Cottony and Wiry Hair

[hnntrr]

Hi All.
So I did a search on the forums but I didn't see this topic up.
I did a search on CurlyNikki and she brought up the LOIS system but I didnt pay that too much attention although I think this part of it did make sense:

Thready: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Wiry : sparkly sheen, low shine, low frizz
Cottony: low sheen, low shine, high frizz
Spongy: high sheen, low shine, high frizz
Silky: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Shine is defined as hair that reflects light along its surface. Sheen is a sparkle to the hair.

I think my hair is between cottony and wiry, which causes my problems with my curls because all of my hair is really undefined except a few spots here and there when I part my hair I can see small defined curls but overall it looks like a big cloudy mess.

Now I have sort of tried shingling and I will try that again as soon as I get some time and that helped a little bit, but as soon as I wash my hair it goes back to being a huge un defined mess.

When I took my braids out I had a crazy looking braid out but when I wet it it looked really pretty and now its gone. Do people with cottony-wirey textures avoid wash and go's? If you have those texture hair how do you control the frizz and keep your curls defined? I am getting super frustrated with the lack of cooperation my hair is displaying. I would really like to wear my hair out but I can't do to the fact that anything I do to it looks horrible and doesn't curl at all.

I BCe'd in March of this year, and I have been relaxer free since Dec 17th, 2012.

• I DC once a week with one n only hydrating masque
• I pre-poo'd with a mix of OV/GPS/Canola oil/Coconut oil/Argan Oil, Burts Bee's Be Güd Conditioner and a put of unsweetened almond milk and my hair seemed to really like it.
• Shampoo every two weeks (I may start shampoo'ing once a week because of build up).
• I plan to do a protein treatment whenever I need it (I may need to do one this week I though the coconut and almond milk my set me back but I will specifically do a protein treatment next time I wash my hair which I will do on tuesday probably.)

What can I do? I am at a loss and I am getting tired of wearing the same wig all the time. I will probably put braids back in when I get paid so I don't have to think about it.

Is there anything to do? Any shingling techniques? Braid outs/twist outs/bantu knots I can try? Curl activators? Get more length? I don't know. My hair looks nothing like it did when I was a child and I don't know if I regret going natural just because I cant get a hand on what my hair is doing, it doesn't look good and all I have been doing is hiding it for the past few months. Its been a struggle. I need help

Sorry this is so long I am just super frustrated.

 

[HairPleezeGrow]

Hi All.
So I did a search on the forums but I didn't see this topic up.
I did a search on CurlyNikki and she brought up the LOIS system but I didnt pay that too much attention although I think this part of it did make sense:

Thready: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Wiry : sparkly sheen, low shine, low frizz
Cottony: low sheen, low shine, high frizz
Spongy: high sheen, low shine, high frizz
Silky: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Shine is defined as hair that reflects light along its surface. Sheen is a sparkle to the hair.

I think my hair is between cottony and wiry, which causes my problems with my curls because all of my hair is really undefined except a few spots here and there when I part my hair I can see small defined curls but overall it looks like a big cloudy mess.

Now I have sort of tried shingling and I will try that again as soon as I get some time and that helped a little bit, but as soon as I wash my hair it goes back to being a huge un defined mess.

When I took my braids out I had a crazy looking braid out but when I wet it it looked really pretty and now its gone. Do people with cottony-wirey textures avoid wash and go's? If you have those texture hair how do you control the frizz and keep your curls defined? I am getting super frustrated with the lack of cooperation my hair is displaying. I would really like to wear my hair out but I can't do to the fact that anything I do to it looks horrible and doesn't curl at all.

I BCe'd in March of this year, and I have been relaxer free since Dec 17th, 2012.


[*]I DC once a week with one n only hydrating masque
[*]I pre-poo'd with a mix of OV/GPS/Canola oil/Coconut oil/Argan Oil, Burts Bee's Be Güd Conditioner and a put of unsweetened almond milk and my hair seemed to really like it.
[*]Shampoo every two weeks (I may start shampoo'ing once a week because of build up).
[*]I plan to do a protein treatment whenever I need it (I may need to do one this week I though the coconut and almond milk my set me back but I will specifically do a protein treatment next time I wash my hair which I will do on tuesday probably.)


What can I do? I am at a loss and I am getting tired of wearing the same wig all the time. I will probably put braids back in when I get paid so I don't have to think about it.

Is there anything to do? Any shingling techniques? Braid outs/twist outs/bantu knots I can try? Curl activators? Get more length? I don't know. My hair looks nothing like it did when I was a child and I don't know if I regret going natural just because I cant get a hand on what my hair is doing, it doesn't look good and all I have been doing is hiding it for the past few months. Its been a struggle. I need help

Sorry this is so long I am just super frustrated.

Hello,

My hair is cottony also but my grays are wirey. I think definitely doing protein treatments will help along with moisturizing dcs. Coconut oil is supposed to be good for frizz as well. So Prepooing with that should be good. It seems you are doing everything right but have you tried cowashing? Also a lot of ladies use a Denman or knockoff brush to help define the hair. My daughters and I all have different hair types ranging from 3b-4b and I have to come up with what works to help define our natural hair. I do a lot of twistouts bc that seems to help get some definition across the board even though it isn't showing our own natural curls it still give some texture and definition. I'd say try twistouts, braidouts, flat twist outs and different styles to help give you the texture and definition you are seeking until you are able to get the shingling to how you prefer it. I hope I was some help.

HPG

Don't judge...Sent from my Galaxy Note II using LHCF

 

[LdyKamz]

A few questions. What are you using to moisturize and seal? With optimal hydration you can really see what you are working with. Also, I find protein treatments very help for me. Even light balancing conditioners. After a do with AOGBP my hair is soft and shiny. This may help you. Try alternating moisture and light protein weekly.

What sort of stylers have you already tried? There are some leave ins and moisturizers that can definitely help bring out the curl pattern. But you have to pair them right. I just recently tried this thanks to a suggestion in the twa support thread.

Lastly you may just have to accept that your hair doesn't have a very defined curl pattern. And curl patterns change over the years so there's no surprise that your hair looks different from when you were a kid.

My hair seems to be 4a4b on the sides and maybe a 3c in the very back. These parts I consider cottony. The top middle of my hair does nothing at all. I have officially decided to declare it a 4z. Lol this part is wiry and I add a little bit extra moisture to it when I dc.

Maybe try wearing your hair out for a while without the wig so you can get used to it. What other styles are you trying to do besides nicely defined wash n gos

 

[hnntrr]

A few questions. What are you using to moisturize and seal? With optimal hydration you can really see what you are working with. Also, I find protein treatments very help for me. Even light balancing conditioners. After a do with AOGBP my hair is soft and shiny. This may help you. Try alternating moisture and light protein weekly.

What sort of stylers have you already tried? There are some leave ins and moisturizers that can definitely help bring out the curl pattern. But you have to pair them right. I just recently tried this thanks to a suggestion in the twa support thread.

Lastly you may just have to accept that your hair doesn't have a very defined curl pattern. And curl patterns change over the years so there's no surprise that your hair looks different from when you were a kid.

My hair seems to be 4a4b on the sides and maybe a 3c in the very back. These parts I consider cottony. The top middle of my hair does nothing at all. I have officially decided to declare it a 4z. Lol this part is wiry and I add a little bit extra moisture to it when I dc.

Maybe try wearing your hair out for a while without the wig so you can get used to it. What other styles are you trying to do besides nicely defined wash n gos

I am using a mixture of conditioner, rose water and glycerin, avocado oil and castor oil. I may go back to using olive oil though cause when I used it in my prepoo last night my hair felt great. It always feels great with heavy sealing until I rinse it out cause its usually part of a DC method. I guess the main problem is I can't get my hair moisturizer like its supposed to be. Soon as I rinse my hair feels full and sorta moisturizer but when I run my hands through it it still feels rough and dry.

I don't know what my curl pattern is. It ranges between pen sized spirals and larger s curls except on the very front of my crown with has light light waves but is mostly straight. I only finger detangle but that hasn't been doing much for me either. And I want to wear it out I just can't get it to look right so that I can ill twist it up and do stuff but (especially the too) will just stick straight up in the air. The sides and back will curl if I shingle but the top does nothing and just looks like a really loose bad twist that ends up not staying together. All my hair is cottony except my nape which is a little silkier than the rest of my hair and def holds moisture a lot better than the rest of my head. Ill take a picture as soon as I get home maybe that will help.

 

[Canadiangirl123]

I don't understand the difference between shine and sheen. Seems like the same thing to me.

 

[havilland]

I don't understand the difference between shine and sheen. Seems like the same thing to me.

Sheen vs shine

 

[virtuenow]

hnntrr Interesting...I have wiry hair; I'm not sure how cottony people differ in hair care; but curious to know. Seems they would have it easier.

I don't understand your questions...It sounds like you need to consider reconstructor DC's (protein) to correct your porosity (this will also boost your moisture factor). Once you do this, and consitently treat your hair (weekly DC's) then you should start to see your curl pattern continue down the whole strand instead of just the roots. Your hair is moist at the roots b/c it's getting sebum; but it sounds like the rest of your hair is highly porous which is one reason your curl pattern would not be consistent through out. Your products are not doing the job. Some good reconstrucotrs are Aubrey GPB, Komaza Protein Strengthener and Nexxus Emergencee (the last two need to be followed w/a moisture DC).

Side note, frizz is not a term I would use; kinky, yes...Frizzy, what does that mean?-- I picture a white person w/straight hair and fly aways. If you use the term frizzy to describe kinky/coily hair, then every head is frizzy (except type 3 silkys).

 

[virtuenow]

Another thing, I forgot to mention, shampoo could also be the culprit. It strips and drys the hair out, and with some people it goes to an extent where you cannot properly remoisturize the hair after a poo. That is why I dilute my shampoos (sulfate free) and only shampoo the scalp. Take a look at tightlycurly.com , your hair sounds like it would benefit from the tightly curly method.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

I have a mixture on my head of 4a cottony hair, wiry, and the dull low sheen 3a. All compacted in different area's. When I finally realized this a few years ago I stopped using shampoo. I was drying out my hair too much. You may want to experiment with the Tightly curly method and modify it using only conditioner to wash. Then go from there with extra products as needed. Sometimes you can be doing too much to your hair. I was able to get a better idea of what each area needed with this method. It is really hands on but that may be what you need to get to know your hair really well then go from there. I don';t use the same products on every area of my head. My retention and growth and manageability really improved. I can't say that you will all of a sudden have some fabulous curls but you will be doing your hair a service to be the best it can. Not all of us have hair that will curl. I only develop coils on the lower ends of my hair and they did not appear till I passed BC length hair.

 

[hnntrr]

I started out doing the CG method when I was transitioning and it worked well. I am 80% sure my natural hair is Lo Po, with all the symptoms of such takes forever to get wet. Once it does get wet it takes overnight to dry. if I just sprinkle water on my head it dried right up. I literally have to sit under a constant stream of water for like 10ind to get my hair soaked. Plus I have done the (although it can be faulty) strand test, each time it's floated at the top and too nearly 24 hours to START floating to the bottom..... I just recently read somewhere where someone else has Lo Po hair and their Kozmaa Analysis said to shampoo once a week because our hair builds up easier than others...so I am experimenting and switched to using a mild millddd sulphate shampoo once a week becausey hair is Lo Po and has a tendency to get build up rather quickly.

Since I have been prepooing, shampooing and DCing (with heat last time) for the past two weeks my hair seems to be accepting moisture better and curling better, this last single was amazing.. And yesterday the curls were forming a lot better. My hair hasn't been benefiting from just straight cowashing cause as soon as I wash it off (even if I DC overnight) my hair still feels super dry and brittle. Since I have been doing that and doing a heavy seal every night under twists it feels a bit better.

I also tend to stay away from harsh proteins because I overload very easy. I have a pretty protein heavy diet and even doing the 4Naturals Reconstructor for more than 15 minutes will start to set me over (I did one two weeks ago and there is one patch in my head that feels like it was getting to the point of an overload).

I used to use a protein Reconstructor every week for like a year before I understood what it was. I never had a issue with it but for some reason now my hair just really is sensitive to proteins, doesn't matter what kind. Even too much coconut oil will set me off.

I think if categorize my hair as...undefined cloudy after washing only because once I shingle the hair that LOOKS like its a big poofy mess turns into curls after I rake styler through it. I think it's a combination my my hair type and the fact that my hair is still pretty short and doesn't have much to clump too.

 

[hnntrr]

I started out doing the CG method when I was transitioning and it worked well. I am 80% sure my natural hair is Lo Po, with all the symptoms of such takes forever to get wet. Once it does get wet it takes overnight to dry. if I just sprinkle water on my head it dried right up. I literally have to sit under a constant stream of water for like 10ind to get my hair soaked. Plus I have done the (although it can be faulty) strand test, each time it's floated at the top and too nearly 24 hours to START floating to the bottom..... I just recently read somewhere where someone else has Lo Po hair and their Kozmaa Analysis said to shampoo once a week because our hair builds up easier than others...so I am experimenting and switched to using a mild millddd sulphate shampoo once a week becausey hair is Lo Po and has a tendency to get build up rather quickly.

Since I have been prepooing, shampooing and DCing (with heat last time) for the past two weeks my hair seems to be accepting moisture better and curling better, this last single was amazing.. And yesterday the curls were forming a lot better. My hair hasn't been benefiting from just straight cowashing cause as soon as I wash it off (even if I DC overnight) my hair still feels super dry and brittle. Since I have been doing that and doing a heavy seal every night under twists it feels a bit better.

I also tend to stay away from harsh proteins because I overload very easy. I have a pretty protein heavy diet and even doing the 4Naturals Reconstructor for more than 15 minutes will start to set me over (I did one two weeks ago and there is one patch in my head that feels like it was getting to the point of an overload).

I used to use a protein Reconstructor every week for like a year before I understood what it was. I never had a issue with it but for some reason now my hair just really is sensitive to proteins, doesn't matter what kind. Even too much coconut oil will set me off.

I think if categorize my hair as...undefined cloudy after washing only because once I shingle the hair that LOOKS like its a big poofy mess turns into curls after I rake styler through it. I think it's a combination my my hair type and the fact that my hair is still pretty short and doesn't have much to clump too.

 

[Evolving78]

I started out doing the CG method when I was transitioning and it worked well. I am 80% sure my natural hair is Lo Po, with all the symptoms of such takes forever to get wet. Once it does get wet it takes overnight to dry. if I just sprinkle water on my head it dried right up. I literally have to sit under a constant stream of water for like 10ind to get my hair soaked. Plus I have done the (although it can be faulty) strand test, each time it's floated at the top and too nearly 24 hours to START floating to the bottom..... I just recently read somewhere where someone else has Lo Po hair and their Kozmaa Analysis said to shampoo once a week because our hair builds up easier than others...so I am experimenting and switched to using a mild millddd sulphate shampoo once a week becausey hair is Lo Po and has a tendency to get build up rather quickly.

Since I have been prepooing, shampooing and DCing (with heat last time) for the past two weeks my hair seems to be accepting moisture better and curling better, this last single was amazing.. And yesterday the curls were forming a lot better. My hair hasn't been benefiting from just straight cowashing cause as soon as I wash it off (even if I DC overnight) my hair still feels super dry and brittle. Since I have been doing that and doing a heavy seal every night under twists it feels a bit better.

I also tend to stay away from harsh proteins because I overload very easy. I have a pretty protein heavy diet and even doing the 4Naturals Reconstructor for more than 15 minutes will start to set me over (I did one two weeks ago and there is one patch in my head that feels like it was getting to the point of an overload).

I used to use a protein Reconstructor every week for like a year before I understood what it was. I never had a issue with it but for some reason now my hair just really is sensitive to proteins, doesn't matter what kind. Even too much coconut oil will set me off.

I think if categorize my hair as...undefined cloudy after washing only because once I shingle the hair that LOOKS like its a big poofy mess turns into curls after I rake styler through it. I think it's a combination my my hair type and the fact that my hair is still pretty short and doesn't have much to clump too.

This is my hair all day.