OMG im so overwhelmed!

[swimchick77]

Hey everyone! im a newbie to this site and i just recently decided I want to become natural. im 20 years old and in the navy and i have been on deployment for about 6 months now so i have had a lot of time to do research. i think i have 3c/4a hair. Gee whiz there is soooo much info i dont even know where to begin!! Im trying to start a regimen.

this is what i have been doing for the last 2 weeks:
shampoo once a week with Nature's Gate Jojoba Revitalizing Shampoo
cowash 4-5X a week with Neutogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch
then use KCKT as my leave in
Seal w/ pure extra virgin coconut oil
I also moisturize and seal at night and sleep with a silk scarf
However my hair is still dry and my curls are really frizzy.
Could you ladies point me to the right direction of where to get started please!! thanks

 

[Myjourney2009]

For starters WELCOME!!!!


The reason why your curls are so dry is because all the moisture is locked out from constantly co-washing with the NTM conditioner. That conditioner is chock full of
-cones. You need to make time for a clarifying shampoo.

Why are you co-washing so often?

Also another thing is to consider you might be dealing with hard water depending on where you are in the world.

You can check hard water states/countries on google.

 

[klb120475]

Welcome to the forum hun!

 

[KaramelDiva1978]

ITA with MyJourney2009,
The frequent co-washing is drying your hair. Try co-washing once a week with another condish and skip the shampooing. Do you have natural and relaxed hair? Are you transitioning? Depending on the length and if you're transitioning, I would say keep it very low maintenance as far as styling and manipulating. This way you can decrease any breakage that may occur. Try buns and rollersets until you're completely natural. Once you've cut down the co-washes, you can see how your hair responds to your nightly moisturizing and sealing.

Congrats on your decision and hang in there!!

 

[divachyk]

WELCOME....MyJourney2009 summed it up but I just wanted to say, thanks for serving.

 

[nymane]

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...ie-manual-links-useful-important-threads.html

 

[Shadiyah]

I really think since you are just starting out you have to tame your hair. my daughter has very dry hair and I had to start her to wet her hair everyday and keep the conditioner in and not wash it out. also tell her to sleep with a plastic cap on her head after applying conditioner. I co wash everyday and it has really helped my hair a lot. my daughter doesn't like drying her hair so it will take all day long for her hair to air dry so she is walking around in the winter weather with wet hair but she is always hot and thinks it's ok. when I wore my hair out I use to wet mines everyday and got use to going outside with wet hair. but I really think you should try baggin at night.

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

The other ladies covered everything else, but about the frizzing, if you're using a towel to dry your hair, that could be it.
Switch a microfiber cloth or cotton t-shirt, and squeeze the water from your hair instead of rubbing, and you should get less frizziness and better definition.

Also, the porosity of your hair could be a little off...that makes frizzy hair.
To test it, take a clean strand of hair and drop it into a bowl of water. If it floats for a while and eventually sinks, then your hair's porosity is okay. If it sinks within minutes, then you need to work on it. Or you can tell by how your hair react to water...if it gets soaked fast and dries fast, it's probably overly porous.
If you think your hair is porous, then rinsing your hair with diluted ACV will fix it up.

 

[SqrpioQutie]

i'd say switch up your conditioner for co-washes... i don't have an issue with the frequency (i was a daily cowasher when natural).... at that time, i used mostly mnt extra moisturizing conditioner or cheapie suave conditioners that i'd add oils and honey too...

 

[eajaye2u]

Mate- need some more information. When I was deployed at sea or forward shore duty. The water sucked the life out of my hair. Shampoo is not going to be your friend or co-washing too often because of the water. You already see the effect its having on your skin. You may have to go old school with the products and even use some things that are not considered to be good by this forum.

 

[kandake]

I first wanted to say that I'm newly natural as well and co-wash about 5 times a week as well I don't have any problems. In fact, it a must for my hair.

However, you should start experimenting. Possibly try to use another oil instead of the coconut oil and maybe a creamier leave-in instead of the Knot Today. Or a moisturizer after the Knot Today before you seal. You can also experiment with less frequent co-washes to see if that really is the problem.

ETA: Also, I don't see anything in your post about Deep Conditioning. Try incorporating that once a week when you shampoo.

Another ETA: I didn't take into account the water issue in the navy when I made my comment about co-washing.

 

[LynnieB]

Hey everyone! im a newbie to this site and i just recently decided I want to become natural. im 20 years old and in the navy and i have been on deployment for about 6 months now so i have had a lot of time to do research. i think i have 3c/4a hair. Gee whiz there is soooo much info i dont even know where to begin!! Im trying to start a regimen.

this is what i have been doing for the last 2 weeks:
shampoo once a week with Nature's Gate Jojoba Revitalizing Shampoo
cowash 4-5X a week with Neutogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch
then use KCKT as my leave in
Seal w/ pure extra virgin coconut oil
I also moisturize and seal at night and sleep with a silk scarf
However my hair is still dry and my curls are really frizzy.
Could you ladies point me to the right direction of where to get started please!! thanks

Try some of the suggestions the ladies have provided and you may have your solution but, in the event that none of it helps reduce frizz but you know your hair is completely healthy, it just might be that frizz is what your hair does.

I'm also 3c/4a and although my hair is curly it has frizzball tendencies and no amount of any product can completely control it but technique can.

Try "setting" your wet hair in a braid or twist out - doesn't have to be long term, just until the hair is mostly dry.

Good Luck and HHG!!

 

[swimchick77]

Wow thank you so much these comments are really helpful!

MyJourney2009- i am cowashing alot cause i workout everyday and sweat alot. should i try a dry shampoo or something instead??

eajay2u- Yes i am on a ship and the water sucks! thats probably part of the reason why my hair is so dry. And just recently my face started breaking out and my skin is super dry. i never contributed it to the water. Good Point thanks!

karameldiva1978- Im pretty sure i have all natural hair now because i had a relaxer and high lights about 3 years ago but when i went to boot camp in June 2009 and the cut my hair all the way up to my ears... so i guess i was kinda forced to BC I think my hair is almost APL but im not really sure. i keep it in buns everyday since i have to stand within the regs of the navy.

Oh and thank you for all the welcomes and advice. im cant wait till i can have beautiful and healthy hair like all u ladies.

 

[libertysince05]

just use water to rinse, stay away from dry shampoos.