Newcomer trying to grow 4a/b hair

[ReeN.]

Hi there everyone,

I'm a newcomer to this site and judging from all you ladies, I've been terribly misinformed about haircare! My hair is currently relaxed and lies somewhere between my chin and my neck. I have not been able to get it to grow.
It is very thick which is always a good thing I suppose but I would really like to add/retain length.
Would someone please be able to tell me a basic haircare routine for hair like mine? I'm very open to suggestions. Just a few questions though....

I recently bought a tabletop hair steamer - do I use this with or without a showercap?

What are the best protein treatments to use and how often should they be used?

For the past 4 weeks, I have only allowed my hair to air dry - are there any styling methods to get it looking semi-decent?

I recently bought an Aubrey Organics shampoo for my hair as it does not contain SLS. It does not lather at all so how do I know if my hair is being cleaned?

I live in London so it is sometimes a bit difficult to get hold of some the hair care products that you have here (in the US) but I'm here on holiday (woohoo) so was wondering if I could get some recommendations (for products) so I can buy these before I leave...

Thank you in advance and I will start the whole photo thing once I get the hang of it!

 

[msa]

Welcome!

Here's a great article from one of our members on building a hair regimen, it should help:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/288340/hair_regimen_building_for_newbies.html?cat=69

As far as your questions...
steamer without the cap...

The best protein treatment (and how often to use it) depends on the state of your hair and what you're trying to accomplish...

How are you airdrying? loose or in a style? rollersetting may be a good option for you...

I've never used AO shampoo (and it doesn't get great reviews on the board) but I assume as long as you make sure to rub your scalp and get the shampoo through your hair it should be clean enough...

As far as product recs...it depends on your hair and what you need...but I love Aubrey's White Camellia conditioner...lots of people love the Honeysuckle Rose as well...and their GPB is a great light protein.

 

[ReeN.]

Hey there msa,
Thank you so much for your response. I found the link most useful and I will definitely pick up some of the products listed. This may sound like a silly question but after deep conditioning your hair, are you supposed to rinse off and then use an instant conditioner again which is also rinsed off?

Normally when I airdry, I just wrap it (with serum and leave-in conditioner) but for the past few days, I put it in plaits so it has a crimped effect when dry.

I've just searched roller-setting on the site so I think I'll be trying this when I wash my hair next cos it seems to give quite lovely results! I really have been SO clueless!
Hmmm I may try a different shampoo cos this one doesn't seem particularly good so...
My hair isn't falling out or anything and since I've stopped going at it with the GHD's, I've witnessed less breakage so I guess I'm just looking for a good protein conditioner that will give me healthy hair. I'll probably try the Aphogee one, I can get it while I'm here which is good.

I think I may change my relaxer also, as the women on this site seem to really love Phytospecific, there must be something good about it! Currently I use Elasta QP but I'm always open to change, as long as it's for the better!
Once again, thanks a lot, you've been a fantastic help! ))))))

 

[MummysGirl]

Welcome!!!!
You've been pointed in the right direction by msa.

Happy Hair Growing

 

[Austro-Afrikana]

Welcome...is it the aphrodite hair steamer you have? I have that one and i steam with the body shop honey conditioner, with a hair net, no plastic cap.
As for shampoo, the one you use, no one really likes, lol. Many use the old creme of nature shampoo but in my opinion shampoo bars are the best for a chemical free option...i recommend that you look into the ayurveda thread when you've settled into hair care a bit more, it will make your hair really shiny and strong.
As for air drying, i think the plaiting is probably better as it involves less manipulation than wrapping.
Don't try and cram too much info down your throat and don't go off and buy every product in the world, lol. Take it easy and find what works for you.
Oh yeah! Affirm 5 in 1 reconstructor is a very very good protein conditioner.

 

[ReeN.]

Hey there Austro-Afrikana,
Yep, I have the Aphrodite Steamer. I really like it and I feel like it may even be more effective than my hairdresser's own. And she uses a shower cap :-S Ahh a hair net makes sense... I never thought of that before and my hair always goes flopping everywhere!
I'll check out Ayurveda also... so many products so little time/knowledge
Thanks, I've read a lot about Affirm so that's probably one to check out also...
You've all been such a great help!

Oh and yeah, the AO shampoo is quite yucky!

 

[msa]

Hey there msa,
This may sound like a silly question but after deep conditioning your hair, are you supposed to rinse off and then use an instant conditioner again which is also rinsed off?

Some people do that, but to me it's a waste. You can just rinse the dc and continue on.

I think you're on the right track with your hair. Doing the braidouts (plaiting and letting it air dry) are great for a lot of people. My only advice is not to do too much too soon. If your relaxer is working for you, don't change it just because of rave reviews on the board. And that goes for all products. Do your research and make informed decisions.

Also, you don't want to change too much all at one time because then you won't be able to pinpoint what is working. Just take it slow and give your hair some time to show you results. It's a good idea to keep a detailed hair journal of what you used and what the results were so that you can keep track.

 

[ryanshope]

Welcome and good luck with your hair. As a 4a/b my biggest struggle has always been and continues to be moisturizing. When I was relaxed I was a huge proponent of rollersetting(mesh/mag rollers)--good for the ends and for retention. I also used to stretch, but no longer than 12-15 weeks. I found that the longer I went, the more matting/tangles I would get--but it may work out for u. I also LOVE castor oil for 4a/b textured hair.


As for protective styles---i used to wear chinese chopsticks religiously---no moving parts, no rubber bands and my ends weren't confined(rubbing) together--but my hair was at shoulder length by then. Before that--I was rollersetting exclusively--flat iron once every few months(especially when I was stretching).

My fav conditioners include:

Nexxus Humectress
Mizani Moisturefuse
Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner
CB Smoothe Triple Silk Conditioner
Alot of "moisturizing" conditioners..lol. I also would protein treat once every 6-8 weeks or mix some protein conditioner with a moisturizing conditioner.

Also, I co-washed or mixed cheap conditioner with a shampoo for cleansing. And LOTS of deep conditioning. Now that I am natural, I don't deep conditioned as much but I am performing porosity treatments more so than protein treatments....
Protect your ends and ur hair will prosper !! HTH.

 

[growth2come]

Welcome to the board. Being a fellow londoner I have given up trying to get a few of the raved hair products that you can only get in the USA. BUT there is plenty in London that will work just as well. The key thing is moisturing your hair and when to do your protein treatment plus the whole lot of protective styling the rest in the middle is all about finding the products that work for you.

Another thing is looking out for dodgy ingredients.

But there is plenty; You mentioned Aubrey non SLS shampoo, there is plenty...I dont use shampoo that often but when I do I either use aveda damage remedy(a bit pricey but I dont use that much and I only use shampoo once a week or a fortnight.) or I will use patene sleek and shine 2 in 1 that gets the hair clean plus is has a been of conditioner too so it wont strip the hair.....

There is plenty in london....plus the tips you will learn here. Happy hair growing!

 

[isabella09]

to the forum

 

[Finally Free]

Welcome!!! HHG!


__________________________________

 

[SEMO]

I just came it to say welcome to the forum. Msa always comes through with great hair advice, so I say ditto to what she said.

 

[ReeN.]

You ladies are all so helpful and informative and I am really very grateful!
Okies, so by my understanding, you aren't supposed to shampoo too often? erplexed I'm asking because recently, I've been washing my hair every three days... Actually, let me just run through my basic routine (what I've been doing for the past 5 weeks)...

Wash my hair every 3 days - I used to use L'Occitane Shea Butter shampoo for dry/damaged until I bought the AO J.A.Y. shampoo (cos I discovered that the L'Occitane shampoo contained SLS). The night before shampooing, I put Amla oil in my hair, put on a showercap and leave it on overnight. My mum is the posterchild for all things Indian/natural and she's into Amla, henna (for colour) etc and she has the strongest, most beautiful hair I've ever seen! Her hair NEVER snaps, no matter how much you pull at it or stretch it.

After washing, I'd use a reconstructing deep conditioner and sit under the steamer for 20 mins/or so and then rinse off. When I washed again, I'd alternate and use a protein conditioner (Frederic Fekkai - but this is overpriced and not-so-effect, well for me anyway...) If I use a protein conditioner, I tend to rinse it off with cool water, I read somewhere that this is better....

When I've rinsed off the conditioner, I then use a leave-in conditioner (the CHI keratin one in a red bottle) and use some Paul Mitchell serum. I would then wrap my hair around and leave it to airdry. Thing is though, I found that the process of wrapping sort of stressed my hair (the combing to get it round etc) so I've stopped and now what I do is, I use a wide-tooth comb and comb it down. When it's semi-dry, I then make big plaits which I loosen out when dry.

I moisturize it everyday with the L'Occitane Shea Butter moisturizer, this is the most effective one I've ever tried and I really would recommend it to anyone. I also saw a L'occitane store in the airport so I guess they sell it here also.

Sometimes, (using my mum's method) I make my own conditioner. This consists of an egg yolk (I get rid of the albumin cos the placenta is in the yolk), crushed mint leaves (this tingles my scalp) and aloe vera pulp (my mum grows the plants cos she believes that they're the cure to every ailment under the sun ) and depending on what I feel like, I mix in a bit of tea tree/peppermint/coconut/jojoba oil. And a teaspoon of honey. I find that this is very good too.

So that's what I've been doing these past 5 weeks and omitting heat completely! I was really horrid to my hair before all this!

So should I not shampoo every time I wash my hair? I find that I have to because of the Amla oil...
Should I not use protein treatments ever so often then?
And should I texlax my hair? (by my understanding, this is when you don't leave the relaxer on for the proposed time).

Of all the products that I've listed, I don't think I'd want to change any really. I was asking about protein conditioners because I've found that the one that I use isn't as effective as I'd like. I mean, I don't really know how to judge the efficacy of these things but my hair doesn't exactly feel amazing after I've used the Frederic Fekkai protein conditioner. Not to say I want a miracle but I just feel that there must be better PC's out there... So thanks a lot for the suggestions!

Sorry to have written such a long post but I value critique and just want to be on the right track. So thanks for that link msa, cos it seems that I may be...

 

[msa]

ReeN you are doing great! Really. You're conditioning, doing braidouts and paying attention to how products are working for your hair. And I think the conditioner you make sounds yummy!

After washing, I'd use a reconstructing deep conditioner and sit under the steamer for 20 mins/or so and then rinse off.


So should I not shampoo every time I wash my hair? I find that I have to because of the Amla oil...
Should I not use protein treatments ever so often then?
And should I texlax my hair? (by my understanding, this is when you don't leave the relaxer on for the proposed time).

So the only things that stood out to me as potential problems are...
-if the l'occitaine shampoo was working for you, don't change it just because it has sls...if it works, it works.

-does your hair really need to be shampooed every 3 days? some people's does, but if you don't really need then I would cut back. I know you said you shampoo because of the amla oil, so maybe you should just dilute your shampoo or buy a cheap conditioner like V05 to rinse out your amla oil. If you went the conditioner route then you wouldn't have to worry about the shampoo drying out your hair.

-every wash you use a reconstructing conditioner and then you follow it with a moisture dc or a protein dc? the issue is many things that are considered "reconstructors" are protein conditioners (it may not be heavy protein though). So the reconstructor combined with a protein dc after might be too much. Just pay close attention to the ingredients and to your hair and if it starts becoming brittle, hard, and breaking it could be too much protein. Either way, you shouldn't need a reconstructor every 3 days unless your hair is extremely damaged (not dry, damaged).

I don't know if you should texlax. It depens on what works for you. Also, remember that if you texlax you'll have your already straight hair, the texlaxed hair, and then your newgrowth. It may be a lot to deal with. The main thing to remember the next time you relaxed is ONLY put it on the new growth (don't pull it all the way to the ends) and make sure not to overprocess. Also, it's a good idea to make sure to protect your already relaxed hair with conditioner or something so that the relaxer runoff when you rinse doesn't overprocess it.

 

[onelove08]

Hello! Welcome to the forum!

 

[mscocoface]

Sounds like we need your Mom on here to explain her reggie to us!

We are always wanting to learn more!

 

[ReeN.]

Once again msa, you are my fountain of knowledge

Okies, so I should rinse my hair with a conditioner instead of a shampoo then? And maybe only shampoo once every two weeks. It seems a lot of the ladies here do that and you all have beautiful hair so...

And when I'm relaxing my hair, what sort of conditioner do I use to put over the already relaxed hair?

I re-read the link you posted and I've realized that I may need to add a moisturizing conditioner to my list because I don't have one at the moment.

Thanks for clarifying because I always felt that dry hair came hand in hand with damaged hair, maybe it's because I see this on shampoo bottles! Silly me... But now I realize that my hair is dry but not necessarily damaged.
So I guess I don't need to use the reconstructor so often then? Maybe only after relaxing or when I feel that my hair is in a bad state?

About the protein conditioners, what I meant was that on day one, I'd use a reconstructor but then on day four, I'd use a protein DC. But now, thinking back to the article that you sent, I guess I should try to use a moisturizing conditioner and leave out the reconstructor for now...

As for texlax, you're right about the different hair textures... I think I should just stick to what I'm doing for now and not try to overdo it all...

I'm so AMAZED at the range of products that you guys have over here!!! Very easy to become a product junkie

 

[ReeN.]

Hey mscocoface,

hahaha! Yeah my mum's hair care regime is basic but ridiculously effective! She's a firm believer in all things natural and prefers to make things herself, that way, she knows exactly what she puts into her hair. Her hair has the tensility of steel and the elasticity of spandex!

What she does is:

Week 1: The night before any wash, she always puts the amla oil in and leaves it on overnight with a showercap. She gets a single, chunky piece of her aloe vera stalk and mashes it into her mortar (she says its good for her scalp). She also mashes in some mint leaves (she also grows these but thats because she likes to believe she has a green thumb haha) cos these tingle her scalp so they're good for circulation etc. She adds an egg yolk and just a bit of honey (cos she says that this acts as a natural humectant). This is her conditioner. She leaves this in for about half an hour. She rinses and does a rollerset which she allows to airdry.

Her hair comes out manageable and very, very shiny, and for the rest of the week, she grips it up for work (not a ponytail but rather, she gathers it at the back of her head and holds the curls in place with a grip). On weekends, she lets it down.


Week 2: She mixes her henna paste with an egg and some amla oil and leaves this on overnight. In the morning, she washes it out thoroughly and uses the conditioner described above. She buys a nice, ground-leafy henna from an Indian shop near her, never from supermarkets, pharmacies etc.

She doesn't ever use small combs on her hair or hairbrushes and she only visits the hairdressers twice a year to get an even cut.

She has done this for as long as I've had a memory and her hair is in an amazing condition. People often stop her to ask her if it's all hers or to ask her what she uses etc.

Oh and she also lives a very healthy lifestyle. She doesn't necessarily exercise but takes regular walks. She takes vitamin supplements and she eats VERY nutritious meals.

So there you have it )))))

 

[ReeN.]

Forgot to add...
Every month or so, she gets a ripe avocado, mashes this and adds to her concoction!

 

[ReeN.]

Anyone out there able to help???

Most of the time, when I wash my hair, it still tends to feel quite coarse (at the roots esp, I know I need a touch-up soon)... I was wondering if there was anything i could do to get it feeling a bit softer? Sometimes it even feels like an iron sponge !!! I read on here that if you mix your daily moisturiser with distilled water and a few drops of oil (i.e. jojoba) and spray it regularly during the day, that it would help. It seems to help but I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips...

I have 4b hair btw...