Hair history...What now?

[NaturallyNik]

First of all, hi I'm new here.

My hair has gone through a lot of transitions in the past 5 years and now I'm trying to get back to my glory days.

I stopped getting perms at age 12 when I switched to Dominican wash and sets (one of the many perks of living in NY). When I moved to DC for college I continued to make the pilgrimage to NY for my wash and set every 2-4 weeks. I never washed my own hair, wrapped every night, and touched up my bangs and ends with a flat iron (non-ceramic) when needed. From Aug '06 to Sept '07 I went from SL to nearly BSL, about 6-7 inches.

Then I got lazy and didn't feel like traveling all the way to NY to get my hair done all the time. So I started doing my own hair and came across a process that worked for me for the most part. This is before I knew anything about taking care of my own hair so I just washed, conditioned, braided in sections to air dry, applied heat protector and flat ironed. Boom. Straight hair without going to NY. My hair continued to flourish to it's longest in early 2009.

After a couple months of maintaining my hair this way, I purchased one of those flat irons from the "Get it Straight" booth in the mall in June 2009 which was much hotter than the one I normally used.

By early 2010 I lost about 5" off my hair. The bottom was so choppy and uneven I had to do a semi-BC and go to a bob which I currently have. Not to mention I now have a bald patch my derm said is alopecia (great ) so I'm always trying to be aware of that. I've also lost some hair in my "kitchen" area.

SO, what now? I turned the iron down below 370 when I use it, switched to Carol's Daughter, started taking the hair vitamins and I've gotten maybe 2" back since my semi-BC in Aug '10, but only in the BACK .

Keep in mind, when my hair is in it's most natural form (cleaned and air dried), it's not curly! It's not kinky! It's just....big. Poofy I guess would be the word. My hair has never been curly or completely straight which makes it difficult for me to find a regimen that works for me.

Sorry for the essay but any info or insight would be greatly appreciated!

Below is a timeline of my hair growth and loss up til now.

 

[MsChelle]

First off, WELCOME!!!!! I am sure you will learn a ton of great information here in this forum. These ladies are on point!!!!.

I am no expert but it sounds to me like you may have some significant heat damage going on if your hair doesn't curl when it's in its natural state. Are you still using your flat iron? What products do you currently use to maintain your hair?

 

[Dak]

I agree with MsChelle, it sounds like your hair is heat damaged.

I would add a heat cap to your conditioning routine, get another flat iron, (do a search, lots of good ones out there), trim to even up your edges.

What conditioners are you using? I like Aveda's Damage Remedy line, but it is on the pricey side, and it helps to use the entire line, shampoo, conditioner, to get good results.

Sabino makes a very good heat protectant.

It sounds like your hair grows fast, you'll have long hair again in no time.

edited to add, is there any wave/curl pattern when your hair is wet? Not brushed or combed, but straight out of the shower?

 

[NaturallyNik]

Thanks for the welcome ladies


Right now I use Carol's Daughter Tui Shampoo and Hair Smoothie. I usually leave the smoothie in for 15-30 minutes depending on how much time I have to do my hair. I also use the CD oil almost every night before I wrap my hair because in the morning I don't have to use any additional product and my hair feels good all day.

I still use my flat iron but usually not every day. After I wash and condition my hair I separate it into sections and braid to down. I usually let it air dry but if I'm in a rush I'll use the H/H dryer to get it going. Then I apply a heat protector (the one in the pink bottle) and flat iron. I follow that with the CD oil and wrap it.

I was just thinking I should get a different flat iron but I paid over $100 for that one damn it lol.

edited to add- There is a wave pattern at the root and then it gets bone straight down the shaft to the end. My older sister has very curly hair but mine has never been known to hold a curl. My sister said it's because I've been straightening my hair since like...birth. I always wished I had a head full of curls but I fear I would have to chop all my hair off to get it and my head is too funny shaped for a short cut lol

 

[Vashti]

I haven't flat ironed my hair so far so I have no insight on your situation right now, but -Welcome anyway! NaturallyNik!

 

[smoothie696]

Sounds like heat damage. I think you should try to limit your amount of heat to once a month.

 

[ashleymichelle1]

welcome!

& I agree w/ the poster above. sounds like heat damage. You should limit your heat if you wanna bring out your natural curl pattern. You don't have to cut all your hair off you can just "transition" from the heat damage. You can try styles like twist-outs, braidouts & bantu-knot sets or rollersets because they do not involve using heat at all or direct heat... I would definitly stay away from the flat iron for as long as you can if your goal is to bring back your hair texture.

 

[Dak]

Thanks for the welcome ladies


Right now I use Carol's Daughter Tui Shampoo and Hair Smoothie. I usually leave the smoothie in for 15-30 minutes depending on how much time I have to do my hair. I also use the CD oil almost every night before I wrap my hair because in the morning I don't have to use any additional product and my hair feels good all day.

I still use my flat iron but usually not every day. After I wash and condition my hair I separate it into sections and braid to down. I usually let it air dry but if I'm in a rush I'll use the H/H dryer to get it going. Then I apply a heat protector (the one in the pink bottle) and flat iron. I follow that with the CD oil and wrap it.

I was just thinking I should get a different flat iron but I paid over $100 for that one damn it lol.

edited to add- There is a wave pattern at the root and then it gets bone straight down the shaft to the end. My older sister has very curly hair but mine has never been known to hold a curl. My sister said it's because I've been straightening my hair since like...birth. I always wished I had a head full of curls but I fear I would have to chop all my hair off to get it and my head is too funny shaped for a short cut lol

I've been flat ironing my hair for years now, it is possible not to have heat damage even though you're wearing it straight. I still have the same curl pattern. I only flat iron after I've washed & conditioned, and always use a good heat protectant. Sabino works really well for me and lasts forever. Another thing that helps is to roller set your hair first, then you really won't need that much heat to straighten. Leaving your conditioner on for 1/2 hour is not the same as baking it in using a heat cap. The heat cap is really worth the investment. They're like $25 to $30 on Amazon.

I use a Chi knockoff that Sallys was selling for a while, GVP Ceramic Flat Iron, works great. It may be your flat iron is fine, does it have a thermostat? And ceramic coating? Maybe you just need to turn the heat down.

IMO, there are better product lines out there than CD. For what you're paying for CD, you could get a much better conditioner. If you look at what's actually in it, (first ingredient in their conditioner is Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin,) you can do much better.

 

[klb120475]