To Tame the Mane-Naturals, Your Presence Requested...

[Lil'MissSunshine]

Hi ladies!
I’ll try to be quick. I’ve been natural since Jan. of this year. I wore weaves for two years completely growing the relaxer out ( save for the ends, which were eventually cut). After recovering from shock for a few days, having never really seen this hair much less styled this hair before, I then decide to take up my sister’s (who is ANTIrelaxers) natural regimen. After much blood, sweat, tears AND CASH, I learned from you very insightful ladies why her regimen wasn’t working for me. She got the more maneageable side of the stick (3a/b) whilst I’m 4a/b. Try as she may, she simply doesn’t understand my frustrations. So my question to you successful naturals (and all of you are, I seen ya):

1.) What’s an effective moisturizer for the fro. I bought UBH by Cathy Howse, but it seems my hair gulps it down and then we’re back to the desert with a greasy residue.
2.) What do you use to calm this hair down in preparation for straightening? My sissy will simply wash, condition, blowdry and straighten with a little Super Skinny Serum. I tried this. I’ll post pics for laughs.
3.) Can you tame natural hair with frequent D.Cs?

Thanks ladies. I know you all know and understand the journey and its struggles. As always, your advice would be greatly appreciated. Lots of love!

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Hi ladies!
I’ll try to be quick. I’ve been natural since Jan. of this year. I wore weaves for two years completely growing the relaxer out ( save for the ends, which were eventually cut). After recovering from shock for a few days, having never really seen this hair much less styled this hair before, I then decide to take up my sister’s (who is ANTIrelaxers) natural regimen. After much blood, sweat, tears AND CASH, I learned from you very insightful ladies why her regimen wasn’t working for me. She got the more maneageable side of the stick (3a/b) whilst I’m 4a/b. Try as she may, she simply doesn’t understand my frustrations. So my question to you successful naturals (and all of you are, I seen ya):

1.) What’s an effective moisturizer for the fro. I bought UBH by Cathy Howse, but it seems my hair gulps it down and then we’re back to the desert with a greasy residue.
2.) What do you use to calm this hair down in preparation for straightening? My sissy will simply wash, condition, blowdry and straighten with a little Super Skinny Serum. I tried this. I’ll post pics for laughs.
3.) Can you tame natural hair with frequent D.Cs?

Thanks ladies. I know you all know and understand the journey and its struggles. As always, your advice would be greatly appreciated. Lots of love!

Hi Lil Miss Sunshine. I had that under my daughters pic in my avatar last week. Are you stalking me??
Totally kidding

There are so many moisturizers out there. It really will be hit and miss until you find the right fit. A lot of women swear by dominican products, maybe you can do a search on the different types. Also, depending on what you are doing to your hair (straightening, twist out, fro, etc) may determine the type of product you use. I know for me, some things are too heavy if i'm straightening, but just right for a twist out.

I really can't answer what products to use to calm the hair down for straightening. I haven't figured that out yet and always end up with a big bush by the end of the day. I still can't figure out why... Anyway, things I am using right now are KMS Flat Out straightening cream (which seems to help) and John Frieda serum.

Does dc help to tame natural hair. In my opinion ABSOLUTELY. I feel for me it's a must. I like to let it soak in overnight. When I wash out the next day my hair feels so fantastic and is much more manageable.

Have you tried doing a "search" to look up threads about different products?

 

[cutiebe2]

1.)[/SIZE] What’s an effective moisturizer for the fro. I bought UBH by Cathy Howse, but it seems my hair gulps it down and then we’re back to the desert with a greasy residue.[/FONT]

I found this too...the UBH Dew (thats what I used) was child's stuff for my hair. I don't know if you use the Dew or the lotion but it wasn't enough moisture for me. You could keep it around for some light moisture when you need it. When I am not in braids I use ORS olive oil...the jury is still out on whether this is the best for me but it is much better than the UBH Dew. Its thicker and heavier moisturizer.
experiemnt with thicker moisturizers and you should be okay
hth

 

[curlyj]

You must find what works for your hair...the only way is to experiment. Not saying you have to buy tons of things, but I suffered from always wanting someone else's tex. to realizing mine was jus fine. My hair is a bit fine with a natural curl 4a- i think.

1.) moisturizers- Africa's Best- organic's Curl Keeper, lime & mango-no more itch, gro spray, Water followed by oil(evoo, grapeseed, coconut oil, WGO)
*when hair is wet you can seal ends by oiling ends covering with foil and sealing them with a flat Iron for a few seconds. NO MORE DRY ENDS...
2.) Calming hair- less product the better- but DO DEEP CONDITION b4(always)...Some folks set, I hold hair taut while blow drying on low-med(Completely stretches curl out- *Tip from pinkskates). And then I flat iron. Try using a heat protectant and Anti-Frizz serum...i hear,but have yet to try Aveda products
3.)Taming with DC...hmmm...I'm no expert but i do believe in light to medium protein(almost every wash) and POROSITY control by ROUX has helped my hair appear to be smoother. I also DON'T use shampoo- this has helped ALOT. Instead clarify with Redken Cleansing Cream,or Nexxus Aloe Rid for product buildup as you CW approx. 1/month. DC is great...i usually make my own....

I hope this helps...Also i used to be afraid of Oil as a newbie, but its wonderful when applied to wet hair...

 

[Nonie]

You sorta echo my lifestory. Grew my hair in braids so when I finally took them out was faced with hair I couldn't deal with out of twists or braids. Well, I don't have that hair still - thanks to a mistake I made of going to a scissor happy stylist for help in styling and dealing with my hair. But after my BC, I found out that DCing with not just reconstructors but more so with moisturizers is a must. Also every product I tried on my hair would feel good initially and then I'd end up with dry, hard hair later. That was until I tried SCurl, and I haven't bothered with anything else. The day of my wash, it seems to behave like other products: feel better on initial application than later, but my hair definitely looks good. At night, my hair feels like it just absorbed all the SCurl spray, so I spray some more on my hands and massage into my hair and then put my hair into big square plaits for the night. I baggy my head for the night as well. In the morning, my hair is not only so soft to touch, but it's also so easy to comb and the pen spirals are so beautifully defined. The braids also help sorta stretch it so that it isn't tightly curled. I cannot rave enough about this product. Another close second is Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14 in 1 - this has a somewhat fruity smell.

I really don't believe in using lots of products. I believe some cancel out the others so you don't get to see what's working and what's not. So as part of your experiment, I suggest you DC with some moisturizing product. Rinse and then do an ACV rinse. Towel dry your hair and then apply some of the activator, enough to make a comb glide through your hair easily. (I always think of getting it the way it feels with conditioner on it.) You'll get a bit of shrinkage, but your hair will look and feel moisturized. It looks better on day 2 particularly if you braid your hair and baggy.

A friend of mine does a wash 'n go by applying an activator spray like SC or HS (A LOT) to her wet hair and then applies SCurl gel (in the silver jar) because she says it weighs her hair down making it not shrink so much. The gel doesn't do that for me. Just makes my hair feel sticky and icky and makes it shrink like no one's business. And instead of getting the fluffy puff she gets; I get a shrunken, thick, hard to comb mess. But that's sth you could try too and see if you like it.

 

[Poohbear]

1.) What’s an effective moisturizer for the fro. I bought UBH by Cathy Howse, but it seems my hair gulps it down and then we’re back to the desert with a greasy residue.
For me, the best moisturizer for my hair is just plain water. I've tried several different moisturizers and can't really say which one has been the most effective. They've all been pretty good but not a staple moisturizer. I have used S-Curl, Africa's Best Kid's Organics Lotion, and I currently use BB Oil Moisturizer (which is starting not to work anymore). I just ordered some samples of Blended Beauty and can't wait to try them.

2.) What do you use to calm this hair down in preparation for straightening? My sissy will simply wash, condition, blowdry and straighten with a little Super Skinny Serum. I tried this. I’ll post pics for laughs.
Here is the best way for me to prepare my hair for straightening. I wash and condition my hair and then rollerset it on jumbo rollers. Before rolling each section with a roller, I SOAK my hair with Infusium 23 leave-in treatment, comb through, and then roll my hair. After all my hair is rolled, I let it airdry. Once it dry, I just take down the rollers and straighten my hair with a Jilbere flat-iron.

3.) Can you tame natural hair with frequent D.Cs?
I'm not sure. I've never been big on deep conditioning...I sometimes do not see the benefit of it for my hair personally.

Hope that helps!

 

[PinkSkates]

1.) What’s an effective moisturizer for the fro. I bought UBH by Cathy Howse, but it seems my hair gulps it down and then we’re back to the desert with a greasy residue. You have to experiment and find the right products for your hair and budget. I personally use Profective mega growth strengthner and coconut oil to moisturize my hair in-between shampoos.
2.) What do you use to calm this hair down in preparation for straightening? My sissy will simply wash, condition, blowdry and straighten with a little Super Skinny Serum. I tried this. I’ll post pics for laughs.
I use Aveda products to prepare and protect my hair for heat straightening. My theory is to loosen my natural kinks as much as possible prior to putting direct heat on it, therefore my hair requires less direct heat.
3.) Can you tame natural hair with frequent D.Cs?
I'm sure you can, but I only deep condition my hair once a month.

 

[meecee]

1. I've used several moisturizers...none really stand out. I'm currently using ORS olive oil. A little on the greasy side, but it works.

2. I don't try to tame my hair for straightening...too lazy, too much work. lol.

3. I've recently stepped up my game, deep conditioning twice a month in between sets of twists. This has helped my hair TREMENDOUSLY. I use Lekair with some olive oil added, or ORS mayo. I heat it up in the microwave for a minute and then apply it to my hair and cover with a shower cap. Now this is a lil bootleg, but since I don't have a heating cap, the past few times, I've covered my head with bandana, and gone out to run errands. Right now its really hot in Southern Cali, so I use the heat from the sun to give my deep conditioner an added boost. The results are very well conditioned hair, that's much easier to detangle.

 

[Lil'MissSunshine]

Thank you ladies!
You girls are somethin' else! Your tips are very helpful. I'll be putting them to practice ASAP. I gotta tell you, I'm leaving to go overseas in a couple of weeks and my B.F. demands I don't get a weave. The temptation to relax is overwhelming but I must try everything including your suggestions. Lots of love!

 

[CORBINS]

Like the others said, you must hit and miss. Find what works for you.

I've also found that using natural products to care for your hair like: honey, avocado, ACV, rinsing with cold water also make a huge diffence.

 

[Lil'MissSunshine]

Thank you ladies!
You girls are somethin' else! Your tips are very helpful. I'll be putting them to practice ASAP. I gotta tell you, I'm leaving to go overseas in a couple of weeks and my B.F. demands I don't get a weave. The temptation to relax is overwhelming but I must try everything including your suggestions. Lots of love!