How Did You Create Your Hair Regimen?

[Isis]

Did you create yours from scratch? Did you come to LHCF already having a good regimen? Do you have one yet?

Before I learned about the hairboards, I was already using good products, like Nexxus Humectress and Aveda Anti-Humectant, although I have since learned how to use both in better ways. I started out by addressing my number one concern, which was how to style my hair with no heat, if at all possible.

Using direct heat (now I know I also did it improperly ) on my relaxed hair led to thin, see-through hair with pieces of hair constantly all over the bathroom and sink. The smell of burned hair was finally getting to me also. Although my hair was SL (the Humectress was probably a big help there), maybe an inch below, it hovered around that length for a long time. I just knew there had to be better way. :scratchch

I started searching the Internet, found this board and searched until I found some airdrying posts. This led to my adopting the ponytail rollersetting procedure (originated by Pandora), which led to discovering leave-in conditioners for the first time and soon I had the basics of a working regimen. I am always open to new ways to make my regimen even better.

So how did you create your hair regimen? Are you still learning how to create one?

 

[nakialovesshoes]

When I 1st did my BC, I went to a natural hair salon and had a product consultation. I bought the suggested no poo, conditioner & styling products & received some samples of some other products. I only knew about Fotki at that time. From what I found on Fotki, I began altering my routine & then I found LHCF. Can someone shout HALLELUJAH with me? Since learning about the Ayurvedic herbs, I have been able to pretty much get a set routine. At this point, I plan to add one more herb to my routine - I can't seem to find it at any of the local Indian grocery stores. I also plan to henna starting this month & I'm waiting on Candy_C's moisturizer to arrive. After the addition of these 3, I'm set for a minute & have vowed not to get on any bandwagons & stick to what works for me.
Wait, scratch that - I do wanna try the Gro Aut line & then that's it I promise!

 

[locabouthair]

I got the tips from the board. before I came I was doing whatever, whenever to my hair. No moisturizer, no DC.

Everything I do, I learned from you guys

The only thing I am stil struggling with is this moisture/protein balance. I think I need to switch moisturizer, use a different leave, or get a better DC because my hair doesnt retain moisture well even when I use kenra MC.

 

[Queen V]

I got the tips from the board. before I came I was doing whatever, whenever to my hair. No moisturizer, no DC.

Everything I do, I learned from you guys

Co-signing on the above. Before LHCF, I was just doing whatever to my hair; after lurking for a while and learning more about healthy hair practices, I came up with a regimen that works for me.

 

[wannabelong]

Co-signing as well.

 

[smuice]

I had always had an interest in good haircare habits but little did I know that despite using my nexxus products and EVOO and having my thick I thought unmanageable hair under a weave although it would grow out past my shoulders- I was not really being consciously caring towards my hair.

I have now adopted a proper regime from things I have learn't here i.e thew no heat thing- heads up to ISIS! and the co-washing Henna and other tid-bits.!

I have also learnt that we can use relaxers safely and retain length and body...and by having a consistent regime your hair will grow to the length of your desires!

 

[WriterGirl]

I didn't know what a "hair regimen" was until last summer.

I just went to the salon every 3 weeks and washed my hair when I felt it was dirty in between times. Didn't know what protein treatments were (although I was using them without knowing), and DC? What's DC? The city?

Everything that I'm doing now in my regimen, I learned from this board. I lurked here for about 4 months before I joined and have learned so much. I'm still finding products that work best for me, but my hair is already thanking me.

 

[silverlotus]

I honestly don't remember what first led me to the board. I wish I could. I think it's cuz was away at college with noone to do my hair & I had bleached highlights that were breaking off.

Anyway, to build a regimen, I pretty much just read everything. I accomplish much more when I know why things work, so Sistaslick's articles were a BIG help. Also, I observed what worked for people who were making good progress & adapted the common elements into my regimen. Now I wash & d/c 1-2x/week, moisturize daily, stretch, low-mani & protective style (all things that consistently help grow long, healthy hair and make sense to me).

Finding products was more trial & error, understanding ingredients, and using my intuition than anything. I'm open to ways to improve my reggie, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I have now.

 

[SpiritJunkie]

I didn't have a regimen until i came to the boards. i relied very heavily on my stylist for taking care of my hair.

due to personal circumstances i could no longer afford the stylists and that led to research on the internet. What a blessing!!!

I read reviews on hair products, checked out fotkis, read the trial tribulations of others like i was studying for an exam and the results is a pretty decent regimen that suits my hair.

My hair has done a big 360 since finding this place and I am still learning. I am still refining my regimen. I am even now thinking about going natural..inspiration by Southerntresses and my daughter.

 

[blackmaven]

I was always obsessed with my hair looking nice. I discovered regimen for hair here. I kept buying products through trial and error to figure out what will work best for my hair type. This board has help me a great deal no longer co-dependent on stylists can do most things myself except relaxing.

 

[tocktick]

before i joined hair boards i had no regimen. actually, i don't think i actually knew that some women had set plans for how to treat their hair. my own regimen was born out of trial and error. i had to create it when i bc'd so i had no idea what would work on my hair. i learnt about the basics (deep conditioning, conditioning, washing, combing etc) and found out how i should go about doing these things (how often, with that products etc).

i was always too broke to be a fully-fledged pj but i tried out a few things and was lucky to have found my staples quite early on. i also tried a couple of methods like co-washing and no combing. i soon found out what worked for me. sometimes i try out new techniques that i think will improve the condition of my hair such as oil rinsing and henna (both worked well but were too messy).

currently, all i do is wash, condition & detangle once per week then apply castor oil to wet hair and air dry. once a month i deep condition (with a protein conditioner). most days i will rinse my hair and apply castor oil. that's about it. my hair is soft and strong and i'm not spending a bomb on products or wasting a lot of time carrying out a complicated reggie.

 

[Jetblackhair]

Before I found LHCF, I had started using Cathy's Howse's method (no heat, deep conditioning) but I didn't have a full regimen.

It wasn't until I came here that I learned about building a regimen. Getting product reviews, reading labels, a little trial & error, etc. really helped me.

LHCF

 

[Saida]

im having problems creating one that I can follow consistantly, right now my regime is just to do whatever my hair needs at the moment, but with some exeptions

I do not use heat, unless its to take pictures of my progress, and even then I rarely use it.

I wear a bun everyday, but not because I want to, I just do it I guess, comes naturally.

hmm, what else?? yeah I shampoo aproximatly every two weeks. and clarify every 3 months I woud say..

this works for now I guess, Im not sure if I really had a consistent regime with diffrent rules and stuff, that it would make my hair better, although I do think I wash it to much, im having a hard time changing that, I just HAVE to wash my hair after a work out.. otherwise I feel dirty.

 

[nappity]

@ tocktick- Look at all that hair ! gojus, just gojus!!!

10 years ago, I felt that I wanted to do something different for the millennium. It was the start of a new millennial and I didn't want to be doing the same thing-s so I started googling natural hair care which led me to blogs, which led me to hair boards and product recommendations. I researched for over a year as I was transitioning with casamas braids. My big chop was December1999 and I've been learning ever since- though I have a pretty good regimen- I always like to try different things- as my hair gets longer- the needs of my hair are different. No way can I wash and go anymore!!
I learned about leave-ins and conditioner washes and Carol's daughter HHB. Without that I would have probably just returned to relaxing my hair.
So Im glad for the process and now I can extrapolate things like ayurveda and MN and Cassia to enhance what I have .

 

[ichephren]

Reading a ton of regimens and stalking lhcf ladies with great 4a and sometimes 3c type hair. Listening to my hair b/c it always tells me what I need to do next and what needs to change. The easiest way to build a regimen is to find holy grails for each category of product and just listen to your hair as to when to use them.

 

[wheezy807]

When i first was introduced to the hair boards the first beautiful head that caught my attention was Sistaslick. When i saw her regimen i pretty much copied it and it worked for me luckily. I stil like to experiment here and there with prepoo and what not.

 

[tocktick]

@ tocktick- Look at all that hair ! gojus, just gojus!!!

thank you

 

[Lady Esquire]

I first hopped on the healthy hair wagon after reading Carolyn Gray's book. Carolyn Gray has a 6-week regimen that I followed religiously. Cathy House's book was my first choice, but it was out of stock at that time.

I later found fotki, and that led me to the boards. The boards helped me fine-tune my regimen. And its been on since.

 

[Isis]

I first hopped on the healthy hair wagon after reading Carolyn Gray's book. Carolyn Gray has a 6-week regimen that I followed religiously. Cathy House's book was my first choice, but it was out of stock at that time.

I later found fotki, and that led me to the boards. The boards helped me fine-tune my regimen. And its been on since.

I forgot all about Cathy Howse's (as Jetblackhair also mentioned) and Carolyn Gray's books. I read them around the same time I started with LHCF. Since Cathy Howse's hair was relaxed and closest to my hair type, I adopted her suggestion of washing and deep conditioning 2 x each week. She used heat at that time but I chose to airdry. I still love visiting Carolyn Gray's site every now and then. However, I learned the most from LHCF--more than these or any other books could provide.

 

[tbaby_8]

Honestly, I didn't know people had a regimen to taking care of their hair. I just poo'ed my hair every week to every two weeks and styled. I don't like a lot of direct heat on my hair. I have always gotten roller sets because I think they make my hair look fuller.

I never heard of co-washing or oil rinsing or some other things until I happened upon this board and another board also. I have learned a great deal from all of the ladies on this site. Some stuff I already knew, like DC and protein treatments, but about the organic products and the oils, that stuff has been a great help and to that I say thank you to all of you. I have went to some of you alls foktis and read your regimens and they have helped me to start working on one for myself. I just have to become consistent with my own.

 

[prospurr4]

Before hairboards, I was visiting my regular fitness forum and a fellow member mentioned that she is also a member at LHCF and posted the link. She also said that she has a "hair regimen," a term that was new to me. I clicked on the link which led me here.

Apparently I already had a regimen but just didn't know it. I've always washed my hair weekly, stretched my relaxers, wore low-manipulation styles, used products from the Motions line, etc. The problem was that my regimen also contained products and practices that were bad for my hair. For example, I was using gobs of wrap foam, with SD Alcohol, and spritz on a weekly basis. When I flatironed, I wasn't satisfied unless my hair was sizzling in a smoke-filled bathroom. I never protected my hair, either from clothing or at bedtime. From the knowledge gained here, and other hairboards, I've made adjustments. As a result, my hair is thriving. So, I'm happy with my regimen and don't think I'll be changing anything.

 

[Evazhair]

Pre-LHCF I had a decent regimen wash/dc/rollerset weekly. I got a 5 in 1 treatment with every touchup. I used keracare, carol's daughter somm and natural oasis consistently. I would switch back and forth between keracare conditioners. I knew from being natural before that my hair loves/needs moisture/oil, but the moisture was fleeting with the products I was using. I thought that keracare first lather took care of my clarifying needs--I was wrong. Shampoos was good, but very stripping. I love keracare setting lotion, but it was drying out my hair. All of the moisturizers I tried either dried out my hair or weighed it down. LHCF helped me tweak my regimen with prepooing, chelating, and diluting shampoo. I learned about dominican products which my hair loves. I started experimenting in May and by August, I no longer had dryness issues. In Sept. I got my Pibbs 514 and it has been on ever since. This winter is the first winter since I was natural that I haven't had dryness issues from the cold. I love to switch up different prepoos. LHCF has also taught me how to use light proteins between touchups with success.

 

[Lady Esquire]

I first hopped on the healthy hair wagon after reading Carolyn Gray's book. Carolyn Gray has a 6-week regimen that I followed religiously. Cathy House's book was my first choice, but it was out of stock at that time.

I later found fotki, and that led me to the boards. The boards helped me fine-tune my regimen. And its been on since.

And also, I was natural for a year and I stalked motowngirl.com. That site helped me out so much in the beginning, so I had to give her props. Her hair recipes are still useful, even now that I am a relaxed head.

 

[Ronda123]

Well, before the hairboards, I was going to a hair salon. I came across this hairboard when I decided I wanted to become a DIY. I later found what worked for me by trying different products listed on this site. It took a while but I finally found what my hair likes and what works for me. Thanks to this hairboard, I have learned so much!

 

[mzcris]

I had a regiment but nothing like I have now. I'm more consistent now. Thus far I am happy with my regiment.

 

[HoneyA]

I learned everything from online articles and websites on haircare because I had no regimen at all when I first came here. I found Babygurl's album quite early on in my journey and I patterned my regimen off hers because it was so simple and because she is the same hair type as I am. I used products recommended by growafrohairlong.com like CON poo and conditioner.I picked up other products along the way from LHCF and I found out what worked for me fairly early in my journey and I stuck to it. I tweak it a little bit every now and then but nothing major. Oh yeah, I visualize my hair at MBL every night before going to sleep. It's a habit now. It's like my lullaby

 

[FlowerHair]

When I came here, I had a regimen close to Wanakee's guide that I got from other hair boards before this one.

I have had to change my regimen a little every now and then due to different needs as the hair grew. Now I'm almost at my goal, so I think this regimen will stay

The changes I have made are all towards a simpler routine: no combing/brushing, no shampoo, no complicated hair styles (a boring pony tail every day ) etc.

I have added Avocado butter.

Oh, and I realize now that I used LOA a lot to grow my hair. I always used to say when I touched my hair "Grow long and strong" And it did.
That's all!

 

[Extremus]

Don't have a set regimen...I just listen to my hair and that works for me

 

[Miss*Tress]

I always washed, DCed, and roller set weekly. That was about it, but my hair was suffering the effects of overprocessing and breaking off badly when I found LHCF.

Since then, the routine has remained pretty much the same, but now I use oils before washing, add them to my conditioners, and very rarely use shampoo.

ETA: Incorporated henna and Indian herbs as part of the washing/conditioning routine.

 

[Radianthealth]

In 2000 I found Waneka's website and I started following some of her tips. I protective styled and moisturized but I didn't get much growth because I was still using bad products and probably putting too much stress on my hair. I gave up on taking care of my hair and wore glue in weaves for quite some time

In 2005 I got engaged and I wanted to have healthy beautiful hair for my wedding so I found Cathy Howse and purchased her book. I use her tip of iron supplementation, washing and DCing twice per week, and moisturizing with a leave in. While researching to see if Cathy Howse was really legit, I found LHCF. I lurked for two months and joined in April of 2006.

When I first joined my regimen was over the top but now it is simplified and I am using patience and a positive attitude to reach my goal