Im doing my friends bsl hair and i need advice

[NappFrizz83]

My friend has bra strap length natural hair but always wear sew in back to back.. when she took down her hair this time her scalp was f-word up it was flaky red and like nothing i have ever seen. So since she gave the weaves a rest she has no idea what to do with her hair..i told her to just gel down the front and wear it in a big bun but she does not listen. she came to school with her hair in two pony tails frizzed up and out in the back of her head like she was 8 years old (she's 23). So after badgering her she is going to let me show her how to make her hair look nice. I was thinking about doing a braid out or twist out her head but i've never done it on myself before so..on the preguntas

What should i put on her scalp to heal/soothe it?

Anything special i should wash and condition with?

What product/s should i use while twisting to make sure the crinkle stays in her hair?
The product has to be easily accessible (we're going to the beauty supply right before)

What should she do to keep it from smashing up at night? (she's not going to know how to re-twist it lol)

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Wow, thats a doozy....well to soothe her scalp maybe you might wanna try some Vitamin E Oil, EVOO, EVCO or Castor Oil on her scalp.

Wash and condition with something moisturizing and gentle sulfate free might be the way to go considering the precarious state of her scalp what kind do you have now?

As for twists, the queen of twists on the internet is RusticBeauty on youtube, she does twists so precise she gets told it looks fake

The best combo I've found for doing twists is ORS Lock and Twist Gel with some unrefined shea butter. I get the nice definition of a telephone cord its not crunchy but rather moisturized this is an example of the definition I get with that combo.

To maintain the look you should pick up a satin bonnet from the BSS for her to sleep in and tell her to sleep on the side of her face tell her its to maintain her sexy

My tip for getting stubborn people to cooperate and follow my haircare guidelines after I style their hair is to make the style SO fly and so perfectly done that they'll pretty much do anything I say to make that style last as long as it possibly can Its my secret weapon that works every time

 

[Kneechay]

ooh this is exciting.

I love saving youtubes for tuts and I love this tut by one of the members here, EmpressRi, here she does Curly Nikkis twist n curl. it's pretty easy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2okYIFCtqA

I usually do flat twists for twistouts and this is a tut i use this one (some usually have a hard time doing flat twists)
pt 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxnhNpowAi8
pt 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j59pIQWPdg

i usually use a natural shampoo to wash my hair and scalp and hello hydration conditioner because it has so much slip, i love it.

As far as moisturizer, i'd suggest shea butter and peppermint oil (it tingles), coconut oil or castor oil for her scalp, but if you can't get your hands on them, get a good moisturizer from the beauty supply. olive oil, castor oil, shea butter, coconut oil, & shea butter all mixed together makes a great moisturizer.

get some perm rods from the BSS too, theyre inexpensive. put them on the ends of each twist and a touch of castor oil on the ends of the hair for softness. do the twists while the hair's still wet.

either it under the dryer or let it dry over night covered. mine usually lasts for a week. I alternate styles, i pin it up on one side with a bobby pin, and towards the end of the week, its in a banana clip or a high ponytail. it's a fun style. at night, use a satin bonnet and then fluff it out in the morning.

 

[sugarwater]

I am by no mean a professional but I'll used what i picked up from lurking and stalking people's fotkis.

What should i put on her scalp to heal/soothe it?
I would probably go to the grocery store or target and buy some evoo and tea tree &/or peppermint oil. Look up the mixes so you don't over do it and make it worst. They help with dandruff and sooth the scalp. That should help.

I don't know what would help at the beauty supply because i had horrid dandruff and nothing there worked for me.

Anything special i should wash and condition with?
I'd probably buy some regular shampoo and conditioner and add the essential oils in it to help her scalp. Maybe give her a DC w/ Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Moisturizing Treatment

What product/s should i use while twisting to make sure the crinkle stays in her hair?
ORS moisturizer with evoo to seal should do the trick

What should she do to keep it from smashing up at night?

????? never did twist outs so i dont know. Maybe after the first day, I'd tell her to just put it up in a french twist. Those help the ends and are cute

Hope i helped, even if it's just a little bit.

 

[rosalindb]

Organic EVOO with lavender oil and maybe a couple of drops of tea tree oil. I think they would be the gentlest to use and any others may be too harsh for her scalp as it is so irritated.

Shampoos : Natural sulfate free ones or black soap

Conditioners: Aubrey Organics honeysuckle rose or White Camellia

Not sure what products to recommend for twisting - maybe shea butter and/or organic VCO

Good luck

 

[NappFrizz83]

thanks everyone!

 

[dynamic1]

Please make sure she doesn't have a fungal infection or seborrheic dermatitis. Her follicles may become inflammed and cause hair loss. I highly recommend consulting a dermatologist. I would stay away from gel applied directly on the scalp until it heals because most gels have drying ingredients. Apply conditioner and styling products on the hair only. Try two-strand twists for a few days...then un-twist for a twistout.
Aloe is healing but it may aggravate her scalp. I would do a patch test prior to use.

 

[jamaraa]

No Peppermint/tea tree oil on an inflamed scalp!!! These things can seriously aggrevate any problems. It sounds like her scalp is suffering from being covered up and getting no hair. As Dynamic1 states, several more serious issues can be happening here. Just try gently doing a "normal" w/o bells and whistles routine and then using some jojoba oil NEAT to see what happens. This may clear up on it's own if you don't aggravte it further.

Most commercial aloe gels have asorbic acid in them (ie vit C) so I'd avoid that too. Plain jojoba is probably the best bet, IMHO.

 

[addaboutmyhair]

Treat her scalp with Aloe Vera juice and tea tree oil. I would also have her check with a dermatologist. And I'd pick a low manipulation style for her. I'm guessing her scalp wasn't drying completely or getting enough air under the weaves.

 

[jamaraa]

Both peppermint and tea tree oils are stimulants. Why else would they be in products that are supposed to make your hair grow? This is like giving an insominaic turkish coffee...it will acheive the opposite of what you want.

If you want a soothing EO, lavender's the ticket. Other than that, until her scalp is healed, I'd avoid EOs and everything w/ acid.

 

[addaboutmyhair]

Both peppermint and tea tree oils are stimulants. Why else would they be in products that are supposed to make your hair grow? This is like giving an insominaic turkish coffee...it will acheive the opposite of what you want.

If you want a soothing EO, lavender's the ticket. Other than that, until her scalp is healed, I'd avoid EOs and everything w/ acid.

Because tea tree oil kills bacteria and fungus. It's like if you have a cut and want to clean it and prevent or cure infection so it can heal. If she's been wearing weaves, her scalp is not overstimulated (ex: like from rough brushing). And I don't know about peppermint, but tea tree oil does not and isn't intended to make your hair grow. It's in hair growth products because it can make your scalp feel refreshed or tingly and give the illusion that the product is really doing something.

 

[robot.]

No Peppermint/tea tree oil on an inflamed scalp!!! These things can seriously aggrevate any problems. It sounds like her scalp is suffering from being covered up and getting no hair. As Dynamic1 states, several more serious issues can be happening here. Just try gently doing a "normal" w/o bells and whistles routine and then using some jojoba oil NEAT to see what happens. This may clear up on it's own if you don't aggravte it further.

Most commercial aloe gels have asorbic acid in them (ie vit C) so I'd avoid that too. Plain jojoba is probably the best bet, IMHO.

I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking that would only make it worse. If my skin was already red and throbbing, the last thing I would do would be to put something tingly on it.

 

[jamaraa]

Because tea tree oil kills bacteria and fungus. It's like if you have a cut and want to clean it and prevent or cure infection so it can heal. If she's been wearing weaves, her scalp is not overstimulated (ex: like from rough brushing). And I don't know about peppermint, but tea tree oil does not and isn't intended to make your hair grow. It's in hair growth products because it can make your scalp feel refreshed or tingly and give the illusion that the product is really doing something.

If her scalp is irritated, using something w/ a mentholated quality will make matters worse. Tea tree is used to deal w/ issues surrounding basic dandruff. The "tingle" (the tingle is why, like peppermint, it's used in hair growth aids because it's a stimulant as well as a disinfectant) you speak of comes from it's mentholated qualities and it's not meant to be used on anything like an open sore. Given how her scalp's been described by the OP, it's too raw for that, IMHO. That's why I said lavender (good for both burns and open sores) is the EO to choose if you choose any in this case. It's the gentlest and least likely to cause a bad reaction IMHO.

It seems to me this woman's head and scalp has been lacking air (back-to-back weaves) and she simply needs air and simple lightweight prods (ie jojoba oil and basic shamp/condish) to get her scalp back into shape. Just time, no weaves, and basic plain stuff. EOs may complicate her problems.

 

[jamaraa]

I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking that would only make it worse. If my skin was already red and throbbing, the last thing I would do would be to put something tingly on it.

Mentholated products can cause irritation on a healthy scalp, so on one that's known to be irritated it can be a disaster waiting to happen. The tingle you speak of can easily go into burn territory. Even at the best of times, mentholated prods can be hard to take, esp being so close to your eyes as you hair is.

The last thing you do w/ an open sore or something close to that is add something w/ "hot" qualities because it will smart, at the very least. You want something that will cool it off. Aloe Vera (oil/gel) w/o Vit C or lavender is probably the only thing I'd use here outside of a "neat" jojoba oil.

 

[addaboutmyhair]

I agree her scalp sounds as if it has been lacking air (see my first post) and if anything jojoba oil will help. But I've had tea tree oil do wonders for irritated skin (face and scalp). And my dermatologist recommended it. But as is often repeated on this site, everyone is different. So if it doesn't clear up she can see a doctor or do a test patch.

 

[Irresistible]

No Peppermint/tea tree oil on an inflamed scalp!!! These things can seriously aggrevate any problems. It sounds like her scalp is suffering from being covered up and getting no hair. As Dynamic1 states, several more serious issues can be happening here. Just try gently doing a "normal" w/o bells and whistles routine and then using some jojoba oil NEAT to see what happens. This may clear up on it's own if you don't aggravte it further.

Most commercial aloe gels have asorbic acid in them (ie vit C) so I'd avoid that too. Plain jojoba is probably the best bet, IMHO.

Thank you! This would have her screaming!

even the food products/oils are risky, if it's not known in advance if there are any bacteria present-they will feed off of the natural oils

tea tree is antifungal, but very strong , and with no fungal infection present, its like using it for nothing, and it would only burn , hecks would burn if there is one. It Must be VERY diluted and would still burn


I agree with the Jojoba and the Aloe Vera

But again with out us knowing what's going on with her scalp exactly it's hard to call it........I would have to get in it and see it myself

but if its simple irritation any of the natural oils should be soothing/healing, the one's minus the burn that is

 

[Neek-a-Nator]

Both peppermint and tea tree oils are stimulants. Why else would they be in products that are supposed to make your hair grow? This is like giving an insominaic turkish coffee...it will acheive the opposite of what you want.

If you want a soothing EO, lavender's the ticket. Other than that, until her scalp is healed, I'd avoid EOs and everything w/ acid.

Good advice as usual Jamaara. To piggyback off what Jamaara said, I would suggest putting two strand twist probably medium sized with unrefined shea butter along the shaft and LEAVE it alone. She doesn't need the manipulation of a twist-out. She can style her twist up, down, etc. HTH

 

[MilkChocolateOne]

Send her to the dermatologist asap.

 

[Ms Lala]

Send her to the dermatologist asap.

I have to agree with this. She may need something medicated like hydrocortisone and you don't want to recommend this on your own. I would be concerned about styling her hair until it is clear what damage has been done to the scalp. What if there are other side effect like hair loss etc... that you may be unaware of. If my scalp were like that I would wear a loose bun or something until I got things figured out or braid it up and wear a half wig.

 

[*Muffin*]

Oooh, I love make-overs! Give her the works!

If I were in your shoes, I would:
-Oil treat her scalp with a natural oil before shampooing. Coconut oil is a good oil for scalp issues.
-Shampoo her hair with a nice, mild cleanser. You could even add a few drops of lavender essential oil (which is similar in performance to minty essential oils, but without the irritation).
-Deep condition her hair with a balanced conditioner (both moisturizing and strengthening).
-Style as usual. You could perhaps put it in a cute natural style so she can grow to love her natural BSL length hair for what it is .

 

[rainbowknots]

As for twists, the queen of twists on the internet is RusticBeauty on youtube, she does twists so precise she gets told it looks fake

Oh wow, that twist out is absolutely gorgeous. I love it!!!

 

[southerncitygirl]

Co-signing on the lavender it is soothing! Chamomile is also and if you find an oil in the health food store infused with calendula it would be great too. All of these can be used on babies and are very mild. Nartural shampoos, condishes and styling products are the only things that should used right now.

 

[NappFrizz83]

thanks everyone..i'll let yall know how it goes today

 

[NappFrizz83]

Her hair came out really cute..since she had previously attempted to straighten it, i wet her hair up with suave conditioner and detangled in sections leaving it in twist when i was done i rinsed her hair and shampooed her hair with organics olive oil shampoo and did a hot oil treatment paying attention to the scalp..after the rinse i conditioned with suave again because i thought she had the mate to the shampoo but she didn't ugh. anywho i kept her hair in twist the entire time and it was such an amazing thing to her because she would rough her hair up all over her head while washing and try to detangle with a lil ax* comb and no conditioner but we all had to learn. when all this was so i put Hawaiian silky 14 in 1 on her scalp and went throught sections with parnevu leave in for dry hair and make 3 braids in each quadrant then i put jerry curl rollers on her ends and blow dryed the plaits for a little while because her hair is RIDICULOUSLY THICK. After, i put a little holding gel on her edges and tied her up. This morning i took it down and fluffed it for her and put in a few bobby pins and it was so CUTE. She loved it!