Okay well i've been a natural for some time now..I had dreadlocs that was well past my shoulders.but one day i decided to comb out my locs( yes it can be done) ne ways I cut about 2 inches off so my natural hair is an okay length...Now the problem Im having with it is that it always stays dry and tangled up...Today I decided to conrow my hair to give it a break but as I conrow I notice that strands of hair keep breaking off..Im thinking that I am doing more harm than good when staying a natural...So I decided that when I take the conrows out I am going to apply a Kids texturizer and only allow it to stay for 3 min max that way it will be easier for me to manipulate my 4a hair type...just wanted some advice from anyone that has ever tried this method before.... Also are there any other naturals that know of any hair products that helped soften their hair??? I dont want chemicals in my hair b/c I love the curls but I need some assistance....
HELP!!!! Natural going crazy...
- Thread starter kkamara5
- Start date
baddison
natural for good
Welcome, kkamara5. Sounds like what you need is MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE. How often do you deepcondition? Do you use a protein coditioner? Do you use a moisturizing conditioner? What is your hair-regimen??
You are certainly in the right place to learn how to take care of, and properly manage, your natural hair. Texturizing may, or may not be the answer. Hopefully with your answers to the questions posed, others will also chime in to help you get some good solutions. Until then, be sure to peruse the forum....pretty much everything you need to know is already here.
IDK if this helps but, I "texlaxed" with Phyto I and ended up with a looser BAA. I can still rock a puff or wash and go, but it's easier to handle (I have an insane amount of hair), and detangle. It also takes less time to straighten. I have less breakage now due to my hair being easier to part and manipulate. HTH!!
Qhemets has a great line of products that moisturize and soften. Oyin Homemade has a great line of products also,both are all natural. Or you could buy some herbs and use those to soften and moisturize your hair. Are you usng a lot sls shampoos and silcone laced conditioners because thise things could be why your hair is dry and breaking. I make a marshmallow root tea for conditioning and HairIam has a recipe for moistuizing using Irish Moss. HTH
You can find Qhemets here www.qhemetbiologics.com and www.oyinhandmade.com, you can get herbs here www.mountainroseherbs.com
You can find Qhemets here www.qhemetbiologics.com and www.oyinhandmade.com, you can get herbs here www.mountainroseherbs.com
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beautifulisaunderstatment
New Member
When my brother unlocked his dreds his hair was DRY as the Sahara. I think you need moisture. Ive never known relaxing/texlaxing/texturizing to be helpful in adding moisture to hair or stopping it from breaking.
SpyCats
Well-Known Member
I came in to say the exact same thing. Good advice.
Nikki4ny
New Member
I combed out my 3yr old locs back in november. My hair was very dry at first but after a good trim and couple weeks of deep conditioning at home it got much better. In the beginning I would deep con.under a bonnet type dryer with Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose con. 2 - 3 times a week for 30-40 min. Then I would detangle in the shower while standing under the water with my denman brush. Then I would put some Giovanni Direct leave in condish. I would suggest you stay away from cones for a little while until your hair is in better condition. If you have been using conditioner with cones in them you should do a clarifying shampoo ( i used pantene purity clarifying shampoo) and then a moisturizing shampoo afterwards then deep condish and you should be on your way to healthier hair.
Oh yeah, and after I did the clarifiying shampoo I didnt use shampoo on my hair for a couple months at a time...only co wash's and deep conditioning. I have pics in my fotki of the before and after locs....I need to update it with pics of it after it was trimmed and shaped and healthier.
good luck
Oh yeah, and after I did the clarifiying shampoo I didnt use shampoo on my hair for a couple months at a time...only co wash's and deep conditioning. I have pics in my fotki of the before and after locs....I need to update it with pics of it after it was trimmed and shaped and healthier.
good luck
Nikki4ny
New Member
Oh and I NEVER try to detangle unless I have lots of a good slip conditioner in my soaking wet hair while under the running shower and ONLY with the Denman brush. I have one of those wide toothed shower combs too but it doesn't work as well as the Denman...starting from the ends up of course.
And so as not to break the bank, I used Trader Joe's Nourish and Shine conditioner and add a little castor oil to it for the co-washes..it's cheap and doesn't have sillicones.
I do use cones when I'm going to flat iron..but when I'm wearing it natural I make sure I don't have any cone build up on my hair....it seems to retain mositure better that way...for me
And so as not to break the bank, I used Trader Joe's Nourish and Shine conditioner and add a little castor oil to it for the co-washes..it's cheap and doesn't have sillicones.
I do use cones when I'm going to flat iron..but when I'm wearing it natural I make sure I don't have any cone build up on my hair....it seems to retain mositure better that way...for me
Thank you ladies....your information lets me know that there is hope...the products I mainly use now are, CON detangling shampoo(green bottle), ors replenishing pack and also elastaQP dpr-11...I also use jojoba oil, EVOO, coconut oil...i want to try the Aubrey Organics HSR and also giovonni direct leave-in, however, I'm not sure where I can purchase the direct leave-in.. any other suggestions on which products can help give me moisture? or am I on the right path??
ajargon02
Well-Known Member
Just to make sure that we are all on the same page, you do know that a texturizer is a relaxer and it's a chemical?
Well I agree with some of the other posters. You do sound very frustrated, but you might need some moisturizing deep conditioning (QP DPR-11 mixed with oils and honey), cap your hair and apply heat to get that to open the hair shaft and penetrate the hair and besure to use water based leave ins afterward to help with dryness as well. You can always seal in the water based moisturizer (greg juice from oyin, sta-so-fro, giovanni direct leave in) with oils such as jojoba, castor oil, macadamia nut oil, sweet almond oil ect. I have who knows what kind of hair type but it just thrives with water based leave-in's sealed with oil. It keeps my hair soft for days and it's easy to detangle. You can also invest in the "afro detangler" www.growafrohairlong.com to check out methods on how to care for your hair in general. That might help with your frustration.
Reguardless of what you choose to do with your hair, check out the posts here, and albums of members. You can really learn a lot!
dlove
Active Member
Speaking from experience with 4b dry hair...
While the hair is soaking wet,spray hair with this mixture:
- 1/2 glycerin , 1/2 100% Georges Aloe vera (See THE VERY BEST MOISturizer thread)
- Apply Jane Carter Nourish and Shine, seal with castor oil.
Trust me...this works. I especially appreciated the advice about deep conditioning after the wash too. Stay away from shampoos and conditioners with cones and sulfates.
HTH
First off, a great moisture balance and strong hair doesn't happen overnight, so, don't panic. The ladies in this thread (particularly the above post) have offered some great advice re: moisture rentenion. There's no one recipe that will work for everyone, but there are some tried and true ingredients that will help you. Avoid the bad stuff and up the good stuff and you'll be fine.
ETA: Before you go out and buy a lot of new products, why don't you tell us what you're using now. Sometimes, all it takes is adding a little extra something (like glycerin or aloe vera gel) and sometimes you'll have a comparable product (i.e. Jane Carter Nourish and Shine is similar to the creams from Qhemet).
ETA: Before you go out and buy a lot of new products, why don't you tell us what you're using now. Sometimes, all it takes is adding a little extra something (like glycerin or aloe vera gel) and sometimes you'll have a comparable product (i.e. Jane Carter Nourish and Shine is similar to the creams from Qhemet).
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Ms Lala
Well-Known Member
I have been having a similar issue. These are the things that helped me:
1) I clarified since I wasn't sure what products were causing me problems.
2) I dc'd with a conditioner that had NO Protein (if your hair is feeling brittle or dry I would say use a moisturizing conditioner)
3) Detangle carefully and use a good leavein, I just tried Kinky Curly KNot Today and I LOVE IT!!!!! My hair air dried soft for the first time in years and my ends are tangle free.
4) I applied the leavein in sections to towel dried hair and detangled using the Goody add shine paddle brush (this thing is great on damp or dry hair not soaking wet, it detangled my hair sooooo well) AFter detangling I put my hair in big twist and sealed my ends with EVOO.
1) I clarified since I wasn't sure what products were causing me problems.
2) I dc'd with a conditioner that had NO Protein (if your hair is feeling brittle or dry I would say use a moisturizing conditioner)
3) Detangle carefully and use a good leavein, I just tried Kinky Curly KNot Today and I LOVE IT!!!!! My hair air dried soft for the first time in years and my ends are tangle free.
4) I applied the leavein in sections to towel dried hair and detangled using the Goody add shine paddle brush (this thing is great on damp or dry hair not soaking wet, it detangled my hair sooooo well) AFter detangling I put my hair in big twist and sealed my ends with EVOO.
Enchantmt
Progress...not perfection
I second the Qhemets. It is the first line that worked for me after I went natural to add moisture to my hair. Try the heavy cream and the honey balm. Myhoneychild.com has a buttery soy cream thats good too. BTW...if your hair is breaking just by touching/braiding it, you can kiss it goodbye if you add chemicals to the mix. You can relax in time, but you need to get it healthy first. Good luck! 
While the hair is soaking wet,spray hair with this mixture:
Trust me...this works. I especially appreciated the advice about deep conditioning after the wash too. Stay away from shampoos and conditioners with cones and sulfates.
Where can I purchase the glycerin and the aloe vera????
- 1/2 glycerin , 1/2 100% Georges Aloe vera (See THE VERY BEST MOISturizer thread)
- Apply Jane Carter Nourish and Shine, seal with castor oil.
Trust me...this works. I especially appreciated the advice about deep conditioning after the wash too. Stay away from shampoos and conditioners with cones and sulfates.
Where can I purchase the glycerin and the aloe vera????
genesis132
New Member
Elasta QP DPR11 is an excellent moisturizing conditioner. It doesn't have any protein in it (i think...). My other fav is Aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose...it leaves my hair soft and detangled and it smells yummy
d-rock
New Member
I have been having a similar issue. These are the things that helped me:
1) I clarified since I wasn't sure what products were causing me problems.
2) I dc'd with a conditioner that had NO Protein (if your hair is feeling brittle or dry I would say use a moisturizing conditioner)
3) Detangle carefully and use a good leavein, I just tried Kinky Curly KNot Today and I LOVE IT!!!!! My hair air dried soft for the first time in years and my ends are tangle free.
4) I applied the leavein in sections to towel dried hair and detangled using the Goody add shine paddle brush (this thing is great on damp or dry hair not soaking wet, it detangled my hair sooooo well) AFter detangling I put my hair in big twist and sealed my ends with EVOO.
where'd you get those paddle brushes that do NOT have those little balls on the ends??? i hate the brushes that have the little balls (whatever you call them) on the ends of the brush teeth my hair gets tangled...
And to the OP how did you comb out dred locs? I've been wanted to dread my hair but everyone said I'd have to go Lauryn Hill if I changed my mind. A good conditioner is anything from Herbal Essence. They are have great slip and I use the pink one as a DC 20 mins under a heat cap and you're in silky hair heaven. I also use it as a leave-in and it's a fabulous detangler
lilsparkle825
New Member
dont overdo the replenishing pack...its a protein DC and you want moisture more than anything.
GD can be purchased from whole foods...thats where i get mine...but you can also get it online. amazon.com is pretty inexpensive.
as for DCs, i use lustrasilk cholesterol (really inexpensive, you can get it at walmart) and kenra mc (not so inexpensive, i get it at trade secret) and i find they are both really good.
lilsparkle825
New Member
You can find glycerie and aloe vera at Walmart, near the pharmacy and health/beauty aids.[/quote]
vegetable glycerin is supposedly superior but i am not the judge of that. if you wanna try it i heard the vitamin shoppe is the way to go.
Ms Lala
Well-Known Member
I bought it from Rite Aid, someone told me that they also sell them at Walmart. I absolutely LOVE this brush. WHen I use it on hair that is pretty dry it stretches it out well and detangles. The teeth are flexible so they don't reak my hari.
And to the OP how did you comb out dred locs? I've been wanted to dread my hair but everyone said I'd have to go Lauryn Hill if I changed my mind. A good conditioner is anything from Herbal Essence. They are have great slip and I use the pink one as a DC 20 mins under a heat cap and you're in silky hair heaven. I also use it as a leave-in and it's a fabulous detangler
Believe me when I tell you that it takes ALOT of time and energy.......Oh yea and ALOT of conditioner....Basically it took me a month to completely take everthing out...I was sooo busy with school so i was combing about 5-10 locs out each day....I basically just saturated each loc with conditioner, then I started picking at it from the bottom up to the roots...much like detangling....
Believe me when I tell you that it takes ALOT of time and energy.......Oh yea and ALOT of conditioner....Basically it took me a month to completely take everthing out...I was sooo busy with school so i was combing about 5-10 locs out each day....I basically just saturated each loc with conditioner, then I started picking at it from the bottom up to the roots...much like detangling....
Nikki4ny
New Member
Believe me when I tell you that it takes ALOT of time and energy.......Oh yea and ALOT of conditioner....Basically it took me a month to completely take everthing out...I was sooo busy with school so i was combing about 5-10 locs out each day....I basically just saturated each loc with conditioner, then I started picking at it from the bottom up to the roots...much like detangling....[/QUOTE]
Yes it did take a lot of stamina. It took me 7 full days, 9am - 9pm only stopping to eat and potty. I did not go outside the whole week....I was so happy to be finished my hubby took me out to dinner and a movie just to celebrate ha! I kept the lock I was working on saturated with water and mane and tail detangler spray and used a blunt end tapestry needle and just picked it out. I started with suave conditioner but found the mane and tail worked better for me. I have pics of the before and after in my fotki...
Yes it did take a lot of stamina. It took me 7 full days, 9am - 9pm only stopping to eat and potty. I did not go outside the whole week....I was so happy to be finished my hubby took me out to dinner and a movie just to celebrate ha! I kept the lock I was working on saturated with water and mane and tail detangler spray and used a blunt end tapestry needle and just picked it out. I started with suave conditioner but found the mane and tail worked better for me. I have pics of the before and after in my fotki...
