Clueless About My Natural Hair!!! :-/

[jamiette]

Well, after two long years of growing out my perm by way of cornrows hidden under every wig imaginable.... I have decided to give my own hair a chance! I was sooooo excited about this until I realized I don't know what to do with my natural hair! It is dry and unruly! Please help me by posting any wonderful tips, links etc you may have... What's the best product for defining your natural curl pattern? There are millions and they are pricey! What's good though? And how can I stop it from shrinking 8 inches?Confusion, confusion, confusion!!! Wanna stop with the wigs for a while BUT I don't wanna look like a hot mess either! HELP PLEASE!!! :-(((

 

[PPGbubbles]

How have you been caring for your hair under those wigs?

 

[jamiette]

I have been treating my hair like lace... Reg trims, deep conditioners, constant moisture. But I never wore it out! I would do my maintenance and cornrow it right back up. So I never really learned how to maintain it on it's own! I see so many of you with heads full of beautiful waves and curls... That's what I want.

 

[Nonie]

I think you should first stop worrying about shrinkage and curl definition and first find out how you can keep it soft and tangle free. To that end, I suggest S Curl activator spray, and plaiting your hair at night, and baggying for the night. This will not only give you soft, moisturized hair but also hair that is tangle-free and easy to comb.

Never go to bed w/o putting your hair in braids.

Never wash your hair unless it's in plaits.

Until you're comfy with your hair, I advise against WNGs. That's a recipe for tangles and knots. Instead wash hair in plaits, airdry in the plaits. Undo each one and spritz with enough S Curl to make it slippery as if with conditioner and comb through, working on narrow sections at a time. Assuming this is in the evening, plait it and baggy for the night. In the AM, you hair will be a breeze to comb and DO comb it in a backward direction and then use some type of ribbon or elastic or stocking to create a puff and push back. In the evening, it'll still be moist and easy to comb and plait.

Once this becomes second nature, then you can move on to the next experiment of using oils or butters that don't allow too much shrinkage for a bigger puff.

 

[PPGbubbles]

well I suggest going on YT and looking up some tutorials on flatwisting to get some nice curls/ wave patterns going untill you deterimine what will best define your natural curl pattern. my avitar is a flat twist out done in a behive.... I let it dry overnight then voila!

And I suggest keeping your hair strecthed at all times to cut down on shrinkage. Wash/ condition in 8-10 plaits depending on your length and set your hair in styles that will keep your hair taut and smooth.

Also if you can help it try to airdry as much a possible ... the shine and softness is amazing when air dried w/ proper moisturizers/ oils

May I also recommend incorporating oils with ceramides in your routine. they have have made my hair SUPER managable and shiny without and oily residue....and I usually have dull hair.

Hope this helps some...best of luck

 

[Qtee]

could u post a pic of ur hair..I'm a visual person..plus it may not be as bad as u think..

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

Visit ~*~*The Newly Natural Thread*~*~.

 

[nikolite]

OP, you will honestly have to go through that phase we all go through, where we don't really know what we're doing but experiment a lot to figure out whats best for our own hair. I could tell you what I've figured out for me, but that isn't your hair so it doesn't always work out verbatim. Its natural that you feel a little lost, but just have fun with your hair right now and don't worry about what you want it to look like. Instead, just focus on taking care of it and try to embrace what it can do. If you have a lot of shrinkage, try styles that embrace this, like two-strand twists. Definitely look to master some cute protective styles. The best thing to do is to go to YouTube and have a ball. There are tons of video tutorials and advice for all hair types and stages of growth. And use the search feature on LHCF.

What is the length of your hair, btw? That matters in how your styles turn out (it may be too long for some or too short for others).