How do detangle that much hair? My hair is very fine and fragile, but still coily and kinky, so it's best for me to detangle prior to wetting it. I part it in sections, usually 4 to 6, slather it with Red Palm Butter and EVOO, and start from the ends and work my way up. After I'm done with a section, I twist it up. If I'm pre-pooing overnight, I'll cover with a cap, take down the twists in the morning and hop in the shower.
How Long does it take? It depends. I'm learning how to be more gentle with my hair, so sometimes I move pretty slow. It also depends on how tangled/matted my hair is. I'd say it can take anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes.
How much product does your hair take? Conditioner, leave in etc. I use a TON of conditioner. I usually start with a regular conditioner, and then follow up with a deep conditioner. I've been known to use upto 3 palm fulls per conditioner (regular & deep), sometimes more. But I don't cowash and I only wash 1x every week to two weeks, so I haven't run out of conditioner yet. Plus I'm a product junkie.
But I must say, I've been fortunate in that mostly all of the products I've tried work very well for my hair.
What do you do about the knots? (It seems as if they get worse the longer the hair gets) For a while, I was getting regular trims, at least an inch clipped at a time. But the knots always came back. I recently decided I wasn't going to trim but 1x year until I reach my hair goals. In the meantime I slather my ends with Red Palm Butter or some other type of moisture/sealant, which has helped a lot. I also don't wear my hair loose. Staying consistent with moisturizing and oiling the hair has helped keep my single strand knots at a minimum. Baggying and using saftey pins has helped as well. Although occasionally, I will search and destroy.
How do you manage hair that covers most of your back but shrinks up to above your shoulders? Shrinkage is just a part of life when you're natural. I've come to accept that and learning to embrace it. Sure there are times when I want my length to fully show, but I know it's not gonna happen unless I flat iron. I must say that the longer my hair gets, the longer it hangs when shrunken. When I was at APL and the early stages of BSL my hair shrunk to a 2 or 3 inch mini fro. But now that I'm BSL/MBL, my hair shrinks between SL & APL....which is workable.
Thanks for starting this thread. Even though I'm natural and my hair is relatively "long", I'm still discovering new ways to care for my hair. So this is very helpful. The same concerns you have about natural BSL are the same concerns I have about natural WSL. It's a lot of hair, and a lot of work. My wash days last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours from start to finish, depending on what I'm doing. Mainly because I deep condition twice. First with a protein/reconstructor, then with a deep moisturizing treatment. I sit under my dryer for a minimum of 30 minutes for each treatment. Other times I just cover with a cap.
Typically I do not air dry because my strands can and will lock up on me. So most of the time I blowdry WITHOUT an attachment, and applying gentle pressure to the hair. This method will get my hair almost straight depending on the products I use. On the days where I'm feeling brave enough to air dry, I drown my hair in Scurl, Red Palm Butter, and WGO. Then I put it in two braids. I can only leave it like that for a week without combing it, before I have to wash again.
Seriously though, I put leave-in and one of the natural butters that I have in my hair before exiting the shower. That seems to help alot. I'm also another Chicoro method user. Since my hair isn't as thick, I only make 3 braids. If I want my hair out, then I'll wear twists or straighten it. I've worn twists once this year, and straightened twice. When I want my hair to look a little more fancy, then I use hair accessories (hair sticks, flexi-8's, bun covers, etc).
Only 2X a week for me, and as winter approaches I'll probably switch to 1X per week.
My hair is HUGE! That's the reason I wear so many braidouts and why I wear it straight a lot. After a certain length, there's no more wash n gos, unless you use a whole lot of gel. (At least for me that's the case. Certain textures will probably be better with wash n gos.) I've been trying not to press so much this summer. Not because of damage, but because I want to be more comfortable with the natural look, but I don't know too many people with my texture and length who can wear it just natural and look professional. I also think that because I wear it straight and in braidouts so much, maybe that's why I don't really have a problem with knots. It seems like my hair tangles much more after wearing it out natural.
