Can I ask a DUMB question

[Nonie]

Thank you @Nonie. I am gonna have I do aloooooot of praying before I take a leap to detangle the way you do. I can feel the pain jn my arms now...LOL! I appreciate your help though! Great video!

SL 2013, APL 2013, BSL 2013, Challenge for our Children 2013

@Jobwright, don't misunderstand. I would NEVER do that to a full head of hair. This is what I do when all my hair is loose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCcoXph8tF4

I use a comb!

My hair is in twists like this and has been in twists since August 2010. My twists are very small. I once counted them when I only had 3/4-4/5 of my head twisted and they were 119 twists. That gives you an idea of how small each section is. Finger detangling that small a section is a breeze. It's more like play. And I can do one or two or five... it depends on whether or not I'm having fun. I stop whenever I want and can continue next time and still not have my hair in tangles because it stays twisted. I can usually tell which sections have not been relieved of shed hair because they will be loose at the base and not freshly done, so I can pick up where I left off next time I'm watching TV or a movie or reading--which is when HIH disease hits.

Here's another close up of how skinny the sections are:

So DO NOT TRY TO DO WHAT I DO to a full head of hair or you'll end up frustrated and may rip your hair out. Do the sensible thing and use a comb. Part a narrow section and comb it out, braid it up so it doesn't detangle while you comb out another section, and so on.

My wash method when my hair is loose can give you an idea of how much effort I make to NEVER have tangles. And when I'm not wearing twists, I comb my hair every single day to style and every single night before I braid it. I find this manipulation not bad for my hair because it keeps tangles at bay. I believe the detangling that many wait to do after days of not touching their hair can be more manipulation than the combing that ensures you never need to detangle.

 

[kbnax]

Ok, I've been having this issue for a while now and Idk what to do...well technically 2 issues, lol. I read through threads but still can't seem to solve it.

1st thing--I'm relaxed and have fine hair. My hair, when wet, sticks together like its glued. not all over but in various spots. I've clarified, used protein, DC'd, etc...Anybody know what causes this? That is the least of my problems because I can handle it, it's just annoying.

The bigger issue is my daughter's hair. She's 11 with thick, dense natural hair. She's a 4a/4b. Her hair does the same and it hurts her something awful. I thought her hair wasn't thoroughly detangled but over the holidays, I went through small sections w/ a wide, medium then small tooth comb. It took about 5 hrs! Everything was fine...until it dried, smh. It clumped right back together. I feel so bad and I try and go super slow but i still don't know why it mats back together. It already takes hours upon hours just to get through her hair but trying to get through the tangled hair adds on more hours. Any ideas?

I picked up some ACV today and want to know if this would help us? Um Nonie...ur needed, lol

 

[Nonie]

Ok, I've been having this issue for a while now and Idk what to do...well technically 2 issues, lol. I read through threads but still can't seem to solve it.

1st thing--I'm relaxed and have fine hair. My hair, when wet, sticks together like its glued. not all over but in various spots. I've clarified, used protein, DC'd, etc...Anybody know what causes this? That is the least of my problems because I can handle it, it's just annoying.

The bigger issue is my daughter's hair. She's 11 with thick, dense natural hair. She's a 4a/4b. Her hair does the same and it hurts her something awful. I thought her hair wasn't thoroughly detangled but over the holidays, I went through small sections w/ a wide, medium then small tooth comb. It took about 5 hrs! Everything was fine...until it dried, smh. It clumped right back together. I feel so bad and I try and go super slow but i still don't know why it mats back together. It already takes hours upon hours just to get through her hair but trying to get through the tangled hair adds on more hours. Any ideas?

I picked up some ACV today and want to know if this would help us? Um Nonie...ur needed, lol

ACV might help because it sounds like your hair cuticles may be raised. What shampoo do you use? What conditioner? Also, what are you applying to your daughters hair after the wash while you wait for it to dry?

 

[BeautifullyExotic]

I need help. Right now the end of my hair us really dry and brittle. The middle of my hair is always dry. Idk why

 

[kbnax]

ACV might help because it sounds like your hair cuticles may be raised. What shampoo do you use? What conditioner? Also, what are you applying to your daughters hair after the wash while you wait for it to dry?

Nonie For me I use Joico poo mainly and Silk Elements moisturizing trmt to DC. I then use SE leave in and add oil.

For her, I use CON shampoo and either SE moisturizing trmt or ORS replenishing conditioner to DC. I rinse w/ cool water and then towel dry. I apply Kimmaytube leave in and seal w/ castor oil or shea butter, braid in 4 braids, then tie it down. The next day I style. If I just pull and twist, it's ok. But if I have to part or comb, it's horrible. Doing 1 cornrow, can take 5-10 mins because I have to keep stopping to wet it or comb through it

During the process, I detangle her hair 3x. Before shampooing, while conditioner is in and when applying leave in and it still tangles. Her ends also snag even if they are freshly cut. idk but i feel bad because I think she is starting to not like her hair as much

 

[kbnax]

Nonie
Oh and I usually just shampoo 1/2x a month because her hair is usually in braids or twists. It's never really all loose. Even if I just DC her hair, it still mats together, so I don't think it's the poo.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie
Oh and I usually just shampoo 1/2x a month because her hair is usually in braids or twists. It's never really all loose. Even if I just DC her hair, it still mats together, so I don't think it's the poo.

kbnax, I had stepped away and won't be back online till later, but I wanted to tell you CON shampoo is the devil. The results you get on your daughter's hair is what happened to mine and a few other Type 4.

BBL

 

[Nonie]

I need help. Right now the end of my hair us really dry and brittle. The middle of my hair is always dry. Idk why

BeautifullyExotic, you'll get more help if you post a new thread with details of what your regimen is then ask the question. Unless we know what you do, how you handle your hair, we can't know what may have caused your problem or what you need to do to remedy the problem. Also posting your question in here keeps it hidden so many who might give you suggestions won't get to see it. So start a thread as you will probably get more hits that way and hence more input.

 

[JustGROWwithIt]

Not sure if this has been asked already...I read through some pages but haven't ran across it yet. Sorry if this is a repeat!
When you seal your hair, how does more moisture penetrate the strands the next time you m&s unless you shampoo? I m&s daily and wash weekly. Am I wasting product if the hair is already sealed and no more moisture can penetrate??
TIA ladies!

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie For me I use Joico poo mainly and Silk Elements moisturizing trmt to DC. I then use SE leave in and add oil.

For her, I use CON shampoo and either SE moisturizing trmt or ORS replenishing conditioner to DC. I rinse w/ cool water and then towel dry. I apply Kimmaytube leave in and seal w/ castor oil or shea butter, braid in 4 braids, then tie it down. The next day I style. If I just pull and twist, it's ok. But if I have to part or comb, it's horrible. Doing 1 cornrow, can take 5-10 mins because I have to keep stopping to wet it or comb through it

During the process, I detangle her hair 3x. Before shampooing, while conditioner is in and when applying leave in and it still tangles. Her ends also snag even if they are freshly cut. idk but i feel bad because I think she is starting to not like her hair as much

kbnax, I don't know anything about the products you use on your hair, so maybe you should do what I suggested to BeautifullyExotic and post a thread so other relaxed folks can see it and maybe recognize what you need to do to fix your problem.

About your daughter, I have never found products that most think are for natural hair to work for me. Shea butter would feel good on application and dry up hard. Also I can't leave my hair loose when wet or it'd curl up on itself. My wash regimen involves keeping the hair stretched in braids. You can see it here. If I airdry my hair even w/o product after washing that way, I have stretched hair whose ends aren't curled around each other. I find S Curl No Drip Activator to be a wonderful moisturizer and is the only product I will use on my hair. It does cause shrinkage, but even with shrinkage, I find I can comb my hair in small sections without snagging.

Perhaps you could try a different shampoo with her hair (Giovanni 50:50 is a good one) and use a conditioner like Aussie Moist, Aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose, (I find conditioners that relaxed people like to work best for my hair) and after you rinse that off, finish off with a VERY DILUTE apple cider vinegar rinse. When you rebraid her hair for the last time, make the braids firm, not tight at the base, but the rope part, make it firm so it can stretch the hair as it dries. No product on hair. Once the hair dries, undo one braid, part a small section, moisturize well with S Curl to get slip and comb through then braid. Do that till all the hair is moisturized and braided. I think you'll find it easier to work with. Only you will not avoid shrinkage but it will not be hard to deal with. This is what my hair looks like with S Curl on it.

The close-up is really a good representation of how soft and fluffy it is to touch. And it doesn't get dry or hard. At night I just braid and put on a baggy and in the morning I comb it with such ease.

 

[Nonie]

Not sure if this has been asked already...I read through some pages but haven't ran across it yet. Sorry if this is a repeat!
When you seal your hair, how does more moisture penetrate the strands the next time you m&s unless you shampoo? I m&s daily and wash weekly. Am I wasting product if the hair is already sealed and no more moisture can penetrate??
TIA ladies!

JustGROWwithIt, IMO yes, you're wasting product unless the product you're using is not really sealing your hair.

I have never understood why people feel the need to keep moisturizing their hair. Unless you have porous hair that loses moisture all the time to the air, methinks that once you apply moisturizer then your hair can go some days w/o you needing to reapply...unless your moisturizer sucks.

I use only S Curl when I do moisturize. I don't even seal, and I can go 3-4 days w/o having to reapply. I wash my hair every 3-4 days so that's the only reason I need to reapply again. If I didn't wash my hair, I probably could go the whole week w/o needing to reapply. Baggying at night ensures I don't lose moisture to my sheets/scarf and it seems my hair gets a moisture infusion every night.

If I were to seal, I'd use something like Vaseline or 'cone serum. With that as my sealant, applying anything over it would be wasteful. I even think applying moisturizer all the time is wasteful coz your hair can only accept so much moisture.

 

[Atdow71]

What exactly is texlax? Is it "watered down" relaxer? If so, what do they add to h relaxer? On avg, how often does someone texlax?

 

[Blairx0]

What do you deep conditioner with?

BeautifullyExotic

Sorry for the late reply, but my deep conditioners are either honey/olive oil, honey suckle rose, or vanilla silk. After garlic I don't need to dc because it doesn't throw off my balance, but it can be hard to rinse out, so I like to rinse twice

 

[JustGROWwithIt]

Nonie,
Thanks so much! I figured that was the deal. I used to use S-curl all the time years ago before I even knew about sealing and it worked. After learning about sealing I felt like it wasa requirement...I just recently started using S-curl again this past week and I will start using it without sealing and see how that works for me. Thanks so much! You're so knowledgeable! (sp?)

 

[kbnax]

Nonie,

Thanks so much! I will go out and get some Scurl tomorrow. I'm nervous about the no product but it's time to try something different. With the ACV, will pouring it over her hair be just as effective as dunking? I don't think she will be all too excited to dunk her hair, lol

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie,

Thanks so much! I will go out and get some Scurl tomorrow. I'm nervous about the no product but it's time to try something different. With the ACV, will pouring it over her hair be just as effective as dunking? I don't think she will be all too excited to dunk her hair, lol

Yes @kbnax. I don't always dunk my head. I have a spray bottle in which I have put a little ACV (maybe 1 tbl) added 20 drops of lavendar essential oil and 20 of rosemary essential oil, filtered water to fill. And then after I rinse off the conditioner, undoing and combing through then rebraiding, I towel dry to take off the excess water, then I undo a braid and spritz it to get it soft and easy to comb then braid firmly. I do that till all strands have been ACV rinse spritzed.

When the hair dries, it'll feel scary hard because it's dry, but undo with fingers, spritz well with S Curl to get it soft again. Stretch out as you pass a comb through, working on little sections at a time, till you can pass the comb through the length. I prefer to use a fine tooth-comb than a wide one and work on small sections at a time then the whole.

This is what I mean by stretching with one hand and comb following through. Start off combing the ends, then move further down till you can comb all the way through. Don't be discouraged if the hair doesn't feel very soft. When you braid at night and baggy, it'll be like butter in the morning.

Now I must mention that some people find S Curl works for them better when they combine it with something else. I find the opposite is true fo me. It works better if I use it alone. Let me know how it works for you. This thread has more info on using S Curl: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=526649

 

[kbnax]

Thanks Nonie! Will try your method this wknd.

 

[Nonie]

kbnax, have you ever tried drying your own hair with nothing on it but a silicon product like Frizz Ease serum? I ask because if I apply it to my damp natural hair or when I'd apply it to my relaxed hair and air-dry the strands would dry smooth and the moisture would be sealed inside the serum seal. Also my strands would separate with ease. If I then curled my hair or set it, it would be very smooth and have swing and not be sticky.

IIRC, I'd apply it on hair before towel drying and just drape a towel around my shoulder when I was relaxed, my hair would be a joy to behold and touch. Because of that, I am wondering if a conditioner with cones it mightn't be a good try for you.

 

[Nonie]

@kbnax, I will leave you alone after this. @Nix08 found that mini twists the way I do them were a good way for her to maintain her daughter(s)' hair. Wash day is a breeze because she washes in the twist, so it's shampoo, condition, ACV rinse, done!

In order for the twists not to tangle, you need to learn how to twirl each section in the same direction and then wrap them around each other in the opposite direction as I show here. It gets easier with practice so you can do it at a normal speed. Because each section is twisted, the hair in each strand is kept tucked away so it doesn't tangle with that in the other. Then undoing is as easy as this. So haircare becomes less of a big deal. I don't know how old your daughter is but I think she'd enjoy having twists.

When you first do the twists, they look wobbly and the ends look frayed and not so cute, but when you get them wet, they shrink but also get some weight and will hang straight if you let them drip dry and they will have cutest little coils at the ends. I find that they are easier to undo and redo shortly after you wash when they are still moist (from towel drying) but w/o product. You could even do what I do and just freshen them by redoing one at a time till all a fresh again, so that the hair doesn't become overwhelming. Perhaps Nix08 can share her daughter's regimen in case it can help.

 

[kbnax]

Nonie

No I haven't tried just using a silicon product. I've used them but I used a leave in before that. I will try that this wknd too.

I've actually seen your video and read your posts on rope twists. I think I was over thinking the process tho. I kept trying but I kept thinking and analyzing it as I was doing it, so I stopped. I will practice some more tho because I would love to be able to wash her hair in twists. Her twists only last 1-2 wks now.

 

[kbnax]

I think I will practice the rope twists this wknd on one of my daughter's AG doll

 

[Nonie]

@kbnax I'm such a dolt. I just realized I forgot to attach links I meant to attach in my post. Sorry, I'll edit and put the links in.

You can make your task easier by redoing the twists one at a time. When you guys are watching TV, you can do maybe the front, if putting them back in a pony or bun...or if putting them in pig tails do the ones that will show so they look neat and then slowly get round to doing the others. So by the time the second week when you'd have to undo all them comes along, you have nothing to do because you maintained them. Doing them one by one also makes it easy for you remove shed hair. Please note that freshly washed hair (no product but soft and moist from the conditioning is so easy to undo and slide shed hair out of). If the hair dries, you can spritz with ACV solution in the bottle because that also makes strands smooth so you can undo easily.

My hair has no product here but you can see how easy it is to work with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5iU4NgNGgI Also because I only have that one section out, I can be gentle and careful. I don't even need to look in a mirror when I do this. It becomes second nature coz all you're doing is separating the strands from the mass, and as you do this and slide your fingers, you'll find the loose hair slides out. You may have to undo the ends first or even separate into smaller chunks first then work on each small chunk. I find twisting on dry hair easiest to do... so if twisting becomes your thing, then after airdrying with no product, you can twist first then moisturize. But I find if I try to redo the hair with product in it (I usually do not use anything on my twists as a leave in, but in August of 2010 I tried to see if I could get used to using S Curl. While it felt OK, when I tried to redo the twists, I felt my hair threatening to knot up. So I find bare is best.)

Anyway, I'm going upthread to add the links I forgot to add. Sowwy.

 

[Nix08]

kbnax you MUST learn to twist Nonie style..absolutely MUST I'm ashamed to say but I've left my daughters hair in them for a good 3 weeks and when you go to redo them they are still detangled Even after washing them multiple times.

I do them fatter just because both dd and I lack patience Your dd will love them because they hang and she'll be able to feel them shake and she can tuck them behind her ear because they are falling in her face (which will annoy her BUT she will be adamant that that's how she wants them). She'll then flip her head back and shake it .....ok maybe that's just my dd....

 

[Kindheart]

Apparently SCurl ingredients have changed .
http://www.hairliciousinc.com/2010/05/s-curl-no-drip-activator-ingredients.html?m=1
It also contains parabens ,recently linked as one of the possible triggers of breast cancer as it mimics estrogens.

 

[kbnax]

Nonie

Thanks for adding the links. I did notice that you didn't link but didn't wanna bother you since it was late, lol. I actually think that doing the twists one at a time may be the best for us. My daughter's hair is very thick and when it's all taken down at once, it's so overwhelming...for both of us. She would probably have more patience with your method. I have never been able to take her twists down like you did. I believe the shea butter I use on her ends may be too heavy because it kind of locks the ends together. I didn't think too much because I assumed that was necessary for protection. I will try w/o product tho. Thank you so much!

 

[kbnax]

Nix08

I'm gonna really try to do those twists. You made it sound so good, lol. 3 wks with washing?! I would love that! As soon as water hits her twists now, they tangle something horrible, so I have to take them out to wash. I will practice on her dolls first, so she won't get frustrated, lol. I think I just need to stop over thinking the process so much. Everyone else makes it look easy but I got confused. lol

 

[Nix08]

kbnax if I can do it so can you...I have no styling skill, can't cornrow, do a french braid or any other kind of fancy braid

 

[kbnax]

Nix08 LOL! well ok that certainly gives me some hope. I'm determined to be able to wash her twists. That would save a lot of time and I wouldn't have to manipulate it so much.

 

[strawbewie]

I have a few questions:
How do I update my profile?
When conducting a length check, what's the best/most accurate method?
Thanks

 

[Nonie]

I have a few questions:
How do I update my profile?
When conducting a length check, what's the best/most accurate method?
Thanks

Click on User CP at the top menu to the left and you will see a menu on the left with options for editing whatever part of your profile you want to change.

I don't think there is a "best/most accurate method" for doing a length check so you can choose whichever you like.

Some people straighten hair and take a pic at the same spot to record where the hair falls. Then repeat this every time they want to length check and compare pics for progress.

Some people pick a section of hair that they stretch to a point on their body and take a pick to record that. Then repeat this on the very same section every time and compare pics to see progress.

Some people (esp those with type 3 hair) may take pics of their hair wet and record where it falls.

Some people use the size of their ponytail or puff/afro to monitor their growth.

Some people pick several areas of their head that they will remember, say center of front, above the ear, center of nape...and stretch the hair against a ruler to get its length. Then repeat this on the same areas in the future to determine progress.

Some people take a new T-shirt and draw horizontal lines equally spaced out and then see to what line their hair falls to as time goes by. It would be better if this is a shirt you don't wear and wash often so the shirt does not shrink or stretch so lines stay the same.

Most of us use body parts (so Bra Strap Length is replaced by Below Shoulder Blade) because body parts locations stay constant. So if not using a T-shirt or ruler, then where the hair reaches on the body is our gauge. Just as long as you use the same area of your head/same method of measuring each time you should be able to get a rough idea of how well your hair is growing.

On hair forums, folks care to see where the hair on the nape falls on your back, whether relaxed, pressed or stretched. But really, you can decide which section you want to use to monitor your growth. After all, that info is more important to you than anyone else. So do you.