almond eyes
Well-Known Member
I have always been blessed with a full head of hair. But because it was frizzy, dry and drew up very quickly, growing up my mother was very frustrated. My mother on the other hand had a blend of 4a/3c hair, medium thick but also low porosity. To my African mother, fine hair was hair that showed a prominent curl pattern. My mother said my hair was thick (because it was so much) but tough. Growing up the moisturiser, we all used was grease and when my hair would reach a certain point because it didn't have enough moisture or was left out too long without moisture would snap and break off.
My mother couldn't deal with my natural hair because it was too much. Pressing it could take three hours and then braiding it would take just as long. I observed when my mother would braid or twist my hair it always looked not full. Mum used volumizers and all kinds of conditioners to thicken my hair but it always remained the same.
When I would get relaxers done, the hairdressers would see my frizzy light dense hair and slap the relaxer on for too long and when it would not take to the relaxer and stayed frizzy/curly, would chop off the light frizz of curls calling them damaged hair.
Through this hair care board, I learnt the reality about my hair, my hair was fine, dense and had low porosity. And all of a sudden a light bulb went off. Now I understood why certain products would sit on my hair, why my hair was resistant to chemicals, why I had to use a good detangling comb with large teeth and not small.
I just wanted to say thanks so much ladies for all this information on LHCF that I have learnt and keep learning. If not for all of this information on the reality of my hair I would have continued to do the wrong things and then blame it on genes with my mother saying that her mother and her mother before that were just blessed with the good hair gene and it was passed on to me as a child but then lost it over the years because I didn't have the healthy African hair. Africans call fine hair thin and think it is not healthy hair and many mothers keep cutting on their daughters hair hoping that it will thicken up.
I have recently relaxed my hair about a year and a half ago and it turned out well but the three times I used affirm fiberguard no lye it did nothing but laugh. And then I had to figure out that affirm fiberguard no lye under processes low porosity hair and can lead to brittleness and dryness.
I relaxed my hair after a stretch for five months three weeks ago and had no breakage and the salon used affirm fiberguard which was good for my scalp but let me underprocessed especially in a very tiny portion of the front of my hair which is very resistant. I had no breakage but the new growth in the front was underprocessed. I don't like it at all the difference between the underprocessed hair and the previously relaxed hair.
I am going back to the salon on Friday and will have my hair dresser use syntonics to correct that portion of my hair and will not use the affirm fiberguard no lye again to re touch. Wish me luck.
I have been talking to my mother about my hair and all of the hair drama over the years because my hair was always seen as bad because it was dry and fine. Now my mother feels bad because, with all the hair I have damaged naturally and chemically that has been cut, I should have had much longer hair today. But lessons learnt and it took a lot of trial and error. It feels good to learn the lessons and now apply them and to always keep learning in life.
Best,
Almond Eyes
My mother couldn't deal with my natural hair because it was too much. Pressing it could take three hours and then braiding it would take just as long. I observed when my mother would braid or twist my hair it always looked not full. Mum used volumizers and all kinds of conditioners to thicken my hair but it always remained the same.
When I would get relaxers done, the hairdressers would see my frizzy light dense hair and slap the relaxer on for too long and when it would not take to the relaxer and stayed frizzy/curly, would chop off the light frizz of curls calling them damaged hair.
Through this hair care board, I learnt the reality about my hair, my hair was fine, dense and had low porosity. And all of a sudden a light bulb went off. Now I understood why certain products would sit on my hair, why my hair was resistant to chemicals, why I had to use a good detangling comb with large teeth and not small.
I just wanted to say thanks so much ladies for all this information on LHCF that I have learnt and keep learning. If not for all of this information on the reality of my hair I would have continued to do the wrong things and then blame it on genes with my mother saying that her mother and her mother before that were just blessed with the good hair gene and it was passed on to me as a child but then lost it over the years because I didn't have the healthy African hair. Africans call fine hair thin and think it is not healthy hair and many mothers keep cutting on their daughters hair hoping that it will thicken up.
I have recently relaxed my hair about a year and a half ago and it turned out well but the three times I used affirm fiberguard no lye it did nothing but laugh. And then I had to figure out that affirm fiberguard no lye under processes low porosity hair and can lead to brittleness and dryness.
I relaxed my hair after a stretch for five months three weeks ago and had no breakage and the salon used affirm fiberguard which was good for my scalp but let me underprocessed especially in a very tiny portion of the front of my hair which is very resistant. I had no breakage but the new growth in the front was underprocessed. I don't like it at all the difference between the underprocessed hair and the previously relaxed hair.
I am going back to the salon on Friday and will have my hair dresser use syntonics to correct that portion of my hair and will not use the affirm fiberguard no lye again to re touch. Wish me luck.
I have been talking to my mother about my hair and all of the hair drama over the years because my hair was always seen as bad because it was dry and fine. Now my mother feels bad because, with all the hair I have damaged naturally and chemically that has been cut, I should have had much longer hair today. But lessons learnt and it took a lot of trial and error. It feels good to learn the lessons and now apply them and to always keep learning in life.
Best,
Almond Eyes
And you will soon have the hair you want.
