i need help with a regimen

[Tee]

@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!

Go ahead and get Silk Dreams...oke: This is pretty much all I have been using on my hair for about five months now. It's time for me to make an order very soon. This line is great and I have found leaving my hair alone.....not doing so much to it ALL the time....has helped. I am no longer a PJ when it comes to hair products. Seriously, give Silk Dreams a try.

 

[Bublin]

@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.

shortdub78 infact when i was relaxed i only used very moisturising products and stuff that didn't contain glycerin (although didn't realise it at the time but i only stuck to one or two lines and wasn't a pj then!).
Since turning natural the buzz word was glycerin and have found tht it has been detrimental to my hair. I guess hair doesn't change it's preference whether relaxed or natural.
I have ALOT of stuff that contains glycerin in my stash and i need to give them away because they do me no good.

 

[ReignLocks]

The site that Supergirl recommended has some really good info on there. Key takeaways:

1. Reduce friction - Friction against pillows, sheets, your clothing, towels, or anything else can cause mechanical breakage to your hair. For this reason, it is important to reduce friction as much as possible. You may not be able to eliminate it completely, but eliminating some is better than eliminating none.

a) Sleep with something on your head like a scarf or bonnet made of smooth material. With this kind of material, if your hair does move it is likely to slide rather than rub.

b) Wearing your hair up will keep it from rubbing against your clothes. Even if you only do this a few times a week, you are reducing breakage.

c) I do not recommend using a towel on your hair at all. I do not towel dry my hair. I drip dry. If letting your hair drip from sopping wet does not appeal to you, try squeezing (not wringing) rather than towel drying.


2. Eliminate build up periodically - Every month or so, use a clarifying, chelating, or corn oil soap shampoo to remove build up from your hair. Always follow a clarifying shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and then your conditioner.

3. Stay moisturized - Hair that is well-moisturized holds together well and does not break as much. Learn how to detect whether or not your hair needs moisture. You may or may not need to moisturize daily, and if your hair is in very poor shape, it may be necessary to moisturize twice a day.

a) If you find that moisturizers that previously worked on your hair do not seem as effective, that is likely an indication that it^s time for you to clarify your hair to remove build up (The build up is keeping the moisture out).

b) If you find that your moisturizer does work, but your hair seems dry again shortly thereafter, that is likely an indication that your hair is in need of a protein treatment. Packing the hair with protein fills in gaps in the hair that could easily release moisture if left open.

4. Reduce heat usage - Using heat on your hair too often is an excellent and quick way to ruin your hair. As we said earlier, heat breaks bonds in the hair. Heat can dry out hair.

a) On the occasions that you do use heat, always use some type of product between your hair and the flat iron or blow dryer to protect your hair. There are products such as silicone serums, oils, and ceramides that can lessen the blow of heat on your hair, but I caution you not to believe that these products will keep your hair from damage if excessive and habitual heat are used.

b) I do not consider roller setting to be a damaging source of heat, so none of this applies to roller setting.

5. Manipulate gently - Be gentle with your hair, especially your wet hair.

a) Use a wide tooth comb.

b) Comb hair from the ends up.

c) Do not yank through tangles with your comb. If you have a really stubborn tangle, try separating the hairs in the tangle with your fingers. You can also try applying a detangling product to the tangle and then working with your hands to separate the tangled hairs.

d) Don^t pull hair tightly when wearing it up or braided. Firm is okay, but tight is not.

6. Protein helps - Unless you do absolutely nothing to your hair, it needs protein. Some will need more protein and more often than others. It all depends on your personal hair care routine. Processed hair or hair that has heat applied to it often needs protein more than non-processed hair and hair that is not exposed to heat often.

Protein will help you to go longer between trims too. Like anything that ages, hair "erodes." Protein can lessen the normal wear that hair goes through. I read somewhere that it is normal to lose up to 100 hairs each day. I don^t consider that normal. Healthy hair doesn^t do that. Protein can help to keep your hair on your head where it should be. It^s also a good idea to use a rinse out conditioner or treatment that contains protein to protect your hair when you know that you will be applying heat to your hair. Protein buzz words to look for: protein, hydrolyzed, amino acids

7. Health before length - Sometimes in the rush to get long hair, individuals will not trim raggedy ends, because they feel like they are trimming off their length. Long hair with raggedy ends isn^t impressive, and it isn^t healthy. Live by the mantra "Health before length." Healthy hair will turn into long hair. It^s inevitable. The only thing that can keep healthy hair from turning into long hair is scissors.


8. Don^t double process - If your goal is to increase the length of your hair, avoid double processing. I can count on one hand the number of women I^ve ever known that had healthy and long hair that was both colored and relaxed.

9. Trim as needed, not on a schedule--exception: a preventative schedule or in effort to maintain a certain style or length.
I am anti-scissor happy hairstylist, but I am not anti-trim. Pretty ends are pretty, and keeping ends full and healthy is part of a healthy hair care routine. If you want longer hair, then the idea is to grow more hair than you trim. It is a general rule of hair science that hair grows about 1/2 inch each month. So if you have a stylist that is trimming an inch of your hair every 8 weeks, guess what? The length stays the same.

a) Set your trims up so that you are trimming less than your scalp is producing.

b) If hair is damaged from heat use or other issues, big trims will be necessary.

 

[Evolving78]

ReignLocks
welcome to the site by the way!
her site does have a lot of helpful tips. pretty much everything listed, in incorporate in to my hair practices. my challenge is more of finding the right regimen to retain as much as possible. i think i will stick to the tried and true of washing/dc'ing and rolling once a week. it seems like i was so anxious to find the right method and try protective styling, that i just got totally off of my square.
even though i have been on this board for many years, learning how to be more of a DIYer is still a challenge of mine. i am so scared of causing a setback. before i didn't care about length, i was more into health and style. now that i am aiming for longer hair, it just gets crazy at times!

 

[ReignLocks]

shortdub78, I am the opposite. I am use to bra strap and longer hair. It has been burned out twice but two different stylist. I am also on a mission to understand my hair without relying on hair stylist. I am not saying that they all are bad but once I figure this thing out, I'm golden. I use to maintain it in between getting it done and it was at it's longest and healthiest. I want to understand my hair so that I can get my length back. It had been burned out all the way around my head from about midway to down to my nape. The only thing that I could do was rock a style that everyone said looked like Cassie's hair. The way I styled it looked like an actual style and I got tons of compliments but my self-estem was completely in the dumps. Once I learned to love the locks that I was left with, I perused the internet for help and came across this forum. I must say, this is by far, the best advice that I can get because most of everyone's goal is healthy hair whether it is length retention or not.

Good luck and don't get discouraged because I've been there! Thankfully we have the support of women around the world that wouldn't recognize us if they saw us but are willing to converse with us daily.

 

[Spring]

Hi shortdub78. All of the suggestions have been really great so far. For me, coconut oil while airdrying has been a huge plus, then when my hair is about 95% dry before bunning I apply my heavier oils (olive, more coconut, & maybe a little castor) mixed with a small amount of Suave Coconut conditioner and Cantu Shea Butter conditioning creme. I don't use a lot of cones, and very little protein (collagen from the Cantu), so I think this is the reason my hair retains moisture longer.

I think the only thing I would add about bunning is to make sure you're careful about the way your ends are tucked and make sure your bun is not tight...

 

[Barbara]

Go ahead and get Silk Dreams...oke: This is pretty much all I have been using on my hair for about five months now. It's time for me to make an order very soon. This line is great and I have found leaving my hair alone.....not doing so much to it ALL the time....has helped. I am no longer a PJ when it comes to hair products. Seriously, give Silk Dreams a try.

Thanks for recommending this product line.