Why be extra with it???

[locabouthair]

op, i see what your saying. but for me I think my hair needs that extra. I've always done protein treatments before I came to the board. I would think all relaxed heads need a protein treatment every now and then, but i guess everyone's hair is different. Right now my hair is kinda porous so I think an ACV rinse would help. Besides that I do:

scalp massages, (because my sides are very thin)
good diet
DC weekly,
daily moisture,
protective styling, (only because my hair is too thin to wear it down)
a pre poo (even if it's for 5 mins, because it prevents me from losing more hair on wash day)

My hair is still damaged so everything I do is to nurse it back to health.

 

[caramelcutieinva]

My hair will continue to grow irregardless of what I do it. I never had a problem with growth. I have wished it was longer , but it was never really short unless I cut it short myself.

My hair has gone through a lot through the years and my focus now is on a healthy head of hair. All the "extra" things I do (i.e. pre poo , conditioner washes, and protective styles ) now are moving me towards my goal of a head fully of healthy hair.

 

[mrsjohnson75]

I think Less is Best....for me that is

 

[LABETT]

When I first joined the board I got caught up and jumped on a lot of bandwagons and product raves.( can get Expensive)
My hair actually suffered and I had a lot of setbacks when my hair was doing fine with my current regimen.
I learned only to try products,techniques that worked for members that had the same hair type as mine.(some still didn't work)
I am glad for the great info and extra stuff people do to their hair so if mine get a problem I can try it at least.
I have gone back to using products,techniques that worked for my hair before LHCF including that bad boy GREASE sometimes.

 

[Arcadian]

IMO, what some people consider extra-ness, others consider a necessity.

This board runs the gambut of products and regimines. I think we all find the things that work for us somewhere along the way.

Sure I may keep it simple, but I get bored and like to try things out. its how I learned that my scalp hated caster oil but my hair loved it.

Some love henna, some hate it. Henna to me IS extra, but for others, its apart of what helps to keep their hair healthy and strong.

But also, keeping up with new and different products help me along in my journey. I've retired some products because they helped me in the beginning, but, aren't right for my hair now.

So I think once you have a base routine, there's nothing wrong with experimenting if you get bored, its how you know what/what not to use.

-A

 

[Leslie_C]

When I first joined the board I got caught up and jumped on a lot of bandwagons and product raves.( can get Expensive)
My hair actually suffered and I had a lot of setbacks when my hair was doing fine with my current regimen.
I learned only to try products,techniques that worked for members that had the same hair type as mine.(some still didn't work)
I am glad for the great info and extra stuff people do to their hair so if mine get a problem I can try it at least.
I have gone back to using products,techniques that worked for my hair before LHCF including that bad boy GREASE sometimes.

Ditto! I had ppl telling me I was doing too much to my hair, to the point there was no way to know what was working and what wasnt. Since Ive grown my hair out after starting from scratch, I really keep it simple and use as few products as I can get away with. I dont put 10 things on my hair at once. I stick with what I know works, so if I do try something new and my hair starts acting up, its easy to pinpoint the culprit.

My hair is thriving more than ever by sticking to the basics and not overloading on every product that is on the market. I do have some mild issues, but Im dealing with them by trying one thing at a time.

 

[NYAmicas]

I'm not extra at all because I simply cant afford it. I like to experiment but I can be lazy and a bit afraid to deal with my thick hair so I probably still wouldnt be doing anything excessive.
Right now I just CO Wash, air dry, apply a moisturizer and oil then try to flat iron-but not use heat too much.

 

[Bublin]

My hair cannot take all the extra's....my bathroom is full of stuff i'm not sure about, i honestly don't know if they work for my hair.

I know my hair loves 'grease' - my favourite is Dax - blue - extra light formula....i put in on my scalp and hair and its great.

It loves shampoo.

It loves to be blowdried.

I'm not even sure about leave-in conditioners......either too watery or too heavy and creamy.

Since i've been a member here i'm more confused about my hair. Its not entriely LHCF's fault! - i have gone from relaxed, BC and now a mass of unmanagable curls.

I'm completely overwhelmed by all the different regimes and products available.

 

[Miss*Tress]

I hear you, I just sometimes thing being extra on a constant basis, is it really necessary?

I think for women with fragile hair, scalp issues, etc. the extras are probably essential to retaining growth. If you're in that category and really committed to having long hair, don't feel guilty about spending extra time and effort on your hair.

On the other hand, don't sweat it if your hair has a nice growth rate and little breakage by not doing those extras. That just means that your hair doesn't need it.

 

[Windsy]

I must say that when I first joined the "extra" helped me. With that, as my hair became healthier and longer, I slacked up. I don't think that a person should have the same regiment for 5 years. Your hair change and so should your regiment.

Also, for newbies, we are very excited to try everything and tend to jump on the bandwaggon hoping to find that right method that works.

 

[♦K.O♦]

I'm never "extra." I just use quality products and practices.

So even when I neglect my hair, it never does horribly.

 

[MuslimahTresses]

IMO, what some people consider extra-ness, others consider a necessity.

This board runs the gambut of products and regimines. I think we all find the things that work for us somewhere along the way.

Sure I may keep it simple, but I get bored and like to try things out. its how I learned that my scalp hated caster oil but my hair loved it.

Some love henna, some hate it. Henna to me IS extra, but for others, its apart of what helps to keep their hair healthy and strong.

But also, keeping up with new and different products help me along in my journey. I've retired some products because they helped me in the beginning, but, aren't right for my hair now.

So I think once you have a base routine, there's nothing wrong with experimenting if you get bored, its how you know what/what not to use.

-A

I agree with everything you said. This is a good way to look at it.

 

[Energee]

I have learned from trial and error with my hair that less is more. I don't do any of the baggie, xyz, etc...methods. I don't believe in using so called hair topical agents and so forth. For me, all I need are the basics and all the extra stuff I use to do to my hair just stressed it out and left my hands tired from always having them in my head. I personally don't do all the extra-jump-on-my-bandwagon methods!

This best describes how I feel. I don't do all the extras that I see mentioned here. I do pre-poo with coconut milk and honey but that's about it...that's really the only extra thing I do to my hair and it's very healthy for my hair. I consider it pampering. It's just an extra treat for my hair every other wash.

Less is more for my hair. It doesn't like a lot of manipulation or excessive products. My hair acts best when I leave it alone. I only really 'bother' it when I wash. I keep it up everyday nearly and I only finger comb it during the week.

 

[MrsQueeny]

I wish I could just do away with some stuff but it just doesn't cut it. For one I live in a really dry climate so all the extra moisturizing is needed. Plus it can get windy and dusty here. But also the extras allow me to manage my hair a lot better. When I was younger, I had long hair but it wasn't as thick as it is now. So having thicker hair means I have to take a little more care and effort to care for it. Q

 

[Moroni]

I've gotten to BSL before during a pregnancy and had it chopped off by a hating, sissor-happy stylist. It has taken me several years to get to my avatar pic, which is my LHCF starting point. Because of the "extras" that I was not previously aware of, I've missed out on a lot of retention, and I'm jumping on some of these bandwagons with both feet!!!

So now I'm "MN"-ing, pre-pooing, ACV rinsing, bunning (too fine for baggying), oil rinsing, DCing 2x/week, CO washing, avoiding heat, and stretching....all the "extras" that are making my hair stronger, and stopping the breakage and shedding I had. Granted, once I reach my goal, I may slack up on something when I realize that I don't need it. Until then, though, I'm sooo grateful for the "extras" I've learned about, and for those who have tried them and shared their results with me....(Sistaslick, Sareca, Sylver2, Qtslim83, Iaec06, Macharieamour, and soooooo many more whose regimen and foktis teach me how I can do it again!.....I just luv ya!) :notworthy

 

[gabulldawg]

I agree that it seems as if some people are doing way too much. Luckily for me I never jumped on too many bandwagons, mainly because I am a struggling graduate student and cannot afford to buy everything that people recommend! The only things that I have changed in my regimen since joining LHCF have been adding weekly protein pre-poos (which I can tell worked from the first time I did it), occasional baggying, and moisturizing (my hair and not my scalp). I also bought a bone comb because I saw the logic in that. The only "extras" that I am currently participating in are using BT and MN.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

I think that if you had longer hair as a child or teen, then maybe the "extra" may seem like a lot. Because most likely, your hair can grow back to that length now as an adult.

But for alot of sistas, especially on this board who's hair has always been short, like most Black women, all of the "extra" has been proven to work for alot of us. Especially if you want hair longer than it's even been.

I think also, let's keep in mind that maybe some of our was healthy but was it growing longer in length? That's the thing. I grew up with girls who had long hair, maybe like full SL or APL, but that's where their hair stayed. Even as teenagers. I had plenty of classmates that were SL but that's where it stayed all 4 years! Maybe if they had done some of the "extra", then maybe they could had retain more hair and had APL and MBL hair.

I don't know, that's just my comment. Just wanted to give a perspective from a short haired girl who has never had a longer length of hair. Give me the "extra", at least some of it