Hi Wavezncurlz,
I too was a frequent visitor NC.com, but never got a log-in ID. I really liked Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl method, bought the book, and I also learned a lot about non-mainstream products for curly hair.
Prior to 2002, I used to be a press-n-curl girl and I used mineral oil based pomades to prepare the hair for the hot comb. I thought water was the enemy and my strands would always cling together for dear life.
But I'd was always on the lookout for non-mainstream products. When I was in high school, I used to order hair care products by mail from Gold Medal, and my older sister would make fun of me. I had been using their henna-based Herbal Tame product to help "relax" the hair, but it wasn't until answered a question about Herbal Tame in an LHCF discussion that I learned to use it properly. It really helped when other LHCF members started using HT or plain henna and posting their experiences.
I didn't realize that I had curly hair until I started following the LHCF suggestions to CW. The frequent wetting and use of JAY/GPB turned my brillo pad like strands into the 3C/4C strands of my childhood that I began to "discover" in my baby pictures.
I also spent some time on Nappturality, but it was more fun to be among the mix at LHCF. In those early days prior to FOTKI and YouTube, there were a few other inspirational hair albums and places to get hair care information. LHL was great because the girls would always talk about finding their "holy grail" product. But, LHCF was and still is the best, in my humble opinion.