Long Hair Care Virgin

[queenbee]

Hello All,

Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a married, mom of 3 (including 3-year-old twins) and I am TRULY a forum virgin (I'm so dependent on my stylist that I don't even own a bottle of shampoo--sad, but true.) However, my sister is a devoted forum member who insisted that I join after I told her that it would be utterly impossible for my shoulder-length hair (relaxed) to EVER reach my brastrap. Well I took her advice (she always gives great advice) and here I am. I'm writing to see if anyone would be so kind as to give a 60-second introduction to basic forum principles and perhaps answer a few elementary questions. (I tried to jump right in, but I'm LOST amid all the expert advice--y'all are PROS!):
1. What's the basic regimen? How often should I wash, condition, deep condition?
2. I think I understand protective styling, but what styling products should I use to keep my hair from drying out (I use a Pantene gel when I pull my hair into a bun. It holds, but it's so drying)

3. What are your favorite shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, oils, styling creams, etc?

4. My hair is in layers and not all of it can fit in a bun, how do I protect the shorter hair in the front?

5. How important are vitamins? I took Biotin a while ago and my face is still recovering from the massive breakout that ensued. Now I just take a multivitamin and try to eat well. Am I missing out on the benefits of more vitamins?

6. How often should I trim? My stylist trims my hair every 6-8 weeks and it looks great. . .but it never grows.

7. (LAST QUESTION!!) I work out everyday (atleast I'm supposed to). Do I have to wash after every workout?

OK, no more questions. God bless whoever takes the time to respond to this lengthy post. Bye y'all and thanks so much for unlocking the real truth about our hair!

 

[Guest]

Welcome! You will find lots of advice from this site. I wasn't used to forums either until I joined this site [I had a lot of questions too..and I still have questions from time to time] and I haven't looked back since!

 

[brismom]

Just a few things she didn't tell y'all: She has 3c/4a type hair. It is very thick but dense. The strands are relatively fine but there are millions of them. How do I know this, you may ask? I am said sister. And as her older sister in a black family, I combed her hair quite a bit so I know her hair at least as well as I know my own. Y'all embrace her. She doesn't think its possible to acheive her hair goals.

 

[katie]

Welcome!I can't answer all your questions but I'm sure other ladies will be able to.
1.You can check out the archives of Features of the Month if you want to check out good regimens.Most ladies here wash at least once a week.I do one shampoo wash a week and 2 or 3 conditioner washes other weekdays.I deep condition once a week when I shampoo.I also clarify about once a month and light-protein condition once a month.The week after my relaxer I use a heavy duty protein conditioner though.

2.To keep your hair from drying out you can use a good leave-in conditioner.Some I've used are Biolage-leave in Tonic,Pantene Detangle leave-in.After I use leave-in,I apply a bit of jojoba oil and Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter to lock in moisture,and keep my pony smooth.There are many other things ladies use on this board though.The possibilites are limitless,lol.I don't think gel alone is good to use on your hair for airdrying though.

3.My fave shampoo is Nexxus Therappe.It really moisturizes.You can do a search on favourite shampoos on this board and will come up with a bazillion faves though.I love deep conditioning with Le Kair Cholesterol and Keracare Humecto.I vary the condits I use for conditioner washes a lot.My faves for those are Nexxus Humectress and Clairol Daily Defense.I really love jojoba oil to use on both wet and dry hair.I also use Profectiv Breakfree and RootHealth to moisturize dry hair.

6.I trim every 8 weeks when I get a relaxer.Many ladies do not advocate trimming that often though.This is just my personal pref.I still see a lot of length accumualting since my hairdresser is verrry carefuul to only trim 1/8 inch.If you see you are accumulating no length,be sure to tell your hairdresser that she is trimming way too much or you can trim yourself.

Well I hope this helps and happy hair growing to you!

 

[lillian743]

Welcome!!
I dont have a favorite shampoo.
my hair is to short for a protective hair style, so I cant help there.
Vitamins are very very important, if you want beauiful hair. That multivitamin your taking is good, but later you will want to try more.
Some people trim every three months, Im not triming my hair cause its way to short.
Your hair is growing, maybe breaking off just as fast as its growing. How much growth do you get in 6-8 weeks?
If your hair is relaxed to may not want to wash it every day, you could wash it three times a week..

 

[pink_flower]

Welcome! I hope this all makes sense, I was typing fast b/c I should be working now..
1. What's the basic regimen? How often should I wash, condition, deep condition?
Your regimen can be whatever you make it. I wash at least once a week(its usually more than that). I try to deep condition once a week too.

2. I think I understand protective styling, but what styling products should I use to keep my hair from drying out (I use a Pantene gel when I pull my hair into a bun. It holds, but it's so drying)
I look for a soft non alcoholic gel. I use Smooth N shine gel. OTher popular ones are Fantasia Frizz Buster gel(found at Sallys)

3. What are your favorite shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, oils, styling creams, etc?
Shampoo- Jason Naturals Sea Kelp and Fantasia IC pure tea
Conditioner- Cream of Nature Nourishing, Motions Silk Protein, Suave Naturals Citrus Smoothie and Milk and Honey.
Moisturizers- Hollywood Beauty Castor Oil, BB Mayonnaise and Honey, Dudleys Creme Press, S curl

4. My hair is in layers and not all of it can fit in a bun, how do I protect the shorter hair in the front?
You can try to smooth is down with a nice pomade. Some folks here use Carols Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey, Proclaim Ice is good too(sallys)

5. How important are vitamins? I took Biotin a while ago and my face is still recovering from the massive breakout that ensued. Now I just take a multivitamin and try to eat well. Am I missing out on the benefits of more vitamins?
This is debatable, I never took vitamins, I just workout and try to eat well. My hair grows just the same.

6. How often should I trim? My stylist trims my hair every 6-8 weeks and it looks great. . .but it never grows. I only trim when necessary, which isnt alot. I havent trimmed at all this year and I get a relaxer every 2 months. I dont plan to trim anymore until I reach my goal. I think the average here is about 3 or 4 times a year. But if you ends are in bad shape you should trim..

7. (LAST QUESTION!!) I work out everyday (atleast I'm supposed to). Do I have to wash after every workout?
You can try a condtioner wash or rinse. Which is just using your favorite conditoner and massaging it in you hair/scalp like you would do with a shampoo. I think if you sweat a lot this can be really benefical to you.

I hope I was helpful!

 

[nita4]

Welcome queenbee

1. What's the basic regimen? How often should I wash, condition, deep condition?

My normal regimen was to shampoo twice a week, deep condition with a mild protein conditioner and follow up with a moisturizing conditioner,

2. I think I understand protective styling, but what styling products should I use to keep my hair from drying out (I use a Pantene gel when I pull my hair into a bun. It holds, but it's so drying)

My fav. protective styles are a bun, hair pulled back into a braid with a scrunchie and a french roll. These are for the weekdays, during the weekend I roller set (for church) and then it normally goes back into a bun. All I use is a daily moisturizer either Humectress w/EFA oil and ORS oil moisturizer.

3. What are your favorite shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, oils, styling creams, etc?

My favs. or Nexxus Botanoil, Therappe shampoos, Humectress moisturizing conditioner and Keraphix for a light protein conditioner. Right now I'm using other products, but if and when I return I'll be using the above.

4. My hair is in layers and not all of it can fit in a bun, how do I protect the shorter hair in the front?

Hummm, I don't have layers... Ladies? How about a bang?

5. How important are vitamins? I took Biotin a while ago and my face is still recovering from the massive breakout that ensued. Now I just take a multivitamin and try to eat well. Am I missing out on the benefits of more vitamins?

I take my vitamins for health reasons, but they also benefit my hair. I do take a Maxi-hair vit too.

6. How often should I trim? My stylist trims my hair every 6-8 weeks and it looks great. . .but it never grows.

I do mine seasonally about every three months. I bet your hair does look great.

7. (LAST QUESTION!!) I work out everyday (atleast I'm supposed to). Do I have to wash after every workout?

Most of the ladies that do workout, I believe they at least do a daily conditon wash or rinse. Not sure, but sure someone will come along with an answer.

Enjoy the forum!!!

 

[sassygirl125]

You got some great "starter info".

I just wanted to say hello.

 

[Erica78]

well... it looks like you have already been given some good advice...so I will just say...welcome aboard!

 

[sengschick]

First, YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Secondly, WELCOME

We can tell you what we do, but until you get know your hair, only you'll know what works best for you!

I've found that I and my hair love condition washing and not using shampoo very frequently at all. I know, totally foreign to a newbie. The longer you lurk the more you try and adopt than you ever thought you would!

I think protective is subjective. I think my style is "protective" b/c it's not hanging on my clothes and pulling or breaking. Some would say it's not b/c my ends are exposed. I have bun burn-out so I'm not sure what product would be best for slicking your hair back.

My favorites are the Phyto line conditioners and styling products, Nexxus Humectress and Aubrey Organic's GPB.

Well, until your hair grows there isn't much you can do, just keep it moisturized until it can reach that bun.

I think many people are successful w/o supplements. Some have noticed marked change and some use them to speed up their growth rate. I love my supplement wholeheartedly.

Trimming is a hot topic. I know when I used heat I need trims b/c my ends were splitting, but since I stopped using heat I can't find one to trim! The truth is your hair is growing, she's taking the length and therefore you haven't seen any gains. Your ends are being cut or damaged.

I don't wash after every workout and I sweat like a fool in the gym. If my hair were more wash and wear, I might.

Very Best Wishes!!! And Happy, Happy Growing!!!

~SengsChick

 

[Guest]

Hi again, I was able to answer some of your questions but not all. I hope you find it helpful.

2. I think I understand protective styling, but what styling products should I use to keep my hair from drying out (I use a Pantene gel when I pull my hair into a bun. It holds, but it's so drying)

I think you should invest in a good moisturizer besides using the gel. A moisturizer that contains water is good at keeping your hair protected and helps to retain length esp. when you focus on moisturing your ends.


3. What are your favorite shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, oils, styling creams, etc?

I am currently trying out new shampoos and conditioners myself but the ones I've had the best experiences with this [year] are: Jason Natural Sea Kelp Shampoo and Condtioner, Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner, and L'anza Dry Hair Formula Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. I use different conditioners for deep conditioning or adding extra protein [mostly Ultra Black Hair Condtioner]. For oils: I mostly use African Royale Hot Six Oil or Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil. I don't use any oil or grease on my scalp anymore-as petroleum and mineral oil isn't the best thing for the scalp. Moisturizing creams that I have used are: Ultra Black Hair Lotion Creme Moisturizer and B & B Oil Moisturizer with Castor Oil and and Aloe

7. (LAST QUESTION!!) I work out everyday (atleast I'm supposed to). Do I have to wash after every workout?

Since you workout, I would think that you would need to at least rinse because of the "sweat" that is caused by working out. Some people do something called a "conditioner wash". I think it would be enough is you rinsed well and apply a leave-in conditioner and maybe an oil to seal it in. I read that in a hair care magazine once. Everyone's schedule won't allow them to go through the motions of daily washing, setting, etc. if they work out daily but at least rinse the hair after working out to get rid of the "salt" residue on your hair from the sweat.

 

[alibi]

Hello and welcome aboard!!! I know you'll love it here!

 

[LABETT]

WELCOME ABOARD.You have received good advice.