What's the big deal about Cathy Howse's methods?

[BlkMane]

What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I went to her website and honestly, I don't think her hair looks that great. Yes it is long, but it took her about 12 years to get it to bra strap?

How is that the "6 inches/year" she talks about? If she started growing her hair in 1989 and doesn't trim (her method, she claims trimming isn't necessary), her hair should have been 72 inches long.

From what I see, she SHOULD have been trimming those ends..she must have lost a lot of "little pieces" of hair over the years to ONLY be at bra strap 12 years after the start of her hair growth program.

Opinions?

BTW--I did check out her Dew and Conditioner. Those actually DO look like some good products, especially the Conditioner. Who uses it here? Do you leave it in or rinse it out?

 

[Guest]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I heard that the conditioner dries your hair out but, if you make it yourself, you will not have that problem. I posted the recipe for the conditioner on the recipe board months and months ago.

As for her hair length, how long your hair gets depends upon your growth cycle. Also, she may have had set backs along the way.

 

[BRIESMOM]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

Hey Blkmane, I think that CH's method is a big deal to those who have never come in contact with people like the ones here at LHCF. At least it was that way for me. I came across her site and thought wow "hair this long on a black woman? What's the trick?" I showed my sister the site and she said basically the same thing that you said about her ends and I said "but look how long". I did not take any vitamins, I used a brush in my hair daily as well as blow dryed it after each wash. I used conditioner when ever the mood struck and just loaded on the grease.(yes my hair was in bad shape /images/graemlins/shocked.gif). When I read her book all the ideas that she shared seemed novel. My hair strengthen, breakage stopped and increased growth was noticed. Somehow I happened upon this site(my blessing) and saw all the sisters here (natural and relaxed)with such beautiful hair. I now realize (as someone said in another post) CH just "sold her regime" in a 155 page format.

 

[ricochet]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I bought Cathy's book back in 04/2001. It was a decent read. Her hair could use a good trim, but I doubt she will do that because of her "proven" method. She does say in her book that trims only even the hair out, and don't contribute to growth...However...who wants thin, uneven hair? Not I. I know that "trimming does not make your hair grow", and I also know that "split ends do not split evenly up the complete hair shaft"...(well, not proven anyway /images/graemlins/wink.gif) But I do know that if you don't trim your ends at all...well let's just say, some folks just need a REALLY good trim. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Tracy]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

Blkmane,

I must agree with you. I think the hooplah about her methods and products are underrated - at best. Just my opinion, but there it is. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

I tried both her methods and her products for 6 months . Her methods are relatively standard, but I had to stop using the conditioner (the ready made version) after two months because IT broke my hair (I have never had a conditioner break my hair off like that). I caught it before it was a disaster, but I credit my ability to do that with knowing a bit about hair myself and understanding immediately that protein overload was the problem. I worry about the people that don't know that too much protein can be a problem, yet
continue to use her regime because they applaud her efforts, and lose their hair before it's too late. She is very dogmatic - I dislike that in a hair care "expert".

I personally feel the faultiest part of her regimen is the idea that ANYONE can care for their hair by simply using her conditioner and maintenance suggestions and grow longer stonger hair. For me, this was simply not true. I need an actual MOISTURIZING CONDITIONER after a protein treatment of any kind - and especially one as strong as Cathy's. Simply "moisturizing" the hair with mositurizer that you are to use daily after using her conditioner, and before styling, just wasn't enough for my hair. The protein in her formula dried my hair out too much and it began to break. My hair needs and actual MOISTURIZING CONDITIONER after the protein. A lot of folks' hair DO AND WILL OBJECT STRENUOSLY IF IT DOESN'T GET IT! /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

The fact that this may be true for others, and that Cathy seems to be very adament that her EXACT regimen will work for ANYONE is, to me, irresponsible. She doesn't leave much room for tailoring her regimen to the individual and wasn't very nice when I emailed her my experiences and asking for advice.

Someone mentioned above that the people who MAKE the conditioner from the recipe she published in previous editions of her book have better results. I believe this is probably true, and is the case because there are few conditioners on the market that contain the amount and type of protein that Cathy uses in her formula. Therefore, anything you use in the mix will be gentler - and gentler still if you add oils and such as the recipe requires. Not as much protein. And many ready made "reconstructors" - which is what the recipe calls for - also include moisturizing conditioners in the mixture, which probably combats some of the drying I experienced.
She should have stuck to the recipe. Marketing her sorry attempt at a conditioning product was her demise IMO. Or will be. Mark my words.

As to trimming - I tried her suggestions on that as well, against my better judgment, because I was desperate to see how long I could get my hair, and was curious to see if not trimming would help me retain more length without me having to cut too much by the end of the journey. However, for me, not trimming wasn't the answer. My hair needs a trim to maintain a certain neatness and add a level of strength to the ends. The bluner they are they easier they are to keep on my head. Even layers present a problem. I agree with her that trimming doesn't affect the roots of the hair and possibly that the hair may not split all the way up the strand as we have been taught to believe. But for my hair, that neatness and strength that trimming afforded counted enough for me to reclaim trimming as a semi-regular part of my regime. To be fair, I did realize I didn't need to trim as often as I was, but I still need to trim. I feel that her dogma on this point is simply a function of her trying to play semantics to discredit other people's views moreso than it being something she truly believes is a problem that affects black hair on the whole. Black folks are hardly known for not being able to grow hair because they trim too much - after all. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Overall, I respect her efforts but I feel her approach is faulty and onesided, and will work only for people that have exactly her hair type, texture, density and needs. Obviously, this can't work for everyone and so isn't universally pragmatic as far as hair care regimes go. When I suggested as such she said it was because my hair was type 3. And we all know how much I LOVE that assesment. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif I feel so much more goes into hair differences and similarities, that this is a simplistic way to explain my lack of success with her method. It let her off the hook a little too easily. And reveals how basic her knowledge and "research" really were. If she had built a little more flexibility into her plan, and had researched somewhere besides her won mirror, it would be more widely useful, and might even be more lucrative for her.

Cathy does not get my vote.

 

[Guest]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

Her regime doesn't work for me either. Washing every 3 days is not an option for me because of my schedule and my hair texture. In addition, I brush sometimes because my hair needs a good brushing. My beautician trims when she feels the need to which is every couple of months (I leave the decision up to her). The rest of her book just seemed flimsy. She really should mention that you do need a good moisturizing conditioner in your routine as well.

 

[Tebby1017]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I bought the book, mixed my own conditioner, and applied SOME of her methods. I don't care WHO recommends something, I listen to my hair and what it needs, so I hardly ever follow what EXACTLY was said. Anyway, what I did follow worked well for me and I was able to grow my hair from shoulder to shoulder blades in a matter of about 6 or 7 months. I wasn't even taking supplements of any kind for the majority of that time. I had a bad trimming experience because I wanted to even out my hair. In the last 2 years or so, I have only trimmed my ends once and my ends are in good shape. My ends have again reached my shoulderblades.

I think her book is a good reference (although I no longer have it since I loaned it to a friend), but as mentioned before, the ladies on this board have really good information as well.

Tebby

 

[pebbles]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

Hi Blkmane, (my fellow HP fan! /images/graemlins/grin.gif)

It didn't take her 12 years to grow her hair. She talks about that on her site. I think it's question #18 of Cathy's tips. She has been researching hair care for that long and sometimes people confuse that with the time it took to grow her hair. From the dates on her pictures, it appears that it took her about 5 years to go from short hair which is about at her ears to bra strap. Then there's the fact that she had some draw backs to growing her hair as well. Also, consider the fact that since she estimates her hair life is about 3 years long, it would eventually all shed any way at some point, so she would not have hair that would grow to be 24 inches long, let alone be any longer than that.

As to the trimming, she states that the point she wants to stress to many woman who don't know otherwise, is that since hair grows from the roots and not from your ends, trimming the hair cannot stimulate hair growth since hair is dead once it comes out of the scalp. So there is no signal being sent to the hair in your scalp telling it to grow if you trim your ends. To many of the enlightened women on this forum, this would seem obvious; but I can tell you that I was always told that trimming my hair would help it to grow faster, and I believed it. That's the only reason she spent so long not trimming her ends; it was just to prove her point. She does trim her hair now that she has proven her point.

Admittedly, she does come off as very abrasive in some of her responses. I can understand that her style will turn some people off. But I do think that she is very defensive because many people have leveled some pretty harsh criticism in her direction as well. Perhaps that's her way of defending herself.

No method will work for everyone. You are definately right about that. My personal experience with her has been excellent. It was her advice and her products that made my hair look the way you see them in my photos now. Believe me when I tell you that 6 months ago, my hair was nothing like you see now, not even close. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Monicurl]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Tracy said:

Overall, I respect her efforts but I feel her approach is faulty and onesided, and will work only for people that have exactly her hair type, texture, density and needs. Obviously, this can't work for everyone and so isn't universally pragmatic as far as hair care regimes go. When I suggested as such she said it was because my hair was type 3.

[/ QUOTE ]

Having also read her book, at one time used SOME of her practices and emailed her, I can agree with this wholeheartedly.
My main problem with her is her belief that if your hair is already long without her methods, then you have "mixed" hair and your care methods are not to be credited. Along that same line she has a particular venom for Wannakee. She negates Wannakee's hair length to being the result of "mixed hair" rather than hair care menthods and says her methods cannot be followed with any success unless you also have mixed hair. Too bad she still has this mindset.

 

[Valerie]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I started using her method and I found it quite helpful, but I think the washing with a conditioner is really helpful for my hair, I had a miserable, cold and cough, which took ages to go away, not the cold, but the cough, so I haven't rinsed for nearly three days and my hair does feel very dry.

 

[Paris Belle]

Re: What\'s the big deal about Cathy Howse\'s methods?

I totally agree Blkmane. I heard about her book and saw it advertised in Essence magazine and wanted to purchase it. But, upon seeing her website, I wasn't all that impressed. Some of her methods are "long hair common sense" but others didn't make sense to me. Like not trimming...Her ends are see-through and it looks like it took her extra long to grow her hair because of it. What I used to do when my hair was natural. As far as having "mixed hair" (kinky curly wavy) I have that and my hair isn't waist length...So that is just ridiculous.

And yes, I thought too that trimming the hair made it grow faster, but I saw that it wasn't true with my own hair! And also, there are so many women (black women) who believe that if your hair isn't already long, then it won't grow because of genetics (we've discussed this in another thread) and I'm just glad that there are books that discredit this myth.