Basement = Hard Hair...What To Do?

[Naturelle]

I think I figured out why my hair has been rebelling so much. I live in a basement apartment and unfortunately the central heating in the house does not circulate down there so it's like living in Antartica.

There is no proper heat circulation in the bathroom or kitchen or my room. It's cold everywhere down there. When I take a shower wash my hair etc., I still have to walk to my bedroom (sometimes running like a rabid dog) just so I can be warm. My hair would literally feel like its freezing up. No matter how much it got deep conditioned and etc., it would dry very easily and become hard.

Last night I hennae'd, dc'd, left some honeysuckle on there and proceeded to moisturize with cupuacu butter....as soon as I put that mess in my hair it hardened up and basically froze (I had melt the btter before as it's a very hard butter to work with). It was my first time using it and I figured it was the butter. SO I put it back and took out my faithful avocado butter (loves this) and mixed in with some shea (which I've always been able to use on my hair)...melted it applied it...and yeah you guessed, hard frozen hair again. Before I had been using a sprtiz (aloe vera, glycerin, oil and h20) and oyin whipped but I noticed I had to warm both of them up before I used them on my damp hair. This was before it got so cold. But my hair wont stay damp because it's airdrying faster because the basement is so cold!

So I bought a heater which I thought would solve my problem of my hair freezing up but of course also to heat up my place. At first I was good, but now it's getting worse as the weather is getting colder (Canada is no joke). So this little heater is in my room where I usually do my hair, but hasn't been heating up like it did when I first got about 2 months ago.

So now I'm not sure what to do, my hair is not the problem it's my living quarters, and I just can't up and move because of my hair? Can I? lol

I need help cause I'm trying to figure out how to combat the regular dryness, weather conditons and now my evil :heated:basement.erplexed

 

[Naturelle]

Bumpity Bump

 

[winnettag]

I can't even imagine cold like that! I'm sure a second heater wouldn't hurt......
and if I could afford it, I sure would move!
Hope you find a resolution soon...not just for your hair but also for your health!

 

[shae101s]

now that's a toughy...My apt is the same way, always cold! It's so annoying, but I try my best to combat it, by doing my hair in the bathroom while I am there. Idk...first off, I think you should say something to the landlord if the apt is that cold, caz that makes no form of sense.

 

[Naturelle]

That's the problem I'm actually in my parent's basement and we just installed the new central heating system 2 years ago. It's not that there is not heat....everywhere else in the house is warm some places it's hard to breathe because it's so hot. And it's no one's fault it's just that the heating system the way it's set up all the heat is travelling up (like it normally does). I'm trying to change my heater this week.

It's the whole basement though. It doesn't make sense to have heaters placed all through the kitchen and laundry room and bathroom because there is not reason for them to be on if no one is occpying them at the time. I'm not in the bathroom for that long and when I'm in the shower the heat from the water and steam heat up the bathroom. But after I get out, it takes no time for that cold air to kick in. And it's not like my body is suffering so much (I can handle it ok), but my hair I cant even style it anymore cause the moisturizers I try to use freeze up..no twists, no braids, no nothing, nada.

I hate wearing buns and that's all I've been wearing now cause it's been the best way for my hair to stay normal .

BLAH! I dunno....

 

[luckiestdestiny]

We need people to chime in in your area, or in colder areas. Sorry I can't be much help. New York is cold, but not THAT cold.

BUMP

 

[Carrie A]

This is a tough one. A humidifyer will help with dryness but not with heat. What kind of space heater are you using?

 

[swalker31]

Hi Naturelle,
Now I'm in Michigan and I'm sure the US housing laws are totally different than Canada's but 1st things 1st do you rent or do you own? If you rent, I would march down the landlord and make my problem their problem. That's totally ubsurb that you're living in those freezing conditions. I Bless God that you're not sick. Ok you might have to do some extra's like to turn on your oven on your wash days and pre-heat the apartment before you start your regimen. And instead of air drying you might have to blow dry until the conditions change??

 

[Naturelle]

@ Lucky, it's not even like it's cold like that (I've been in NY when it's cold I know it's no joke there too), but it's just the house how it is, I'm wondering I probably just don't have proper insualtion down there...

@ Carrie, I know I put a humidifier in there too because it was very dry. And very dry + cold =

So my humidifier helps much, cause I can breathe better. But my heater and it is powerful doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore.

Thanks for y'all input.

Any ladies here that live in really cold conditions that could offer some help?

 

[Naturelle]

Bumpity Bump

 

[TdotGirl]

Do you have a fireplace in the basement? I have one in my basement and I always turn it on whenever I'm just watching t.v., workout and some times doing my hair. The coldest place for me is my room Half of my room is over the garage and it is cold as heck! Thank goodness I have a baseboard (sp) heater or else I would be sick 24/7!

 

[Crown]

Glycerin and Shea are not your best friends in this situation.
Try Castor oil!
And more heat!

 

[Naturelle]

I do have a fireplace down there but I don't use it...racoons live in it . So I gated and blocked up...I know I know...

No glycerin or shea...yea I must say my shea butter hardened right up in it's container..I'm not used to is being so hard.

I have mucho castor oil adn I was gonna pick up some jbco...should I still be leaving some conditioner in my hair, adding a moistuizer still or even used a spritz?

I was thinking it's pointless for me to do a cold rinse if I just have to warm up my spritz in order to moisturizers not to freeze in/on my hair

 

[1QTPie]

Maybe leave the shower on for a while so you can do your hair. I know it's your parent's water bill, but it'll give you a little humidity and heat.

 

[TrustMeLove]

This could be you blessing in disguise Bunning and moisture throughout the winter.

You might come out of it swinging 4 more inches of hair girl....

I live in the coldest room of the house too. I went to sleep with gloves on, socks, sweats, and a jacket. Folks say turn up the heat....Umm that's ok broke college student don't have money to spend like that...mainly because I've spent it on new conditiones.

I too have a space heater that I use only for when showering. I turn it on in the bathroom. Set my clothes out...and get dress in the bathroom. When I am doing my hair I set that heater right next to me and do my hair. Mainly because my hair is still wet and I am probably putting cold products in my hair (liquid leave in, cream leave in, twist gel etc, than a cold oil).

That's my advice. Move your space heater with you to the place where you can close the door and it's small preferably and heat that place up as you do you hair.

 

[Naturelle]

This could be you blessing in disguise Bunning and moisture throughout the winter.

You might come out of it swinging 4 more inches of hair girl....

YOu know what's funny...I was thinking the exact same thing this morning! Too funny. Especially now that I'm at work and my hair feels way better (not great cause that shea/avodcado butter is still kinda hard in my hair) but feels way better.

I think that might be it too....my secret blessing

 

[Carrie A]

Girl unboard that fireplace and smoke out those racoons. They'll start a whole family in your fireplace/ attick if you let them. If you keep a fire going they'll stay out.

 

[luvmesumhair]

Why don't you get a fake fireplace? Some of them heat up good too!

But TrustMeLove made an excellent point too about moving the heater into the bathroom where you just got thru washing your hair. The steam plus the heater will seem to work.

 

[cluelezz]

That sounds exactly like my apartment (minus the Canada part). Mine is a loft, so all the heat floats right on up to the top. I'm hoping a space heater will help me. maybe the heater you got isn't that great?

I was gonna move because of the cold downstairs, but I hate the process of moving.

 

[eajaye2u]

I live in the basement also. Also have the space heater, humidifier, air purifier similar products and same situation. So I can relate. This is going to sound crazee but it works. At night i bun after applying spray moisture (very little), shea butter or constant care for ends (wanakee -hairoil.com. I throw on my wave cap, then a satin bonnet and then the plastic cap on top. The extra layers keep my hair from being wet in the morning but its just the right level of moisture to keep my hair from being hard and drying out.
The summer routine and products and product amounts are very differant. It all has to get scaled back to the actual dime size with consentration on ends. Or it turns into a hazard waste land and the product just sits there - frozen. HTH

I think I figured out why my hair has been rebelling so much. I live in a basement apartment and unfortunately the central heating in the house does not circulate down there so it's like living in Antartica.

There is no proper heat circulation in the bathroom or kitchen or my room. It's cold everywhere down there. When I take a shower wash my hair etc., I still have to walk to my bedroom (sometimes running like a rabid dog) just so I can be warm. My hair would literally feel like its freezing up. No matter how much it got deep conditioned and etc., it would dry very easily and become hard.

Last night I hennae'd, dc'd, left some honeysuckle on there and proceeded to moisturize with cupuacu butter....as soon as I put that mess in my hair it hardened up and basically froze (I had melt the btter before as it's a very hard butter to work with). It was my first time using it and I figured it was the butter. SO I put it back and took out my faithful avocado butter (loves this) and mixed in with some shea (which I've always been able to use on my hair)...melted it applied it...and yeah you guessed, hard frozen hair again. Before I had been using a sprtiz (aloe vera, glycerin, oil and h20) and oyin whipped but I noticed I had to warm both of them up before I used them on my damp hair. This was before it got so cold. But my hair wont stay damp because it's airdrying faster because the basement is so cold!

So I bought a heater which I thought would solve my problem of my hair freezing up but of course also to heat up my place. At first I was good, but now it's getting worse as the weather is getting colder (Canada is no joke). So this little heater is in my room where I usually do my hair, but hasn't been heating up like it did when I first got about 2 months ago.

So now I'm not sure what to do, my hair is not the problem it's my living quarters, and I just can't up and move because of my hair? Can I? lol

I need help cause I'm trying to figure out how to combat the regular dryness, weather conditons and now my evil :heated:basement.erplexed

 

[Naturelle]

I live in the basement also. Also have the space heater, humidifier, air purifier similar products and same situation. So I can relate. This is going to sound crazee but it works. At night i bun after applying spray moisture (very little), shea butter or constant care for ends (wanakee -hairoil.com. I throw on my wave cap, then a satin bonnet and then the plastic cap on top. The extra layers keep my hair from being wet in the morning but its just the right level of moisture to keep my hair from being hard and drying out.
The summer routine and products and product amounts are very differant. It all has to get scaled back to the actual dime size with consentration on ends. Or it turns into a hazard waste land and the product just sits there - frozen. HTH

Well this is what I attempted to do last night. I had to start over because the shea butter and aovocado butter had just made my hair a hard sticky mess. I shampooed (gentle pre-poo champpo) out the gunk but I didn't have any time to dc (was up all night studying and at midnight with work in the morning I just wasn't in the mood). So instead I first detangled with Jason's Daily Condish (don't like just finishing up) and then rinsed. Did a semi-cold rinse and then applied Aubrey Honeysuckle and Castor Oil especially concentrating on the ends. I applied some Elasts QP DPR to the hair as well then bunned it up - all while in the shower. As soon as I got out I wrapped up with two scarfs and donned a plastic bag cause the hair was so wet. I want to find some better products if this is what I'll have to do to make sure my hair stays in tip top shape. Will probaly replace the Elasta QP DPR with Jessicurl WEekly Deep Treatment. If I'm leaving in a Deep Treatment (moisturizing condish) on daily or every 2-3 days, would I still need to deep condition?

I must say this morning my hair is soft does not feel hard or dry or brittle at all. I guesss my reggie will be altered a bit as this KISS method will be what helps me weather the cold in my basement adn the winter months

On a side note, in order for my natural pouffy hair to stay down I have to wrap really tight which in turn of course gives me the WORSE headaches. Anyone have any alternative ideas?

 

[eajaye2u]

IMO you cant DC too often but that's because I am anal. You prob don't have to really do it more than once a week. I don't use scares for that reason- the headache thing. Thats why i use the shiney wave caps they sell at the BSS. But maybe a doo rag (also shiney) will get it down smooth enough for you. Its light and shouldnt squeeze the brain to tight like the scarf. Let me know how it worked out.