I am a total Newbie.......HELP!!!

[MsChelle]

I am trying to turn over a new leaf by taking better care of myself: mind, body and soul. Of course, that means I want to take better care of my hair as well. I am totally new to this site and would appreciate any help or suggestions that you all may have to offer. My hair is shoulder length, dry, and starting to break. I only relax the edges of my hair and the rest I usually just lightly flat iron after applying a leave in and letting it air dry. My hair grows pretty quickly but is breaking really badly. Any suggestions on products I should try or a good regimine I should follow?erplexed

 

[SlantedEyezMiss2003]

WELCOME, well for one thing, many people will not respond because they figured you can search, I'm going to tell what I use and what I have experienced..........I'm sure you have stopped brushing? If not, I would stopped, you say your hair grows quickly, so the need for a growth aid is not necessary but if you want to use one, I have used, MT--Mega Tek, OCT---ovation cell therapy, Gro-Aut, Patience Hair Oil, MN, BeeMine, all these are great, and I like them all, I have also heard of Boundless Tresses, but I haven't used it, I might try it soon though......I like Hairveda and Shescentit,(www.hairveda.net and www.shescentit.com) and Ayurveda products----indian oils and powders, I air dry most of time, I use NTM, Mizani, Hydratherma Naturals, and TIGI S-FACTOR products, i'm relaxed, I deep condition on dry hair, and sometimes I pre-poo with amla oil, I only shampoo my scalp and not all of my hair, I apply a moisturizing condish afterwards, I detangle with Hairveda, I bun most of the time and will start 24/7....I think that's it right now.....if you have any questions just PM me......

 

[BostonMaria]

Welcome!!!!

As a newbie I would encourage you to start reading threads and use the search engine to answer any questions first.

As far as breakage, my guess is that maybe your hair needs protein. I can't see your hair so its hard to tell. How often do you wash it? Do you have natural (relaxer free) hair on the rest of your head? You said you only relax the edges.

 

[Platinum]

Here are a few threads that may help:

The Newbie Thread:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=50291

Sistaslick's Hair Breakage 101 thread:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=84746

Good luck and happy hair growing.

 

[shmmr]

Hey Newbie!! welcome ....since you're hair is dry, find yourself a good moisturizing conditioner and maybe a moisturizer for daily use if it continues to be dry. Do your research and use the search feature a lot. Many newbies go overboard trying too many things and buying too many products and end up having a setback or wasting a lot of money, so do be careful and pace yourself..

good luck & happy hair growing

 

[MsChelle]

Thank you so much for your advice. I have been searching this site like crazy and have learned alot more about hair care in two days than I have in my whole life. I will definitely be posting some pics this weekend and tracking my progress. I am working on a regimen and taking my vitamins, drinking my water and taking care of me......THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

[MsChelle]

I have not had a relaxer on my entire head since October of 2006. I was in the process of growing my hair out from an extremely short style. It had grown out to be a little past my shoulder but then started breaking off like crazy. So i went and had a really good trim done (which turned out to be a CUT). Now it's shedding (long) and breaking(short) like never before. I know that my diet needed some overhauling so I am working on that and drinking lots of water. I am also taking a multi-vitamin and biotin daily. I wash my hair once a week with Motions products (which i am officially giving up on). I am new to teh concept of co washing but it makes so much sense. I am trying that for the first time tonight and will make that a routine part of my maintenance. I have picked up so ORS Replinishing Paks but am still working on the rest of my regimen. I will post some pics this weekend so I can track my progress and solicit advice. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it!

 

[Missi]

I say pick up a copy of "Ultra Black Hair Growth II 2000" by Cathy Howse: its a great book for beginners with a lot of helpful tips & suggestions for healthy hair care. Her book + LHCF + your reggie = incredible hair

 

[darlingdiva]

Welcome aboard!!!

How often do you flat iron? I know you say that you do it lightly but if you do it often, it may be affecting your hair's health.

There really is a wealth of information here, so take all the time you need to decipher it all & figure out which option is best for you.

You mentioned that your hair is breaking badly. Like another poster mentioned, you may need protein. Just be sure to balance it w/ moisture in some way.

Perhaps regular pre-shampoo treatments would help with the dryness.

HTH!

 

[MissNina]

Be sure to read the links Platinum provided (ESP the Sistaslick article) and the link provided inside the newbie thread - http://journals.fotki.com/dontspeakdefeat/newcomer/ - finding a regimen should be the first thing.

This will guide you in the steps you need to take. Those 2 links should answer everything for you. The rest you will find out as you go. Good luck and Happy Hair Growing!!

 

[MsChelle]

Thank you! I will check that out. I need all the help I can get. I am so mad at myself for not taking my hair's health more seriously sooner. I am grateful to have found this site.

 

[MsChelle]

Welcome aboard!!!

How often do you flat iron? I know you say that you do it lightly but if you do it often, it may be affecting your hair's health.

There really is a wealth of information here, so take all the time you need to decipher it all & figure out which option is best for you.

You mentioned that your hair is breaking badly. Like another poster mentioned, you may need protein. Just be sure to balance it w/ moisture in some way.

Perhaps regular pre-shampoo treatments would help with the dryness.

HTH!

Unfortunately, I flat iron my hair at least 5 days a week..... I know that it has gotten out of control because I swear I BURNT it the other day. That was when my mind was totally made up to change things from that day forward. I was blessed with a thick head of hair but I need to learn to treat it better. Is there a protein conditioner or shampoo that you would recommend?

 

[MrsHdrLe]

:woohoo::woohoo:
I wish you well in all your endeavors

 

[MissNina]

Unfortunately, I flat iron my hair at least 5 days a week..... I know that it has gotten out of control because I swear I BURNT it the other day. That was when my mind was totally made up to change things from that day forward. I was blessed with a thick head of hair but I need to learn to treat it better. Is there a protein conditioner or shampoo that you would recommend?

GIRL. . .if you do not put that flat iron DOWN!

Once a week, ma'am, if you must. Wrap to keep the style.

 

[MsChelle]

Trust me, I am ashamed! I don't know what else to do with my hair. I don't do well with high maintaince styles so I just turn the ends under and go.....I do wrap my hair at night with a satin scarf but most of the time it still needs something done to it when I take it down. I am gonna get it together

 

[Akemi]

Welcome!!

 

[danigurl18]

Welcome!! I think you should cut back on the flat ironing and try a braid out or a twistout instead to decrease the use of heat on your hair

 

[newflowers]

GIRL. . .if you do not put that flat iron DOWN!

Once a week, ma'am, if you must. Wrap to keep the style.

Step a way from the flat iron, and nobody gets hurt!

I'm an advocate of washing/co-washing a couple times a week, but I don't use heat unless I'm deep conditioning (dc-ing) or roller setting. It would be better for you to wash and condition once a week than to use heat daily.

Check out the links provided - you'll find everything you need. Check out the stickies too - more great information than you can imagine.

And did I mention you need to put that flat iron down?

 

[MsChelle]

Welcome!! I think you should cut back on the flat ironing and try a braid out or a twistout instead to decrease the use of heat on your hair

I am going to look into some new styles. Another one of my problems is I am stuck in a hairstyle rut......Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[MsChelle]

Step a way from the flat iron, and nobody gets hurt!

I'm an advocate of washing/co-washing a couple times a week, but I don't use heat unless I'm deep conditioning (dc-ing) or roller setting. It would be better for you to wash and condition once a week than to use heat daily.

Check out the links provided - you'll find everything you need. Check out the stickies too - more great information than you can imagine.

And did I mention you need to put that flat iron down?

I unplugged the flat iron last night and put in the linen closet. I have been so dependent on that thing that I actually nicknamed it "The Truth". Sad....I know. I am taking all this great advice to heart. Trust me I am!!!

 

[MissNina]

I unplugged the flat iron last night and put in the linen closet. I have been so dependent on that thing that I actually nicknamed it "The Truth". Sad....I know. I am taking all this great advice to heart. Trust me I am!!!

Hot damn

 

[Tyra]

After much research (and lurking) on LHCF, YouTube, and other various hair boards I realized that I was MURDERING my hair. I've always had hair that grows really fast. I've grown out short cuts about 3 times over the pass few years but it gets to a certain point, usually around should length then breaks off. Just a couple of months ago I decided to grow my razor cut bob out and everything was beautiful I started by stretching my perm for 11 weeks and ladies I was always a 6th week permer sometimes even 4th week. So that was not an easy road to take . But it was the best thing to ever happen to my hair.But still I was experiencing breakage and shedding. But then I started taking three odorless garlic pills daily, drinking plenty of water, and more exercise(okay just me doing a little dancehall and fake belly dancing with my ipod in hand) And let me tell you just those three modifications alone have done wonders for my hair. Also I recently started baggying my ponytail nightly, co-washing every other morning, and keeping my ends sealed. I went from having a vanity sink full (ok not full) of hair to having maybe one or two shed hairs with each comb and no broken ends. I'm going to get my ends dusted this weekend and then not trim for a few months. OH yeah and I did go crazy and bought what seems like a million new products all the big dawgs: Megatek, OCT, WGO and a slew of others but have only used a few of them mainly the three I mentioned and only on three or four occasions. While those things helped my hair to thicken (and caused my recently texlaxed hair to poof a little) I would say the real restoration came from the special attention I've been showing my ends lately. And it works believe me. I knew nothing about protein and the relationship it has with healthy hair nor did I know the significance behind keeping hair moisturized. I was starving my hair in that respect. Now I got my bottle of tea tree oil/ water spritzer, my phony-pony and plastic wrap and I'm ready to go.
Wowwww! two things I thought I'd never do: wet my hair outside of shampooing and wear somebody else hair on my pony tail.
What can I say I guess I'm just crazy for healthy hair.
Also I let my hair air dry for the first time last week and I fired my flat iron. Ok, I can't say I won't flat iron ever,ever again, but I know that I haven't within the last two weeks and I was doing it every day prior to that. I guess you can say I really just kind of laid it off.

HH

 

[Tyra]

Also sealing your ends with your choice of oil after moisturizing is a very good idea.

 

[TrendySocialite]

People say to use the search function, but if you're like me, you have no idea what to search for. So here's a list to get you started, what I used to get started.

MN
co-washing or cowashing
pre-poo
deep conditioning or DC
protective styles
rollerset
LHCF bootcamp 2009
moisturize
seal ends
bunning
bun
wet bun
EVOO


I would suggest doing an advanced search on titles only and see what you come up with.

Check out the stickys, they have good info. Look at the 2009 Challenges, it's a good way to get started on a regimen and see what your hair likes best.

You don't need to spend a whole lot on products right now, but I would suggest getting EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and Castor Oil. You can add both to conditioners when you DC, use them as a pre-poo and use them to moisturize and seal. They serve a myriad of purposes for a relatively low price.

I think right now you need to hide your hair and try wearing a protective style. There are some good threads on protective styles. And you don't have to sacrifice style for it either. The sisters in this forum can rock a bun like no one's business!

Good luck and PM me if you need further help.

 

[Tyra]

You don't need to spend a whole lot on products right now, but I would suggest getting EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and Castor Oil. You can add both to conditioners when you DC, use them as a pre-poo and use them to moisturize and seal. They serve a myriad of purposes for a relatively low price.

What she said.


You're lucky, I wish somebody had told me that straight out the gate. I went product/vitamin crazy over here.

 

[MsChelle]

Thank you so much! I appreciate all the advice. I am "officially" starting my regimen tomorrow. I will be posting some pics over the weekend so I can track my progress.

 

[MsChelle]

I hate to sound "stupid" but when you say to seal my ends...does that just mean to apply some oil to them?erplexed

 

[Tyra]

.

BTW don't feel dumb for asking I wondered the same thing at first.

 

[Tyra]

Put your leave in or whatever you moisturize with on your hair (giving special attention to your endsJ) and then seal the very ends. Trust me it is a wonder for my hair. A good 2 days of doing it I noticed the difference.

 

[MsChelle]

Thank you for not making me feel like a total idiot! I hate to admit this but, I NEVER knew about 90% of the things that I have read on this site this past week. This is a God send for someone like me. I am blessed to have any hair left on my head at all. I have literally been abusing my hair all of my life. I don't wear wigs or weaves (but i am not opposed to trying that out) and I very seldom put my hair in a ponytail unless I am sick and don't and dont have the strength to break out the flat iron. I have some source of heat in my head DAILY for far too many years to count. You ladies are literally saving me and I appreciate it!!!