Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....

faithVA · Nov 20, 2013

DarkJoy said:
THis isn't a struggle but an update and big THANK YOU! It is sometimes difficult to tell when wearing an afro 24/7 where you're at except the fact that you're retaining. Straightening gave me a different perspective of where my strands were. On a whim yesterday, I decided to straighten to trim after having not put my hair near heat (except a heat cap for DCs) in over a year. Wow--big difference.

First the great ladies in this thread helped me determine what I was working with:
-natural
-high porosity
-very fine strands

After some trial and error, ya'll helped me refine a decent basic regimen:

- incorporated a regular protein
-incorporated a chelating and clarifying shampoo
-got a water filter for my hard water
-stopped all cones
-ayurvedic cleansings and teas rinsing (thanks to the challengers in that thread too!)
-heavy sealing
-cowashing 2x a week with cheapie V05 to keep it moisturized.

The 3" at the roots seems like a different head of hair altogether: smoother strands, softer texture, more body. That amount seems right in keeping with the fact that I really began to stick to my reggie with you ladies' help about 6 months ago.

THe only downside is I will have to continue clipping to get rid of that 'old' hair so the new stuff will shine I'm ready !!

Special thanks to Cruzankink @HanaKuroi and @faithVA for all your help. And everyone else who dropped their .02!

You are so welcome. I'm glad you are learning your hair and making progress.

faithVA · Nov 20, 2013

[USER=193854 said:
fluffyforever[/USER];19262289]Yep I'm back at square one again. I don't know if it's the weather or what, but my hair is hard again, and the cuticles aren't smooth at all. I thought upping my protein would be good because I never used protein in the past year at all, and at first it was good. But I washed my hair lately and it felt hard again. Really hard and dry. No moisturized DC had helped. My leave ins aren't helping either. My cuticles were so rough that my staple AM couldn't provide enough slip to detangle. So then I tried an oil rinse because I keep hearing good news about that, but it made my ends feel crispy. I'm at a loss. Every time my hair gets this length it starts breaking with every touch and becomes dry like a desert.

My hate hates most oils, AVJ, hard protein, and most commercial creams. I've been using SM restorative conditioner and sealing ends with castor oil ( the only combo my hair likes a bit), but it doesn't work as well if my cuticles aren't smooth and the shaft is moisturized. Ugh.

Sounds like you need to step back and take a breather. Let's start from the beginning. What's your wash day regimen (products and technique) and what is your moisturizing routine in between wash days?

faithVA · Nov 20, 2013

Cruzankink said:
Hello Ladies,

I missed y'all...

CONFESSION: As of Oct 12, 2013 (3 days b/4 my 2yr post relax anniversary), I have not been struggling with my natural hair because.... I relaxed it. Yess!!! Please believe this was not an impulsive decision. I thought about it for a while, I believe since June of this year. I began hating my time consuming natural hair regimen. I didn't want to take short cuts b/c in the end my hair would suffer.

So every Friday night I'll do my coconut oil prepoo, sleep w/ it overnite, Saturday morning wash my hair then deep condition for at least 1 hr. Then the coup de gras the ****** twisting which took at least 2 hrs depending on my look. I began to realize that I miss the ease of my relax hair. I put in a weave hoping that the break would make me fall in love w/ my natural hair again but instead it did the opposite. I loved the length and curls of my weave so much so that I wanted the look permanently. I believe it was early September when I made the decision of relaxing on my 2 yr post anniversary.

I don't even remember the relaxer I used (it was in a red box and I think it had shea butter) but considering I had 4b virgin hair, my hair didn't come out straight at all which I love. I can wear my hair curly and straight. I am enjoying my new look so much. I believe that I would have better success w/ my chemically treated hair now than before since I learned so much about my hair and products in my transition and natural journey.

I want to thank the members of this thread for your encouragement, advice, and support. I am a firm believer that one has to do what's makes them happy and my textlaxed hair is doing that for me.

Thank you all!

Cool. Glad you made a decision that works for you. Good luck on the new direction of your journey.

HanaKuroi · Nov 20, 2013

fluffyforever said:
Yep I'm back at square one again. I don't know if it's the weather or what, but my hair is hard again, and the cuticles aren't smooth at all. I thought upping my protein would be good because I never used protein in the past year at all, and at first it was good. But I washed my hair lately and it felt hard again. Really hard and dry. No moisturized DC had helped. My leave ins aren't helping either. My cuticles were so rough that my staple AM couldn't provide enough slip to detangle. So then I tried an oil rinse because I keep hearing good news about that, but it made my ends feel crispy. I'm at a loss. Every time my hair gets this length it starts breaking with every touch and becomes dry like a desert.

My hate hates most oils, AVJ, hard protein, and most commercial creams. I've been using SM restorative conditioner and sealing ends with castor oil ( the only combo my hair likes a bit), but it doesn't work as well if my cuticles aren't smooth and the shaft is moisturized. Ugh.

I'll be back to ask questions. I am still sleepy and can't form words.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

MzSwift · Nov 20, 2013

fluffyforever said:
Yep I'm back at square one again. I don't know if it's the weather or what, but my hair is hard again, and the cuticles aren't smooth at all. I thought upping my protein would be good because I never used protein in the past year at all, and at first it was good. But I washed my hair lately and it felt hard again. Really hard and dry. No moisturized DC had helped. My leave ins aren't helping either. My cuticles were so rough that my staple AM couldn't provide enough slip to detangle. So then I tried an oil rinse because I keep hearing good news about that, but it made my ends feel crispy. I'm at a loss. Every time my hair gets this length it starts breaking with every touch and becomes dry like a desert.

My hate hates most oils, AVJ, hard protein, and most commercial creams. I've been using SM restorative conditioner and sealing ends with castor oil ( the only combo my hair likes a bit), but it doesn't work as well if my cuticles aren't smooth and the shaft is moisturized. Ugh.

((HUG))

So sorry to hear this. I've learned that I need to keep my hair hidden or protected during the colder weather. That means I wear my hair out about 1 week per month. Otherwise it's braided or twisted or in cornrows under wigs/headwraps/hats.

And moisturizing takes a little bit more. After cleansing, I do a lite protein weekly (instead of one heavy tx) and follow up with a moisturizing DC. Here are a few of my favorite moisturizing DC's for the winter:

-Queen Helene cholesterol (as a base) + EVOO + Honey
-EVOO + Honey + 1.5 tsp salt
-Queen Helene cholesterol (base) + EVOO + Hibiscus powder + 1.5 tsp salt **my favorite

-Banana baby food + EVOO + Honey (very moisturizing)

Anytime I add 1.5 tsp salt to the mix, my hair comes out soft like butter. Sometimes EVOO is substituted with Grapseed or Safflower oils (higher ceramide).
HTH!

DarkJoy · Nov 20, 2013

Yea, @fluffyforever, we need a detailed product list to be able to help. Also to assist us to help you:

1. what kind of climate are you in? Is it a cold/snowy, desert like, tropical?
2. is your water hard? maybe you need to clarify and chelate regularly (this was a major problem for me)
3. how often are you dusting/trimming?
4. do you know if your strands are fine or course?
5. when was your last chemical process? are there still procesed ends to be snipped?
6. how are you styling you hair regularly?

I'm sure we can help you find a solution. Just need more details.

DarkJoy · Nov 20, 2013

Hey Cruzankink! Glad you made a decision that makes you happy and life easier. Thats all any of us want. :yep:

Leslie_C · Nov 20, 2013

Hey ladies! This is my first fall/winter natural I want to make sure I retain length this season. I've been noticing I've been losing a little more hair on wash day (with short pieces mixed with long ones) and Detangling is becoming harder. It could be due to more hair but I'm worried it's breakage. I have fine strands and medium density. I'm not sure about porosity...i think it's just normal. It was high porosity when i was relaxed, but when i got highlights over the summer it took a while to process. Should I be Detangling before I wash or with it wet and soaked in conditioner after washing? And how often should I be using protein?
I'm a lazy natural so I typically DC with heat on dry hair and do a wash and go every 5-7 days and pineapple at night. Refresh in the morning with steam from the shower, light mist of water and oil if needed. Lately I've been wearing it down for a few days then a bun our updo for a few days. I've gone heavier on leave in and oil and use a moisturizing curl cream under my gel since it's cool now. My instinct is to overdose on moisture during the dry cold winter, but if I am getting breakage I'm not sure how to tell I'd it's from lack of moisture or protein.

DarkJoy · Nov 20, 2013

Your hair is colored still or have you chopped off the colored bits?

How does the hair feel when wet or moist Leslie_C? Does it feel really soft like mashed potatoes? Kinda in the middle or straw like?

Are any products new-ish including your stylers?

Buns can be murder on fine hair even if it's short-term. Just too much tension especially with wet or moist bunning.

fluffyforever · Nov 20, 2013

DarkJoy said:
Yea, @fluffyforever, we need a detailed product list to be able to help. Also to assist us to help you: 1. what kind of climate are you in? Is it a cold/snowy, desert like, tropical? 2. is your water hard? maybe you need to clarify and chelate regularly (this was a major problem for me) 3. how often are you dusting/trimming? 4. do you know if your strands are fine or course? 5. when was your last chemical process? are there still procesed ends to be snipped? 6. how are you styling you hair regularly? I'm sure we can help you find a solution. Just need more details.

I'm in the Midwest, Milwaukee. It's cold and dry, but not yet freezing. I think my water is hard due to the orange deposits I keep cleaning off the shower head. I do a full trim 3 months, and trim as needed weekly to get rid of knots. I have mostly fine strands. I've been natural since 2007, and have done 2 BCs, so no processed ends. I wear medium twists pulled to a bun or loose stretched hair in a bun. I wash weekly, and cowash when my hair is in twists.

Products: Kenra MC and joico kpak conditioner (alternate on wash day) joico kpak shampoo, detangle first with AM, then wash and condition.

Leave in: SM restorative conditioner, seal with castor oil.

Twist to dry and stretch hair.

Style in bun.

That's all I do now, but it changes.

Leslie_C · Nov 21, 2013

DarkJoy said:
Your hair is colored still or have you chopped off the colored bits?

How does the hair feel when wet or moist Leslie_C? Does it feel really soft like mashed potatoes? Kinda in the middle or straw like?

Are any products new-ish including your stylers?

Buns can be murder on fine hair even if it's short-term. Just too much tension especially with wet or moist bunning.

DarkJoy yes several inches have highlights on top only and the color service in the summer didn't seen to make a difference in the health.

When you hair is wet it feels in between, it's soft, but not mushy or overly elastic. I have been using mostly the same products for a while now. My shampoo,cowash, leave in, gel, and oil have been consistent. I do throw another styler under my gel as a trial from time to time...the latest is Eden bodyworks curl defining creme....but it seems to help (my hair feels softer when it dries).

I don't bun on wet our damp hair, I put dry stretched hair from an old wash and go in a puff and pin the ends down. I try not to make my puffs tight bc they cause breakage around my edges. I didn't bun all summer...just started again to stretch my wash day a few days bc I don't want to redo my wash and go midweek. Might be better off it I do though.

DarkJoy · Nov 21, 2013

fluffyforever said:
I'm in the Midwest, Milwaukee. It's cold and dry, but not yet freezing. I think my water is hard due to the orange deposits I keep cleaning off the shower head. I do a full trim 3 months, and trim as needed weekly to get rid of knots. I have mostly fine strands. I've been natural since 2007, and have done 2 BCs, so no processed ends. I wear medium twists pulled to a bun or loose stretched hair in a bun. I wash weekly, and cowash when my hair is in twists.

Products: Kenra MC and joico kpak conditioner (alternate on wash day) joico kpak shampoo, detangle first with AM, then wash and condition.

Leave in: SM restorative conditioner, seal with castor oil.

Twist to dry and stretch hair.

Style in bun.

That's all I do now, but it changes.

So basically @fluffyforever, you're suffering from protein overload, hard water damage, and moisture starvation:

Hard water will mess you up. All that stuff that's depositing on your taps, is also depositing on your hair (and skin). Get to a Home Depot, Lowes or other hardware store and buy a $20 filter that you can screw into the shower head. The change in hair and skin is almost instant.

That K Pak may be too strong for you. I remember using it in my relaxed days. It's a lot of protein and that product, I hear, is best used on heavily processed hair. Or it dries you out. Probably containes some silicon as well.

The Kenra is also a reconstructor even though it says moisturizing. It has wheat protein. Wheat protein is pretty harsh and, personally, my hair instantly turns to straw when it senses it in the same vicinity.

I think both those conditioners contain 'cones which will double the crunch when you add the cones on top of protein because as the cones coat your hair they refuse to let moisture penetrate. It's like wrapping each strand in Saran Wrap. Make sense?

The SM condish products are good, though. The restorative condish makes a great co-wash and leave-in.

First, get that filter. Then get a chelating/clarifying shampoo to remove all the cones and hard water deposits. Aubrey organics has a swimmers shampoo or any shampoo for swimming will get both jobs done at once.

Then, focus on nothing but cone free moisture DCs and heavy sealing and you'll be fine over the next few weeks and might want to consider a cone free reconstructor at that time.

You're trimming schedule looks great btw!

DarkJoy · Nov 21, 2013

Leslie_C said:
@DarkJoy yes several inches have highlights on top only and the color service in the summer didn't seen to make a difference in the health.

When you hair is wet it feels in between, it's soft, but not mushy or overly elastic. I have been using mostly the same products for a while now. My shampoo,cowash, leave in, gel, and oil have been consistent. I do throw another styler under my gel as a trial from time to time...the latest is Eden bodyworks curl defining creme....but it seems to help (my hair feels softer when it dries).

I don't bun on wet our damp hair, I put dry stretched hair from an old wash and go in a puff and pin the ends down. I try not to make my puffs tight bc they cause breakage around my edges. I didn't bun all summer...just started again to stretch my wash day a few days bc I don't want to redo my wash and go midweek. Might be better off it I do though.

@Leslie_C Color damage is tricky. It's not always apparent right away but makes itself known through little bits of ends snapping off slowly over time. You look up and notice your hair hasnt appeared to gain any length in months. So has always been my experience.

My hair is high porosity BUT because its so dark naturally it was always resistant to lifting the color. The damage wa always great too because we had to leave it on longer to process

Perhaps babying those ends with alternating protein and moisturizing condish with a good oil or butter to seal. Dont forget to keep them well dusted so breakage doesnt turn into splits.

I would not recommend wet detangling on fine hair either. Maybe slightly moist.

Curious what products are already on your hair when you dry DC with heat. It could be those products are entering the shaft when the cuticle opens and causing problems as well...

Leslie_C · Nov 22, 2013

DarkJoy said:
@Leslie_C Color damage is tricky. It's not always apparent right away but makes itself known through little bits of ends snapping off slowly over time. You look up and notice your hair hasnt appeared to gain any length in months. So has always been my experience.

My hair is high porosity BUT because its so dark naturally it was always resistant to lifting the color. The damage wa always great too because we had to leave it on longer to process

Perhaps babying those ends with alternating protein and moisturizing condish with a good oil or butter to seal. Dont forget to keep them well dusted so breakage doesnt turn into splits.

I would not recommend wet detangling on fine hair either. Maybe slightly moist.

Curious what products are already on your hair when you dry DC with heat. It could be those products are entering the shaft when the cuticle opens and causing problems as well...

Ironically when I notice little short pieces it seems to almost always be dark hair, not the highlighted part.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid bc my two year post relaxer anniversary isn't until February but I've already retained 9+ inches of hair and I trimmed it in October....seems like I'm retaining pretty much everything I'm growing....isn't a small amount of breakage inevitable?

would washing in braids or twists be ideal for fine strands? I might experiment more with that, it's just the couple of stabs I've taken at it resulted in my hair not getting totally clean.

hnntrr · Dec 13, 2013

SO I FIGURED OUT WHY MY HAIRLINE WOULDNT CURL. I had super split ends. Like. Super. I cut almost 3 inches off and they are starting to curl finally. But they are still super split and I am not really sure what to do because if I cut them all the way then I am going to have 5 inch hair all over my head and then a patch of 1/2 hair right in the middle of my forehead LOL. Ah well. Been finger curling it and its been okay. Keeping that section really moisturized.

faithVA · Dec 13, 2013

[USER=375439 said:
hnntrr[/USER];19373403]SO I FIGURED OUT WHY MY HAIRLINE WOULDNT CURL. I had super split ends. Like. Super. I cut almost 3 inches off and they are starting to curl finally. But they are still super split and I am not really sure what to do because if I cut them all the way then I am going to have 5 inch hair all over my head and then a patch of 1/2 hair right in the middle of my forehead LOL. Ah well. Been finger curling it and its been okay. Keeping that section really moisturized.

Do you know why it is split? Do a protein treatment on the front section more often than the rest and then dust the ends once a month. Hopefully you can salvage it.

hnntrr · Dec 13, 2013

No idea at all. But like when I twist sections of it the hair is just everywhere and it feels spit it feels rougher than the normal coarseness of my hair so I am only assuming it is split or damaged in some way. It was a large chunk of it and it really could have been from a mixture of part of the ends had heat damage, the damage from my denman ( i think that was the largest part of it) and maybe some damage from coloring (even though the rest of my hair is fine its really just that section).

I am going to try doing that and see. Its really uneven and for the past two days I have been really babying it with moisture and finger coiling it so it still looks okay its just rough. Not sure what happened for sure though.

HanaKuroi · Dec 14, 2013

hnntrr said:
SO I FIGURED OUT WHY MY HAIRLINE WOULDNT CURL. I had super split ends. Like. Super. I cut almost 3 inches off and they are starting to curl finally. But they are still super split and I am not really sure what to do because if I cut them all the way then I am going to have 5 inch hair all over my head and then a patch of 1/2 hair right in the middle of my forehead LOL. Ah well. Been finger curling it and its been okay. Keeping that section really moisturized.

The denman is an evil. evil brush.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

sgold04 · Jan 19, 2014

Has anyone used the LuvNaturals product line by kimmaytube? I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore products until I use what I have, but I really like the emphasis on pHbalance when I looked at her products. I think that might be the reason my hair is acting funny.

tinkat · Jan 19, 2014

Ceemarie82 said:
Has anyone used the LuvNaturals product line by kimmaytube? I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore products until I use what I have, but I really like the emphasis on pHbalance when I looked at her products. I think that might be the reason my hair is acting funny.

Never tried it but I like how she breaks down ph balance also. Honestly I got the hang of ph balance after watching her video but I don't use her products. Aloe vera juice and gel was what helped me alot. And adding protein treatments.

Wait, be positive, keep believing, and all will surely be yours. Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

Ravenhairedbeauty · Jan 23, 2014

............

HanaKuroi · Jan 23, 2014

Ceemarie82 said:
Has anyone used the LuvNaturals product line by kimmaytube? I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore products until I use what I have, but I really like the emphasis on pHbalance when I looked at her products. I think that might be the reason my hair is acting funny.

I have. I like the detangler. I have tried them all. The conditioner was not slippy and after a couple of months everything lost it's smell. The leave in might have been okay, but I have eliminated them from my routine. The shampoo I believe was just okay. It has been a while. My only repurchase was the detangler.

Sent from my iPad using LHCF

MayaNatural · Feb 5, 2014

Hi ladies,
I'll be 2 years natural on 2/17 and still struggling with protein balance. Can someone please share their regiment? I purchased Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer spray and was wondering if it would be too much if I used it under my leave in weekly. Also, do I need to apply the spray then use my hair therapy wrap before I apply my leave in conditioner?

Thank you so much in advance.

DarkJoy · Feb 5, 2014

MayaNatural said:
Hi ladies,
I'll be 2 years natural on 2/17 and still struggling with protein balance. Can someone please share their regiment? I purchased Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer spray and was wondering if it would be too much if I used it under my leave in weekly. Also, do I need to apply the spray then use my hair therapy wrap before I apply my leave in conditioner?

Thank you so much in advance.

What exactly are you experiencing
?
I use a mild protein containing DC every week followed by a moisture dc and a silk spray right after.

____________
*.~.*Sent from a distant Galaxy in the Unicorn-verse*.~.*

MzSwift · Feb 5, 2014

Yup weekly light protein tx (20 minutes) followed by a moisture DC (queen helene + EVOO + salt + hibiscus powder) really helped to keep my balance in check. Also daily M&Sing w/ water, condish and oil.

I think keeping my hair covered at home helped to keep the moisture in as well. Whenever I was home, I had it under a satin skull cap, scarf or bonnet.

HTH!

girlonfire · Feb 5, 2014

Hi!
What a great thread!
I hope my problem has not already been spoken on because I've yet to read through this entire thread.

My stats:
Hair type- 3b to 4b
Mostly fine to medium hair, with one or 2 patches if pretty coarse hair at my crown

Regimen (kinda)
-shampoo 1x/month but rinse with water and condition/detangle weekly( is that what co washing is?)( I used the main and tail because so many people recommend dried my hair out, matted mess, I'll try to give it to benefit of the doubt)
-prepoo with random oils when i remember, coconut, olive, store bought blends
-i just stand under hot water massaging my scalp to loosen up oil and impurities and such.
-condition with mane n tail condish (not crazy about it but the jury is still out)
-occasionall dc with nunaat green keratin mask
-detangle with tresemme flawless curls condish ( best conditioner I found for my hair yet) leave that in, i detangle with fingers/comb/rubber base denman brush
-at this point i either decide to let my hair dry the way it is or do a twist out usually I do that earlier because twist outs take forever to dry. if I do decide to do a twist out I will add organic root stimulator twist and lock gel.

My issues:
about 5 months ago I straighten my hair for a special occasion and I was shocked to see how thin it looked! my ponytail barely makes 2 inches in circumference! I really don't straighten my hair or put any heat on it. it's not like I'm abstaining or anything its just not my kind of thing, too much effort. before September heat hadn't touch my hair in about 4 years before that 3 years, before that, NEVER. I want thicker hair! as a child I looked like I had pretty thick hair the thing is mother couldn't really do hair so I'm not sure if the thickness is really just matted hair. I got a prescription for garlic pills and more zinc and iron in my diet. I want to try the new Pantene rogaine thing but I'm scared. I'm trying to decrease my shedding so i may increased density because that makes sense in my mind. also a lady on YouTube said that since she became a vegetarian her hair grew like crazy. Can anyone help me increase my hair density please? should I just like the bullet and see a scalp doctor? are they expensive? I don't have insurance at the moment. I know that hair density is predetermined but I don't know if I've done something to scar my scalp and not all of my follicles are pushing out hair. what is a good product to help with Matted hair? Like an idiot I decided to wash my hair with shampoo one day not conditioned it at all and then wait till the next day at like 8 o'clock at night to do something about it I literally spent 8 hours on my hair that's like 4 times more than the normal amount of time i spend. I wanted to cry. actually there's one top section that I haven't even gotten to because I'm tired and I'm annoyed so I've been bunning it this entire week which is totally not me, but I guess it was good practice for protective styling since I don't do that much anymore.

Oh btw I'm mbl or almost wl, so close to wl but not all of my hair is the same length EXACTLY but i don't have layers. My goal i think is hl but not really bc i don't WANT hl hair, I'm just taking an educated guess on how long it would need to be to hang at bsl when natural bc THIS is my actual goal.

HanaKuroi · Feb 6, 2014

girlonfire said:
Hi!
What a great thread!
I hope my problem has not already been spoken on because I've yet to read through this entire thread.

My stats:
Hair type- 3b to 4b
Mostly fine to medium hair, with one or 2 patches if pretty coarse hair at my crown

Regimen (kinda)
-shampoo 1x/month but rinse with water and condition/detangle weekly( is that what co washing is?)( I used the main and tail because so many people recommend dried my hair out, matted mess, I'll try to give it to benefit of the doubt)
-prepoo with random oils when i remember, coconut, olive, store bought blends
-i just stand under hot water massaging my scalp to loosen up oil and impurities and such.
-condition with mane n tail condish (not crazy about it but the jury is still out)
-occasionall dc with nunaat green keratin mask
-detangle with tresemme flawless curls condish ( best conditioner I found for my hair yet) leave that in, i detangle with fingers/comb/rubber base denman brush
-at this point i either decide to let my hair dry the way it is or do a twist out usually I do that earlier because twist outs take forever to dry. if I do decide to do a twist out I will add organic root stimulator twist and lock gel.

My issues:
about 5 months ago I straighten my hair for a special occasion and I was shocked to see how thin it looked! my ponytail barely makes 2 inches in circumference! I really don't straighten my hair or put any heat on it. it's not like I'm abstaining or anything its just not my kind of thing, too much effort. before September heat hadn't touch my hair in about 4 years before that 3 years, before that, NEVER. I want thicker hair! as a child I looked like I had pretty thick hair the thing is mother couldn't really do hair so I'm not sure if the thickness is really just matted hair. I got a prescription for garlic pills and more zinc and iron in my diet. I want to try the new Pantene rogaine thing but I'm scared. I'm trying to decrease my shedding so i may increased density because that makes sense in my mind. also a lady on YouTube said that since she became a vegetarian her hair grew like crazy. Can anyone help me increase my hair density please? should I just like the bullet and see a scalp doctor? are they expensive? I don't have insurance at the moment. I know that hair density is predetermined but I don't know if I've done something to scar my scalp and not all of my follicles are pushing out hair. what is a good product to help with Matted hair? Like an idiot I decided to wash my hair with shampoo one day not conditioned it at all and then wait till the next day at like 8 o'clock at night to do something about it I literally spent 8 hours on my hair that's like 4 times more than the normal amount of time i spend. I wanted to cry. actually there's one top section that I haven't even gotten to because I'm tired and I'm annoyed so I've been bunning it this entire week which is totally not me, but I guess it was good practice for protective styling since I don't do that much anymore.

Oh btw I'm mbl or almost wl, so close to wl but not all of my hair is the same length EXACTLY but i don't have layers. My goal i think is hl but not really bc i don't WANT hl hair, I'm just taking an educated guess on how long it would need to be to hang at bsl when natural bc THIS is my actual goal.

I say first off throw out that denman. The rubber base snatches out hair like a rubberbands do. My hair thinned due to the denman then I made things worse with the tangle teaser.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

SweetlyCurly · Feb 6, 2014

girlonfire said:
Hi!
What a great thread!
I hope my problem has not already been spoken on because I've yet to read through this entire thread.

My stats:
Hair type- 3b to 4b
Mostly fine to medium hair, with one or 2 patches if pretty coarse hair at my crown

Regimen (kinda)
-shampoo 1x/month but rinse with water and condition/detangle weekly( is that what co washing is?)( I used the main and tail because so many people recommend dried my hair out, matted mess, I'll try to give it to benefit of the doubt)
-prepoo with random oils when i remember, coconut, olive, store bought blends
-i just stand under hot water massaging my scalp to loosen up oil and impurities and such.
-condition with mane n tail condish (not crazy about it but the jury is still out)
-occasionall dc with nunaat green keratin mask
-detangle with tresemme flawless curls condish ( best conditioner I found for my hair yet) leave that in, i detangle with fingers/comb/rubber base denman brush
-at this point i either decide to let my hair dry the way it is or do a twist out usually I do that earlier because twist outs take forever to dry. if I do decide to do a twist out I will add organic root stimulator twist and lock gel.

My issues:
about 5 months ago I straighten my hair for a special occasion and I was shocked to see how thin it looked! my ponytail barely makes 2 inches in circumference! I really don't straighten my hair or put any heat on it. it's not like I'm abstaining or anything its just not my kind of thing, too much effort. before September heat hadn't touch my hair in about 4 years before that 3 years, before that, NEVER. I want thicker hair! as a child I looked like I had pretty thick hair the thing is mother couldn't really do hair so I'm not sure if the thickness is really just matted hair. I got a prescription for garlic pills and more zinc and iron in my diet. I want to try the new Pantene rogaine thing but I'm scared. I'm trying to decrease my shedding so i may increased density because that makes sense in my mind. also a lady on YouTube said that since she became a vegetarian her hair grew like crazy. Can anyone help me increase my hair density please? should I just like the bullet and see a scalp doctor? are they expensive? I don't have insurance at the moment. I know that hair density is predetermined but I don't know if I've done something to scar my scalp and not all of my follicles are pushing out hair. what is a good product to help with Matted hair? Like an idiot I decided to wash my hair with shampoo one day not conditioned it at all and then wait till the next day at like 8 o'clock at night to do something about it I literally spent 8 hours on my hair that's like 4 times more than the normal amount of time i spend. I wanted to cry. actually there's one top section that I haven't even gotten to because I'm tired and I'm annoyed so I've been bunning it this entire week which is totally not me, but I guess it was good practice for protective styling since I don't do that much anymore.

Oh btw I'm mbl or almost wl, so close to wl but not all of my hair is the same length EXACTLY but i don't have layers. My goal i think is hl but not really bc i don't WANT hl hair, I'm just taking an educated guess on how long it would need to be to hang at bsl when natural bc THIS is my actual goal.

This might just have been for me but, I noticed new hairs coming in when I started using castor oil on my scalp and also when I started drinking more whey protein. Give it a try.

MayaNatural · Feb 6, 2014

DarkJoy
I have reduced shedding thanks to weekly Fenugreek treatments but I recently watched a YouTube video that explained breakage vs shedding and I realized my shed hair had a lot of broken pieces. I do a protein treatment every 2 months or so.. I never thought about adding protein into my regiment more frequently. My hair loves protein but I was afraid of protein overload. I used Roux porosity control on Monday and my hair loved it!! My hair feels just like it did before I colored my hair. Now I realize I need to add more protein treatments in my regiment. Thank you for your help!!

MzSwift
Thank you so much!!! What do you use for your weekly protein tx? I never heard of using salt in your DT, off to google I go.

I appreciate your help!!

girlonfire · Feb 6, 2014

HanaKuroi said:
I say first off throw out that denman. The rubber base snatches out hair like a rubberbands do. My hair thinned due to the denman then I made things worse with the tangle teaser.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y

How is this possible. Wouldn't that hurt? When i detangle I'm very gentle if i get to a bad tangle, i don't force it or anything i start from the bottom and I'm pretty sure it's not breakage bc all the hairs have bulbs and any breakage ia very short and small so im not concerned. At one point i thought it was loosing way too much hair when i used it so i stopped for about a year, but my hair looks so much better and less tangled when i do use it. How can i get the same results without it?

Struggling with your natural hair? Come in here.....

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