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Techniques For Hair Growth And Length Retention

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GettingKinky said:
The technique I recently learned that gives me excellent hydration (which I think is the key to length retention) is “squish to condish”.

I’ve tried so many things in search of hydration (LOC, MHM, Shea butter, oil rinsing, curl refresh spray) and this technique has worked wonders for me.

Squish to condish finally clicked for me when I used waaaay more conditioner than usual because the pump on my conditioner stopped working. They key to this technique is to use lots of conditioner and lots of water. Since that day I’ve had shiny, bouncy, hydrated hair that has swing.

I think the key with squish to condish is that I’m finally getting enough water in my hair. My hair feels so heavy when I get out of the shower because it’s so full of water.

At this point LOC or Shea butter would probably work better for me than they did before because I have more moisture to seal in, but I’m a wash n go girl now and this technique has given me the hair of my dreams.


These 2 links explain the technique the science behind it. I’m a HUGE fan and a 100% convert. I can or recommend it enough.

http://www.thereoncewasacurl.com/blog/squish-to-condish


http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/conditioning-technique-squish-to.html?m=1
Click to expand...
Interesting! Is squish to condish supposed to replace a DC? Take place after a DC?
 
caribeandiva said:
Thank you for that hour long conversation btw. I know you didn’t have to. What clicked for me was the importance of keeping my hair moisturized at all times. Before I was moisturizing my hair once a week and not sealing it in. :nono: I was following Youtubers and other long haired ladies who didn’t have the same hair type as me and was wondering why I wasn’t getting the same results. My hair is drier than most. @Chicoro and I decided to focus on alleviating the dryness. She told me about that Jheri curl juice and asked why the heck did I ever stop using it just because folks claimed it was giving them build up. Good point. I started moisturizing my hair EVERY DAY with S-Curl and sealing with whipped Shea butter. I noticed a difference almost immediately. My hair’s been taking off ever since. :yep: That and minimizing tangles by eliminating wash and gos and doing my wash day routine entirely in braids have been a game changer. But if I had to choose just one thing that made the biggest difference I’d say it’s the frequent moisturizing and sealing with Shea butter. Hope that answers your question OP. I haven’t read the original post yet so I don’t know. :look:
Click to expand...

This post helped me so much. I was looking at squish to condition because my hair just doesn't seem to get moisturized with deep conditioning. I didn't see much success with this method the first time but on my next wash day I'm going to try deep conditioning with heat first. It's just that my hair doesn't retain the moisture it seems to have just after I rinse out the conditioner.

In addition to trying squish to condish, i also got some S curl to moisturize with daily. THAT made a huge difference. It's like my hair has grabbed on and doesn't want to let go. I'll spritz it on and follow with some shea butter to seal (I follow the 2019 SB thread and already love how SB minimizes tangles). This is honestly the softest my hair has been in years.

Thanks @caribeandiva and @Chicoro! Now I just have to figure out how to retain moisture on my wash days.
 
sheanu said:
This post helped me so much. I was looking at squish to condition because my hair just doesn't seem to get moisturized with deep conditioning. I didn't see much success with this method the first time but on my next wash day I'm going to try deep conditioning with heat first. It's just that my hair doesn't retain the moisture it seems to have just after I rinse out the conditioner.

In addition to trying squish to condish, i also got some S curl to moisturize with daily. THAT made a huge difference. It's like my hair has grabbed on and doesn't want to let go. I'll spritz it on and follow with some shea butter to seal (I follow the 2019 SB thread and already love how SB minimizes tangles). This is honestly the softest my hair has been in years.

Thanks @caribeandiva and @Chicoro! Now I just have to figure out how to retain moisture on my wash days.
Click to expand...

Good for YOU and YOUR Hair!!!!! Thanks for the feedback, too.
 
sheanu said:
This post helped me so much. I was looking at squish to condition because my hair just doesn't seem to get moisturized with deep conditioning. I didn't see much success with this method the first time but on my next wash day I'm going to try deep conditioning with heat first. It's just that my hair doesn't retain the moisture it seems to have just after I rinse out the conditioner.

In addition to trying squish to condish, i also got some S curl to moisturize with daily. THAT made a huge difference. It's like my hair has grabbed on and doesn't want to let go. I'll spritz it on and follow with some shea butter to seal (I follow the 2019 SB thread and already love how SB minimizes tangles). This is honestly the softest my hair has been in years.

Thanks @caribeandiva and @Chicoro! Now I just have to figure out how to retain moisture on my wash days.
Click to expand...
Yay!! I’m glad it’s working for you! Adding S-curl and Shea butter has made the biggest difference to my hair too. :yep:
 
caribeandiva said:
Yay!! I’m glad it’s working for you! Adding S-curl and Shea butter has made the biggest difference to my hair too. :yep:
Click to expand...
It's truly amazing. Did you start noticing increased retention immediately?

If any of you want to comment on which technique made the biggest difference to your hair retaining moisture after wash day, please feel free to share.

@ajoke thanks for starting this thread!
 
sheanu said:
It's truly amazing. Did you start noticing increased retention immediately?

If any of you want to comment on which technique made the biggest difference to your hair retaining moisture after wash day, please feel free to share.

@ajoke thanks for starting this thread!
Click to expand...
Yes I noticed it but not until I took a comparison picture a month after I started using it. Until then all I knew was that my dryness was gone.
 
sheanu said:
If any of you want to comment on which technique made the biggest difference to your hair retaining moisture after wash day, please feel free to share
Click to expand...

I suppose I can add a few things that are working for me currently.
It seems like with each length milestone, my hair behaves a bit differently. My roots give me the biggest issues since i have to wash in order to keep my sensitive scalp clean, but my roots need moisture, especially if they've been freshly relaxed. My long stint with using butters and oils has helped a lot.

Currently I've been able to stretch my washes to once a week, but with my hair now being at the bottom of my butt, I dont really have anymore room to expose my longer lengths to manipulation. If i can avoid touching my hair in any way i try my best not to. So the task ive been faced with for a while now is figuring out what products can keep my scalp as soothed as possible so that i dont have to wash so frequently. Cedarwood has been an amazing selection concerning its ability to keep bacteria and microorganisms as well as my own scalp sweat from irritating my scalp enough to allow me to keep my hair in a protective style longer.

The very ends of my hair actually dont give me any problems really. I suppose they're just very old to the point where they respond well to literally anything i put on them. But I mostly put protein based products on my ends and seal them with butters or oils. My mid length and the hairs that make up the canopy of my head are a different story. Theyre always dry, and they are always the first ones to break. They're also the more finer textured hairs so they're even more fragile. Using something that creates a bit of a soft cast over my hair really works. I dont really care for gels all the much, but I look for a hold that flaxseed gel gives, but without the crunch and hardness. Butters do a really good job of that depending on how much fatty acid percentage they possess, in conjunction with a really good quality moisturizer.

I find that by day 3 or 4, I'm able to achieve that cast. Not hard, but flexible, and can be reactivated with a bit of water. Kind of gives my hair a waxy feel, but its soft, and very moisturized. If i can just managed to keep my hair like that for 2 weeks at a time between washes, I think i can take my hair care regimen to a completely new level of length retention. But it all goes back to making sure my scalp is happy to begin with.
 
PlanetCybertron said:
I suppose I can add a few things that are working for me currently.
It seems like with each length milestone, my hair behaves a bit differently. My roots give me the biggest issues since i have to wash in order to keep my sensitive scalp clean, but my roots need moisture, especially if they've been freshly relaxed. My long stint with using butters and oils has helped a lot.

Currently I've been able to stretch my washes to once a week, but with my hair now being at the bottom of my butt, I dont really have anymore room to expose my longer lengths to manipulation. If i can avoid touching my hair in any way i try my best not to. So the task ive been faced with for a while now is figuring out what products can keep my scalp as soothed as possible so that i dont have to wash so frequently. Cedarwood has been an amazing selection concerning its ability to keep bacteria and microorganisms as well as my own scalp sweat from irritating my scalp enough to allow me to keep my hair in a protective style longer.

The very ends of my hair actually dont give me any problems really. I suppose they're just very old to the point where they respond well to literally anything i put on them. But I mostly put protein based products on my ends and seal them with butters or oils. My mid length and the hairs that make up the canopy of my head are a different story. Theyre always dry, and they are always the first ones to break. They're also the more finer textured hairs so they're even more fragile. Using something that creates a bit of a soft cast over my hair really works. I dont really care for gels all the much, but I look for a hold that flaxseed gel gives, but without the crunch and hardness. Butters do a really good job of that depending on how much fatty acid percentage they possess, in conjunction with a really good quality moisturizer.

I find that by day 3 or 4, I'm able to achieve that cast. Not hard, but flexible, and can be reactivated with a bit of water. Kind of gives my hair a waxy feel, but its soft, and very moisturized. If i can just managed to keep my hair like that for 2 weeks at a time between washes, I think i can take my hair care regimen to a completely new level of length retention. But it all goes back to making sure my scalp is happy to begin with.
Click to expand...
Congrats on achieving a new length! I just saw in the shea 2019 thread. Thanks for the advice.
 
Products I'm currently using:

70033031_1220814788107869_5600503058946588672_o-jpg.451525

Decided to stop being a products junkie a few years back, so now I use up my stash, before purchasing new ones :yep:.

70345538_1220814891441192_1803901850756317184_o-jpg.451527

Was able to score these on Amazon, was so happy, since they are so hard to come by

71178751_1220814798107868_7817356755263815680_o-jpg.451529

Have come to the conclusion that our hair really only needs 4 things: to be moisturized, strengthened, clarified and chelated. Made a natural chelating spray using chlorophyll (since it breaks down heavy metals), ACV, filtered water, cedar wood oil, lemon oil and orange oil.

70548367_1220814898107858_6145102923509530624_o-jpg.451531

Hot oil treatments will be of the essence this Fall and Winter. Also, grapeseed oil is so good for styles that require the usage of heat.

70589203_1220814971441184_1340050803037044736_o-jpg.451533

I have used flaxseed to make gels, but I'm still sleeping on black tea as a hair rinse.

71043126_1220814718107876_3730995037283024896_o-jpg.451535

Made my own protein spray, using the products showcased here + Keratin oil (not pictured here unfortunately). Used it overnight and then washed with a moisturizing shampoo + conditioner the following day.

69949800_1220814728107875_6946874198417473536_o-jpg.451537

This is. the line that is going to become my staple :yep:. They are cheap and 99% natural, this has become so important to me.

71077099_1220814881441193_6706195934935515136_o-jpg.451539

Fragrance oils :love: I use them in my steam iron + showers gels.

70127789_1220814808107867_8118537681878646784_o-jpg.451541

ACVs were €1.32/each, needles to say, I stocked up :lol:

70493507_1220814734774541_7323362866852003840_o-jpg.451545

Almond oil + a few drops of peppermint oil are my hair growth secret ;).
 
sheanu said:
This post helped me so much. I was looking at squish to condition because my hair just doesn't seem to get moisturized with deep conditioning. I didn't see much success with this method the first time but on my next wash day I'm going to try deep conditioning with heat first. It's just that my hair doesn't retain the moisture it seems to have just after I rinse out the conditioner.

In addition to trying squish to condish, i also got some S curl to moisturize with daily. THAT made a huge difference. It's like my hair has grabbed on and doesn't want to let go. I'll spritz it on and follow with some shea butter to seal (I follow the 2019 SB thread and already love how SB minimizes tangles). This is honestly the softest my hair has been in years.

Thanks @caribeandiva and @Chicoro! Now I just have to figure out how to retain moisture on my wash days.
Click to expand...
Y'ALL. My hair has never been this continuously moisturized. I had a wash day on Saturday. DC'd with heat then squished to condish. I did the LOC method with s curl, KK detangler, SM jbco leave in, an ayurvedic oil blend and a shea butter blend to seal. I this this may have been a lot of product and am thinking to eliminate the SM leave in. At first my hair felt cold and stiff. I cornrowed it down and went to sleep. I woke up to the softest most moisturized hair I've ever had. Talk about curls clumping! This made me reconsider whether I should eliminate anything... thoughts? I used s curl and shea oil last night and woke up to laid edges, nape, everything.

Thanks so much for the advice in here ladies. I have a long way to go in developing a good regimen but I believe this is a start. I guess my experience will be a contribution that may help someone else.

Shea butter has helped minimize tangles from PP shedding but I'm still dealing with breakage. I think having a baby and losing my dad this year have contributing to a lot of my thinning but I'm using essential oils and trying to stimulate my scalp.
 
AA9A2F56-663F-45D7-91DC-FDA606BF2F30.jpegThis the longest + healthiest my hair has ever been and honestly I followed @Chicoro protective styling tips. Before I used to hate Shea Butter. But after discovering whipped Shea butter.... my hair loves it. Especially having healthier hair, it responds better to Shea butter.

I definitely could exercise more care & diligence when washing & detanging. But overall, utilizing wraps & satin beanies for 5-6 months, really helped me retain length. I never had to worry about dried out ends because I followed the methods laid out in Chicoro Shea Butter challenge.

From the beginning of October to the New Year... I plan on using the Shea Butter method on Stretched hair only doing styles like the baggie method, faux puffs, half wigs, beanies, etc.
 
TamaraShaniece said:
View attachment 451695This the longest + healthiest my hair has ever been and honestly I followed @Chicoro protective styling tips. Before I used to hate Shea Butter. But after discovering whipped Shea butter.... my hair loves it. Especially having healthier hair, it responds better to Shea butter.

I definitely could exercise more care & diligence when washing & detanging. But overall, utilizing wraps & satin beanies for 5-6 months, really helped me retain length. I never had to worry about dried out ends because I followed the methods laid out in Chicoro Shea Butter challenge.

From the beginning of October to the New Year... I plan on using the Shea Butter method on Stretched hair only doing styles like the baggie method, faux puffs, half wigs, beanies, etc.
Click to expand...

@Chicoro and @ThatJerseyGirl got everybody hooked on shea butter. Going from this
20190113_203924.jpg

To this
giphy (13) (1).gif
 
scarcity21 said:
@sheanu, is that you and is your hair loss from postpartum shedding? My hair is currenlty almost like that and i'm 4 months postpartum. I've never lost my edges this way before and I'm totally freaking out. I need to take a pic for my records:(
Click to expand...
No that's not my picture. It was almost close to it about a month ago (around that 4 month mark). I'm so sorry about the shedding. It's almost demoralizing given all the changes you go through with pregnancy and post partum. I've been using edge entity and surprisingly it's been helping my hairline recover. I also use shea butter on it.

Do you mind sharing what you've been doing? Maybe some other mums can help advise on what can help.
 
scarcity21 said:
@sheanu, is that you and is your hair loss from postpartum shedding? My hair is currenlty almost like that and i'm 4 months postpartum. I've never lost my edges this way before and I'm totally freaking out. I need to take a pic for my records:(
Click to expand...
I will never understand why doctors don't mention this part to pregnant women. It's a completely normal process and I promise you it will stop and your hair will grow back. Nothing topical is going to help unfortunately since it's a result of your hormones balancing back out. Be super gentle with your hair right now and continue taking your prenatals in the mean time.
 
I'm currently 3mpp and experiencing the dreaded shedding. It could definitely be worse. My plan of attack is keeping my hair stretched, using glycerin free moisturizers in order to minimize shrinkage and sealing with whipped shea butter to help the shed hairs slide out. I can no longer detangle outside of the shower with conditioner on damp hair. I have to get it done in the shower while dipping my head under the water with a head full of Aussie moist, vegetable oil and my handy dandy Felicia leatherwood detangling brush
 
Lately, I have been using oil (avocado, olive, and/or shea) to deep condition right after washing and Taliah Waajid curl elixir to detangle and style in twists with braided roots for longevity... I leave the oil on since I have started washing every two weeks instead of weekly.

Not my proudest regimen, but I just started my second year of college wherein I am completing an engineering degree-- more time has shifted to school work, leaving me to quickly and effectively do my hair. Moreover, I am still finding that I will reach past my goal below.
 
Is anyone here still bagging their ends (green-house effect)?
If so what products are you using to increase the moisture? I currently have Grapeseed oil and Aloe Vera gel on under the bag.
 
sheanu said:
No that's not my picture. It was almost close to it about a month ago (around that 4 month mark). I'm so sorry about the shedding. It's almost demoralizing given all the changes you go through with pregnancy and post partum. I've been using edge entity and surprisingly it's been helping my hairline recover. I also use shea butter on it.

Do you mind sharing what you've been doing? Maybe some other mums can help advise on what can help.
Click to expand...
Demoralizing is correct! You go through so much during pregnancy and postpartum! I heard about postpartum shedding and thought I was mentally prepared for it but I was not expecting my edges and hairline to recede the way it did. I’m currently massaging nightly with oils putting a satin scarf over my hair, processing cap and night cap...:) I’m hoping my edges grow back soon because the only thing I can do in the meantime Is wear a wig.
 
water_n_oil said:
I will never understand why doctors don't mention this part to pregnant women. It's a completely normal process and I promise you it will stop and your hair will grow back. Nothing topical is going to help unfortunately since it's a result of your hormones balancing back out. Be super gentle with your hair right now and continue taking your prenatals in the mean time.
Click to expand...
It’s a lot of things doctors don’t mention...smh. I’ve had to find out the hard way. I’m still taking my prenatal and I’m upping my iron intake.
I’m thinking about adding peptide collagen but need to make sure it’s safe to use during lactation
 
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