3 years+ natural with few questions

O

Oceana

New Member
Hello ladies, first I would like to introduce myself. My name is Océana and I live in Canada. I`ve been natural for 3 years (june 2001). My hair is about 2-3 inches from bra-strap. May I add that my bra-straps are pretty low compared to other women. I have semi-soft and semi-coarse very thick beautiful hair. Looks like a big cloud. My problem is that my hair tends to break easily and I have tried soooo many products to help reducing my breakage. I have recently trimmed my hair ( I took off 1.5 inches) and it still breaking a bit. I am currently using Sta-so-Soft(? spel)to maintain the moisture. I don`t know what else to do to retain my growth. What can I do to keep my breakage to the minimum?

Oh..another thing! Any natural ladies is considering or have considered to go back to the relaxer just for the sake of changing hairstyle? For me, hair is just hair! The problem is that I am tired of twisting, braiding, cornworing my hair and I keep heat to the minimum 1-2 per 6months..I just want to put my hair in a ponytail and go..I really need your inputs ladies. thanks alot and sorry for the long post
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-Océana
 
Hey Oceana! Great to meet a long time natrual!

Not a long time natural myself...but long enough to know I would eat 10 cicadas to have long "semi-soft and semi-coarse very thick beautiful hair"!
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I think it is amazing you have been blessed with the fortitude to grow it that long the natural way.

I personally have had to many bad experiences with relaxing or hot combing my hair. It cost me a fortune to keep up with the "retouches", the time lost at the salons was downright wasteful, the bitter battles with stylist who treated me like an "abusive husband" (you know the kind...they treat you like bovine excrement...but you still go back every two weeks cause you dont think you can live without them!) the bald sides and thinning hair, burnt ears and scabby scalp all finally made me say enough.

I invested in books, sites and magazines that taught me about my hair and now that I am 6 months natural...I honestly have the feeling of "6 months down...FOREVER TO GO". I love the versatility of natural hair...the uniqueness of it. Perming is truly not an option for me.

On the Sta-so-soft treatment...can you post the ingredients? There could be ingredients in the treatment that may be the contributory factor to your hair breakage. Once you have identified them...you may be able to find a better alternative for moisture without the continued breakage.

Do you use heat on your hair at all?

Again...great to "meet" you here. Welcome.
 
Welcome to the board!! I'll be where you are in the 3+ years natural and counting soon!

IA with Pookeylou! What are the ingredients in the products that you're using? Also, how much water do you drink per day? Are you combing dry hair? Do you use hair butters on your hair? What's your routine and hair regimen?
 
Do you use any other products? What tools (comb, brush, headbands etc.) do you use on your hair? What styles do you wear on a regular basis? Do you comb/brush wet or dry?

I think you're doing something right if you have a big "cloud" of hair. Post your regimen please; we might learn from you!
 
Thanks Pookeyloo for replying,

Ahhhhh! I remember when I was at the 6 months mark of being natural..it was such a breeze. Just a wash and go did the trick! Right now my routine consists of conditioner wash 1 a week. Then I twist while wet or let my hair air dry then twist. I use shea butter, Rosemary oil and Sta-so-Soft. I don`t have the ingredients of the Sta-so-Soft product, however the main ingredient of this product is glycerin.
And don`t worry Pookeylou..I can`t beleive it has been 3 years already..it does go by fast.

-Océana
 
Glycerine does NOT work very well for some people. That really may be a serious problem in your regimen. Have you tried making your own butters? Have you tried using a homemade spritz instead of the Sta-so-soft? It may work better.
 
Welcome! When I was natural any product that was mostly glycerin make my hair fragile and break. Try misting your hair daily and stick with the shea butter mixed with some oils on the ends. I also found Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter on wet and dry hair is very moisturizing...especially when applied to the ends.
 
Thanks Hairlove, Patience and Missykeyana,

Like I explained in my response to Pookeylou, I conditioner wash may hair once a week, which is the only time I comb my hair to detangle. I use Dove intense hydrating conditioner and I had a bit of coconut milk, amla oil, honey..sometimes olive oil, then I detangle by using my K-cutter (you guys can see I`ve been lurking a bit!). I used to use the D3 brush but I ended up having alot of shedding and breakage. Then I either twist while my hair is wet or let it air dry or sometimes a diffuser when in a hurry. I let my hair in twists then a `twist out` in a low puff/ponytail.
That`s it. I try to exercise 2-3 times a week..as for water intake, I know I should drink more. maybe that`s the problem. I would not be able to say that Sta-so-soft makes my hair too soft yet because I`ve been using it only for 1 week! Well I don`t know what else could cause breakage. I try to reduce the using of blow-dryers..and I still have breakage. I really think there is something I am not doing right and I don`t know what it is!!

Thanks for your inputs ladies..!
 
I would definitely suggest drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water every day!

Do you comb your hair while it's damp? Do you spritz your hair with homemade spritzes?

Could you be allergic to something?
 
Hi Oceana
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May I suggest using Aubrey Organics GPB? It has help me greatly with the same exact problem you are having!
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Thanks Ladies,
@CarolinaAfro, I don`t know any hair butters I could use do you have any in mind?

@Sweetcocoa, Sta-so-Soft is the only product that I have used so for that have helped maintaining the moisture in my hair. AS for Carol`s Daughter`s product, it is just impossible to find them here in Canada, I have search for these products everywhere.

@Patience-I should definetly drink more water. I know it will help my hair.

@ChocoKitty- I will try to look for Aubery Organics GPB. Products here in Canada are quite limited. What does GPB stnads for?
 
My hair likes 100% pure shea butter. I get it from a local flea market but you can order it online if you can't find any in your area (www.fromnaturewithlove.com) There are lots of comercial products with shea butter but I have found that real shea butter works best for my hair.

After I wash my hair I melt some in my hands and rub it on my hair. I also do this when my hair is dry. Or I may use it when I do twist or something.
 
Here you go...
Here are some:

Using an 8oz. spray bottle:

20 drops of Rosemary essential oil

~4 capsules of Vitamin E

1 tablespoon Olive oil

Fill rest of bottle almost to the top with water

Shake before use and spritz



Another combo that I've used:

~1 Tb. spoon olive oil

~1tsp. Jojoba oil

5 capsules Vit. E

2 Tb. Suave Coconut conditioner

Fill rest of bottle with water

Shake well before each use



Another one:

10 drops Rosemary Essential oil

25 drops Sweet Orange Essential oil

4 capsules of Vit. E

~1Tb. olive oil

~1 Tb. conditioner of your choice (I like Suave)

Fill rest with water

Shake well before each use...





Using an 8oz spray bottle:

15 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil

1 TB olive oil

1 tsp. Vit. E

1 tsp. Jojoba oil

1 Tb. of conditioner (I like Suave Naturals Coconut)

Shake well before each use





Hair/body butter...

Using approx. an 8 oz. container:

Equal parts melted Coconut Oil, Unrefined shea butter and 1/2 stick of cocoa butter (the amount is up to you...just don't go above half)

~1 tsp. Jojoba oil

~1 Tb. Vitamin E

~1 Tb. Honey

15 drops Lavender EO

20 drops Rosemary Eo

25 drops Sweet Orange Eo

The rest will be Olive Oil



Using a double boiler (a small boiler inside of a large boiler that's filled with water), melt and blend all of the ingredients using a wooden spatular or spoon. When completely mixed, pour into your container. Fill the rest of the container with Olive oil. Put in the refridgerator or freezer and allow it to cool and solidify. When ready to use, take out, let sit for about 5-10 minutes depending on climate and use. If a room is too warm, it will become very liquidy (is that a word). Be careful not to use too much. It's very concentrated.

another butter idea
I basically used the same ingredients for the hair butter listed above, I just ADDED:
30 drops Ylang Ylang eo
15 drops Lemon oil

I ALSO let it "cook" for about 25 minutes before transferring it to the container to cool and putting it in the fridge.



**Note: You may use the essential oils of your choice. I use these because they are all that I have at the moment. Be sure that you DO use the Rosemary oil. It's supposed to be good for hair growth and the honey works as a humectant**
 
Thanks Pookeylou! I made a hair butter on Thursday night. Girl, I was like you ,...a sistah wanted to eat her own hair!!
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I basically used the same ingredients for the hair butter listed above, I just ADDED:
30 drops Ylang Ylang eo
15 drops Lemon oil

I ALSO let it "cook" for about 25 minutes before transferring it to the container to cool and putting it in the fridge.

I was LITERALLY smelling myself...and I smelled downright delectable!
 
Thank you so much, Patience, ChocoKitty and CarolinaAfro
for you inputs!
@Patience-I will print this thread to try the spritz. Very helpful!
@Chocokitty-thanks for the Aubrey website, I will check it out!
@CarolinaAfro-I am using pure shea butter actually that`s the only butter I use!

Thanks so much ladies. With all this info, I should be able to control my breakage. I will give you my results!

-Océana
 
THe ladies all have some great suggestions. I personally don't think that you should relax if you've been natural for 3+ years, just my opinion. Maybe you can get a nice ceramic iron to straighten out your hair for a style change, if you decide to get a relaxer a texturizer may be good for you. A texturizer is a relaxer that you leave on for a few minutes to soften the curl pattern. It allows you to wear that wash and go style and gives you option to straighten if you'd like. But from what I'm reading about your hair it seems like you can rollerset your hair and have a really nice straight style. Please be careful with the chemicals, you'd have to handle your hair with kid gloves after a full on relaxer, there's just so much to deal with split ends, breakage etc. Of course you can still have beautifully relaxed hair without lots of complications but it's a lot of work. Hair butters for me are marvelous, I use shea butter and that's all I need to soften and moisturize and add shine.
 
This stuff works! I made a concoction I found on a naturals site and gave it to my client who has dreds, not only does it keep them moisturized, it makes them smell nice and fresh too
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Oceana,

Welcome! To add and support suggestions made so far - I highly recommend you add a gentle protein to your routine to strengthen your hair. If you can't find Aubrey's GBP maybe you can find Nexxus Humectress (I can't remember if it is has strong or gentle proteins so look at the ingredients first). Proteins are very helpful - especially since you describe your hair as semi-soft, semi-coarse (it sounds very much like my hair).

Glycerin is definitely not always friendly to natural hair.

I also highly recommend maybe reframe from combing/brushing your hair for a time. I do not comb and brush my hair as often as I used to do and have found that my edges don't break quite as easily. I try to fingercomb as much as possible now.

Also - do you wear your hair in cornrows a lot. If you hair is like mine, cornrows are not always the best style. Even when my hair was loosely cornrowed I encountered breakage.

Have you tried putting your hair in a ponytail? How did it turn out? Also - have you tried flattwists?

I tend to wear my hair in different ponytail styles. Sometimes immediately after washing, I braid my hair in 4 braids and then just pull it back/pin it back into and bun and semi-french type braid (blueflower has another pretty style using 4 twists/braids).

HTH
 
Hi Oceana,
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I have also been natural for three+ years. I have found that using a protein conditioner a few times a week (GPB), combing my hair out under the shower stream and wearing braidouts, help me prevent breakage.
I also use a leave-in conditioner everyday, whether I wash or rinse my hair or not. hth.
 
Hello ladies, wow I am so amazed at the suggestions I have been receiving! You ladies are the best!

@Alli77-Thanks for the advises about relaxers..to tell you the truth I bought a relaxer kit this past week-end..I was so fed up with my hair..then I decided to hold on and join this board today to see if you had good advices to give me. Well I guess I was right to join this board. Ladies in this board are so resourcefull and very supportive! Thanks
As for the ceramic iron, I was thinking to purchase it soon. I`ll look for it.
@NGC- How good Nexxus Humectress good? Is it better than Aubrey or about the same?
@DahomeyAmazon-is using a protein conditioner few times a week make your hair hard? I heard that too much protein makes hair hard.

Sorry for my questions!

Océana
 
Hi Oceana,

I haven't really tried to compare the two. I used to use Humectress all of the time when I was relaxed (in high school). I just started using it again as a natural. So far is seems to be very moisturizing and I have noticed a reduction in breakage (my hair only seems to break around my hairline and I think that was mostly due to combing and brushing even when I only did it in the shower).

My SIL uses it on my 2 year old niece's hair (she's 3b) and her hair is well maintained.

I have used Aubrey's GBP as a natural and have had no ill effects but I have not noticed a major change in my hair either. I think (but I could be totally wrong) that Humectress is a stronger (protein-wise) conditioner than Aubrey's.

What I would suggest is to try the Aubrey's first (I agree with DahomeyAmazon - you can probably use it multiple times each week). I don't think I would recommend using Humetress as often. Just see how Aubrey works (if you can locate it). If not, try Humetress and follow up with the Dove that you use now (also - see if Dove has protein in it too).

HTH
 
What exactly is glycerin? I ask because I just bought a product that has glycerin in it. It is for braids and locks. I’ve been using it on my cornrolls. Is this oil damaging? The bottle says it is suppose to stimulate the scalp.
 
You may also want to check out Nay's album and the styles she wears. I think her natural hair is past bra strap and she usually wears beautiful braidouts, making variations on this style. Ponytails can easily be worn from braidouts.
 
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