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samanthathebrave

samanthathebrave

Well-Known Member
Hi! I am a long time lurker on this site, and I subbed in December. I would definitely like healthier and longer hair, but I'm overwhelmed. I have a pretty bad history with my hair. Hair length is effortless for all the ladies on my mother's side, and none of them knew what do with mine. I have had sewn in weaves for like 9 years. I figured that I could easily have an amazing weave, and that nice hair was unobtainable. I stopped relaxing most of my hair since it was always braided, I cut the straight ends off, and took my weave out at Thanksgiving. My hair was so easy to deal with! And longer than it had ever been in my life! But I don't know anything about hair care. I'm at the mercy of stylists, and my experience has been that they focus on styles. So I was wondering where do I start?
 
samanthathebrave

When I first came to the board, I read this article by one of the members and it really helped me get started on my quest for healthy hair.

http://voices.yahoo.com/hair-regimen-building-newbies-408289.html

I would also check out this thread below, it has so many useful links:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=389082

There's so much info on the board and it can be quite overwhelming. I've been on my healthy hair journey for 3 years now and there's still so much I need to learn. There is years of experience here, so I'm sure any question you may have can be answered by the ladies on the board. Hope those 2 links help. Happy Hair Growing :)
 
Steaming is using a steamer to infuse dc in hair. (google hair steamer for pics) Some people use baggie & hot towels if they dont have a steamer. To type hair post a pic.
For more help post pics of your hair w/ current regi. Also what problems are you having specifically.
Hth
 
samanthathebrave said:
Some of the specific questions I had:
1. What is steaming?
2. What is hairveda?
3. How do I type my hair?
Click to expand...

1. Steaming is actually using a machine that produces steam that you sit under (like a hair dryer) and it opens your cuticle and lets you deep condition more effectively.

2. Hairveda is the name of an online retailer who sells hair products. There are quite a few of them (my personal fav being She Scent It) who we actively support.

3. Hair typing is based on your curl pattern. Straight hair is 1, slow wave is 2, spiral or "S" shaped waves are a 3, and tightly coiled "Z" curls are a 4. The curlier your hair is, the more fragile it is.
 
get a hair journal. write down all of your hair activities, products you used and how they work/or didn't work.

get a simple regimen that you can stick to, weekly, biweekly, etc..

don't go product crazy on your hair. add a new product in one at a time as you begin to find out what works for your hair.

don't jump on bandwagons.

do as much research as you can before you begin. i recommend getting The Science Of Black Hair Care book.
 
samanthathebrave said:
my hair must be in the 4's, but it spirals when it gets wet. Is there any way to keep the spirals?
Click to expand...

You can maintain your curls with a few different products, it comes down to trial and error mostly, you can do Wash N' Go's, which in the simplest terms means to wash/rinse your hair step out the shower and go (without product), this starts to change however when the curl pattern starts to puff out so we apply product to maintain the moisture/weight so the hair doesn't fluff/puff up.

There are a few great threads on this forum like, Can I ask a dumb question... it answers so many questions from what does BSB mean to explaining porosity.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=247447

I know all the threads are overwhelming but taking your time to read through them will certainly enlighten you!

Good luck and HHJ
 
samanthathebrave

I recommend getting the curlygirl book by Lorraine Massey
I 2nd the hair journal and not jumping on band wagons. Keep it simple you just need a few staple products that your hair likes and a styler maybe 2. HHG


samanthathebrave said:
my hair must be in the 4's, but it spirals when it gets wet. Is there any way to keep the spirals?
Click to expand...

Moisture levels in your hair, the better moisturized you hair is, the less frizz and more definition you will get in our curls/coils. Also length helps to stretch out the curl pattern and make it looser. You can get this effect by using heavier leave ins or stylers and/or stretching your curls with heat. there are tutorials on YT. Remember everything doesn't work for everybody even if they have the same hair as you do.

these will help you get started and provide some inspiration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT6-9V3zG3U&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg_bYQSWE_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qOzqIuIr2Y&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da8u_TxphJU&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMk...xt=C32e14bdUDOEgsToPDskI4j-ytnsVVOS6ub6KFvnxl
 
Last edited:
samanthathebrave- My hair is 4a and it spirals when wet...they are just really tiny and tight curls (most call them coils bc they are so tight like a coil spring) :yep: They naturally shrink up when you are in the 4 range :lol: I just try to moisturize well when it is still wet to prevent frizz and keep my curls a bit stretched! But it usually is only so much you can do to avoid shrinkage :look: Congrats on becoming natural and beginning your HHJ :yay:
 
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