How To Grow & Retain 20" Of 4c Hair

MizzBFly

Well-Known Member
I do modified versions but I tend to keep certain steps in the same order; cleanse, condition, clay, gel. In the summer, I focus less on DCs, and I'll water rinse and/or clay more often.

While I'm using NW21 spray, I've been shampooing my roots more often due to build-up, so I am less strict with my ingredients but strict with my method/ technique. I do try to keep my conditioners regimen-friendly but I also use protein conditioners where necessary.
Thanks so much! Are there any other suggestions you would have? Because when I started MHM I did all the full steps every day and it was tiresome, where do you cut corners? How many times weekly are you currently doing MHM? And are wash n go your only style or do you incorporate other styles as well?

Single strand knots can we talk about that? LOL is that a concern of yours do you get them a lot?
 

GGsKin

Well-Known Member
Thanks so much! Are there any other suggestions you would have? Because when I started MHM I did all the full steps every day and it was tiresome, where do you cut corners? How many times weekly are you currently doing MHM? And are wash n go your only style or do you incorporate other styles as well?

Single strand knots can we talk about that? LOL is that a concern of yours do you get them a lot?

I wash my hair on average about once a week- every 10 days right now. I don't like to leave it too long because I don't like removing so many shed hairs. I tend to follow a general modified routine I've been doing for a couple of years, rather than the original MHM steps. So I hardly use ACV or BS, and if I do, it is in very small amounts. Sometimes I'll water rinse and that's it, followed by gel. Other times, I'll mix up an egg pre-poo and incorporate it in a whole long wash day (poo, DC- protein and/or moisture, clay, oil, gel). I also use henna. I just try to go by how my hair is responding/ feeling.

My fine strands can break easily so I try to avoid too much manipulation, although I have tried braid-outs, twist-outs, and curlformers. I think the payout is too small for the effort I put in- I can't even get a single lasting day, so to avoid me ripping all my strands out one by one, I run back to the comfort of my wng. I love these because I can style my hair on day 1, and leave it alone until I am ready to wash it again. My hair is more manageable for me in a wash and go. Thanks to the clumping, I have less tangles, than say when I blowout my hair. I recently did a blowout on the front and I soon became tired of restyling every night.

Single strand knots I take issue with lol. I don't get an excessive amount, for someone who wears their hair unstretched but I'm terrible at trying to ignore them and if I feel/ see one, I will cut it off in a heartbeat. If I wore my hair straight, I'd probably get fewer. If I wear my hair up, I can minimise them, but sometimes I don't want to wear my hair up:badgirl:, so I just hope I don't cut away all my progress.
 

MizzBFly

Well-Known Member
I wash my hair on average about once a week- every 10 days right now. I don't like to leave it too long because I don't like removing so many shed hairs. I tend to follow a general modified routine I've been doing for a couple of years, rather than the original MHM steps. So I hardly use ACV or BS, and if I do, it is in very small amounts. Sometimes I'll water rinse and that's it, followed by gel. Other times, I'll mix up an egg pre-poo and incorporate it in a whole long wash day (poo, DC- protein and/or moisture, clay, oil, gel). I also use henna. I just try to go by how my hair is responding/ feeling.

My fine strands can break easily so I try to avoid too much manipulation, although I have tried braid-outs, twist-outs, and curlformers. I think the payout is too small for the effort I put in- I can't even get a single lasting day, so to avoid me ripping all my strands out one by one, I run back to the comfort of my wng. I love these because I can style my hair on day 1, and leave it alone until I am ready to wash it again. My hair is more manageable for me in a wash and go. Thanks to the clumping, I have less tangles, than say when I blowout my hair. I recently did a blowout on the front and I soon became tired of restyling every night.

Single strand knots I take issue with lol. I don't get an excessive amount, for someone who wears their hair unstretched but I'm terrible at trying to ignore them and if I feel/ see one, I will cut it off in a heartbeat. If I wore my hair straight, I'd probably get fewer. If I wear my hair up, I can minimise them, but sometimes I don't want to wear my hair up:badgirl:, so I just hope I don't cut away all my progress.

:urock:Yep enjoy your hair down or up...single strand knots be damned! Final question- how long did it take you to reach MH? Do you clump from root to tip? And is your Reggie right now maintenance to maintain MH?
Ok the was more than 1 question :imsorry: But I'm trying to choose between regular DC & wash and go style, MHM or DC braid out/ twist outs to keep hair stretched & styled. I have to auto pilot my Reggie and focus on my length goals. I'm almost there:walking:
 

Alma Petra

Well-Known Member
I hate wash n gos on my hair. Crunchy, gunky, tiny coils View attachment 395061

Lol you cannot blame your hair for the gunkiness and the crunchiness, only for the tiny coils and tiny coils are goodt, believe me! Yours look nice and the ones in your avatar as well! But you will have to look for products that do not sit on top of your hair without absorbing, in order to avoid the gunky feeling. Your hair might be of low porosity and does well with more watery products. Regarding the crunch, there are some gels that are known to leave no crunch behind after you break the cast such as Wetline Xtreme gel and Ecostyler gel.

Here is a video on how to scrunch out the crunch:

Personally I do not SOTC in an upwards direction, like in the video. I SOTC horizontally in order to avoid causing frizz. Sometimes I SOTC by grabbing a section of hair and twisting it.
 

Alma Petra

Well-Known Member
No problem :sneakyhug:...lol
You're right they're additional benefits to the layering of moisturizer under gel= soft curls, bouncy wash n go, touchable hair and no breakage to name a few. To test if your products play well with wetline or and other gel Or Any combination; mix it together in your palm first.

-Journey to Waistlength is a YouTube blogger who is a self proclaimed 4a/b and & I agree, compared to mine.

I have found her. I have been watching this one:


I'll watch some more of her videos and I'm sure that there will be a lot to learn.

@beingofserenity , you might find the video above useful. She got very flattering results, no gunk, no crunch. Her coils are small, so they might resemble yours?
 

Alma Petra

Well-Known Member
Hello Alma,
I'm just curious, are you considering going natural because there is hope that you might have some curl definition? I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if so, why? Is it the look, the manageability, easier to grow?

Hi @SAPNK

Are you wondering why I would like to go natural? Or why I want to have curl definition?

For almost my whole life I have always had natural hair but I invariably wore it stretched (not straightened but combed out) so I never really knew that there was such a thing as curly hair or that I am most probably a curly or coily girl. I just knew that there is straight hair and kinky hair and that my hair is kinky and rough. I never encountered my curls, and that is most probably due to wrong hair care habits, for example I never really used conditioner on my hair neither rinse out nor leave-in. I then went and relaxed my hair and continued to wear it stretched/combed out. Then I think one day I decided to use conditioner, or I for some reason did not comb my hair out and when I came back to examine it, I could see a lot of curl formation. So it turns out that my hair was what I now know to call texlaxed and I fell in love with curly hair. But I never got to see my natural curls, just the texlaxed curls. When my natural roots came in, they would be very frizzy and would barely show any curl formation except very rarely like here:



So I would just go and relax them again.

But I love coils over the spirals that texlaxing gives me, that's why I want to go natural in the hope that I will have coily hair instead of spirally hair, except that I'm afraid that I will end up with frizz instead of coils *sigh*

Other reasons to want to go natural: natural hair is more uniform, no demarcation lines and differing textures, so the comb (or your fingers) glides through without snagging at the demarcation points. It's stronger and more resilient because the chemicals in the relaxer invariably weaken the strands a little bit, so it is less predisposed to breakage. Natural hair is also expected to have more root lift and volume than texlaxed hair. Uniformity in texture is also more aesthetically attractive in my opinion. Not needing to relax is also more economical and more time-saving.

Disadvantages might be: more frizz, rough to touch, more difficult to moisturize (lower porosity. We know that lo po hair also loses moisture less easily. In my case though, I feel that I can't get the moisture to penetrate in the first place.) more shrinkage and shorter appearance. Nonetheless, lack of definition is probably the only deal-breaker for me. I don't mind some frizz but there should be some curl formation there at least lol.
 

GGsKin

Well-Known Member
:urock:Yep enjoy your hair down or up...single strand knots be damned! Final question- how long did it take you to reach MH? Do you clump from root to tip? And is your Reggie right now maintenance to maintain MH?
Ok the was more than 1 question :imsorry: But I'm trying to choose between regular DC & wash and go style, MHM or DC braid out/ twist outs to keep hair stretched & styled. I have to auto pilot my Reggie and focus on my length goals. I'm almost there:walking:

Thank you:blush: I'm ok with more than one lol.

I don't recall how long it took. I know definition took a good while to reach my roots though, and that only really lasts when I seal with gel. After monitoring for over 90 cycles (original and modified), and getting consistent results, I stopped counting and paying that close attention. It was someone's comment on a pic that first brought it to my attention that I'd possibly reached MH. For me, it isn't about definition as much as it is more about a managable way to wear my hair unstretched.

Yeah, I guess my regimen now has the same goal as when I started; to improve and maintain the condition of my hair. I'll continue to experiment and tweak as I go, but the basic structure of my regimen is pretty set. I wanna see if I can grow my hair long consistently wearing it this way.

I'd still love to try a product for a good twistout or braidout. I don't like how gel performs on my hair with those (results are stringy). I feel like my hair stretches best with heat, and I don't want to go down that road again just yet ....but I'm up for experimenting:angeldevil:.
 

locabouthair

Well-Known Member
I've read through this thread and I do agree with others who said that the hair typing system is flawed. I think my hair is 4a/b. It has curls/coils, coarse, and high shrinkage.

View attachment 394893

My strands are just like this except the sides of my head have tighter pattern. I think I'm 4b/4c mix. I haven't read through the whole thread but how often are you ladies doing protein treatments as a natural?
 

flyygirlll2

Lioness mane
My strands are just like this except the sides of my head have tighter pattern. I think I'm 4b/4c mix. I haven't read through the whole thread but how often are you ladies doing protein treatments as a natural?

Lately I've been doing them every 2 months. Honestly, before the hair boards when I was relaxed I never did protein treatments and my hair thrived. Now I just focus on finding the right balance for my hair.
 

VinaytheMrs

Loving Life
I use ORS hair mayo for the protein and Cantu for the moisturizer. Since I'm washing 1x a month now I use them both on wash day. I've retained more the last month with no manipulation.
 

SAPNK

Well-Known Member
Hi @SAPNK

Are you wondering why I would like to go natural? Or why I want to have curl definition?

For almost my whole life I have always had natural hair but I invariably wore it stretched (not straightened but combed out) so I never really knew that there was such a thing as curly hair or that I am most probably a curly or coily girl. I just knew that there is straight hair and kinky hair and that my hair is kinky and rough. I never encountered my curls, and that is most probably due to wrong hair care habits, for example I never really used conditioner on my hair neither rinse out nor leave-in. I then went and relaxed my hair and continued to wear it stretched/combed out. Then I think one day I decided to use conditioner, or I for some reason did not comb my hair out and when I came back to examine it, I could see a lot of curl formation. So it turns out that my hair was what I now know to call texlaxed and I fell in love with curly hair. But I never got to see my natural curls, just the texlaxed curls. When my natural roots came in, they would be very frizzy and would barely show any curl formation except very rarely like here:



So I would just go and relax them again.

But I love coils over the spirals that texlaxing gives me, that's why I want to go natural in the hope that I will have coily hair instead of spirally hair, except that I'm afraid that I will end up with frizz instead of coils *sigh*

Other reasons to want to go natural: natural hair is more uniform, no demarcation lines and differing textures, so the comb (or your fingers) glides through without snagging at the demarcation points. It's stronger and more resilient because the chemicals in the relaxer invariably weaken the strands a little bit, so it is less predisposed to breakage. Natural hair is also expected to have more root lift and volume than texlaxed hair. Uniformity in texture is also more aesthetically attractive in my opinion. Not needing to relax is also more economical and more time-saving.

Disadvantages might be: more frizz, rough to touch, more difficult to moisturize (lower porosity. We know that lo po hair also loses moisture less easily. In my case though, I feel that I can't get the moisture to penetrate in the first place.) more shrinkage and shorter appearance. Nonetheless, lack of definition is probably the only deal-breaker for me. I don't mind some frizz but there should be some curl formation there at least lol.

Hey Alma, your hair looks curly from what I can see. I'm excited for you to go on this journey and discover all the things you didn't know about your hair. Are you going to transition or big chop?
 
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Alma Petra

Well-Known Member
Hey Alma, your hair looks curly from what I can see. I'm excited for you to go on this journey and discover all the things you didn't know about your hair. Are you going to transition or big chop?

Thank you so much dear! I feel very excited me too. I think that I'm going to transition rather than big chop. I need the extra length to cover for the low thickness, and to disguise the edges. Hopefully the straightish ends will not prevent the roots from doing their thing!
 

SAPNK

Well-Known Member
Thank you so much dear! I feel very excited me too. I think that I'm going to transition rather than big chop. I need the extra length to cover for the low thickness, and to disguise the edges. Hopefully the straightish ends will not prevent the roots from doing their thing!

I can't wait to see all of your progress pics. I think transitioning/ the big chop is the most exiting part of the natural hair journey. I almost wish I could go back there and start over.
 

nysister

Well-Known Member
I've just ordered 3 bottles of Rooted Treasure (2 large 1 small) as I want to focus on hair growth instead of style over the next couple of years.

I normally use Old Jamaica which my hair likes but I wanted something pure as I'm hoping for even better results.
 

Femmefatal1981

Well-Known Member
my oldest is 4C...and yeah if your hair clumps you are not 4c. She cannot wear a wash n go, twist out of braid out, lol. Her hair is not having it.
 

ThursdayGirl

Well-Known Member
Products make a world of a difference.

Most wash days my hands glide through my hair. Type 4 hair is not hard to deal with when you have the right stuff.

Tell me more. Do you recommend? I am washing in twists and had really back tangling in spots. I know it was my shampoo. I need relief. Help!
 

bubbles12345

Well-Known Member
Dumb question.....Can someone post a video/picture of what clumping is and isn't for type 4 hair? About half of my coils are the size of 4c coils in the video just posted and I think my my hair clumps in those sections. Or maybe I have the wrong definition of clumping since 4c hair isn't supposed to clump.
 

snoop

Well-Known Member
Tell me more. Do you recommend? I am washing in twists and had really back tangling in spots. I know it was my shampoo. I need relief. Help!

I know you didn't ask me, but I've found clay washing to be really helpful (kaolin in particular had been the easiest to wash out) followed by conditioner (I use Giovanni Smooth as Silk). I sometimes will use Komaza Care Moja Moisturizing shampoo.

In the past I've used Giovanni 50:50 shampoo and conditioner as well and I think their Smooth as Silk as well. Those are the ones with the most most moisture.

I also wash in twists, but that's usually after wearing my hair in twists for a week -- which means my hair was (finger) detangled before going into the twists and easier to deal with after washing.
 

Alma Petra

Well-Known Member
Dumb question.....Can someone post a video/picture of what clumping is and isn't for type 4 hair? About half of my coils are the size of 4c coils in the video just posted and I think my my hair clumps in those sections. Or maybe I have the wrong definition of clumping since 4c hair isn't supposed to clump.

I think I have posted a link to this before here in the thread. Here is a photo of the same section of hair cut from a braid after it was washed with clay leading to clumping. Clumping is when more than one strand of hair are aligned together following the exact curl pattern.



This is from http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/10/curl-clumping-in-4c-hair-bentonite-clay.html
 

ThursdayGirl

Well-Known Member
I know you didn't ask me, but I've found clay washing to be really helpful (kaolin in particular had been the easiest to wash out) followed by conditioner (I use Giovanni Smooth as Silk). I sometimes will use Komaza Care Moja Moisturizing shampoo.

In the past I've used Giovanni 50:50 shampoo and conditioner as well and I think their Smooth as Silk as well. Those are the ones with the most most moisture.

I also wash in twists, but that's usually after wearing my hair in twists for a week -- which means my hair was (finger) detangled before going into the twists and easier to deal with after washing.

Thank you! I have mud at home, maybe the wrong kind though. I will look for kaolin. How do you prepare it?
 

Saludable84

Better Late Than Ugly
Tell me more. Do you recommend? I am washing in twists and had really back tangling in spots. I know it was my shampoo. I need relief. Help!

Like @snoop said,clay washing does make a difference. I had the best Detangling using clay. Kaolin was the best. Bentonite will clarify your hair so I wouldn't recommend it too much. Rhassoul left me with buildup over time.

I also try to use products that have oils that are good for dry and LoPo hair since I'm both. Anything with pumpkin seed or high amounts of btms work well. Darcy's Botanicals and APB Pumpkin Conditioners work really great and are my best detangler so. Paul Mitchell the detangler is good too, but I don't cowash so I don't use it too often. Most Annabelle's Perfect Blend Conditioners that work for me give me great Detangling, but the two I mentioned are the best.
 

ThursdayGirl

Well-Known Member
Like @snoop said,clay washing does make a difference. I had the best Detangling using clay. Kaolin was the best. Bentonite will clarify your hair so I wouldn't recommend it too much. Rhassoul left me with buildup over time.

I also try to use products that have oils that are good for dry and LoPo hair since I'm both. Anything with pumpkin seed or high amounts of btms work well. Darcy's Botanicals and APB Pumpkin Conditioners work really great and are my best detangler so. Paul Mitchell the detangler is good too, but I don't cowash so I don't use it too often. Most Annabelle's Perfect Blend Conditioners that work for me give me great Detangling, but the two I mentioned are the best.

Thanks for this! I tried the APB ultra moisturizing soufflé (not sure that is the right name) and got good detangling. I'll try the pumpkin too with my next purchase. I will see about the Kaolin. How do you mix yours?
 

Saludable84

Better Late Than Ugly
Thanks for this! I tried the APB ultra moisturizing soufflé (not sure that is the right name) and got good detangling. I'll try the pumpkin too with my next purchase. I will see about the Kaolin. How do you mix yours?
I just mix it with water. I use about 4oz when I wash. I let it sit for a minute or two then rinse. If I feel like I need a little cleansing boost, I mix with charcoal.
 
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