Retaining length for fine hair ladies

[yodie]

I rarely use protein and this is probably why my hair doesn't thrive as I'd like it to. I have fine 4a/b strands. I have Aubreys GPB, but I think that's too strong for my hair. My hair did better when I used a moisture/protein balanced conditioner years ago. (Sebastian 2+1)

Any ideas for a protein/moisture balancing condish or a protein condish that's a little lighter than AO GPB?
Does anyone know if Duo Tex is lighter than AO GPB?

I just purchased ORS Hair Mayonaise today. Has anyone had good success with this?
My plan here on out is to do either of the following:
1. Use up my Sebastian 2+1 condish and find a replacement.
2. Use a protein condish (lighter than AO GPB) and follow with a moisturizing condish

 

[Candy828]

For the cooler weather months, I only wash every two weeks. I DC with every wash adding 2 tblsp of amla powder to my recipe. I keep tight new growth coils clipped (this has been extremely important for me to gain more volume and preventing unnecessary breakage). I finger comb, protective style, keep my hair conditioned and dust when needed. My hair may be fine but I have a lot of volume, so I like my hair because it is not heavy.

Current length, almost classic again....

 

[greight]

For the cooler weather months, I only wash every two weeks. I DC with every wash adding 2 tblsp of amla powder to my recipe. I keep tight new growth coils clipped (this has been extremely important for me to gain more volume and preventing unnecessary breakage). I finger comb, protective style, keep my hair conditioned and dust when needed. My hair may be fine but I have a lot of volume, so I like my hair because it is not heavy.

Current length, almost classic again....

Candy828, Re: the bolded... Does that mean you are relaxed? And when you say clipped, what do you mean? I'm trying to stretch out my hair to prevent knotting (at the roots and ends)

 

[Candy828]

@Candy828, Re: the bolded... Does that mean you are relaxed? And when you say clipped, what do you mean? I'm trying to stretch out my hair to prevent knotting (at the roots and ends)

No. I am not relaxed. I have the tendency to get ssk's. The coiled hairs are what become ssk's. My experience with my hair is if I can catch all of the coiled hairs and clipped them before they attach and break off long hairs, I retain my length better and gain added volume in the process. This does take time. I have to search through every inch of my hair for the short new growth hairs that are tightly coiled and I always find them attached to longer hair. Fortunately, I catch them before they knot. I had a set back when I did not do this maintenance step.... I went from Classic to mid-butt... So now I know that this has to be a part of my normal routine.

 

[Napp]

weekly protien treatment and reconstructors have been IT for me. followed by a deep moisturizing conditioner i have very very little breakage on wash day and throughout the week. low mani styles are great for me too as i do not like constant bunning.

 

[lilyofthenile]

Loving this thread.

 

[PureSilver]

I always OD on my low manipulation technique. I see my hair once per month the most, otherwise i'm in a weave. Grew from 1'' @ bC to CBL currently in the back, sides are shoulder length, bangs, chin length. I DC heavily when i remove my weaves. The longer i keep in the weaves, the more growth i get.

BE WARNED: Detangling and Shedding after a 4-8 weeks taken down is no joke tho. Be very gentle, esp if you are tender head like me.

 

[candy626]

My length the last time I checked is what is shown in my siggy (armpit-bsb).

I agree with other ladies that lower manipulation and paying attention to moisture/protein balance is beneficial.

I would also add regularly dusting of ends is helpful since fine hair is more prone to splits. Since I started doing this and search-and-destroys, my hair seems to look and feel better. I feel like it's helped with growth rather than hindering it.

 

[abcd09]

Bump for updates or newbies!

 

[almond eyes]

When my hair was collarbone length I was able to co wash more often but as it got longer and then I was finishing up my accutane, I saw that my hair regiment needed some adjustments.

Since I started to make these adjustments my hair has been doing well.

I stopped co-washing three times a week and only co wash every week or every two weeks. I do not use strong water pressure and I am very gentle with how I handle my hair. I never detangle my hair fully wet ever.

My hair is normally worn in two big braids that are almost APL and I carefully turn those two braids into a bun secured with a plastic clip. But I alternate with the plastic clips and never make a tight bun. Before, I used to do a wet bun and again when my hair was shorter but as it grew longer I started to get hairs everywhere and my hair needs to be stretched. I only take the braids down weekly to do a detangle session with my bone combs. But other than that I never unravel or loosen the braids unless they look untidy. With the rest of my hair which is not braided, I just add some conditioner mixed with a bit of water just to make sure my hair doesn't get dry in the front and I use a comb with small teeth not to comb out the front of my hair at all but just to try and make the hairs in the front look tidy.

If I see strands hanging from the braids I dust them.

for my co wash sessions, I do a DC on dry hair for about 30 minutes with a plastic cap before heading for the shower and washing it out and then using a mild conditioner (I Like Trader Joe's) for about five minutes and partially washing out the conditioner. I never use shampoo unless I have used some gel or edge tamer and there are flakes from that and even with that I will only shampoo the front edges of my hair and then the run off go through the rest of my hair. My hair hates shampoos.

In the past I would detangle my hair wet and start adding moisturisers. That would lead to slight hair breakage and hairs everywhere. Now, before I leave the shower, I lightly wring my hair out (I hardly use a towel) and then finger comb and then make two braids and then pin them up on the top of my head (think Pipi long stockings) before bed so it can dry. I do not add moisturisers to my hair at all at this point.

The next day when the hair is partially dry I either take it down to moisturise but again only finger comb (I use Qhemet Biologics olive and honey balm and I diluted it down with some water and mixed with a spoon to make it a less heavier consistency, and also since I am in a hot climate, it is already very melted which I prefer) or I keep it in the plaits and moisturise on top of the plaits.

If I decide to get my hair blown out at the hair salon which is very rare, I do not use any hair moisturiser because the hair moisturiser and heat protectant does not lead to a smooth finish. I no longer allow my hair to be washed and then blow dried in the same session because I cannot have my hair detangled wet. I found that my partially dried hair was easier to manage and blow dry took less time than when my hair is sopping wet and detangled.

I even think that from now on when I get my relaxers done at the salon, I will only have them touch up, neutralise etc and then finger comb and put my hair into two braids to partially dry and then only come in the next day for a blow out.

My hair definetely likes this method.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[Evolving78]

my hair can't take product buildup, so i wash at least 2x weekly. and i am low porous, so i have to watch it with my protein intake. i can't do hardcore protein and i can't use a lot of daily hair products that contain protein. i dust frequently and wear low manipulation styles. i don't really do protective styles.

 

[PeaceFlow]

I am under wigs at the moment.

I always used to wash and mess around with my hair 2x per week.

This year I only wash and comb through my hair (apart from occasional rinses) 1x every 3, or 4 weeks. This year I retained every one of those 6 inches.

I'm going to carry on doing this for another 2 years until I reach the goal. Not my preference but extreme low mani seems to work for growing my fine hair.

 

[Songbirdb]

I'm trying to find a good daily moisturizer. I wear my natural hair straigtened. I'm having alot of breakage lately, but I've always straightened and never had a problem. The problem didn't occur until I began using the Carol's daughter Chocolat Blow dry cream and the shampoo and conditioner. I'm wondering how this is contributing to my breakage. I'm going to stop using those products for a while and incorporate deep conditioning more often and baby my ends as best as can (while still using heat). I just need some suggestions because I don't want any major setbacks! I'm trying to reach MBL

 

[naturalagain2]

I am under wigs at the moment.

I always used to wash and mess around with my hair 2x per week.

This year I only wash and comb through my hair (apart from occasional rinses) 1x every 3, or 4 weeks. This year I retained every one of those 6 inches.

I'm going to carry on doing this for another 2 years until I reach the goal. Not my preference but extreme low mani seems to work for growing my fine hair.

:scratchch Hmm, I fight this so much!! I want to be able cowash often, change my hairstyles often, etc, but I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and try to be extremely low mani this year and see if i retain more.

 

[Vshanell]

I've changed up my reggie a little since I last posted here because I wanted to see if I could get past my growth stall.

I started finger coming which I said I'd never do but it's not too bad and I'm seeing results (reduction of splits, less shedding). When rollerset I do use combs but they are seamless, for everything else I finger comb.

When wearing natural styles I wash weekly and I dc after every wash now which I never did before. I think this is helping with splits and breakage.

I use Vatika oil or coconut oil only now and they benefit the hair greatly. I'd like to pre-poo with them more but it's hard for me to fit pre-pooing into my life. Still working on this.

Im thinking of adding cassia to my regimen, still reading up on it. I'd love to try henna because I hear it makes the hair heavier and I think I'd like some extra weight to my fine strands but I'm not interested in the color right now.

I still dust frequently but I've been trying to reduce it and focus on S&D more.

Here's some recent pics of my hair. It's not bone straight to see the whole length though because I never straighten.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Nix08]

Pokahontas have mercy. ..your hair is just. ...I don't know, .... beyond amazing

 

[coolsista-paris]

im a natural 4b ( A at the back).
The best retention ive ever had was last year 2012. What i did :

- Dc overnight on damp hair with apoghee 2 min (dont be shocked it works for me lol)
sometimes ill use Franck provost ceramids conditionner. These 2 have very good slip.
I dc overnight every 10-15 days.

- I detangle with the condit in the hair by sections and sleep with those 8 sections.

-rinse next day (use shampoo if build up :creamy aloe from organic roots stimulator).

When i need a normal wash every now and then : garnier fructis shine, elasta Qp dry damaged hair : these do not leave my hair dry.
Other wise : i co wash ( i only use 1 product or 2 between washes and not every day).

-After rinsing hair i add some protein leave in+ heat protectant then blow dry on low or medium with the tension method. retwist that section(sometimes add a tiny s curl before twisting) When you take the twists down like 1 hour or 2 after hair is great. I dont always have to do the twists part if i lazy, just a bun.

-Moisturize with scurl spray like every 2-3 days.

-Sleep in 4 twists + satin scarf

-Massage scalp without oil or anything (everyday)

-Dust every 10-12 weeks.

-Wear hair in a bun (because of work) and my hair is ok.

Henna (once every....2 months, im lazy lol) mix it with 2 egg yolks, lots of olive oil, and sometimes some amla powder = GREAT GREAT GREAT.

Fine hair is hard to rinse henna out. With my mixture of oil it is eaaaaaaasy . Hair is soft + stengthened. Im no longer afraid of the rinsing part lol.

conclusion : the less i do THE BETTER ;-) + heat is my friend as long as i dust.

 

[tashboog]

Hello ladies! I'm also a fine hair lady and I'm natural. The only time I'm able to maintain moisture is if I use my curlformers. Even then my hair dries out & then turns into a poof ball. I've also had a hair analysis from Komazacare and they were the ones who told me that I have fine to medium strands. They said I have normal elasticity and normal porosity. I also use their protein treatment every 2 weeks as suggested by them. So my problem is that I have tried every product under the sun and nothing has worked to keep my fine hair moisturized. It initially feels good but it dries out within minutes. Since I have normal porosity I would expect that my hair should be able to hold onto moisture. I have also become a product junkie cuz I have yet to find any moisturizing product to work on my hair. I have tried Komazacare, Bee Mine, Purabody naturals, CC's natural, Kinky Curly, Kimmaytube recipe, Camille Rose, Jane Carter, Natty moist, & the list goes on. I have tried the LOC method, the Curly girl method, heavy sealing, no sealing, u name it & I have tried every bandwagon that you could think of! Lol! Ok can any of you ladies help me figure out what I'm doing wrong cuz its so frustrating spending time doing styles and having them turn into a giant poof ball. Also glycerin makes my hair swells so I avoid it. I'm open for suggestions and sorry I was long winded. Thanks in advance ladies.

 

[coolsista-paris]

Hello ladies! I'm also a fine hair lady and I'm natural. The only time I'm able to maintain moisture is if I use my curlformers. Even then my hair dries out & then turns into a poof ball. I've also had a hair analysis from Komazacare and they were the ones who told me that I have fine to medium strands. They said I have normal elasticity and normal porosity. I also use their protein treatment every 2 weeks as suggested by them. So my problem is that I have tried every product under the sun and nothing has worked to keep my fine hair moisturized. It initially feels good but it dries out within minutes. Since I have normal porosity I would expect that my hair should be able to hold onto moisture. I have also become a product junkie cuz I have yet to find any moisturizing product to work on my hair. I have tried Komazacare, Bee Mine, Purabody naturals, CC's natural, Kinky Curly, Kimmaytube recipe, Camille Rose, Jane Carter, Natty moist, & the list goes on. I have tried the LOC method, the Curly girl method, heavy sealing, no sealing, u name it & I have tried every bandwagon that you could think of! Lol! Ok can any of you ladies help me figure out what I'm doing wrong cuz its so frustrating spending time doing styles and having them turn into a giant poof ball. Also glycerin makes my hair swells so I avoid it. I'm open for suggestions and sorry I was long winded. Thanks in advance ladies.

try what i do. dc on damp hair in like 8 braids. cowash (gentle shampoo when needed) in those braids.

take down à braid ,add your leave in + heat serum then blow dry tension method on low or medium heat. put à tiny s curl.spray.to that section (even by using the palm of your hands). retwist that section.

do.that all over.when you take them out about 2 hours after or next day its as if the moisture went all over the section.

i sleep with 4 big twists and i add s curl spray when needed. i can stay up to 2-3 days without moisturizing .

this works for me.

 

[tashboog]

try what i do. dc on damp hair in like 8 braids. cowash (gentle shampoo when needed) in those braids.

take down à braid ,add your leave in + heat serum then blow dry tension method on low or medium heat. put à tiny s curl.spray.to that section (even by using the palm of your hands). retwist that section.

do.that all over.when you take them out about 2 hours after or next day its as if the moisture went all over the section.

i sleep with 4 big twists and i add s curl spray when needed. i can stay up to 2-3 days without moisturizing .

this works for me.

Thanks coolsista-paris for responding to my post. I have tried scurl & it has glycerin in it & it just dries my hair out & make it swell which I don't like. I live in Ohio & I can not get any glycerin type of products to work in my hair especially in this cold weather. I've tried the scurl bandwagon as well & it was a no girl for me. I rarely use heat because I get heat damage easily which is why I've been stretching with curlformers. However, I do appreciate your advice. Thx

 

[coolsista-paris]

Thanks coolsista-paris for responding to my post. I have tried scurl & it has glycerin in it & it just dries my hair out & make it swell which I don't like. I live in Ohio & I can not get any glycerin type of products to work in my hair especially in this cold weather. I've tried the scurl bandwagon as well & it was a no girl for me. I rarely use heat because I get heat damage easily which is why I've been stretching with curlformers. However, I do appreciate your advice. Thx

aw. i hope more ladies will come in here to help you . its hard to find what exaclty your hair likes (took 4 years for me.....to know what to do and use and get à réal reggie for me)

 

[JulietWhiskey]

Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructerizer is everything. It has taken my fine strands to the next level and beyond.

If this products keeps performing like it has been and I continue to be consistent with my CW and DCs, I know my hair will BSL or longer by the end of this year.

It's wonderful!...

 

[PULLitBabyItsReal]

Honestly. It took a few months for me to figure out what my hair needed. i've managed to grow a good 4 1/2-6 inches last year from mostly experimenting with different types of products. Protein & moisture balance was severely important for my thin hair. I've also learned that DRY hair is the most vulnerable. Your hair is growing but if your not maintaining the OLDEST parts of your hair, the ends, then all your effort is truly just in vain. SO therefore I adopted the moisturize and seal routine.

To maintain length: MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE & SEAL
I've learned to stay away from direct heat, my flat iron looks look better when I air-dry or roller-set dry anyway.
Also, keeping my hair tied in a silk scarf at night reeeeeallly helped me retain my length. I was finding that leaving my hair to ruffle up in the sheets just made it difficult to not lose length when detangling in the mornings.

Keeping it simple, trying one thing at a time, learning what my hair likes have helped me retain a bit of length & i'm probably pre-maturely claiming APL but hunny, from EAR Length to APL in a year, i've learned a lot!

Happy Hair Growing boos!

 

[coolsista-paris]

Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructerizer is everything. It has taken my fine strands to the next level and beyond.

If this products keeps performing like it has been and I continue to be consistent with my CW and DCs, I know my hair will BSL or longer by the end of this year.

It's wonderful!...

i bought it too like 3 weeks ago . i dont really know how to use it, i.mean what to do with it and when i should put it in my hair.

can you advise me? leave in ? or every week spray it in? only ends or whole head? only for heat or not?

I know my hair loves protein.

do you do à protein dc and add this spray? or is it better to do à moisturizing dc then add this spray?

sorry for all the questions i just.dont know what to do with it.i used it twice...

i usually protein dc every 10-15 days.
maybe i should.try à moisturizing dc then this spray?

ps question: thanks for reading me

 

[coolsista-paris]

I've changed up my reggie a little since I last posted here because I wanted to see if I could get past my growth stall.

I started finger coming which I said I'd never do but it's not too bad and I'm seeing results (reduction of splits, less shedding). When rollerset I do use combs but they are seamless, for everything else I finger comb.

When wearing natural styles I wash weekly and I dc after every wash now which I never did before. I think this is helping with splits and breakage.

I use Vatika oil or coconut oil only now and they benefit the hair greatly. I'd like to pre-poo with them more but it's hard for me to fit pre-pooing into my life. Still working on this.

Im thinking of adding cassia to my regimen, still reading up on it. I'd love to try henna because I hear it makes the hair heavier and I think I'd like some extra weight to my fine strands but I'm not interested in the color right now.

I still dust frequently but I've been trying to reduce it and focus on S&D more.

Here's some recent pics of my hair. It's not bone straight to see the whole length though because I never straighten.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

you can henna without color. i.do that with.neutral henna mixed with oil and eggs. no.color and heavier hair. its so strong ànd soft when i do it.

 

[Vshanell]

Thanks, where do you get your neutral henna? I'm reading up on henna and stuff, I find it a little confusing with all the ways to do it but I'm working my way up to it. I found a moisturizer with henna in it that I might get, hoping it won't change my color.

ETA...so I read on mehandi that neutral henna is cassia. Wonder why they call it that cuz henna and cassia are two different things. I'll prolly test the waters starting with cassia.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Blairx0]

I use cassia and I think it has had a positive impact on my hair's ability to just hold on. Lol

But cassia has made me hair more able to take puinshment, which this weather is handing out daily. But without balance I get breakage. I have to stay balanced or else I will be bald

 

[MileHighDiva]

tashboog How much does the Komazacare Hair Analysis cost? I looked at their website and they don't have a price listed. TIA

 

[havilland]

My hair is grazing BSL, type 3C, thin and fine, porous on the chemically treated ends. It has been 19 months since my last texlax.

Things that work for me:

Protective styling/low manipulation - I use weaves, half wigs, buns to hide my hair. Alot.

Very little heat use - I try to use heat less than 4 times a year.

Cutting back on chemicals- when i was relaxed, switching to texlaxing from bonelaxing and then learning to stretch my relaxer from 12 weeks, to 6 months to 10 months really changed my hair for the better! It got thicker. I retained more length. And I saw my Hair's health improve tremendously. Now I am off chemicals relaxers hopefully for life. My hair has never felt or looked better. I can't thank my stylist Reniece enough for encouraging me to quit chems.

Deep conditioning weekly or twice weekly - esp since I am transitioning. My deep conditioning has allowed me to go this long with no breakage or set backs

Intense protein treatment regularly - when I was texlaxed, I did aphogee two step a week before my relaxer. Now that I am transitioning I do it every 6 weeks. This makes a big difference in my hair. Less tangles. More shine. No breakage.

Finding a product and regi that works and being consistent. - no more pj for me. I use what works. I experiment very little these days.

Cowashing--- cutting back on shampoo has helped me cut breakage and dryness that interferes with my retention. Cowashing makes my hair so much healthier. And I retain way more length when I keep sulfates and shampoos to a minimum. I use a GENTLE clarifying shampoo every 4-6 weeks now.

Natural products - making my own products and using products with less chemicals has def made a difference in my hair breakage, moisture retention. And this has made a big difference in how long my hair has gotten.


It took me about 5 years to get ALL these steps into my routine. But my hair has been flourishing ever since I began to incorporate these tools. I have trimmed 4 inches or so since October and have been able to maintain my length becuase I am finally retaining the hair I grow. (I am a slow grower too!). I can't wait until my transition is over and i can start to grow my hair LONGER instead of trimming and maintaining through this transition.

HTH

 

[Froreal3]

Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructerizer is everything. It has taken my fine strands to the next level and beyond.

If this products keeps performing like it has been and I continue to be consistent with my CW and DCs, I know my hair will BSL or longer by the end of this year.

It's wonderful!...

JulietWhiskey how do you use it? And do you still need to do protein treatments when using this?

Sent from my SGH-T959 using LHCF