Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....
- Thread starter JudithO
- Start date
gn1g
Well-Known Member
I'm in the midst of transitioning but but but I do have some questions you all might be able to help me with.
My hair is nearly impossible to moisturize and nearly impossible to comb. Do you have a remedy for this issue.
I have washed it with a chelating poo and but all sorts of super duper moisturizers on my hair to no avail. it tangles very easy. I wear a bun or high pony 5 days a week. I take the band off nightly and put it back up daily. in the place that the bun sits, my hair turns matty almost like a dread lock. I have fine tangly hair.
My hair is nearly impossible to moisturize and nearly impossible to comb. Do you have a remedy for this issue.
I have washed it with a chelating poo and but all sorts of super duper moisturizers on my hair to no avail. it tangles very easy. I wear a bun or high pony 5 days a week. I take the band off nightly and put it back up daily. in the place that the bun sits, my hair turns matty almost like a dread lock. I have fine tangly hair.
Ravenhairedbeauty
Well-Known Member
What's a good product to twist with?
NewlyNature12
New Member
lisanaturally said:
I use Shea butter or Shea moisture curling smoothie.
Victoria44
Well-Known Member
DarkJoy said:
Do you recommend any specific ones?
Ravenhairedbeauty
Well-Known Member
DarkJoy
Bent. Not Broken.
I got mine from a local BSS. There's a whole thread on seamless comb brands. Happy reading--there's a looooooooot to read there!
Victoria44
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My hair shrinks to 80%. No lying.
And short hair doesn't suit me
I tried braid, I tried threading/banding. It shrinks. I have a full apl head of hair and can't do nothing with it
I just found this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdzMIYQN7iM. I like the way she stretches her twists each night. Are you stretching your hair when it's dry?
DarkJoy
Bent. Not Broken.
@lisanaturally, I'm old school and will use... grease! Eeek! Just a teeeeny bit. Plain old shea butter works too.Thank you
Of course, I think product depends on if you dry or wet twist? Like the curl enhancing smoothie is ick for my hair wet. But on dry hair it's a rave! Gel on my wet twists make them look like pissed off spiders... (gonna try dry tonight).
You will kinda have to experiment when you find a product to try. So dont be discouraged if the first try isnt what you'd hoped for.
Ravenhairedbeauty
Well-Known Member
Thank you DarkJoy I twisted last night with some fote aloe Vera gel because that was all I had, but I'm definitely going to get some Shea butter for next time.
locabouthair
Well-Known Member
I don't come in this section too often anymore but I BCed a few times because every time my hair would start to grow out it would look funny to me.
I'm trying not to cut it this time and let it grow out. I want to try finger coils this weekend and see how that comes out. Part of me is very tempted to color it but I think I need to lay off the chemicals for a while.
I'm also worried that as it grows out more I may have to spend a lot of time on it. This is my 2nd time being natural and the 1st time I did twistouts all the time and the style wouldn't last longer than a day and I have to keep redoing it which was time consuming. I'm really not trying to spend a lot of time on my hair.
I have about 1 inch of 4b hair. My mom says it's very thick. At this point I don't care about length (I know that's blasphemy on this forum lol). I just want it to look good (and healthy!) and not have to spend a lot of time styling it.
I'm trying not to cut it this time and let it grow out. I want to try finger coils this weekend and see how that comes out. Part of me is very tempted to color it but I think I need to lay off the chemicals for a while.
I'm also worried that as it grows out more I may have to spend a lot of time on it. This is my 2nd time being natural and the 1st time I did twistouts all the time and the style wouldn't last longer than a day and I have to keep redoing it which was time consuming. I'm really not trying to spend a lot of time on my hair.
I have about 1 inch of 4b hair. My mom says it's very thick. At this point I don't care about length (I know that's blasphemy on this forum lol). I just want it to look good (and healthy!) and not have to spend a lot of time styling it.
faithVA
Well-Known Member
[USER=7239 said:
What do you mean it looked funny?
You must have more than 1" of hair to do finger coils. Maybe it just looks really short to you. At 1" you can just wash and go.
I understand you don't want to spend a lot of time with it. But if you have 4b hair you have to do something while it's growing out unless you are just going to keep it at a twa. Are you comfortable with wiggin it, braid extensions, weaves? Or do you just want to keep a twa?
My hair didn't really stop being so time consuming until around 7".
locabouthair
Well-Known Member
faithVA
Some parts are an inch and some parts are longer. One of my friends keeps telling me I have enough hair to do the coils so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it.
I rather not wear fake hair. My temples thinned out a bit when I did.
Last time I was natural I had about 6 inches maybe more. I was always styling it.
Oh and when I said it looked funny it just looked better to me when it was shorter.
You would think with me being newly natural again I would stay in the hair forum more
faithVA
Well-Known Member
[USER=7239 said:locabouthair[/USER];16910957]@faithVA
Some parts are an inch and some parts are longer. One of my friends keeps telling me I have enough hair to do the coils so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it.
I rather not wear fake hair. My temples thinned out a bit when I did.
Last time I was natural I had about 6 inches maybe more. I was always styling it.
Oh and when I said it looked funny it just looked better to me when it was shorter.
You would think with me being newly natural again I would stay in the hair forum more
Maybe hair just isn't your thing. You may want to just keep a twa
With 4a/4b hair, I don't know of a lot of ways to grow it out and not have to do something to it. But if you like the comb coils, then maybe you can move up to 2 strand twists. You can leave those in at least for a week. And if you are lucky and your hair doesn't mind being washed in twists, you can keep them in even longer.
locabouthair
Well-Known Member
Maybe hair just isn't your thing. You may want to just keep a twa
With 4a/4b hair, I don't know of a lot of ways to grow it out and not have to do something to it. But if you like the comb coils, then maybe you can move up to 2 strand twists. You can leave those in at least for a week. And if you are lucky and your hair doesn't mind being washed in twists, you can keep them in even longer.
Oh ok. That's another option.
I know it's going to take a lot of trial and error. Thanks for the suggestions. Once I do the coils I will post pics.
Cruzankink
Well-Known Member
My hair shrinks to 80%. No lying.
And short hair doesn't suit me
I tried braid, I tried threading/banding. It shrinks. I have a full apl head of hair and can't do nothing with it
Bonjour Krystle~Hime! I feel ya. I also suffer from horrible shrinkage. It bothered me before but I'm trying different styles (bantu knot outs, twist outs, rod sets) to elongate my hair. WnG's are the worst for shrinkage but I like them because its easy. Unfortunately, since I have very kinky tightly coiled 4b hair I have to learn to embrace shrinkage... like how i would embrace a 2 faced friend.
Cruzankink
Well-Known Member
@faithVA If that's the case, then I can't wait till my hair gets to 7". I've noticed that my hair growth has different phases. When I just BC when hair was 3" it was easy - just CW/rinse, slap some SM CES and eco styler and go. Curls popped like crazy. Then I went through a phase that my curls/coils dissappeared. So I was twisting my hair everynite or every other nite for texture. Now my styles are lasting 2-3 days. Eventually, I want hair that can hold a style for at least 5 days. Please don't tell me this is wishfull thinking...
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faithVA
Well-Known Member
No I wouldn't tell you that. Even though we are both 4b our hair is not similar. So my experience is not going to be your experience. The only style I can wear for 5 days is either twists or a bun. There is no out style that I can wear that will stay for 5 days without having to retwist. And I don't think that will change when my hair gets longer.
But you are learning your hair so things are possible. A lot of ytbers wear various styles across a 5 to 7 day period without retwisting. It just requires some creativity.
BraunSugar
New Member
gn1g How often are you using the chelating poo? Are you washing in sections or loose? What products are you using to moisturize? How often are you DC'ing? What kind of comb are you using and have you tried finger detangling?
hairqueen7
New Member
Hi ladies I love this thread I'm a constant lurker n I just.want to post but to scared lol, anyway love.my hair but I'm getting so frustrated because I keep thinkin about length,and I hate my shrinkage, I can't do any styles with my 4a/4b hair, and I notice I shed a lot in September ..ok rant over
faithVA
Well-Known Member
Welcome hairqueen7. This is a safe thread to post in
A lot of friendly people here.How long is your hair?
Maybe the shedding is just temporary.
Cruzankink
Well-Known Member
Your welcome to vent here @hairqueen7!!! @faithVA asked the key question: How long is your hair? I've noticed that when I focus on length I get more dissapointed about shrinkage that's one reason I've made a conscious decision not to do length checks until my post relaxer anniversary in October.
The last couple months I've been focusing on healthy hair so I won't be too bothered w/ shrinkage. However, I will admit that once my hair reaches a certain length I'm gonna want to show it off and shrinkage, of course, will undermine that - but please believe that I'll be right in this forum venting about it.
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gn1g
Well-Known Member
BraunSugar HanaKuroi I figured it out. I just recently started hypertension meds and they drain all the moisture out of the body. I must hurry and get off these.
LongTimeComing
Well-Known Member
I am so frustrated with my hair I am not quite sure what to do.
It feels dry, I have midshaft splits, I cut it this summer from just above apl to just above sl- I still can't get it into a neat bun, I tried to relax it after that- my hair laughed at that.
So now I have relaxed hair that behaves looks and behaves like my natural hair only with hang. I'm doing all the right things, but I can't get around this corner. I would cut it off, but I don't like myself with short hair. I wore wigs for awhile- I may go back to that, but they killed my edges. Everyday has been a bad hair day for the past 4 months. -_-
It feels dry, I have midshaft splits, I cut it this summer from just above apl to just above sl- I still can't get it into a neat bun, I tried to relax it after that- my hair laughed at that.
So now I have relaxed hair that behaves looks and behaves like my natural hair only with hang. I'm doing all the right things, but I can't get around this corner. I would cut it off, but I don't like myself with short hair. I wore wigs for awhile- I may go back to that, but they killed my edges. Everyday has been a bad hair day for the past 4 months. -_-
faithVA
Well-Known Member
msdrUnfortunately if you have been having a bad hair day for 4 months, had to cut from APL to SL and you have mid-shaft splits, you are not doing everything right. So let's see what you are doing that is causing you some problems. Part of the answer lies in what is causing you mid-shaft splits.
So when you cut from APL to SL, what do you think the cause of the damage was?
What is your current wash day regimen and mid-week regimein (products and technique).
Are you blowdrying your hair, flatironing, air drying, rollersetting?
Are you using seamless combs, or regular combs, brushes?
How often are you doing a protein treatment and which protein treatment are you using?
BraunSugar
New Member
I'm sorry all of that happened to you. faithVA asked you some good Qs that offer a starting point to figure out what's going on. Hopefully we'll figure it out so that you can grow healthy, longer hair.LongTimeComing
Well-Known Member
faithVA
I used heat once right after the relaxer snafu. Other than that, no heat. I always airdry, sleep with a scarf, am careful with my collars, detangle from the bottom up, etc. I use regular combs. Haven't used a brush in quite some time actually, but it's a regular one too.
I was completely natural for the first 7 months after my BC then I put a s curl texturizer on my hair. It looked and acted the same, but I gained 'hang time' with the texturizer. I touched it up every 10 weeks or so. I cut it about 1 year later to sl, because I had lots of ssk's and a couple of mid shaft splits.
At that time I would cowash (herbal essences) and put on some type of moisture (a little conditioner left in, hawaiin silky, carefree curl, s curl, shea moisutre curl enhancing smoothie, some kinda goop I found under the counter, etc) daily or every other day for about 1.5 years. I wore my hair in a puff usually except during the winter I wore it braided underneath wigs. I shampooed once a week or so with regular shampoo. Every week I would DC with heat with Humectress and oil, cholesterol, biolage, aphogee, or mizani. I use one with protein every 2-3 weeks and use moisture the other times.
About a week after I cut it, I decided to relax it with a Revlon relaxer. FAIL. I tried to do a corrective on top of that. MAJOR FAIL. Seeing as how my hair looked and felt the same I tried to keep the same regi as before. TRIPLE FAIL. My hair was brittle, dry, and ultra dull. And it looks and feels natural still. You couldn't pay people to believe I put a relaxer on it.
I've nursed it back to just being dry, but I'm frustrated. Now I wash once a week with regular shampoo, DC overnight with cholesterol, biolage, or humectress with oil. I still alternate between protein and moisture. I put some shea moisture or care free curl on 2-3 times a week with oil. I wear it in a bun or 2 flat twists everyday. My bun is getting smaller and looks like it's on life support. And my flat twists make me look like I'm in elementary school.
I've had to start using gel on my edges, because they are breaking and sticking straight up.
Yes 2 full head relaxers on top of the remnants of a texturizer. I have very strong hair, but I think I may have pushed it too far. I'm considering chopping again and starting over.
I'm sorry that was a whole lot to. I'm just so frustrated.
I used heat once right after the relaxer snafu. Other than that, no heat. I always airdry, sleep with a scarf, am careful with my collars, detangle from the bottom up, etc. I use regular combs. Haven't used a brush in quite some time actually, but it's a regular one too.
I was completely natural for the first 7 months after my BC then I put a s curl texturizer on my hair. It looked and acted the same, but I gained 'hang time' with the texturizer. I touched it up every 10 weeks or so. I cut it about 1 year later to sl, because I had lots of ssk's and a couple of mid shaft splits.
At that time I would cowash (herbal essences) and put on some type of moisture (a little conditioner left in, hawaiin silky, carefree curl, s curl, shea moisutre curl enhancing smoothie, some kinda goop I found under the counter, etc) daily or every other day for about 1.5 years. I wore my hair in a puff usually except during the winter I wore it braided underneath wigs. I shampooed once a week or so with regular shampoo. Every week I would DC with heat with Humectress and oil, cholesterol, biolage, aphogee, or mizani. I use one with protein every 2-3 weeks and use moisture the other times.
About a week after I cut it, I decided to relax it with a Revlon relaxer. FAIL. I tried to do a corrective on top of that. MAJOR FAIL. Seeing as how my hair looked and felt the same I tried to keep the same regi as before. TRIPLE FAIL. My hair was brittle, dry, and ultra dull. And it looks and feels natural still. You couldn't pay people to believe I put a relaxer on it.
I've nursed it back to just being dry, but I'm frustrated. Now I wash once a week with regular shampoo, DC overnight with cholesterol, biolage, or humectress with oil. I still alternate between protein and moisture. I put some shea moisture or care free curl on 2-3 times a week with oil. I wear it in a bun or 2 flat twists everyday. My bun is getting smaller and looks like it's on life support. And my flat twists make me look like I'm in elementary school.
I've had to start using gel on my edges, because they are breaking and sticking straight up. Yes 2 full head relaxers on top of the remnants of a texturizer. I have very strong hair, but I think I may have pushed it too far.
I'm considering chopping again and starting over. I'm sorry that was a whole lot to. I'm just so frustrated.
