What was your hair regimen before LHCF

[BronzyBella]

I cringe at what mine used to be.

I'd shampoo wash my hair every 2 weeks and wouldn't necessarily deep treat it. My favourite shampoo to use though was the Herbal Essence formula for dry hair. There was always some treatment/conditioner from the black hair store lying around that I used but never paid attention to (ex. some claimed to contain avacado or placenta... I don't remember the brand.

I wouldn't moisturize my hair on a daily basis and would wait until it felt particularily dry to use "grease" for "Pink Oil Moisturizer". I would wear my hair tied back every day but it was sometimes in a bun and sometimes just pulled back with the ends left out. For a while, I used brown gel to keep it looking sleek.

Lastly, I dyed and highlighted my hair on and off since I was about 15.

Needless to say, I never got an inch or two past shoulder length.

I feel a little bad sometimes when I think about how I've been about APL for at least 2 years now. I sometimes start to ask myself whether it will be my terminal length. I know that some LHCFers have been better able to grow/ maintain their growth.

However, I once thought that shoulder length was my terminal length. I also thought I knew how to care for my hair and, obviouly, I didn't. I feel very appreciative when I look at how far I've come in terms of knowing how to care for my hair. I also see endless possibilities and countless inspirations.

I was just wondering what some of your pre-LHCF regimens were.

Thanks,
-Dee

 

[melissa-bee]

Well after relaxing my hair, i used to wash my hair every 2 weeks and then deep condition for 20 mins using ors hair mayo. My hair was growing and doing well. Then i stopped deep conditioning my hair cos i thought it was a waste of time and money, so my hair started breaking off and i didn't even notice. Then i started using heat to touch up my look almost every day.
So i have just about recovered and i am almost back where i was but now i'm transitioning.

 

[topnotch1010]

It was TERRIBLE!!

I washed once per week without conditioner (because I thought it was a waste of time and money) blow fried on high and used oil sheen so it would get really straight (I was frying my hair), curl on high, then wrap. I did this on Friday nights so I would have a nice curl for Saturday and Sunday. Come Monday I would re-curl every single day on HIGH until Friday when I restarted the process all over and NEVER used moisturizers. The only thing I used was oil sheen. I wrapped almost every night with a cotton scarf as tight as I could get it. I also got highlights all the time and needless to say all the dyed strands snapped off within 6 months. Lawdamercy it was BAD!

My hair stayed SL forever! My sides were always much shorter and damaged and the front was broken shorter than a pixie bang. I kept it layered to hide the damage and I always had at least one or two bald spots I was hiding, especially at the very top of my head.

 

[MilkChocolateOne]

i washed every two weeks with optimum shampoo and conditioner

applied hot 6 oil or profectiv breakfree and air dried in a ponytail

flat ironed with organic root stimulator oil sheen

wrapped every night until my next wash day

i relaxed every six weeks

 

[Hairsnob]

Before LHCF I....

Relaxed every 3-4 weeks FAITHFULLY

Washed weekly with Pantene Shampoo

DC'd weekly with whatever conditioner I had on hand, most of the time it was Pantene. I'd occasionally treat myself to the Goldwell Kerasilk Rich CareTreatment.

Flat-ironed almost daily, at least 4-5 times a week. I did at least use Pantene's heat protection spray until they discontinued it. After all, my new Sedu flat-iron was not supposed to cause damage so I could use it as much as I want..... Right???

And moisturize??? What was that?? The only product I used was the heat protection spray and that was non-existent after it was discontinued. So my hair was a heap of dry, straw-like, dusty looking, raggedy-ended mess!! erplexed

Yes, I considered myself "Ms. Pantene"

My oh my, looking back at it all I'm so glad I found LHCF

 

[Thann]

Ugh... sadly I don't even remember.

I do know it involved lots of glue, tracks and conditioner.

 

[longhairlover]

the same as it is now, i've always believed in healthy hair practices.
I just didn't deep condition as much, I didn't need to, but with this lovely new found thyroid disease I have to deep condition and lots of protein

 

[hair_rehab]

I would shampoo and condition my hair every two weeks, and I always wondered why I had a problem with dandruff. So between each wash I would put globs of grease on my scalp and hair, curl or flat iron every other day and I made sure that I wrapped it every night. I went to the salon only when I could afford it, so my hair was often left up to me for relaxers and I would grab whatever box relaxer (every six weeks)that was the most affordable and it burned my scalp almost every time. I just assumed that was normal and that's what I had to go through in order for my hair to look good.

 

[Auburn]

wash twice a week & flatiron pin straight.

 

[Solitude]

Every two weeks wash, blowdry and flat iron. Sometimes DC (meaning I left the conditioner on a little longer). My regimens have changed through out the years, though. Right before joining LHCF, I had started going to the Dominican salon every two weeks. I used sulphur 8 and Dax on my scalp.

I got a Phytorelaxer every 4-6 weeks at the salon. Used Oscar Blandi Jasmine oil serum daily on my wrap for shine. I got a trim with every relaxer.

Main problem was "bumping" my ends with a curling iron between washes.

 

[Sondice]

When I was relaxed, would get a rexaler every 2-3 months. Not intentionally so much, I was a broke college student and couldn't afford to go so I thought on a reg basis. And mind u when I went that was the only time my hair saw shampoo. So gross I know but thought at the time what most black people thought, that shampooing too much was bad 4 out hair. I used grease and Pink lotion to "moisturize". I would flat iron at least 2-3x a week. No heat protectant of course( lol I didn't even know they existed until abot 1 year ago). Suprisingly my hair was long though, now that I think about it, it was approaching BSL(before the 2 back to back bad relaxers). But it was hella dry and broke/sheded like crazy. But it was so thick that the avg person couldn't tell.

Knowing what I know now, it makes me cringe and kinda grosses me out to think of all the things I use to do to my hair. I just didn't know ne better.

 

[Eluv]

Washed and condition my hair every Saturday


I only moisturized my hair once a week on wash day before cornrowing it under a wig.

 

[mzsophisticated26]

I was a frequent salon visitor, I wore a short tapered cut so I would go every week or two for wash and curl. She would relax my full head every 4wks and then my tapered back every 2wks because she said it would lay better If I did my own relaxer then I would only wash it with neutralizing poo and conditioner that came in the box. I also did alot of glue in weaves

 

[HairBella08]

Regimen!!?? What was that?

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

rip out glue in tracks without using glue remover and wash once a wk with any shampoo and rinse out conditioner

While conditioner is in hair comb out remaining glue

Never deep condition

blow dry apply glue in tracks and flat iron

wrap every night (one of the only good things I did)

style in am (curl with curling iron etc...)

Relax whenever my edges got too crazy (every 4-6 months...I've always stretched relaxers out of pure laziness)

 

[MizzCoco]

I would wash my hair with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo, and condition while in the shower with the matching conditioner for about 2 minutes. Then I applied setting lotion and wrapped. I would go to bed, and by the time I woke up it was dry. ( My hair was chin length and super thin)
Then I would crank up the flat iron and bump it(with out any heat protectant) and that was pretty much it. No moisturizers because I washed my hair about every 3 or 4 days...no wonder my scalp was so dry!

 

[Maracujá]

I would wash once a week with a sulfate shampoo, not deep condition at all (sometimes I used a conditioner but not that often) and then let my hair airdry, sometimes I styled my hair sometimes I just did a ponytail. I didn't moisturize at all, I just sealed (used oil/pomade) without moisturizing. I did not relax on a regular basis, I would actually stretch my relaxers because each time I relaxed I thought about going natural. And sometimes I would mix milk, olive oil and eggs and put on my hair as a mask. That's about it.

 

[tmhuggiebear]

HA HA regimen... I didn't even know what that was back then. All did with my hair was throw it up ina ponytail.

 

[chellero]

Co wash, apply ORS olive oil and go. It never occurred to me to dc, even though I was always highlighting, or dying my hair.

 

[beans4reezy]

Man oh man. I used to keep my hair in extensions for months at a time. I never moisturized my hair in braids, rarely washed, and rarely DC'd.

Out of braids, I would get my hair washed whenever I had the time and money to go to the Dominican salons (usually every two weeks) and I would DC ONLY if I wanted to spare the extra $10. Which wasn't usually often.

Thank goodness for LHCF! Now, I have a solid regimen and my hair is noticeably getting longer.

 

[Barbie83]

some of these former "regimens" are hilarious, and tragic at the same time

I used to wash once or twice a week with some cheapie sulfate shampoo (whatever smelled good ) and condition with whatever conditioner I could find (never DC'd, although I did sometimes use Dark & Lovely cholesterol). Blow-dried after EVERY wash, and flat-ironed with my sister's Chi or curled with my Hot Tools curling iron

Never ever ever moisturized. I hated anything in my hair except shine serum because I just had to have that SWANG. ugh, so terrible......

 

[Taina]

Bfore FB
- Wash every week
- DC every week
- Rollerset or blow dry my hair every week
- Moisturize when needed

I was relaxed back then.

 

[BostonMaria]

Prior to my hair journey that started in 2007, I would go to the salon once a week. That's it. That was my hair regimen LOL No protective styles, no shea butter, no oil, no nada. Then I would wonder why my hair always had split ends LOL

 

[**SaSSy**]

Natural's Pride green hair grease was my "moisturizer" and ripping my hair out with my brush was "styling" and using the blow frier weekly was my solution to mangering my hair. So sad.

 

[My-Foolish-Heart]

Haha, my regimen was to shampoo once a week with ORS Creamy Aloe and then I would deep condition for 30-60 mins with ORS Replensing Pak. Every now and then I would switch to Doo Gro products BUT...I would then blow dry my hair AND flat iron and then grease my scalp with Dax or some other product that had mineral oil. I would grease my scalp like every other day and repeat the process all over again. Also, I would perm every 6 weeks. I used alot of glue to do quick weaves so that damaged my hair alot. I barely wrapped my hair at night either. I cringed as I typed this!

 

[melodies815]

Before LHCF, I was relaxed. I thought the blowdryer was the cure all. I would use it on wash days, on mornings when my edges didn't look "right," and basically use it the way I now use shea butter and aloe vera gel....to help with smoothness. Crazy. I would finish, having lost 2-3 handfuls of hair....and I thought I wssn't doing too badly. . Shame on me.

I am glad those days are behind me
cj

 

[Tylove101]

what hair regimen? I didnt have one...

 

[bludaydreamr]

When I lived home I took much better care of my hair, tied up my hair at night, washed, and deep conditioned reguarly. Before I stated my HHJ I had a standing appointment every two weeks for about 4 years or so, to get a wash, condition, rollerset, blowout and flatiron. I would relax when needed every 4-8 weeks.

 

[me-T]

braids or phony ponies with whatever hair was the same color as mine (dind't care about quality or synthetic shine lol)
gels, anything from the "ethnic" hair section, grease instead of leave-ins
i actually tried to use these in the best way possible, but i still wasn't retaining and my hair looked and felt a mess.

 

[LadyRaider]

My "Regimen"

1. Wash whenever I thought it was too dirty (maybe every three to four weeks)
2. Put conditioner on for 1-3 minutes and wash out.

3. Air dry (broke the blow dryer comb attachment)
4. Flat iron

5. Relax when my gray got bad enough that I was going in for color anyway. Or, relax when my hair was just too dry and brittle to do anything with.


6. USE CURLING IRON EVERY MORNING.

7. USE CURLING IRON IN THE EVENING TOO IF I HAD AN EVENT TO GO TO.

I used a heat protectant irregularly. When it was handy, and when I hadn't run out. I maybe used 1 and a half bottles of SE heat protectant in my entire life before (actually Ateyaa's videos were what led me to the light.)
That's it.

Didn't know about:
wide tooth combs
leave in conditioners
deep conditioners
no-heat styles
moisturizers
oils