I want to Protective style, but my hair is my job!

CurlyActress

CurlyActress

New Member
This summer the heat, elements, etc. are killing my hair. I would love to protective style, but I'm an actress/model/dancer and I pretty much have to wear my hair out all the time for auditions, photo shoots and shows (the business is in LOVE with my hair, lol. The BIGGER the better). However, my hair is dry and with the color I want to be very careful since I'm trying to grow my hair as long as possible. Even my twists and twist outs are very dry. Here is my current regimen (I'm currently visiting Houston from NYC, so I don't know if the geographic change means anything):

Section off hair
Wash and detangle
Deep Condition (Steamer or Hooded dryer)
Add leave in(KCKT or Nairobi leave in)
Add moisturizer (AHOC mostly but maybe Jane Carter Nourish)
I may seal with coconut oil or castor oil)

Please help! I can use any tips, advice you can give.I really need my hair to be in tip top shape. I recently had the roots touched up so I'm rally trying to keep it healthy. You can check out my hair here:
 
Last edited:
I don't know if you are against wigs/weaves but I have noticed that there is a growing selection of afro-textured (well, at least wigs that mimic our hair) wigs and weaves. I personally have never tried wigs/weaves but I am thinking about it for the winter! If you could find one close to your texture that would be a good protective style. You could keep your hair twisted or plaited up under the wig and still be able to do your normal routine.

I hope that helps! Also, I want to say that you are absolutely GORGEOUS and I love your hair! That color is stunning!
 
Your regi seems pretty good maybe some others can chime in.. Now for a ps I would say get a full head weave with a lace closure..that way all of your hair is protected..

Sent from my SGH-T959 using SGH-T959
 
Hey there, I have dry hair too! A few things that have really helped my hair:

1. a heavier leave-in. KCKT didn't do it for me. I use Shea Moisture Restorative conditioner mixed with aloe juice and jojoba oil as a leave-in.

2. Sealing with both shea butter (just the lower half of my strands) and grease (currently using vaseline, just on the ends). Both only after washing and conditioning, not on dry hair.

3. Henna. Best thing ever for my hair. But if you don't want to change your hair color too much, you might try cassia (aka "neutral henna") for similar conditioning properties.

4. Reducing heat. Direct heat really dries out my hair.

5. Moisturizing every night or ever other night by sectioning hair into 4 sections, dampening with a little water, applying a little shea butter, and making a large twist of each section before bed.

Hth. Do you relax and color or just color?
 
Nonie said:
@CurlyActress, your link doesn't work; just took me to the LHCF index.

Have you considered weaving? Isn't that what most people in show biz do?
Click to expand...

Nonie It didn't work for me either! But, I noticed that if I go to the address bar and delete the LHCF part of the link it fixed it. I guess OP accidentally put the two sites together in one link.
 
Nonie said:
@CurlyActress, your link doesn't work; just took me to the LHCF index.

Have you considered weaving? Isn't that what most people in show biz do?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up Nonie. I wouldn't mind doing it, but since my hair is what books me and is so much apart of my look, weave would probably actually hinder me, unless I could find a texture very similar to mine and able to dye it the same color? Plus with limited resources, about how much would that cost?
 
Thanks guys for all the responses. I am totally open to a weave of similar color and texture. I love wearing wigs and did all of last fall and winter, but it's super hot in Texas right now. Hopefully I can go back to doing that as it gets cooler.

@ericajoy Thanks for all the tips! I did cassia once with the Light Mountain Brand from Whole Foods. I'm thinking of ordering some from the Tapping Lizard. I've used her stuff before. I haven't been adding moisture every night. I usually twist it up though.

I only color. I don't relax.

I may need to switch up my products?
 
Last edited:
aishasoleil said:
I don't know if you are against wigs/weaves but I have noticed that there is a growing selection of afro-textured (well, at least wigs that mimic our hair) wigs and weaves. I personally have never tried wigs/weaves but I am thinking about it for the winter! If you could find one close to your texture that would be a good protective style. You could keep your hair twisted or plaited up under the wig and still be able to do your normal routine.

I hope that helps! Also, I want to say that you are absolutely GORGEOUS and I love your hair! That color is stunning!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much!
 
CurlyActress said:
Thanks for the heads up Nonie. I wouldn't mind doing it, but since my hair is what books me and is so much apart of my look, weave would probably actually hinder me, unless I could find a texture very similar to mine and able to dye it the same color? Plus with limited resources, about how much would that cost?
Click to expand...

I agree with the others; keep it wigged or weaved up. It may take some time and alot of searching/experimenting with different wigs and weaves, but you need to do what you got to do to preserve your hair and/or look. If your hair is the product that books you and you don't take the necessary (and at times inconvenient) precautions to preserve it, you may ruin the very thing that was getting you work.
 
Omg, so glad you fixed your link, I looooove your hair! And that photoshoot is amazing! Yeah, maybe experiment with a thicker leave-in, wetting and sealing more often, and/or a heavier sealer, if you decide to keep wearing your real hair. My hair was dry for years, literally, until I realized it didn't have to be and started experimenting. I hope you find something that works!
 
those pictures and color are beautiful!
another idea could be replenishing it every single night. such as, baggying with a product that you can leave in. by baggying every night I mean moisturizing your dry hair with a water based product, putting it in twists or braids (4 or more), wearing a shower cap to sleep and then in the morning fluffing it out and sealing with an oil (grapeseed oil is so light that it can be used everyday without getting your hair oily)
I really like Giovanni Direct and Giovanni 50:50 as leave ins and sometimes I use homemade flaxseed gel as a moisturizer since it is water based, it never flakes and it works on dry hair.

Some people baggy on wet or damp hair but I find it gets my hair mushy and overmoisturized, so just spraying a little water or aloe juice if you hair likes it, or spraying some diluted conditioner, should be enough for a daily maintenance (your hair will tell you in what quantity but as long as it isn't wet there is no risk of overmoisturizing on my hair). Another technique that I use is wearing a shower cap without moisturizing: the plastic cap creates a humid environment with the temperature of your own scalp and you usually wake up with soft and smooth hair ("greenhouse effect", as suggested by Nonie in a thread).

I find that, although it is more work, if I replenish and braid my hair every night I can wear it out as much as I like. Sometimes I spray something, seal and wear a plastic cap for half an hour if I am at home, for a quick pick me up (as suggested by NaturalHairGrowth101 on youtube).

I never use butters for my routine because I find they build up quickly and my hair is less shiny, whereas baggying and using diluted conditioner, flax gel and oils I can go on almost forever until I decide to wash my hair again and my strands keep lubricated instead of getting glued together (butters only works on wet hair for me).

Hope it helps!
 
Last edited:
Moisturizing nightly followed by baggying is a great idea. Also, increasing the frequency of your DCs would be very helpful. What products do you use to wash and DC? If you don't already, incorporating small amts of light proteins can help the hair retain moisture.
 
That's why 90% of the women in showbiz have some hook-ups. I went through it too when I was in the industry. Some folks just don't know how to do our hair and they spritz it with crap and then break it off with brushes and heat. My hair suffered so badly that it needed to be cut and to still have the "image" they were looking for I resorted to glued-in weaves. Now that I know better, I would never be so careless about my hair. It wont last under teh stress. Your better off finding weaves or wigs, ( preferably a lacefront) that will match your hair texture. You can even go so far as to have a lacefront closure so all of your hair is covered and safe. These closures and HH lace wigs are the most natural, no one will be able to detect them except your stylist, and you can do shoots in any weather with these.
 
No suggestions, just wanted to say hi from Houston! I'm a stone's throw away from your home town. Beautiful hair! Good luck with your career in NYC.
 
There some very nice kinky curly weaves. That if installed and taken cxare of nicely can be re-used.

The initial cost of the hair might be a bit much but in the long run I'm sure it would pay for itself.
 
i would suggest a buying two kinky curly good quality lacefronts...such that you can protect your hair yet alternate...

lf#1 a color that matches your natural color
lf#2 the color you have dyed your hair

from working on photoshoots..stylists prefer faux hair..since its less work and manipulating is so much easier...and if the look needs to be changed it can be done so easily...

good luck diva!!! skys the limit..beautiful look and smile
 
Love the pictures, the hair, the color.:yep: I cosign on the nightly baggying as well as the increased DCing. It's HOTTT here in Texas so you have to use a heavier Moisturizer and be diligent on your DCing. Good luck.
Did I mention I love your pics?:grin:
 
Have you checked your porosity? You may need to incorporate a porosity correcting product into your regimen. And make sure your products have proper PH levels.
 
Gosh both you and your hair are pretty! I see why you dont want to cover up your hair too.

I dont have much different advice from what many ladies have already said.

i agree with Halee J that you may need to add some light protein into your regimen (something I also need to step up on) and also ericajoy re a heavier leavein I also like the shea moisture conditioners for leave ins - work almost as well as Qhemets AOHC:spinning:

Ive seen many ladies on here who dont PS with wigs weaves etc and have healthy hair so I guess its just a matter of finding what works best for your hair in order to wear it out.
 
Thank you ladies for all of this good feedback! I know I can definitely up my DCs and maybe I will do an Aphogee treatment for protein.

I checked my porosity before by floating a piece of hair and it didn't sink to the bottom.

I will definitely be looking into a wig/weave now to see what's out there. It's been a minute since I've done the weave thing so we'll see. I usually do wigs but I need a human one if I'm going to color I guess.
 
Wow! You are super pretty & your hair is beautiful!

Definitely try to find a sew in to match your texture and in the meantime protective style nonstop on your non-working days :)
 
For a great protective style that looks like your own hair ..get a weave using kinky curly hair or rather afro curl.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using GT-I9000
 
Two things I would suggest...

1.) SLS free shampoos. I have recently started washing my hair with Dr. Bronner's castile soap... mixing 1part liquid soap to 3parts water in a spray bottle. My hair has retained the moisture/DC/Oil I put on it much better than when I use harsher soaps.

2.) Matrix Biolage Hydrating Conditioning Balm (the cheaper Sally version). Give you a lot of bang for the buck. Intensely moisturizing but does not necesarrily require the time commitment of a DC (I am not saying don't DC ever!!!). Also, the moisture lasts!!
 
You and your hair are absolutely gorgeous!!
I think you can keep your hair healthy while wearing it out all the time.
My top three things:
1) DC with heat every week. Moisture based DC-I recommend Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treatment, found at sally's. this is a must for color treated hair.
2) low-mani styling. set your hair in your style once a week. and use products with hold so you don't have to rebraid/retwist. i love the elasta qp wrap foam-it's not drying.
3) internal. i take a hair/skin/nails vit, drink plenty of water, and work out.

good luck hun! oh, and for great kinky weave that would match your texture, check out either halley's curls natural texture or allaboutmyhair kinky curly. those are both a pretty good match for 4a/4b hair.
 
So last night I did:

a prepoo with EVOO overnight
detangled with TJ Nourish Spa
washed with TJ Tea Tree Shampoo
used Aphogee 2 STEP treatment
DC'd with AO HSR and avocado oil. I then braided my hair up in 9-10 plaits. My hair feels better than it has this ENTIRE summer! Of course I now find out that I have several events to go to and a shoot this weekend and a couple next week. So although it feels really good now, I'm still going to be researching weaves this weekend. Thanks for all the recommendations! I LOVE AO HSR (smell is a little strong) and avocado oil is def a new staple.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Glib Gurl
My "protective" style
Replies
9
Views
2K
glamazon386
G
laketta
My protective style
Replies
14
Views
1K
KinksnCurlz
KinksnCurlz
S
My protective style
2
Replies
50
Views
6K
nnmiles
nnmiles
DDTexlaxed
  • Poll Poll
PROTECTIVE STYLE CHALLENGE 2011
Replies
20
Views
4K
TLC1020
TLC1020
MissFallon
I want a full sew-in as my next protective style...
Replies
6
Views
2K
PaperClip
P
Back
Top