Black Girls With Long Hair! ive got a CASE for you.

hey guys, im new to this forum. hi hi hi! *waves* CASE STUDY: i am a black female (duh), about to finish my final year of University. When i was a child, i used to wear single braids all the time but i also alternated with wearing my real hair which grew to shoulder length at most. my hair dresser would relax my hair bone straight and my hair would break off. it was like a cycle, id take out my braids, my hair would have grown, i went to the hairdresser and come home with all that new growth gone and some straight, im talking Asian hair straight hair lol. when i entered high school, i started pulling the single braids into a tight bun and that was my staple hair style. i am a plain Jane so i literally had the same hairstyle for the three/four years of my high school period. i decided to go natural when i was in the 10th grade. i used to watch youtube videos of the natural/long black hair pioneers like pretty dimplez. lovely ti hairliciousinc and all those people in their bathrooms. i transitioned for a few months then my hairdresser cut my hair. i never wore my hair out. one lovely day, i decided to texture my hair after being natural for two years. i thought that i was still natural if my hair was texturized. my hair had groooown. my friends at school were amazed but it was short lived. i decided to perm my hair so that i can rock a slick pony during WINTER! and my hair broke within days!.during my last year of high school, i decided to learn how to sew weave and i began to sew my own weave. again, i did the same hair style, which was a curly weave with the from of my hair single braided. i noticed that my hairline was receding but i wasnt knowledgable about hair much so i ignored it. i decided to start stretching my relaxers because my hair had reached the ultimate point of damage. it wouldn't even grow past neck length . stretching my relaxer really helped it grow but the growth was uneven. anyway an old friend of mine told me to go back to being natural and i decided to big chop three years ago. i loved my twa! during the first year, my hair grew a lot. i had a major surgery which till this day im not fully healed from and i experienced serious stress from family drama and loss. i think that stunted the growth. when i hit the two year mark, my hair looked just like how it looked when i reached the one year mark, it barely grew. i wore wigs for almost one year and my hairline had still not filled in. i decided to google hairline hair loss and found out about traction alopecia . it takes time for the hair to fill in was the general consensus. so now im here. sitting at home with a tight weave thats making me feel like crap. my natural hair is very thin but had medium density and because of how my hairline is, im embarrassed to rock my hair. i rocked it when it was very short but i feel like medium length hair doesn't suit me, either its short or diva long. im still learning about this hair that God has given me. what should i do guys? i want to stop wearing weave and only rock wigs for at least 2 years to give my hairline a break. my current hair length is APL and i will be three years natural in November. HELP ME! i need you knowledge and encouragement. ive attached a picture of me when i was in high school with my receded hair ine and me a few months (in purple nighty)


Me 2 months ago

If that's recent pics your hairline isn't that bad. Try using castor oil on it daily and putting a barrier between your hair and the wigs

the recent pic if the last pic of me in the light purple shirt. the other two pics are of me in high school. if you say that its not that bad then i thank GOD! i still have a chance to turn things around

I agree with nlamr2013, your damage doesn't look too bad compared to some people who's edeges are totally gone and the skin there is completely smooth. You still have hair growing in that area so that's a good sign that your follicles are still alive and are capable of growing new hair. I had a friend who had the same damage that you do but her hair loss was more severe as in I could see more of her scalp than I see in your pics. This was about 7 years ago. Recently I caught up with her after not seeing her for a couple of years and her edges have completely grown back so recovering your edges is possible, it just takes time.

For me personally I lost some of my edges to wearing tight ponytails and using a stiff brush to brush the front of my hair. My temples were balding and there was barley any hair there. I didn't intentionally try to regrow my edges, it sort of happened by accident. Since I hadn't seen hair growing there for so long I thought that balding there it was hereditary because my mother had the same problem. Well first I stopped brushing that area, then I would cowash daily, massaging my temples everytime. Not long after I started to see new growth. Now I am activly trying to encourage more growth there. I have used Jamacian Black Castor oil, regular castor oil, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, rosemary essential oil, extra virgin olive oil in this area and they all have worked well for me. My hairline has filled in pretty well and the hair there continues to get longer which it never used to.The hair there used to be short and thin and wouldn't grow past a certain length. Not any more, now it's growing out like the rest of the hair on my head.

If you want to know what will grow your edges back you need to do a little research into what types of products will encourage hair growth. For me oils and gentle massages worked best. You may want to experiment with what works for you. Also try to protect that area especially when you sleep. Becareful not to wear anything that has the potential to rub on your hairline. I used to wear satin bonnets at night, the ones with the elastic trim. That elastic would pull out so much hair that after a couple of nights of wearing them I was back to square one with the baldness. Now I use silk(feeling) wraps and since the hair has grown out i can braid it up with my other hair to give those areas added protection.


Some products that I use for hair growth:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I think this is the best oil for hair growth (in my experience any way). Using this I have noticed that my hair grows faster, softer and more moisturized than usual.

Rosemary, Peppermint and Lavender Essential Oils - these oils are supposed to stimulate growth. Becareful when using them. Essential oils are very concentrated so a little goes a long way. You only need a little (2-3 drops) diluted in a carrier oil (to 2 tablespoons olive, coconut, almond, jojoba etc) for it to be effective.

Castor Oil - Jamaican, Hatian or regular castor oil will do. Dilute in a carrier oil because it can be very thick. You can find some brands that have had essential oils added to them like Trpoical Isle, Sunny Isle and Jamaican Mango and Lime. You can find them in most Beauty Supply stores.

Other Oils that help hair growth:
Almond Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Argan Oil
Macadamia Oil
Safflower Oil
Carrot Oil
Mustard Seed Oil (stong smelling)
Sesame Seed Oil (strong smelling)
Apricot Oil
Avocado Oil


If you don't want to mix our own oils or you find that it's too hard to find particular oils that you like then I would suggest using oil blends like:

African Pride Miracle Growth Oil - This is my favorite oil for pre-pooing my hair before washing. I add this to my hair and a little rosemary esssential oil and a few drops of castor oil to my scalp before wash day. This is what I am doing right now and it works great. I really see the difference in my hairs growth and managability. I use a blend of equal parts extra virgin oilve oil and extra virgin coconut oil with 6 drops lavender essential oil and six drops peppermint oil (per ounce of oil) to my hair and scalp when I moisturize and seal my hair.

Other Blended Oils:
Proclaim Natural 7 Olive Oil
Doo Gro Mega Thick Oil
Africa's Royale Hot Six Oil
Hollywood Beauty Oilve Oil
Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil
Hollywood Beauty Almond Oil
Hollywood Beauty Macadamia Oil

I would suggest that you apply any oils to your entire head and not just your edges for best results.


The most important thing you need to do is establish a hair regimen so that your hair care is consistant therefore yielding consistant results. Set up a schedule for your wash days and what products you are going to use to wash, condition, deep condition and moisturize and seal your hair. There are lots of threads on this board that can give you some ideas. Just take care not to apply any more tension to your edges and keep them moisturized.

Good Luck and Happy Hair Growing

A BIG THANK YOU! to you! there is hope! ive been natural for a while but there is still a lot that i dont know about my own hair. i would just spend time looking at other peoples hair instead of investing time in taking care of my hair. im so glad that my edges have the potential to fill in completely. i didnt want to buy essential oils cause i was being cheap lol but i will now. where do i buy those drain catchers from by the way

these are my products. I just recently bought the aphogee. I didn't know that my hair was crispy dry because it needed some protein.
I have:
hemp oil
almond oil
glycerin
castor oil
biotin pills
vitamin a pills
caster oil hair treatment
grape seed oil
aphogee two step protein treatment
dry horsetail
Cantu Shea butter leave in
Hollywood beauty carrot cholesterol
generic hair conditioner
aloe Vera juice
Giovanni conditioner

I think I have the right tools. last winter when I hit the two year mark and my hair has barely grown, I decided to start doing hot oil treatments. I don't know how I feel about them. my hair didn't feel any softer.
also, I took a bath in horsetail once and I swear it made hair grow on this bald patch that I had on my hairline. the hair had been ripped out from having jumbo braids.
I love the carrot cholesterol. I would say that out of all the products, it is the one that I know actually works for me.
the aphogee softened my hair for a day then the following day it felt hard again.
I think the biotin may be working because my nails have gotten a bit Stronger. I'm still not certain that the strength is due to the biotin or other factors such as not working 5 days a week anymore and using my hands to cash and to bag groceries.

as you can see, I don't know much. what does a girl with fine hair do with these products. my hair type is 4a 4b and 4c. mostly 4b

also, I find that my scalp gets very tender when I'm constantly oiling it yet if I don't oil it, it will itch

@seddiieallure Your products are very protein heavy, which is likely the reason why your hair feels so dry. Do you have a moisturizing conditioner? Which Giovanni product do you have? What are the ingredients of the generic conditioner? What shampoo do you use? How often are you using the listed products? How are you styling your hair under the wigs?

try jamaican black castor oil….woks really well

NappyNelle said:

@seddiieallure Your products are very protein heavy, which is likely the reason why your hair feels so dry. Do you have a moisturizing conditioner? Which Giovanni product do you have? What are the ingredients of the generic conditioner? What shampoo do you use? How often are you using the listed products? How are you styling your hair under the wigs?

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I cornrow my hair under the wig. the generic conditioner is a moistening conditioner. the Giovanni is the tea tree triple threat conditioner. I use garnier gructis triple nutrition fortifying shampoo for dry and damaged hair. I don't have a hair regimen. I just get a weave sewn in every month. when I wore my wig regularly, I would do a hot oil treatment every week. I also spray aloe Vera juice onto my hair everyday. after I wash my hair I always rinse it through with it to control then ph. when I have the weave in, I still wash my hair atleast once with diluted black soap then rinse my scalp with aloe Vera juice. I need to build a regimen but I don't want to buy expensive products the ingredients are in the pics below

Distorted Barbie said:

try jamaican black castor oil….woks really well

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I applied castor oil on to my hairline for about five or six months and I saw no difference. in fact sometimes id get pimples on that area.

seddiieallure said:

I applied castor oil on to my hairline for about five or six months and I saw no difference. in fact sometimes id get pimples on that area.

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seddiieallure
JBCO has seemed to work for me but only in conjunction with scalp massages. The proper way to massage is to go in a circular motion by actually moving the scalp and not disturbing the hair too much. Of course you want to relax the muscles in your face and neck while doing this. Try closing your eyes; it should feel really good!

Also the castor oil in the jar is not pure castor oil. It has mineral oil and/or petrolatum. These can clog the pores if not doing a clarifying poo regularly.

You definitely need a moisturizing DC. Conditioners that say fortifying, strengthening and for damaged hair need to be followed up with a moisturizing DC. The reason your hair was hard a day after the Aphogee is that you must always follow up with moisture. Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisture DC works really well for me.

You've got some good products to work with. Keep doing the aloe vera rinses. Also, don't be afraid to put it in your scalp. Its good for hair growth and soothing the scalp. Might help with the bumps you describe on your hairline.

The horsetail can be brewed like a tea and used also as a rinse for healthy strengthened and growing hair. But you should follow this with a moisture DC also. Hope some of this helps.

I LOVE this HHJ!!

You don't have to start your regimen with expensive products, all you need are some basic things to get you started and then you can add more from there. For example:

Sample Products
Shampoo - sulfate free shampoo which is for moisturizing hair.

Clarifying Shampoo

Conditioner - moisturizing conditioner (try to find one with lots of slip to help with detangling).

Deep Conditioner

Protein Treatment - mild protein treatment (ie Aphogee 2-Minute conditioner)

Leave in Conditioner - any leave in conditioner.

Moisturizer - any moisturizing products that are water based

Oil - for sealing in moisture, pre-poo before washing and scalp massages.

Heat Protectant - optional if you will be using heat tools like a blow dryer or flat iron.



You really only need one of each except the heat protectant, that one is optional. Find one of each product that is easy to find, economical and works well for you.


My Regimen

Wash day
Oil my hair/scalp with African Pride Miracle Growth Oil (@Sally's) (I add castor oil and rosemary essential oil to my scalp as well)

Wash - Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo($7.99 @Walmart)

Condition - Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner ($7.99 @Walmart)

Leave in conditioner - Keracare Leave in Conditioner ($14.95@JC Penny)

Rollerset my hair to dry

Moisturize - African Pride Olive Miracle Moisturizing Lotion ($2.69 @Sally's)

Oil Mix - Olive Oil ($2.99 @Aldi) + Coconut Oil ($1.99 @ local Indian Market) with lavender and peppermint essential oil

If I need to clarify I use Neutrogena Anti Residue Shampoo (approximatly $5-6).


For my protein treatment I use Aphogee 2-Minute Conditioner ($6-7). The 2-Step Treatment is very strong and should only be used every 6-8 weeks when your hair is severely damaged. A product like that should only be used as needed so if you are still experiencing breakage then use it until you have the breakage is under control. Oh and use a moisturizing shampoo before the 2-Step Protein and make sure you rinse it out very well with warm water and deep condition afterwards. I use the 2-minute product to maintain my protein moisture balance but only every 10-14 days.



So the total cost for everything is about $60 which should last me 3-4 months depending on the item. If you don't want to spend as much there are cheaper alternatives out there that do the exact same thing as the products I have listed above.

ooh alright. see, i would just slab some castor oil on my hairline. i did'nt massage so ill definitely start doing that. and was i supposed to condition my hair after the aphogee treatment? cause i 'think' i moisturized my hair. i used the moister balance thingy that it comes with. my hair was wet and i sealed it with oil and a creamy leave in.

what is a clarifying shampoo?

this is how my hair looks at almost three years. lol this is why I'm asking for help. the pic only shows the good side of my hairline the other side is even worse lol. it's not scalpy thank God but it's thin and receded. the length is uneven. the hairs at the front of my head are 6 inches long and when pulled down it touches the bottom of my nose. it should be past my chin by 3 years. the rest of my hair is 8" long. -______- clearly something is off.

seddiieallure said:

ooh alright. see, i would just slab some castor oil on my hairline. i did'nt massage so ill definitely start doing that. and was i supposed to condition my hair after the aphogee treatment? cause i 'think' i moisturized my hair. i used the moister balance thingy that it comes with. my hair was wet and i sealed it with oil and a creamy leave in.

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Yes, the Aphogee Moisture Balance product is also a conditioner. Its designed to moisturize after the protein but in my experience its not very effective at providing the balance. You may want to try it as a conditioner since you have it to see how your hair likes it. But again you need to DC after any sort of strengthening treatment

I LOVE this HHJ!!

A clarifying shampoo is a cleansing the hair & scalp removing product build up. Use a clarifying shampoo first then wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo. I like the keracare sulphate free " 1st lather" shampoo, it's a cleansing shampoo. I follow that with keracare sulphate free hydrating shampoo.

I tell everybody I know this is the best moisturizing rinse out conditioner. Natural hair, relaxed hair, colored treated hair. It works! The name is "Keracare Moisturizing Conditioner for color treated hair". It doesn't matter if you don't have colored treated hair this conditioner will make your hair feel like silk. Make sure you get the right bottle, see the pic. I really want somebody on here to try it.

And I don't work for keracare. I just discovered what products from their line that are amazing.

I'll look for that product that my local beauty supply stores. i live in Toronto, Canada so i dunno if they sell it here but ill check. ive never heard of it. so i have to use the clarifying shampoo before a regular shampoo and then deep condition?

They sure do sell keracare here....
You just have to check/call the right BSSs
I've seen the keracare product line in Scarborough BSSs.

thanks girl..i'll check the beauty supply warehouse.

hey guys, so I just took out my weave. I'm going to be wearing wigs only for two years. that was my last weave.
my hair is dirty. can I pre poo on dirty hair then wash it then deep condition it. I've never 'pre poo'd' before, I'm just now doing alittle YouTube and google research. and I plan on going to this huge health food store today to buy some peppermint oil and lavender oil. is there anything else that you guys recommend.

you are so right about the protein overload. today i washed my hair with black soap to remove the protein and it feels so soft. does this mean that i cant use my aphogee no more cause i spent alotta money on it lol. also my moisturizing conditioner has wheat protein in it. can i still use it

hey guys...i have a question, i think its a dumb question but i need to be sure of this. how do i know weather my regimen is working for me? does soft hair mean that it is working? cause ive noticed that when i put heavy oils and products into my hair, it feels hard. ive found a conditioner that makes my hair feel like silk. if i maintain the level of softness, along with protective styling, does this mean that i am on my way to waist length?

This is my current Regimen:

Co-wash every other day with tresseme keratin smooth conditioner or Clear scalp and hair conditioner

shampoo my hair with diluted black soap bi weekly

deep condition bi weekly with hollywood beauty carrot cholesterol deep conditioner

spray aloe vera juice into my hair everyday

horsetail tea rinse twice a month

seal my hair with shea butter only( oil makes my hair feel hard)

i've braided my hair and i wear a wig. i was told to leave my hair alone; low manipulation. havent unraveled the braided hair in a month and it looks like dreads now. Honestly, i dont care about how neat it looks, i just want to leave my hair, take care of it and rock my wigs.i don't like using a lot of products in my hair cause it makes it feel hard. it just coats the hair but the hair will feel crispy.

My hairline has come a long way after I decided to cut my hair and stop disturbing my it with weaves and braids and tight styles I'm so great full

Momma I'm doing it! Lol. I am finally understanding how to take care if my hair after my second big chop. I've finally figured out a simple regimen and my hair is flourishing. I'm excited about this.

@seddiieallure
I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but there was a time that there was a Shapley's MTG trend going on on BHM and LHCF for extra hair growth.

Welp...I tried it.

And when you are talking about hair grow, it did make hair grow...everywhere. At least on an area where I did not want it to grow due to the mixture dripping down one of the sides of my face and me sleeping on that side. So there were some hairs that grew that weren't there. It was not on the other

I would only try it if you are careful and aren't allergic to sulfur. I used to much but it's not suppose to drip. I mixed it with a little peppermint oil.

seddiieallure said:

Momma I'm doing it! Lol. I am finally understanding how to take care if my hair after my second big chop. I've finally figured out a simple regimen and my hair is flourishing. I'm excited about this.

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Congratulations seddiieallure. You are making great progress. Keep up the good work. I'm glad you have figured out something that works for you.

NICOLETHENUMBERONE said:

seddiieallure I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but there was a time that there was a Shapley's MTG trend going on on BHM and LHCF for extra hair growth. Welp...I tried it. And when you are talking about hair grow, it did make hair grow...everywhere. At least on an area where I did not want it to grow due to the mixture dripping down one of the sides of my face and me sleeping on that side. So there were some hairs that grew that weren't there. It was not on the other I would only try it if you are careful and aren't allergic to sulfur. I used to much but it's not suppose to drip. I mixed it with a little peppermint oil.

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Can I find it at my local beauty supply store? Thanks for the Tip