I AM A NEWBIE PLEASE HELP!!

[Wolftrap]

I am new to this site and it seems kind of hard to navigate. I am a beginner at trying to grow my hair. I am a type 4 and my hair is just above my shoulders. I would like to grow it at least another 5 inches or so. My questions for you guys since I'm new is.

1. Where do I begin? I see a lot of topics on vitamins and other things is this where I begin? If so what do I do first?
2. What is Surge? I see that in a lot of posts
3. What is a realistic goal? As in how much growth should I expect each month
4. What are some good shampoos and conditioners for my hair. Especially a conditioner if I plan to condition wash my hair like I have read that a lot of you do.

I know these questions are probably repetitive from other posts but I just needed a starting point.

Thanks

 

[KinksnCurlz]

First and foremost welcome to the board

1. I don't take vitamins for hair growth but i've heard wonderful things about MSM and B-5.
2. No surge for me.
3. Approx. 6" per year. About 1/2 to 1"
4. I am a keracare junkee... they are a bit pricey but i believe it's worth it and my hair loves me for using them. You could try Suave conditioner for your conditioner only washes. Sorry this is so vauge, I'm about to head out. The other ladies will surely help you future. Good luck in your hair journey.

 

[Wolftrap]

Thanks for the advice. I hope I get a few more responses to answer my questions. Where do I purchase KeraCare products? Are they only located in salons? Also has anyone tried that Formula 37? A few people told me it worked with very quick results but I'm thinking if that were true then everyone would be using this

 

[sillygurl18]

Welcome to the board!!
I have only been on the board since Dec.

1. Do a search on vitamins on the internet to see if they are right for you. The website I check is this. Some of the common vitamins taken on the board are Biotin, Sulfur(MSM)but if you do a search for hair supplements you will get tons of info.

2. Do a search on surge and you will find TONS of info on this maybe more than you'll want. If you want to see what it looks like and the info about it you can click here.

3. Like stated before a realistic goal is 1/2-1 inch in a month.

4. Some use a cheap, light conditioner for their conditioner washes and use more expensive shampoos and deep conditioners.

Edited to Add I use V05 Conditioners for my conditioners because it's cheap and it's light.When I clarify I use Garnier Fructis 3 min. masque. But do what works for you.

 

[Nonie]

Wolftrap...

Welcome aboard.

1. Where do I begin? I see a lot of topics on vitamins and other things is this where I begin? If so what do I do first?

First you tell us about your hair. Your history. What products you use, how your hair responds, what you'd like to change about it, how you wear your hair, if it's relaxed or not. That way we will know what changes you might need to make. It might not be a bad idea to purchase one of the books recommended on the Home page. They will sorta give you a good summary of good hair care and help you to understand your hair better and to recognize damage that you may not have noticed before so that you can tell when sth isn't working. You may also learn stuff that we might assume you know and therefore neglect to mention. Vitaminwise, for now get any multi-vitamin for total health. It's easy to buy too much without knowing if you're within safe limits but a multi-vitamin/mineral will have the different supps balanced in safe quantities and will do your whole body a world of good. Your hair will respond to good care if you're in better health.

2. What is Surge? I see that in a lot of posts
Before you get Surge or run out to buy anything for that matter, understand your hair. Not all products work for all pple. Surge is this "seven day wonder" that has hit the scenes giving pple's hair growth a major boost. It also has had negative effects on some pple...giving them a dry layer on the scalp that peels off "yuckily" (is that a word?) or drying their hair. It's still fairly new on the scene for most of us so too early to tell if it's better than just a "seven day wonder". So I'd say wait a month or two before getting it. You might just find you don't need it.

3. What is a realistic goal? As in how much growth should I expect each month

1/2 inch/month is pretty average, but there are pple with more and pple with less. But growth rate isn't such a big deal if you can learn to keep what you grow. So focus on that.

4. What are some good shampoos and conditioners for my hair. Especially a conditioner if I plan to condition wash my hair like I have read that a lot of you do.

You might already be using something great for your hair. So tell us what you use and how your hair responds. Then we might be able to tell you if you need to change that. If you do a search on the forum for "shampoo" or "conditioner" you should find a thread that has 4A/B in the subject line that has reviews on products from Type 4 pple using them.

 

[Erica78]

Hi, and welcome wolf trap! Like Caramel, I also love KeraCare. You can get KeraCare products online at

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/paynesbeautysupply-salon/keracare.html

Their prices are pretty reasonable.
Every now and then, ebay has them too.

You can also purchase them at JC Penny

I have never purchased them there...so i am not sure about the prices.

 

[GodMadeMePretty]

[ QUOTE ]
Wolftrap said:

1. Where do I begin? I see a lot of topics on vitamins and other things is this where I begin? If so what do I do first?

[/ QUOTE ]
Hair health naturally begins internally so if you're deficient in vitamins, and/or your diet isn't where it should be, you should start there. Since it may take some time for the vitamins to work, you should assess the condition of your hair and then take action from there.

Is it healthy, i.e., moisturized (does not feel like straw or dry or brittle), normal shedding, not breaking?

If excessive shedding, you might need to get some Surge. If breaking, you probably need some protein in which case you probably need to do a damaged hair treatment. See this thread. I thought it was pretty good.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/s...amp;PHPSESSID=
If it's not moisturized, then you need to do some deep moisturizing conditioners which is included in the above thread and then seal in the moisture with some oils. The type of oil depends on your preferences.

[ QUOTE ]
2. What is Surge? I see that in a lot of posts

[/ QUOTE ]
Surge is a product line. What most posters mean when they say surge is the spray which is called Hair Revitalizer Plus 14. It's supposed to aid in growth, i.e., if you have bald or thinning spots, you would apply the spray to those areas or all over if you want to "boost" the growth. It's also supposed to stop your hair from breaking in which case you would spray it directly on your hair. But because it has protein in it, if your hair is already healthy and doesn't need regular doses of protein, the spray could be a bad thing and make your hair dry and brittle.

[ QUOTE ]
3. What is a realistic goal? As in how much growth should I expect each month

[/ QUOTE ]
A realistic goal is one that you set keeping in mind that the average growth rate is 1/2" per month and your hair has a predetermined growth cycle. It could be as short as 2 years meaning that your hair will grow to about 12 inches and stop (if your growth rate is 1/2" per month). Or it could be as long as 6 years, meaning your hair could get as long as 36 inches. So on average you can expect to get between a foot to 3 feet of hair.

[ QUOTE ]
4. What are some good shampoos and conditioners for my hair. Especially a conditioner if I plan to condition wash my hair like I have read that a lot of you do.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are some great suggestions on conditioners and shampoos on here. Everyone has their favorite. I have a lot of conditioners. My favorite for the conditioner wash right now is Suave's version of Humectress, Suave Professional Humectant. I have Humectress also, but it was $16 and I keep looking at the price tag when Suave was only $1.50 and I've only used Humectress as a leave-in when I'm not going to conditioner wash it. I'm trying not to wash my money down the drain.

Sheesh. As for shampoos, I have a few. None that I would just say, yeaaaah. But I would stay away from those having harsh detergents in them. Water cleanses your hair very well by itself.

 

[LABETT]

WELCOME ABOARD. This board can become addictive.
When I first join the board I had to find out what products
worked well for my hair and develop a good vitamin regimen.
I started out with a good multivitamin and slowly added different vitamin to my regimen
you dont want to start out with to many and need to find
out the side effects.

 

[Wolftrap]

Ok I guess I needed to begin with telling people about my hair first. I am a type 4 and I usually get my hair done at the salon but when I wash it myself I use Pantene relaxed and natural. I'm not sure how good that is but that's what I use. I get my hair done once a week at a Dominican stylist so if you are familiar with them they roller set and then blow it out. So I keep my hair wrapped and tie it with a silk scarf every night until the next time I go to the salon. I am finding now that my hair needs to be washed at least every 3 days my scalp gets really flaky so I was going to try the conditioner washes once a week and then keep going to the salon once a week as well.

 

[sillygurl18]

Some people on this board go to Dominican salons, so we are familiar with them. Many people on this board use Pantene Relaxed and Natural me included. If it works for you, by all means keep using it.

 

[SingingStar12]

I just wanted to say welcome to LHCF!!

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

The Ladies have given great advice. When first coming to the board all of the wealth on information here can be quite overwhelming. Hence the question in you mind, what should I do, where should I start?

Sounds like you are a doing quite well on your own.

Vitamins: Don't go overboard by buyng a bunch on vitamins and taking them all at once. I would suggest, if you aren't already taking one, a good multivitamin first and maybe biotin. Biotin is great if you are trying give your growth rate a little boost.

Surge: Is a spray on product that promises stronger hair and promotes hair growth in 14 days. A lot of ladies use it on weak problen spots.

Realistic goal: Around 6 inches per year or 1/2 inch per month is very realistic. A lot of ladies here get less some get more. It depends on you and the way you handle your hair care.

Good Shampoo and conditioner: What you are using is just fine. Some ladies swear by Creme of Nature Shampoo. I like Dove Intense moisture shampoo. There are so many good ones out there but if what you have is working then stick with it. A good conditioner for conditioner washes is VO5, just about any of those will do. It's lite and will leave your hair soft and moisturized.

I also want to add: It is important to find a routine for you hair and stick with it because consistancy is the key. Don't go switching back and forth with products just because something is posted as the lasted rave on the board.
Good Luck to you!

DSD

 

[adrienne0914]

WOW! ladies, you gave some AWESOME advice! i can't think of anything else...

so i just wanted to say welcome, wolftrap!!!