Random Hair Thoughts/Thinking out loud

[Alma Petra]

Thanks, @Sharpened

You may be right! My hair may not be like Naptural85's. I watch her old videos when her hair was shorter, and I feel like I'm looking at my hair but I may be so wrong about that.

Thanks for mentioning that you don't shoot for 100% shed-and-tangle-free hair. I don't detangle nearly as fully as I used to, and I've just been crossing my fingers that this will be okay in the long run!

I loved the change in your hair over those 4 pics you shared in the "Everyday Hair" thread, and I have been ITCHING to try your regimen (especially the oil rinsing), but maybe you're right!

Thanks so much for the message.

Hey lovely!

I think I understand what you want to do. You want to incorporate oil-rinsing in your regimen. And I think that oil-rinsing really deserves to be given a chance. It can help a lot with softening and hydration.

It just happens that your regimen already contains a lot of steps and for that reason it might be a stretch to describe your final plan as an adaptation of Sharpened's regimen. She basically applies water then oil then rinses with water again and that's it. Sometimes she trials other things like aloe on the scalp or a tea spritz but these are not essential for her if I'm not mistaken and I think that her regimen's most striking feature is basically how simple it's core is. Her hair turns out amazing. Now her regimen might or might not be for us. I am her greatest admirer but I'm not sure that my hair can be hydrated enough with oil rinsing alone. I feel like my hair will always need a creamy leave in afterwards, at least. But I may be wrong. Sharpened only leaves a thin layer of castor oil on her hair after she rinses the oil out and I'm always shocked at how defined and shiny her hair turns out to be. That's why I want to muster enough courage to try to strictly follow her regimen one day. But until we are ready for that we can borrow and incorporate some of her tried and true practices such as the oil rinse or the aloe on the scalp or the guava tea spritz etc.

If you want to go fully and strictly Sharpened and given the current condition of your hair (dry with some breakage) , I would suggest that you DC with your best moisturizing DC first then rinse with the DIY oil (she only uses a tiny amount of oil for oil-rinsing) Then water rinse and air dry, et voila!

What are your main goals from wanting to try Sharpened's regimen? Is it moisture, definition, clumpage, shine, less frizz?

For my hair I find that shingling with the oil on (talking about my natural roots and sunflower oil) can give me better clumpage. Not combing this time should help with that too.

Another 2 things that help with my clumpage and definition are rhassoul clay rinses and gel. Gel helps with shine, softness, (perceived?) moisture, and hold as well. But I digress.

Anyway supposedly repeating this regimen 2 or 3 times (oil rinsing only without the DC) should improve your clumpage and definition a lot. Then later on you can trial the other things she trials which I think serve different purposes as well.

But if your goal is to simply incorporate oil rinsing in your existing regimen, then I think you already have a solid plan outlined. You are the person who knows your hair best, its needs, its likes and the way it responds to things.

Good luck, sunshine!

 

[Alma Petra]

OK, I am going to make a suggestion that I had made to you last year: embrace your texture. Let the coils clump, then you can start stretching them. The hair has to be trained where it is supposed to go. A good gel will clump most of your coils for you as you rake it through. I do not aim for root-to-tip definition, either; ain't happening, don't care. You have a blow dryer, so use it on your shingled hair.

You compared your hair to Nap85's: I don't see the similarity because she has a looser curl pattern and her hair is thready (mine is spongy, if you were wondering). She also embraces her texture unstretched from time-to-time. You have beautiful hair and you got the length to do various styles now.

I do not shoot for 100% shed- and tangle-free hair except twice a year. Sacrilege, I know, but my hair is fine.

Yes, raw aloe is better, but you have to process it and freeze the leftovers. I suggested the bottled inner leaf gel so as to not overwhelm you. I would not use protein and aloe during the same session until I had trialed it first with my normal products. I have used it before a protein treatment for my scalp only to exfoliate.

Relax... You are still learning to get to know a part of yourself. I never expected to take a decade to get to the point I am at now, but I never had preconceived notion about kinky hair either. Or, simply put, I ain't got straight, wavy, or curly hair; I never expected my hair to behave like that even when I had used chemicals and heat; and I had no intentions of beating it into submission anymore. I wanted my hair (and scalp) to tell me what it wants and hates. My only regret was not trying water-only when my scalp had produced enough sebum for it to work.

Hey lady,

I have never used raw aloe before. I have used the bottled one and it acted like a hair gel on my hair. It was smoothing and gave some definition and some hold. And it dried crunchy. Does raw aloe dry crunchy as well? If your bottled aloe gel does not dry crunchy, what brand is it?

TIA!

 

[Sharpened]

Hey lady,

I have never used raw aloe before. I have used the bottled one and it acted like a hair gel on my hair. It was smoothing and gave some definition and some hold. And it dried crunchy. Does raw aloe dry crunchy as well? If your bottled aloe gel does not dry crunchy, what brand is it?

TIA!

If I use aloe all over as a leave-in, it is on wet or damp hair and I layer an oil over it; a medium-to-light oil is good for this. Any moisture I put on my head will be sealed by oil or gel, unless it is a final rinse. Aloe and oil is what I prefer for my twists.

 

[Alma Petra]

If I use aloe all over as a leave-in, it is on wet or damp hair and I layer an oil over it; a medium-to-light oil is good for this. Any moisture I put on my head will be sealed by oil or gel, unless it is a final rinse. Aloe and oil is what I prefer for my twists.

So you never get any of that crunch? I use Dr Organics's AVG. I love it for my set styles such as a bantu knot out or a twist out and in that case it does not leave crunch but then even wetline gel wouldn't leave any significant crunch with these styles. But for wash and go's or slicking back a bun, the AVG definitely dries crunchy and needs to be SOTCed.

ETA: I always style on wet (sometimes damp) hair and I always use a leave in and seal with oil and butter or grease before applying the gels including AVG.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Hey lovely!

I think I understand what you want to do. You want to incorporate oil-rinsing in your regimen. And I think that oil-rinsing really deserves to be given a chance. It can help a lot with softening and hydration.

It just happens that your regimen already contains a lot of steps and for that reason it might be a stretch to describe your final plan as an adaptation of Sharpened's regimen. She basically applies water then oil then rinses with water again and that's it. Sometimes she trials other things like aloe on the scalp or a tea spritz but these are not essential for her if I'm not mistaken and I think that her regimen's most striking feature is basically how simple it's core is. Her hair turns out amazing. Now her regimen might or might not be for us. I am her greatest admirer but I'm not sure that my hair can be hydrated enough with oil rinsing alone. I feel like my hair will always need a creamy leave in afterwards, at least. But I may be wrong. Sharpened only leaves a thin layer of castor oil on her hair after she rinses the oil out and I'm always shocked at how defined and shiny her hair turns out to be. That's why I want to muster enough courage to try to strictly follow her regimen one day. But until we are ready for that we can borrow and incorporate some of her tried and true practices such as the oil rinse or the aloe on the scalp or the guava tea spritz etc.

If you want to go fully and strictly Sharpened and given the current condition of your hair (dry with some breakage) , I would suggest that you DC with your best moisturizing DC first then rinse with the DIY oil (she only uses a tiny amount of oil for oil-rinsing) Then water rinse and air dry, et voila!

What are your main goals from wanting to try Sharpened's regimen? Is it moisture, definition, clumpage, shine, less frizz?

For my hair I find that shingling with the oil on (talking about my natural roots and sunflower oil) can give me better clumpage. Not combing this time should help with that too.

Another 2 things that help with my clumpage and definition are rhassoul clay rinses and gel. Gel helps with shine, softness, (perceived?) moisture, and hold as well. But I digress.

Anyway supposedly repeating this regimen 2 or 3 times (oil rinsing only without the DC) should improve your clumpage and definition a lot. Then later on you can trial the other things she trials which I think serve different purposes as well.

But if your goal is to simply incorporate oil rinsing in your existing regimen, then I think you already have a solid plan outlined. You are the person who knows your hair best, its needs, its likes and the way it responds to things.

Good luck, sunshine!

Thanks, @Alma Petra!

Okay: I thought the catnip, etc. were a part of the regimen. They're not. Gotcha.

Hmm! I hadn't been thinking of it as a regimen that hinges on the mechanism of simplicity. I deep condition, do protein treatments, and all of that. These are definitely additional steps that make wash day more complex.

My goal was clumpage and health. The transformation of Sharpened's hair over those 4 photos was stark, and I thought, "I have yet to try this."

So my thought was to jump in there flexibly, not leaving off things important for my hair (protein, etc.), but trying the oil rinsing and so forth.

But it's okay. I am more than fine with sticking to my DCing, timely protein, puffs, and twist outs. I tend to like experimenting a lot because I love trialing and seeing and learning, but it's not necessary to switch up so much.

Thanks again.

 

[Sharpened]

So you never get any of that crunch? I use Dr Organics's AVG. I love it for my set styles such as a bantu knot out or a twist out and in that case it does not leave crunch but then even wetline gel wouldn't leave any significant crunch with these styles. But for wash and go's or slicking back a bun, the AVG definitely dries crunchy and needs to be SOTCed.

ETA: I always style on wet (sometimes damp) hair and I always use a leave in and seal with oil and butter or grease before applying the gels including AVG.

I think it might be the other ingredients (stabilizers and preservatives) causing the dryness.

 

[Sharpened]

Thanks, @Alma Petra!

Okay: I thought the catnip, etc. were a part of the regimen. They're not. Gotcha.

Hmm! I hadn't been thinking of it as a regimen that hinges on the mechanism of simplicity. I deep condition, do protein treatments, and all of that. These are definitely additional steps that make wash day more complex.

My goal was clumpage and health. The transformation of Sharpened's hair over those 4 photos was stark, and I thought, "I have yet to try this."

So my thought was to jump in there flexibly, not leaving off things important for my hair (protein, etc.), but trying the oil rinsing and so forth.

But it's okay. I am more than fine with sticking to my DCing, timely protein, puffs, and twist outs. I tend to like experimenting a lot because I love trialing and seeing and learning, but it's not necessary to switch up so much.

Thanks again.

@Alma Petra is exactly right; the herbal rinses are for fun, but if someone can get some benefit from my experimenting, all the better.

I have zero expectation anyone will do what I do. I just hope to help folks out when they want to see how an ingredient behaved or different technique to doing things. Right now, I would love to know precisely which fatty acids my hair likes or hates and what each one does for my hair.

 

[KinkyRN]

I eyeballed my amounts, but it consisted of:
Henna (about 2 heaping tablespoons if I had to guess)
amla, brahmi and fenugreek (about 1/2 teaspoon each)
I add water to make a paste and let it develop overnight (about 12 hours).
In the morning I added about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and my deep conditioner to make a nice cake batter consistency paste.

I let it sit on my hair for 2 hours without heat and then another hour under the dryer. I rinsed it thoroughly and then rinsed again with conditioner for good measure. That's it. My hair feels good.

You didn't shampoo or deep condition after? Just wondering because I saw that some people do. I will be adding this recipe to my to do. Thanks!

 

[spacetygrss]

You didn't shampoo or deep condition after? Just wondering because I saw that some people do. I will be adding this recipe to my to do. Thanks!

I shampooed my hair before using the henna glaze.
I mixed my deep conditioner into the henna mixture, so that WAS the deep conditioning step.
After I rinsed the henna glaze out, I did a final rinse with regular conditioner to help make sure that all of the henna was gone.
Then, I did my LOC like normal.

If you do a plain henna MASK it's highly recommended that you do a moisturizing DC afterwards. The glaze is different.

HTH.

 

[KinkyRN]

I shampooed my hair before using the henna glaze.
I mixed my deep conditioner into the henna mixture, so that WAS the deep conditioning step.
After I rinsed the henna glaze out, I did a final rinse with regular conditioner to help make sure that all of the henna was gone.
Then, I did my LOC like normal.

If you do a plain henna MASK it's highly recommended that you do a moisturizing DC afterwards. The glaze is different.

HTH.

Okay I get what your saying. I wasn't looking at the glaze as a D.C. but with the D.C. added and the time plus heat... it makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Alma Petra]

Thanks, @Alma Petra!

Okay: I thought the catnip, etc. were a part of the regimen. They're not. Gotcha.

Hmm! I hadn't been thinking of it as a regimen that hinges on the mechanism of simplicity. I deep condition, do protein treatments, and all of that. These are definitely additional steps that make wash day more complex.

My goal was clumpage and health. The transformation of Sharpened's hair over those 4 photos was stark, and I thought, "I have yet to try this."

So my thought was to jump in there flexibly, not leaving off things important for my hair (protein, etc.), but trying the oil rinsing and so forth.

But it's okay. I am more than fine with sticking to my DCing, timely protein, puffs, and twist outs. I tend to like experimenting a lot because I love trialing and seeing and learning, but it's not necessary to switch up so much.

Thanks again.

No dear I didn't mean that you cannot incorporate oil-rinsing into your regimen. I was just hoping to clarify the bit of confusion. As I said oil rinsing is great and it might work for you perfectly. I don't exactly follow her regimen but I could see that oil rinsing did help me with clumpage (whether Sharpened's castor/hemp/pumpkin seed mix or my sunflower oil)

One curious thing I noticed is that synthetic conditioners, deep conditioners and leave-ins do have the ability to disrupt the clumps or increase frizz in kinky hair for some obscure reason. I have mostly noticed it when I apply a leave in or a rinse-out after having defined my hair with say a clay mix. I don't know if @Sharpened has noticed this as well or not. But I assume that hair that has been trained to clump over time should be less susceptible to this effect.

Regarding the catnip yeah I think she said once that she doesn't like it a lot and that she prefers guava tea. Gel is always great in my opinion, and whatever definition you have in your hair it gives it a terrific boost. AVG should have the same effect being a gel and given its balanced pH. But I think that @Sharpened believes her phenomenal clumpage is mostly due to the oil rinsing. I can't speak for her and she is here with us. Can you clarify this point more please @Sharpened?

But pray do incorporate the oil rinse @YvetteWithJoy (and the other intended steps) in your upcoming wash day as you planned. I'm excited to read your reflections on it.

 

[Alma Petra]

I think it might be the other ingredients (stabilizers and preservatives) causing the dryness.

I think that you must be right regarding the additional ingredients. That's why I was curious about what specific bottled brand you use. In fact my AVG does not cause me any dryness. On the contrary it's moisturizing but when it first dries it leaves behind this crunch that is characteristic of gels (like Wetline for example) which I will then have to SOTC. Do you get any of that with Wetline? Or do you not need to SOTC with it neither?

 

[Sharpened]

I think that you must be right regarding the additional ingredients. That's why I was curious about what specific bottled brand you use. In fact my AVG does not cause me any dryness. On the contrary it's moisturizing but when it first dries it leaves behind this crunch that is characteristic of gels (like Wetline for example) which I will then have to SOTC. Do you get any of that with Wetline? Or do you not need to SOTC with it neither?

Oh, you meant the gel cast, not actual dryness. I kind of like the crunch, because that means my hair will not be tangling, and it wears off after a few days. Wetline is very crunchy, but you can scrunch most of that out with oil or butter.

 

[Alma Petra]

Oh, you meant the gel cast, not actual dryness. I kind of like the crunch, because that means my hair will not be tangling, and it wears off after a few days. Wetline is very crunchy, but you can scrunch most of that out with oil or butter.

Hehe yeah exactly. I am not a big fan of the crunch even though I'm a huge fan of wetline gel. I know that it scrunches out soft and moisturized but I just wish there was a version of it that has all of its characteristics except for the crunch.

I have never used raw AVG before and I really want to know if it dries crunchy as well or if this only happens with the bottled AVG.

 

[Sharpened]

Hehe yeah exactly. I am not a big fan of the crunch even though I'm a huge fan of wetline gel. I know that it scrunches out soft and moisturized but I just wish there was a version of it that has all of its characteristics except for the crunch.

I have never used raw AVG before and I really want to know if it dries crunchy as well or if this only happens with the bottled AVG.

Raw aloe seems to vanish in my hair, no crunchiness here. I use it on my nape with no problem. It goes brown within 5 days, still usable, though.

 

[Saludable84]

I'm doing EVERYTHING I CAN to resist starting the purchasing of butters. I want to purchase
jojoba butter,
aloe butter,
macadamia nut butter,
cupuacu butter,
kokum butter,
etc.

I just want to throw in your face that I have all of these in my possession

 

[Saludable84]

Can anyone recommend a good fog-free shower mirror?

I'm using Cremo but it still fogs. Just put it under water for a second and it stops.

 

[PJaye]

ORS Mayo...whodathunkit.

 

[AgeinATL]

I'm using Cremo but it still fogs. Just put it under water for a second and it stops.

Thanks Tasia!
@rileypak

 

[TwoSnapsUp]

My hair has been getting it's life with Mango Butter. This will definitely be my go to during the winter.

 

[Pygmy_puff]

My hair has been mad at me ever since I took out my extensions. It's been soooooo dry and fizzy! I tried many different DC's and none of them worked. Finally last night I tried Shea Moisture Mafura Honey mask to DC and braided my wet hair with a little Blue Magic. Finally, it's soft again! It's still not 100% but it's improved a lot. I'm so relived I was starting to think my hair was ruined.

 

[Sharpened]

Spent a total of 20 minutes on my hair today, a happy, yet rare occasion. It was in a shellacked into a puff since Thursday, so that stretch helped a bit. The Wetline Xtreme Gel started to crumble in the front (everybody else gets simple flakes, I get pills and crumbs), so I did a quick oil rinse/detangle with apricot seed oil. Hours later at 90% dry, I got flakes from the gel residue that remained in my hair.

This is the only gel that does not rinse clean consistently. I love/hate this stuff...

 

[Royalq]

My hair is feeling really dry lately. It was super soft up until I stupidly applied shea butter to it, knowing full and well my natural hair hates the stuff but I wanted to see how my relaxed hair will react. That was thursday and ever since then my hair has been desert dry. Even today I decided to wash to get the shea butter out and my hair still feels dry. I just DCed and now im under a heated cap doing an oil rinse hoping it will bring back the softness. No more shea butter for me. I gave my Alikay shea yogurt to my brother to use.

 

[Saludable84]

Spent a total of 20 minutes on my hair today, a happy, yet rare occasion. It was in a shellacked into a puff since Thursday, so that stretch helped a bit. The Wetline Xtreme Gel started to crumble in the front (everybody else gets simple flakes, I get pills and crumbs), so I did a quick oil rinse/detangle with apricot seed oil. Hours later at 90% dry, I got flakes from the gel residue that remained in my hair.

This is the only gel that does not rinse clean consistently. I love/hate this stuff...

That gel only took me once on a WNG. One year ago. Never again.

For my edges when I wear buns yes. But that's as far as I go.

 

[Royalq]

Yeah no, my hair still feels iffy. Its not as buttery as it was before. Im air drying now and i plan to do bantu knots. Yesterday I unintentionally did bantu knots and it came out so beautiful. Hopefully I can recreate the look with a few improvements.

 

[faithVA]

Signing up for this triathlon has been great for taking my mind off my hair. I've had so much training in the past 8 weeks that I haven't had time to worry about my hair. And if I thought about my hair I was too tired to do anything about it

I'm hoping after it is over I'm still nonchalant about my hair and just keep it up and away.

 

[Colocha]

This girl in a Soultanicals ad did a four braid braid-out, separated and then immediately put each braid section into a bantu knot for stretch.

I was sitting there nodding and taking notes. I know how I'll be wearing and preserving my hair when I visit my fiance in a couple weeks.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

I want this to be done to my hair in the winter. I'm definitely not gonna do it

 

[KinksAndInk]

I think the only thing missing from my hair regimen is consistent exercise. I feel like my growth is at a stand still even with low manipulation, vitamins and eating right. Maybe increased circulation is what I need.

 

[Evolving78]

Signing up for this triathlon has been great for taking my mind off my hair. I've had so much training in the past 8 weeks that I haven't had time to worry about my hair. And if I thought about my hair I was too tired to do anything about it

I'm hoping after it is over I'm still nonchalant about my hair and just keep it up and away.

I bet you look damn good! Lol