Help Please!!

[indarican]

Girl, calm down!! My suggestion is.......twice a week, wash with a cheap condtioner like VO5 (use like you would shampoo), follow with a deep condition for a minimun of 1 hour with heat (KUZ sounds good). When rinsing out the deep conditioner, leave a little in (don't washout completely - your hair should feel slippery). Then apply a light coating of extra virgin unrefined coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil while your hair is still wet (this is "sealing"). Do a two strand twist and let your hair air dry (may also use a hard bonnet hair dryer on low setting). Leave the twists in for a day or two, then takeout and style (I like the messy, loose bun) for a day or two. Then start the process over. Do this for a few (8) weeks - this will give your hair a chance to rest and you will see if this basic regimen works for you. Once you get the hang of it, you can add or substract steps as needed. In the meantime, do lots of research.

BTW, you may want to use a clarifying shampoo, once (& only once), at the begining. This will remove any product buildup and "gunk" from your hair. Follow with the steps outlined above. If you use products without the "cones" you should not need to use shampoo for several weeks afterwards..

Good luck! and take a breath ;-).

Wow that was very helpful, I dont know if i will be able to keep the twists in for two days because i have a desk job and i dont think they would appreciate that look very much. Is it ok if after it air dries i put it up in the bun?

 

[sharifeh]

Wow that was very helpful, I dont know if i will be able to keep the twists in for two days because i have a desk job and i dont think they would appreciate that look very much. Is it ok if after it air dries i put it up in the bun?

yes it is ok if you do that.

 

[JMH1908]

thank you for your post. what do you mean when you say seal it?

Sorry for just now noticing you asked the question above, but Ensjg598 answered it. Its good to always try to seal the moisture in your hair with a good essential oil, especially on the ends. It seems that you have some great info so you should be well on your way..just it take one day at a time and listen to your hair and you will be fine.

 

[sharifeh]

For shampoo, I don't have a main one I jump alot... Just figured out that was bad... For conditioner I use a product called KUZ... It helps with the tangles. Moisturizer, I have like a bucket full all unsuccessful.

which shampoo are you using right now?
and which moisturizers specifically were unsuccessful?

 

[Ronnieaj]

Wow that was very helpful, I dont know if i will be able to keep the twists in for two days because i have a desk job and i dont think they would appreciate that look very much. Is it ok if after it air dries i put it up in the bun?

Just a note: I'm an attorney and meet with clients and go to Court all the time, and I leave my twists in for a week. I make sure they're nicely done, and I style my twists like I would my hair, which means leaving it down, pinning it back, wearing it half up half down, whatever. I wish someone would say something about it.

 

[indarican]

which shampoo are you using right now?
and which moisturizers specifically were unsuccessful?

Right now im using creme of nature shampoo, it smells real nice. As for moisturizers, the whole bed head moisturizer line was no good, herbal essences moisturizers no good, dark and lovely moistuizers, optimum moisturizers, and some others all no good.

 

[indarican]

Just a note: I'm an attorney and meet with clients and go to Court all the time, and I leave my twists in for a week. I make sure they're nicely done, and I style my twists like I would my hair, which means leaving it down, pinning it back, wearing it half up half down, whatever. I wish someone would say something about it.

yea so true, i guess it shouldnt matter what i look like as long as im doing the work.

 

[Dak]

Hello all,
My hair is very wavy, poofy and very very thick, but not kinky.

I can definitely relate to the description of your hair, as that's what mine sounds like!

So right now your hair is relaxed? If you want to maintain relaxing your hair, I think every 4 months is a good timetable.

Short of going natural, one of the best ways of maintaining healthy hair is to learn to roller set. There are quite a few tutorials on youtube on how to do it, but basically, you take a section of hair and wind it around a roller. Doesn't take a lot of special skill. It does take time to roller set & dry, but it gives you such a great headstart on a style for the week. After I roller set, I run a flat iron through to even out the texture. Then I'm set until I wash again!

Let me know if you'd like some product recommendations.

 

[indarican]

I can definitely relate to the description of your hair, as that's what mine sounds like!

So right now your hair is relaxed? If you want to maintain relaxing your hair, I think every 4 months is a good timetable.

Short of going natural, one of the best ways of maintaining healthy hair is to learn to roller set. There are quite a few tutorials on youtube on how to do it, but basically, you take a section of hair and wind it around a roller. Doesn't take a lot of special skill. It does take time to roller set & dry, but it gives you such a great headstart on a style for the week. After I roller set, I run a flat iron through to even out the texture. Then I'm set until I wash again!

Let me know if you'd like some product recommendations.

I would love some product recommendations, i need all the help in the world, and looking at your avatar pic is so insperational, i wish my hair was like that.

 

[Dak]

Thanks indarican!

Well, it is an investment, but Aveda Damage Remedy line (shampoos & two conditioners to alternate with) is fantastic. The shampoo works synergistically with the conditioner, & deep conditioning (using heat) with the conditioner did wonders for my hair. I really have to say it helped me get to this length. If you go to an Aveda salon, not a retailer, my experience has been that they're generous with samples, so say if you bought the small shampoo & asked for a sample of the conditioner, they will happily let you sample. That way you have a minimal investment to see if you like the product. For a setting lotion I use Aveda's Smooth Infusion Smoother. During the week I add some sort of oil (coconut oil) to my ends & to my nape area to keep it smooth.

To protect my hair from heat, I use Sabino's Moisture Block. Between that & the BKT on my hair hair, I have no problem with poofiness anymore.

Feel free to ask me anymore question, I'd be happy to help.

 

[indarican]

Thanks indarican!

Well, it is an investment, but Aveda Damage Remedy line (shampoos & two conditioners to alternate with) is fantastic. The shampoo works synergistically with the conditioner, & deep conditioning (using heat) with the conditioner did wonders for my hair. I really have to say it helped me get to this length. If you go to an Aveda salon, not a retailer, my experience has been that they're generous with samples, so say if you bought the small shampoo & asked for a sample of the conditioner, they will happily let you sample. That way you have a minimal investment to see if you like the product. For a setting lotion I use Aveda's Smooth Infusion Smoother. During the week I add some sort of oil (coconut oil) to my ends & to my nape area to keep it smooth.

To protect my hair from heat, I use Sabino's Moisture Block. Between that & the BKT on my hair hair, I have no problem with poofiness anymore.

Feel free to ask me anymore question, I'd be happy to help.

Thank you what does BKT stand for?

 

[curlicarib]

Hey indarican! It's me again! As far as wearing your twists at work, I'm an engineer and I meet with customers & contractors on a daily basis and I get lots of compliments on my hair, whether it's in twists or twistouts. As long as it's neat & clean, you shouldn't have a problem. I wear my twists in buns, loose or any other way I like. If you need some styling ideas try www.curlynikki.com. She has a few basic styles that are simple and easy to do.

My only other suggestions would be to keep it simple for now. At the begining of your healthy hair journey, you don't want to go trying too many things all at once, because you may not be able to figure out which product gave you really good (or bad) results. Start with a basic washing conditioner, a deep conditioner and sealing oil. Work with these for a while and then start adding other things slowly until you are happy and confortable with your new regimen.

Good Luck!

 

[Dak]

Thank you what does BKT stand for?

BKT stands for Brazilian Keratin Treatment. It's a product that is "ironed" onto the hair that makes hair more manageable for many of us here on the board. It's not permanent and will wash out over time, faster if you use products that have salts in them.

It's rather expensive to have done professionally and most salons don't want to do it on natural hair anyways so I'm a DIY'er along with many here on the board. You want to have healthy hair to start and to have some skill with a flat iron. There's a huge thread on it: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=357933 if you want to read about it. I should warn you though, it's has it's controversy since the product is formaldehyde based. (like most nail polishes). You want to be well ventilated.

Though honestly, I would not suggest this to you at this point in your hair journey. Learn how to have healthy hair you're happy with first.