After being natural for 5+ years, what else turned your hair around?

I guess I'm a newbie (gonna hit a year transitioning soonish) but I feel like I've already settled in my rocking chair with my favorite book and tea, because this is it. A simple (realistic) routine is vital...ain't nobody got time for 30 steps and 19 products.

I both wash and DC with rhassoul clay, moisturize with one product and seal with another. Wham bam thank ya ma'am done deal. No cowashing, no looking for extravagant oils, just cleanse, dc, moisturize, seal every 7-10 days.

abioni said:

@chebaby
How are you using Amla? I used to use it but it was too much work washing the powder off my hair. I think I will make a gylceride tincture (exctract with 50/50 water/glycerin) with it and my other ayurveda powers and use them as leave-in conditioner or rinse out.

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hi abioni
i mix the amla with water by itself or with other powders. the other powders include hibicus and brahmi and sometimes a little henna.
i make a thick paste and drench my hair in water and then add the paste to my hair like a conditioner. i then wrap my hair in several plastic caps and leave it on for no less than 3 hours.
when i rinse my hair always feels stronger amd my curls are always bouncy and my hair feels very clean even after i add a conditioner. thats another thing i like about the powders, my hair feels clean.

this weekend i cant wait to do an amla treatment.

westNDNbeauty said:

Overnight deep conditioning and using the relaxer method for application changed the game for me.

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westNDNbeauty: do you mean with the brush?

Maracujá

No. Just coating the hair with conditioner the way you would with a relaxer

Graet thread...bumping to read later. My goal is to turn my hair around as well.

Avocado oil!!

contsantia said:

Avocado oil!!

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How do you use avocado oil?

contsantia said:

Avocado oil!!

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Avocado oil is mu favorite oil too!

westNDNbeauty: One more question, do you comb your hair after applying the conditioner to detangle it somewhat? I've been doing this for YEARS but today I was reading some notes I wrote ages ago on how to deep condition and it says that combing your hair while it has conditioner in it is a magnet for breakage. Is this true?

Maracujá

I always detangle and remove shed hairs using oil prior to the wash process. My hair is kept in 4 sections the whole way through so there is no need to do anything more than finger detangle while wet.

Protein treatments, aphogee 2 step to be exact..I know some say since natural hair is not chemically treated we don't need as much protein well I need it my hair is fine but THICK and protein helps with keeping my strands balanced and happy...

Angelbean said:

Protein treatments, aphogee 2 step to be exact..I know some say since natural hair is not chemically treated we don't need as much protein well I need it my hair is fine but THICK and protein helps with keeping my strands balanced and happy...

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I am going to attempt the 2 step treatment this weekend. Do you do it with a hooded dryer or not?

curls4daze

It's much easier with a hooded dryer. You want to be very careful while it's drying so as not to damage/break your hair.

curls4daze said:

I am going to attempt the 2 step treatment this weekend. Do you do it with a hooded dryer or not?

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I do use a hooded dryer it is easier and helps the protein to dry evenly throught the hair but be careful it really makes the hair hard and I apply by Putting it in a spray bottle...hope that helps and please report back on how it worked for you!

Angelbean said:

Protein treatments, aphogee 2 step to be exact..I know some say since natural hair is not chemically treated we don't need as much protein well I need it my hair is fine but THICK and protein helps with keeping my strands balanced and happy...

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I just did an aphogee 2 step on Monday. I have to say....I've been using it for years as a natural and as a relaxed head and it works wonders.

As for application, I have used a bowl, spray bottle and just poured it on my hair from the bottle. No matter the method, it's always a mess. This week I got in the shower and washed my hair and applied the aphogee in the shower. Then I clipped my hair up. Rinsed off. Got out and put on an old t shirt. Let my hair down (it was still wet...don't dry it with a clip in it). Then sat under the dryer. Best application ever!

Not messy at all and that juice from the treatment wasn't all over me and my bathroom when I was finished. Just a tip....

I have only been natural 3 years, but I figured a few things out:
My hair has to be washed in sections, preferably braids.

Aloe vera juice is a universal hair product. I can use it to prepoo, moisturize, dc, detangle, etc.

My hair needs protein biweekly (Nexxus Emergencee).

I can't cowash. My scalp needs to be thoroughly cleansed with shampoo at each wash to prevent buildup.

Eta finger detangling has been a game changer. I get less shedding and breakage on wash days now.

Shameless 2017 bump

i have been natural for about 7 years. at this point, my hair is mbl and this is what has worked wonders for me:

-never ever letting my hair shrink up. keeping my hair stretched has led to *far* less tangles and SSKs
-an overnight/several hour pre-poo/dc with oil every week. my preferred oil mix contains mostly coconut oil mixed with a little castor oil + lavender, rosemary and peppermint EOs. Use whatever oil works best for you but be certain to use an oil that can actually penetrate the hair (e.g., coconut oil, palm kernel oil, babbasu oil, and to a somewhat lesser extent castor oil, avocado oil and olive oil)
-i stopped combing my hair. now i only finger detangle. there was a time that i did not think this was possible but that was when i used to allow my hair to shrink up so...
-detangling *before* i hop in the shower to wash my hair, either with diluted ACV (3:1) if medium to high tangles or conditioner (and maybe some oil) if small amount of tangles. this has cut down on my detangling time and the amount of time i spend doing my hair overall.

i've also learned that my hair loves the combination of detangling with diluted ACV then pre-pooing overnight with coconut oil or my oil blend as mentioned above (which is mostly coconut oil anyway). the ACV opens up the cuticles and allows the coconut oil to get maximum penetration. the coconut oil, in turn, helps my hair to hold on to protein better and protects against hygral fatigue.

doing all this i end up with softer, more manageable, less tangly hair that retains moisture better than it ever has. and again, little to no SSKs/split ends. which all = better retention.

three other things i am trying now (too early to tell how well they work) are:
-more frequent incorporation of protein into my regimen-- specifically light-medium protein dc every other week or every 2 weeks
-at home dusting + S&Ds and less frequent salon trims. i love the look of a fresh salon trim but i must admit that my previous quarterly trimming schedule had me losing almost all my progress
-less heat straightening. i used to straighten 4 - 6x/year with 4 of those times being for my quarterly trim. i am going to try to not heat straighten for 6 months and see how my hair reacts.

my goal is WL, though once i make it, i won't stop there.

Hair steaming once a week and sealing my ends every few days. Both done recently (August) and I noticed the difference in my hair. My hair is more moist.

Three (3) things:

1. Shea butter mix- Adding shea butter to my regimen has helped me a lot. I used to be a shea butter hater. I didn't know how to mix it down without it being grainy. Now, I know!
2. Comb less hair routine- I also have not combed my hair since December 2016. It is pure finger detangling. I may comb 1 of my 8 braids, 1 x per month to make sure it's not matted. I keep my hair in 8 plaits.
3. Hair End Routine- I coat the last 1/2 of each braid with pure castor oil after I wet with warm water.

I'm on month #9 with my new routine. It took me about 8 - 9 months to tweak this new regimen. I've got some hair(s) so long that some strands reach below my belly button. This is a first for me!

I'm going to give myself until the end of 2020. I'm going for full, thick tailbone length hair. We'll see.

I'm at 6 years now

I shampoo and dc twice a week.

I do a bkt every few months as needed.

I trim once a quarter.

I still do everything in sections.

I wear my hair straight 99% of the time...

Giovanni 2chic shampoo is the best thing since Cream of Nature detangling shampoo