Setting to Success 2014 Challenge

girlonfire
CrysMelis

Thank you ladies so much! :thankyou: I really appreciate your kind words and advice. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond, I just saw your messages today. It's been a stressful week at work and I haven't had a chance to come on this thread til today.

girlonfire- I think I will take your advice and try using regular magnetic rollers or perm rods, which are kind of similar. I actually bought a box of those metal clips to use with regular rollers, and I think I have a box of dusty rollers somewhere in my closet haha. We will see how this turns out. I will keep an eye out for your update!

CrysMelis- "no matter how closely we follow their technique, our hair texture has a lot to do with the results. In one of her videos she mentions that her hairs state has a lot to do with genetics. Her hair has natural sheen and bounce due to her texture. So no matter how closely you follow her tips, unless your hair is similar, results will always vary. " Thank you so much for saying that, I really needed to hear that. I have to have a more realistic outlook on what my hair will come out like. And I appreciate you giving me tips on how to take better care of my ends. I think a problem is the shears I use to cut my hair. They are 4 years old and I never got them sharpened since I bought them. I need to buy a new pair at Sally's. Then I will start an intense moisture regimen. I'm not sure what type of intense moisture regimen I can do with rollersets since I don't want my ends to curl up too much. Maybe I can start off with a 30-minute deep conditioner every week with heat and take it from there. What do you mean by "wrapped my ends in silk"? You mean you bought silk fabric and wrapped your ends in it?
 
Did a roller set yesterday and it turned out really nice. I think now that is is getting colder I may do more sets.
 
Tried a rollerset tonight. Fail. I didn't get past the third roller. I need to watch a YouTube tutorial or something to help me. Also, I need a good leave in before I try again. Any recs?

I used large rollers this time. Are smaller ones easier? I might go buy some.
 
Did a flexi rod set with minimal leave in...(CJ Beauticurls conditioner). My only goal was to stretch for flat ironing, so no styling products were used. Oh and I think I'm gonna stay straight until spring...using flexi rods to stretch as they get my roots straight!

Side note: The biggest lesson I have learned this past year is to not fight Mother Nature. When I do, she always chews me up & spit me out. I see that my success comes when I embrace the seasons & it's weather changes as well as how the climate where I live is effected by those changes.

For example: I kept trying to set during the summer only to experience dry & dull hair. I now know in the summer I need more conditioning & protecting cause Cali is hella hot during those months. Any way here's my latest set.
 
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Oh and for some reason, ever since I did my iphone update my app crashes when I try to upload multiple pictures so my apologies for the multiple posts.
 
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Re: Setting to Success 2014 Challengen

PlainJane said:
Tried a rollerset tonight. Fail. I didn't get past the third roller. I need to watch a YouTube tutorial or something to help me. Also, I need a good leave in before I try again. Any recs?

I used large rollers this time. Are smaller ones easier? I might go buy some.
Click to expand...

PlainJane I'd recommend the following leave in's for bouncy sets: Giovanni Direct, It's a 10 or just a smidgen of your fav rinse out/deep conditioner.

I don't watch a lot of you tube videos unless someone post a thread about it on lhcf so I can't recommend a good roller setting video...sowwy Lady!
 
Rush job so my roots aren't as straight as normal :/. I made my sections too big:(. But my daughter was teething and super fussy so duty called:)
 

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thanks CrysMelis! :)

Ladies - I rollerset Saturday night & flat ironed this morning after two weeks of wearing my hair straight. I used regular magnetic rollers, and I did a ponytail roller set. i haven't used magnetic rollers in years. The set came out pretty good, I was surprised. My roots had a lot of curl still, but they were flat enough. I flat ironed with my ghd and took a good look at my ends. I decided that they had to go. I gave myself a nice blunt trim with my new scissors from Sally's. I cut about 1.5-2 inches off all around using SistaWithRealHair's method.

before the cut
IMG_5217.jpg

after the cut
IMG_5218.jpg

juicy, healthy blunt ends
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IMG_5223.jpg

My hair is not bone straight, but honey when I cut those ends... My hair was swinging and full of body and so much life! Now I wish I cut my hair sooner. Ladies, if any of you are scared to cut off dead ends, don't think twice- just do it! I'm so glad I did. I am so happy I bought new scissors. They gave my hair a nice solid cut. Every strand is perfectly blunt. I'm going to throw out my old shears because I don't know how to sharpen them/where to even go for that kind of service. After cutting, I twisted my hair in six sections, oiled the ends, saran-wrapped each twist and put my hair in a satin bonnet. It's not any type of special "method" just something I did to keep my hair oiled and those ends happy :D

I am back to APL, but I'm a solid APL now, not a raggedy BSL. I'm going to start rollersetting biweekly instead of weekly now. And I'm going to keep working on my flat iron technique. I plan on trying a new deep conditioner too- I've been eyeing three: KeraCare, Mixed Chicks, and Jane Carter. Does anybody use any of these 3 conditioners now?
 
PlainJane said:
Tried a rollerset tonight. Fail. I didn't get past the third roller. I need to watch a YouTube tutorial or something to help me. Also, I need a good leave in before I try again. Any recs?

I used large rollers this time. Are smaller ones easier? I might go buy some.
Click to expand...

PlainJane

Depends on your hair type/if you're natural or not. I like a few-
Jane Carter Wrap & Roll - if you want a leave-in that's a light setting lotion
Camille Rose Whipped Aloe Gel - if you like heavy leave-ins with a medium to light hold
Kinky Curly Knot Today - leave-in conditioner with a lot of slip but not a lot of hold

These leave-ins are all good for natural hair.

Some tuts:
4 hair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw6ChKYENpk
4 hair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn4C0HLf-vQ
3 hair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WFyfumV5k
3 hair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UYkLRYMW0I
 
coilyhaircutie said:
thanks CrysMelis! :)

Ladies - I rollerset Saturday night & flat ironed this morning after two weeks of wearing my hair straight. I used regular magnetic rollers, and I did a ponytail roller set. i haven't used magnetic rollers in years. The set came out pretty good, I was surprised. My roots had a lot of curl still, but they were flat enough. I flat ironed with my ghd and took a good look at my ends. I decided that they had to go. I gave myself a nice blunt trim with my new scissors from Sally's. I cut about 1.5-2 inches off all around using SistaWithRealHair's method.

before the cut


after the cut


juicy, healthy blunt ends


My hair is not bone straight, but honey when I cut those ends... My hair was swinging and full of body and so much life! Now I wish I cut my hair sooner. Ladies, if any of you are scared to cut off dead ends, don't think twice- just do it! I'm so glad I did. I am so happy I bought new scissors. They gave my hair a nice solid cut. Every strand is perfectly blunt. I'm going to throw out my old shears because I don't know how to sharpen them/where to even go for that kind of service. After cutting, I twisted my hair in six sections, oiled the ends, saran-wrapped each twist and put my hair in a satin bonnet. It's not any type of special "method" just something I did to keep my hair oiled and those ends happy :D

I am back to APL, but I'm a solid APL now, not a raggedy BSL. I'm going to start rollersetting biweekly instead of weekly now. And I'm going to keep working on my flat iron technique. I plan on trying a new deep conditioner too- I've been eyeing three: KeraCare, Mixed Chicks, and Jane Carter. Does anybody use any of these 3 conditioners now?
Click to expand...

Im really happy that you're enjoying your solid apl hair! A solid apl is certainly better than raggedy ole thin bsl! I came to terms with that over the summer when I was at wl but after I got my hair blown out for cornrows on vacation, my braider pointed out to me that my ends were a mess. It hurt to hear that. I never.noticed bc my hair is always in a bun. She snip snipped me to bsl and 5 months later my hair is a solid wl. It's worth it. It important to think about what you could gain rather than focus on what you're losing.

Anyway, as for the products ypu mentioned, the only one I'm familiar with is the mixed chicks line...I've given this line chance after chance. Maybe I'm using it wrong, but I don't care for it. ESPECIALLY not the leave in. I wonder if it's a low porosity thing. Maybe I needed to add heat to my deep treatment before applying it bc it left.my hair so.dry feeling. That's my $0.02. I have a tiny bit , of the leave in left so I'll try it again and'm let you know how I feel as of this year bc I tried that all through '12 and '13.
 
girlonfire said:
Im really happy that you're enjoying your solid apl hair! A solid apl is certainly better than raggedy ole thin bsl! I came to terms with that over the summer when I was at wl but after I got my hair blown out for cornrows on vacation, my braider pointed out to me that my ends were a mess. It hurt to hear that. I never.noticed bc my hair is always in a bun. She snip snipped me to bsl and 5 months later my hair is a solid wl. It's worth it. It important to think about what you could gain rather than focus on what you're losing.

Anyway, as for the products ypu mentioned, the only one I'm familiar with is the mixed chicks line...I've given this line chance after chance. Maybe I'm using it wrong, but I don't care for it. ESPECIALLY not the leave in. I wonder if it's a low porosity thing. Maybe I needed to add heat to my deep treatment before applying it bc it left.my hair so.dry feeling. That's my $0.02. I have a tiny bit , of the leave in left so I'll try it again and'm let you know how I feel as of this year bc I tried that all through '12 and '13.
Click to expand...

girlonfire
I think my hair has low porosity too. I went to an event last month and they were giving out free Mixed Chicks samples. I tried the conditioner and my hair loooved it. But I'm hesitant to buy the real-sized bottle because I've tried the leave-in and the shampoo before and the shampoo stripped my hair and the leave-in just sat on my hair. I wonder why the conditioner worked so well. Just half of the little sample bottle gave my hair so much slip and detangled it like nothing! I'm kind of suspicious because sometimes they make the "sample" products more concentrated and better so you buy the big bottle lol.

I went to Bed Bath Beyond today after work and they didn't have the Mixed Chicks conditioner, just the shampoo and leave-in. They had the Jane Carter conditioner, but I sniffed it and it smelled like...nothing. I can't use a bland-smelling conditioner. I need something sweet! I want my hair to smell like roses after I slave over it lol :lol:

So... that just leaves KeraCare. I'm going to Sally's later this week to see if they sell it and check it out. It's cheaper than Mixed chicks. Mixed Chicks is $15 for just 8 oz in Bed Bath Beyond O_O I want to see if I can get KeraCare for cheaper

ETA- by the way, I can't believe you made it from BSL to WL in 5 months! That's my dream. I'm telling you, regular trims keep your hair happy! I'm glad I got over my fear of cutting my hair. I want to trim more often now, and I'm debating getting a stand-up dryer so I can regular deep condition with heat. It's such a pain in the neck (literally) to use my tabletop dryer...which takes forever to dry. Maybe I'll treat myself at Christmas.
 
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I always set, then forget to post.

I clarified, used keraphix, Joico and kanechom and set with CHIA Silk Infusion.

I was very happy with my results.
 

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coilyhaircutie the "deep conditioner" was actually pretty nice, I remember that much. I thought about purchasing the large size but at the time I was broke and jobless so that was no go lol. I felt the way you do about the leave in. I'm the same way about shampoo too! Right now I'm using joico moisture recovery and it smells really nice but my last cleanser , as I am cowash, smelled divine! BB&B SELLS HAIR CARE PRODUCTS?? and not just hair products but "ETHNIC" HAIR PRODUCTS?? Wow, where do they do that at !? never in my life have I seen that.

One of my favorite youtubers moknowshair has advertised an independent brand of deep conditioning caps that she find very convenient. She has medium porosity hair though, so idk how that would work for use. I've been meaning to take the plunge but I'm saving for a large purchase, every dollar counts. It's called hothead deep conditioning cap on etsy and it's about 30 bucks plus shipping. It allows the user to deep condition for up to 45 minutes while being free from an outlet. I really enjoy my pibbs kwik dryer. It's a lot more comfortable than my old table top. I cannot say that I've EXPERIENCED a faster and more even drying time because I've only used it one time and I was fidgeting around with the settings to see how hot I could handle it. I plan on wearing a braid out after my next wash which will hopefully be Wednesday so I'll get to see how it works on thickly braided hair. I also plan to use my joico balm to see if I will yield similar results the sistahwithrealhair on youtube.

I'm kinda astounded myself about the growth to be honest. June was the first tie I ever started to pay attention to how fast my hair grows. I just figured I got the standard .5 in that most get, but after a while I remembered that I used to have some really damaging hair practices (affair with the denman, thinning hair, etc.) and in all that time, though my hair became thinner it did not get shorter and I used to do these practices weekly, so that must mean that as my hair was breaking it was growing at that same rate or faster. I'm looking forward to reaching hip length by march of 2015. I think I'll be good then lol. I also look forward to seeing your documented progress!
 
girlonfire

mo really does know hair. I'm always drooling by the end of her vids because she can get any hair type to do what she wants. She's like the curl-whisperer. Meanwhile I don't even think my hair and me speak the same languages lol.

Yeah! Definitely check out your local Bed Bath Beyond. The ones near me sell hair products for all types of hair. There's a whole aisle of hair products, one side is for straight hair and the other side is for ethnic hair. Of course, it probably depends on where you live, what type of hair products they sell (or if they sell hair products at all).

Do you think your pibbs was a good investment? I liked my table top dryer when I first got it, but after a week or two it became sooo annoying having to assemble it every time I wanted to use it, having to put it ontop of a couple of books (and making sure the books didn't fall) and caaaarefully angling my neck in the right direction to get under the dryer without having the whole dryer topple over. I'm thinking of getting the Pibbs or BabyBliss standup dryer. Babyliss is cheaper, but the reviews aren't as good.

I LOVE my Denamn! Maybe that's my problem. Maybe I need to end my affair with my denman too. It does pull a lot of hair out my head. But how else am I supposed to get smooth sets? How do you get smooth sets without a brush?


girlonfire said:
coilyhaircutie the "deep conditioner" was actually pretty nice, I remember that much. I thought about purchasing the large size but at the time I was broke and jobless so that was no go lol. I felt the way you do about the leave in. I'm the same way about shampoo too! Right now I'm using joico moisture recovery and it smells really nice but my last cleanser , as I am cowash, smelled divine! BB&B SELLS HAIR CARE PRODUCTS?? and not just hair products but "ETHNIC" HAIR PRODUCTS?? Wow, where do they do that at !? never in my life have I seen that.

One of my favorite youtubers moknowshair has advertised an independent brand of deep conditioning caps that she find very convenient. She has medium porosity hair though, so idk how that would work for use. I've been meaning to take the plunge but I'm saving for a large purchase, every dollar counts. It's called hothead deep conditioning cap on etsy and it's about 30 bucks plus shipping. It allows the user to deep condition for up to 45 minutes while being free from an outlet. I really enjoy my pibbs kwik dryer. It's a lot more comfortable than my old table top. I cannot say that I've EXPERIENCED a faster and more even drying time because I've only used it one time and I was fidgeting around with the settings to see how hot I could handle it. I plan on wearing a braid out after my next wash which will hopefully be Wednesday so I'll get to see how it works on thickly braided hair. I also plan to use my joico balm to see if I will yield similar results the sistahwithrealhair on youtube.

I'm kinda astounded myself about the growth to be honest. June was the first tie I ever started to pay attention to how fast my hair grows. I just figured I got the standard .5 in that most get, but after a while I remembered that I used to have some really damaging hair practices (affair with the denman, thinning hair, etc.) and in all that time, though my hair became thinner it did not get shorter and I used to do these practices weekly, so that must mean that as my hair was breaking it was growing at that same rate or faster. I'm looking forward to reaching hip length by march of 2015. I think I'll be good then lol. I also look forward to seeing your documented progress!
Click to expand...
 
Yes she's something special!

I will keep my eyes peeled next time I'm in bb&b!

I can say that I think it was a good investment for me because now roller setting my hair is not as much of a chore as it has been since starting the challenge. I feel you on everything you're saying about the table top dryer bc that's what I used before (hand me down from mommy in the 80s). It truly was the struggle. Just changing the quality of my dryer has given me less reasons to neglect roller setting. I was lucky to have caught mine on sale at amazon. I paid about half price. The thing about the denman is that it does smooth your hair really well but it's that rubber base that does the damage for me. I didn't want to believe it, but it's true. Still on the search for a brush that gives denman results without breaking my hair. Have you tried using a small tooth comb or an assortment of combs (moknowshair reference). I find that using a large, the medium then small tooth comb helps my get my hair smooth and virtually tangle free so I can roll my hair. yeah, just go maybe 1-2 months without it and see what happens
 
I really want a set of Caruso steam rollers. Any of you natural ladies use them? I'm afraid steam and natural hair might lead to reversion.
 
Prettymetty said:
I really want a set of Caruso steam rollers. Any of you natural ladies use them? I'm afraid steam and natural hair might lead to reversion.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about that for a while. I am also scared of reversion. I've seen naptural85 on the yt do it. I was not crazy about her results. I think it would be necessary to make small sections and roll very tautly. I think it could be achievable, yes. I would try it out but with the way my bank account is set up...nah.
 
Prettymetty said:
I really want a set of Caruso steam rollers. Any of you natural ladies use them? I'm afraid steam and natural hair might lead to reversion.
Click to expand...

I have a set. I've used them once or twice on pressed hair many moons ago & honestly don't remember how my hair turned out. I just got into the 2nd week of a flat iron & it's still pretty bouncy just from wrapping. A few more weeks of it will push me into Thanksgiving territory & I plan to either use my steam rollers or flexi rods to bring it some life. If I decide on the steam rollers, I'll let you know my new observations. lol If it turns out bad, it will be wash day that weekend anyway.
 
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Washed my hair today but I won't be roller setting only because I've completely forgotten what my hair looks like when it's not in a set. Braided it in 4 sections like I used to back in the day.

On the progressive front, I used my joico stuff again. I think all my joico stuff will be in my regimen for a while. The shampoo and conditioner for sure. I'm not sure if I'm getting the results with the deep conditioners (k-pak and moisture recovery) because I've started to add heat when I never used to or because they are quality deep conditioners.
 
coilyhaircutie thank you! You're awesome! I'm going to pick up the kinky curly one because you mentioned slip so I'll give it a try. I need to watch these videos too!

lulu97 thank you! I'm going to try Giovanni direct. Idk why but it's a ten leave in didn't work for me and I tried at least three times. I'm going to save it to try later in my transition.
 
Just bought the KeraCare Humecto conditioner. I'm excited to DC with it. Will try it out when I wash my hair either this weekend or next. I washed my hair last weekend, and I want to wash my hair every two weeks to minimize breakage to my ends...but my scalp is sooo itchy. :\ I guess it's used to being washed once a week. Debating as to whether I should ride it out til next weekend or wash it tomorrow.
 
Will wash, DC & set next week. I'll post pics with results.
Also got the Andis bonnet dryer at Target. Decided not to get the Pibbs dryer. I know I can't afford that lol smh.
 
Any 4b ladies who roller set and get smooth results. I have only managed to get good sets with flexi rods. I really want to try bigger rollers to replace flat ironing but I'm concerned about puffy roots
 
I'm going to try another roller set this weekend now that I have a slippery leave in. I want to wear a roller set for NYE so I don't have much time to get this down.
 
I'm craving some big, juicy & bouncy curls from a flexi rod set...but the way this rainy weather is set up...#NotGoneHappen

My scalp is itching something fierce. I've had straight hair for almost 3 weeks & if I try to push it any further, I'm almost 100% sure my scalp is gonna detach itself from my head and slap me. I'll be washing today & just doing a french braid. I'll try to set next week. I'll get my fix by heading to Sally's tomorrow & buying more flexi's. lol I have to buy them sporadically cause they can get pretty expensive buying in bulk.
 
I just set my hair with Wrap, Snap and Go rollers. They are similar to flexirods, but soft like foam rollers. I'm going to wear a cury updo tomorrow unless my curls look good enough to wear down
 
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