I am having serious problems.. SERIOUS

[Islandgirl]

do u drink a lot of water? do u eat foods rich in omega fatty acids or take a supplement that has omega fatty acids? maybe the problem can be inside nourishment.

 

[luvlonghair]

vikie, that sounds like a plan. I think I need to clarify first though. How do you apply the oil? like, doyou do it with a color applicator? How long does everyone leave the deep conditioner on for? Because I've tried the NTM deep recovery mask, and it was trash! (please dont kill me) but maybe I'll use it again...

I agree, NTM line did nothing for my hair but dry it out. Tuffcookie, it really sounds like you've been having a rough time. I know it's hard, we've all been there. Like another member stated, you may have to become a PJ in order to find out what products work for you. I did and found products that work. Another member stated that you need to stay away from products that list water as the 1st ingredient, I used to think the same way, but it all depends on the product. I like some products that contain water first, while others I can't stand.

I firmly believe that using a pre-poo hot oil treatment may work best for your hair. Another thing I've learned about products is to find products that penetrate your hair, that is, when you apply a conditioner to your hair, does it feel like its penetrating it before you go under the dryer? Most of the time this is a good indication that it won't penetrate well. Some people need to sit under the dryer with conditioner longer than others because their cuticles are closed so tight that it's not allowing anything in, this may be the case of your hair. One more possible thing is that your hair has low porosity, just in case, means that it absorbs products slower than normal, i.e., you have to sit longer under the dryer than others for the conditioner the penetrate.

I hope the other ladies and I have given you some ideas/techniques to help you battle dryness. Don't worry, you'll get there in no time.

 

[scoobygirl]

Hey tuffcookie. I haven't forgot about you. I'm a 4a/b. Before you spend any money, trying ordering the Kendra sample products from the company. All you need to do is email customer care and you should get a poo, conditioner, gel, and spray. I only used the poo and conditoner. The poo I was meh on (worked well at home but not out of town), but the conditioner I loved. And it worked even better with the eluence MB poo. The elucence is harder to find. There are some salons that carry it as part of their product line but you usually have to order it. I got mine from naturallycurly.com. The liter bottle was $12 or $13 but with shipping it was $19. The smaller bottle was $6 but wi/shipping it was $10. I got the liter and was happy to have it. I ordered by phone Thursday evening and got it by Saturday afteroon. My hair was really soft and moisturized when I used and I didn't really need any other products on relaxed hair but I needed a bit of moisturizer on my new growth because I'm trying to extend.

I poo was really gentle and it felt moisturized w/o any conditioner. I haven't been using either product for very long that's why I'm holding off on shouting it from the rooftops. But so far I think I found what I've been looking for. I can't remember when I first heard about the coconut oil thing. But it seems to give your hair a little extra moisture if you slather it in the night before a wash. It's pretty cheap (mine was only $1.99) product just to try. Other people use different oils or combos but it's all about the same thing.

Finding the right relaxer is harder. Did your stylist notice the difference right away? My stylist said that if the pH is off it can make your hair feel dry, this applies too products too.

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

Thank you so much guys for getting back to me. The things that I should be doing that I'm not: Drinking water, Taking Flaxseed oil for health, hot oil treatments.

Scooby - It's such a process, perhaps I'm using the wrong line.. I do deep condition and I guess the ones I've been using arent really that great. I'm not really sure about my hair's porosity, I thought that it was really porous as when I air dry, the ends dry really fast. I do love my CON shampoo but again, I think I'm going to clarify then start from the top.

As far as my stylist noticing, I just started going to the salons in Albany (i go to school there) and I guess I should have researched more because when I left, my hair felt like wood.

I'm trying to find a moisturizing Deep Conditioner and i think i'll use the elasta QP DP-11 or something. I'll look into the Kendra and Elucence. Its just that I havent had the time to find them online but I'll get to that quickly.

Relaxers are not my forte..

THANKS AGAIN!!!