NATURALS: Questions for the BSL & BEYOND Ladies

[gmw]

How often do you comb? What type of comb do you use?
I never comb. I always finger comb.

How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?
I rarely brush, I smooth my hair+water with my hands if I need to flatten it, or sometimes brush the front of the hair to make it smoother.

How often do you detangle?
Twice a week in general, when I wash my hair I detangle with my fingers when the hair is saturated in conditioner.

How often do you trim?
Once or twice a year, at the most.

What is your staple hair style?
Ponytail...very boring!

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.
No product at all, I've used moisturizing products for years. The major growth came from bein more gentle with my hair, finger combing instead of splitting ends with my combs.

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?
Treat your hair like silk and keep it simple.

Any other treasured tips you want to share?
Just leave your hair alone as much as possible. I model my hair care a little after locks since they grow tremendously quick and long. They're left alone most of the time and the hair is never combed or styled.

Great questions!!

I love the last part, and should have put that together myself seeing as I had BSL locks. hmmm.. Aha! I remember why that didn't apply to me, my hair will begin to lock on its own without a comb/goody brush/ or something. Still there has to be a way to do less combing which does not require that I twist or platt my hair.....

 

[loolalooh]

Hey Loo!

Hey girl!!

 

[Vshanell]

How often do you comb?* What type of comb do you use?*Once a week.* K-Cutter comb or Conair shower comb.* I usually detangle with the K-cutter before shampooing and after I'll run the Conair through.*How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?* I brush my edges daily but the rest of my hair once a week with my denman.*

How often do you detangle?* Once a week*How often do you trim?* Sparadically but pretty frequent.* Around every 4-5 months w/ dustings in-between.* It all depends....sometimes I can go 6 months w/o touching the scissors, no set schedule.*

What is your staple hair style?* Ponytail all the way.*

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.* I guess if I had to pic products it would be moisturizers, oils, butters, deep conditioners, protein conditioners.*

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth? Little to no direct heat and low manipulation.*

Any other treasured tips you want to share? Can't think of any right now.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Great thread...bookmarkings so I can study later!

 

[AtlantaJJ]

This is the bomb thread!! I all you long haired natural ladies, thank you for the sage advice!

 

[Miss_Luna]

I love the last part, and should have put that together myself seeing as I had BSL locks. hmmm.. Aha! I remember why that didn't apply to me, my hair will begin to lock on its own without a comb/goody brush/ or something. Still there has to be a way to do less combing which does not require that I twist or platt my hair.....

I have the same problem. If I don't comb my hair it will begin to lock and when I detangle I feel like I can hear my hair splitting because of the combing.
If I don't twist or braid my hair this happens. If you find a solution please share. I don't want to straighten my hair. I haven't used heat since March 08 and I'm about shoulder length now.

Maybe I need more moisture or something.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I love the last part, and should have put that together myself seeing as I had BSL locks. hmmm.. Aha! I remember why that didn't apply to me, my hair will begin to lock on its own without a comb/goody brush/ or something. Still there has to be a way to do less combing which does not require that I twist or platt my hair.....

The fact that I keep my cuticles smooth helps to keep my hair from tangling, therefore I don't need to use the comb or brush to detangle. I only use the comb when my hair is saturated with conditioner...I use the Denman only in the shower under running water most times. I also keep my hair stretched. I would never ever wear a shrunken fro...I want to retain my length.

I have springy 4a/b cotton hair that loves to shrink, yet no knots, no tangles.

Check out this thread:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=341855

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I have the same problem. If I don't comb my hair it will begin to lock and when I detangle I feel like I can hear my hair splitting because of the combing.
If I don't twist or braid my hair this happens. If you find a solution please share. I don't want to straighten my hair. I haven't used heat since March 08 and I'm about shoulder length now.

Maybe I need more moisture or something.

Not trying to hijack this thread but read this thread:

Porosity, the forgotten step

 

[loolalooh]

This is the bomb thread!! I all you long haired natural ladies, thank you for the sage advice!

I know right. All the advice that they've given is golden! Thanks again, ladies!

 

[loolalooh]

I love the last part, and should have put that together myself seeing as I had BSL locks. hmmm.. Aha! I remember why that didn't apply to me, my hair will begin to lock on its own without a comb/goody brush/ or something. Still there has to be a way to do less combing which does not require that I twist or platt my hair.....

I have the same problem. If I don't comb my hair it will begin to lock and when I detangle I feel like I can hear my hair splitting because of the combing.
If I don't twist or braid my hair this happens. If you find a solution please share. I don't want to straighten my hair. I haven't used heat since March 08 and I'm about shoulder length now.

Maybe I need more moisture or something.

I have 4b hair and the minimal combing thing can totally be done without the hair locking. It takes practice, though. Now I'm able to comb 1x a month or so. The rest of the time, I finger detangle. Eventually, I want to get combing down to 1x every 6 months. I have heard of 4bs that don't comb though and their hair is just fine. I might try to get to that point one day.

What helps me is that I never wash my hair loose. It's always in several big twists/plaits during the wash process. It also helps that I mostly protective style - twists, braids, updos. If I wear my hair loose, it's either stretched or a twistout; I don't wear twists and plaits 24-7. This is what works for me. I also stay away from wash-n-gos and shrunken fros.

Hope that helps. If you can get combing down to weekly or bi-weekly, I think that's good. There are ladies in this thread that are BSL and Beyond with combing weekly. Do what works for you (weekly, monthly, etc.). I guess the key is to keep it as minimal as possible for YOUR hair.

 

[mscocoface]

How often do you comb? only for detangling

What type of comb do you use? Depends on my mood usually very large tooth combs then a medium one,

How often do you brush? Not often at all, as a matter of fact I think 2-3 times last year.

What type of brush do you use? I have Denams for detangling

How often do you detangle? Only when I absolutely have to. Usually when I am changing protective hair styles.

How often do you trim? Don't trim have only dusted in the last 4 years. This past year I think I dusted once maybe.

What is your staple hair style? Flat twists in the front and kinky twists in the back with extension hair for length and styles.

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? More of product line or process, I am a strong believer in ayurvedic products or making them myself

Explain. - I do a lot of mixing of products to make spritz, deep conditioniong, cowashing, etc. The only product line I use that is well known is HairVeda

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth? Protect those ends like a jealous lover!!! They are the oldest, weakest and most finicky and once they break off you have to wait for more hair to grow in order to get that back.

Any other treasured tips you want to share? For me moisture daily whether spritzing the hair, cowashing, deep conditioning, or just throwing some water on it while in the shower has proven to be very beneficial for my growth and health of my hair.

I am also now a great believer in keeping it simple and not having 50-11 products in my hair and then changing up the next day is not a good thing for my hair. Even the spritz and other products I make are all simple and easy to make.

 

[tada1]

subscribing

 

[2themax]

How often do you comb? What type of comb do you use?
Once a week to detangle after washing my hair. I use a standard wide tooth comb.

How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?
Very rarely and briefly (about 5 seconds). Only to smooth the ends when styling.

How often do you detangle?
Once a week (see above).

How often do you trim?
Used to be 2-3 times a year. ... Now it's never.

What is your staple hair style?
Ponytail.

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.
MSM, Biotin, & a Multi-vitamin.

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?
Moisturize and keep scalp/pores clean.

Any other treasured tips you want to share?
Drink lots of water, rest, exercise and get plenty of protein (internally and externally). Auyervidic products (Amla, Bhingraj, Shikakai and Henna).

 

[danigurl18]

I love this thread!

 

[TheQueenBeeMaya]

I love this thread!

Girl, me too ! i'm sitting here taking notes ! Does anyone put oil on their scalp? Or do they only focus on ends? I've been flaking a lot lately, this means my scalp needs oil right?

 

[Pooks]

(Subscribing) Thanks for bumping.

 

[Lucia]

How often do you comb? What type of comb do you use?

I use K-cutter comb, it's one of the best tips I've gotten here.

http://www.mountainbeautysupply.com/_e/loc/product/047908011004/Diane_K_Cutter_Comb.htm

How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?

I brush my edges with a medium soft brislte brush daily, I also have a denman that I use sometimes for the length in the shower to detangle.

How often do you detangle?

I detangle by wetting my hair and then loading my hair up with conditioner finger-combing 1st then using my K-cutter.

How often do you trim?

I do S&D's on the splits every 3-4 months, I don't really cut my hair, that's how I retain more length, I'm not chasing even hair

What is your staple hair style?

Braids, weaves, buns

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.

Conditioners, oils, natural butters
I use conditioners for co-washing and deep conditioning and moisture, oils to moisturize and seal, butters to seal. I have my favs posted in my fotki, but it really doesn't matter which ones a long as they work.

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?

K.I.S.S, stay away from scissor happy stylists

Any other treasured tips you want to share?

Low-manipulation, minimal heat

 

[crazydaze911]

Girl, me too ! i'm sitting here taking notes ! Does anyone put oil on their scalp? Or do they only focus on ends? I've been flaking a lot lately, this means my scalp needs oil right?

I do use oil (nothing with mineral oil or petroleum like some of that over the counter stuff) but really only after i wash my hair (once or twice a week) to kinda replace whatever was lost from my scalp. I also sometimes use 'bee mine'

 

[zzirvingj]

What type of comb do you use?

-I use a wide-tooth shower comb in the shower when detangling. I don't comb much other than that, but I will use any regular comb when wearing my hair straight (as long as it's not a rat-tail comb), if it really needs combing, which is not very often. If it needs detangling while it's straight I try to do it with my fingers first.

How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?

-I use a soft boar bristle brush to brush the sides down when I'm wearing my hair in a natural bun. I brush the sides down almost daily when wearing the bun. But the bristles are soft so I never experienced any damage from it. I use a Denman brush when I detangle my hair in the shower, which is usually once a week or once every other week.

How often do you detangle?

-If my hair is natural, once a week. If it's pressed, once every other week because I usually wear a press for two weeks.

How often do you trim?

-Twice a year. I dust splits as I see them, on an infrequent basis.

What is your staple hair style?

-Usually it's in a natural bun, or pressed.

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.

-I pick Lekair Cholesterol cuz it's been one of the most consistent products in my regimen that it seems I cannot substitute anything else for. I use it to detangle my hair. It provides the slip necessary to detangle easily without experiencing any matting or knotting in my hair. And detangling is very important because without the right product (and technique, of course) you can end up losing alot of hair during the detangling process.

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?

-"It's not how much you grow, but how much you keep." (In other words, baby those ends!!!!)

Any other treasured tips you want to share?
-Can't think of any but if you have any questions, just lemme know. HTH....

 

[loolalooh]

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?

-"It's not how much you grow, but how much you keep." (In other words, baby those ends!!!!)

LOVE this motto!

 

[Faith]

How often do you comb? Once a Week on wash day (if I wash that week)

What type of comb do you use? A Big tooth comb and k-cutter

How often do you brush? I don't..I wouldn't have any hair. Once in a while I use a baby brush to smooth my buns/ponytails

What type of brush do you use? N/A

How often do you detangle? Once a week

How often do you trim? I DUST every 6 months (or sooner if my ends get chippy, little pieces breaking off). I did have to cut back in Dec because of single strand knots but that has gotten better.

What is your staple hair style? Buns, ponytails, french braids, some protective style

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? 1. Ayurvedic Powders 2. Gro aut for softer hair 3. Synthetic hair, #2 (lol)

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth? K.I.S.S! Leave it alone and it will grow.

Any other treasured tips you want to share?
Try to only comb when damp/wet
Treat it nicely
Keep it moisturized
If you don't need to cut/trim then don't..just dust lightly
Get Aveda DR IRT or Joico kpak reconstructor

 

[GoingNatural]

How often do you comb? What type of comb do you use?
I comb every time i cowash which is every day or at least once every three days. A regular shower comb.

How often do you brush? What type of brush do you use?
I brush in the shower, about once a week, with a Denman D9 Heavy
How often do you detangle?

How often do you trim?
Once every two years? I don't know. It's only happened once since my BC.

What is your staple hair style?
Ponytail. I used to do it as a protective style, but now I just think it makes my face look better.

What 1-3 products have helped you retain your growth? Explain.
Moisturizing Conditioners. My hair is thirsty and as long as I hydrate it, it does what I want.

What is your #1 motto when it comes to retaining growth?
Less is more. KISS.

Any other treasured tips you want to share?
Don't jump on bandwagon's. Most likely your rate of hair growth won't change but the money is your wallet will start looking slim.

my answers

 

[loolalooh]

Thanks ladies. Keep 'em coming. Bump!

I notice a couple of you use the K-Cutter? What are the benefits of that over a regular wide tooth comb? TIA.

 

[Faith]

K-cutter = no snagging and ripping. It seems to just do a cleaner job.

 

[Lucia]

detangling is just easier with the K-cutter than a regular comb.

 

[Lucia]

Girl, me too ! i'm sitting here taking notes ! Does anyone put oil on their scalp? Or do they only focus on ends? I've been flaking a lot lately, this means my scalp needs oil right?

The flaking is probably build-up, you might have to clarify 1st with ACV diluted w/ water, and make sure you condition well then keep the oiling light. I only lightly oil my scalp every once and a while but I oil focusing on my length and ends when I do use oil hth

 

[DozenRoses99]

Great thread!

 

[Pooks]

Bumping for answers from any new BSL+ naturals

 

[Poohbear]

I have the same problem. If I don't comb my hair it will begin to lock and when I detangle I feel like I can hear my hair splitting because of the combing.
If I don't twist or braid my hair this happens. If you find a solution please share. I don't want to straighten my hair. I haven't used heat since March 08 and I'm about shoulder length now.

Maybe I need more moisture or something.

Do you wear unmanipulated shrunken fros a lot?

 

[MonPetite]

Bumping. Great thread OP and great info, ladies!