Type 4 hair...HOW DID YOU GROW YOUR HAIR!!

[justnotsure]

I am trying to determine how to grow my hair and still look professional at work everyday. I am a recent law school graduate and my hair looks a mess if I don't flat iron it twice a week. I am, however, getting ready to try and go back to roller setting, but I hate the way it makes my hair look and feel. I need moisture without weighing my hair down. HELP!! I have a combination of type 4A/B (mostly B). Thanks!

 

[beana]

what about rollersetting dont you like?? It gets better with practice, so dont fret

just my 2 cents... when i FIRST came to the hair boards I got so wrapped up into trying every technique, stretching, trying this and that... that i actually RUINED my hair!!!! Please dont try everything you see the ladies here doing, alot of these women have perfected these techniques and i wouldnt advise anyone to just jump in. I eventually went back to the routine i had before the hair boards, with a lil bit of fine tuning here and there and my hair is thriving now!

To answer your question, I suggest that you wear a loose (but neat) bun or ponytail. Is there anyway you can get someone else (salon or friend) to rollerset your hair weekly?

Whats your hair regimen or routine like now?

 

[justnotsure]

It wouldn't be a problem in getting my hair roller set weekly...i'll try that! Right now, I purchased a Chi ceramic flat iron and I wash my hair twice a week and flat iron it afterwards. I sometimes pull my hair into a ponytail, but because my edges are so short, its hard to do a "loose" pony! I hate a lot of product, but I also have the problem of my hair being lighter colored (naturally) and it doesn't hold a lot of shine (it looks sandy). I can't do braids or anything like that because I work in a very conservative office (...and there's the fact that I don't like braids).

I can tell my hair is suffering from something, I just can't put my finger on it. I had long hair as a child and teenager, now it won't grow back!!

I am not going to try everything I've seen on the forum because frankly, I don't have the time. I am, however, getting ready to try a pre-poo listed on this website called www.shakeyourbeauty.com. Its by a company called philosophy and the girl who blogs there is black and loves it! Also, I'm going to try the stretching of my relaxer for 1 extra week because sometimes I even think I can go longer than 6 weeks.

Any more suggestions? What hair products do you use? What's your regimen?

 

[beana]

i have 4a fine hair with medium thickness, my hair is APL length now.

every 8-12 weeks i relax with design essentials

every 6 weeks i do an aphogee treatment

every 5-7 days i wash deep condition (for me aveda damage remedy or silk2 moistec for 10-15 mins w/ plastic cap and heat from shower).

Rollerset and dry under hooded dryer

i pin curl when my hair looses the curl/body from the set


That's it...

how long is your hair currently? Have you tried to secure the ponytail with a clip as opposed to a band? I think if you focus on hair health and basic styles as opposed to shine, you'll be fine. Also, you may want to ultimately CUT the amount of times you flat iron to once a month or so. but for now, id try to at least limit it to only once a week since your using ity 2x's.

 

[justnotsure]

Thanks for the response. Right now I relax my hair every 6 weeks, but I know that I can go longer than that because often times I don't have very much new growth. My hair is like mid-neck length (or chin length...I don't know the appropriate LHCF term for it).

What is an Aphogee treatment and where can i purchase that? I also don't know how to pin curl...I've heard of it, but never seen it. If you have any pics I would love to see them.

I have type 4A/B hair and I don't usually use a clip because my edges are so short. They are thinning, just short. I'll take your advice and cut down on the flat ironing though, and I'll try and stop using the bands!!

Thanks!!

 

[AvaSpeaks]

I am trying to determine how to grow my hair and still look professional at work everyday. I am a recent law school graduate and my hair looks a mess if I don't flat iron it twice a week. I am, however, getting ready to try and go back to roller setting, but I hate the way it makes my hair look and feel. I need moisture without weighing my hair down. HELP!! I have a combination of type 4A/B (mostly B). Thanks!

Are you natural or relaxed?

 

[justnotsure]

I'm relaxed.

 

[EbonyHairedPrincess]

I am trying to determine how to grow my hair and still look professional at work everyday. I am a recent law school graduate and my hair looks a mess if I don't flat iron it twice a week. I am, however, getting ready to try and go back to roller setting, but I hate the way it makes my hair look and feel. I need moisture without weighing my hair down. HELP!! I have a combination of type 4A/B (mostly B). Thanks!

French Rolls, ballerina buns, chignon's. For straight styles crosswrap your hair when you go to bed. Clamp your hair with duck bill clamps then tie your hair up with a satin type scarf and slide the clamps out after your tied the scarf to avoid dents in your hair. If your careful to keep the scarf on you can go a week easily with a smooth straight style. Lightly apply NTM silk or Herbal essence in morning and afternoon for daily moisture.

 

[HoneyDew]

what about rollersetting dont you like?? It gets better with practice, so dont fret

just my 2 cents... when i FIRST came to the hair boards I got so wrapped up into trying every technique, stretching, trying this and that... that i actually RUINED my hair!!!! Please dont try everything you see the ladies here doing, alot of these women have perfected these techniques and i wouldnt advise anyone to just jump in. I eventually went back to the routine i had before the hair boards, with a lil bit of fine tuning here and there and my hair is thriving now!

To answer your question, I suggest that you wear a loose (but neat) bun or ponytail. Is there anyway you can get someone else (salon or friend) to rollerset your hair weekly?

Whats your hair regimen or routine like now?

same here! I had breakage from stretching, using too much moisturizer, co-washing, not shampooing at all, wet bunning, jumping on product bandwagons and others. I know those things are WONDERFUL for some ladies but my hair has been thriving since I went back to my old faithful routine of shampooing, deep conditioning, airdrying, and flatironing once a week - Yep I DO use heat once a week! But that would be murder for some ladies. My hair is going great and I still maintain my style which is equally important and length for me.

I also agree about getting the salon or a friend to do a rollerset. Mine come out a hot mess, and I've considered getting someone else to do them. For now, my airdry and flatiron deal is working out and is much cheaper.

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Have you considered going for a weekly Dominican wash and set and just having the roots blow own?
Otherwise I would definitely recommend doing them yourself. What are the results that you don't like? Maybe we can help.
I posted a thread on what I learned about rollersetting (I used to get crunchy hair with lots of breakage after rollersets). I'll bump it for you.

I haven't had any problems wearing my hair in a professional manner on a daily basis. It just requires developing a regimen and a healthy way of acheiving the styles you like. I would definitely cut out the flat iron. Relaxed 4b hair can not handle that level of direct heat on a regular basis, at least not many 4bs that I know.

I pretreat with conditioner and castor oil (hopefully soon to be amla) and let sit for about 20-30 minutes. I shampoo, then deep condition, apply leave-in (sometimes mixed with shine serum) and then I rollerset my hair. I DO NOT like heavy weighted down hair. I hate it so much that I will wear my hair in a ponytail If I don't get swingy results. I only apply moisturizer to the last few inches of my hair and I do so every 1-2 days. I apply Salerm's 21 or Tigi's Ego Boost and a little kemi oyl to protect the ends. Maintaining your ends is the most important thing, that's where we loose the length.

After I take out the rollerset I wrap my hair and then cover it in seran wrap, sit under the dryer for 5-10min and it comes out sleeky and bouncy. Macherieamour has a great video tutorial on this.
If any additional heat is needed, it's just to blow out my roots to take out any bends or kinks. After that I can wear my hair straight all week along. If I want curls or shape I use pin curls (see siggy for more info) or I use a steam rollerset set. I'm wearing my hair down right now, in curls. I just did pin curls before I went to bed, then finger curled in the morning. Tomorrow I'm wear a curly ponytail using the last bit of curl left in my hair. I try to get double use out of a style so my curls will be worn in various ways for half the week. I'm so cheap

The main thing I would recommend, is to develop a regimen. You have to determine how much protein vs. moisture your hair needs, how frequently it prefers to be washed and so on. I would also recommend have too alternating sets of shampoo, conditioner/deep conditioner and leave in. It's good to have a back up product and rotate sometimes so the hair doesn't get used to anything.

 

[Soliel185]

My hair was STRICTLY 4b with the occasional lonely spiral at the ends before I started using BT and MSM. I think the sulfur in BT loosened my pattern and I have heard that MSM can do the same. Now it's all 4A. I use a moisture mix spray I concocted followed by an oil mix and castor oil on the ends ( after my hair is mostly dry ) and then smooth the edges with a baby brush before I put on a scarf or head band for decoration. I find that my relaxed hair smoothes itself out as it dries. I used to flat iron once a week, but the month before my braids I found that I didn't have to to keep my hair presentable and looking cute. The puff on top can be helped by making a higher bun - or investing in some good clips or hair claws.

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

It wouldn't be a problem in getting my hair roller set weekly...i'll try that! Right now, I purchased a Chi ceramic flat iron and I wash my hair twice a week and flat iron it afterwards. I sometimes pull my hair into a ponytail, but because my edges are so short, its hard to do a "loose" pony! I hate a lot of product, but I also have the problem of my hair being lighter colored (naturally) and it doesn't hold a lot of shine (it looks sandy). I can't do braids or anything like that because I work in a very conservative office (...and there's the fact that I don't like braids).

I can tell my hair is suffering from something, I just can't put my finger on it. I had long hair as a child and teenager, now it won't grow back!!

I am not going to try everything I've seen on the forum because frankly, I don't have the time. I am, however, getting ready to try a pre-poo listed on this website called www.shakeyourbeauty.com. Its by a company called philosophy and the girl who blogs there is black and loves it! Also, I'm going to try the stretching of my relaxer for 1 extra week because sometimes I even think I can go longer than 6 weeks.

Any more suggestions? What hair products do you use? What's your regimen?

If I remember correctly, those CHIs heat up to several hundred degrees! I tried a colleagues' CHI once and it did get my hair straight and flowing. But it felt so dry and it made my strands so small that they got crazy tangles!!!

Maybe you want to try a flat iron that has temperature adjustment. I bought a $40 one from Sally's a couple of years ago and I can adjust the temp. all I want.

 

[curlycraze]

My hair is healthy because I moisturize (by deep conditioning) weekly. DCing has changed the path of my hair for life! Also, I don't use any direct heat (only on my roots). You can check out my regimen in my fotki journal. Good luck in your quest for healthy hair!

 

[justnotsure]

thanks for the tips. We dont have any Dominicans where I live. The closest one is over an hour away. I do plan to try it soon though. I'm not sure how the pincurl thing will work for me because my hair is only chin length...but i will back away from the curling/flat irons!!

Thanks!!

 

[Soliel185]

I don't have any dominicans where I live either. I'm stalking spanish boards hoping that the few words I DO know ( which are mostly curses ) will help me out! I'm in Braids for the winter now though so I'll resume my search this Spring. I keep reading about it on the boards though and I'm sooo jealous!

 

[meaganita]

I leave my hair alone, only flat iron a few times per year. I stay in natural cornrows covered by wigs and deep condition on the regular.

 

[AmilLion]

I would stay away from the flatirons and like Beana said, practice makes perfect with rollersetting. When I first tried, I was a hot mess. Now I can roller set my entire head without looking in 10 minutes. And lay off relaxing soo often. Every six weeks is a bit much.

 

[caligirl]

by leaving it alone, and trying to wash and deep condition weekly.

 

[est.April1983]

Its basically about retaining length and maintaing your ends. my regimen is very simple every week I go to a domican salon for a wash,deep condition, roller set and pin curl to maintain curls they work wonders no heat needed at all I get my roots blown at 6 weeks post and I relax every 10 to 12. weeks. I do the same when I wear a sew in go to the domican salon weekly pin curl that's it I moisturize my ends at night when my hair is out. when I wear a sew in I moisturize with a braid spray

 

[RabiaElaine]

I self-weave or wear a low neat bun or an updo in a claw clip.

 

[hothair]

weave it up, co-wash every other day, vitamins, bt/mtg/mn and vatika

 

[Lady Esquire]

I am trying to determine how to grow my hair and still look professional at work everyday. I am a recent law school graduate and my hair looks a mess if I don't flat iron it twice a week. I am, however, getting ready to try and go back to roller setting, but I hate the way it makes my hair look and feel. I need moisture without weighing my hair down. HELP!! I have a combination of type 4A/B (mostly B). Thanks!

Congrats on your recent graduation! Its funny you ask this question 'cause it was during my 2nd year when I started researching hair care, due to those looming interviews.

I have not read any of the responses, so there may be repetitive info in my response.

Bunning, airdrying and using the scarf method is always tried and true. The scarf method keeps it neat and helps airdried hair lay flat. RaSylver's fotki has a tutorial.

A classic chignon bun. (Ya know this is classic hairdo in a suit and some cute earrings!!) You can wear it low in the middle or low to the side. SistaSlick's fotki has a tutorial on a sock bun.

Caruso rollers can be used everyday. The steam is safe and it sets in about 10 mins while you get ready in the morning. I used these a lot during my first real job!

Rollersetting but since you say you hate the way it turns out, try the silk wrap after taking out your rollers. It looks just as straight as if you flat-ironed it. I first learned about them on Pokahontas' fotki with her pictorial tutorial. Macherieamour has a video tutorial on her blog www.healthytextures.com.

You can preserve your rollersets with a mohawk rollerset at night, or pincurls, or a few flexi rods, or satin covered rollers.

Also, look into doing baggies. Maybe you can incorporate some phony ponytails into your hairdos during your work week. That will help keep your end moisturized and will help retain growth.

 

[remnant]

sorry deleted see your other thread