Those with Coarse Hair ...

[tuffCOOKiE]

how do you deal?

So I think I have to come to terms that I just have coarse hair and it will probably feel soft when it's dry. There's no product or technique that can actually help me get the hair that I want so, perhaps I just have hair that I have to accept.

When I say 'coarse', I mean it. My 'Kitchen' feels like velcro, no moisture product has worked so far for keeping moisture, the cuticle of my hair is smooth, but just rough.. ( I guess this statement isn't really true as, though I am a pj, I haven't tried EVERYTHING out there )

Those that have rough hair, is it something you've just come to accept?

 

[mamauv2]

I understand how you feel, parts of my hair make noise but it's pliable and even though it's not as soft as I'd like, I know when it's moisturized because it feels spongy instead of crispy...if that makes sense. I've come to terms with it. I thought I was using the wrong products too but I guess I just have loud hair.

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

I understand how you feel, parts of my hair make noise but it's pliable and even though it's not as soft as I'd like, I know when it's moisturized because it feels spongy instead of crispy...if that makes sense. I've come to terms with it. I thought I was using the wrong products too but I guess I just have loud hair.

oo really! I would actually prefer 'spongy' than 'crunchy'. I realize you're natural, can't wait to be where you're at!

My hair is so rough, I was cuddling with my bf and he was like, can you move your head? Your hair is scratching me.. erplexed

 

[Neith]

Well what products do you use and what's your regimen?

I have extremely coarse hair (my mother used to call me brillo head back in the day ), but it's well moisturized and feels great. It'll never be considered "soft" but it's as soft as it's ever been and my man likes to play in it. Even with my 6 months of new growth.

So, no I don't think you have to just deal with it. Something can be done!

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

Well what products do you use and what's your regimen?

I have extremely coarse hair (my mother used to call me brillo head back in the day ), but it's well moisturized and feels great. It'll never be considered "soft" but it's as soft as it's ever been and my man likes to play in it. Even with my 6 months of new growth.

So, no I don't think you have to just deal with it. Something can be done!

You really think so Neith? PM me, I want to know what prods/techniques you use.. actually post them here so others with this 'condition' can learn lachen: I'm a psycho, lol, it sounds like intervention)

I think I use pretty good prods, Do you think they aren't working because my hair isn't soft afterwards? I use quality prods, I tried cutting out cones, I tried not combing (I still don't) .. I dunno, I thought I had tried almost everything..

 

[moonglowdiva]

how do you deal?

So I think I have to come to terms that I just have coarse hair and it will probably feel soft when it's dry. There's no product or technique that can actually help me get the hair that I want so, perhaps I just have hair that I have to accept.

When I say 'coarse', I mean it. My 'Kitchen' feels like velcro, no moisture product has worked so far for keeping moisture, the cuticle of my hair is smooth, but just rough.. ( I guess this statement isn't really true as, though I am a pj, I haven't tried EVERYTHING out there )

Those that have rough hair, is it something you've just come to accept?

I,too, have coarse, woolly, wiry hair. It is thick too. I catagorize my hair type as 4w. It is so coarse that I can only texlax my hair. My sister says that my hair feels like steel wool. I have learned to accept it. I moisturize twice a day and everytime I wash my hair I always followup with a D/C. I sit under the dryer for 30 minutes.I have to do that twice a week. I use CFCG or Wave Nouveau as a moistuizer on wash days and I moisturize daily with CFC Instant Moisturizer. I always seal with an oil. I am consistent and I also keep a hair journal so I cna track which products worked and how I used them.

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

I,too, have coarse, woolly, wiry hair. It is thick too. I catagorize my hair type as 4w. It is so coarse that I can only texlax my hair. My sister says that my hair feels like steel wool. I have learned to accept it. I moisturize twice a day and everytime I wash my hair I always followup with a D/C. I sit under the dryer for 30 minutes.I have to do that twice a week. I use CFCG or Wave Nouveau as a moistuizer on wash days and I moisturize daily with CFC Instant Moisturizer. I always seal with an oil. I am consistent and I also keep a hair journal so I cna track which products worked and how I used them.

Nah dawg - I can't be messin w that glycerin. I mean, in the summer time it was working for me, but I wouldn't dare use that nonsense now.. its too cold! It literally coats my hair.

Yea, my sister calls me brillo pad too.. I think the reason why I couldn't accept it was becasue both my sisters dont have this prob..

 

[locabouthair]

I,too, have coarse, woolly, wiry hair. It is thick too. I catagorize my hair type as 4w. It is so coarse that I can only texlax my hair. My sister says that my hair feels like steel wool. I have learned to accept it. I moisturize twice a day and everytime I wash my hair I always followup with a D/C. I sit under the dryer for 30 minutes.I have to do that twice a week. I use CFCG or Wave Nouveau as a moistuizer on wash days and I moisturize daily with CFC Instant Moisturizer. I always seal with an oil. I am consistent and I also keep a hair journal so I cna track which products worked and how I used them.

I do this as well.

I have very coarse hair. I'm always looking at my strands like how in the world is this even possible My old stylist asked me one day, why my hair felt so wiry, I was like um, you've been doing my hair for almost 10 years and you're now discovering this

My friend also told me my hair cut her, when she was braiding it.

My hair can be soft. BUT the struggle is can it stay soft for a very long time. That I havent been able to master.

I swear people with coarse hair are the minority. People say fine hair is fragile and coarse hair is strong but I think coarse hair can be just as fragile if not more.

OP, at least you can retain length, sometimes it's like my coarse strands snap so easily. I'm a 4z too, so my hair tends to be very dry.

My hair is also resistant to relaxers and I hate it. I use a super btw, and it still comes out texlaxed.

 

[Kurlee]

oo really! I would actually prefer 'spongy' than 'crunchy'. I realize you're natural, can't wait to be where you're at!

My hair is so rough, I was cuddling with my bf and he was like, can you move your head? Your hair is scratching me.. erplexed

@ the bolded. And I have always wanted coarse hair

 

[locabouthair]

@ the bolded. And I have always wanted coarse hair

NO YOU DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRUST ME!!

I dont want to make it seem like our hair is bad, but I'll just say it's very challenging. It makes length retention and moisture retention a lot harder.. at least for me..

 

[Kurlee]

NO YOU DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRUST ME!!

I dont want to make it seem like our hair is bad, but I'll just say it's very challenging. It makes length retention and moisture retention a lot harder.. at least for me..

coarse hair is soooooo strong, it can take abuse! Also, because its so thick it looks "longer" like ponytails, etc. I want coarseeeeeeeeeee hairrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[locabouthair]

coarse hair is soooooo strong, it can take abuse! Also, because its so thick it looks "longer" like ponytails, etc. I want coarseeeeeeeeeee hairrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

girl I wish it was

Is your hair fine? I always wish I had fine hair.

 

[Lady Esquire]

how do you deal?

So I think I have to come to terms that I just have coarse hair and it will probably feel soft when it's dry. There's no product or technique that can actually help me get the hair that I want so, perhaps I just have hair that I have to accept.

When I say 'coarse', I mean it. My 'Kitchen' feels like velcro, no moisture product has worked so far for keeping moisture, the cuticle of my hair is smooth, but just rough.. ( I guess this statement isn't really true as, though I am a pj, I haven't tried EVERYTHING out there )

Those that have rough hair, is it something you've just come to accept?

Dang, you make it sound like you're walking the plank, like a death sentence.

What is your regimen?

 

[Kurlee]

girl I wish it was

Is your hair fine? I always wish I had fine hair.

my hair is fine/medium. My hair is more fragile and even though my hair is APL it doesn't "look" that long because its not as thick as others the same length. A stylist cut layers into my hair without asking so my ponytail lately is long but puny

 

[Napp]

i have corse hair and to tell the truth i have been looking for a way to make course hair finer. i gave up recently because i realized its not something that can be changed externally. i even thought a relaxer would make my hair more fine.

my hair isnt rough in texture though. the stands feel smooth but its a rough job trying to control my hair.

 

[ImaBoss]

I have coarse hair and I HATE IT with a passion that burns within..lol!!! I know, I know I should embrace my texture and all, but this coarse/kinky hair is no fun especially without a relaxer. It funny to hear women with a thinner texture wishing they had coarse hair and vice versa, although I never wanted thin hair but just hair that was not so coarse and kinky.

 

[Prose Princess]

I have coarse hair and I agree, it sucks. Rough strands too. My mother has lots and lots of fine hair and I am SOOOOO jealous of her lol. I still have to moisturize and seal daily, but since I started putting peppermint and rosemary oils in my DC my hair has been sooooo soft when wet, and for at least a day after I wash it. After that I have to start putting moisture back into it. It may just be the winter months, but it's something I have to deal with either way. But I think you should definitely try adding some essential oils to your DC, OP.

 

[MrsMe]

NO YOU DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRUST ME!!

I dont want to make it seem like our hair is bad, but I'll just say it's very challenging. It makes length retention and moisture retention a lot harder.. at least for me..

So true!! Sometimes I feel like my hair isn't growing then I realize that with all that dryness I struggle with, there's no way it can get long. I'm starting to find products that suit it and it's responding well but my ends are stubborn!

 

[Neith]

You really think so Neith? PM me, I want to know what prods/techniques you use.. actually post them here so others with this 'condition' can learn lachen: I'm a psycho, lol, it sounds like intervention)

I think I use pretty good prods, Do you think they aren't working because my hair isn't soft afterwards? I use quality prods, I tried cutting out cones, I tried not combing (I still don't) .. I dunno, I thought I had tried almost everything..

I don't do anything special... I don't think my regimen is too impressive... it's not going to make you go "wow" but it works for me.

I just think that you need more moisture in your hair. Once you get a regimen that keeps your hair moisturized, it's smooth sailing.

I shampoo weekly. I dilute my shampoo with oil and water. I wash in braids.
Diluting the poo gives instant moisture and slip, and it still has cleaning power... I've been doing this for months. Braiding helps further with the tangles. Since I have A LOT of natural hair under here, these two things helped me tremendously.

Then I DC. It's very important for me to USE HEAT when I DC because otherwise, it doesn't really penetrate. I mix my DC with oil.

After the DC, I put leave in conditioner and jojoba oil in my hair, detangle and I usually put it in braids for a braid out.

During the rest of the week, I wet/dampen my hair and add more leave in and a little oil to my hair and I'll do more braid outs. I do this every 1-2 days.

Once a month I do a henna treatment. - Henna really helped improve and soften my texture further

That's all. That's the most simple, moisture infused regimen I could think of. And cheap, I'm on a budget

Products:

NTM Cream Lather Shampoo
ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo
AO Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner/Miss Keys 10 en 1
Nature's Gate Conditioners (leave in)
Jojoba oil
Jamilla Henna (200g mixed with 4 cups orange juice)

I don't use heat often, I avoid cones unless I'm using heat.

Ingredients that my hair likes - Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter, Natural Carrier Oils, Light Proteins.

I look out for products with those ingredients in them The more rich and CONDITIONING a product is, the better. I generally like a good amount of glycerin in deep conditioners, but not glycerin based leave ins. I also think that using a regular conditioner as a leave in conditioner helps because it's a little more "heavy duty"

Try the Honeysuckle Rose if you haven't already!

I,too, have coarse, woolly, wiry hair. It is thick too. I catagorize my hair type as 4w. It is so coarse that I can only texlax my hair. My sister says that my hair feels like steel wool. I have learned to accept it. I moisturize twice a day and everytime I wash my hair I always followup with a D/C. I sit under the dryer for 30 minutes.I have to do that twice a week. I use CFCG or Wave Nouveau as a moistuizer on wash days and I moisturize daily with CFC Instant Moisturizer. I always seal with an oil. I am consistent and I also keep a hair journal so I cna track which products worked and how I used them.

Me too! That's when you really know, your hair is COARSE as heck. I had to use super strength to get a texlax. A relaxer will not get my hair straight in the recommended processing time. It'd take like an hour to break it down... and after that my hair will be stringy and overprocessed.

I also think it's important to be consistent with your regimen

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

Dang, you make it sound like you're walking the plank, like a death sentence.

What is your regimen?

lol, its because i'm begrudgingly accepting it. I DONT WANNA!!! ITS NOT FAIRRRR.

I don't know how to explain it. I looovee thick hair, I do, I do. but that's it! I don't want thick AND coarse hair. i don't know about the strength either because it seems to get brittle and breal off just fine !

Now, My hair gets long, see attached.

but what the camera doesnt show you is what is feels like. First off, my camera is busted bc my hair always looks shinier than it really is. If you run you hand down my hair in this pic, you'll feel it and be like 'its so rough, do you DC'? (this one girl in college said this to me once and I wanted to punch her in the ****** FACE)

My regimine changes like, everymonth because every month I have a meltdown. I don't think that's too often as, it gives me enough time to figure out if the prod is working but not long enough to jack up my hair.

Since it's winter it is:

Prepoo w like Aubreys or soemthing
'Wash' (I either CW or use a little shampoo)
DC, flav of the month is StirNillah by hairveda ..its OK not amazing as everyone claims. It works just as good as my ORS Pak to me
Leave in - Lacio, NTM, or L'anza

and during the week, I don't have a SET thing that I do because I just put it in a bun and forget about it. i know it's bad but me and my hair are NOT speaking. but when we are, i put some leave in condish w a little bit of oil

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

I have coarse hair and I HATE IT with a passion that burns within..lol!!! I know, I know I should embrace my texture and all, but this coarse/kinky hair is no fun especially without a relaxer. It funny to hear women with a thinner texture wishing they had coarse hair and vice versa, although I never wanted thin hair but just hair that was not so coarse and kinky.[/QUOTE]

@ bold- you are a FOOL!!!

@ second bold- I feel the SAME WAY

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

my hair is fine/medium. My hair is more fragile and even though my hair is APL it doesn't "look" that long because its not as thick as others the same length. A stylist cut layers into my hair without asking so my ponytail lately is long but puny

See, my hair is THICK and coarse. Each one of my strands can eat your strand. lol

I have coarse hair and I agree, it sucks. Rough strands too. My mother has lots and lots of fine hair and I am SOOOOO jealous of her lol. I still have to moisturize and seal daily, but since I started putting peppermint and rosemary oils in my DC my hair has been sooooo soft when wet, and for at least a day after I wash it. After that I have to start putting moisture back into it. It may just be the winter months, but it's something I have to deal with either way. But I think you should definitely try adding some essential oils to your DC, OP.

I've been adding oils, but not the right kind. EO are def the better way to go.

I don't do anything special... I don't think my regimen is too impressive... it's not going to make you go "wow" but it works for me.

I just think that you need more moisture in your hair. Once you get a regimen that keeps your hair moisturized, it's smooth sailing.

I shampoo weekly. I dilute my shampoo with oil and water. I wash in braids.
Diluting the poo gives instant moisture and slip, and it still has cleaning power... I've been doing this for months. Braiding helps further with the tangles. Since I have A LOT of natural hair under here, these two things helped me tremendously.

Then I DC. It's very important for me to USE HEAT when I DC because otherwise, it doesn't really penetrate. I mix my DC with oil.

After the DC, I put leave in conditioner and jojoba oil in my hair, detangle and I usually put it in braids for a braid out.

During the rest of the week, I wet/dampen my hair and add more leave in and a little oil to my hair and I'll do more braid outs. I do this every 1-2 days.

Once a month I do a henna treatment. - Henna really helped improve and soften my texture further

That's all. That's the most simple, moisture infused regimen I could think of. And cheap, I'm on a budget

Products:

NTM Cream Lather Shampoo
ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo
AO Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner/Miss Keys 10 en 1
Nature's Gate Conditioners (leave in)
Jojoba oil
Jamilla Henna (200g mixed with 4 cups orange juice)

I don't use heat often, I avoid cones unless I'm using heat.

Ingredients that my hair likes - Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter, Natural Carrier Oils, Light Proteins.

I look out for products with those ingredients in them The more rich and CONDITIONING a product is, the better. I generally like a good amount of glycerin in deep conditioners, but not glycerin based leave ins. I also think that using a regular conditioner as a leave in conditioner helps because it's a little more "heavy duty"

Try the Honeysuckle Rose if you haven't already!





Me too! That's when you really know, your hair is COARSE as heck. I had to use super strength to get a texlax. A relaxer will not get my hair straight in the recommended processing time. It'd take like an hour to break it down... and after that my hair will be stringy and overprocessed.

I also think it's important to be consistent with your regimen

@ bold omg.. nah, that DEF doesnt happen to me. bwahahaha!! That's not even funny..

HSR is the bomb- I totally have NOT slept on that. but again, it's AFTER the DC I mess up. the day I rollerset my hair, i'm good.. day after the NONSENSE begins!

 

[anon123]

I have very coarse hair. I'm always looking at my strands like how in the world is this even possible My old stylist asked me one day, why my hair felt so wiry, I was like um, you've been doing my hair for almost 10 years and you're now discovering this

My friend also told me my hair cut her, when she was braiding it.

My hair can be soft. BUT the struggle is can it stay soft for a very long time. That I havent been able to master.

I swear people with coarse hair are the minority. People say fine hair is fragile and coarse hair is strong but I think coarse hair can be just as fragile if not more.

OP, at least you can retain length, sometimes it's like my coarse strands snap so easily. I'm a 4z too, so my hair tends to be very dry.

My hair is also resistant to relaxers and I hate it. I use a super btw, and it still comes out texlaxed.

@ your hair cutting your braider. Sometimes when I twist, esp. if it's taking me a long time, my fingers start to hurt because my hair is so wiry-feeling. I mean, depending on what's on it and the weather and what not, it can feel soft. But soft in the sense that if you grab a handful and squish it, it will feel soft. But if you are forced to run your fingers down the length of the hair, it's quite coarse.

And @ whoever said they were cuddling with their bf and he told her her hair was scratching him. I remember the first time I twisted in the method Nonie does to keep the hair from tangling much. Those twists were so hard. I had to wear them up or wear them with turtlenecks because they were so rough against my neck.

Unlike tuffcookie, though, my individual strands aren't very thick. They aren't super fine, but they aren't thick strands, either.

I've accepted it. Actually, I thought most kinky hair was like this. Guess I was wrong.

 

[vkb247]

^^^^Interesting mwedzi. I always thought thick and coarse came together. I wonder if anyone has coarse fine hair...that would be really hard to take care of.

Anyway. I have really coarse hair in the crown of my head. My hair is also less dense there so when my hair has broken off in the past it is always the crown sections. SO while I have been stretching my relaxers, I was always scared for this part of my hair. I can detangle the rest of my head in like 5 minutes but then I get to the crown I can feel and hear the difference. It can even be hard to fingercomb this area because it is so wiry.

But it isn't anymore. I totally got that part of my hair to be softer. What worked for my was yogurt and sour cream treatments. Since I did a couple of those my hair is no longer all wiry and hard to deal with.

 

[locabouthair]

@ your hair cutting your braider. Sometimes when I twist, esp. if it's taking me a long time, my fingers start to hurt because my hair is so wiry-feeling. I mean, depending on what's on it and the weather and what not, it can feel soft. But soft in the sense that if you grab a handful and squish it, it will feel soft. But if you are forced to run your fingers down the length of the hair, it's quite coarse.

And @ whoever said they were cuddling with their bf and he told her her hair was scratching him. I remember the first time I twisted in the method Nonie does to keep the hair from tangling much. Those twists were so hard. I had to wear them up or wear them with turtlenecks because they were so rough against my neck.

Unlike tuffcookie, though, my individual strands aren't very thick. They aren't super fine, but they aren't thick strands, either.

I've accepted it. Actually, I thought most kinky hair was like this. Guess I was wrong.

This is really interesting. ven with a relaxer, I can touch the entire length of the strand and it realls rough sometimes. I don't think kinky=coarse. My godaughter's hair is kinky but it's fine. I love your hair btw..

I have coarse hair and I HATE IT with a passion that burns within..lol!!! I know, I know I should embrace my texture and all, but this coarse/kinky hair is no fun especially without a relaxer. It funny to hear women with a thinner texture wishing they had coarse hair and vice versa, although I never wanted thin hair but just hair that was not so coarse and kinky.

it's very funny, I'm like girl, are you sure you want strands like these
My thing is I'm content being a 4b, well 4z to be honest But the coarseness I just can't take My aunt is a 4b and she has normal size strands.

I've been thinking about DC twice a week. I really dont want to but this seems like the only way my hair can be softer. Like I said I dont doubt coarse hair can be soft, it's just hard for it to stay that way for a long period of time. That's the real challenge IMO.

 

[Artemis]

Maybe I am in "Grass is always greener" mode, but from what I can tell, coarse haired chicks have it made Most AA products are geared toward coarser hair. Keracare, DE, and Nairobi. I really wanted to love Keracare Humecto, DE Stimulations, and Motions Moisture Plus, but that mineral oil in the dc just doesn't do anything positive for my hair

All those cuticle layers, you can use more heat than me, dc longer, twirl your hair in your fingers when you're bored Shoot, what's the problem?!

 

[prospurr4]

oo really! I would actually prefer 'spongy' than 'crunchy'. I realize you're natural, can't wait to be where you're at!

My hair is so rough, I was cuddling with my bf and he was like, can you move your head? Your hair is scratching me.. erplexed

@ the bolded part...that is funny!

Anyway, I have "combination hair" and my back section is very coarse and resistant to relaxers. In fact, a few years ago, I tried to get that section relaxer-straight, and it broke off instead, causing a major setback. I learned (the hard way) that texlaxing is as straight as it's gonna get.

Finally, I have come to understand my hair and its needs. Since I prefer texlaxing anyway, I just process the rest of my hair to "match" the resistant back section. I handle my hair gently, avoid direct heat, and make sure it is always moisturized, which leads to softness. Overall, my hair and I get along just fine...now!

 

[moonglowdiva]

Maybe I am in "Grass is always greener" mode, but from what I can tell, coarse haired chicks have it made Most AA products are geared toward coarser hair. Keracare, DE, and Nairobi. I really wanted to love Keracare Humecto, DE Stimulations, and Motions Moisture Plus, but that mineral oil in the dc just doesn't do anything positive for my hair

All those cuticle layers, you can use more heat than me, dc longer, twirl your hair in your fingers when you're bored Shoot, what's the problem?!

@ bolded Sorry it's not what it seems. Coarse hair is from the debil. All of those products that you listed are geared toward AA hair but they do nothing for steel wool(my hair). Maybe the hair that they targert is of a grade lower than coarse hair. Like fine hair. I've always wanted to have fine hair. I catch hell trrying to comb my hair so I don't any more. I had just relaxed my hair and was at the gym (I forgot my bandana) and one of the guys there was talking to me and said,"We men appriciate it when you ladies keep it real and stay natural. I like your hair." I just relaxed my hair a week ago. He could not tell. Hair has been defined as having 3 layer and most folks having only 2 layer. Us coarse haird folk have all 3 layer and then some.

 

[**Jade**]

I have VERY coarse hair.... I mean the stylists when I would get a relaxer would be like WOW your hair fights back!! I very often left the salon with underprocessed hair. I have been transitioning since May/June and I have found that in my natural state my hair is MUCH easier to balance (moisture and protein). I have just started using HE Hello Hydration mixed with a little water in a spray bottle as a leave in and I "seal" with a mixture of coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, and tea tree oil (oh and a tiny bit of glycerin in that mix) my hair has NEVER been so soft. Oh and I DC with the pantene mask not the r&N one but the moisture one.... For protein depending on how much I need I use either an egg, aphogee 2 minute, aphogee 2 step or cholesterol.

Course hair is very difficult believe me I know but once you find the balance it will soften up and stick with it b/c if I don't do what I know I'm supposed to do my hair always come back and cuts me.... I'm not even joking about that either.

 

[moonglowdiva]

You know you have coarse hair when you allow the relaxer to process for the allotted time as prescribed and you still look like you need a relaxer after its done.