NEWBIES BE CAREFUL OF BANDWAGONS!

[Prettyeyes]

NEWBIES HAIR GROWTH IS FUN BUT DO YOUR RESEARCH OR YOU WILL NOT REACH YOUR GOALS!!!!

I think fads and bandwagons are fine and fun for older members who know what they are doing but I think that they can be harmful for newbies who do not get the ENTIRE picture.

I have seen newbies join the first challenge they see is popular and only follow the challenge rules/regimen. BUT WHAT IF THAT CHALLENGE INCLUDES STEPS THAT ARE RISKY OR EXCLUDES STEPS THEY NEED??erplexed

THEY WILL NOT ACHIEVE HEALTHY HAIR!

Also some newbies learn a fad or two and experience a growth spurt and leave!!

They do not know that this is not called a journey for nothing! You need a wealth of knowledge to be successful and it is here if you look for it! RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!
NO QUICK FIXES! NO MAGIC POTIONS! NO FADS! NO BANDWAGONS!


Stepping off my soap box now!!! I am a social worker and my hair friends call me the hair social worker. I worry about the hair needy and hair less fortunate LOL

OLDER MEMBERS KNOW THIS IS TRUE!!!!

 

[hopeful]

ITA Prettyeyes.

 

[divachyk]

OP, thanks for the gentle reminder. I'm a newbie and I've joined a few bandwagons although I'm hoping they are not too damaging for my relaxed hair. So far mine are, applying JBCO, juicing, protective styling by dry bunning, wet Bunning, moisturizing/sealing and baggy method. Are these considered risky for a newbie?

 

[Prettyeyes]

OP, thanks for the gentle reminder. I'm a newbie and I've joined a few bandwagons although I'm hoping they are not too damaging for my relaxed hair. So far mine are, applying JBCO, juicing, protective styling by dry bunning, wet Bunning, moisturizing/sealing and baggy method. Are these considered risky for a newbie?

Not in and of themselves but a regimen has to be balanced. You need to understand the need for protein and moisture balance etc. And getting yourself a balanced regimen (Check out the regimen of women whose hair looks healthy to get a good start) and good products are important also!!!HHG!

 

[ms.blue]

Thanks prettyeyes. I only join challenges/bandwagons that benefit me like the juice challenge for moisture, co-washing for cleansing/moisture, braids for protective styles castor oil for moisture & thicker strands, and water for health. I have been on my hhj long before joining this site and I pretty much knows what works for me.

Newbies like myself should research before joining anything bandwagon/challenge.

 

[hothair]

Co-signing on this. Build your regimen first, see what works (or not for your hair) BEFORE you start joining challenges. The challenge should enhance your regimen NOT dictate it.

Most of all have fun and enjoy your hair journey HHG

 

[divachyk]

Not in and of themselves but a regimen has to be balanced. You need to understand the need for protein and moisture balance etc. And getting yourself a balanced regimen (Check out the regimen of women whose hair looks healthy to get a good start) and good products are important also!!!HHG!

I've been following some healthy heads but it seems that some (not all) have experienced setbacks (which is alarming) and some (not all) are all over the place with their techniques, products, etc which makes it hard for a newbie to find a good, simple routine with staple products.

The protein/moisture balance is still a complex concept for me to grasp. I've never had to consider this before because I relied on bi-weekly salon visits to keep my hair in check. I still frequent the salon for my relaxer but I now care for my hair in the interim days/weeks. I've been relaxing every 6 weeks as far I can remember but now I'm reconsidering the frequency of relaxing to ensure I'm not overlapping.

 

[Charz]

Bandwagons are overrated. The fundamentals like proper protein-moisture balance and protective styling are what works.

 

[Tiye]

NEWBIES HAIR GROWTH IS FUN BUT DO YOUR RESEARCH OR YOU WILL NOT REACH YOUR GOALS!!!!

I think fads and bandwagons are fine and fun for older members who know what they are doing but I think that they can be harmful for newbies who do not get the ENTIRE picture.

...

OLDER MEMBERS KNOW THIS IS TRUE!!!!

Nope - most are not fine and fun for anyone. Protective styling challenges are harmless but product based bandwagons ... I don't think they're good for anyone. If an older member joins a bandwagon this means she may be stepping away from products and a regimen that works to drop a bunch of money on something sight unseen and to be honest prolly ain't gonna work anyway. That's no better to go through if you're an old hand or a newbie. It's one thing if your mama, cousin, sister, friend uses it - you know what their hair is like and you've seen the results with your own eyes ... or you've seen it applied in person at your local salon. But going by pics on the internet isn't always the best idea. IF you do choose to hop on a trend ... 1) be sure that the people recommending it have hair like yours. 2) Try to find the products in small - or sample sizes before you order a gallon bucket of the stuff from a farmer in the backwoods of some place. 3) Ideally buy your stuff from a retailer who is ethical enough to take returns if a product doesn't work - or you change your mind. I think we black women are being taken advantage of by too many vendors with "all sales final" mentality and this is wrong. We drop enough money on hair products where we should be getting the vip treatment - not having vendors who grab our money and run. 4) Keep in mind that not everyone who raves about something paid for it with their own money. Nothing wrong with using the internet to promote products - but it's a problem when people deliberately fail to reveal that they are promoting stuff.

just my 3.5 cents. So newbies ... be careful.

 

[~*Tigget*~]

Thank you PrettyEyes for this....boy don't I wish I would have known this sooner. Good info

 

[Prettyeyes]

I've been following some healthy heads but it seems that some (not all) have experienced setbacks (which is alarming) and some (not all) are all over the place with their techniques, products, etc which makes it hard for a newbie to find a good, simple routine with staple products.

The protein/moisture balance is still a complex concept for me to grasp. I've never had to consider this before because I relied on bi-weekly salon visits to keep my hair in check. I still frequent the salon for my relaxer but I now care for my hair in the interim days/weeks. I've been relaxing every 6 weeks as far I can remember but now I'm reconsidering the frequency of relaxing to ensure I'm not overlapping.

I think you are on the right track just take your time and learn.

 

[divachyk]

Nope - most are not fine and fun for anyone. Protective styling challenges are harmless but product based bandwagons ... I don't think they're good for anyone. If an older member joins a bandwagon this means she may be stepping away from products and a regimen that works to drop a bunch of money on something sight unseen and to be honest prolly ain't gonna work anyway. That's no better to go through if you're an old hand or a newbie. It's one thing if your mama, cousin, sister, friend uses it - you know what their hair is like and you've seen the results with your own eyes ... or you've seen it applied in person at your local salon. But going by pics on the internet isn't always the best idea. IF you do choose to hop on a trend ... 1) be sure that the people recommending it have hair like yours. 2) Try to find the products in small - or sample sizes before you order a gallon bucket of the stuff from a farmer in the backwoods of some place. 3) Ideally buy your stuff from a retailer who is ethical enough to take returns if a product doesn't work - or you change your mind. I think we black women are being taken advantage of by too many vendors with "all sales final" mentality and this is wrong. We drop enough money on hair products where we should be getting the vip treatment - not having vendors who grab our money and run. 4) Keep in mind that not everyone who raves about something paid for it with their own money. Nothing wrong with using the internet to promote products - but it's a problem when people deliberately fail to reveal that they are promoting stuff.

just my 3.5 cents. So newbies ... be careful.

At first I didn't recognize that some were promoting products. I was very interested in buying this and buying that in an effort to achieve their growth potential. After watching several videos and reading several threads and seeing them use a range of products and rave about this and rave about that, I was like wait a minute...something is not right here. I put 2 and 2 together and quickly figured it out.

Thankfully, I haven't spent too much money on prod bandwagons. Most of my purchases have been to revamp my current stash as I was using things that contained some suggested against ingredients prior to joining LHCF.

I pride myself on researching but there are so many conflicting and/or varying views that you just want to say bump it to whatever it is you're researching!

I will admit, I'm not buying anything else or incorporating anything else until I figure out protein/moisture and figure out what works for me....not sure how/when I'll have that revelation, but I'm definitely trying to get there.

 

[chasturner84]

When I first joined I bought EVERYTHING recommended and although I didn't experience a setback, I came thisclose to one. I definitely agree that newbie should do their research and work on building solid regimens because no one likes reading setback threads.

 

[NikkiQ]

Great advice!! I'm a newbie myself and I'm still slowly tweaking my regimen, but the challenges I've joined haven't been experimental at all. I'm too afraid to try anything for the first time lol