Hi, I'm new to this forum and eager for advice

[imnatural]

I have a love hate relationship with my 4a/4b hair. Over the years I have switched back and forth between relaxed hair and natural. My hair looks great when it's relaxed and holds styles wonderfully, but no matter what it always begins to break off in the "kitchen." That's when I'll decide that I hate relaxers and "go natural." Which works fine until it gets to be about 7 inches long. At that point it's too thick and kinky and difficult to comb out, so I get frustrastated and end up just raking through my hair and getting massive amounts of breakage. That's usually the point where I decide that I need to go back to a relaxer. This cycle is horrible!!!

Two days ago I almost relaxed my nearly shoulder length hair, but it was my DH who reminded me that whenever I get a relaxer I later regret it. That's what made me finally turn to the internet for some hair advice. It was then that I found this forum. After checking out a few posts, I was soooooo glad that I had not gotten a relaxer.

Prior to yesterday, I had been using just any old shampoo and conditioner that seemed to make it easier for me to comb out my wet hair and I have been doing mainly twists using beeswax and occassionally a braid out. I have very limited styles in my arsenal.

I have now decided that I want to search out products that not only help detangle, but that are also good for the hair. I went out and bought Miss Jessie's Creme de la Curl Shampoo and Creme de la Creme Conditioner along with Curly Butter Cream (They had a buy one get one free sale). So far I like the results.

I can't wait to finally learn how to love my hair and watch and it grow.

 

[Pooks]

The first thing if you want to stay natural will be to learn patience and acceptance of your hair type. Dragging a comb through your hair in frustration won't get you very far in the hair health/growth game, believe me. If you do a search you can find lots of 4a/b specific information which should be helpful to you.

This thread is a great resource for newbies:

Newbie Manual

Do you have any specific questions?

 

[Lady Esquire]

Welcome! Whether you're natural or relaxed, as long as you have a solid regimen, remain consistent and treat your hair well, you'll have beautiful and healthy hair.

Read SistaSlick's articles on creating a regimen.

Sistaslick's Hair Breakage 101 Thread:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...ad.php?t=84746

Regimen Building Article by SistaSlick
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/288340/hair_regimen_building_for_newbies.html

SistaSlick's Fotki where you can find more of her informative articles
http://public.fotki.com/sistaslick/sistaslicks-healthy/regimen-building-pr/

 

[Lady Esquire]

Also go to the Sticky threads that are at the top of the Hair forum. There are some life-saving posts there.

Tips:
Use wide-tooth combs only.

Comb from ENDS first and work your way up, as opposed to combing from roots first and ripping your hair.

Try to coat the hair with some oil or conditioner prior to detangling. Warm oil or conditioner or both is best sometimes.

Try coating the hair with oil/condish prior to shampooing. Look for shampoos that are not drying: moisturizing shampoos. Shampoo only the roots and not the rest of the strands. And use the shampoo sparingly to avoid stripping your hair.

Deep condition at least once a week, preferable with heat. The conditioner goes on the rest of the strands, especially the ends.

Days when you want to wash, but your hair is not super dirty, try washing with conditioner only. This is called co-washing or conditioner-rinsing. This leaves the hair clean but not devoid of all elasticity and moisture. Some people do the same with oil, called oil-rinsing.

When the hair feels coated or has product build-up, use a clarifying shampoo to start fresh. And some ladies follow it with a moisturizing shampoo if needed.

Keep your protein/moisture balance in check. And incorporate porosity maintenance as well.

Try to use moisturizer twice a day, and seal it with an oil. Concentrate on the ends when applying products.

Wear styles that protect the ends for a while. Stay away from hair tools that rip, tug, or may break the hair and use cloth/silky scrunchies and safer tools to style. Sleep on smooth cloth (satin/silk).

 

[ceebee3]

Welcome, you'll find many great tips and advice for healthy hair.

 

[Mz.Shug]

Welcome!!!!

You've def. come to the right place!There's an abundance of information here whether your natural, relaxed or texlaxed.In addition to this wonderful forum I'd highly recommend that you pay a visit to http://www.curlynikki.com/ Happy growing!

 

[Live4Me]

Welcome! You will see that there is a lot of wisdom here and most stuff that you are curious about someone has already tried. HHG!

 

[imnatural]

Thanks for the quick welcome and responses.

LadyEsquire I will defnitely apply those tips and check out the threads you reccommend.

 

[RubyWoo]

Welcome ! You should also check out the following thread. It's thread where naturals share their hair care regimen. I think this should help you with respect to building a regimen.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=423560&highlight=

 

[Platinum]

 

[sharifeh]

welcome!!! you will find a wealth of information here!!!

 

[cgolden]

i definately found it harder to deal with my hair at its current length, between sl and apl, when i continued to treat it like it was a twa. i have found that washing my hair in braids or sections, and wearing braid outs, or keeping my hair stretched, has tremendously cut down on tangles and breakage. and i love my hair throughout the week. i'd also suggest "the detangler" a GVP at sally's

 

[isabella09]

to the forum. Wishing you a successful hair care journey

 

[brucebettye]

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of good advice on natural or relax hair.

 

[vkb247]

Welcome! If you are ever interested in a product than do a quick search. There is so much information here and LHCFers have tried almost everything. They can sometimes even tell you how they made a product they didn't like work for them.

The ladies have already given great advice and I just wanted to add that deep conditioning (dcing) every time you wash/cowash your hair can make an extreme difference in your hair. Especially if you have issues with dryness or feel like your hair is difficult to manage. When I found hair boards and started cowashing and doing treatments on a regular basis my hair started to become totally different than it had ever been before.