i need help with a regimen

[Evolving78]

i am trying to figure out for the life of me what is the best possible regimen for my hair. i am really trying to retain (if possible) all of my growth for the coming year.

right now i am sitting with some Apoghee 2 step Protein treatment in my hair, about to go under the dryer.

i really want to try bunning to kind of hide my hair from myself and have a style i can just put a scarf on with a hat or when i am around the house. so i tried bunning on airdried hair, but the products i was using was just coating my hair and not very moisturizing, so i decided to try wet bunning.

well with the wet bunning, my hair felt very fragile and i started to see some very tiny breakage. (it was mostly shed hairs, but accompanied by some small broken hairs as well)

when i had relaxed hair before, i relied heavily on my stylist. i went once a week to the salon. i first started getting my hair washed/dc'ed, molded flat with a wrap form lotion, dry under the hooded dryer, blow dried, and flat ironed. i would just wrap my hair for the rest of the week.

when it started to get longer, i started getting wet wraps, then flat ironed. but i just wasn't feeling the heat anymore, (my hair was healthy at the time) so i started getting flexi rods sets. when it grew out some more, i moved on to roller sets. i never combed them out. i would just let them fall and wear a headband when it started to look crazy. doing all of this, took me from NL to APL within a year.

now i am trying to save money by doing all of this on my own, but i feel like i might cause damage, which will lead to a setback.

i really want to make it to APL by April, or at the least the beginning of May.

here are the products that i have/use
Keracare wrap foam lotion, hydrating shampoo, 1st lather, humecto conditioner, edge tamer pomade, leave-in conditioner, oil sheen spray, and essential oil.

i use regular Mizani relaxer, and Mizani neutralizing shampoo, coconut souffle, and hair spray.

Aphogee 2 step, 2 min reconstructor, and keratin green tea spray

Suave coconut conditioner
Elasta QP conditioner
Cholesterol shea butter and mango conditioner
Hawaiian Silky 14n1 and gel activator
Fanastia IC heat protectant serum

i got a bunch of other products, but i use that stuff on my daughter
help a sista out!

 

[Evolving78]

oh my reggie is kinda all over the place right now.

i do like to wash at least once a week, twice depending on product buildup, or when my hair needs to be restyled

i am relaxed 4a and i have fine strands.

 

[Nonie]

@shortdub, I don't know much about relaxed hair so I'm just gonna tag some peeps to come give direction.

 

[Evolving78]

thank you friend! i am going to take a recent pic of my hair, so folks can see what it look like wet when i rinse this stink stuff out.

@shortdub, I don't know much about relaxed hair so I'm just gonna tag some peeps to come give direction.

 

[Supergirl]

Hi

Wet bunning caused breakage for me also. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Your products sound good. I do think you should add an oil or butter to your line up, something with absolutely no aqueous ingredients--something for sealing. Even though I try to stay away from cones for the most part, even a quality hair serum like Joico would work too. This is what you want to put on your hair (your oil, butter, or serum) after it is air dried, then bunning will "set" your hair into sleeker texture, almost as if you'd used some sort of heat.

For other regimen suggestions, please visit www.silkdreamshaircare.com There are free regimen tips and suggestions on the site. Go to the very bottom of the home page and there will be a link.

 

[sunnieb]

@shortdub78 - Hey sista!

First of all, you need to reign in your regimen so you don't feel overwhelmed. Secondly, I don't care how many products you have, only use what you need for right now and hide the rest. (Shampoo/Conditioner, daily moisturizer, cowash conditioner and oil). Once you get comfortable with a base regimen, add other stuff in as needed.

Do you use shampoo 2x a week when you wash?
How often do you moisturize and seal?
Do you cowash?

ETA: Wet bunning was a no-go for me. Did it once and will never do it again.

 

[Evolving78]

Supergirl
i have the Keracare Essential Oil blend
Carrot and Tea Tree Oil
Grape Seed Oil
and some Castor Oil

i have been wanting to try Joico products. my ends always feel a bit dry after i air dry. i always feel like i need to but more product on. how can i prevent this. i wonder should i apply my products to dripping wet hair, instead of towel dried hair?

 

[Evolving78]

sunnieb
i am heavy handed with product, so i like to shampoo/cowash twice a week. i dc twice a week as well

i dc on dry hair
shampoo with hydrating shampoo
apply conditioner in shower to detangle and rinse
apply creamy leave-in, oil, and serum
wrap lotion and set on rollers, or let air dry using scarf method

the second time
i dc on dry hair
cowash
detangle in shower
apply leave-in etc...
roller set or air dry

i apply moisturizer daily, sometimes 2x a day. this past week i haven't sealed with an oil

if i wear a roller set i just moisturize and seal once a day.

@shortdub78 - Hey sista!

First of all, you need to reign in your regimen so you don't feel overwhelmed. Secondly, I don't care how many products you have, only use what you need for right now and hide the rest. (Shampoo/Conditioner, daily moisturizer, cowash conditioner and oil). Once you get comfortable with a base regimen, add other stuff in as needed.

Do you use shampoo 2x a week when you wash?
How often do you moisturize and seal?
Do you cowash?

ETA: Wet bunning was a no-go for me. Did it once and will never do it again.

 

[divachyk]

@shortdub78

My basic prods:
Clarifying Shampoo - remove buildup
Moisturizing Shampoo - weekly wash session
Moisturizing or Protein Conditioner - cowash as needed
Reconstructor - treat as needed
DC - weekly DC session
Leave In (LI) - used on wash day
Moisturizer - daily moisturizing
Oil - sealing on wash day and throughout the week


My regi is in my LHCF blog but I basically utilize the following:

Shampoo Day:
Shampoo, DC, rinse, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Cowash Day:
Cowash, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Clarify/Protein Treatment Day:
Clarify, reconstructor, rinse, DC, rinse, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Daily:
Moisturize/Seal as needed based on my hair needs

ETA: I let my hair dictate when I use protein.

 

[Evolving78]

okay, so i will just stick to using my conditioner, shampoo, leave-in, moisturizer and oil for the week.
should i go back to roller setting (wearing it curly), so i can just shampoo and dc once a week?

if so, i should just use a dime size amount of moisturizer and oil once a day to prevent buildup?

wear should i fit the mild protein treatment in?

 

[Evolving78]

divachyk
i stalk you blog daily, but i was so focused on the bunning entries! this sounds good though!

@shortdub78

My basic prods:
Clarifying Shampoo - remove buildup
Moisturizing Shampoo - weekly wash session
Moisturizing or Protein Conditioner - cowash as needed
Reconstructor - treat as needed
DC - weekly DC session
Leave In (LI) - used on wash day
Moisturizer - daily moisturizing
Oil - sealing on wash day and throughout the week


My regi is in my LHCF blog but I basically utilize the following:

Shampoo Day:
Shampoo, DC, rinse, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Cowash Day:
Cowash, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Clarify/Protein Treatment Day:
Clarify, reconstructor, rinse, DC, rinse, apply LIs, air dry or roller set

Daily:
Moisturize/Seal as needed based on my hair needs

ETA: I let my hair dictate when I use protein.

 

[Evolving78]

i think i will leave the wet bunning alone. that seemed like way too much moisture for my hair.

i am so happy you ladies came in here to help me! i was going to end up doing something drastic... i have been known to cut all of my hair off and just forget about it, but i plan on getting married in 2013 (no, i don't have a ring yet! ) and i want my hair to be down my back! even though i am going nuts right now over this reggie thing, i am really enjoying my relaxed hair. i just don't want to do anything stupid to ruin my progress.

 

[Raspberry]

i have been wanting to try Joico products. my ends always feel a bit dry after i air dry. i always feel like i need to but more product on. how can i prevent this. i wonder should i apply my products to dripping wet hair, instead of towel dried hair?

Coconut oil on dripping wet hair, especially the ends of course, is the only thing that has cured the dry feeling of my ends after air drying. I didn't try anything else after coconut oil since it was working so that's just my experience...

 

[divachyk]

shortdub78, ends feeling dry could be several things but what comes to mind is:
-porosity issue
-products used are not right for your hair
-air drying technique

When I first started air drying, I violated all of the above. I have low porosity, I was not using products that were right for my hair and my air drying technique wasn't the best.

 

[JJamiah]

I wash my hair every 1-2 weeks.

Each time I use a Protein as my hair eats it like nobodies business.
I also do a DC each cleansing.

Right now here is what I do. My regimen changes to my hairs needs.

I wash Wen Fig x 2
I rinse and apply Nexxus Emergencee for 20 minutes
I rinse and apply Alter Ego Garlic Conditioner, Proclaim Hydrating Masque under steamer
I rinse add porosity Control, rinse again
I rinse and apply my leave ins (Dudleys PCA Dime size, APhogee Green Tea- about 10 pumps, and 2 pumps of Buriti oil)
I then style

Weekly to every other week which every fits my hair needs at the time.

I braid my hair up, put Goody UPDO clip or 2-3 large bobby pins in my hair and smack my half wig on. I am in repair mode so the less I do to my hair the better. My hair was not damaged at all. It did mat up on me and I lost alot of hair detangling. SO please becareful.

 

[renren]

Hi,

My hair is texturised but I just wanted to add... have you checked out the ph of your leave-ins? Adding aloe vera juice to my regimen was great for my hair.

HTH

 

[Evolving78]

Hi,

My hair is texturised but I just wanted to add... have you checked out the ph of your leave-ins? Adding aloe vera juice to my regimen was great for my hair.

HTH

the leave-in i use has a PH level of 5.0
that's a good thing right?

 

[sunnieb]

shortdub78 - do you clarify? I'm heavy-handed with product as well and I have to use a clarifying shampoo (Suave Daily) 2x a month so my hair doesn't get weighed down.

Always follow clarifying with a moisturizing shampoo and deep conditioning!

 

[Evolving78]

yes! i use keracare 1st lather and follow that with their hydrating shampoo and dc. thank you so much! i am going to roller set my hair tonight. i just finished with the Apoghee treatment and i just dc'ed under the dryer with my moisturizing conditioner.

hopefully this will get me off to a good start. i am going to roll my hair tight, so i will just wear it curly for the rest of the week.

shortdub78 - do you clarify? I'm heavy-handed with product as well and I have to use a clarifying shampoo (Suave Daily) 2x a month so my hair doesn't get weighed down.

Always follow clarifying with a moisturizing shampoo and deep conditioning!

 

[Honi]

Hey!!!!

My regimen is really simple. I can't use alot of product because I won't remember to use em and which steps, etc.

My suggestion is to try something simple with as very few steps as possible that works. Then try to add on other things if you wish.

Here is my regimen:

Wash once a week with diluted Dr. Bronners x 1.

White vinegar rinse. I prefer white and not ACV. Mix is 1:4.

Alternating lite protein and moisturizing conditioners weekly. (I use AO GPB and a moisturizing condish). I take my turbie towel and wet it with hot water, wring and cover my hair with it, cover with plastic cap or bag . Sometimes I'll use US Duo Tex with heat if I feel my hair getting too elastic.

Leave in (I use Infusium 23 moisture replenisher...I can't believe I said that!) OR giovanni direct old formula.

Seal with an oil (soybean/olive oil mix from the dollar store) on hair that is about 70% air dried or Crisco (small amounts) but concentrating on the ends. Sealing on sopping wet hair doesn't work for me.

As my hair grows out/between touch-ups I CO wash:

Soybean/olive oil mix on dry hair. Rinse with very warm water and detangle with wide toothed comb, followed by a comb with teeth that are closer together, followed by my TT (I only use it last step to get rid of any shed hair that were not removed from the above 2 steps). I stopped using it on dry hair.

Apply conditioner, rinse, leave in, air dry as above, seal, style. DONE!

 

[Evolving78]

Coconut oil on dripping wet hair, especially the ends of course, is the only thing that has cured the dry feeling of my ends after air drying. I didn't try anything else after coconut oil since it was working so that's just my experience...

Raspberry
i think i am going to try this as well. it just doesn't seem enough on towel dried hair

Honi
do you use the vinegar rinse to clarify? you are right about just having a few steps and using just a few products. i will narrow it down to only 4-5 a week. that's including the shampoo and dc. i will cowash when my new growth get out of control.

 

[divachyk]

@shortdub78, my best advice to you is to first learn the porosity of your hair before trying a range of products. When I first started my HHJ, I was trying everything everyone suggested but my hair is low porosity and it doesn't respond well to certain things that many adore, namely avj, frequent use of proteins, etc.

 

[Evolving78]

i believe i have low porosity. my hair just floats.

@shortdub78, my best advice to you is to first learn the porosity of your hair before trying a range of products. When I first started my HHJ, I was trying everything everyone suggested but my hair is low porosity and it doesn't respond well to certain things that many adore, namely avj, frequent use of proteins, etc.

 

[Bublin]

Also are you sure whether or not your hair likes certain ingredients ie glycerin. After many years and money wasted i've just realised that glycerin makes my hair dry and straw-like.
Eta - just noticed divachyk post and my hair also hates avj and proteins. Loaded my hair with the stuff for over a year cus they are supposed to be great but it had the opposite effect.

 

[divachyk]

Bublin, yep, let's not leave out glycerin, even in optimal conditions, glycerin is meh on my hair. Makes it sticky, dry and straw-like as you mentioned.

shortdub78, make sure you do the hair strand/float test to determine porosity. Take a clean piece of hair, no products in it whatsoever and see if it sinks/floats. My hair floats indefinitely, i.e. low porosity.

 

[Honi]

shortdub78, I use the rinse because products like castile soap and shampoo bars leave a residue on the hair. For some reason conditioners don't perform as well if I don't use it. I don't know if the rinse will perform the same when using traditional shampoos so in your case just stick with the shampoo and skip the rinse for now.

 

[Supergirl]

Supergirl
i have the Keracare Essential Oil blend
Carrot and Tea Tree Oil
Grape Seed Oil
and some Castor Oil

i have been wanting to try Joico products. my ends always feel a bit dry after i air dry. i always feel like i need to but more product on. how can i prevent this. i wonder should i apply my products to dripping wet hair, instead of towel dried hair?

shortdub78, applying my leave-in to wet hair works, but oils or serums to wet hair is a no-no for me. The only exception is if I'm going to blow dry (rarely) then I'll sometimes apply a serum first. Sometimes I also use serum for rollersets, so of course I apply it to wet hair.

My suggestion is that you apply an oil (not a heavy oil) to your hair once it is air dried or almost dry. Directly to your ends, a heavier oil would be wonderful, then put the ends away, either in a bun or roll the ends of your hair with satin or plastic rollers. You should definitely notice a difference in your air dried ends with this method.

 

[Evolving78]

Bublin
the majority of the stuff in my stash has glycerin in it. i tried my hardest to stay away from products that had it in them as a natural, but i figured things would be different as a relaxed head.

that's why i cowash/shampoo twice a week. i always feel like my hair is coated and sticky.

 

[Evolving78]

JJamiah and Supergirl are messing with the product junkie in me!
i have been holding off on buying WEN for the longest time and the Silk Dreams looks so yummy!

 

[Raspberry]

@Raspberry
i think i am going to try this as well. it just doesn't seem enough on towel dried hair

Cool, just watch the amount you use cause it's hard to gauge when enough is enough when your hair is wet. My hair ended up too oily a couple times - all juicy and shiny lookin