We Could All, Be So Simple! {VENT}

Looking through the boards lately, i see a surge of products going wrong, the yearning of this and that product, and just a lot of "doing-too-much" going on...

When i first joined LHCF, i was really looking for a soloution for all my problems, If i knew THEN what i know NOW, my gosh, i wouldn't believe it.

Ladies its more simple than you may think! I'll put it like this, the more you need 2 do to you hair to make it look good,healthy etc, is the more it is probabley not healthy..what i mean to say is, haircare for black hair, even relaxed, is dead DEAD SIMPLE!

i say this now, because i'm going through a few personal/growing up kinda probs, and i haven't had access to my hair tub. my hair been living off water, and oil moisturizer for about 2 weeks, and its never been healthier. if i knew this even a few months ago, things would be a lot easier. Here is what i've done (might sound a bit 'homemade' but hey)

- To steam hair, spray with water, adding a leave in/oil moist, and tucking the hair into the inside of your t-shirt-top etc.
- Mositurizing - spray with water, and use oil moisturizer throughout by 'sifting' the hair side to side until everywhere is done
- Finger comb always, until you get regrowth to avoid knotsand other nasties
- condition once per week, rinse hair in the shower every 2 day to 'refresh' your previous deep conditioner..its water, it wont rinse out your product.

theres so many more, but there basically just knock off of the more scientific things we do..pm if you want,but i'm posting this cuz, i think we always feel that haircase is an art..it really is not, its as simple as brushing your teeth, it should NOT take up your DAY!!! SERIOUSLY, when you learn to let go, and so the things U KNOW ARE HEALTHY for the hair (obvious one - less heat for example) thats when your hair will grow, when u get on with your life and adapt your hair into it - not adapting your life-getting into debt etc for your hair! i've been practically homeless this week, and my hair looking better than when i was at home! Being minimalistic has more benefits then being over-zelous with haircare and anything in life. If i was made a millionair tomorrow i would still be spraying my head with tap water and using the same prods i have been using for years.

That was all probabley unessessary, but i've been feeling like this for weeks, thats why i've been a lurker and not really a poster for a while, i'm blown away by all the products and scientific facts...its nice to have knowledge, but sometimes you have to let nature take its course! xXx

I'm glad you posted this. I thought something was wrong with me b/c I kept trying to add things to increase growth...I think I am going to just take it simple.

thanks

My hair needs help! Its sooo sooo very dry. Its very wirey and I love my 349032430928432942934390 products. You're right, i do need to simplify but If I stop my routine now, i'm afraid i'll mess up on my progress!!

For those that it works, more power to them..

Yep you're right Candy C, I am definitely working on keeping things simple. Simple is just easier. I think that often times we here good reviews on a product and so we try it out in turn we have a beauty supply store in the Bathroom. I have since narrowed down the products that I use. I even threw some away. I noticed that the longer I stretch the drier my hair gets so I have been keeping a spray bottle full of tap water to spray on my hair threw out the day and I must say that it works wonders.

I feel ya Candy. I think alot of us are like this in the beginning b/c we don't have a foundation. Some of us have to start from SCRATCH and build from there. When I joined my first hair board, I wanted to try and do EVERYTHING because I didn't have my basics together. I soon realized that just as there is good info, there is alot of clutter out there too. Sifting through it can be intimidating.

Once you get that foundation, and discover the basics your hair needs to be healthy and thrive---everything else is really just extra. Some of us do get caught up in the "extras" from time to time, but at the end of the day we all have to come back to, and be faced with, the basics.

Now, I ain't gone lie... i have 50-11 products that all do the exact same things. I know I'd be fine without them, but having access to 5 or 6 sweet smellin' conditioners . . . well . . . thats just the experimenter in me showing herself. I don't need half of it! Really the only part of haircare that takes up my time is sitting on the boards all day

Thank you Candy C! I've been on LHCF since November and at first, I was really trying to do some of the things I was reading. I've ALWAYS had healthy thick hair but not much length to speak of (only shoulder length).

Then I started with the Co washes, the pre-this, the post-that.... etc and that last for about 3 weeks and I decided I need to go back to what I know and wait patiently. I too have been lurking in the hair care areas and only posting in the entertainment areas because I thought I was crazy.

For 9-10 months I was transitioning and yes tips on LHCF helped me get through it, but once I texturized in May, I lost all the length I gained because my ends were so thin! erplexed And on top of all that I've never had thin hair, so I'm back to basics and what was working well for me... Little to no heat, wash/DC every week and keep my scalp and ends mosterized with my same ole products.

THANKS for posting this again... You've said what I've been thinking since January 06.

Great post Candy!!!!

I'm glad I decided to relax close to summer so my hair can benefit from the daily co washing, but as soon as it gets less humid I'll be back to the Dominican salon for my usual hair care. They have the majority of the products we talk about plus their own.

It's a definate plus on knowing what your hair does and doesn't need, when you are skeptical to go with your gut reaction etc etc.

I was about to go on product overload!!!! Then it just would have been sitting under the sink b/c I'm back to my salon routine

That's a great post. Really insightful. I'm a skeptic at heart but still I love sifting through all of the information on the board. Trying new things is how I learned what worked for my hair, because I had absolutely no clue. But your post reminds me that now that I know what works, it's time to stick to it.

Best of luck with the personal/growing issues. I hope everything turns out ok.

yea a lot of us do way too much. Just let the hair be hair!

words of the wise...It really is that simple. I been feeling the same way lately just shampoo condition and a little wild growth oil and bun it...
Thanks for the post Candy C

I wish you would have posted this last week before I hit the beauty supply. lol

I still have a feeling that deep down, even those who have got it all together and wonder what all the fuss was about anyway...are still surfing the boards regularly just in case something comes up that gives us that extra boost...and just in case we miss something....while we poo and tutut, and shake our heads in disbelief.....same as ladies from a few unnamed boards I will not mention....they crack up at those desperate ladies at LHCF...they lump us all together.....but I honestly believe they are in here like a dirty shirt and secretly trying out 99.9 per cent of the tips and running with them. cause they sure discuss us a lot....I guess that means that LHCF is really on the cutting edge and just like it is in the world, people are always looking for the next big discovery. That is half the fun being here, and chasing our goals. Just my opinion. For example, the back of my hair grows three times as slow as the top and bangs. My sides used to be the same. I really had to hustle to find the answers cause simple wasn't cutting it for me. Something was constantly blocking those areas. I really worked at those areas. Now the sides are fine, the back is still a slow poke and if it grew like the top, I would just relax and let it happen. Any one got stagnant areas that need a jumpstart from time to time? Researcher .... for real..... I am a licensed stylist and hair researcher for real and I guess I bite the bullet a lot. bonjour

Mahalialee4 said:

I still have a feeling that deep down, even those who have got it all together and wonder what all the fuss was about anyway...are still surfing the boards regularly just in case something comes up that gives us that extra boost...and just in case we miss something....while we poo and tutut, and shake our heads in disbelief.....same as ladies from a few unnamed boards I will not mention....they crack up at those desperate ladies at LHCF...they lump us all together.....but I honestly believe they are in here like a dirty shirt and secretly trying out 99.9 per cent of the tips and running with them. cause they sure discuss us a lot....I guess that means that LHCF is really on the cutting edge and just like it is in the world, people are always looking for the next big discovery. That is half the fun being here, and chasing our goals. Just my opinion. For example, the back of my hair grows three times as slow as the top and bangs. My sides used to be the same. I really had to hustle to find the answers cause simple wasn't cutting it for me. Something was constantly blocking those areas. I really worked at those areas. Now the sides are fine, the back is still a slow poke and if it grew like the top, I would just relax and let it happen. Any one got stagnant areas that need a jumpstart from time to time? Researcher .... for real..... I am a licensed stylist and hair researcher for real and I guess I bite the bullet a lot. bonjour

Click to expand...

same here. i think some people r STILL looking for that magic product. Its all internal. If the inside is in tip top condition the hair will be to its full potential

You are so right Candy_C! For most of my life, I've kept it simple and used minimal products. Pre-LHCF and Post-going natural was when I kept it simple. When I first joined LHCF, I started trying new products and stuff like conditioner and moisturizers and a protein treatment... stuff I never used before. And you know what? My hair really felt the same after use of all these products. I didn't need all those products. So I've been keeping it simple with my hair as well, no matter what hair style I do to my hair.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't do much to my hair. When i first joined i couldn't believe what some women will do to get long hair but on the other hand if you thought for year that you could never have long hair and then found out you can if you put this in your hair and do that to your hair, you are going to do it. I think the only reason I have not joined in on the pj wagging is because I'm lazy, I have a bad habit of cutting off all my hair out of the blue ( I never plan to cut it I just do it) and those PJ spent toooooo much money on thing that they might not use again and did I say I'm lazy

Honestly, most of the ladies I have chat with on different topics here do seem to have simple routines.

I have not seen any really wild and crazy routines lately. Maybe I am missing something.

Yeah, I think many of us are on product overload with 15 different deep conditioners in our closets, but when it comes to the routine itself, how many of us really do anything other than basic hair-care?

Again, maybe I missed something.

Great great thread.

But, I just can't do it, *personally*

Sometimes I think we do go a little extra with protein treats, deep cons., too many products or whatever.

I think it is easier said than done when you are natural versus being relaxed. We need those protein treats. We need those deep conditioners, etc, etc. it would be nice to use water and oil moisturizer everyother day for the rest of my life, but truth be told things build-up, thus the need for a clarifying poo. Then the hair gets too mushy thus the need for protein. Then there is the whole protein/moisture balance, and so on and so on.

I set myself up for a goal to get to a certain length and I am going to get there via whatever it takes. If that means I will have to buy 108739487938 diff. products to make it to that goal, then so be it. I see nothing wrong with diff. products for diff. wants/needs of the hair.

All in all, simple is best, I am not saying to load your hair with millions of diff. products to make it something it is not. But there is nothing wrong with taking the extra mile to get ahead...

IMO that is

HoneyDew said:

Honestly, most of the ladies I have chat with on different topics here do seem to have simple routines.

I have not seen any really wild and crazy routines lately. Maybe I am missing something.

Yeah, I think many of us are on product overload with 15 different deep conditioners in our closets, but when it comes to the routine itself, how many of us really do anything other than basic hair-care?

Again, maybe I missed something.

Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was trying to say without all the extraness of my post. Great post HDew

I absoultely agree with you candy C. My hair regimen is very simple. Not to offend anyone, but this is how i feel about people who stretch sooo long and end up doing the works to their hair just to make it to a certain week. But i guess people should stick to what works for them... even if it seems extreme to someone else. If my basic wash, deep condit, rollerset technique stops working i know its time for a touch up. I do have a weakness though... conditioners!!! I experiment quite often BUT i always have my staples on standby in case i need to correct something.

I agree with both MizaniMami and Candy. I dont think they are arguing at opposites at all. We do need that stuff but in the end its only 5 or 6 products: Shampoo, Moisturizing Conditioner, moisturizer (whether its a leave in or whatever) and maybe some oil or serum of your choice. The extra are Protein Conditioner (for those Emergencees ), and clarifying shampoo or whatever, and you know you dont use those as often.

But until you've figured out your own hair and which leads to figuring out which products will work for you, there is a lot of trial and error. We are all here to learn. If we knew anything about our hair we wouldn't need this board.

For example: someone mentioned doing lots of stuff to stretch . . . well I was talking to my friend this week and she says she wants to stretch but can barely make it pass 4 weeks because her hair starts tearing out I tell her: "Dont comb it between washes." Suddenly I could see the lightbulb going on. She would actually be doing less in order to stretch.

For me the biggie is protein. I have fine hair so it like more protein and shrivels up in pain if I ever put oil in my wet hair. I knew nothing about protein treatments before coming here. In the past whenever my hair is breaking the stylist's solution was to cut it. I get so mad when I think about all the times I had nice thick hair that I'd cut off because I did not know how to stop the shedding and breaking. Now I dont sweat it.

Oh, and there is the fun stuff like coloring my hair with henna. Sweat . . . color and not dryness or damage. I love this board and cant wait to learn something new
So

I think when your new to the board you can get caught up in the hype due to being overloaded with a wealth of new information.
When I first joined I went into product overload. I tried vitamins and few hair techniques. Somethings work for some and not for others.

I have always had a head full of thick super resilient growing hair. It has been as low as 1 inch and as long as 18 inches.

I realized that if it ain't broke don't try to fix it.

I found my simple answer. The ability to wash and go. I think that is a simple thing relaxed or natural.

Its a whole new world up in here.

yes when i first joined hair boards, i bought every single product that was raved about. now i have my HG products and i only buy something new if i really need it

Candy C
I totally agree with you..about 2 1/2 years ago I did some really stupid stuff to my hair, it broke off and I had to get it cut really short. So, I was like I know my hair grows quick, I'm going to grow it out myself and keep it healthy. I knew (it seems inherently-because this was pre-LHCF) that I needed to wear my hair back, keep it moisturized, no heat, protect it @ night and keep it clean..I'm mean literally I was using water & grease on my hair..and it grew and grew and grew..I had a couple of set backs due to my adventurous spirit and needed a little help and I found this board. I have learned some great tips which I use everyday (baggie method an MN)..but mostly I keep it simple. I'm not buying any new products (recovering pj) until I use up the ones I have..and then I plan on using more natural products and keeping it simple as I possibly can

This is a great post. When I first started I thought my routine was too simple so I tried to...I don't know "spice" it up. It didn't take me long, maybe a couple of days, to realize that all I need to do is keep it simple. Which is b/c of something I learned here. That the less you manipulate you hair the more it will grow. I have to admit I am a bit eager to see growth so I'm using one "get growth quick" product but other then that I really do keep it simple.
Right now I do a little more then I'd like because I really do belive in protective styles but once I get pass SL. I plan for my regimen to be very similar to yours CandyC. However, I do believe that if you find something that works for you then stick to it.
Thanks again and HHG.

Great post Candy. I recently threw out a whole bunch of unnecessary products too!

Hope everything works out with your home and personal situation.

MizaniMami said:

Great great thread.

But, I just can't do it, *personally*

Sometimes I think we do go a little extra with protein treats, deep cons., too many products or whatever.

I think it is easier said than done when you are natural versus being relaxed. We need those protein treats. We need those deep conditioners, etc, etc. it would be nice to use water and oil moisturizer everyother day for the rest of my life, but truth be told things build-up, thus the need for a clarifying poo. Then the hair gets too mushy thus the need for protein. Then there is the whole protein/moisture balance, and so on and so on.

I set myself up for a goal to get to a certain length and I am going to get there via whatever it takes. If that means I will have to buy 108739487938 diff. products to make it to that goal, then so be it. I see nothing wrong with diff. products for diff. wants/needs of the hair.

All in all, simple is best, I am not saying to load your hair with millions of diff. products to make it something it is not. But there is nothing wrong with taking the extra mile to get ahead...

IMO that is

Click to expand...

Im with Mizani on this. I know that for some "less is more" but for me "more is always more".

My hair is naturally dry and coarse and then it is chemically altered and then it is manipulated to dry and remain straight for 7 straight days. So I need that EXTRA moisture, those super hydrating products, those prepoos to boost hydration. Then, I need products to keep that moisture in and prevent it from leaving.

By adding the extras into my regimen, Ive eliminated a lot of the problems I was facing including dryness, breakage, lack of sheen, lack of elasticity, among others.

I have done the very simple regimen and my hair looked good. But incorporating some of the extras gave me that extra umph and have allowed me to retain much more length and moisture.

I look at my hair like I look at my body. If I just try to eat balanced meals, Ill look good. But, if I eat right, exercise, drink tons of water, etc, I look and feel amazing

Now, I could change my hairstyle or stop relaxing, but I genuinely like to wear my hair like this. I just have to work for length and health. But, I dont mind. Anything worth having is worth working for

That said, I think its just about listening to you hair. If you can keep it simple and have no problems, so be it. If you cant, you betta get your wallet out

Round of applause for Candy.
It's very true. Why do you think guys grow their hair out so quick? They just get it cornrowed, and leave it.

Candy, I respectfully agree with your post and I respectfully disagree as well. I agree with the philosophy of keeping it simple. I think everyone knows that is true because after you've applied your 1st round of conditioners, your hair shaft is full and can't absorb and hold any of the other conds that you apply. So it really is a waste of money to be loading so much stuff into your hair... We all know this in theory, BUT just like when you first joined the hairboard and you were very excited to try all new products and routines...I expect the newbies to do the same thing. Let them have their 12months of fun. You have come to the realization of 'simple' on your own timeline and you can't expect everyone to jump on it just because you have bigger fish to fry in your life. The newbies have to go thru their own trials and then they will come to their own realization and they will keep it simple just as the other ladies on this site. Do you get my drift? Just like with any hobby or addiction, just because I am ready to go to AA and quit drinking, I can't talk to all other alcoholics and be like 'look u need to quit drinking today'. they are probably still having the time of their life. It doesn't work that way. They will have to come into their own realization. they will one day.... Just the same as you did. those of you who are enjoying trying new things and are slathering 50-11 products on your hair at the same time...they already know that it really is in vain, but eventually they'll get tired and be ready to take you ladies' advice!