Retaining length for fine hair ladies

[RegaLady]

Question about mid week co washing?

How are you styling your hair so it's decent for work the next day. Bunning is not an option as my whole head dries frizzy, even with gel my whole head looks like one big fly away. And a wet bun means breakage.
Am i really destined to wearing ugly plaits mid week??

I swear you sound like me this morning. And funny part is I cowashed today after months of not doing so. I was FRUSTRTED when I finished . I need to prep my hair for a bun, but I wore one anyway and its ugly
I just need a break from my regimen and blowdry my hair and rock a fierce braidout.

 

[yodie]

I'm fine haired and still learning my hair. My hair does better when I leave it alone. Too much of anything spells disaster for my hair. I've been able to break away from the flat iron. Yay for that. I'm now trying to break away from the blow dryer.

 

[coolsista-paris]

two strand twists = tangle city with my fine hair. My hair stays less tangled when I do braidouts.

tangle city for me too. no 2 strand twists for me...

mine does better stretched with à dryer.

 

[tapioca_pudding]

My fine hair can't take a lot of product, manipulation or being wet too often. I had to cut out the daily cowashes, add protein to my weekly regimen and leave it alone during the week. I use minimal product when I do my hair.

I also can't maintain curly hair (on a regular basis) because of all the tangles. I do braid outs biweekly and that has been great for my hair. But keeping my hair (and ends) stretched has definitely made a difference for me.

I'm going to follow JulietWhiskey's lead and start using my green tea spray more often to see if it helps with retention even more. If I can go from my current length (I call it SL+ lol) to APL in 4 months....

 

[DarkJoy]

Teas really do help with retention and for heavy shedding. I can testify to these benefits.

My fine hair and twists don't mix either. Adding insult to injury I have low density. Twists don't unravel but look so scraggly. same with mini braids.

____________
*.~.*Sent from a distant Galaxy in the Unicorn-verse*.~.*

 

[Jobwright]

My hair does okay with weaves, but I haven't had a full set of individual braids in years. My friend would be doing them...I'm still a little nervous.

Did you get the braids/twists? I am having a hair breakdown and I need to hide this mess before I do something drastic!

 

[hairlover]

me too, no heat styling has caused more damage for me, some reason, my hair likes heat and grows better with it, I only use heat 1-2 times per month though just to be on the safe side.

 

[Babygrowth]

me too, no heat styling has caused more damage for me, some reason, my hair likes heat and grows better with it, I only use heat 1-2 times per month though just to be on the safe side.

For this reason alone I will make myself start rollersetting my hair... this airdrying is making things move slower...

 

[hairlover]

tangle city for me too. no 2 strand twists for me...

mine does better stretched with à dryer.

mine too...two strand twists look terrible on my hair...

 

[Nonie]

hairlover, coolsista-paris, *~*Afrolicious*~* how do you guys do your twists so that they get tangly? And are you guys talmbout twists you leave in or the sort of twists one does for a wash only to undo after the wash?

I use braids for washing loose hair because they keep my strands parallel and so less likely to tangle if I undo them wet to remove shed hair. I am careful to rebraid promptly to maintain the parallel, tangle free status.

If you're talking about twists that you wear as a long-term style, I find doing them small and twirling each strand in the same direction then twisting them opposite to the twirling direction keeps my twists in for weeks on end, and when I need to redo, the strands separate with ease. The twirling keeps the hair in each strand separate from those in the other strand. So undoing is just untwisting then untwirling to release loose strands.

 

[Nonie]

Teas really do help with retention and for heavy shedding. I can testify to these benefits.

My fine hair and twists don't mix either. Adding insult to injury I have low density. Twists don't unravel but look so scraggly. same with mini braids.

____________
*.~.*Sent from a distant Galaxy in the Unicorn-verse*.~.*

,

DarkJoy have you tried doing small twists and staggering them as I explain in this thread? Also if you do twists on stretched hair, they are skinny and scraggly, but I usually CW immediately after braiding so as to get the twists to puff up and hang straight. They do shrink a bit but if you twirl before twisting, shrinkage is a lot less than if you don't twirl.

You can sorta see the staggering I'm talmbout in the bottom left image below. Notice how all the parts between twists on each row are covered by the twists in the row below them.

BTW, I do not use a comb to part between my twists. I just grab and twist...because I feel as if combs make permanent parts or make it harder to "erase" parts. The more jagged the parts, the easier they are to "erase" when I undo the style.

 

[Nonie]

Someone asked about CWing in mid-week. I am able to do it with ease because my hair is in twists. @Nix08 tried my way of twisting on her daughters and has shared how easy it made wash day to have hair twisted the way I suggest.

When I wash my twists, they are easier to style because they are flexible. I can also drip dry so they dry straight which makes them look better if worn down.

 

[PinkSunshine77]

Hi Ladies, what are you fine hair ladies doing to retain the length you are growing. Please explain how you are maintaining your length. What is your length.

No or low heat (every 4+ months)
dc 2x weekly
Washing 1-2 weekly
ACV rinses with every wash
Moisturizing daily. I rarely seal.
Trims or dusting every fresh relaxer or when I think it needs it.

 

[*~*Afrolicious*~*]

hairlover, coolsista-paris, *~*Afrolicious*~* how do you guys do your twists so that they get tangly? And are you guys talmbout twists you leave in or the sort of twists one does for a wash only to undo after the wash?

I use braids for washing loose hair because they keep my strands parallel and so less likely to tangle if I undo them wet to remove shed hair. I am careful to rebraid promptly to maintain the parallel, tangle free status.

If you're talking about twists that you wear as a long-term style, I find doing them small and twirling each strand in the same direction then twisting them opposite to the twirling direction keeps my twists in for weeks on end, and when I need to redo, the strands separate with ease. The twirling keeps the hair in each strand separate from those in the other strand. So undoing is just untwisting then untwirling to release loose strands.

I never twist I just do braidouts. 90% less tangles that way.

 

[MileHighDiva]

,

DarkJoy have you tried doing small twists and staggering them as I explain in this thread? Also if you do twists on stretched hair, they are skinny and scraggly, but I usually CW immediately after braiding so as to get the twists to puff up and hang straight. They do shrink a bit but if you twirl before twisting, shrinkage is a lot less than if you don't twirl.

You can sorta see the staggering I'm talmbout in the bottom left image below. Notice how all the parts between twists on each row are covered by the twists in the row below them.

BTW, I do not use a comb to part between my twists. I just grab and twist...because I feel as if combs make permanent parts or make it harder to "erase" parts. The more jagged the parts, the easier they are to "erase" when I undo the style.

Nonie, will you please post a link for where you bought that hair candy? TIA

 

[Urban]

I've found I can't do twists either. As my hair has gotten longer, it seems to prefer tangling. I keep my hair stretched with braids (with extensions) for 2-3 months at a time. It means I don't manipulate my hair for that period of time as well.

The thing I'm struggling with the most is combing or lack thereof. I can't bring myself to do it because as my hair's gotten longer, it seems to cause more and more breakage. I haven't combed in almost a year. I finger comb/ detangle extensively but it takes forever!

 

[g.lo]

deleted, wrong thread! sorry

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie, will you please post a link for where you bought that hair candy? TIA

MileHighDiva, I picked it up from CVS a couple of years ago. I am sorry I don't remember the maker/brand but if I see it on my next visit, I'll be sure to let you know.

 

[DarkJoy]

Thanks Nonie. I actually use that staggered parting technique when I braid other people's hair. IDK why it never occurred to me for my own dang twists. Anyway, I did a few test twists and it looks better. Being in the no man's land between NL and SL is kinda lame. It is NOT a flattering length with my face and I think twists just highlights that. Maybe in another 2 or 3 inches, I'll be sporting the twists. Also gives me time to continue thickening my hair with my regimen.

BTW, I'm totally jellie of your twists!! So pretty Nonie!!

,

@DarkJoy have you tried doing small twists and staggering them as I explain in this thread? Also if you do twists on stretched hair, they are skinny and scraggly, but I usually CW immediately after braiding so as to get the twists to puff up and hang straight. They do shrink a bit but if you twirl before twisting, shrinkage is a lot less than if you don't twirl.

You can sorta see the staggering I'm talmbout in the bottom left image below. Notice how all the parts between twists on each row are covered by the twists in the row below them.

BTW, I do not use a comb to part between my twists. I just grab and twist...because I feel as if combs make permanent parts or make it harder to "erase" parts. The more jagged the parts, the easier they are to "erase" when I undo the style.

 

[CuteMeeka]

Bumping for more tips

 

[MsJamerican]

Does anyone heat train?

 

[caribeandiva]

Ok here what I learned so far from this thread:

Regular protein treatments are vital
Keep hair stretched to avoid tangles or knots
Low manipulation is best
Keep ends trimmed to avoid knots or split ends

Did I miss anything?

 

[DaPPeR]

Marking my spot

 

[MzSwift]

caribeandiva
That sounds about right. At least, that's what's been working for me. And my hair suffers when I don't do those things. My hair now comes to my bottom rib bone.

 

[coolsista-paris]

caribeandiva That sounds about right. At least, that's what's been working for me. And my hair suffers when I don't do those things. My hair now comes to my bottom rib bone.

your hair sounds beautiful! i want to see !

 

[gn1g]

Ok here what I learned so far from this thread:

Regular protein treatments are vital
Keep hair stretched to avoid tangles or knots
Low manipulation is best
Keep ends trimmed to avoid knots or split ends

Did I miss anything?

thank you for the summary.

 

[MzSwift]

coolsista-paris

Hey lady!
Usually I'm good about posting pictures but I'm waiting another month for the EOTY reveal. I'll try remember to post in here as well! I do have pictures in my LHCF album but the most recent one is from April 2013.

 

[ajargon02]

Hi Ladies, what are you fine hair ladies doing to retain the length you are growing. Please explain how you are maintaining your length. What is your length.

For myself, protective styles ( ie. twists pinned into a bun, basket weave styling my twists w/ the ends tucked) water or water based moisture daily sealed w/ an oil, pomade or butter. Gentleness- deciding that wash & retwist day wasn't a pain, but rather relaxing. Eating better, exercise all that good stuff.

I have satin sheets & pillow cases that I use exclusively. I have a filter on my shower & my tresses thank me for that!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using LHCF, so please be so kind as to ignore any typos that may slip through. ;-)

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

I wash my hair once every 2 weeks with a moisturizing shampoo. Deep condioning with all natural deep conditioners. Applying a moisturizing leave in and sealing with a moisturizing butter. Then I put it in a wet bun and wear it like that until next wash. I only comb on wash days.

I just recently relaxed and before that I wore my hair in many different no heat styles. I think heat is one of my biggest enemies. I can't use it even monthly. Well at least not direct heat. I am planning on getting my hair rollerset once a month from the Dominicans. But I have to see how my hair reacts to that to see if it works ok in my regimen.

I deep condition with every wash and use steam when I go to the Dominicans. I always use all natural deep conditioners when I deep condition. I feel it really nourishes my hair from the inside out.

 

[coolsista-paris]

coolsista-paris Hey lady! Usually I'm good about posting pictures but I'm waiting another month for the EOTY reveal. I'll try remember to post in here as well! I do have pictures in my LHCF album but the most recent one is from April 2013.

oh well lets wait a month! your hair is awsome !!!!!
remember us in here!
im off to stalk your album for some personnal motivation