Random Hair Thoughts/Thinking out loud

everyone acts like eco styler gel is the be all end all gel. is there another gel. i want to scream when i see folks on youtube pull this out.
.
I prefer Wetline Xtreme to Eco if we're talking about cheapies. I bought a huge jar of Eco with Argan Oil when I was transitioning and it's still sitting there full. It flaked up bad and I tried with several different leave ins.
 
VENT:

I love my natural hair but this things requires some upkeep! I'm so used to being home and being a slave to my hair with retwisting it nightly. This wknd I had an impromptu sleepover and woke up and hair looked a mess. I didn't retwist/rebraid nothing... just went to bed. I had to put on a hat and go home. I went home and washed and did a braid out... Cool, looks cute the day of... the next day, nope! Had to go to the store buy some hair gel and pull it back in 2 fluffy French twists. It's just upkeep to be retwisting every single night. It hit me that I could possibly see heat training in the future b/c I can't just be a slave to my hair looking good. I don't have the wash n go type hair, at this point if I want it to look cute I must retwist at night and use a bonnet/scarf or the morning is hideous. My other quick go to style is 2 big flat twists going back. I miss the ease of having longer hair and slicking my hair down with some gel and pinning it up/bun/ponytail. I don't like bone straight hair (w/o pieces) so I know I wouldn't kill the flat iron, but I want to be able to still do fluffy twist outs or have my hair long enough to do a fluffy bun or something. Idk if I forsee a future of constantly having to retwist at night and having twists/braids set just for a 1 day cute hair do that looks like celie if I don't fix it at night. I can see myself with fluffy hair on flexi rods/big buns/blow dried and styled... Just thinking out loud here.
 
@Britt I am right here with you and that post. I guess that's why they call it a hair journey, but it's trying at times.

How long is your hair? Once my hair got to a certain length I would do my regular twists for a day one twist out, and then keep the style by doing two large flat twists going back at night. Really cut down on the hair time during the week.

Also roller setting once a week can give you the fluffy out styles/big buns with minimal hair time during the week as well.
 
VENT:

I love my natural hair but this things requires some upkeep! I'm so used to being home and being a slave to my hair with retwisting it nightly. This wknd I had an impromptu sleepover and woke up and hair looked a mess. I didn't retwist/rebraid nothing... just went to bed. I had to put on a hat and go home. I went home and washed and did a braid out... Cool, looks cute the day of... the next day, nope! Had to go to the store buy some hair gel and pull it back in 2 fluffy French twists. It's just upkeep to be retwisting every single night. It hit me that I could possibly see heat training in the future b/c I can't just be a slave to my hair looking good. I don't have the wash n go type hair, at this point if I want it to look cute I must retwist at night and use a bonnet/scarf or the morning is hideous. My other quick go to style is 2 big flat twists going back. I miss the ease of having longer hair and slicking my hair down with some gel and pinning it up/bun/ponytail. I don't like bone straight hair (w/o pieces) so I know I wouldn't kill the flat iron, but I want to be able to still do fluffy twist outs or have my hair long enough to do a fluffy bun or something. Idk if I forsee a future of constantly having to retwist at night and having twists/braids set just for a 1 day cute hair do that looks like celie if I don't fix it at night. I can see myself with fluffy hair on flexi rods/big buns/blow dried and styled... Just thinking out loud here.


This is the reason why I wear my natural hair straightened 90% of the time. The limited wear and the unpredictability of twist/braid/bantu knot outs made it difficult to look pulled together without of a lot of prep time.
 
@Britt I am right here with you and that post. I guess that's why they call it a hair journey, but it's trying at times.

How long is your hair? Once my hair got to a certain length I would do my regular twists for a day one twist out, and then keep the style by doing two large flat twists going back at night. Really cut down on the hair time during the week.

Also roller setting once a week can give you the fluffy out styles/big buns with minimal hair time during the week as well.
It's really a journey. I don't see myself doing this nightly routine when I actually have a life. I feel restricted. My hair is about shoulder length straightened. For my twist outs to look fresh and done, I must redo it at night. There's no way around it. I have to 'prep' my hair to wear it out. It's an inconvenience.
Ohhh so I got the bright idea to rollerset thinking it would stretch my hair some.... Negative. It took about 2 hours to dry under my Pibbs and I ended up looking like one of the Supremes :nono:. I ended up having to rewash my hair and do a twist out. I think the only way a rollerset would work for me is if my hair is trained and it's easier to roll and dry.


This is the reason why I wear my natural hair straightened 90% of the time. The limited wear and the unpredictability of twist/braid/bantu knot outs made it difficult to look pulled together without of a lot of prep time.
YESSSS! My hair looks bomb when it's done, but like you said, it's a lot of prep work. This wknd I fell asleep on my hair, and took a shower and got my edges/sides all wet, my hair looked like sh!t honestly. I had to put a hat on. It's a good thing I was going home so it was cool, but I don't like that. I need to be pulled together w/o worrying about 'ohhh i didn't do my hair last night'.

I've been natural for a little over a year, and during this time I've been devoted to my hair and revolve my schedule/life around it. For ex, if I have to go to the supermarket early Sat/Sun morning I'd leave my house in flat twists and a hat. I can't take the flat twists down until it's time for me to go somewhere. If I sleep on my twist out, my hair is mushed and ruined. I love the fluffiness and feel of my natural hair, but it's becoming a bit of a restriction. I saw it for sure this wknd when I spent the night out. @MilkChocolateOne do you wear your hair flat ironed? Blow dried? what's your routine? If you don't want to derail the thread please PM me, I have a few questions. I don't want bone straight hair, I can see myself with fluffy/texturized looking type hair where I can be able to slick it down and rock a fluffy bun or big braid out if I needed to. This retwisting/bonnet at night and wearing twists/braids/all that while I run errands is an inconvenience.
 
Not a fan of the flaking that flaxseed gel gives, but the hold in this super thick batch is pretty good. I'm just not fond of having to make more every two weeks or so. I just want a tub that I can buy and put down.

i just told my sis not to make any yet....what if you add oils to the mix...will it still flake?
 
My twist out looks cute today, but again, I know tonight it's retwisting and bonnet. I love the look of my hair when I have a bomb twist out, it's just the maintenance that goes into it daily and feeling restricted. I want more freedom and styling options.
 
@Britt

i know i will be a be trained natural..
\
we were heat trained naturals until my mom sent us to the salon for relaxers and then she did them herself.
our hair always bounced back. she show us how to take care of our hair then.. before i became ll and my hair was shoulder length..it took a whole day to wash condition dry and style the hair for the next day..i refuse to do that again. i know how you feel.
 
@Britt, Is your hair long enough to pineapple? If not, maybe that's the issue. Wait for some more length, maybe? Or lightly blowdry before styling instead of actually "heat- training"?

I wear wng's. I don't think I have the 'right' texture for it either but :look:, who gon check me, boo? :lol: But I understand. You're used to perfect hair bc your relaxed hair was perfect. I had no such expectations. :lol:
 
Kinky textured naturals, is it normal for you to get 4 uses or less from an average sized product? I get 1-2 uses out of an average sized bottle of rinse out conditioner. And I've gotten about 4 uses out of this $25 Camille rose twist butter. o_O.
:eek: Oh my! No lol I almost wish I could use up some of my old conditioners that quickly! If I had to guess, I'd say I use about 2 or 3 quarter sized dollops for each of 6-10 sections of hair on wash day. That's for deep conditioning and co-wash each. It seems like I go through my stylers quickly, even though I usually dilute them (KCKT & KCCC).
I'm definitely 4a-c, thick, shoulder length or just past when stretched.
Are you heavy handed with your products?
 
@Britt, Is your hair long enough to pineapple? If not, maybe that's the issue. Wait for some more length, maybe?

I wear wng's. I don't think I have the 'right' texture for it either but :look:, who gon check me, boo? :lol: But I understand. You're used to perfect hair bc your relaxed hair was perfect. I had no such expectations. :lol:

@Honey Bee LMAOOOOOOOO! Oh damnnn! Nahhh to the pineapple, it still doesn't look fresh enough the next day for me. I tried a wng once in the spring and it was looked like wtf.
 
@Honey Bee LMAOOOOOOOO! Oh damnnn! Nahhh to the pineapple, it still doesn't look fresh enough the next day for me. I tried a wng once in the spring and it was looked like wtf.
1. re: pineapple. Could you wear a puff on the second day? Not to work, I'm mean home after a 'sleepover'. :look: Cuz pineapples can look cute for bed. Pack some edge control and a travel-sized gel and you good.

2. re: your failed wng. There are a multitude of techniques, gels, all that. Like, for me, every ingredient of my washday is already written in stone. If I want a good wng, I know exactly what to do. But that's only because I spent a lot of 'inside days' :look: testing it out.If you only tried once, you really don't know for sure. Post a pic and let us help, or send me one privately.
 
1. re: pineapple. Could you wear a puff on the second day? Not to work, I'm mean home after a 'sleepover'. :look: Cuz pineapples can look cute for bed. Pack some edge control and a travel-sized gel and you good.

2. re: your failed wng. There are a multitude of techniques, gels, all that. Like, for me, every ingredient of my washday is already written in stone. If I want a good wng, I know exactly what to do. But that's only because I spent a lot of 'inside days' :look: testing it out.If you only tried once, you really don't know for sure. Post a pic and let us help, or send me one privately.

Hmmm! I didn't try this! I had a 'sleepover' and looked a effin mess the next day. Dude gave me a hat to wear. I had NO hair products on me at all, it was totally impromptu. All he had in his bathroom was a huge tub of Blue Magic lol. Ohhhh, I have done a puff the next day after a twist out and it looked really cute, but I'd need to have some gel and a large headband. In the future, I'd carry that to put my hair in a puff.

The wash n go... I'd have to try that again. It just dried with no definition, no nothing. Perhaps when the weather gets warmer I can try again. I'll need some help with that.
 
i just told my sis not to make any yet....what if you add oils to the mix...will it still flake?

I'm not really sure. This is my first time using flaxseed gel, and because my hair is so fine and coily it needs a lot of gel to hold it flat. It doesn't actually flake with my products, but there's a point where the gel builds up in the root of my twists and dries white-ish. It's not all over my head but the parts with the heaviest hand. I usually just brush those out with my fingers and add oil on top to get rid of it. Not a huge deal, but I can see it getting annoying in the long run.
 
It's really a journey. I don't see myself doing this nightly routine when I actually have a life. I feel restricted. My hair is about shoulder length straightened. For my twist outs to look fresh and done, I must redo it at night. There's no way around it. I have to 'prep' my hair to wear it out. It's an inconvenience.
Ohhh so I got the bright idea to rollerset thinking it would stretch my hair some.... Negative. It took about 2 hours to dry under my Pibbs and I ended up looking like one of the Supremes :nono:. I ended up having to rewash my hair and do a twist out. I think the only way a rollerset would work for me is if my hair is trained and it's easier to roll and dry.



YESSSS! My hair looks bomb when it's done, but like you said, it's a lot of prep work. This wknd I fell asleep on my hair, and took a shower and got my edges/sides all wet, my hair looked like sh!t honestly. I had to put a hat on. It's a good thing I was going home so it was cool, but I don't like that. I need to be pulled together w/o worrying about 'ohhh i didn't do my hair last night'.

I've been natural for a little over a year, and during this time I've been devoted to my hair and revolve my schedule/life around it. For ex, if I have to go to the supermarket early Sat/Sun morning I'd leave my house in flat twists and a hat. I can't take the flat twists down until it's time for me to go somewhere. If I sleep on my twist out, my hair is mushed and ruined. I love the fluffiness and feel of my natural hair, but it's becoming a bit of a restriction. I saw it for sure this wknd when I spent the night out. @MilkChocolateOne do you wear your hair flat ironed? Blow dried? what's your routine? If you don't want to derail the thread please PM me, I have a few questions. I don't want bone straight hair, I can see myself with fluffy/texturized looking type hair where I can be able to slick it down and rock a fluffy bun or big braid out if I needed to. This retwisting/bonnet at night and wearing twists/braids/all that while I run errands is an inconvenience.

I'll post here and pm because this post might help someone else.

If I want to wear my hair out and down, I have to blow dry and flat iron my hair straight. I usually curl it as I flat iron and I maintain the look by using large pin curls at night. I take them down and finger style my hair in the morning. Sometimes pull it back loosely and wear my hair in a banana clip.

If I am wearing a bun, I can get away with blow drying only.

I wash, blow dry, and flat iron every 5 - 14 days. My wash day depends on my schedule, the look and the feel of my hair.

I don't moisturize daily. I apply jojoba oil or grapeseed oil to my ends maybe once or twice in between washes. if my edges start to revert, I apply castor oil, brush them down and apply a scarf.

I take a break from heat in the summer and I wear individual braids or twists for 8 - 12 weeks.

My hair type is 4a, fine strands, normal density. Poohbear is my hair cousin/ hair twin.

right now my hair is in between apl and bsl.

In the past after trims I retain 4 inches a year.

I have been maintaining my current length for about two years. I had some really bad postpartum shedding. So I have been aggressively trimming every 3 months or so to regain thickness.

If retaining 6 inches a year is your goal this regimen might not work for you.

I have not experienced any significant loosening of my curl pattern. I can still wear twist outs and braid outs.
 
This is a bit of a rant. My BF is having issues with my braids, normally I am wash and go kind of lady and he loves to pull them and watch them bounce back. I have been in braids for about a week and I think he is in withdrawal. I can tell he is trying to say anything but he will touch a braid then pull his hand back like it bit him. Geez does anyone else have to sooth their man over hair???
Oh and the funny thing he he always says whatever you want to do with you hair is fine its yours yet there is always commentary. OY!!
 
Going back to wigs January 1st. For the whole month of December I'll be in two flat twists or buns. I'll probably wig it from January-May. But for now, my lazy butt needs to get up and wash my hair.
 
I may just have to commit to flaxseed gel since I get a longer hold on my edges compared to the ecostyler. It's so funny because my hair loves being twisted by ecostyler but my edges are all meh, and it's the exact opposite with flaxseed gel and my hair vs my edges.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top