Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....

DarkJoy said:
Yea, I tried semi perm and had the same results--barely covered greys! And then all the damage to boot.

How long do you have to wait til you permanent color?
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I don't know it didn't say. It's fine for right now. I will see how long it takes to wash out. If I can really make it 6 weeks then I may stick with it.

My hair felt really soft afterwards. I should have stayed with the Soft Sheen Carson in the first place. I wasn't experiencing any issues until I started trying to color the "right" way :ohwell:
 
I bought the wet brush from Sally's. Um, my hair laughed and said what is that :lol: How do you expect to get those mini bristles through my hair. Yeah, my hair may be a bit too coily, kinky and dense for that.
 
Think I'm gonna shlep me and the kid on over to the bss today. along with a reconstructor, i'm hoping to find a gel. Ecostyler makes my hair break. IC is a joke.

Nothing lays my edges that doesn't break them off! I have done the scarf method for 25 years and unless it was old school pro-style gel, my sides and edges always pop back up after a cpl hours. Prostyle didnt break me off but my hair was sooooo dry after. *sigh*

I keep a running supply of flax gel, but that only works well for twist out definition. Not real hold for my uber fly away hair.
 
DarkJoy said:
Think I'm gonna shlep me and the kid on over to the bss today. along with a reconstructor, i'm hoping to find a gel. Ecostyler makes my hair break. IC is a joke.

Nothing lays my edges that doesn't break them off! I have done the scarf method for 25 years and unless it was old school pro-style gel, my sides and edges always pop back up after a cpl hours. Prostyle didnt break me off but my hair was sooooo dry after. *sigh*

I keep a running supply of flax gel, but that only works well for twist out definition. Not real hold for my uber fly away hair.
Click to expand...

What is wrong with edges that don't lie down?

I'd rather have edges that are puffy and looking like a wild three year old than thin slicked or on their way out.

I learned this the hard way. And don't try those crazy elastic headbands.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
 
Noooo.,I don't want to lay them all the time. Going out tonight. Be nice to obtain a sleek look for the 2x a month I can be social is all.

For work and stuff I don't care. They do what they do. Lol

____________
*.~.*Sent from a distant Galaxy in the Unicorn-verse*.~.*
 
DarkJoy said:
Think I'm gonna shlep me and the kid on over to the bss today. along with a reconstructor, i'm hoping to find a gel. Ecostyler makes my hair break. IC is a joke.

Nothing lays my edges that doesn't break them off! I have done the scarf method for 25 years and unless it was old school pro-style gel, my sides and edges always pop back up after a cpl hours. Prostyle didnt break me off but my hair was sooooo dry after. *sigh*

I keep a running supply of flax gel, but that only works well for twist out definition. Not real hold for my uber fly away hair.
Click to expand...

Have you tried Curls Passion Fruit Control Paste? That stuff slicks my hair down like crazy, but it doesn't dry your hair out.
 
faithVA said:
I bought the wet brush from Sally's. Um, my hair laughed and said what is that :lol: How do you expect to get those mini bristles through my hair. Yeah, my hair may be a bit too coily, kinky and dense for that.
Click to expand...

Did u use it on soaking wet hair starting at the ends? I start with my wide tooth bone comb then the wet brush.
 
APrayer4Hair said:
Did u use it on soaking wet hair starting at the ends? I start with my wide tooth bone comb then the wet brush.
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My hair doesn't get soaking wet, but it was as wet as it gets. And I started at the ends. But because the prongs are so flimsy they barely make it through my hair.

If I used my wide tooth bone comb then I really don't need it. I don't need both of them. I don't have that much hair to detangle.

I may try it again when I use the AOBC which smooths my hair. The Conair was able to handle my hair. Not sure about this wet brush. My hair may be a bit too bushy. :lol:

I think both your hair and BraunSugars hair is finer than mine.
 
I have all these Ayurvedic powders from Hennasooq and I am afraid to use them and suffer a setback. I don't want to have to come in here crying. I have teas too.

I am stuck and scared.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
 
HanaKuroi, what pastes do you have? I have a bunch! I use mine regularly, tho lately, I've been focusing on retaining moisture through lots of cowashing through the rest of winter. I've not had any issues.

Thanks greenandchic! I have added your recommendation to my order list after this tax season is over. lol. Plus I just used up my alottment of cash for beauty products for the month. :look:

So... at the BSS they have literally thousands of items of pure BS!! I asked for reconstructors and they send me to Optimum, Dark & lovely, etc. All full of cones and god knows what else.

I went ahead and got a small bottle of Aphogee 2 min and trying the Elasta QP gel. Ended up staying home last night so will try it tonight.

I DID run across this promising product in their scraggly natural products shelf next to Tallia Waajid's products.

Neutralab pH Balanced Cocoa Curl, Curl Cleansing Conditioner ($7):
DSCN7116.JPG


No reviews online yet or ingredients, so I'll summarize and take a picture when my phone finishes charging. No cones, no sulfates, no petroleum, no mineral oil, no aloe. Lots of cocoa butter (the smell is VERY cocoa butter) and shea butter. However, there is lanolin in the middle of the list. My hair loves these ingredients. There are chemical ingredients of course and 2 parabens, methylparaben and another, plus artifical coloring.

Also snapped up some AO Swimmer Shampoo for DD at Whole Paycheck, which both chelates and clarifies so I will use this once or twice a month also (for grease buildup).

AND I squeezed in some Rosewater and tried it on my twists last night. so we shall see!
 
DarkJoy I have Organic Aloe Vera Powder, Shikakai Powder, Bhringraj powder, Brahmi powder, Cassia Obovata, Hibiscus Powder.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
 
I did a rollerset last night to prepare to trim my ends. Since I am now doing protein and daily moisturizing, I think this is a fresh start. I will be finger combing from here on out. I didn't spare anything. If the comb couldn't go through it, it was trimmed off.

If this doesn't work then I give up :ohwell: I don't think my ends have ever been this nice.
 
DarkJoy said:
HanaKuroi, what pastes do you have? I have a bunch! I use mine regularly, tho lately, I've been focusing on retaining moisture through lots of cowashing through the rest of winter. I've not had any issues.

Thanks greenandchic! I have added your recommendation to my order list after this tax season is over. lol. Plus I just used up my alottment of cash for beauty products for the month. :look:

So... at the BSS they have literally thousands of items of pure BS!! I asked for reconstructors and they send me to Optimum, Dark & lovely, etc. All full of cones and god knows what else.

I went ahead and got a small bottle of Aphogee 2 min and trying the Elasta QP gel. Ended up staying home last night so will try it tonight.

I DID run across this promising product in their scraggly natural products shelf next to Tallia Waajid's products.

Neutralab pH Balanced Cocoa Curl, Curl Cleansing Conditioner ($7):

No reviews online yet or ingredients, so I'll summarize and take a picture when my phone finishes charging. No cones, no sulfates, no petroleum, no mineral oil, no aloe. Lots of cocoa butter (the smell is VERY cocoa butter) and shea butter. However, there is lanolin in the middle of the list. My hair loves these ingredients. There are chemical ingredients of course and 2 parabens, methylparaben and another, plus artifical coloring.

Also snapped up some AO Swimmer Shampoo for DD at Whole Paycheck, which both chelates and clarifies so I will use this once or twice a month also (for grease buildup).

AND I squeezed in some Rosewater and tried it on my twists last night. so we shall see!
Click to expand...

I love this cleanser but ive only found it in the bss one time. It worked better for me than the as i am coco cleanser.
 
Ever since moving to California last summer, I had been struggling with my hair. My hair has been the same length for the past year, and I was really at my wits end. While here, my hair was always dry and excessively tangly. The breakage seemed to be never ending. I trimmed my hair once a month in hopes of getting rid of the breakage :-\ . Products that normally worked in my hair were becoming less effective. My hair always felt rough even after conditioning. Y'all, it was awful.

I attributed my sudden hair problems to the dry climate here in Cali. That was until last week when I had an epiphany....it's the water!!! It all started to make sense. If the water can leave all of those deposits on the dishes and water faucets, imagine what it was leaving on my hair? For the past 10 months, those minerals had been building up in my hair causing it to become increasingly tangly, rough, and hard to retain moisture. I rarely ever use a clarifying/chelating shampoo because 1) I just didn't really need it since I rarely use cones or straighten 2) I lived in TN where the water was soft 3) Sulfate-free, moisturizing shampoos were enough for me.

In a final effort to save my hair before doing another BC, I went to Safeway and bought a .99 bottle of Suave Clarifying shampoo which had the EDTA ingredient known for chelating. I got home, shampooed twice and immediately felt and saw a difference after rinsing my hair. I then DC'd w/ Camille Rose Naturals Algae Deep Conditioner and let it soak in. My hair was sooooooooooo soft; I was amazed. I was able to part my hair and detangle as usual without much fuss. Now, that I know I need to clarify/chelate more often, I can get my length retention back on track :yep:
 
@Priss Pot, the water here ain't no joke and EBMUD is supposed to have some of the best in the country? No way. But, I won't just put it all there. It could the pipes leading into your home/apartment that are full of rust and sediment which deposits on your hair AND skin.

Search this thread for water filters. I bought one sometime around last fall. $20 saved my hair! Instant softness. I made detailed posts in this thread during that time.

Damn filter's supposed to last 6 months too, but I'm finding problems at 3 months--rashes that I used to think were perpetual on my skin, eczema, were all attributed to the very hard water here. These pretty much disappear witha fresh filter. So I'm going through twice as many as the manufacturer recommends. :( It's easy to tell when it runs out because the breakage begins, hair stays dry, and my skin starts rashing up. Grrr

Home Depot or Lowes carries $20 filters you can screw onto your shower head. Best money ever--plus you'll notice instant softness in hair and skin.

Speaking of, it's time to replace mine.
 
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faithVA said:
I did a rollerset last night to prepare to trim my ends. Since I am now doing protein and daily moisturizing, I think this is a fresh start. I will be finger combing from here on out. I didn't spare anything. If the comb couldn't go through it, it was trimmed off.

If this doesn't work then I give up :ohwell: I don't think my ends have ever been this nice.
Click to expand...

faithVA
I'm right there with you. I have incorporated more protein, started hot oil treatments, tea rinses, adding saa to products and have made my own moisturiser. I am also properly finger detangling, like seperating each strand, then finger combing then combing with my HS comb. :spinning: Not to mention airdrying in ugly braids and bunning my braid out with a satin roller on the end.....:spinning:
I've also got the fact that my hair is ultra fine, lo po and I'm 5'11 so very long hair is almost a dream.

Not a da*n thing more I can do and if things don't improve I'll accept the breakage, shedding and APL hair.

There is one thing I'd like to ask............is anyone spritzing their hair and then applying an actual leave-in product, rather than a regular moisturiser? I think I could do with using what I use on wash day mid week on spritzed hair.
 
nomadpixi said:
Feeling demoralized: one wash and go and I've lost 2 inches of hair to single strand knotting in 24 hours.:whyme:

I'm in that annoying in between length (not quite CBL in back, not yet chin length in front)

This is made more frustrating by the fact that I don't have access to all those interesting, made for curly hair products in the states (living in Australia) and no living relatives to suggest what they did with their hair (both Mom and Grandma's hair long, but nobody around to tell me what they did to get it that way).

I have fine, medium density fragile hair that is currently breaking off and getting regularly caught on SSKs. I've already trimmed a year's worth of growth off, setting me back and I just don't know what to do.

I've started doing flat twist outs with bantus on the ends, but I really think I need to stop manipulating my hair-but there's not a lot of it so I'm at a loss on what daily style to do. I've added Njoy's sulfur mix to my weekly regimen but I'd love some advice. I don't think my hair likes coconut oil, not sure how to use Shea Butter and have been trying to use bentonite clay (sometimes mixed with full fat yogurt) as a shampoo every 2 weeks.

Nuttin' but white people products over here. Any recommendations?

Oh yeah, and henna is the only "ethnic" hair care readily available here. Any responses welcome.
Thanks for letting me rant.
Click to expand...

nomadpixi, Goodness, I'm so sorry. I was on my phone when I saw the tag and intended to reply when I got on a computer. Living in Aus, I've learnt to just make do with supermarket products and I think I'm fairing OK. The biggest thing I think I've adjusted since joining this forum has honestly been learning to be gentler with my hair and minimizing breakage. But if you're really keen on the black products, I've come across this website. I think she pretty much has it all (albeit, pricey considering that the AUD is above parity with the USD)! I've never bought from her, so I don't know what the service is like. Let me know if there's something in particular that you can't find on there and I'll try and look in the few African salons I come across here.

Enjoy : )
 
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Hey, ladies. I was trying to put myself into rehab because I was spending too much time on LHCF, but it didn't work; so I'm giving in to my addiction :drunk:

Hair profile - 3C at the crown and 4A everywhere else, except right above my ears, which is 4B. I have really fine strands, but there are alot of them.

Reggie and products - On Saturdays, I usually deep condition overnight under a plastic cap covered by a terry turban. I use whichever deep conditioner I feel my hair needs, but the Curl Junkie Banana Hibiscus Deep Fix is one of my favorites. In the morning, I usually co-wash with As I Am Co-wash, but I use Aubrey Organics White Camellia Shampoo when it feels like I need a little bit more. If I didn't deep condition overnight (rare), then I'll leave Aubrey Organics Island Replenishing on my hair while I shower/shave. I use Trader Joes Nourish Spa conditioner as my leave-in and then seal with avocado oil or a mix of oils.

I spritz my hair every morning and night with an oil/water/glycerin mix. It is about 25% glycerin, 25% avocado and olive oil, and 50% water.

How do you style your hair - During the week, I wear a wig. On the weekend, I have been playing with my hair, trying to figure out what to do with it.

What problems do you have with your hair - I BC'd on March 23rd, and I'm working on coming up with new styles. My 3C/4A hair curls, but it doesn't really clump together, and then I have no idea what to do with my little patches of 4B. I tried a wash and go with Ecostyler gel, but it just left my hair hard and wild. Thus far, the only style that has worked is a curly fro with a headband.

I say all that to say, I think I have two questions:
(1) How do I get my curls to clump?
(2) Any thoughts on styles? I am on Youtube all the time, but hair is too short to do most of the styles. My hair is only 3.5-4 inches when stretched.

Thanks in advanced, ladies!

I'm going to add a picture shortly. I have to do it from my phone.
 
Here are my pics. In the last one, I'm flat twisting the sides to see if that works.

ETA: I have Curls Goddess Curls in the top of my hair in the last picture.
 

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HanaKuroi said:
@DarkJoy I have Organic Aloe Vera Powder, Shikakai Powder, Bhringraj powder, Brahmi powder, Cassia Obovata, Hibiscus Powder.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
Click to expand...
Hey, @HanaKuroi

From your list I only have shikakai. love that stuff. The rest of my list is amla, neem and tulsi (haven't tried this one yet). I am on the hunt for bhringraj on the ground. Luckily found our local "Indian Town" and will visit there when I have the time.

shikakai is reeeaaallly gritty. I find it's best to make it just above runny for ease of rinse. It makes a great 'scalp scrub'. I've gone through two 100 gram boxes in the last cpl months (mixed with neem and amla). and havent had any dryness issues or anything.

As always, I only mix with distilled water.

I have noticed a change in curl pattern (loosening) similar to what I experience with henna.
 
DarkJoy said:
Hey, @HanaKuroi

From your list I only have shikakai. love that stuff. The rest of my list is amla, neem and tulsi (haven't tried this one yet). I am on the hunt for bhringraj on the ground. Luckily found our local "Indian Town" and will visit there when I have the time.

shikakai is reeeaaallly gritty. I find it's best to make it just above runny for ease of rinse. It makes a great 'scalp scrub'. I've gone through two 100 gram boxes in the last cpl months (mixed with neem and amla). and havent had any dryness issues or anything.

As always, I only mix with distilled water.

I have noticed a change in curl pattern (loosening) similar to what I experience with henna.
Click to expand...

Is shikakhai strengthening or moisturizing? Griity? As in cowash out?

Can I use it immediately or does it have to bloom?

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
 
No need to bloom it. You can use immediately.

It's pretty well balanced but just the slightest more strengthening (at least for my fine porous hair). I also don't leave it on very long, no more than 30min

I don't cowash out, but you might need to if your hair is coarser and more dense (mine is fine and low density). It depends on how thick you make your paste too. I make mine kinda runny. Never hurts to cowash tho HanaKuroi
 
Awesome growth Cruzankink! You hair looks so good!! Congrats on your nappiversary!

Cruzankink said:
@MyAngelEyez~C~U Thanks again for the tip. I received my shark clips and used them this weekend. They have really great grip, doesn't slip on my fingers and are inexpensive (one pack of six is $8 + shipping).

UPDATE: On Friday April 5, 2013 was my 1 year BC nappiversary. :band::dance7:

Some pics are below:

View attachment 203671 View attachment 203673


View attachment 203675 View attachment 203677
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Hello Ladies, I was looking for some help. I am natural and my daughter is natural I am a 3C/4A and my daughter is 4C. She is 19 and has been wearing braid for about 5yrs on and off.(mainly braided) Now she is ready to show her hair and the texture different then mine I can't do the same things. Let me correct that i can do the same things but the results are different. I was just looking for some tips & some methods that work well with 4C (i do DC and i do bantu knots) i have the patience but she is away at college and gets fed up and wants to put it back in braids. I feel it needs to breathe a little. Any help would be great.

Thanks Ladies
 
Time for me to join you guys in this thread as a new natural! I just cut the rest of my relaxed ends off after 14 months transitioning and couldnt be happier with my hair! My hair is mostly 4b I think...maybe a little 4a around the perimeter. Its cottony and soft when moisturized. Im guessing medium density and fine to medium strands.

My problem is when I try to twist or braid the ends puff out. I try to twirl it around my finger on the ends but the bottom inch or so just puffs and comes undone. Any tips on how to remedy this? I wanted to do braidouts/twistouts on dry, stretched hair that I just lightly mist and apply product to overnight, but they wont hold and come unraveled. When I was transitioning I put perm rods on the ends, but Id like to avoid that if possible. Id also like to do some twists and wear them for a week or two as a style, but Im not sure they will stay. Its weird bc I did them transitioning but for some odd reason it seems those thin ends were easier to make stay sealed than my thicker natural ends.

Gonna go back and read through this thread and "study" lol.
 
Leslie_C said:
Time for me to join you guys in this thread as a new natural! I just cut the rest of my relaxed ends off after 14 months transitioning and couldnt be happier with my hair! My hair is mostly 4b I think...maybe a little 4a around the perimeter. Its cottony and soft when moisturized. Im guessing medium density and fine to medium strands.

My problem is when I try to twist or braid the ends puff out. I try to twirl it around my finger on the ends but the bottom inch or so just puffs and comes undone. Any tips on how to remedy this? I wanted to do braidouts/twistouts on dry, stretched hair that I just lightly mist and apply product to overnight, but they wont hold and come unraveled. When I was transitioning I put perm rods on the ends, but Id like to avoid that if possible. Id also like to do some twists and wear them for a week or two as a style, but Im not sure they will stay. Its weird bc I did them transitioning but for some odd reason it seems those thin ends were easier to make stay sealed than my thicker natural ends.

Gonna go back and read through this thread and "study" lol.
Click to expand...

When you twist or twirl the ends, do you apply extra product? When I twist or twirl my ends, I do so with an oil-based product to make my ends stay put.
 
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