Dry, brittle, 4b hair issues.

[sunkissedskin]

I need some advice on what to do with my hair. :/ Like the title says, my hair is type 4bczzz, and it's sooo weak and brittle, yet very dry and does NOT retain moisture at all. I also have very very very fine strands. I believe my hair has low porosity. When I wash it, it takes foreverrrr to "feel wet", and when I apply leave-in conditioners/moisturizers, it feels like the product is just sitting on my head. It never feels properly moisturized and hair is just breaking off into my hands. Like if I just gently pull at my nape, clumps of hair come out. :S

Out of frustration, I've already BCed THREE TIMES in the past year! I don't know whether it needs moisture, or protein or what. I love my texture and I think my TWA is pretty darn cute, but at the same time I want to grow out my hair. That's why I cut out the relaxer in the first place! And in the condition it's in right now, I'll be at this length forever. :S I feel like I can't fully enjoy being natural because I'm having so much difficulty finding a routine that works for me.

I'm trying to find more "natural" deep conditioners and products to use in my hair, because all the hair treatments in me and my mom's stash are filled all these random ingredients (i.e loaded with fragrance, cones, dyes, parabens, etc) and they irritate my skin. My hair regimen consists of Giovanni products, spritzing with a water/glycerin mix, and oiling my scalp.

Lastly, how do you keep your hair stretched out when you have a TWA? My hair shrinks like CRAZY and I think that's contributing to breakage. I dunno.

Please share your wisdom with me!!

 

[crlsweetie912]

Maybe steaming in your dc's would work and help open your cuticle so the moisture can penetrate? If you don't have a steamer I would suggest taking a towel or hair wrap dunking in in hot water and putting it over your shower cap while you have the conditioner on....

 

[laurend]

I stated this before but a lot of newly naturals think their hair is dry but it's not, that's what natural hair feels like. Relaxed hair will feel soft and natural hair will feel dry and coarse especially on 4 type hair. In the last 6 months, I've met 5 naturals who swore their hair was dry and when I felt it, it was quite moist and soft. Less is more. Stop doing all those treatments to your hair and that will come with time, as you get to know your hair better. You might have someone twists or corkscrew your hair until it grows out. Also I don't like leave in conditioner, I use organic lock and twist gel.

 

[coyacoy]

Could you share s little more about ur reggie like r u dc'ing regularly and how often are u washing? Have u tried baggying ...do u sleep with a satin scarf etc. I think that would help to better assist u

 

[sunkissedskin]

Yay thanks for replying guys.

Maybe steaming in your dc's would work and help open your cuticle so the moisture can penetrate? If you don't have a steamer I would suggest taking a towel or hair wrap dunking in in hot water and putting it over your shower cap while you have the conditioner on....

I don't have a hooded one, though I believe I have a steaming cap somewhere...but I think I'll try doing this. The issue is I'm not really sure what conditioners to use.

I stated this before but a lot of newly naturals think their hair is dry but it's not, that's what natural hair feels like. Relaxed hair will feel soft and natural hair will feel dry and coarse especially on 4 type hair. In the last 6 months, I've met 5 naturals who swore their hair was dry and when I felt it, it was quite moist and soft. Less is more. Stop doing all those treatments to your hair and that will come with time, as you get to know your hair better. You might have someone twists or corkscrew your hair until it grows out. Also I don't like leave in conditioner, I use organic lock and twist gel.

Yeah when I first got my hair all chopped off, I was shocked at how it felt because I remember when I was younger (pre relaxer) my hair was very soft, fluffy and cloud-like. But then again, my mom was blow drying my hair every week. My hair def doesn't feel moist, though. I'm going to go google this lock and twist gel. and also figure out how to twist my hair..

Could you share s little more about ur reggie like r u dc'ing regularly and how often are u washing? Have u tried baggying ...do u sleep with a satin scarf etc. I think that would help to better assist u

Unlike my skin care regimen, I don't have a very structured or strict hair care reggie. :/ It's kinda embarrassing. I try to shampoo every week or week and a half with Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Shampoo, Giovanni 50:50 Hair Remoistuizer or Smooth as Silk as conditioner, spray with water/glycerin, apply Direct Leave-in, and castor oil. I also started oiling my scalp and hairline with this product called Olde Jamaica Black Castor Oil Hair Grower. It has castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, carnauba wax, shea butter, wheat germ oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, hemp seed extract, tea tree oil, rosemary extract, and vitamin E oil, and lastly fragrance and some dyes. I don't know why they felt it was necessary to add that extra junk, but anyway...
umm I also try to d/c every week or two, without heat and using any which product I can find at the moment. I haven't tried baggying, and I sleep with a satin bonnet. Well, I think it's satin....lol. I think I need to dc more. erplexed it's just that when I dc, I feel like the product is just coating my hair and not doing anything. erplexed and it always comes out mushy and even more brittle than before.

 

[Keen]

My hair sound like yours. I'm relaxed though. My sister is natural. She moisturized daily and baggy every now and then. The downside to that is that you have to deal with the shrinkage. You can't stretch your hair for an extended period of time because as soon as you moisturize, it shrinks again.

 

[zoromo]

Bump.....
I feel your pain. I have the same kind of hair issues and it lead me to texlax and the issue is still there. When my hair was fully relaxed I never had this issue at all. I have now texlaxed multiple times and this time I put less oil in my mix and it still did not really take all the way... only the perimeter is knot free. The next time I texlax/relax, I will add less oil and focus more on the back of my head. I have been natural on and off for almost 15 years with only a little over a year relaxed. I'd be natural for 2-5 years and the relax for 3-6 months and get tired of it and then go back to natural. The main reason is b/c my ends feel so weak and dry that I want to cut them.

I am not saying that you should relax, I just think that PS is the only way not to deal with it if you want to remain natural. I think if I PS all the time then my hair would be cool, but to me what fun is it?

 

[sunkissedskin]

My hair sound like yours. I'm relaxed though. My sister is natural. She moisturized daily and baggy every now and then. The downside to that is that you have to deal with the shrinkage. You can't stretch your hair for an extended period of time because as soon as you moisturize, it shrinks again.

I think I'm going to try this baggying thing. Do you know what kind of products your sister uses to moisturize??

Bump.....
I feel your pain. I have the same kind of hair issues and it lead me to texlax and the issue is still there. When my hair was fully relaxed I never had this issue at all. I have now texlaxed multiple times and this time I put less oil in my mix and it still did not really take all the way... only the perimeter is knot free. The next time I texlax/relax, I will add less oil and focus more on the back of my head. I have been natural on and off for almost 15 years with only a little over a year relaxed. I'd be natural for 2-5 years and the relax for 3-6 months and get tired of it and then go back to natural. The main reason is b/c my ends feel so weak and dry that I want to cut them.

I am not saying that you should relax, I just think that PS is the only way not to deal with it if you want to remain natural. I think if I PS all the time then my hair would be cool, but to me what fun is it?

I think my hair felt like this even with a relaxer, very brittle and was breaking off.

But you know, I've actually thought about putting some kind of relaxer in my hair. When I get frustrated with it, I wonder if maybe I should just give up and perm my hair. I guess my mom is texlaxed, she used a really mild relaxer in her hair and it didn't straighten it, just loosened the curl and made it really soft and fluffy looking. I just don't want to run back to the perm when I feel like I haven't given my natural hair a chance. Also my scalp hates the chemicals. :/ Gah, I don't knowww.

 

[Pompous Blue]

sunkissedskin
When I BC'd my hair was super dry. So, I bought a steamer. I used to steam my L-I conditioners in. But over time, my hair became moisturized where I no longer do this.

I use all natural products, L-I's, DC's and shampoos. I, also, henna and do ayurvedic teas, pastes, etc. My hair is very strong and moist now.

Here's a good thread with tons of information about being newly natural.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=462862

Also, one item I've added to my regimen is to seal with Mamey Sapote Oil - It gives me super moist and the softest hair. And I add to my DC's Irish Moss, marshmallow root and slippery elm powders. My hair loves this combination --- super moist hair and keeps my braid/twist outs elongated. I use a L-I conditioner and seal w/the sapote oil. Does not cause super shrinkage. My hair stays elongated all day. I'm in Florida where it's humid, too.

It took me some time to find out what works for my natural hair. I'm also 4CZ with super fine strands and medium density.

 

[sunkissedskin]

sunkissedskin
When I BC'd my hair was super dry. So, I bought a steamer. I used to steam my L-I conditioners in. But over time, my hair became moisturized where I no longer do this.

I use all natural products, L-I's, DC's and shampoos. I, also, henna and do ayurvedic teas, pastes, etc. My hair is very strong and moist now.

Here's a good thread with tons of information about being newly natural.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=462862

Also, one item I've added to my regimen is to seal with Mamey Sapote Oil - It gives me super moist and the softest hair. And I add to my DC's Irish Moss, marshmallow root and slippery elm powders. My hair loves this combination --- super moist hair and keeps my braid/twist outs elongated. I use a L-I conditioner and seal w/the sapote oil. Does not cause super shrinkage. My hair stays elongated all day. I'm in Florida where it's humid, too.

It took me some time to find out what works for my natural hair. I'm also 4CZ with super fine strands and medium density.

Thanks for the super helpful post! I'm going to look into investing in a steamer, for sure. If it's not too much trouble, could you please share your hair regimen with me? I'm really into natural products....it'd be much appreciated.
*off to google Mamey Sapote Oil*

 

[Damaged but not out]

If you want to grow ur hair, stop cutting it.
try cutting out traditional shampoo.
adding oil rinses
take out the glycerin for awhile see if that helps
Are you oiling your scalp daily? What with?
If ur having issues with ur hair short, u could add braids for a cpl months.

Figuring out what your hair wants is alot of trial and error.
Figuring out what your hair abides but could do without is even trickier.

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

The best thing I did to combat my dryness was to stop using shampoo. For me, shampoo stripped my hair and left it feeling dry and brittle. Now, I wash with just water and wrap my hair in a microfiber towel while I mosturize my skin. Once my hair is partially dried with the towel I put a small amount of coconut oil on the hair while it's still damp.Then I let it air dry. You could try braiding it if you want to stretch the hair. If you're at the TWA stage try cornrows straight back.

 

[Keen]

@sunkissedskin I'll ask her. She uses a spray bottle

@zoromo I have the same dryness issue with my relax hair. I didn't start retaining until I moisturize at least every other day. My hair breaks like crazy when it is dry and when I stretch my relaxer. I can't keep a style for long either because I need to moisture. I don't use a spray bottle. I use a creamy leave in like NTM. I do rotate between a pure moisture and a protein base leave in. Otherwise my hair feels like mush.

 

[sunkissedskin]

If you want to grow ur hair, stop cutting it.
try cutting out traditional shampoo.
adding oil rinses
take out the glycerin for awhile see if that helps
Are you oiling your scalp daily? What with?
If ur having issues with ur hair short, u could add braids for a cpl months.

Figuring out what your hair wants is alot of trial and error.
Figuring out what your hair abides but could do without is even trickier.

Lmao, that's a very good point. But the reason why I kept cutting it is because it would keep tangling/matting up/knotting whatever you want to call it. It was just ridiculous...the third time I cut it, you should have seen my hair. It looked like a tumbleweed. Yep, I oil my scalp daily with castor oil, and I started using this product which is a like a pomade mixed with of all sorts of oils (which I mentioned in a previous post)
My hair being short doesn't bother me to be honest, but the fact that it's breaking off and doesn't feel healthy definitely bothers me.
I'll look into oil rinses...

The best thing I did to combat my dryness was to stop using shampoo. For me, shampoo stripped my hair and left it feeling dry and brittle. Now, I wash with just water and wrap my hair in a microfiber towel while I mosturize my skin. Once my hair is partially dried with the towel I put a small amount of coconut oil on the hair while it's still damp.Then I let it air dry. You could try braiding it if you want to stretch the hair. If you're at the TWA stage try cornrows straight back.

I've tried the no shampoo thing, but maybe I just didn't give it enough time. Cornrows sound like a good idea. Also I have a lot of oils, but I've never tried coconut oil before...might have to get some of that.


ETA: Well I'm off to school now. Thanks everyone for the advice and input, I really appreciate it. Keep the advice coming

 

[Damaged but not out]

less daily oil might help also.
Oiling ur scalp 2-3x a week
Pre-pooing if ur not going to stop shampooing
acv rinses before or after washing( especially for ur scalp)
oils containing ceramides, have saved many a naturals life.

 

[Honi]

Co-signing on the shampoo. If you want some dry arse hair use commercial shampoo. That was the biggest lesson I learned for my daughters hair. I switched to Dr. Bronners castile soap (diluted).

Conditioners are touch and go. The only one that works for her is Baba de Caracol under the steamer. The steamer really helps This is the only one that works consistently but I'm still on the hunt for others.

I would also skip the glycerin mix in your spray bottle and experiment with a different mix. For some reason her hair would feel dry when I applied a product that had a fair amount of it in there.

You can try oil rinses with castor oil or an oil of your choice. Steaming with oils....but all in all condition!

 

[Bajanmum]

sunkissedskin

Excuse me if I'm repeating someone else, I've only had time to skim some of the other posts.

BUT...

I didn't see a moisturiser in your reggie. A leave-in is good, but it's a conditioner and does what it says on the bottle, it conditions. Oils seal in moisture, but only if the moisture is there to begin with. In between those two you need the moisturiser. Something creamy is good, spray-ins are too light, as are lotions.

I use Qhemets Biologics ( but that's kinda hard to get hold of nowadays) Amla olive heavy cream is excellent. I also use Claudies revitaliser products, though alot of her products have protein which i don't think you need right now, just moisture. The isha cream and the hair frappe are excellent choices. check out any reviews in the vendor threads, there are some other good creamy products around, but you'll have to do your research and ask...ask...ask your lhcf sistas about what they think on a particular product. I'm sure we'll give our 2 cents worth, you can count on that.

 

[MystiqueBabe]

Hi, my hair is relaxed but my brother has natural type 4 APL hair. I care for his hair and I do mine.

My questions are:

Do you clarify?
Do you comb/pick your hair? If so, how often?
Do you cowash?

Add heat to your DC so they can penetrate the strands. If your hair feels mushy maybe try some protein DC (w heat) I would recommend ORS hair mayo.

I dont have a steamer I just use a plastic shower cap and put a blow dryer over my head and have gotten great results.

Also I agree she needs a creamy moisturizer. I think the OP should try shea moisture deep treatment masque (it is wonderful as a moisturizer) and cheap.

 

[virtuenow]

I had the same problem for years as a natural. I tried everything out there and almost gave up. Then I finally found some products that penetrated my hair and allowed it to hold moisture. I use Aubrey Organics GPB for deep conditioning. Its a restructuring conditioner that helps to rebuild your strands and balance out your protein and moisture. The effects last about a week, so using regularly once a week has compeletely changed my strands around. And by the way, balancing your protein and moisture is the best way to address your porosity issues. There is no quick fix!

Also, I use castor oil rinses; and spritzes w/castor oil http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=150965. It is very similar to glycerin in what its supposed to do (enhance moisturize) and how it feels, except glycerin dries my hair out. Have you found glycerin to be helpful to your hair at all? I know it works on alot of people, but not all. It may be time to ditch that product...

The last thing, I found shampoos to be very drying to my already dry hair. With that, I only shampoo my scalp now w/diluted shampoo in a color applicator bottle. (2-3 squirts shampoo, fill rest of bottle w/water). The rest of my hair gets cleaned by my Deep conditioner, Aubrey Organics, as a DC-co-wash!

 

[curlicarib]

If you think your hair is too porous, try John Frieda Clear Glaze or Diamond Shine Glaze (Sally's). When rinsing out your conditioner, leave a little in and apply the glaze over it. Leave on for 3 - 5 minutes then rinse. Proceed with your regular routine. The pH of the glazes is 3.5 - 4.0. This closes your cuticles - locking in moisture. If you have a little conditioner (moisturizing), it locks in that moisture. This made a world of difference in my hair's moisture level. And for a bonus, when your cuticles lay flat, it increases the hairs shine/sheen. the more you use it the better your hair gets.

HTH

 

[Nonie]

sunkissedskin, if I followed your regimen, I'd have as much trouble as you do. Like laurend, I found all the things you're doing way too much. I also have never understood why people feel the need to make their own products when there are professionals who have done all the homework to come up with products that actually work. So many times I read of someone mixing glycerin with water and not having good results. I had someone try S Curl instead and she was surprised at how well it worked for her. Clearly, for her, glycerin and water were not cutting it. She needed a product that was made with a certain recipe that she couldn't replicate and now she's happy.

Also oils... Nothing makes my hair hard and dry like oil...not to mention just icky grossly slick and slimy. I wouldn't be surprised if all the oiling you're doing isn't why your hair is dry. Your scalp produces sebum to moisturize itself and it would take care of the your hair if it were straight but it most certainly takes care of the section close to your strands. If you baggied, you'd find it takes care of more than that. I never use oils and never oil my scalp. My scalp is left clean and free for sebum to flow and do its thang. Baggying encourages this so my scalp is never dry and my hair is always soft even though I don't use anything to moisturize.

There was a time I had hard hair. At the time I used everything under the sun. I joined the forum and started using Creme of Nature Shampoo and Castille and my hair turned into steel wool. Just a hard dry mess that would shrink and be difficult to do anything with. No elasticity...and it'd have this grayish hue. I also tried to go "natural" and use only natural shampoos. I forget which one it was but it was by Aubrey and it made my hair feel as if I coated it with sap. It just didn't feel clean.

So I stopped the madness and returned to so-called commercial shampoos. I stopped freaking out about being "all natural" and while I do use some natural shampoos like Giovanni 50:50, I also use shampoos like Garnier Fructis, Nexxus Therappe without fear.

I shampoo my hair mid-week using any of the shampoos I have in my collection--all clear shampoos as for me shampooing is mainly for cleaning my scalp and I feel creamy shampoos just coat my scalp (Giovanni 50:50, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, Garnier Fructis). I condition after that shampoo (with any conditioner eg Aussie Moist Deeee...p, Organix, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, Humectress, Pantene, etc). And then I finish my wash with an ACV rinse dunk or spritz. On the weekend, I DC on dry using AO GPB for 15 minutes. I then shampoo, then condition with a moisturizing conditioner, then ACV rinse. Alternatively on the weekend, I'll shampoo first with any of my clear shampoos. DC with Emergencée for 10 minutes. Then I shampoo that off with Nexxus Therappe (I don't apply conditioner to my scalp; I skip an inch from my scalp or so when I apply conditioner, so when washing off with Therappe, I also don't apply that creamy stuff to my scalp). I then follow that with any conditioner usually Humectress and then ACV rinse.

After that I use no other products. I baggy nightly or if wearing a head wrap. My hair is very soft (which could also be because I have fine strands--but I remember a time when it was hard). I never use pure protein on my hair. I believe in simple regimens. If I need to comb my hair (like if it's loose) that is the only time I will use a leave-in and simply because I need some sort of slip for the comb to glide through my hair. And that is when I use S Curl. And my hair becomes like butter. It feels like baby hair when I use S Curl. I don't mind shrinkage so the "moisture" from S Curl doesn't bother me.

Anyway, as you can see, not everything that works for others will work for you. I find a lot of times that the people who have problems are the people trying to copy others. I honestly think the best thing for you to do is first understand your hair. Read a book on hair and get to know what hair likes or needs. And then from there, don't just do what someone else says worked for her, but look at the things you already have on hand. I'm sure they work for someone here. Find out how that person uses them. Are they things that you believe your hair needs? Like after you understand that your hair needs X, Y, Z...what will that product be bringing to your hair. And now that you know how your hair should respond when it has X, Y, Z...do you find that you get those results? If not, toss it out and try something else. In other words. Do less because if you're doing too much, you will have no idea what's undoing what.

When I joined LHCF and tried to do everything folks were saying, not only did I have a setback, I think I wasted a lot of time. I returned to doing nothing...and I'm still doing nothing. I think watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of blogs also takes one from learning about one's own hair. I think vids and blogs are good once you have your regimen down pat to tweak it a bit or get new styling ideas. But trying to read every blog and watch every video to build a regimen will not only drive you mad but also leave you feeling hopeless.

Anyway, I'm rambling...but what I just wanted to bring to the table is you're getting 1947379277 suggestions from all over and if you apply all of them, you'll be right back where you were. I think you should first learn about hair from a book on black hair or from a website like P&G The World of Hair and then use that info to get to know your hair and then what it needs and start from there.

 

[zoromo]

Ladies,
My hair needs some shampoo. My scalp flakes and gets gunky about on day 5 or 6 and I need to cleanse it. I am using alba and it has helped my scalp a bit. I am an oil user and it does seem to dry the hair a bit. I have not ffound a good leave in as of yet and am still on the hunt. It looks like i need to get a steamer!

 

[virtuenow]

Ladies,
My hair needs some shampoo. My scalp flakes and gets gunky about on day 5 or 6 and I need to cleanse it. I am using alba and it has helped my scalp a bit. I am an oil user and it does seem to dry the hair a bit. I have not ffound a good leave in as of yet and am still on the hunt. It looks like i need to get a steamer!

zoromo read my post on the 1st page in this thread. It is possible to co-wash your hair and shampoo your scalp at the same time. It is the best of both worlds for me! You just need a long nozzle color applicator bottle

 

[lushcoils]

read my post on the 1st page in this thread. It is possible to co-wash your hair and shampoo your scalp at the same time. It is the best of both worlds for me! You just need a long nozzle color applicator bottle

virtuenow

can you post your full weekly/daily regimen in terms of shampoo/conditioning/oil rinsing/dc/protein/moisture/seal and the order you go in?

 

[virtuenow]

@virtuenow

can you post your full weekly/daily regimen in terms of shampoo/conditioning/oil rinsing/dc/protein/moisture/seal and the order you go in?

Sure @lushcoils.

Once a week I Deep condition as follows:

(1) I slather on my moisture drenched pre-poo http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=509482 and let it soak in; (2) Slather on Deep Conditioner- Aubrey Organics GPB on top of that; (3) put on plastic cap & wrap t-shirt or towel around head for body heat deep conditioning for 10-20 min; (4) shampoo SCALP ONLY w/diluted poo in color applicator bottle; (5) Rinse it all out, massaging hair in gentle downward motion to make sure its being cleansed by the conditioner & residue of shampoo; (6) immediately place castor oil in hair, just one pea sized drop per quadron of hair-- very small amount does the job; (7) rinse it off right away w/hot water, masssaging scalp & hair.

Daily:
I use two spritzes: (1) Distilled water, aloe vera juice/gel, jojoba & castor oil, and seal w/jamaican black castor oil; or (2) Distilled water, good smelling conditioner, AO conditioner, jojoba/castor oil, seal w/jbco

Note:
Because my weekly deep conditioning is so moist, it lasts almost the whole week. I don't really have to do anything daily, so sometimes I just do the spritzes at the end of week- or every other day.

Explanation:
I took 5 years to come up with this regimen! Here it is, tailored for my dry, 4b hair! I know the pre-poo seems extra, but I started doing that pre-poo treatment when I was still using shampoo. It was so good & moisturizing, I didn't want to give it up eventhough I don't put shampoo directly on my hair anymore. ETA: When I don't use the pre-poo, I'll just DC on dry hair!

I don't go under heat anymore for deep conditioning b/c in 5 years as a natural I always came out still very dry hair. Now I just use body heat, and the results are better than ever.

 

[lushcoils]

virtuenow Sorry for all the questions. It just you're one of the few that have my hair type and long hair on here, lol. So I'm about to follow your reggie to the T to see if I get better results. I already have most of the products you stated.

1. Do you use AO HSR at all? or just AO GPB?
2. What are the product ratios in your spritzes?

 

[MissTripleChoc]

Iron deficiency -anaemia can cause hair to grow dry and brittle. I would get some blood work done to check, or just start taking a supplement with iron in it. There are other threads about this if you do a search.
Also hard water, calcium and mineral build up can cause the hair to be brittle, dull and extremely dry which doesn't respond to any product. Chelating shampoos are good and shower filters. All the best x

 

[virtuenow]

@virtuenow Sorry for all the questions. It just you're one of the few that have my hair type and long hair on here, lol. So I'm about to follow your reggie to the T to see if I get better results. I already have most of the products you stated.

1. Do you use AO HSR at all? or just AO GPB?
2. What are the product ratios in your spritzes?

lushcoils 1. Yes. I use AO HSR in my sprtizes. I also use it when I feel like I need a extra shot of pure moisture, so I DC with it about once every 2 months. Otherwise, its almost always AO GPB girl, I love it so much and its so much stronger and more moisturizing b/c of that. 2. For the spritz: I fill it about 3quarters w/distilled water; the last 1/4 is 3-4 squirts AO, 2-3 squirts cond'r, few squirts of castor/jojoba oil, but heavier on castor-- so about (0.5-1oz of jojoba; 1-1.5 oz castor oil). For my other version, I forgot to say, sometimes I use all aloe vera juicie and no water; otherwise its probably half n half. Its hard to say b/c I play around w/the ratios. I just use a very thin layer of jbco to seal.

 

[sunkissedskin]

Hmm okay, I'm going to try to reply to everyone at once. Still kinda new here, so...hope this works.

Honi : Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I'll try giving that spray a break and seeing what my other options are.
There we go again with the steamer I was thinking about saving for one last summer but for whatever reason, I never got it. Certainly considering it now...

Bajanmum : Thanks for replying. Yes, I have been searching for a moisturizer forever! But mostly all I can find are sprays, which really do nothing for my hair. :/ Thanks so much for giving me some product recommendations! And I'll try to stop lurking the hair forum so often and actually ask for advice... You ladies are all so helpful.

MystiqueBabe : Thanks for replying. To answer your questions:
No, I don't clarify. I'm not sure how to? Lol
No, I don't comb my hair. Well I've blow dried it two times in the past month with a comb attachment to see how my hair would respond & it was a LOT more manageable, but besides that nope.
No, I used to cowash a few times a week but my hair would keep breaking off every time I did it and I figured maybe it was just too much manipulation? :/
Thanks for the moisturizer recommendation. I'll look into it. And I know I have that hair mayo somewhere in my stash, lol. And I'll try the plastic shower cap/blow dryer method before splurging on a steamer, haha.

virtuenow : Thanks for responding! I kept reading about that Aubrey Organics GPB conditioner and it sounded like something my hair would really benefit from. But when I went to my local health store, they had other AO conditioners but not that one. I'll check again soon!
Yep it seems like the general consensus is to give the glycerin a break. Tbh, I don't really notice if it's helping or hindering my hair. :S I guess I'll find out soon enough.

curlicarib : Thanks for replying! I actually think my hair isn't porous enough. I tried Roux Porosity Control a while back, thinking it was going to fix that issue....um, no. My hair was a totally dried out, frizzy mess. Then I end up finding out it's for people with *high* porosity hair. erplexed My hair felt like craaaaap for a very, very long time. But who knows, maybe I just wasn't using it properly.

Nonie : Thanks for the long response. It's funny that you think I'm doing too much with my hair because I actually feel like I'm doing too little. erplexed I'll admit that I don't pay much attention to my hair (most of the time) because at the end of the day, my skin and my acne is at the very top of my beauty concerns list. So I kinda feel like that's why my hair has been suffering even more that usual lately...that, and not knowing what the hell I'm doing, as clearly evidenced by this thread.
About the oils, that's very very interesting. A big reason why I oil my scalp is because my hair is thin and I have NO hairline. Why is this you ask? Because I spent the last 4 years in high school relaxing and weaving my hair back to back, with too tight braids, and zero care underneath. Keep in mind my hair was already super thin and fragile. I also used to get awful burns from the relaxer which would leave huge scabs on my scalp. It's very embarrassing to be 18 years old and have huge bald spots at your hairline. So, I started oiling with castor oil in hopes that it'll grow back and maybe thicken up my hair overall. Sighs. I think that baggying sounds like a good idea, I was doing a bit of research about it a couple of months ago. My hair needs all the moisture it can get. But anyway, thanks for sharing your regimen with me! I appreciate the help.
I'm totally erasing my previous regimen and starting over, because obviously what I've been doing isn't working for me. I think I've gotten a lot of great advice in this thread from everyone, so I'm going to do my research and try to pick and choose what things I want to try. At this point I'm at the end of my rope. I'm a hair cut and a box of dye away from just rocking a fade (a la Amber Rose), dying it a funky colour, and just calling it a day.

MissTripleChoc : Thanks for replying. I got a blood test a couple of months ago for a different reason, and my doctor said that my iron levels were a bit low, but still normal? I guess he meant they were in the normal range but on the lower side of the spectrum.. However I was prescribed iron supplements, but...I totally fell off with taking them. :S Perhaps I should start again. Thanks for the input.

Phew okay I hope I didn't miss anything. Thanks to everyone again for all the help, I was feeling really lost and defeated about my hair a few days ago, but now I feel a bit more hopeful.

 

[StarScream35]

@sunkissedskin, if I followed your regimen, I'd have as much trouble as you do. Like @laurend, I found all the things you're doing way too much. I also have never understood why people feel the need to make their own products when there are professionals who have done all the homework to come up with products that actually work. So many times I read of someone mixing glycerin with water and not having good results. I had someone try S Curl instead and she was surprised at how well it worked for her. Clearly, for her, glycerin and water were not cutting it. She needed a product that was made with a certain recipe that she couldn't replicate and now she's happy.

Also oils... Nothing makes my hair hard and dry like oil...not to mention just icky grossly slick and slimy. I wouldn't be surprised if all the oiling you're doing isn't why your hair is dry. Your scalp produces sebum to moisturize itself and it would take care of the your hair if it were straight but it most certainly takes care of the section close to your strands. If you baggied, you'd find it takes care of more than that. I never use oils and never oil my scalp. My scalp is left clean and free for sebum to flow and do its thang. Baggying encourages this so my scalp is never dry and my hair is always soft even though I don't use anything to moisturize.

There was a time I had hard hair. At the time I used everything under the sun. I joined the forum and started using Creme of Nature Shampoo and Castille and my hair turned into steel wool. Just a hard dry mess that would shrink and be difficult to do anything with. No elasticity...and it'd have this grayish hue. I also tried to go "natural" and use only natural shampoos. I forget which one it was but it was by Aubrey and it made my hair feel as if I coated it with sap. It just didn't feel clean.

So I stopped the madness and returned to so-called commercial shampoos. I stopped freaking out about being "all natural" and while I do use some natural shampoos like Giovanni 50:50, I also use shampoos like Garnier Fructis, Nexxus Therappe without fear.

I shampoo my hair mid-week using any of the shampoos I have in my collection--all clear shampoos as for me shampooing is mainly for cleaning my scalp and I feel creamy shampoos just coat my scalp (Giovanni 50:50, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, Garnier Fructis). I condition after that shampoo (with any conditioner eg Aussie Moist Deeee...p, Organix, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, Humectress, Pantene, etc). And then I finish my wash with an ACV rinse dunk or spritz. On the weekend, I DC on dry using AO GPB for 15 minutes. I then shampoo, then condition with a moisturizing conditioner, then ACV rinse. Alternatively on the weekend, I'll shampoo first with any of my clear shampoos. DC with Emergencée for 10 minutes. Then I shampoo that off with Nexxus Therappe (I don't apply conditioner to my scalp; I skip an inch from my scalp or so when I apply conditioner, so when washing off with Therappe, I also don't apply that creamy stuff to my scalp). I then follow that with any conditioner usually Humectress and then ACV rinse.

After that I use no other products. I baggy nightly or if wearing a head wrap. My hair is very soft (which could also be because I have fine strands--but I remember a time when it was hard). I never use pure protein on my hair. I believe in simple regimens. If I need to comb my hair (like if it's loose) that is the only time I will use a leave-in and simply because I need some sort of slip for the comb to glide through my hair. And that is when I use S Curl. And my hair becomes like butter. It feels like baby hair when I use S Curl. I don't mind shrinkage so the "moisture" from S Curl doesn't bother me.

Anyway, as you can see, not everything that works for others will work for you. I find a lot of times that the people who have problems are the people trying to copy others. I honestly think the best thing for you to do is first understand your hair. Read a book on hair and get to know what hair likes or needs. And then from there, don't just do what someone else says worked for her, but look at the things you already have on hand. I'm sure they work for someone here. Find out how that person uses them. Are they things that you believe your hair needs? Like after you understand that your hair needs X, Y, Z...what will that product be bringing to your hair. And now that you know how your hair should respond when it has X, Y, Z...do you find that you get those results? If not, toss it out and try something else. In other words. Do less because if you're doing too much, you will have no idea what's undoing what.

When I joined LHCF and tried to do everything folks were saying, not only did I have a setback, I think I wasted a lot of time. I returned to doing nothing...and I'm still doing nothing. I think watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of blogs also takes one from learning about one's own hair. I think vids and blogs are good once you have your regimen down pat to tweak it a bit or get new styling ideas. But trying to read every blog and watch every video to build a regimen will not only drive you mad but also leave you feeling hopeless.

Anyway, I'm rambling...but what I just wanted to bring to the table is you're getting 1947379277 suggestions from all over and if you apply all of them, you'll be right back where you were. I think you should first learn about hair from a book on black hair or from a website like P&G The World of Hair and then use that info to get to know your hair and then what it needs and start from there.

Right on to the bolded! I was doing this for eons and freaking out about shampoos and conditioners that had sulfates, mineral oil, silicones and then one day, I was like, I'm gonna see what MY hair wants............smooth sailing ever since then. My hair thrives. I wash every other day with no issues, silicones and mineral oils have not hurt my hair or scalp because I make sure I clarify once every 2 weeks. I'm happy and glad to be out of that bondage of trying to follow someone elses reggie!