.....so i disappeared from this board for a long while and just got on with life...and destroying my hair.
I moaned about....
My hair being dry dry dry, that it was sooo curly everytime i combed it it would break, that co-washing didn't work for me as my hair was left greasy and my scalp was coated and itchy, that i couldn't airdry as it turned out a hard crunch mess. Wigs didn't look good on me and made my scalp itch. My scalp was always thick and flaky - yuk. Advice i was always given was the same - make sure you moisturise, reduce the amount of heat etc etc but none of it worked. No amount of ceramide or juice worked on my head. Why?
So i carried on blowdrying and flat ironing every week or two weeks and my hair got worse and worse. Quite honestly i just accepted the broken hairs flying off whilst blowdring. God knows how i retained my length.
However, I said enough was enough when i saw the extent of the damage. Straight hair at the front of my head from all the flat ironing (heat protectants obviously didn't do their job on the thin hair of hairline ), scalp out of control, all of the undergrowth was short broken off hairs.
It in the last few months i have watched Youtube video's - i mean, really watched how Naturals cared for their hair.
I have figured out what i was doing wrong.
I hope this helps out at least one lady on here who is thinking of throwing in the towel on their natural hair.
1. Nah, i wasn't moisturising my hair at all. When i saw how much leave-in was actually being used, i realised that basically my hair never stood a chance. I would watch how moisturiser would oooz out of their hair whilst they were braiding or twisting it whilst wet....and then the next day they would re-moisturise! I tried this and it's exactly what MY hair needed. Not that dime sized amount that it says on the bottle. Less definitely isn't more when it comes to natural hair.
2. I understand now that it is imperitive that you use water or a water based moisturiser and seal every day (at least for me i have to do it every day) If i skip a day my hair is crispy and dry. I used to use those oil moisturisers once a day and thought that i was moisturising.
3. My fingers really are my best friend. I rarely use a comb now. I gently finger comb on dry hair before i wash it and then whilst conditioner is in it i will finger comb until my fingers glide through it. With my impatience and heavy hand the comb was my very curly hair's enemy.
4. Co-washing does work for me. Stupid me tried it every two weeks and wondered why there was so much build up. Now i co-wash every 3 days to ensure i haven't had weeks of product build up in my hair. Also i don't slap the condish on my scalp like i used to - just concentrate on my hair. I then shampoo once a week.
5. Heat IS my enemy. I can't remember how many times i used to say that heat was my friend. I have realised that is the number one reason why my scalp was sooo bad. Since i have stopped using all types of heat by scalp has turned around.
6. Yes i can airdry. Silly girl. If i used enough leave-in in the first place then my hair wouldn't have turned out dry, crunchy and brittle. I just watched airdrying techniques on Youtube until i got it down for me and my hair.
7. I was buying the wrong type of half wigs. I always went for the long straight styles and quite honestly felt stupid/fake in them. I tried the 'afro' looking wigs but they just didn't suit me. I have now found the right style for me. It is the same length as my hair when it has air-dried in twists looks very similar too. My own hair blends very well at the front whilst at last i can leave my hair braided underneath. My hair is finally resting.
All the natural, sulphate, paraben free products in the world did not help me.....it was my application and technique that was holding me back.
I have not retained half as much hair as i should have but the health of it is back on track. I can just feel the difference when i touch it and there are waaaay less tangles.
I have rambled on but i hope i have given someone here a light-bulb moment or inspired someone to carry on trying.
I moaned about....
My hair being dry dry dry, that it was sooo curly everytime i combed it it would break, that co-washing didn't work for me as my hair was left greasy and my scalp was coated and itchy, that i couldn't airdry as it turned out a hard crunch mess. Wigs didn't look good on me and made my scalp itch. My scalp was always thick and flaky - yuk. Advice i was always given was the same - make sure you moisturise, reduce the amount of heat etc etc but none of it worked. No amount of ceramide or juice worked on my head. Why?
So i carried on blowdrying and flat ironing every week or two weeks and my hair got worse and worse. Quite honestly i just accepted the broken hairs flying off whilst blowdring. God knows how i retained my length.
However, I said enough was enough when i saw the extent of the damage. Straight hair at the front of my head from all the flat ironing (heat protectants obviously didn't do their job on the thin hair of hairline ), scalp out of control, all of the undergrowth was short broken off hairs.
It in the last few months i have watched Youtube video's - i mean, really watched how Naturals cared for their hair.
I have figured out what i was doing wrong.
I hope this helps out at least one lady on here who is thinking of throwing in the towel on their natural hair.
1. Nah, i wasn't moisturising my hair at all. When i saw how much leave-in was actually being used, i realised that basically my hair never stood a chance. I would watch how moisturiser would oooz out of their hair whilst they were braiding or twisting it whilst wet....and then the next day they would re-moisturise! I tried this and it's exactly what MY hair needed. Not that dime sized amount that it says on the bottle. Less definitely isn't more when it comes to natural hair.
2. I understand now that it is imperitive that you use water or a water based moisturiser and seal every day (at least for me i have to do it every day) If i skip a day my hair is crispy and dry. I used to use those oil moisturisers once a day and thought that i was moisturising.
3. My fingers really are my best friend. I rarely use a comb now. I gently finger comb on dry hair before i wash it and then whilst conditioner is in it i will finger comb until my fingers glide through it. With my impatience and heavy hand the comb was my very curly hair's enemy.
4. Co-washing does work for me. Stupid me tried it every two weeks and wondered why there was so much build up. Now i co-wash every 3 days to ensure i haven't had weeks of product build up in my hair. Also i don't slap the condish on my scalp like i used to - just concentrate on my hair. I then shampoo once a week.
5. Heat IS my enemy. I can't remember how many times i used to say that heat was my friend. I have realised that is the number one reason why my scalp was sooo bad. Since i have stopped using all types of heat by scalp has turned around.
6. Yes i can airdry. Silly girl. If i used enough leave-in in the first place then my hair wouldn't have turned out dry, crunchy and brittle. I just watched airdrying techniques on Youtube until i got it down for me and my hair.
7. I was buying the wrong type of half wigs. I always went for the long straight styles and quite honestly felt stupid/fake in them. I tried the 'afro' looking wigs but they just didn't suit me. I have now found the right style for me. It is the same length as my hair when it has air-dried in twists looks very similar too. My own hair blends very well at the front whilst at last i can leave my hair braided underneath. My hair is finally resting.
All the natural, sulphate, paraben free products in the world did not help me.....it was my application and technique that was holding me back.
I have not retained half as much hair as i should have but the health of it is back on track. I can just feel the difference when i touch it and there are waaaay less tangles.
I have rambled on but i hope i have given someone here a light-bulb moment or inspired someone to carry on trying.
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your hair looks great in your siggy.
