Have you ever had to nurse your hair back to health?

[morehairplease]

First, thanks to the OP and all of you ladies for this thread! Currently, I am nursing my hair back to health(yet again it seems) from a corrective relaxer gone wrong two weeks ago. Unlike previous times, I would just big chop and start over(this was easier for me b/c I wanted the quick fix) but this time I am determined to nurse my hair back to health.

 

[NYAmicas]

I had to nurse my hair back after getting bleached highlights pre-LHCF. Around that time I always let others work in my hair since it was too much for me to handle. I didnt know anything about conditioning/moisture and soon after getting the highlights at the salon my hair was breaking like crazy. I went from almost APL to above the shoulders. I then let my friends put extensions on my dirty, dry hair and when I took the braids out I used scissors and cut some hair.

I started researching black hair hair, found LHCF and started doing my own hair after that. I didnt cut my hair, eventually the highlighted parts broke off and I co-washed my hair and stretched until my hair grew healthy again.
I made it to bra-strap but colored my hair again recently and just went through some serious hair breakage. Im trying to fix these knots, velcro hair, and breakage right now.

 

[madamone]

That's what I'm doing right now.

I found LHCF in 2007. I had very dry ends that looked split and I was always cutting them. I learned about baggying and moisture and protein here. My hair thrived. I stopped relaxing for about 5 months and with cowashing, oil rinses, vitamins and everything else I learned here I was in hair heaven.

Well, I let family members challenge my hair happiness. They picked on me about my cowashes and low manipulation regimen. "Why don't you do something about your hair?" "You want me to pay for you to get your hair done?" Funny thing about it, they had never seen my hair so long and healthy. They just were not used to seeing me looking anything other than perfectly (What they consider perfect) coiffed. Twist outs and wash and gos don't count. That's not "doing" your hair in their eyes. DH had no issues with it. I was happy too. I got tired of defending myself. Next thing I know I'm back in the chair getting relaxed and chopped.

So about 3 weeks ago I did a self touch up using a new product. I didn't add oil to it and I think I got a bad batch. Now I have major down to the scalp breakage. Everytime I think about it I want to cry.

Now I am back and determined not to leave. I will stand my ground and maintain MY hair the way I want to. I can't believe I had to learn the hard way after all I have read and learned on LHCF from some of the stories you ladies have shared. But I bumped my head, I won't be bumping it again.

Happy New Year Ladies.

 

[cutiebe2]

Around the time I joined LHCF I was in Spain for my junior year of HS. My mom kept saying "what about your hair"? and I just dismissed it and said I would deal with it. When I left for Spain my hair was collar bone length and it good shape. Because I was on my own, straightening daily, had no access to black hair care products, my hair was horrible

I remember around December of that year, I was able to split the strands of my hair ALL THE WAY UP THE SHAFT In April I went to UK to visit family and had to get all my hair chopped off. It was then that I found LHCF. I was looking up about Cathy Howse because I knew about her, and so then I found the site.

The first year was hard but I just stuck with Crown and Glory and working on moisture. I had so much moisture and grease in my hair that if I rested my head on a chair you would see grease stains It was also hard because that was my senior year of HS. I was at boarding school with no way to get my hair done, so when I wasn't it braids I just had a TWA and I did not have enough confidence at that time to have a TWA. I remember my teacher's SO (black man of course) asked me if he should give me money to get my hair done because I was looking rougherplexed I still stuck with it but for a 17 year old that hurt!!!

Anyway, this is a tangent, but the one this is patience and dedication. I was so dedicated and did everything to make sure the hair coming out my head was getting the car it needed. I took lots of vits and did C&G religiously.

In June, it will be my 3 year anniversary and I will finally post some progress pics...you will be amazed!!

 

[Latomian]

Yes, from having braids this past summer. It's doing much better. Now, I just have to figure out this shedding problem.

 

[Latomian]

Around the time I joined LHCF I was in Spain for my junior year of HS. My mom kept saying "what about your hair"? and I just dismissed it and said I would deal with it. When I left for Spain my hair was collar bone length and it good shape. Because I was on my own, straightening daily, had no access to black hair care products, my hair was horrible

I remember around December of that year, I was able to split the strands of my hair ALL THE WAY UP THE SHAFT In April I went to UK to visit family and had to get all my hair chopped off. It was then that I found LHCF. I was looking up about Cathy Howse because I knew about her, and so then I found the site.

The first year was hard but I just stuck with Crown and Glory and working on moisture. I had so much moisture and grease in my hair that if I rested my head on a chair you would see grease stains It was also hard because that was my senior year of HS. I was at boarding school with no way to get my hair done, so when I wasn't it braids I just had a TWA and I did not have enough confidence at that time to have a TWA. I remember my teacher's SO (black man of course) asked me if he should give me money to get my hair done because I was looking rougherplexed I still stuck with it but for a 17 year old that hurt!!!

Anyway, this is a tangent, but the one this is patience and dedication. I was so dedicated and did everything to make sure the hair coming out my head was getting the car it needed. I took lots of vits and did C&G religiously.

In June, it will be my 3 year anniversary and I will finally post some progress pics...you will be amazed!!

What's TWA?

 

[Brooklyn72]

I've had a couple oops in my lifetime when it comes to hair. I had BSL hair with little effort in my early college days. I was playing with color and didn't like how it turned out so I went to a random hair salon and they told me to go get permanent black color from Sally's and bring it back to have them put it on for me. Yes this should have been my first sign to keep it movin... She put the color on and sat me under the dryer for 45 minutes!! When she washed me out my hair fell out into the sink. I had to cut my hair to about .5 inches off my head all over. I grew it back to BSL then had my son. My hair started shedding and I lost my entire hair line and ended up cutting my hair a little longer than neck length. I kept it there until September of 08 at which time I found this sight. I'm now past shoulder length and on my way to APL with weekly rollersetting, DC, and protein condish. I also color my hair but it has no ill effect on the health of it.

 

[Galadriel]

I've had protein overload before (fixed it with overnight baggying), and what led me to find LHCF was a horrific hair experience. I went to a hairstylist who asked if she could "trim" my split ends. I had braids/cornrows for weeks beforehand and had just taken them out (I was pregnant and usually get my hair braided toward the end) and so I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a good trim.

Now, she first put a relaxer in my hair b/c she said my hair would look better that way (I was natural) and afterward my hair just felt wiry and dried out. Then, when she trimmed, she cut my nearly APL hair up to neck length erplexed

So once I found LHCF I was so happy...and you could definitely say I nursed my hair back to health--and believe me, it was BUSTED! You can always bounce back with some TLC and the wealth of information and advice from LHCF

 

[Shay72]

I'm working on it now. I am always in this vicious cycle. I get my hair to SL then I cease everything and let it break off back to ear length or chin length. I've also been a self relaxer for years and always put the entire container of relaxer through my hair from root to tip. I would leave it in until it burned. I was SL but it was very thin bc I was shedding and breaking up a storm. My bathroom floor was always covered in hair. Got fed up and found LHCF. Been on this current journey for 4 months now. I was fortunate enough to find staples in my first month here and have never strayed. Been consistent the entire time. Stretching my relaxer, wet bunning, deep conditioning, airdrying, daily moisturizing and cowashing have really changed the health of my hair. I figured out my hair loves protein too. I could go on and on but I will stop here.

 

[grnidmonster]

I have lost and re-grown so much hair I don't know where to start. This last setback was finally not my fault.

I have lupus and I have been unable to get an expensive medication I need for severe anemia. We all know anemia will put all your hair on the bathroom floor and that is exactly what happened to about 50% of my. Stress and a baad job/boss took out anothor quarter and I have been baby the remaining 25% while I try to grow the rest back to BSL.

Oh well, the up side is that I have been @ BSL so many times, I know how to get there.

 

[facets]

..Currently trying to nurse mine back..I had locs but my care regimen was honestly shady-to-nonexistent. It took a weekend for me and my mom to cut and then tease/comb/pray them out.

...After that I had to recut the surviving hair for 'shape' (I'll need to cut again but I'm not quite ready yet..lol).

It's crazy because I did this years ago and it went much better last time. D'oh!

So I'm doing lots of deep conditioning, cowashing & spritzing. It's still dry but it's much better. A friend suggested(well, reminded me of) unsalted butter ~ it really softened but the smell & getting it out of my hair was sort of a pain.