My Hair Frustrates Me

[lushcoils]

nice oil - castor oil

I'm not sure if you can find these in your country, but this is what I use:
deep conditioner: aubrey's honeysuckle rose or ors olive oil
conditioner: trader joe's nourish spa
shampoo: nature's gate biotin shampoo
moisturizing leave in: shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
don't forget your protein: aubrey's gbp

ETA: My hair loves protein, so all of my products have [moisturizing] protein in them other than the castor oil. So if you find out your hair is protein sensitive, ignore everything I just listed except for castor oil and aubrey's hsr and maybe aubrey's gbp every now and then.

 

[Tiffalicious]

I know you said no ordering online, but this will simplify your life greatly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXr8byRyutM
Also see mud Wash = no DC thread
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=564063&referrerid=162028

Hmm that does look pretty easy. I'll look into that.

 

[Tiffalicious]

nice oil - castor oil

I'm not sure if you can find these in your country, but this is what I use:
deep conditioner: aubrey's honeysuckle rose or ors olive oil
conditioner: trader joe's nourish spa
shampoo: nature's gate biotin shampoo
moisturizing leave in: shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
don't forget your protein: aubrey's gbp

ETA: My hair loves protein, so all of my products have [moisturizing] protein in them other than the castor oil. So if you find out your hair is protein sensitive, ignore everything I just listed except for castor oil and aubrey's hsr and maybe aubrey's gbp every now and then.

The only things I think I can find here are the Aubrey's Organics, the oil and maybe the Nature's Gate.

 

[ladysaraii]

Oh I forgot to mention butters. I usually seal with butters like olive, sunflower, jojoba (I bought a ton) and I moisturize with my spritz (water, avj, glycerin) and seal with butter. Nice soft moisturized hair

 

[Tiffalicious]

Oh I forgot to mention butters. I usually seal with butters like olive, sunflower, jojoba (I bought a ton) and I moisturize with my spritz (water, avj, glycerin) and seal with butter. Nice soft moisturized hair

What's avj?

 

[LovelyNaps26]

How are you combing your hair? Is alot of hair breaking (short pieces) or is it regular shedding?

My hair often "feels" dry and brittle but i've resigned myself to the fact that if i'm moisturizing it daily, not seeing small broken pieces then that's just how it feels. I don't like to manipulate it too often. when trying to get past SL as a natural when i joined LHCF i would wash, dc, twist and leave for two weeks. I literally combed my hair twice a month. i detangled on wash day with my hair loaded with oil and conditioner. that's when i saw consistent length retention. i do short cuts now b/c my hair is getting a bit time consuming but i know if i get stuck i'll have to go back to basics.

oh, another thing about moisture. I baggied in the beginning of my hair journey. that was helpful but using some kind of protein every 2 weeks is important to make sure hair doesn't become too moisturized (it can get weak).

 

[Tiffalicious]

How are you combing your hair? Is alot of hair breaking (short pieces) or is it regular shedding?

My hair often "feels" dry and brittle but i've resigned myself to the fact that if i'm moisturizing it daily, not seeing small broken pieces then that's just how it feels. I don't like to manipulate it too often. when trying to get past SL as a natural when i joined LHCF i would wash, dc, twist and leave for two weeks. I literally combed my hair twice a month. i detangled on wash day with my hair loaded with oil and conditioner. that's when i saw consistent length retention. i do short cuts now b/c my hair is getting a bit time consuming but i know if i get stuck i'll have to go back to basics.

oh, another thing about moisture. I baggied in the beginning of my hair journey. that was helpful but using some kind of protein every 2 weeks is important to make sure hair doesn't become too moisturized (it can get weak).

I don't comb it unless I'm washing it or directly after I've washed it while it's still wet. I have short hairs throughout the length of my hair, but whenever I check the hair that comes out it's mostly shed hair. My hair sheds a lot too. I feel like I should put it up in a sew in or something just so I wont touch it and it has time to rest and get away from the sun and crazy heat here. And so I wont be tempted to mess with it.

 

[LongLeggedLife]

Ive found that heat of a blow dry softens and smooths my hair tremendously. If I allowed my hair to airdry, it would feel like a birds nest, would definitely be highly tangled, and knot around itself.

 

[ariqone]

My hair isn't perfect, and I'm still learning, but here are some things you should try doing, at the very least
- try low-manipulation, preferably a "no-combing" regime
--when you manipulate hair, do it on damp hair
- shampoo less often
- moisturize and seal 2x a day

 

[lilyofthenile]

Ok one more thing ladies.

I need product suggestions. Preferably some that are available in beauty supply/ health food stores, as ordering online is out of the question here. I'm going to need suggestions for:

a deep conditioner
a rinse out/ co-wash conditioner
a clarifying shampoo/conditioner
some nice oils
a really moisturizing leave in
and anything else I should be using...

Thanks.

I would say Shea Moisture is quite nice for a leave in, any of their range really, but I liked the Curl and Styling Milk. I also find their Moisturising Spritz quite pleasant - I don't think they're all expensive. They also have deep treatment masks - but I have never got round to trying it out yet.

Suave has a good Professionals range, Shea and Almond, which you could use as a cowash conditioner. I also believe they have a clarifying conditioner. VO5 is another readily available conditioner as well.

I like to use Kinky Curly Come Clean as a clarifying shampoo. You can get it at Target.

Oils - Cold pressed castor oil, hemp oil, wheat germ oil, jojoba oil - can be purchased at the Vitamin Shoppe or Wholefoods.

 

[temfash]

Your hair also needs protein for moisture to be accepted into your hair. I made the mistake of not doing protein treatments when I was natural and suffered a lot of split ends and SSKs.

Protein is what was missing from my routine.

I agree, ever since I've added a regular light protein treatment to my regimen my hair retains moisture better.

 

[Tiffalicious]

Ive found that heat of a blow dry softens and smooths my hair tremendously. If I allowed my hair to airdry, it would feel like a birds nest, would definitely be highly tangled, and knot around itself.

Blow drying my hair makes it feel rough to the touch. I don't like it.

 

[Tiffalicious]

I would say Shea Moisture is quite nice for a leave in, any of their range really, but I liked the Curl and Styling Milk. I also find their Moisturising Spritz quite pleasant - I don't think they're all expensive. They also have deep treatment masks - but I have never got round to trying it out yet.

Suave has a good Professionals range, Shea and Almond, which you could use as a cowash conditioner. I also believe they have a clarifying conditioner. VO5 is another readily available conditioner as well.

I like to use Kinky Curly Come Clean as a clarifying shampoo. You can get it at Target.

Oils - Cold pressed castor oil, hemp oil, wheat germ oil, jojoba oil - can be purchased at the Vitamin Shoppe or Wholefoods.

I live in Barbados so we don't have a Target here. I haven't seen Shea Moisture here or Kinky Curly either.

 

[BlackHairDiva]

I have been a lurker in this forum since 2005 and then i signup after that. You know I only started finding my staples last year. THis year I can definately say, I have my full staples, the right tools and Im retaining growth. It takes time to find your staples..if you have found them..you need to look at what you use..u got the right brushes? I mean not the brushes approved by anyone...the brush should be approved by your hair. Do use stuff that works with your hair...do you have tons of hair in you brush do to fighting tangles? Be very vey attentive to your hair.

Also make sure to time your purchases... at one point, I had everything correct but my issue was that I waited to long to get my stapples. I always had a 1 week to 2 week period where my hair was dry city!!! I order my stuff little by little even if its not finished. By the time one bottle is down, I had 2 back up bottles in hand and im preparing to replace the one finished. You got to be consistant!

 

[MzSwift]

I have fine 4 a/b natural hair as well.

My hair didn't start feeling soft and moisturized until I kept it stretched and began a low manipulation regi (which included lots of PSing).

-I wash once per week, followed by a lite protein tx and a moisturizing DC. I have never used a heavy protein. I keep my hair in braids and do EVERYHING I'm mentioning in braids.

-I moisturize daily, twice, using a spray mix of condish + water + a little oil. At night I spray and seal with an oil.

-I'm cheap. Suave Tropical Coconut is my leave in, the base for my condish and poo mixes, the condish in my moisturizing spray mix and the condish in my braid spray mix.

-My moisturizing DC is Queen Helene cholesterol (the other cholesterols did not work for me) + EVOO. When I want protein I add full fat yogurt or one egg to that mix.

-I also use Motions CPR (in the bottle) for protein and ALWAYS follow with a moisturizing DC, even though it's not a strong protein.

-When it's hot, I keep my hair in mini/small individual braids with no extensions. I either water rinse or cowash them daily and use a leave in.

-When it's cold, my hair is cornrowed and covered with either a headwrap or a wig.

-When in cornrows, I redo them either on Saturday or Sunday and rock them all week. I take them down for weekend fun and then redo them BEFORE my wash/DCing.

-I never wash my hair loose and I'm not concerned about curl definition (as you can see in my siggy, LoL).

-When my hair is out I ALWAYS either band or braid it at night and cover. I can't afford NOT to do that.

-I rarely comb/brush my hair. I use my fingers for everything cause my fine hair needs to be treated like silk. The only time I use anything is if I'm picking my hair out into a fro (like my avi). I only do that a few times per year.

I'm not saying you have to be like me. I just hope that something I've listed will help you in your journey. GL!

 

[Charla]

Your hair also needs protein for moisture to be accepted into your hair. I made the mistake of not doing protein treatments when I was natural and suffered a lot of split ends and SSKs.

Protein is what was missing from my routine.

I agree, ever since I've added a regular light protein treatment to my regimen my hair retains moisture better.

frizzy Same here. For the first 6 months of my hhj, I didn't use protein because I read that naturals don't need protein like relaxed ladies. But I decided to at least try a med protein with Ors+egg and my hair instantly responded, so I do it once a month now. We may not need as much protein as relaxed ladies, but we still need some.

 

[Tiffalicious]

I have fine 4 a/b natural hair as well.

My hair didn't start feeling soft and moisturized until I kept it stretched and began a low manipulation regi (which included lots of PSing).

-I wash once per week, followed by a lite protein tx and a moisturizing DC. I have never used a heavy protein. I keep my hair in braids and do EVERYHING I'm mentioning in braids.

-I moisturize daily, twice, using a spray mix of condish + water + a little oil. At night I spray and seal with an oil.

-I'm cheap. Suave Tropical Coconut is my leave in, the base for my condish and poo mixes, the condish in my moisturizing spray mix and the condish in my braid spray mix.

-My moisturizing DC is Queen Helene cholesterol (the other cholesterols did not work for me) + EVOO. When I want protein I add full fat yogurt or one egg to that mix.

-I also use Motions CPR (in the bottle) for protein and ALWAYS follow with a moisturizing DC, even though it's not a strong protein.

-When it's hot, I keep my hair in mini/small individual braids with no extensions. I either water rinse or cowash them daily and use a leave in.

-When it's cold, my hair is cornrowed and covered with either a headwrap or a wig.

-When in cornrows, I redo them either on Saturday or Sunday and rock them all week. I take them down for weekend fun and then redo them BEFORE my wash/DCing.

-I never wash my hair loose and I'm not concerned about curl definition (as you can see in my siggy, LoL).

-When my hair is out I ALWAYS either band or braid it at night and cover. I can't afford NOT to do that.

-I rarely comb/brush my hair. I use my fingers for everything cause my fine hair needs to be treated like silk. The only time I use anything is if I'm picking my hair out into a fro (like my avi). I only do that a few times per year.

I'm not saying you have to be like me. I just hope that something I've listed will help you in your journey. GL!

Thanks. That was really helpful. I should really never keep my hair loose especially not go to bed with it that way. Which I do, a lot.

Your hair looks very thick by the way. I wish mine had that fullness.