Transitioning Regimen Help!

[angeleyez09]

I need some serious help because I do not know how to take care of my hair! All my life, up until 2 years ago, I never knew how to use a flat iron. . . or a brush. . . and I broke my hair out when I combed. I am still working on how to comb with a light hand. But I was pretty much going to my hair stylist every six weeks for a new relaxer. Lately though, I have wanted to get out of using chemical products and go natural. I have gone about five months without a relaxer and I get my hair shampooed every three weeks. But my hair has been shedding/breaking (don't know the difference) a lot! So I am changing my ways. . .

I have been reading a lot and I am planning my regimen. I just bought a Sedu flat iron because I need to keep my hair straight until Dec when I get micros. I was planning to shampoo/condition my hair weekly, possibly co-wash in the middle of the week depending on how much time I have. I will do the Aphogee 2 min protein treatment every two weeks. I know you have to deep condition after protein but I don't know the diff between a dc and a regular conditioner. Are there specific products for a dc or a regular? I noticed that some conditioners are protein treatments as well. So in short, confused! There are so many products that I don't know what to look for or avoid in choosing. I don't know what regimen to follow and there is a lot of conflicting advice. Like:

Protein treatments being good but products with protein being bad.
Silicone being bad but a must in heat protectants.
All oils being damaging but some being okay.
Also, I read something about apple cider vinegar for dandruff problems but I have no idea when to use it or how. Please help!!

 

[Honey Bee]

I'm transitioning to texlaxed, and using the Aphogee 2 min with Wen and the Alter Ego DC, it's been an easy transition thus far, but I have way less new growth than you do.

For the shedding, look up Alter Ego Garlic Deep Conditioner, start with this:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=320373

 

[msa]

The first thing you need to know is to take things so slow and don't go out and buy a bunch of products and try all new techniques at once. Keep reading and researching.

I know you have to deep condition after protein but I don't know the diff between a dc and a regular conditioner. Are there specific products for a dc or a regular? I noticed that some conditioners are protein treatments as well. So in short, confused! There are so many products that I don't know what to look for or avoid in choosing. I don't know what regimen to follow and there is a lot of conflicting advice. Like:

Protein treatments being good but products with protein being bad.
Silicone being bad but a must in heat protectants.
All oils being damaging but some being okay.
Also, I read something about apple cider vinegar for dandruff problems but I have no idea when to use it or how. Please help!!

1. Well, the definition of deep conditioning and what makes a deep conditioner are up for debate. But when you look for a DC look for something that says "mask/masque", "penetrating", "deep moisture", or things like that. Also check and see if the directions say to use it for more than a few minutes.

2. Protein is a necessary and important part of a hair regimen so yes protein treatments are good. But they can be misused and result in breakage. Lots of people are "scared" of protein, mainly because they don't know how to keep a balance between protein and moisture. Protein in products really isn't bad, it's necessary so to help keep your hair moisturized. (Click on the newbie manual in my signature, there's a whole bunch of threads on protein so read those. They'll help.)

3. Silicones aren't really "bad" but they can build up easily and make it difficult to get moisture into your strands. So they're not good to use if you aren't going to shampoo on a regular basis. But they are necessary when using heat because they are best for protecting the hair from the heat.

4. I've never heard that all oils are damaging. Now, you wouldn't want to use oils to flat iron your hair but other than that they're great. Coconut oil penetrates the hair the most, followed by evoo, avocado, and others. So check those out.

5. People use acv for a lot of different reasons. If you're going to use it, make sure it's well diluted and it should be used as the final rinse (that's how the majority uses it). If you search for threads you'll find lots of information on acv.

Definitely check out the newbie manual because you'll find info in there about building a regimen, and a lot of the basics of hair care. There's also a link to the transitioners support thread.

The worst thing you can do is buy a bunch of products for no reason when you could probably use the things you have at home. The most important thing to remember is to not overdo it...don't try too much too soon. Start with the basics (keep your hair clean, conditioned, and protected) and then move on from there.

 

[LoveCraze]

I need some serious help because I do not know how to take care of my hair! All my life, up until 2 years ago, I never knew how to use a flat iron. . . or a brush. . . and I broke my hair out when I combed. I am still working on how to comb with a light hand. But I was pretty much going to my hair stylist every six weeks for a new relaxer. Lately though, I have wanted to get out of using chemical products and go natural. I have gone about five months without a relaxer and I get my hair shampooed every three weeks. But my hair has been shedding/breaking (don't know the difference) a lot! So I am changing my ways. . .

I have been reading a lot and I am planning my regimen. I just bought a Sedu flat iron because I need to keep my hair straight until Dec when I get micros. I was planning to shampoo/condition my hair weekly, possibly co-wash in the middle of the week depending on how much time I have. I will do the Aphogee 2 min protein treatment every two weeks. I know you have to deep condition after protein but I don't know the diff between a dc and a regular conditioner. Are there specific products for a dc or a regular? I noticed that some conditioners are protein treatments as well. So in short, confused! There are so many products that I don't know what to look for or avoid in choosing. I don't know what regimen to follow and there is a lot of conflicting advice. Like:

Protein treatments being good but products with protein being bad.
Silicone being bad but a must in heat protectants.
All oils being damaging but some being okay.
Also, I read something about apple cider vinegar for dandruff problems but I have no idea when to use it or how. Please help!!

Well MSA gave some great advice. Ok you said 2 min protein, did you mean 2 min reconstructor? Aphogee has two products, the reconstructor which is the conditioner and the 2 step protein treatment. If you're going to do the 2 step Protein, then this should only be done every 6-8 weeks. And you MUST follow with the balancing moisturizer afterwards.This protein treatment is very strong and doing this more often than recommended could cause breakage. However as you transition from relaxed to natural, it's very important that you are using products that have protein in them due to relaxers stripping the natural protein out of hair. Aphogee is a good product line for this.
Always DC (deep condition) when you wash your hair. I like to use Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner. It's the same product they sell in paks but it's sold in a bottle.
All oils are not bad. But depending on your hair type/thickness certain oils will work better for you than others. For instance I have thin/fine hair, so using Olive Oil alone is too heavy for me. Jojoba and coconut oils are lighter and work better on my hair type. All in all you need to really get to know your hair so that you will know what will work best for you.
Basic things you need for now:

1. shampoo
2. conditioner
3. deep cond.
4. moisturizer
5. leave in conditioner
6. oil to seal
Just start with the basics and work your way from there.

 

[angenoir]

The posters before have said everything really well. Just thought I would clarify one thing

OP maybe you're confusing oils and greases?
Oils are definitely not bad when used correctly. eg Olive oil, Jojoba, Coconut, Avocado etc
Greases can be bad because some just contain a whole lot of petrolatum and not much in terms of ingredients that are good for the hair. So most ladies avoid these or use them sparingly.

HTH

 

[bedazzled]

MSA summed it up pretty well but I think its also important that you know the difference between shedding & breakage. It is very important imo, and since you said you dont know I am going to tell you the difference.

Shed Hairs - are usually long strands of hair and will have a white bulb on one end of the hair. Some people have bulbs that are more beige-ish in color but nonetheless its a bulb. You can have short shed hairs if you have different lengths in your hair (the infamous layers), but if your hair is all one length, the shed hair should be about the length of your hair with a white bulb.

Broken Hairs - Simply don't have the bulb and are generally short hairs. I do want to say there is a such thing as long broken hairs & this usually is found with midshaft breakage & hair that breaks at the demarcation line.

I feel this is important because a lot of people say "I cant transition, I cant stretch because my hair breaks off too much" when really its shed hair. This is important because I'm sure if you're dealing with breakage & not shed hairs you will probably want to go ahead & BC. I also think knowing the difference will also allow you to know if your regimen is working or not. Hair that breaks is generally hair that's not healthy.

 

[Gracie]

The first thing you need to know is to take things so slow and don't go out and buy a bunch of products and try all new techniques at once. Keep reading and researching.



1. Well, the definition of deep conditioning and what makes a deep conditioner are up for debate. But when you look for a DC look for something that says "mask/masque", "penetrating", "deep moisture", or things like that. Also check and see if the directions say to use it for more than a few minutes.

2. Protein is a necessary and important part of a hair regimen so yes protein treatments are good. But they can be misused and result in breakage. Lots of people are "scared" of protein, mainly because they don't know how to keep a balance between protein and moisture. Protein in products really isn't bad, it's necessary so to help keep your hair moisturized. (Click on the newbie manual in my signature, there's a whole bunch of threads on protein so read those. They'll help.)

3. Silicones aren't really "bad" but they can build up easily and make it difficult to get moisture into your strands. So they're not good to use if you aren't going to shampoo on a regular basis. But they are necessary when using heat because they are best for protecting the hair from the heat.

4. I've never heard that all oils are damaging. Now, you wouldn't want to use oils to flat iron your hair but other than that they're great. Coconut oil penetrates the hair the most, followed by evoo, avocado, and others. So check those out.

5. People use acv for a lot of different reasons. If you're going to use it, make sure it's well diluted and it should be used as the final rinse (that's how the majority uses it). If you search for threads you'll find lots of information on acv.

Definitely check out the newbie manual because you'll find info in there about building a regimen, and a lot of the basics of hair care. There's also a link to the transitioners support thread.

The worst thing you can do is buy a bunch of products for no reason when you could probably use the things you have at home. The most important thing to remember is to not overdo it...don't try too much too soon. Start with the basics (keep your hair clean, conditioned, and protected) and then move on from there.

ITA Great advice. There are many of us myself included that have an over abundance of products that were not necessary. Granted there will be some trial and error products but check out the newbie manual as well as the transitioner's thread. I know for me it also helped to find people who had similar hair types as I had and I started comparing notes when deciding what products I would try. Not to say that I didn't try other products but I think that was a good place to start.

 

[isabella09]

to the forum, I agree with all of the above also, Msa’s newbie manual is an excellent way to start your hair healthy care journey, wising you lots of success.

 

[turnergirl]

OK you have recieved some excellent advice. I would add that you should consider some additional styling option beyond flat ironing. If you are not a pro at using a flat iron, it could be difficult to achieve the result you want when dealing with two textures. Also, you don't want to cause any damage to your hair texture. I know there have been debates on this board as to whether heat can damage hair texture. I will say this I have seen it happen to enough people to know that the chance is great enough for it happen.

Since you are dealing with either breakage or shedding and more likely breakage since you are transitioning, I would say go heavy on moisture Deep Condition often. Use protien if your hair tolerates it well and always moisturize after.

For your hair styles try braidouts and twistouts, rollersets as well. You can part your hair all types of different ways before braiding, twisting or rolling and get different results. You can also use setting rods on the ends of braids and twists which would give you a totally different look.

It will take some time to get the right combination of product, separation and fluffing to get the look you want but you won't be doing major damage to your hair in the process.

 

[angeleyez09]

Thanks for all the help! I feel like I actually have a chance to make my hair healthy, long, and fabulous.