okay, tell me what i'm doing wrong

[southerncharm]

ya'll know I've mentioned I was having trouble with my ends so I wasn't able to retain length, so I experimented with a few products, learned the art of moisturizing & sealing, which i'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know what I was doing.

so now i'm not having problems with my ends drying out, now i'm having problems with my ends(strands) being supper straight, I guess you can say the whole strands except maybe about 3 or 4 inches of my roots & the rest is straight as a arrow it kinda look as if i'm transitioning, but I've been natural for over 3yrs.

am I adding too much moisture, I was using a moisturizer from beemnie, I would take a small amount & put it in a spray bottle with water & I was sealing with oils but that wasn't working too good so I started sealing with shea butter mixed with olive butter, & that's when I started noticing the difference, I usually moisturize & seal everyday or every other day.

am I over doing it, I do have 4a maybe 4b, coily, kinda fine hair, but the good thing is I am able to retain length now . i'm just puzzled at what's going on with my hair being straight now. erplexed

 

[sunnydaze]

My daughter has fine 4a hair and I notice when I am too heavy handed with shea butter it weights her ends down and causes them to go limp and straight. Maybe try only using a bit of the butter to seal?

 

[crlsweetie912]

My hair hates shea butter....maybe that's it. But my hair loves elasta qp mango butter.

 

[havilland]

sounds like the hair is weighed down.

are you applying the moisture at night or in the morning? does your hair curl back after shampooing? how do you style your hair during the day?

 

[napbella]

southerncharm,

I used Shea butter yrs ago with my puff and it straightened my hair in the front so much I couldn't wear my fro anymore! I was hot about that and gave up using shea butter. Much too heavy for my hair.

 

[southerncharm]

sounds like the hair is weighed down.

are you applying the moisture at night or in the morning? does your hair curl back after shampooing? how do you style your hair during the day?

yeah it'll curl back up after I wash it, I'll plait it up after I wash it & about a day or 2 after, i'll take it down to add moisture & seal & then plait it back up & tuck my ends so they won't dry out, I usually do that maybe a hr or 2 before I go to bed.

I just leave it plaited up all the time, I never wear it down, if I have to go out to take care of business i'll just wear a scarf.

 

[dyh080]

Maybe you need Nonie. She is the "ends" guru. Even though you may be trimming , check out her scientific explanation/microscopic photos on hair ends and dusting.

 

[Nonie]

Hi dyh080

I would need to see a photo southerncharm because what you describe seems to me what should be expected if you use a product like Shea Butter and then braid your hair. This product to me is like a wax that will freeze the hair in the shape you set it in.

When you braid, you stretch your hair. The rope part of the braid gets stretched the most so it's no wonder to me that the base of your braids that is not in the rope part may not be as stretched. Put another way, the bigger the sections, the more unstretched base hair you will have.

In the video below, you can see how straight my hair is after being in braids. I do not blowdry or straighten my hair before braiding. I actually just airdry in Celie braids then start parting smaller sections and adding the extension hair. But look at how stretched my hair is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j68_fk46rNk

Compare that with post twist hair. Twists do not stretch my hair the way braids do, so the ends remain coily: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jff-Uqfb_SA

One purpose of braiding is to get hair to stretch and unless one does very small braids, it's hard to get the base to stretch like the rest of the hair. I used to have a photo that showed this exact thing but Fotki done lost my darn photos! They better be planning to pay use all whom they've screwed!

 

[southerncharm]

thanks nonie, i'm always on youtube so i'll check out your video.

 

[India*32]

Hey Nonie,

Speaking of ends. I'm almost one year natural. Yeah! I attempted to flat iron just a small section, but my ends never get straight. No matter how high temp, I just don't have the technique. Any suggestions

India

 

[Nonie]

Hey Nonie,

Speaking of ends. I'm almost one year natural. Yeah! I attempted to flat iron just a small section, but my ends never get straight. No matter how high temp, I just don't have the technique. Any suggestions

India

India*32, it could be technique or your ends could just be in bad shape. How often do you dust? Also what is your flat ironing technique? Products could also be to blame.

I will try to guess what your problem might be after you answer or call one of our flat-ironing experts to help. I await your answers.

 

[India*32]

Thanks Nonie for your quick reply. Well, I trim the section of hair I attempt to flat iron monthly or when the ends are uneven. I'm not really ready to wear straight hair just checking length. I applied Chi oil to clean conditioned hair. I really think its technique because I couldn't flat iron hair probably when relaxed. :-(

 

[geejay]

I haven't made my ends straight, but I've definitely made them stringy and piece-y by putting too much product in my hair. Less is more. Also, for me, castor oil is a better sealer than shea butter.

 

[Nonie]

Thanks Nonie for your quick reply. Well, I trim the section of hair I attempt to flat iron monthly or when the ends are uneven. I'm not really ready to wear straight hair just checking length. I applied Chi oil to clean conditioned hair. I really think its technique because I couldn't flat iron hair probably when relaxed. :-(

India*32, please mention me when you address me by typing @ before my name. I am multitasking and if I'm mentioned elsewhere, I end up posting in other threads and may not remember I asked something...especially when it isn't I who is in need of help. My mind isn't as good as it used to be so I almost forgot about you. A mention would've alerted me to your post. TIA

Is CHI oil a heat protectant? I don't think you should use anything on your hair when you straighten it except heat protectant. Hopefully westNDNbeauty will come and help you figure this out.

 

[Nonie]

@southerncharm, some of my pics are back but I can't get one of the image to show up enlargedso hope the thumbnail will do (I've added a link in case it does eventually work):

I didn't have product in my hair that could "set" it but braiding it stretched it in the area that is within the "rope" (my end stayed coily coz I didn't braid them):

When I undid the braids, notice how the part within the braids was stretched while the roots were not:

(Link to enlarged pic in case it starts working)

I didn't wear the braids for long but if I had and had been braiding to the ends, my ends might've become more stretched.

 

[swirl]

Hey Nonie,

Speaking of ends. I'm almost one year natural. Yeah! I attempted to flat iron just a small section, but my ends never get straight. No matter how high temp, I just don't have the technique. Any suggestions

India

have you tried the chase method? here's a description "The comb chase method is where you take a fine tooth comb and run it down a section of hair while allowing the flat iron to follow or “chase” the comb. This is a great way to flat iron natural hair because it allows the hair and ends to be smoothed and prevents you from having to do several passes with the flat iron."

it's a little tricky until you get the hang of it but it really works. i use my denman instead of a comb. i'm sure there are tutorials on you tube.

 

[westNDNbeauty]

Thanks Nonie

All great suggestions!

India*32 the chi oil is a silicone based heat protectant, but I tend to prefer a water-based heat protectant for the simple fact that it adds another layer of moisture in addition to the moisture from your deep conditioner. The silicone heat protectant is good for when your hair has already been straightened and your apply the oil just prior to curling.

The heat protectant I recommend is Nioxin Thermal Bliss Protector. You may want to purchase now -- I understand the product is discontinued and will be harder to find. I hear Elasta QP Like Silk is a dupe and is much easier to find.

Make sure your process resembles this:
wash > deep condition > water based protectant > blow dry > flat iron > oil > curl