Your Mistakes

S

Sunshine

New Member
What were some of your biggest mistakes and/or worse habbits that caused your hair to break or become damaged?

Here's mine:
In the past I would relax my hair at the first sight of new growth because I always wanted it to look fresh.

I never used to sleep with my hair tied up because 1) it would give me a headache, 2) it would come off at night any way and most importantly 3) I lived with my man and I didn't want him to see me looking like Aunt Jemimah. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif Thank goodness I'm over that now. My hair was dry and brittle then.

What did you do?
 
1.doing home relaxers and INTENTIONALLY re-processing all the ends! /images/graemlins/shocked.gif
2. Going for weeks (up to 6!) without a wash and then NEVER conditioning let alone deep condition /images/graemlins/shocked.gif
3. thinking that long, healthy hair was only for whites and was only in the genes
4. slapping my hair with hair gel to get shine
5. relying on stylists and letting 'amatuer' hair stylists do whatever crap they wanted on my hair AND paying them to do so including, aplying relaxer all thru my hair, braiding already receding hairline, braiding the hair too tight plus tolerating BAD service for years
6. after all the above, wondering why i had DRY, dead hair that never grew! Priase the Lord now I am saved! /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
The curling iron and the blowdryer. I used to curl my hair EVERYDAY....no wonder my ends were always dry and fried.
 
After washing, blowdrying my hair on the highest setting THEN running curling irons through it to get it straight. OMG did my ends suffer for it.

Putting permanent hair colour in my hair (approx 12 years ago) and not properly looking after it so my hair got drier and drier and drier. I had to hack it all off: below shoulder length hair to ear length /images/graemlins/frown.gif

More recently this year, waiting too long for my next re touch thinking I was doing my hair good when in fact alot of it broke from the diff. in hair textures. Never again. /images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
Oh my!! Since we don't have all day, I'll try to make this brief. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

1. Believing that black hair was the toughest hair of all and therefore could take lots of abuse.

2. Not taking the time to get to know my own hair and letting different hairdressers decide what was best for my hair.

3. Definately wearing braids too tight! (I'll never do that again) Next time I'll know better.

4. Using a hot comb over a relaxer to straighten my hair out, regularly.(What the hell was I thinking??? /images/graemlins/blush.gif)

5. Using the blow dryer on my hair on the highest setting everyday to style my hair. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

6. Greasing my hair and scalp, (a lot), in the belief that it would help grow my hair. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

7. Not protecting my hair at night before going to bed. /images/graemlins/blush.gif
(You couldn't pay me to do that now!)

8. When I had a curl perm, I would blow dry it and wear it straight for days on end and not moisturize my hair. /images/graemlins/blush.gif
(That really messed my hair.)

9. Washing my hair 1x every 2 weeks. I really believed that water would rott my hair away. /images/graemlins/blush.gif /images/graemlins/confused.gif(What a joke! I really didn't have a clue!!) Now, thank GOD, I wash my hair every 3 days, no matter what. What a difference it's made! The same water I believed would rott my hair away, actually saved my hair. My hair has never looked so good.

I could go on and on. But I'll stop here. Looking at this list, I realize how much I really didn't know about hair at all. Thank goodness for this board and good books on black hair care! /images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Just had to add one more thing:

10. Believing that a no-lye relaxer was safer for my hair than the lye relaxer. What a lie that turned out to be!!!
 
1. I used to comb the relaxer through my WHOLE hair every time I put it in which was every 6-8 weeks.
2. I used to blow dry my hair EVERY week and use the curling iron on it.
3. I never deep conditioned.
 
I made a lot of mistakes in the past but the biggest were:

  1. using a pressing comb over relaxed hair
    treating my ends with the same styling techniques as the rest of my hair
    stylists who did not condition my hair (conditioning was extra and on request only)
 
Thinking that black womans hair wont grow
Not sleeping in a satin scarf
Oiling my hair and ends so much that it was to greasy(now i know better)
Using the old fashion hotcomb on the highest heat to get my hair straight and then bumping it up with a curling iron, (What was i thinking)
 
1. Allowing stylists to talk me into putting a brand of relaxer on my hair that I knew was too harsh for me.

2. Allowing a stylist to run a relaxer through to the ends on a touch-up instead of getting up on the spot and insisting she wash it all out and leaving the salon (an ounce of prevention -- and a minute of discomfort-- is worth a pound of cure)

3. Blowdrying using a semi-rounded brush with a rubber base, that would catch and snap my hair as I worked it through each section

4. Not deep conditioning with a heating cap (each wash - for months)

5. Detangling with a vengeance -- letting my frustration out on my hair and breaking it in the process
 
posted by pandora:
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
SVT, i did not understand your second point. please clarify

[/ QUOTE ]

I've learned from the hairboards that my ends require more moisture than the rest of my hair and generally need to be handled with extra care because they are the oldest part of my hair.

HTH!
 
1) When relaxing hair, I intentionally reprocessed hair that was already relaxed in hopes of getting it really straight. I had no idea that this was damaging.
2) Using a curling iron and blow-dryer EVERYDAY.
3) Packing every product ever known to man to slick my edges down for a smooth bun/ponytail effect.
4) Putting in too tight braids or weaves and thinking my hair underneath wouldn't get damaged.
5) Washing hair every two weeks was the way to go
6) Washing hair and not putting deep conditioner on my hair.
7) Using a pressing comb over relaxed hair
8) Thought a No-lye relaxer was more gentle to my hair than a lye relaxer
9) Believing that brushing my hair would stimulate growth
10) Thought that TRIMS alone made your hair grow

Gosh, how stupid was i
 
1) Letting the beautician comb the relaxer from roots to ends instead of new growth only.

2) Hot curling <font color="red"> everyday </font color>. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

3) Not conditioning after shampooing. I conditioned my hair once a month. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

4) Applied a Jet Black rinse every month.

5) Wearing tight ponytails.

6) Used products with alcohol (i.e.: Gel, mousse, holding spray, etc.)

7) Tied my hair up with a cotton scarf. Wasn't hip on silk &amp; satin.
 
notice the echoeing habit, ALLOWING STYLISTS TO COMB RELAXER THROUGHOUT. sometimes i wonder what these stylists learnt at school cos it sure didnt do us any good!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
- When I used to relax, I would relax every six weeks, when I could have waited longer and sometimes I used the no-lye relaxers.
- Not doing deep conditioners on a regular basis and if I did them not sitting under a heating cap/dryer with them.
- Also I was just plain lazy with my hair, which is why I was never big on blowdryers or curling irons unless I was going somewhere special. I just didn't feel like taking the time.
-Not taking special care of the ends and overtrimming.
 
Well, I'll try and be brief:
1. Applying the relaxer then coloring my hair 2 weeks after that then relaxing again 2 weeks after that (so a 4 week time frame).
2. Applying relaxer through all of my hair each time
3. Allowing stylist to leave relaxer in my hair for 40min even though I said it was burning
4. Using heat waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often..trying to get that "white people" straight. My hair was refusing...it kept yelling, "I'm African, I'm African".
5. No protein treatments. I didn't even know what they were until BHC board back in March 99.

What I did/do now:
1. I cornrowed (back in June) so tightly that I balded myself in the front a bit and it bled (it's all better now..the hair is back).
2. I can't stop picking my hair out. I pull this, I pull that. By the time I get up from a couch there's like over 50 strands of hair all over...sigh. I need to find out why I do this. I think mainly boredom.

I noticed the only thing my hair has to fear is me..how sad. /images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Blowdrying dry hair, pressing with the hotcomb and curling it with the hot curlers several times a week. (That's the only way I knew how to take care of hair.)

Infrequent shampooing, conditioning and moisturizing.

Ignorance about which products I needed for my hair. (Once a hairstylist told me to stop using heavy, petroleum oil-based greases on my hair and scalp. I didn't understand why because those greases laid my hair down. I didn't know of any alternatives so I kept using the grease. She must have been ahead of the class because stylists at the salon that I visit now reach for those heavy greases when I have gone to get a blow out and trim.

Feeling defeated when it came to being a success at making my hair grow and look nice.
 
Dear me, so much to post..

1. relaxing as soon as i see growth (sometimes twice a month) /images/graemlins/shocked.gif
2. combing relaxer thru all hair /images/graemlins/mad.gif
3. color (permanent - mind you) /images/graemlins/crazy.gif once or twice a month
4. thought my hair was strong and invincible /images/graemlins/blush.gif
5. never air dried or bonnet dried, ALWAYS blow dried on HIGH and hot curl after
6. was too cheap to buy Good products. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
7. ill stop here and not show how ignorant i was /images/graemlins/grin.gif

ah well... knowledge is KEY! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Be blessed.
 
I think my biggest mistake was neglecting the conditioning . In my late teens, I did hot oil treatments as a pre-shampoo treatment and used a deep conditioner (that was moisturizing and had protein also) after the shampoo (if not every shampoo, then every other.)

By my late 20's, I had cut it down to just the shampoo and instant conditioners. But I continued to blow dry and flat iron....my hair had no protection (I know this now); breakage soon followed.

Thanks to the great tips and advice on this board and other ones like it, I'm able to get my hair on the road to recovery! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
1. Gobs and gobs of hard, sticky gel
2. Raking the comb through my hair
3. Using metal clips
4. Putting product after product in my hair
5. Hot combing, blowdrying, curling my hair to death
6. and then one day I bought a flat iron...
 
Whating to have my hair bone straight like the girls on the relax boxes. I realise that many of the girls were just models and their hair was naturally very curly, but very easy to blow dry straight to give the illusion of relaxed hair.

Washing my hair every two weeks
When the hair was washed, blow drying instead of air drying.
Now I rinse my hair nearly every day and I don't blow dry, when it is washed it comb it when it is wet and style it in twists etc. Also I spray it when I comb it.
Sticking to my vitamin supplements, sometimes I would get bored and stopped. I noticed that my hair became very brittle.
 
Relaxing my hair every 2 weeks with a no-lye relaxer. I mistook the frizzy airdried look as new growth.

Washing my hair every two weeks

Applying that nasty pink oil to my hair EVERYDAY then washing it every week. I had to buy the pink oil every 2 weeks as I used that much.

Greasing my scalp

Actually believeing every hair product that had the words GRO on it or SUPERGRO, then got frustrated when it didn't then said to myself it would still work. What kind of a dumbass was I

Thinking conditioner was only for white people.

Thinking my hair could never grow

Braiding too tight

Wearing panty hose on my head at night

combing through my natural hair constantly with a thin tooth comb until hardly any hair came out, realising I was actually breaking my hair and it wasn't dead hair combing out

Thinking that the more hair on the comb was better cause all the shed hair was gone.

LOOKING BACK I WAS A ******* IDIOT in my teens /images/graemlins/mad.gif

Do you know what pisses me off now more than anything. Knowng I'd be waist length if either me or my mother had this hair knowledge from way back, I'd be close to sitting on my hair now.

Ah nevermind. Rather get there late than never
 
1- Just ignoring my hair. If I didn't like the way it looked I'd weave it or braid it or whatever but never really tried to take care of it. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

2- Never tying it up at night.

3- Not washing often enough.

4- The curling iron.
 
I just had to add one more cause until this day, I think I'm an idiot for this:

During my teenager days I used to crimp my hair. I would wait until the crimper would be HOT HOT. I would put hair spray on my hair and then crimp it hoping it would sizzle. The sizzling noise let me know it was enough. If that's not the dummest thing you ever heard of /images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Giiiiiiiirrrlll I been there too! Don't feel too bad. I mean, how you know it's done unless it's poppin?!! hahahahaha /images/graemlins/grin.gif I tell ya, the things we do.
 
So much damage, so little space!!
-using the curling iron every day on the highest setting;
-washing every 2 weeks;
-relaxing with Optimum No-Lye every 4 weeks and overlapping like crazy;
-using poor quality hair care products;
-not tying my hair down at night;
-putting a French roll in my hair at least 3x/week using small hair pins that put too much tension on my already frazzled ends, which contributed to major breakage;
-putting in braids, removing them, failing to trim the ends, then frying the new length with the curling iron.

I think that's it for now!!
 
1. Using a blow dryer and curling iron every day for almost 15 years! /images/graemlins/shocked.gif And I wondered why my hair never grew past my neck... Looking back, I should fall on my knees and thank God that had hair on my head!

2. Trusting hairstylists and not educating myself on proper hair care. I figured they went to school for this and knew what they were talking about. Boy was I wrong about that. Not once did a stylist tell me not to use the blow fryer and curling iron so often. They usually recommended a hotter dryer! /images/graemlins/confused.gif

3. Treating my relaxed hair like it was naturally straight hair. Big mistake!!!
 
For me the blow-dryer &amp; curling iron.Not deep conditioning.Not oiling the ends.And letting stylist cut as much as they wish /images/graemlins/frown.gif. Boy was i crazy /images/graemlins/blush.gif. Happy Hair Growing! /images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
1. USing curling irons every day
2. USing gels with alcohol
3. Not washing my hair enough
4. Not believing my hair could grow long again
5. Getting discouraged and giving up
6. Not speaking up stylist who were trying to harm my hair
 
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