30 dollars/month

The compliments and happiness from you too one day being a long haired natural and being able to then give your advice to others...PRICELESS!!

SMILE!!! It's called an in between stage b/c your halfway there!

Thanks for your responses ladies... I would agree with the red BrockStar but your hair is so much longer than mine. Please keep me from making an appt y'all!! Rihanna's haircut is calling me!