Starting to regret my BC....(pic heavy)

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Geminigirl

Well-Known Member
Well I BC on the 22nd of June I believe and I was kinda excited. I felt free and couldn't wait to start trying things on my hair to see how my hair reacted to it. Well my hair is SUPER dry and it has been for months now. Nothing seems to keep it soft. I co wash it still feels dry(Infusium, vo5, Suave) I leave-in(garnier) and then Moisturize(shea butter mix or s curl) and it's still DRY. I love my hair but I think I hate it too. My styles are limited because I have like 2 inches on 1 1/2 inches of unstretced hair. i wouldn't mind rocking a curly fro if my curls had more definition. If I gel my hair everyday eventually will my curls form more? how long will that take? I have no curl definition at all in the back and front. I think it's from always brushing my hair into a ponytail. Anyways here are so pics. Not the best pics for now but maybe you can help. I will try and get some better pics of my hair this weekend. I won't be back til Monday because my son's father is coming in to town and we have a great 4th planned for the kids.

This is the style I did after the BC. I attempted Nonie's style BUT I have no edges so I just did something else simple up top. It frizzed and looked horrible in 2 days. Which is why this style is out the question. Texas weather wants my hair to look dry and frizzy everyday...just how i like it:rolleyes:
This part is sooo supposed to be in the middle. I suck at parting. lol
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These aren't the best pics cause I took them with my webcam
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Ignore these ugly earrings. They are all we had on hand to make the style more girly. I only wore them once I felt weird and kiddy wearing them but that's what I get for letting my younger sister help.
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I feel like my younger sister got me. Her fro is bigger than mines and I think she gets a joy out of seeing my struggle with my hair now. She laughs everytime I have it out cause it is tight and dry looking but she never says why.
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That scarf is what I use to tie my head up. took it iff to take the pics should have take it completly off.

Why I had to BC
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And last but not least...Right after the BC

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Ok well that's enough of that. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I love my natural hair but I am wishing I would have waited a little longer or had some money in the bank to go get my hair professionally done.
 
Try sylver's scarf method.

On slightly damp hair, put a little leave in conditioner followed by a moisturizer (I LOVE Elasta QP Mango Butter). Then smooth your hair down as best you can with two inches. Then put a silk or satin scarf on. NOT COTTON.

Do it overnight. By morning your hair should feel softer.

I just did it and my hair feels like butter. After WEEKS of dryness where I tried EVERYTHING else. It works.
 
I Don't know about the hard water or how to tell. Does TX have hard water? Anyone know? I will try that method. Right now I am going to try my Kinky Curly again because last night I did it and i had to put my scaarf on and go to bed before the style set so now I have to start all over. It didn't look good anyways. My brother said my hair looked like a dry jherri curl and my sister said it looked shiny and wet. GRRRREEEEAAAATTTT!
 
I see a lot of people here bc and god knows you guys rare stronger than me because i cant see all my hair on the floor thats drastic and i commend all of your guys.

you look nice with the bc though just try sylvers method as said by the previous poster and see how it turns out
 
Geminigirl said:
I Don't know about the hard water or how to tell. Does TX have hard water? Anyone know? I will try that method. Right now I am going to try my Kinky Curly again because last night I did it and i had to put my scaarf on and go to bed before the style set so now I have to start all over. It didn't look good anyways. My brother said my hair looked like a dry jherri curl and my sister said it looked shiny and wet. GRRRREEEEAAAATTTT!
Click to expand...

I think you hair is nice but i know we see ourselves different. A good way to tell if you have hard water is look at your shower head and kitchen faucet. If there is a white or crusted looking build up, then you have hard water.
 
Geminigirl said:
I Don't know about the hard water or how to tell. Does TX have hard water? Anyone know? I will try that method. Right now I am going to try my Kinky Curly again because last night I did it and i had to put my scaarf on and go to bed before the style set so now I have to start all over. It didn't look good anyways. My brother said my hair looked like a dry jherri curl and my sister said it looked shiny and wet. GRRRREEEEAAAATTTT!
Click to expand...

I understand yr frustration, I bc in Nov and had to keep cutting it down to .5 in if that to get it even. Or if you save up by the end of the month I would suggest going to a barber to even it out and get the straggly ends off. Then you can start new! I have a textlax in myself (S curl in the box) and left mine in for 3 min but I use Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 to moist. twice a day. It does soften the hair and keeps it moist. I don't spray it directly on my hair but instead in my hands and then distribute. That may help as well! But the key is to keep it moist. so it won't start breaking off all over the place.

Oh, also I don't know exactly what yr hair type is but I just washed and dc my hair yesterday and used the Biolage hydrating shampoo and the hydrating balm and my hair was very moist. Then I applied the hs 14 in 1 while it was still damp. It did help my hair out immensly! Just try it! You never know!!!!

Hope this helps a little. I do feel yr pain though!:look:
 
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I think you look cute with the braids in front and the fro in the back. :yep:

Here is a rough pic of my regimen, maybe something in it will be helpful:

One of the things I found I needed to do to keep my hair moisturized was to cowash everyday on dry hair. I didn't rub the conditioner into my scalp or scrub my scalp with it. But I used a looooooooooot of conditioner. I saturated my hair with it. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinsed.

Afterwards I spritzed with Aphogee green tea and keratin and Hawaiian Silky 14 n 1 and rub a little Profective throughout.

I found that the daily cowashing on dry hair was really helping to add the moisture I needed because the ends of all my plaits were now softer and less brittle.

The Aphogee was for strength because even though I am natural my hair is very fine (dense, but still fine) and can't take the stresses of combing. So I used the Aphogee daily to guard against breakage.

The Hawaiian Silky was for moisture.

I added the Profectiv to help seal.

I have sometimes put my homemade mahabhringraj or rice bran oil on my hair prior to cowashing or deep conditioning. It is a nice addition, but I don't do it much.

As a natural, I also found I needed to sit under my hooded dryer on the hottest setting, with two caps, for about 15 minutes, to get the results I was looking for from my deep conditioner. ( I use the ORS repleneshing in the bottle).

You may also want to chelate and/or clarify to make your hair more receptive to absorbing the products you put on it.

For many naturals getting the hair moisturized and making it stay that way can be difficult. Consistency with products that work for you is really important. (You may even find that products with silicone are your friend, as long as you are removing the build-up every once in a while).

It is hot and sunny as heck in TX, isn't it? You may need a creme with some SPF unless you are wearing something to protect your hair from the sun.

Also, I experienced the same things you say you're experiencing until I started doing the above. It can take awhile to get the natural hair to the state you want. And don't forget about the possibility of scab hair.
 
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For the dry hair: You may have scab hair or need to do more DCing

For the curl definition: Again the scab hair. Were you using heat to style a lot when relaxed, it may have killed your curl pattern. ORRR you just may not have a curl pattern
 
Houston does have hard water. Here's a hard water map:

http://www.pure-water.com/quality/hard.shtml

Therefore, you probably need a chelating shampoo (I hear Joico makes a great one) or something to help clarify.

Also, what is your exact routine? Do you know if you have porosity issues? My hair has taken a great turn for the better since I started doing acv rinses after deep conditioning. If you prepoo, use a chelating shampoo followed by a super moisturizing DC, an acv rinse and then use a regular conditioner as a leave-in before sealing, and then your KCCC, that may help. KCCC is supposed to not work well with oils, but I haven't had that experience. Good luck!
 
Even if you don't have hard water, you may want to invest in a shower filter. A sprite brand filter is cheap and easily installed without equipment. You can get one at Lowes for $20 and works with your existing shower head. The filter only needs to be changed every 6 months.

Since your BC is still pretty recent your hair is not quite as curly, probably, as it will be as it grows out. To define your curls and keep your hair moisturized, consider rinsing or cowashing often and possibly using the techniques mentioned at http://www.tightlycurly.com. The curly primer technique has been a life saver for me. I heard about it in a thread created a little while ago: Fantasia IC Gel + Curly Primer Method=OMG HAIR!!!!!!!!
 
Congrats on the BC! Gelling the hair won't make the curls appear that aren't already there but your hair immediately after the BC isn't the best indication. After my BC my hair was frizzy with little curl. It wasn't as soft as I thought it would be. It took a month of deep conditioning and cutting off the stray straight pieces until I finally had some defined coils. By month 3 the coils were really pronounced with water and a rinse out conditioner.

I don't know if Tx has hard water but you could go to Lowe's and get a water filter. I bought one for maybe $30 (if that). If helped out.

GL!
 
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Ooh...girl when I was in Basic...it was AF so Lackland AFB..that water was HARD!!! Texas has some terribad water. It dried my skin, AND my hair out something horrible. However, I don't think you look as bad as you think you do. Sometimes we're just our own worst critics. When I BC'd I kept looking like o.o then O.O then ~_~; to T_T; simply because I'm not used to my hair being so short, but I like it now lol. I think it's cute and even if I didn't...it's hair...it'll grow back if I take care of it.

To combat the hard water, you could get a water softener...but they're redonkulously expensive, or you can deep condition a little more often. I'm no expert though...My hair had been going through this horrid stage of moisture rejection when I BC'd rofl. I have to co-wash daily and deep condition twice to three times a week. I also use an aloe vera, glycerin, oil mix to keep my hair moisturized during the day along with Humectress Leave-In if it starts to feel "dry" to me. My hair is way softer now (thank GOD!!!). It seems like you BC'd to get away from the transitioning hair look, and I feel u on that, but now you've got all this hair that you don't know what to do with. Try taking a good look at the ingredients on your products and see if there are any patterns to what's working and what isn't. Then cut out some things for a week to see how it affects your hair.

HTH and best of luck to you girly :yep:
 
The first time I BC, my hair was very dry. It took a couple of months for curl definition. I had a hard time keeping my hair moisturized. Two things that really helped were DC twice a week, and steam treatments. I also found a leave-in that worked (Giovanni) and an oil for sealing (castor, my hair doesn't seem to tolerate a lot of oils/butters). It took me a long time and a lot of money to find what worked for me. But once I found it, I was very happy with my hair. HTH
 
I think the BC looks cute on you, too. Maybe just get it shaped up real nice.
As for the dryness, do you do cowashes and deep condition? Maybe these would help. I don't know. I'm sure you will find what you need here on Board, though.Good luck!!
 
From what I can see in the pics, it looks like you still have permed ends. That will hinder your hairs ability to curl.

Also high quality products. My hair felt like straw until two days ago when I found an old sample of DevaCurl Set It Free and now it is soft. It was like night and day. I am dirt broke but I went to Ulta and bought several products from DevaCare's line to get my moisture balance back. Also, Summer weather is drying and you need more moisture then usual.

There is a transition of the mind that also happens when you cut your hair. I would say, research the board and get some moisturizing high quality products and just wear a wash and go for a few months with no manipulation. Maybe even leave out the headbands and braids in the front and really get used to looking at your hair. Learn its texture without any manipulation and what it wants as far as moisture is concerned.

To see your real texture, rinse in the shower, put on some conditioner, shake it and finger shape it and put some moisturizer on it. Don't pick it out or anything. Get used to to how it looks for a while.
 
I think you need a very deep conditioning treatment that is oil/protein/moisture balanced. Try the coconut creme mixed with coconut milk in the hair as an overnight treatment twice weekly...or the better one...clarified ghee (Indian store or make your own if you know how) and put plastic on your hair then scarf it...conditioner wash out in the a.m. Like other said, use a conditioner leave-in...VO5 milks or Rusk Smoothing Conditioner work wonders. Then seal with an oil like a little castor or apricot kernel oil or shea. Coconut oil is good for summer...but too much can leave your hair crunchy.
 
I swear by ACV rinse for dry or hard hair. For me and a good friend of mine, it softens it up everytime.
 
OP,
I think everyone's suggestions are on point especially the daily cowashing. I'm going to try it and see if that helps (i've been lazy and incosistent). I also think that my hair doesn't like 'cones so I'm going to CLARIFY (very important step) to see. I hope that some of the above mentioned techniques work for you. Also, don't forget to seal in the moisture with oil!
 
HauteHairGurl said:
OP,
I think everyone's suggestions are on point especially the daily cowashing. I'm going to try it and see if that helps (i've been lazy and incosistent). I also think that my hair doesn't like 'cones so I'm going to CLARIFY (very important step) to see. I hope that some of the above mentioned techniques work for you. Also, don't forget to seal in the moisture with oil!
Click to expand...

ITA! I was going to recommend the same thing. Perhaps the products you use contain cones, and cones can block moisture from penetrating the hair. Maybe try limiting your cones and sulfates in your shampoos. Also cowashing often and deep conditioning.

MahoganyCurls on youtube had this problem as well, and she stopped using cones. Here's a link to a video she did about the CG Method.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MahoganyCurls#play/uploads/20/dmXhsRoy7ns
 
girl you look pretty with your pics. The only thing I see different from the first BC day and the most recent is that your hair shrinked, which happens alot. I think you just need to give it time to grow out, and find what works for you. Don't regret it in a few months you will see what you are looking for as you adjust to your new hair. remember most of us spent years getting used to our relaxed head, turning back the time we also need to spend a good amount of time getting used to and loving our natural hair.

Hang in there
 
I think your TWA is so cute on you. I agree with some of the others, you've been using a lot of products since you BC'd. You may need to clarify your hair to remove the product build-up. You can use a baking soda and water mix if you don't have a clarifying shampoo. Atleast once a month, you may want to use a chelating poo to remove the mineral deposits from the hard water in your area. ORS Aloe poo is an inexpensive brand.

Good luck and rock your TWA with pride. You're beautiful!
 
If your hair feels dry and nothing seems to help it you might need to clarify with a sulfated shampoo to remove any build-up that may be on your hair. But I think your hair looks really cute :yep:.
 
I think you look beautiful, but that is me.

As for moisture you can create a spritz or go to the store and pick up one of the products the ladies mention above.

Another thing you can do is after you wash it use the Vo5 Moisture Milk Strawberry conditioner as a leave in and seal your ends with some type of light oil like coconut or even olive or castor.

Can you do us a favor my beautiful sistah!? Focus on what we say to you, listen to our words of encouragement, wisdom and blessing upon you. Can you do that?
 
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