How do you choose.....

[laurend085]

PRODUCTS!! I've read through the product review forum and see what you ladies are discussing about what you use BUT....How did yall go about deciding what you would purchase/use, what to use together/when? or did you just take a chance and experiment. There are alot of products that interest me..the thing is..I just don't have a bunch of loose money to use on things I may not even use.... I guess I'm trying to find my own regime and I know that everyones hair is different and different things work for different people depending on hair type genes, etc. Just wondering

 

[Barbie83]

I do a comprehensive search and whatever reviews sound most enticing/convincing, I go with that product, ESPECIALLY if the person giving the review has hair similar to mine.

It has been a lot of trial and error finding my staples, but I'm slowly putting together my product regimen. You just gotta take the plunge! And it's ok to try one thing at a time, some things need a little time to work

 

[Nonie]

I started off by looking for people with hair like mine and trying out products they raved about. Some worked for me and some didn't. If I found a product that worked well for me, I stopped looking for more. That's how I've managed to be happy with just a handful of products and not tempted to try anything new.

My motto is, if it isn't broke(n), don't fix it. So since what I use works, I don't care to know what the next hot thing is.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I would say look for ladies that have a similar hair type and texture and if you're really missing that part of your regimen....try it.

For me, finding out my hair type according to naturallycurly.com then seeing what other ladies with my same hair type were doing was a HUGE help it made me understand that I really can't expect to use the same products and techniques or styles as ladies that have hair textures in the 3 category because I have pen spring sized 4a coils with a tendency to be dry and my hair and their hair simply necessitates different things. I found this out a while ago and that led me to natural divas on YouTube like RusticBeauty, Sera and LongHairDontCare which was amazing then I recently found LHCF and now I'm home

When you're in the beginning of building your regimen there will be a period of trial and error for sure but just be sure to always remind yourself "if it aint broke, dont fix it" always remember "my hair is always growing the key is retaining the growth above and beyond anything else". Those are my tips

 

[ladylibra_30]

Shampoos - I prefer the pearlized, creamy ones.
Conditioners - I love most conditioners that has glycerin. I skip ones that have petroleum or mineral oil!
Leave-ins - I like watery consistency when newly retouched and thicker creamy ones when I'm 10+ weeks post relaxer.
Hardcore Protein Tx - Dudley DRC 28 works great for me.
Mild Protein Tx - Nexxus Keraphix
Serums - I only like Design Essentials , CHI, and NTM
Pre-poo Tx - Nutiva Coconut Oil
LHCF Member - I also take into account the poster, her buying habits, her hair care habits, her reviews, and her hair type.

My goal is to narrow my products down to -
Kenra/Design Essentials/Elasta QP
Mizani
Nexxus
Neutrogena
Aubrey Organics
Paul Mitchell
Giovanni
Salerm

That's all I want to see in my stash save a few odds and ends.

 

[shunemite]

I agree with the above advice about find SOMEONE who has your same hair type and hair density. I'm a 4b, with fine thin hair. Something for thick hair won't work for me.

BEGIN by dividing your regimen into the main categories:
Shampoo: moisturizing or clarifying
Deep Conditioner: protein or moisturizing
Leave-in conditioner: creamy or spray, your preference
Styling product: serum or wrapping lotion and (maybe) some oil. Must be SD alcohol free.

To use myself as an example, when I joined years ago, I was using the entire Motions line. Then I started reading that people liked this or that, and I had no idea why. Then I turned to the back of my conditioner bottle and read the ingredients, and compared it to the ingredients in Nexxus (it was the rave at the time). I switched the conditioner to Nexxus, and wow what a difference. The biggest difference I noticed was when I switched from Motions foaming wrap lotion to GVP-silk infusion. At first I didn't know why, then later, I realized that the Motions had SD alcohol in it! Did I change the shampoo from Motions though? No.

so here's my regimen today:
Shampoo: moisturizing Motionsor clarifyingMotions
Deep Conditioner: protein neutral protein filleror moisturizingKeracare humecto
Leave-in conditioner: creamy GVP version of Paul Mitchellor spray, your preference
Styling product: serum GVP silk infusionor wrapping lotion and (maybe) some oil avocado and almond. Must be SD alcohol free.

 

[laurend085]

Thanks yall! How exactly do you know your hair type? I see yall postin 4a 4 b, etc. but I haven't quite figured out what that means yet...

 

[shunemite]

Check this article out, it's got pictures as well http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

Most black women are type 4b, so you can scroll down to that part.

 

[Bene]

Research and reviews!

I lurk at all sorts of sites, and look at everyone's reviews, even if their hair is nothing like mine. I don't bother looking at hair types, since things like scalp condition isn't included in hair typing protocol. I pick and choose depending on what my problem areas are and what my hair needs, then compare with what kinds of ingredients my hair likes or dislikes, and then experiment from there.

 

[maxineshaw]

I try to only buy when I have a coupon (and that goes for online orders as well).

The preservative has to be last (or second-to-last) on the ingredient list.

The product is usually of a creamy consistency.

Strong fragrances are a no-no.

Little to no protein.

No drying alcohols (fatty alcohols are okay).


For shampoos I like mild surfactants. I usually purchase ones that have a mixture of SLS and then Cocomidopropyl (sp?) Betaine. Any other combination or excess of surfactants and I will not purchase.

For conditioners, I like them rich in oils, and of a thick, creamy consistency.

For moisturizers, I like Care Free Curl/S-Curl/Sta Sof Fro. I prefer CFC because the packaging is friendlier.

That's pretty much it.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Check this article out, it's got pictures as well http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

Most black women are type 4b, so you can scroll down to that part.

I find that to be the most straightforward typing system. I love theirs and it really helped me out early on in my research.

 

[chebaby]

i normally go for all natural products that have a high amount of shea butter, coconut oil and evoo. if those are at the top of the list and there arent 5o-11 ingredients then i know chances are i will love it.

 

[Zawaj]

Choose? Je ne comprends pas! No comprendo! LOL

Signed,

Product Junkie

 

[laurend085]

hmmm..maybe someone can help me... I don't have pics yet and my hair isnt in it's natural state yet as I still have permed hair. What I can tell you is my hair as always been weird I don't know if the perm did it or not. When it's wet it looks tangled but is easy to comb through it won't comb through straight. As soon as the comb runs through it jumps back to this i guess kinky look. I may have a picture I could post later...It was after having microbraids for a few months and taking them down and washing them. That was the best I thought my hair looked without having a perm and it kept the little curl for a little bit. Will post later...


Actually here it is

ITS UPLOADED

 

[BostonMaria]

I've looked at what others with my hair type are using, then I go out and try the product and pray to God it works on me LOL

Start off small and figure out what exactly is your goal. I wanted to transition to natural so at first I kept my routine the same but tweaked some things - I started to do hot oil treatments with Olive Oil and/or coconut oil (both are pretty inexpensive) and I ditched the V05 hot oil treatments. Back then I also stuck to shampoos, but bought moisturizing shampoos or diluted what I had. I also realized that most of the products I really needed were already in my kitchen - mayo, eggs, honey, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, etc.

I never stepped into a Whole Foods until I found the hairboards, but then I realized that they have GREAT natural products that won't break the bank and I don't have to worry about shipping fees. The online vendors are a little trickier. I wasted a lot of money there with things that didn't work for me. Its hit or miss with online vendors, but you can buy products off the Swap board and also buy the sample sizes before making a big purchase.