COARSE hair support thread

[Crissi]

All i know is that my hair is stupidly coarse and a combination of very thick(middle and sides), medium (back) and a very small amount of fine hairs. My hair doesn't agree with co-washes or frequent washing. PERIOD. I am not running from water - its just that to much washing/ co-washingjust works against my hair. Therefore i only wash once a month (sometimes i mayleave it a little longer, sometimes i may leave it a little less). My hair doesn't like thick creams and whatnot. I only use 2 products in my hair. First i spray with African Royale hair doctors, and then this oil

Picture taken from: http://www.healthcheckpharmacy.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=562

It is a life saver! It detangles, softens and moisturizes. Even though i do not wash frequently at all...my hair is growing nicelyand retaining legnth.

In general my hair cannot be touched with anything but a wide tooth comb...Pressing was a task, my Grandma would say my hair islike telephone cords or barbed wire. BTW im not just trying to push this oil lol, its justthe bestthing i've found that works for my hair. I have tried nearly everything, nearly every band wagon, all the oils and mixing, the "best" shampoo's and conditioners and nothing else has worked!

 

[justNikki]

I have never had a stylist call my hair anything other than coarse.
My strands are like the size of thread. My hair has always been resistant to chemicals (when I was relaxed, my stylists would usually leave relaxer on for longer than the average person, but never used super). My hair has never been bone straight without pressing (the only straight hair I ever had came from a pressing comb). My hair DOES NOT break easily, as a matter of fact, it has high elasticity.
I've always considered it a blessing that I don't have to baby my hair (handling it like fine silk) so much and still have healthy hair. It would be desert dry if it weren't for me using the proper moisturizing conditioners. I can fingercomb my hair as well.

 

[HoneyDew]

I have coarse hair, but honestly I never have any issues with moisture or anything. My hair does not get bone straight from relaxing, so I texlax and I am used to it. I have some sections that will not even get sleek straight from flatironing. But, I never have a problem with moisture or manageability. I think it helps to find products and techniques that work for you.

 

[MekyakaKinkerbelle]

hey Kinker, we'll have to start a wiry hair support thread........we can't be the only ones with wire for hair erplexed

Hey LynnieB darling!

Yeah, maybe we do need to start one...girl, the longer my hair gets, the more wiry it gets, and my curls turn to these weird waves, and my hair just poofs, and then there's a spiral on the ends...it's crazy!

ETA: See below...hair is still damp here, but my texture has definitely changed...before, damp hair would be much more kinky-curly as opposed to kinky-wavy. I am starting to wonder if it really is coarse, or if it is just wiry (which I know for certain it's wiry):

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Hey LynnieB darling!

Yeah, maybe we do need to start one...girl, the longer my hair gets, the more wiry it gets, and my curls turn to these weird waves, and my hair just poofs, and then there's a spiral on the ends...it's crazy!

ETA: See below...hair is still damp here, but my texture has definitely changed...before, damp hair would be much more kinky-curly as opposed to kinky-wavy. I am starting to wonder if it really is coarse, or if it is just wiry (which I know for certain it's wiry):

Your hair is beautiful

 

[MekyakaKinkerbelle]

Thanks Bre~Bre!

 

[MissGee]

Thank you for this thread. I have thick coarse hair and i have trouble with retaining moisture as well.

 

[Angelicus]

My hair is thick and coarse. If it were long, I could make a rope with it. No relaxer straightens my hair. And you know what... I'm tired of fighting it. I am going to let it just be thick and work with what I got. I tried everything I could do to get it straight and I am sick of fighting.

I don't even know my hair type. All I know is that I am coarse. I don't know anybody on here with hair like mine. If you think you have hair like mine, by all means, please send me a PM so that we can share what we do.

I see other hair on this board and a ton of ladies have this fine hair. I don't even bother looking at their regimens because my hair is nothing like that.

Sorry for the ramble.

 

[locabouthair]

I have never had a stylist call my hair anything other than coarse.
My strands are like the size of thread. My hair has always been resistant to chemicals (when I was relaxed, my stylists would usually leave relaxer on for longer than the average person, but never used super). My hair has never been bone straight without pressing (the only straight hair I ever had came from a pressing comb). My hair DOES NOT break easily, as a matter of fact, it has high elasticity.
I've always considered it a blessing that I don't have to baby my hair (handling it like fine silk) so much and still have healthy hair. It would be desert dry if it weren't for me using the proper moisturizing conditioners. I can fingercomb my hair as well.

What conditoners do you use?

 

[justNikki]

I agree, Kinkerbelle, your hair is some gorgeousness. Re: the way it spirals on the ends....my hair does that more and more as it grows out and I've seen a ton of chicks with that pattern (s curls with waves). It's not weird, it's just changing

I've got one section of hair that I would call wiry, but for the most part, my hair feels like fake hair. I'm glad we have so many people with so many different kinds of hair chiming to show that coarse is not a hair type, it's a description that can be applied to many different kinds of hair, all of which have thick strands.

 

[dreysonsmommy2011]

I have thick coarse hair! Moisture is a definite issue for me. I have yet to find a moisturizer that last. I thought Hydra TLC was great, but then i realized that I have been lying to myself. I have to baggy my hair to gain some kind of moisture. I do moisture pre-poos and deep conditions which helps alot too. I don't really have an issue with relaxing my hair other than my newgrowth coming in so thick. BTW, Great thread

 

[gmw]

My hair looks exactly like sheeps wool. But my hair does get soaking wet after standing under the shower stream of water for a minute or so.

Here it is dry:

http://public.fotki.com/shakkaiwoman/my-hair-in-transition/photo-0050.html

And here it is wet:

http://public.fotki.com/shakkaiwoman/my-hair-in-transition/pict03181.html

It will get straight after using a hand held blowdyer on high with a denam brush with infusium 23 and QB Olive detangler. For silky straight hair it requires a hot comb. I haven't bumped into a flat iron yet that will get my hair straight.

My finger take a beating if I decide to do box braids on dry hair.

I don't feel frustrated by my hair. However I have realized that just because I have a certain hair type, that does not mean I can copy anyone else's regimen with that same hair type. I hasn't worked thus far.

 

[kandegirl]

Great thread.

I've had people say that my hair cut their hand while braiding too. My hair retains more moisture if I rollerset it. Also for my hair I need to do hot oil treatments occasionally in addtion to DC (kenra, Nexxus humetress, ORS Replenshing,etc). Oil is what really helps my hair especially if I pre-poo with it for at least a few hours.

 

[MekyakaKinkerbelle]

I agree, Kinkerbelle, your hair is some gorgeousness. Re: the way it spirals on the ends....my hair does that more and more as it grows out and I've seen a ton of chicks with that pattern (s curls with waves). It's not weird, it's just changing

I've got one section of hair that I would call wiry, but for the most part, my hair feels like fake hair. I'm glad we have so many people with so many different kinds of hair chiming to show that coarse is not a hair type, it's a description that can be applied to many different kinds of hair, all of which have thick strands.

well said!

 

[Imani]

People told me that I got my hair pretty straight for doing a rollerset.My roots dont come out that straight but the ends do. I don't think I ever get that swang or that shine though

coconow I thought about deep conditioning more but I alreayd lose way too much hair just from washing once a week

Caligirl I've been using Kenra for almost a month now. I'll continue using it until the bottle is done.

Gymfreak you know your welcome here. Drop some knowledge on us

Imani did the water help to keep your hair moist? My hair had those bends and zig zags too and it's drier in the winter also.

Tiffany I wish deep conditioning worked for me. Every week I DC and my still feels dry right after I do it.

Ive fallen way off with my water. but i think it does help. not to mention my skin is always alot clearer with it.

Although based on the descriptions i've read and the other thread posted about wiry vs coarse, i'm starting to think maybe my hair isn't coarse. Some of the strands are kinda thick (mostly in the crown) but most of them are not. So maybe my hair is just dry and nappy but not really coarse?erplexed

I'm relaxed so i don't have many good texture shots but these are some new growth shots. the first is a year and a half ago, i was 9 weeks post (msm had it a little looser/softer than normal, but i stopped taking it). and the second one was this year 11 weeks post. i know it doesn't look like i have that much new growth but my hair shrinks up ALOT.

 

[LunadeMiel]

Hey ladies,

I found this article that gives some suggestions on how to work with coarse hair. I've done a few of these things (before reading the article) and they've worked for me.

Coarse hair – hair that feels rough, is dull, hard to style, and fly-away – is not dry hair
and cannot be treated using dry-hair products. Most curly hair is in this category. While
this type of hair is most common in African Americans, coarseness occurs in every
gene pool. Actually, this kind of hair is very strong and is very healthy. Chemical
straightening will relax the shaft so it can be styled, but it must be repeated frequently,
which exposes your hair to stress.

1. Use alkaline-based products to soften the shaft. Use a shampoo without proteins,
balsam, or body-building ingredients. Breck and Prell are good shampoos.

2. Wash your hair with very warm water. If you’ve read the other sections, I usually
advise using warm or cool water. However, coarse hair, since it’s so strong, can
handle a warmer temperature.

3. Use a simple crème rinse – not a conditioner – with few ingredients.

4. Add your crème rinse to HOT water (you’re hair is strong – it can handle it!) and
double or triple the concentration recommended on the product’s label. Keep it on
your hair for at least 15 mins.

5. Rinse with warm water for a longer time than you’re probably used to. Take at least
a minute – 60 seconds are longer than you think.

6. Use a towel and pat your hair and gently absorb the water Don’t rub! You don’t want
to create friction that will roughen up the shaft.

7. Use a styling product. Your hair is ready to be tamed.

8. After you’ve dried your hair, rub a little facial moisturizer onto your palms and run
them through your hair. Then brush your hair to distribute the moisturizer.

 

[LunadeMiel]

This is very interesting...I know I have really coarse hair, but my hair is not resistant to chemicals at all. Relaxers did not have to be left on long, or combed through, and my presses look like fresh relaxers.

I think a large part of it is the type of chemicals and the stylist as well.

This is my hair exactly. My hair is not resistant to chemicals at all. I was able to get my hair super straight by just pressing it...

 

[lipyt]

I have wiry hair too. i posted a pic here: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showpost.php?p=3601367&postcount=72

actually it's not fragile at all but it is stiff, almost [SIZE=-1]bristlely (if that's even a word)[/SIZE]. it definitely needs moisture to keep it supple or i'm gonna have big problems.

sometimes it's not just the wiry composition of the hair but also the texture of the strand itself.

a strand of our hair sometimes can look like this ~~~~~~~~. it has lots of twists and bends in it ontop of the hair's coil pattern, the closer the bends the more fragile the hair and the more texture you actually feel when you rub your fingers down the shaft.

i have a few strands like ~~~~~~~ but more are like this ------~------~, not as many twisty turns, so not as many points of breakage. so even if the hair itself is wiry, it can take a bit more punishment (using the term loosely) than very very textured strands.

^^ is purely a guess - yall would have to post some strands of hair to see if there's any proof to the theory erplexed cause i sure has heck don't know muchanuttin

Wow this is my hair to a T! And my hair looked like yours when compared to the pen! That is why I couldn't take the natural hair anymore! My hair is a 4a (I think) people look at the the size of my curls and expect that it will be easy to get str8 and manage but surprisingly it isn't! And I guess it' because it is coarse. Of course I find this out AFTER I perm! My hairs are very thick individually and they are flat except for a few ~ (bends) and each individual hair is actually shiny. I can't pull off that wash and go thing or gel thing because my hair is sooo thick the curls are like held in a choke hold. When I first went natural (a year post BC) a friend of mind described my hair as a piece of felt or velvet because of how dense it was.

 

[lipyt]

Oh! And I could never get away with washing more than 1 time a week! My hair would be way too dry and weak. And I am one of those girls who NEEDS grease. A lot of people stay away from it but now I'm thinking I must need it because... my hair is coarse. And my hair looks fine with a perm it looks strong and thick even with the chemicals. Heat is the one thing my hair can not withstand. It is like cryptonite to my hair. Flat ironing and pressing ruins my hair! I guess because I need more heat to make an effect.
My hair laughed at curly pudding when i was natural the only thing that worked was heavy brown gel.
WOW! this is a huge eye opener for me! Because I would look at other 4a/3c/4b girls wearing cute curls when natural just from a dime size of clear gel... or laying flat in a puff. I'd be like but the size of my curls are the same if not bigger....why can't I do that!?
But the upside is I can loose hair strands, comb more often then others and hide a small village in my hair and it will still look full.
eta. I have a few texture shots in my fotki you can see that my strands are thick in the pics of my hair natural and permed

 

[graCeful_89]

I have coarse hair. Condition washing keeps my hair moisturized as coarse hair tends to be dry. Limiting heat and daily condition washing is what works best for me.

Wow I wish I had the time to daily co-wash. You're right about the limited heat. I only blowdry when I need to. Maybe I should up the ante on the co-washes. Im going to do one tonight as a matter of fact!

 

[TLC1020]

I have coarse hair and sometimes its a struggle and sometimes its not, I just take it one day at a time . I keep my hair moisturized and in a bun to keep the manipulation to a minimum, so I'm not going complain, its healthy and growing.

 

[Lovelylocs]

I used to think my hair was coarse, then after I joined LHCF and learned how to take care of it better I discovered that it actually quite fine, yet resistant. I'm a 4a. I also noticed that before I colored my hair, my hair was thriving w/a lot of products that just left my hair dry after it became damaged from the overprocessing (being relaxed and colored).

 

[lipyt]

here are a few of my wet freshly permed hair strands in the sink (permedfor the first time after 2 years natural). Does it look texturized instead of str8? Think I have coarse strands?
http://public.fotki.com/lipyt/okthats-differenti-/the-dawn-of-a-new-day/img0268.html

 

[locabouthair]

here are a few of my wet freshly permed hair strands in the sink (permedfor the first time after 2 years natural). Does it look texturized instead of str8? Think I have coarse strands?
http://public.fotki.com/lipyt/okthats-differenti-/the-dawn-of-a-new-day/img0268.html

Your strands kind of look like mine. It does look texlaxed/texturized. From the pics i can't really say if it's coarse. It doesnt look like you have fine strands though.

 

[Silver]

Hello

I definately have coarse hair on most of my head. I've been natural for most of my life, and when I don't straighten my hair like crazy (burn in with a flat iron), and I walk down the street, people will actually walk behind me laughing at how "rough" my hair is (sad isn't it). I ignored it because I liked being natural whether i could straighten it or not. My hair is also very fragile, I have little pieces breaking off from it every few minutes.

 

[JerriBlank]

Okay,so i am not if my strands are coarse or not.

I think that they are mixed btwn fine and coarse to be honest. When i was exoperiencing breakage,i had these fine strands,andd these bigger,bulkier,waaaayyy thicker strands.
Like they were triple the size of my other strands.

My hair has never ever been bone straight.no matter what!
I have been using super relaxers for years,and while they do get some of my hair straight,there are always parts of my hair that stay underprocessed.

I don't know why i never realized this
I'm subscribing to this...waiting for other ladies to chime in...

 

[scribblescrabble2]

Okay,so i am not if my strands are coarse or not.

I think that they are mixed btwn fine and coarse to be honest. When i was exoperiencing breakage,i had these fine strands,andd these bigger,bulkier,waaaayyy thicker strands.
Like they were triple the size of my other strands.

My hair has never ever been bone straight.no matter what!
I have been using super relaxers for years,and while they do get some of my hair straight,there are always parts of my hair that stay underprocessed.

I don't know why i never realized this
I'm subscribing to this...waiting for other ladies to chime in...

I have a mix of fine and coarse hair too. I think that many coarse hair ladies have more than one texture on their head. I feel you on the underprocessing, when I was permed I experienced that a lot.

 

[Leahelizabth]

This thread was a total life saver for me! Lately, I'd really been fighting doing another BC.. I relocated from TX to MI for my BF, and my hair has just been defeated, I cannot keep it moisturized against the cold here!
Seeing your comments, ladies really struck such a chord for me! I love my hair, natural or relaxed, but many, MANY people (especially my mother) have had their fingers cut wading through the thickness that is my new growth. A big thing for me is not being able to really deep condition my hair and more importantly, keeping moisture in my hair. This, along with keeping my hair off my shoulders, is my goal for 2008. To help, I've started a list of products I've seen on this board in relation to our type/ my type of hair. I included it here, please excuse how long it is, feel free to add to it, or ask for clarification.
Tools:
Wide tooth comb with no seams
Denman brush- I've never tried this, but heard it mentioned several times
Plastic caps for deep conditioning
Hair bands made from old nylons
Flexirods
*Hooded dryer-another investment I'm soon to make. Someone said it helps coarse hair retain moisture
rollers and end papers

Oils
Carrot oil for growth
olive oil for sealing
coconut oil
castor oil
sulfur 8
shikaikai oil & other ayervedic products

Shampoos
Cream of Nature
Breck or Prell Shampoo

Conditioners
VO5 Extra Body
Tressemme Anti Breakage
Suave Natural
Herbal Essences Hydration
Can use Apple cider vinegar in water for rinse to clarify or 1 tsp. Baking soda in your conditioner to clarify

Additional products
Henna- I add yogurt, cider vinegar, shikaikai oil and honey to mine and have always loved the results
Aphogee 2 Step Treatment
Leave in conditioner
Porosity Control for final rinse
ORS Lock and Twist gel for your edges or "Brown Gel"
Keracare and Giovanni products
Dominican Products

 

[kitkat3ny]

The coarse part of my hair is extremely resistant to chemicals. When I tried texturizing a few years ago, I tried using a mild relaxer and I left it on for 15 minutes with a lot of smoothing and my hair didn't process at all. Same with chemical hair color. When I do henna treatments I have to deep condition right afterwards or else my hair breaks. CO washing saves my hair on a regular basis, but if I use a silicone or heavy oil based conditioner without shampooing first my hair will feel like Brillo.

My hair hates CON shampoo! I have no idea why it makes my hair hard and tangly but it does. Same with ORS penetrating pak. I normally avoid silicone based products but now I am going to try Silicon Mix in the upcoming months.

And my hair broke several combs over the years! No blowdryer pik attachment has survived after it met my hair .

This is exactly my situation. In fact I just broke another pik for my conair blow dryer. They don't make piks that you can buy without the dryer. Next time i'm buying a blow dryer that sells piks by themselves, like hot tools, etc. They sell their attachment at Sally's for $5.

The only thing that softens my hair is daily CW w/ Sally's moisturizing treatment and detangling while it's in my hair, right after my CW, I can't comb my hair again or I'll have a birds nest. I immediately put a moisturizer on my ends and then proceed to finger part my hair and put a little of Vatika oil on my scalp because it makes up for the fact that I wash daily. At night I finger part my hair and saturate my hair and scalp w/ Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Oil cream. It's excellent. This routine helps my hair not feel so dry but it always looks dull and dry. Nothing can make it shine anymore, silicone or anything.

I just tried today Smooth 'N Shine Polishing Curl Activator Gel, for Extra Dry Hair –Water Aqua , Glycerin , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Hyaluronic Acid , Panthenol , Oleth-20 , Carbomer , Triethanolamine , Benzophenone-4 , Disodiium EDTA , DMDM Hydantoin , Fragrance Parfum , Ext. Violet 2 CI 60730

and I love it. I think I have a winner. But I'm going to give it a couple of washes before it shows it's true colors. I CW like above and put some Smooth 'N Shine Polishing Curl Activator gel in my hands and smooth most of my hair. I put it in a pony and let it air dry without pinning the ends up like I do for work. It's drying nicely. I'm so shocked. FYI, I ordered the gel from Walgreens.

 

[moonglowdiva]

I didn't know that there were other people in the world that has hair like me. My hair has been described as feeling like steel wool. It is resistant to all relaxers so i'm texlaxed. My hair also grows fast but it breaks fast as well so retaining length is a challenge. My hair has all three layer where as most people only have 2 layers. I have a medulla. I was classifed as having "bad hair" and it is nealy impossible in the natural state to comb. I once had a stylist tell me that she had finally found the correct mix of relaxer to relax my hair after 2 years of trying. She moved. My hair has never straighten the same. But, i feel better knowing that i am not alone.