Thanks so much for the compliments everybody! I LOVE
and HATE
having thick hair and transitioning was not easy.
hairlove,
I actually transitioned from a relaxer where my hair was shoulder length. I would guess that it took me 2 years to fully transition. I didn't do the 'big chop.' I just let the relaxer grow out and when I saw damaged hair/ends, I cut them. I conditioned my hair all the time, shampooed my hair twice a week, and wore braid outs. Moisture and serious patience when combing are very important when transitioning. Now I am still trying to get used to my natural hair.
den1,
I change my routine about every other week because I get lazy. I start off gun ho and then I am too tired sometimes to do my hair because my schedule is overwhelming!
In the summer, I was washing my hair every night. But I used ghee butter or mayo as a pre-shampoo treatment overnight, then washed my hair with either breakthru, elucense, or aveda's sap moss, then conditioned my hair and then fingercombed it with the conditioner still in the hair.
Ponytail method for natural hair: I then pulled my hair up in a ponytail, moiturized it with some type of oil or curl activator, applied valeline, put my hair in a big plait and then put a plastic sandwich bag over my hair and secured it with another ponytail holder. Then I wore my drawstring ponytail over it. Another way to do it is the way that I have started doing it for the past week. At night, I spritz my hair with distilled water, put oil in it and then put my hair into 3-4 plaits and then apply the baggies over the plaits and gently secure each baggie with a ponytail holder. My hair is very soft in the morning using this method.
miss brown,
I bought the instant weave at some beauty store in Maryland, but now I live in Delaware, so I need to find another good beauty supply store. I don't think that Sally's sell them, so don't try sally's. I am sure that you could buy one on-line, because I remember seeing a thread from some members who wore them too. It is called an instant weave made by sensationnel and the style is HZ-7009. The front of it is my hair. I wear my hair cornrolled back underneath the weave and leave a little bit of the front of my hair out. At night, I wet the front of my hair, apply oil and aloe vera gel and put it in a cornroll. In the morning, I take the cornroll out and just blend my hair into the weave. When I first bought the weave, I wore it for 2 days and my husband didn't say anything, but that my hair looked nice. When I took the weave/fall off, his mouth almost fell off!
dontspeakdefeat,
Thanks for the confidence booster as far as hair growth and you know that I hope that you are right. I love the instant weave because it allows me to protect my hair and still have a stylish hair do. Don't get me wrong, I love the bun and once was considered the bun queen, but now I am looking for some variety.
I didn't list my conditioners and hair oils because I change them like I am changing clothes (PJ problem). But here are a few of my staples:
Conditioners: KeraCare Humeco, KeraCare Moisturizing conditioner, Mizani Moisturfuse, Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Rose Hip Conditioning Hair Cream, RedKen Heavy Cream, Motions Oil Moisturize Protein Conditioner, Tropical crema aloe vera and avocado (purchased on ebay), LeKair cholestorol
Hair oils: Carol's Daughter Health hair butter, Dark and Lovely restore and repair, coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, alma oil, brahmi oil, jojoba oil
Scalp oils: Sulfer8 (once per week), mixture of jojoba and rosemary oil (2-3 times per week in the winter)
Leave-in: StaSoFro hair and scalp spray, All ways natural conditioner moisturizing formual (not really a leave-in but that is how I use it), Aveda's elixir
As a really quick moisturizer, I carry around Isoplus Oil sheen hair spray.