Tired of this hair :(

[zoromo]

Hello Ladies I just want to vent!!!! Sorry about the long message in advance.

I have been natural on and off since 1998 and am not a new to this. In the past when I was natural, I would do big one an two inches trims on the regular because my end were always brittle. When I went natural back then there were not lots of products for us just the natural oils and shea butter and the like. I never thought my hair could grow long, I just wanted my fro to feel soft and I would have been happy with that.

This most recent time of going natural, I was looking for hairstyles and products and stumbled on LHCF and youtube vids a few years back and they opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I saw Rustic Beauty, Sera, and Curly Chronicles, and then Kimmay and I thought wow this long hair thing is not just something for people with 3b hair etc... a 4 a/b woman like myself may have a shot at getting some length.

Needless to say with better products, more moisture, and better practices I am disappointed with my progress and the state of my hair. The ssks really just made my ends feel bad and my hair always feels dry softer one day of being out. When my hair was relaxed my ends never tangled or felt brittle so I textlaxed recently thinking that would help and it has not (my curl pattern did not change much and maybe it loosened by 20% and I can still get a fro and do twists etc.). I always love the look of my hair, but I HATE that dry feeling my natural hair always has. Since I have been natural most of my adult life I also do not like the thin feeling my hair gets when it was relaxed bone straight. I am just venting right now.

Why worry about something that is what it is, I have been trying to fight what is, this brittle feeling is for the birds. I will just do box braids and give up on being worried about my hair too much. I have wasted so much energy, time, and money and I only have 7-8 inches of brittle o hair to show.
From now on, I will wash my hair condish and wear braids and then after a year I will cut the texlaxed hair. What is the use of doing this and that and my hair is still not where it should be. I have not found anything as of yet that has helped rid my hair of knots and this brittle feeling short of just braiding it up.

 

[tiffers]

Aw, sorry you're having to experience this.

What techniques and products are you currently using?

Four things that have helped take my hair from tumbleweed to soft are:

- Steaming

- GHE/Baggying nightly

- The LOC (Liquid/Oil/Cream) Method

- Chicoro's Leave-In mix. (fill an 8 oz spray bottle with aloe juice, pour in two tbsp of any oil of your choice and one tbsp of vegetable glycerin) Spraying my hair with this before moisturizing has made my hair sooo happy.

Don't give up just yet! There is hope.

 

[zoromo]

Thanks Tiffers,

I have been wanting to try steaming ( I think I have low porosity hair) I only had it done once at a salon years back when I got my natural flat ironed and my hair did feel good. I may have to invest in a steamer one day because using a hooded dryer to steam does not make much difference.

Do you spray the leave in mix on dry or wet hair?

As for my reggie, I typically (once a week) condition my hair when dry, then wash ( recently I have been using alba shampoo and may scalp loves it), condish and/or DC, put in leave-in ( knot today or a homemade mix), seal, and style ( twist, twist or braid out, flexi-set, and once every couple of months I flat iron). I spray water and add oil or leave-in my hair as needed.

 

[ladylibra_30]

Thanks Tiffers,

I have been wanting to try steaming ( I think I have low porosity hair) I only had it done once at a salon years back when I got my natural flat ironed and my hair did feel good. I may have to invest in a steamer one day because using a hooded dryer to steam does not make much difference.

Do you spray the leave in mix on dry or wet hair?

As for my reggie, I typically (once a week) condition my hair when dry, then wash ( recently I have been using alba shampoo and may scalp loves it), condish and/or DC, put in leave-in ( knot today or a homemade mix), seal, and style ( twist, twist or braid out, flexi-set, and once every couple of months I flat iron). I spray water and add oil or leave-in my hair as needed.

In the meantime until you get a steamer you can try this -

• Apply moisturizing deep conditioner to hair
• Put on conditioning cap
• Wrap wet, warm turban around the conditioning cap
• Put another conditioning cap over that
• Sit under warm dryer for 20-25 minutes

The results are awesome and has licked my anxiety to get a Pibbs steamer.

 

[silenttullip]

Sorry you're going through this but maybe we can help.... What kind of dc do you use? Sometimes it's something that little causing the brittle feeling. Also how long do you dc for? I noticed you use a homemade mix or a leave in, do you also seal in that moisture with an oil or butter? Do you cover your head when you sleep?

 

[zoromo]

Hello Ladies
@ Lady I will have to try your suggestions, the hooded dryers seemed not to provide enough heat so I think covering the head may help. I will try this.
@ Silenttullip
I have been DCing with ORS ( its yellow and and smells like creamsicle) or Cream of nature argan oil DC. I usually seal with oils. I love oils and have many types ( castor, grapeseed, olive, coconut, avocado, peanut, soy, sesame and hemp). I think castor works well for me. I was out until recently and have been, for the last month been using a mix of hemp, olive, and grapseed oils. Could the hemp oil be making my hair more brittle than it already was? I use shea butter from time to time, but I do not get the hype ( side note: those who rave about it and use it have great hair though). I am willing to try other butters, any suggestions on types and application?
At night I will admit, this is where I am slack. I cover my hair less than 40% of the time and recently bought a satin pillow case and have been using that the past few weeks.

 

[nubiennze]

tiffers Where does Chicoro's leave-in fit into the LOC Method? Do you use that, another product to moisturize, then the oil/cream to seal?

I'm curious to try this, but I haven't had good results with pure AVJ on my hair in the past.

BTW, what is GHE? (Sorry for bombarding you with questions, lol.)

Aw, sorry you're having to experience this.

What techniques and products are you currently using?

Four things that have helped take my hair from tumbleweed to soft are:

- Steaming

- GHE/Baggying nightly

- The LOC (Liquid/Oil/Cream) Method

- Chicoro's Leave-In mix. (fill an 8 oz spray bottle with aloe juice, pour in two tbsp of any oil of your choice and one tbsp of vegetable glycerin) Spraying my hair with this before moisturizing has made my hair sooo happy.

Don't give up just yet! There is hope.

zoromo Sorry I can't offer any insight into the dryness issue--I've been dealing with that myself lately--but re: the ssks, do you primarily wear WNGs/"loose" styles? If so, have you considered stretching via braid/twist outs, banding, rollersetting, etc.?

Also, might you be in need of a trim? I know I get more ssks than usual when my ends start to split (I feel them before I can see them). A dusting/trimming schedule may help as well.

 

[tiffers]

zoromo I use the Chicoro mix on wet or dry hair. Basically, any time that I'm about to moisturize, I spray my hair first.

It's taken a while for me to find techniques that quench my dry hair and what I'm doing now is making my hair very happy.

LCL Beauty is selling an at-home steamer for 88 dollars and free shipping. It's a wonderful investment. oke:

nubiennze I use the Leave-In as the liquid phase of the LOC method, then seal with oil and top with a water-based, creamy moisturizer.

GHE is like baggying on steroids. You use lots of layers to generate more heat. You can read all about it in the first post here:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=14918943

 

[nubiennze]

tiffers Thanks! Do you have any experience using a heavy butter in the oil phase? I want to try this with my mango butter mix since my hair loves it.

 

[tiffers]

nubiennze Yep! I've tried butter in the oil phase and it was really good.

 

[nubiennze]

Can't wait to try this!

 

[silenttullip]

okay I was thinking you'd say that about the dc's they both contain some protein, which isn't bad but you may need a moisturizing conditioner to balance things out. Something like Aubrey organics honeysuckle rose or kenra moisturizing conditioner. Even a hot oil treatment after dcing could change things drastically. I also with the cream, liquid, oil, cream method for moisture and sealing. For example I use rose water, then add evco, then some type of butter or please. I use to have brittle hair but it was due to a protein filled leave in and nothing moisturizing to balance I still love protein though. Also put that new pillow case to good use it's worth it

 

[zoromo]

okay I was thinking you'd say that about the dc's they both contain some protein, which isn't bad but you may need a moisturizing conditioner to balance things out. Something like Aubrey organics honeysuckle rose or kenra moisturizing conditioner. Even a hot oil treatment after dcing could change things drastically. I also with the cream, liquid, oil, cream method for moisture and sealing. For example I use rose water, then add evco, then some type of butter or please. I use to have brittle hair but it was due to a protein filled leave in and nothing moisturizing to balance I still love protein though. Also put that new pillow case to good use it's worth it

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the condish you mentioned and the LOC method. That may help me. I appreciate the advice thanks again.

 

[lucy]

@nubiennze Yep! I've tried butter in the oil phase and it was really good.

I have a quick question, if you use butter in place of oil, do u still follow with a cream? what type?

 

[tiffers]

lucy Yes, I still use a cream afterwards. I always use a water-based, creamy moisturizer.

Some people use liquid, oil, butter, but that didn't work for me. My hair needs a water-based moisturizer to ak right.