Someone help...

tuffCOOKiE

tuffCOOKiE

Well-Known Member
I don't look like I have permed hair... My hair has always been coarse so I got a perm when I got to High School. When I first got my perm it was beautiful and silky but I dunno what's going on in the past years that my hair is behaving this way.

Its ALWAYS so dry.. I dont know if i should just cut it to my ears (its arm pit length.) Its growing, but its so dry and the texture so rough! Its very brittle and I have YET to find a suitable moisturizer for my har. I deep condition weekly but I stopped to do a month of co washing (its cold in NY) every three days. (with CON) I also stopped blowdrying but rollerset from time to time. I have 4b relvaxed hair with Motions Oil Lye Relaxer.

My main problem: my hair is SO soft after I Deep Condition or after a co wash but after it dries.. it gets hard (I air dry)

I switched from no-lye to lye because i think thats what my first relaxer was (Rene Furturer) thinking that it was going to help but it helped only a little. I'm still not putting direct heat, I'm wearing protective styles and I stopped using so many products (i only use NTM leave in, WGO and jojoba oil).

I'm thinking about doing ACV rinses (5% acidity from the dollar store?) and switching my relaxer to Mizani mild but my REAL problem is what i do with my hair when it dries: any suggestions??

Also, I noticed that after I get my hair relaxed, its flat against my head.. thats a problem, isnt it? I want it to be bone straight but I also want it to be thick?? I dont wanna settle. TIA!!!
 
I may not be one to give advice as I'm pretty new here but I've learned alot and have noticed a drastic difference in my hair. Anyway.........alot of ladies have complaints about motions relaxer causing their hair to revert soon after. Some ladies really like it though.

My hair was in the same state when I joined early December so I'll tell you what saved me from cutting off my tresses. I did a protein treatment (emergencee) some like aphogee though, followed w/ a moisturizing conditioner (Humectress). Now, I pre-poo w/ coconut oil & DDTA, followed by a shampoo/cond (NTM)1x per week . I alternate weeks w/ GPB as my light protein. And I'm sure to use a leave in conditioner (NTM & Direct Leave in), sealing my ends with Pure Avocado Oil. I airdry and wear protective styles and I'm sure to use a moisturizer 2xs per day (Cantu Shea Butter or Profectiv Breakfree, sometimes NTM leave in. I also cowash 1-2x per week using DDTA.

***Sometimes I alternate my poo/cond with Giovanni 50/50.

Hope this helps.....be sure to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
 
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The way I airdry: Ii usually just wash, squeeze exess and spray in my hair a mix of NTM (cream) leave in, IC (liquid) leave in for porous ends, jojoba oil rubbed on the ends and wgho when it dries.

For it to dry, I put it in a bun (not while its soaking wet) when its gets a little more dry
 
tuffCOOKiE said:
The way I airdry: Ii usually just wash, squeeze exess and spray in my hair a mix of NTM (cream) leave in, IC (liquid) leave in for porous ends, jojoba oil rubbed on the ends and wgho when it dries.

For it to dry, I put it in a bun (not while its soaking wet) when its gets a little more dry
Click to expand...

You should reverse your method. Take out all of the excess water that you can (by blotting with a towel). Apply your leave-ins and oils and IMMEDIATELY put it into a bun or something else to bind it up and secure your ends. Depending on the thickness or length or your hair, it may dry completely just like this, but if it doesnt, take it down like 12 hours later, add a little more leave-in and oil, and put it right back into a bun, or bounded ponytail or braid. HTH.
 
how long have you been following a hair care regimen?

I would suggest to be patient with your hair, it's probably not as bad as you might think it is, just take it slow. It sounds like you're on the right track,

btw how often do you relax your hair??

and is it applied only to your new growth??

**eta

-rollersets are a nice way to air dry by sealing the cuticle

or you could also flat iron it, I think you just need to find a way to smooth the cuticle, it may take some heat or a rollerset.
 
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*Dee* said:
how long have you been following a hair care regimen?

I would suggest to be patient with your hair, it's probably not as bad as you might think it is, just take it slow. It sounds like you're on the right track,

btw how often do you relax your hair??

and is it applied only to your new growth??

**eta

-rollersets are a nice way to air dry by sealing the cuticle

or you could also flat iron it, I think you just need to find a way to smooth the cuticle, it may take some heat or a rollerset.
Click to expand...

Ok, umm. I get a relaxer when my friends tell me i look a mess :lol: jk.. I get a relaxer every 1 1/2 in of ne growth which is a lot to handle. Last year(05) I got a relaxer in Jan (no-lye.. not sure which brand), then in May(lye, Vitale, hated it and came out under-processed) then again in September (Motions Oil lye) and then in late November (Motions Oil Lye) So I would say every 3 to 4 months and I go to the salon and they ONLY RELAX new growth.

I live in New York.. how long would it take to air dry in a rollerset? My ends are thinner than my roots (great thing)

The other thing.. I stopped w direct heat all together becasue dryness is REAL out here and my hair gets very very brittle.

Any more suggestions?! THANK YOU FOR REPLYING!!
 
goldensensation said:
You should reverse your method. Take out all of the excess water that you can (by blotting with a towel). Apply your leave-ins and oils and IMMEDIATELY put it into a bun or something else to bind it up and secure your ends. Depending on the thickness or length or your hair, it may dry completely just like this, but if it doesnt, take it down like 12 hours later, add a little more leave-in and oil, and put it right back into a bun, or bounded ponytail or braid. HTH.
Click to expand...


o0ooo.. So what I do already is put in the jojoba oil while its still damp. But youre saying put it in my hair (and the WGO) while my hair is still wet after i squeeze w a towel?

Do you leave your hair in a bun until you wash it again? or do you take it out and comb at all?
 
What are your poo and cond. staples? that can make a world of difference. I would go w/rollersetting from here on out to help smooth and seal the curticle. Plus rollersetting will give you some volume so that your hair is not flat to your scalp. You may also need to condition w/porosity control so that your hair can start letting the moisture in, it sounds like your hair is porous and is not obsorbing the moisture.
 
tuffCOOKiE said:
o0ooo.. So what I do already is put in the jojoba oil while its still damp. But youre saying put it in my hair (and the WGO) while my hair is still wet after i squeeze w a towel?

Do you leave your hair in a bun until you wash it again? or do you take it out and comb at all?
Click to expand...

Yea, put the oils on while your hair is still wet, but after you put in your leave-in conditioners. It helps to seal in the moisture from the conditioners.

I comb my hair everyday and I wash at least every three or four days. To combat dryness, especially in the winter, moisturize your hair twice a day (like before you go out and before you go to bed) and always moisturize before manipulating your hair with combs and brushes.

Another useful tip is to moisturize in sections. You'll get better coverage this way.
 
You may be using hair products that are simply not right for your hair chemistry. Why are you still using those products if your hair is still dry? Bench those and experiment....


Some stuff people rave about on here would leave my hair a dry, flat oily mess. (Beloved Aveda dried out my hair! I threw that away or else I'd be bald headed. Kenra left my hair too soft and overconditioned).

So you're using Cream of Nature conditioner for CW's ...how often do you shampoo (I hope not a lot)...what type of deep conditioning are you using ...softness is good, but some conditioners leave softness and nothing else. You need a protein deep conditioner and then a moisturizing deep conditioner. Give us names of products, girl!

Make sure you use deep conditioners under plastic so your hair can absorb them well.

I definitely would recommend an ACV rinse ..you very well could have build up from all the oils.


For me personally, if I deep condition well and use a cw every day...I don't even need to put a lot of leave in products on my hair. I airdry loose and naked, putting a little bit of nutriox serum on toward the end to seal my cuticles. May hair loves Nutrio-ox (I use it for cw, shampoo, & midweek overnight conditioing :grin:. It's the best line for my hair. It keeps my hair really healthy ... but it doesn't suit my mom.... different hair chemistry)
 
BeautifulWideEyes said:
What are your poo and cond. staples? that can make a world of difference. I would go w/rollersetting from here on out to help smooth and seal the curticle. Plus rollersetting will give you some volume so that your hair is not flat to your scalp. You may also need to condition w/porosity control so that your hair can start letting the moisture in, it sounds like your hair is porous and is not obsorbing the moisture.
Click to expand...

You know what (youre so smart), you might be right about the Porosity control but I dont really know how to use it. I have it in the house and I'm not sure if I should follow the instructions (leave in for 30 seconds then rinse out) or leave it in for longer. Also, do you put porostiy control as the LAST STEP? e.g. wash, deep condition, porosity control? or do you do that before you condition?

I dont really have any staples. Over the summer I was using CON shampoo which I loved then jumped on the NTM bandwagon and started using that shampoo. My conditioners stay the same though: My deep cond is a mix of Nexxus Essential oil, silicon mix and humectress. I dont like the humectress but I wanted to finish it.

thank you!!
 
Yes I use the porosity control as a final step and I follow the instructions leaving it on for only 30 sec. A few times I did apply it to my hair before DC if I had a few tangles. The Humectress is actually very moisturizing I use this as a leave-in and my used to be thirsty ends are no longer dry and frizzy when I airdry. I do use the entire Nexxus line except for my dominican cond. staples, maybe thats why I get better results or my hair just loves it.
tuffCOOKiE said:
You know what (youre so smart), you might be right about the Porosity control but I dont really know how to use it. I have it in the house and I'm not sure if I should follow the instructions (leave in for 30 seconds then rinse out) or leave it in for longer. Also, do you put porostiy control as the LAST STEP? e.g. wash, deep condition, porosity control? or do you do that before you condition?

I dont really have any staples. Over the summer I was using CON shampoo which I loved then jumped on the NTM bandwagon and started using that shampoo. My conditioners stay the same though: My deep cond is a mix of Nexxus Essential oil, silicon mix and humectress. I dont like the humectress but I wanted to finish it.

thank you!!
Click to expand...
 
Synthia said:
You may be using hair products that are simply not right for your hair chemistry. Why are you still using those products if your hair is still dry? Bench those and experiment....


Some stuff people rave about on here would leave my hair a dry, flat oily mess. (Beloved Aveda dried out my hair! I threw that away or else I'd be bald headed. Kenra left my hair too soft and overconditioned).

So you're using Cream of Nature conditioner for CW's ...how often do you shampoo (I hope not a lot)...what type of deep conditioning are you using ...softness is good, but some conditioners leave softness and nothing else. You need a protein deep conditioner and then a moisturizing deep conditioner. Give us names of products, girl!

Make sure you use deep conditioners under plastic so your hair can absorb them well.

I definitely would recommend an ACV rinse ..you very well could have build up from all the oils.


For me personally, if I deep condition well and use a cw every day...I don't even need to put a lot of leave in products on my hair. I airdry loose and naked, putting a little bit of nutriox serum on toward the end to seal my cuticles. May hair loves Nutrio-ox (I use it for cw, shampoo, & midweek overnight conditioing :grin:. It's the best line for my hair. It keeps my hair really healthy ... but it doesn't suit my mom.... different hair chemistry)
Click to expand...


You're right. Over the summer, I was using CON shampoo and conditioner and from Sept til about Dec I've been switching bet. MNT and NTM I dont really like the MNT but I didnt want to waste it.

Right now and for the past month Ive been doing co washes and actually, never (this whole month) shampoo'd yet. My regimine usually goes like this:

Every week wash w/ either MNT or NTM (havent found a shampoo that i LOOOVVEE except CON but that leaves build up but detangles and makes hair really soft)
Deep condition with protein then moisture:
Protein is either Keraphix, or Aphogee (the 5 min recon)
Moisture is Silicon Mix mixed w EVOO, CON conditioner
(I feel the only one that makes my hair really soft is the CON)
Put in a leave in and air dry.
Leave ins: NTM (which i love and makes my hair really soft), IC for prous ends (detangles REALLY well) and infusium (just started using because had protein in it)

I have type 4 hair and I feel nothing is really working MARVELOUSly so ive learned to settle. I feel that my conditon has improved in the last year since joining the forum but Ive been combating dryness for a long time now.

Ive tried the Nexxus line (therappe, humectress, headress) but i feel that the Therappe doest clean my hair because it never really lathers and my scalp ends up being itchy. The humectress was OK but then I tried Keracare Humecto and fell in love (I dunno why I stopped using it) but it made my hair mushy.

Ive never heard of Nutrio-ox.

Thank you Synthia.. it was very helpful
 
BeautifulWideEyes said:
Yes I use the porosity control as a final step and I follow the instructions leaving it on for only 30 sec. A few times I did apply it to my hair before DC if I had a few tangles. The Humectress is actually very moisturizing I use this as a leave-in and my used to be thirsty ends are no longer dry and frizzy when I airdry. I do use the entire Nexxus line except for my dominican cond. staples, maybe thats why I get better results or my hair just loves it.
Click to expand...

I thought I was in love w the Nexxus line. I've used Therappe, Humectress (as DC) and Keraphix (as DC) and Headress (as a leave in HATED it). But then the Humectress started turning on me. It felt like as soon as I put it in my hair, it would get hard (not soft as if you would any other conditioner). I'm gonna try and go back to the bascs but its to hard to find something that your hair likes. Not only that, Ive become a product junkie because of it so I mix and match. I dont use product line exclusively because my hair LOVES the shampoo and not the conditioner (ntm). I dunno.. maybe I should cut some off..


thank you for the responses ladies.. I'm going to take all of these into consideration:

DEF use my Porosity control now that I know how to use it.
Try to find a staple product line for my type 4 hair
Put in my oils when my hair is wet after I put in my NTM leave in.


So you guys are saying its NOT my relaxer, right?

Those w type 4 hair, are you guys exclusive to a line? If so, what line?
 
Maybe you should even consider starting fresh and new, meaning give yourself a Clarifying treatment to remove any buildup that may be on your hair, then give use your moisturing poo, DC condition, and then use the porostiy control as your final step. Apply leavin's and rollerset. Then next wash day start w/a pree poo using EVOO for 10-15 min under a warm dryer, poo, DC, use porosity control as final step, apply leav-ins and style. Try using the EVOO as a pre poo for the next few wash days to see if your hair softens up and takes in the moisture. plus start moisturizing am and pm, and clarify at least once a month to make sure there is no buildup (buildup can keep some of the good products from working like they use to). Let us know how things go in a few wks or so. HTH
 
My hair went through what your hair is now going through. It sounds like the ends are already damaged and you may have to just slowly trim the ends, if you want to maintain some length, and do what the ladies are suggesting. Your hair may be like mine and my hair does not do well with protein. I love CON so maybe you should consider going back. Nothing is going to change your hair immediately but give it time and you will see results. I barely comb my hair through the week so try to find protective styles as those ends grow out.
I too live in NY and I had moved from Miami. My hair loved the humidity in Miami and thrived there. Your hair probably loves moiture so consider investing in a humidifier for the winter months.
Finally, less manipulation is the key!
HTH;)
 
Thanks ladies!! I think that my ends truly are damaged and need to get them cut. When i blowdry my hair, my hair is always sooo fizzy at the ends.. I did a clarifying with Suave (dang my hair was dirty) and used Therappe and DC w/ Humectress. Its been a week and i followed the same routine except this time I started a cowash w CON conditioner but then put theappe in the roots and let it run down my length on its own.

Then deep conditioned w humectress mixed w essential oil. I left it in for 3 hours (no heat) then rinsed it out, porosity control rinsed that out then my leave ins: NTM and IC polisher for porous ends (its a liquid) and castor oil on my roots.

After that i roller set and let air dry. I'm about to go under the dryer in a min and see if its soft at all..
 
i did it a day ago and it was soft. great. But now my hair is dry again. should i wash it? The moisturizer ive been using is NTM and Kemi oyl...
 
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