4b/ 4c Naturals Growth Thread

[SAPNK]

Wow... You guys really detangle the hair. I usually just lightly detangle in the shower...

Maybe this is why I'm not seeing the results I want

Is a super detangling session really necessary?? Just curious. Or can you get away w/not having a long detangling session if you just detangle in the shower under running water? I just don't remember my hair being detangled this much as a child.

Yeah, I just detangle while I'm doing something else, like putting my hair in twists. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong because I don't remember ever feeling like my hair is super tangled and giving me trouble.

 

[SAPNK]

I have 4b/c hair with normal/coarse strands. People say my hair is thick but I think its medium density. I got a lot of breakage from manipulation from twistouts, going too long without trimming and wearing it out in a fro.

I mainly have been wearing my hair in two cornrows. I would like to wear twists but i think they would look better if my hair was longer.

I need to cut three inches due to the breakage which would limit my style options. :/

Welcome to the thread!
I have the same problem as you with the twistouts. Sometimes I feel like it's my only option.
I don't want to get stuck on the idea, but I really do feel like if I gained enough length to do some decent looking twists, it would change my hair journey forever.

About how long is your hair?

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Yeah, to me, DevaCurl's Decadence line is awesome. I was very surprised at how moisturizing it is. I can rinse most of the conditioner out and still have curl definition once dry. I also love their deep conditioner, Heaven in Hair. I'm not sure if DevaCurl is all natural or not, but it's formulated to be water soluble and not build up. I'm gonna miss it when I get my starter locs.

Can't get away from my clay. It is awesome. The only thing I've mixed for quite some time.

Yeah, tangles and running water don't work for me. If I soak my hair w/o a thorough detangling session, I am in for a VERY bad wash day. My hair clumps together and feels like I'm free form locg...not the loc look I'm going for.

Thanks for the review!

Maybe I might check it out. I'll read other reviews to see what others think. It seems their hair care line can be really pricey .

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Yeah, I just detangle while I'm doing something else, like putting my hair in twists. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong because I don't remember ever feeling like my hair is super tangled and giving me trouble.

Okay...I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I usually detangle as I go along as well. As long as my hair has been worn in a stretched-style, come wash-day, my hair usually isn't all that tangled to begin with. So I just detangle section by section with water prior to cleansing it. Unravel section, soak with running water, use fingers to pull shed hairs and detangle lightly with fingers, then cleanse and put back in clip and move on to next section.

I also detangle when I'm twisting as well. I just make sure each section I'm twisting is detangled somewhat.

I just can't do long detangling sessions these days. I used to do that more in the past when I had more time, but now my time is limited.

I need quick, simple, easy.

 

[locabouthair]

Welcome to the thread!
I have the same problem as you with the twistouts. Sometimes I feel like it's my only option.
I don't want to get stuck on the idea, but I really do feel like if I gained enough length to do some decent looking twists, it would change my hair journey forever.

About how long is your hair?

About collar bone length but I definitely have to cut the ends off.

I agree with you about the twists.

 

[B_Phlyy]

So I just made 10 years natural but I've only really been on a consistent healthy hair for length for the past 3 years. I was a big bandwagon hopper and I'm a perpetual PJ so that's why I never made progress. But I think I'm on the right track now so I hope to reach some goals now.

Even though it took me 3 tries to transition, because I was natural until I was in my early teens (stopped relaxing when I was 20), I was not at all surprised by my hair type. At the time I did my BC, type 4 was only A or B, so I just went with B because most of my hair is that type. My individual strands are fine but I have a big head and high density. I do have a bald spot from scarring alopecia so that limits my styling options sometimes. I'm naturally high porosity but lately I can get it "normal" when my protein-moisture balance is on point. I'm about collar bone length now.

I'm hi-po, color-treated, and not afraid of my flat iron so me and protein are the betest of hair friends. I find using protein regularly helps with moisture and length retention. I usually use Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin but I plan to try to the Neutral Protein Filler soon. The Komaza one is good but I don't like waiting for shipments to arrive. I used to use the ORS Olive Oil paks but as my hair got healthier, they seemed to make my hair more hard and were harded to correct.

The LOC method has been a godsend for my hair. I used to do the age oil just moisturize and seal with oil and always had dry yet greasy hair. By adding that heavier C part, my hair stayed moisturized and elongated it some so I was able to do more protective styles. My approach to it is a slightly off trend. I usually pick 2 moisturizers and which ever one is the "lighter" one is what I use as the L and the heavier product is the C. Right now I'm using Shea Moisture JBCO Leave-in, Sunflower oil, and fininshing with Shea Moisture JBCO Loc and Braid Butter.

My protective style of choice is mini braids with wigs on top. I used to be very anti-wig because for a while, they all looked wiggy. But now that they have lace and you can make anything with enough bundles, I love them. I used to do corn rows under the wigs but I found that I would sometimes have random wet spots in the braids and I was scared of scalp issues. Mini braids allow my hair to be stretch while also having ready access to my scalp. Plus I can style them if I don't want to wear a wig.

I cowash most days of the week. I use regular conditoner like in the olden times. I don't condone co-washing conditioners. Judge me if you must. I shampoo and deep condition 1-2 times a week. I use whatever is on hand. Currently that's a lot of Shea Moisture products because I have some of the old ones that have expiration dates coming soon.

My main focus now is maintaing my hairs health because I find my natural hair needs to be healthy in order for me to gain length (this wasn't necessary when I was relaxed). Even though I'm still trailing products, I think a good portion of what I have has the potential to be a staple. Because I think that this is the final key to my hair really taking off. I'm consistent with my routine just need to get the products down.

 

[SAPNK]

So I just made 10 years natural but I've only really been on a consistent healthy hair for length for the past 3 years. I was a big bandwagon hopper and I'm a perpetual PJ so that's why I never made progress. But I think I'm on the right track now so I hope to reach some goals now.

Even though it took me 3 tries to transition, because I was natural until I was in my early teens (stopped relaxing when I was 20), I was not at all surprised by my hair type. At the time I did my BC, type 4 was only A or B, so I just went with B because most of my hair is that type. My individual strands are fine but I have a big head and high density. I do have a bald spot from scarring alopecia so that limits my styling options sometimes. I'm naturally high porosity but lately I can get it "normal" when my protein-moisture balance is on point. I'm about collar bone length now.

I'm hi-po, color-treated, and not afraid of my flat iron so me and protein are the betest of hair friends. I find using protein regularly helps with moisture and length retention. I usually use Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin but I plan to try to the Neutral Protein Filler soon. The Komaza one is good but I don't like waiting for shipments to arrive. I used to use the ORS Olive Oil paks but as my hair got healthier, they seemed to make my hair more hard and were harded to correct.

The LOC method has been a godsend for my hair. I used to do the age oil just moisturize and seal with oil and always had dry yet greasy hair. By adding that heavier C part, my hair stayed moisturized and elongated it some so I was able to do more protective styles. My approach to it is a slightly off trend. I usually pick 2 moisturizers and which ever one is the "lighter" one is what I use as the L and the heavier product is the C. Right now I'm using Shea Moisture JBCO Leave-in, Sunflower oil, and fininshing with Shea Moisture JBCO Loc and Braid Butter.

My protective style of choice is mini braids with wigs on top. I used to be very anti-wig because for a while, they all looked wiggy. But now that they have lace and you can make anything with enough bundles, I love them. I used to do corn rows under the wigs but I found that I would sometimes have random wet spots in the braids and I was scared of scalp issues. Mini braids allow my hair to be stretch while also having ready access to my scalp. Plus I can style them if I don't want to wear a wig.

I cowash most days of the week. I use regular conditoner like in the olden times. I don't condone co-washing conditioners. Judge me if you must. I shampoo and deep condition 1-2 times a week. I use whatever is on hand. Currently that's a lot of Shea Moisture products because I have some of the old ones that have expiration dates coming soon.

My main focus now is maintaing my hairs health because I find my natural hair needs to be healthy in order for me to gain length (this wasn't necessary when I was relaxed). Even though I'm still trailing products, I think a good portion of what I have has the potential to be a staple. Because I think that this is the final key to my hair really taking off. I'm consistent with my routine just need to get the products down.

Hey @B_Phlyy, welcome to the thread!
How do you plan on figuring out what products would be best? What's your testing method, lol?

 

[SAPNK]

I've never done the LOC method before. What counts as a cream? Can I just use a natural butter?

 

[snoop]

I've never done the LOC method before. What counts as a cream? Can I just use a natural butter?

Butters would be considered oil though some people use them as cream.

I use a water-based moisturizer as a cream and I do LCO instead.

 

[B_Phlyy]

Hey @B_Phlyy, welcome to the thread!
How do you plan on figuring out what products would be best? What's your testing method, lol?

Well some of my products I have down so if I want to try something new, I use my regulars and swap in one product at a time. Different product types get different test times though.

My hair is not too particular about shampoo so most new ones only get one time to mess up and then they're regulated to brush cleanser. Ones that don't do damage but are just meh may get up to 5 tries but then moved to cleanser.

Quick rinse/co-washing conditioners need to soften and aid in detangling. This is another product that it only takes one time to mess up and it's trashed. Fortunately for me, most stuff at the drugstore does fit the bill so I can experiment a little more often without breaking the bank.

I spend more time testing deep conditioners because this is something that can literally make or break my hair. I've had some major setbacks as a relaxed and natural had due to poor deep conditioners. If I want to try a new one, I'll see if it comes in a sample size and get maybe two. I'll part my hair in 4 and apply the new one to one section and my regular stuff to the others. It needs to feel the same or better to pass on and make me buy a full size.

Moisturizers usually get a full week test but even bad ones can be mixed so I keep a lot of these. I do think after the little stash I have now is gone, I'm going to pick maybe my top 5 or 6 and just buy those in bulk.

I don't really style my hair but anything that makes me hair hard gets thrown away. Last year I threw away about 10 curling cream, puddings, and custard or whatever because they just weren't cutting it.

 

[SAPNK]

Well some of my products I have down so if I want to try something new, I use my regulars and swap in one product at a time. Different product types get different test times though.

My hair is not too particular about shampoo so most new ones only get one time to mess up and then they're regulated to brush cleanser. Ones that don't do damage but are just meh may get up to 5 tries but then moved to cleanser.

Quick rinse/co-washing conditioners need to soften and aid in detangling. This is another product that it only takes one time to mess up and it's trashed. Fortunately for me, most stuff at the drugstore does fit the bill so I can experiment a little more often without breaking the bank.

I spend more time testing deep conditioners because this is something that can literally make or break my hair. I've had some major setbacks as a relaxed and natural had due to poor deep conditioners. If I want to try a new one, I'll see if it comes in a sample size and get maybe two. I'll part my hair in 4 and apply the new one to one section and my regular stuff to the others. It needs to feel the same or better to pass on and make me buy a full size.

Moisturizers usually get a full week test but even bad ones can be mixed so I keep a lot of these. I do think after the little stash I have now is gone, I'm going to pick maybe my top 5 or 6 and just buy those in bulk.

I don't really style my hair but anything that makes me hair hard gets thrown away. Last year I threw away about 10 curling cream, puddings, and custard or whatever because they just weren't cutting it.

Nice! You sound like a scientist. Just kidding but thats a great strategy for testing new products.

 

[Prettymetty]

I revisited an old dc and it impressed me this time. Mizani Thermasmooth never really did much for my hair before. I would take it to the Dominican salon and it didn't have any slip. Those poor girls had to navigate through these 4b coils without any help...

Last night I washed with Giovanni 2Chic Ultra Moist and then I put a generous amount of Thermasmooth from roots to ends. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for 20 minutes. I let it sit for another hour while I bought groceries.

I rinsed and detangled with ease. My hair was shiny, had slip and it even seemed more elastic. Maybe the Giovanni helped out a little.

 

[SAPNK]

I'm looking at some long haired 4c naturals, and boy is there hair fine (Not thick). I don't want my hair to look thin and dull but I know we do have the least amount of shine, and that we tend to have the finest hair. But I need one or the other, not both. I'm going to look into thickening my strands, although I'm not sure if that's possible.



Her hair looks thick and shiny. I don't know if we have the same hair type though.

 

[nothidden]

I'm looking at some long haired 4c naturals, and boy is there hair fine (Not thick). I don't want my hair to look thin and dull but I know we do have the least amount of shine, and that we tend to have the finest hair. But I need one or the other, not both. I'm going to look into thickening my strands, although I'm not sure if that's possible.

Her hair looks thick and shiny. I don't know if we have the same hair type though.

Is your hair dense?

 

[SAPNK]

Is your hair dense?

Idk. I looked up how to determine density, but I don't think any of those tests would be accurate unless my hair was straightened. I looks very dense at the scalp but I think it's misleading since it's so kinky.

 

[beingofserenity]

Deep conditioning my hair after spending 3 weeks in crochet braids. I am using joico moisture recovery balm for the first time ever. First impressions are that it is very thick, yet spreads throughout the hair easily. Also seems to sink into the hair, and because of that I may have used more than I needed to coat my hair. It isn't a "wet" conditioner. Kind of a dry, balmy thing. I really like it because it seemed to kind of cut through my tangles, but I'll know more when I rinse it out in two hours.

I pre-pooed with okra water, a detangler and oil. I washed my hair twice. First with the ors neutralizer and then with a moisturizing shampoo. My hair was super tangled, but not dry at all! In fact, it felt conditioned. I wonder if it has something to do with my pre-poo ingredients. I guess I will have to try again next week. The super tangliness of my hair is because I didn't get the shed hair out prior to jumping in the shower. It's honestly easier to deal with my hair sometimes under the shower head.

I still want to protective style, but I absolutely do not want to go longer than a week without washing, detangling, and deep conditioning my hair. That feels not too often and not too long. Sheds are a nightmare and my hair was super dehydrated.

 

[beingofserenity]

Joico is a good deep conditioner. I like it. It's very softening. But it is not a miracle worker on my head. I was hoping it would melt my tangles away, but it still took a lot of work and nearly an hour to detangle my hair. Granted, my hair had a ton of shed hairs. I'll keep using it, but unless it improves at detangling or it leaves my hair so soft that I don't need a leave in, I won't repurchase. I want to try out the aussie 3 minute miracle smooth deep conditioner because the texture of the joico balm reminds me of it. Maybe the two are comparable.

 

[SAPNK]

Joico is a good deep conditioner. I like it. It's very softening. But it is not a miracle worker on my head. I was hoping it would melt my tangles away, but it still took a lot of work and nearly an hour to detangle my hair. Granted, my hair had a ton of shed hairs. I'll keep using it, but unless it improves at detangling or it leaves my hair so soft that I don't need a leave in, I won't repurchase. I want to try out the aussie 3 minute miracle smooth deep conditioner because the texture of the joico balm reminds me of it. Maybe the two are comparable.

How do you plan on styling your hair next?

 

[beingofserenity]

How do you plan on styling your hair next?

I am going back to Bunning for a little while. I will wash and re-bun either once or twice a week. My hair has grown out a little so it's easier to bun with a middle part and that also means less tension on my hair and edges. I used to have to do high buns which were too much tension.

 

[SAPNK]

I have no products right now, except conditioner and infusium23, and my hair seems fine.

Who said you should dry detangle? I know I read that adding water makes knots worse, but last night I tried to detangle without my spray bottle, and all the snapping was terrible, although, like I said, I have no oil so maybe that would have made a difference.

Speaking of no water, if I try to prepoo with just coconut oil, nothing happens. It just sits on my hair. Only when I add water does it make a difference, but again, I was told that you shouldn't use water because oil and water don't mix or something.

Does this no water thing apply to 4b/c girls?

 

[faithVA]

I have no products right now, except conditioner and infusium23, and my hair seems fine.

Who said you should dry detangle? I know I read that adding water makes knots worse, but last night I tried to detangle without my spray bottle, and all the snapping was terrible, although, like I said, I have no oil so maybe that would have made a difference.

Speaking of no water, if I try to prepoo with just coconut oil, nothing happens. It just sits on my hair. Only when I add water does it make a difference, but again, I was told that you shouldn't use water because oil and water don't mix or something.

Does this no water thing apply to 4b/c girls?

I don't think I've heard you shouldn't use water. Where did you hear it?

Lots of ladies on the board prepoo with conditioner before detangling, or detangle under running water. Not a lot of people detangle on dry hair.

There are times water can make tangles worse especially if you have been in a protective style but in cases like that you can prepoo with conditioner and water to help work out the tangles.

Find what works for you. It doesn't matter what anyone else says.

 

[beingofserenity]

I think I am going to stay away from the brush and detangle on dry/damp hair with a wide tooth comb. Wide tooth comb seems more effective on my dry hair than on my wet hair and obviously more gentle than the brush.

 

[SAPNK]

I don't think I've heard you shouldn't use water. Where did you hear it?

Lots of ladies on the board prepoo with conditioner before detangling, or detangle under running water. Not a lot of people detangle on dry hair.

There are times water can make tangles worse especially if you have been in a protective style but in cases like that you can prepoo with conditioner and water to help work out the tangles.

Find what works for you. It doesn't matter what anyone else says.

I think I read it in an article on BGLH, and the prepoo thing was mentioned in different places. But your right, I'm just going to continue doing what works for me!

 

[Ipanema]

I detangle on dry hair only, using my fingers. This has worked well for me. I sit in front of the TV with a paper towel (for the shed hairs) and a pair of sharp shears (for any knots and lasso hairs).

My wash routine: I keep my hair in fat twists. I shampoo in the shower with the twists still in. Rinse thoroughly. Then I apply conditioner. Finish showering. Rinse the conditioner out, and put the hair in a high bun or ponytail (to stretch it). It air-drys a bit, then I let it loose to dry all the way. I can go out like this and do whatever. It looks chunky and wild, which I like.

Then later, I get in front of the TV, pull the twists apart, and pull out the shed hairs. (It's still manageable because of the conditioner). I oil it with coconut oil & section it off. Then blow-dry it straight, using the tension method. Then I put it into fat twists again.

For tangles, I pull the hair apart like opening a curtain. I used to follow the old advice, which said to start combing from the ends, and work your way up to the roots. I'd just end up with breakage. Pulling the hair apart like a curtain reveals any knotty areas along the length of the hair. Then I get to the tangle, which is usually two hairs tangled up with a shed hair. Pull those apart, and the shed hair comes loose or slides down to the end. Sometimes it ties into a knot at the end of the non-shed hair. Cut that off with the shears.

This takes time, but I feel like if I want a certain amount of length, then I must have the patience to do this.

 

[Honi]

Big chopped Easter Sunday after a year of transitioning. I didn't hate it or love it at first but I'm starting to like it more. I'm neck length now and on the growth aid bandwagon in the other thread.

Not sure about products yet but I really want to thank all the ladies that went before me on this journey. Over 10 years ago there was not much but now there's so much more products to try. Y'all are on it!

So far I've tried Giovanni smooth as silk shampoo and the triple treat conditioner. Not crazy about either. I deep condition with Elasta QP soy Oyl ultra-hydration conditioner and mainly do a wash n go once a week and that's about it. Night time I oil my hair and ends and cover. I can't pineapple yet

 

[Maracujá]

Thank you @SAPNK for starting this thread and to everyone who contributed! We had a similar thread some time ago, if you ever have time, check it out: https://www.longhaircareforum.com/t...r-4b-or-mostly-4b-naturals-come-on-in.507817/.



November 2016 marked my 10th nappiversary. I am a 4B natural that transitioned for a year and then big chopped. I love being natural, it has been a great journey, even with the many setbacks, more than I can actually count. And today, as we speak, I am yet again experiencing another setback.

Here's a little bit of my hair journey:

April 2009

 

[Maracujá]

January 2010

 

[Maracujá]

 

[beingofserenity]

I am experimenting with detangling methods on my hair. I've tried dry and coated hair , got breakage. I've tried in the shower wet with conditioner, which works. I've tried with just my fingers under the showerhead, which works fantastically especially to get rid of sheds. I've tried with a detangler. I just purchased the mane n tail detangler which I've used in the past. So I was trying to detangle it after washing and for some reason it was making my hair stick together and kind of hard (could be the cowash I used), so I ditched it and started combing out my naked, damp hair with nothing on it. Believe it or not, it worked so well! I think one issue I may have with using product to detangle is it sometimes makes my hair stick together, or the coils and curls clump which, because they're so little, makes it hard to comb through. So naked, conditioned hair with no product doesn't stick together, curls aren't forming and clumping making it easier to get the comb through. And the hair is also in a more stretched out state, so it doesn't re-tangle either.

Another thing that helps my hair is a good strengthening conditioner. I feel conditioned for 10 mins with that silicon Dominican conditioner and my hair basically detangle itself in the shower. I bet if I had tried to detangle naked, damp hair yesterday, my results would have been even better.

I'm starting to realize that my hair may do better with less product. I know it likes to be shampooed regularly, it likes protein, and now I think it may like to be detangled without product. This may be because my hair is on the finer end of the spectrum. I'm not sure I can call it fine, but it's definitely not coarse.

 

[SAPNK]

Welcome to the thread @Maracujá, that's some serious length. What's causing your setback?

@beingofserenity, detangling under running water is working for me too. Especially if I do it while washing out conditioner.

Now that graduation is over I can really start caring for my hair again. I'm afraid to see how much heat damage I've caused.