If you knew then what you know now about haircare...

[Lucia]

Honi,
your hairs really looking healthy and thick.

 

[ravenmerlita]

So many things:
-- Allowed stylist to convince me that relaxer needed to be pulled "all the way to the ends" every once in a while.
-- Having relaxer put just on the ends of my hair to tame the frizzies and get it to lay down (duh! it was broken off and frizzy because of the repeated overlapping relaxers)
-- Getting relaxed bone straight, then having a blowdryer, straightening comb & hot curlers used to style it.
-- Washing twice a month
-- Using sun-in (killed my hair)

 

[Honi]

Thanks Lucia! Although as of late I'm trying to thicken it back up. I lost alot of hair after my stinka was born! lol

Oh...forgot to add. I used to put peroxide on my hair to lighten it up. Yeah, the peroxide in the brown bottle! lol

Honi,
your hairs really looking healthy and thick.

 

[Soleado]

I would not allow anyone to press my hair because 9 times out of ten the iron is too hot.

I would not be talked into doing a permanent haircolor over a relaxer because my hair can not take that.

I would not allow anyone to relax my hair anywhere near bone straight or use any relaxer other than mild.

Thankfully I am natural so that last two I don't have to worry about. But when it comes to heat I am extremely cautious.

 

[Mizani_Mrs]

Man oh man... and it's so funny because these mistakes are so innocent. like you don't know you are damaging your hair because the products that you use claim they protected your hair. anyways here is my list:

--Self-relaxed (didn't know how to do it properly)
--I ALWAYS relaxed the entire length of the hair
--Never used any leave-ins
--Never applied anything to my hair between my 2 week washes because I wanted my hair to continue to have body and swing
--flat-ironed every single day
--used grease and thought it was a moisturizer.
--used aphogee without shampooing OR moisturizing afterwards
--used protein conds and didn't moisturize afterwards

 

[Soul♥Flower]

I dont remember much about what i've done to my hair...selective memory.

However, I do remember when I was younger, I hadn't had a perm in I don't know how long (think my mother was trying to regrow my see thru ponytail). And I wouldn't let my mother TOUCH my hair...I was grown.

So for a whole school year I wore my hair in a bun, slapped some "Liv" cholesterol creme on it then tie it down real tight at night(learned it was how to get waves), and wake up in the morning slap some more "Liv"cholesterol creme on the top of it and brush down the frizzies...with a wet brush! ....I never took my hair down from that bun. I had a permanent wavy hump at the top of me head, and I was too scared to get my hair wet so I never washed it. Finally my mother had had enough so she told me "take that damn ponytail out your head so I can wash that stinkin mess!" I fought her tooth and nail(I was extremely tenderheaded).

When I realized I couldn't win she took a wide tooth comb and started to part my hair....but she couldn't! My scalp looked like it had a carpet on it!

My mother made me wear braids for 5 years after that, and I don't remeber how we got my matted hair apart either....I must've blacked out.

 

[jngn]

Oh, girl, LMAO big time!! Reading this just like watching the Kings of Comedy! Whoowee, I love me some LHCF!

I look at my pictures from the 90's and I was smiling confidently and posed like "I know I look good". My hair looked soooo bad. I had it parted on the side and 'tried' to get to lay down and wave, but it wouldn't in the back. The hair at my nape was lifted from my neck, stiff with gel, and looked like a duck's tail . Why didn't somebody tell me I looked bad?

 

[krissyprissy]

I would of been at brastrap years earlier, it I knew what I know now.

 

[Candy_C]

The thing is, my hair was always shoulder length and the longest was above APL...

even tho i used 2 blowdry my hair every day, use tons of blue magic-coconut oil (which was actually very nice and moisturized my hair believe it or not) theonly realy bad thing i would do, was experiment with protein products, i used pure protein in my hair every day and slowly it all broke off before my eyes!

i would have told myself these things:

• Candy! airdry your hair! dont be scared, it will look good!
• SAVE ur pocket money to buy some DECENT hair products
• LEAVE the blowdryer, infact throw it out and buy an ionic one if were to ever get the urge!
• STOP letting those pepper-grain jelous hairdressers cut your hair!!!
• less is more! WET BUNS are fantastic for retaining moisture
• research vitamins and take a decent selection

 

[esoterica]

i was crazy in 2004 and the years prior.
- used relaxer and permanent colour on the same day
- used pure bleach on relaxed hair then permanent dye on top the same day
- wore glued in weaves for weeks on end
- flat ironed my hair everyday to blend in with my straight weave

on the upside, i have always been a frequent washer.

 

[Miss*Tress]

I used too much heat and never moisturized the ends. My hair stayed fried.

 

[isioma85]

At my salon back home I would yell at the lady to put relaxer on my ends. And when she didn't, as soon as she turned her back I'd slap on gloves and slather the stuff on those ends reeeaaal good.

(and then I'd wonder why my ends looked like an exploded Brillo pad.)

 

[HighlyFavored1]

These are the things I used to do...thank goodness for education!

*I got a relaxer every 5-6 weeks (and it wasn't applied correctly at that)
*Used blow dryer whenever I washed my hair
*Dominican blowouts throughout the school year (too much for my hair)
*Used a flat iron often, and never with any type of heat protection
*Used heat on dirty hair (in fact, when the flat iron didn't really work well,
that would be my indication to wash)
*Didn't wash often, I didn't want to "wash my relaxer out"
*Wrapping the same direction every night and doing so with heavy brushing
*Never really moisturized or anything
*No deep conditioning
*Didn't know ANYTHING about protein. At all.
*Wore my hair down ALL the time, allowing it to brush against my clothes

Amazingly, my hair still kinda managed to hang in there, so I can't wait to see what kind of progress I can make with healthier hair care.

 

[Blackbird77]

I used to:

(1) Wash my hair in the sink.

(2) Use dish detergent when I ran out of shampoo (and by the same token used shampoo to wash the dishes when I ran out of dish detergent).

(3) Use the curling iron almost every day.

(4) Wear my hair down everyday and got hair caught in my purse strings and backback, rubbed all over the back of my shirts, etc.

(5) Think grease grew hair - I would oil my scalp but never the ends.

(6) Blow dry my hair while wet (with a comb attachment, too!)

(7) Never deep conditioned under a hooded dryer or at least a plastic cap. Just never deep conditioned.

 

[glamazon386]

If I knew then what I know now... I'd definitely have hair down to my booty by now. But nah seriously, I would stop relying solely on stylists to do my hair. They were tearing it all up. My mom used to pay for me to get it done at the salon every week (when I wasn't in braid extensions) until I graduated high school. I wish I would've learned how to care for my own hair a long time ago. Ahh well... better late than never though... right?

 

[Lucia]

If I knew then what I know now... I'd definitely have hair down to my booty by now. Ahh well... better late than never though... right?

Me too, I really think I could have had Tailbone straight/ BSL natural or even classic straight/WSL curly by now who knows? I messed it up before it got the chance.
I didn't even realize my hair and chems just don't mix, period that was 1 of many problems I had, then i let stylists "take care" of my hair for me. I abused heat whenever the mood for a new style hit me, sometimes 2x/ day, I dyed, never deep conditioned-and had the nerve to wonder what happened to my lush thick hair-HELLO right?
Since being on this site:
I've kept heat to a minimum only for super straight looks, or no heat at all
I've deep conditioned, weekly, kept my ends moisturized or oiled.
I've seen tons of growth and my hair's natural thickness return.
I can set goals that a few years ago in the middle of my bad hair behavior I would have thought crazy or only attainable with extension and lace fronts.
I really appreciate all the help and support I've gotten on this site you ladies are da bomb, all that and a bag of chips -thanks a bunch

 

[Hareitiz]

What I know know since becoming a member of this site

* I need to moisturize the ends of my hair and seal with oil

* I thought to moisturize, you just put oil on your hair and scalp

* I always wrapped my hair in the same direction every night for 15 yrs and didnt switch sides, maybe that is why my hair is shorter on one side?

* there is a difference between protein & moisturizing conditioners

At first I got a little upset because I had been doing the WRONG things to my hair for years, but I am SOOOOO thankful I found this site and thanks to all of the wonderful ladies here who share such valuable information!

 

[Brownie]

**Would have never texturized
**Would have used less heat
**Would have washed my hair more
**Would have stopped running from water and rain
**Would have given up cotton head scarves
**Would have stopped combing my hair 2 times a day with small tooth comb
**Would have given up the idea that curly/nappy/wooly hair was bad and hard to take care of long ago

**Would have stopped forcing my hair to adapt to styles that required too much work and manipulation (pressing comb). I would have worked with my hair in its natural state

 

[Southernbella.]

I would have never let anyone else do my hair

I would have done more than rinse after going swimming

I would have stretched my relaxers

I would have deep conditioned with every wash

I would have learned to rollerset a long time ago

 

[MissDiva]

I HAVE DONE EVERY SINGLE THING THAT EVERYONE LISTED!!!!

-Perming with a SUPER once a month.
-Not deep conditioning
-Wearing braids for a LONG time knowing it would thin my edges
-Trimming everytime I got a perm
-Curling my hair daily
- Wrapping my hair nightly the SAME direction each time
- Grease was definitely my friend
- I washed my hair with dish washing liquid or whatever I could find - including plain ole soap.
- I died my hair and then permed it a day later.
- Perming my entire head each time.

And the list goes on!!!!

I'm suprised I still have hair on my head. I've done some permanent damage.

 

[LovelyLionessa]

OT, Lauren450 your hair is absolutely lovely!

 

[MizaniMami]

Not washing often-the greasier my hair was, the better.

Wrapping-every single night, in the same direction

Trimming after every relaxer

Flat ironing,blowdrying, AND pressing my hair in one settting

Combing my hair a million times a day with those small rattail combs, if one strand landed out of place.

Never airdried, therefore never retained any length.

 

[B_Phlyy]

Greasing scalp, flat ironing, and curling everyday

Using a fine toothed comb for everything

Washing only once a month (when I got a relaxer)

Getting a relaxer every 4 weeks

Combing the relaxer through each time

Getting a trim every 2 weeks

Getting a major cut every 2 months

No wonder I've had the same hair style for 5 years.