I need some serious help ...

[pinkcar2222]

I am new here and I am in need of dyer dyer help. I joined LHCF in about April and have been reading posts and trying out suggestions like crazy. My hair is in really really bad shape. I know that I need a cut so I will be getting a cut along w/ a relaxer next Tuesday. I am really beginning to think that I can't grow not even long hair but healthy hair which is my first goal. These are the things I have been doing so far:

Baggying my whole head at nite w/ moisturizer sealed w/ oil
Co-washes about 2 times /week
Protein conditions/treatments (used aphogee, keraphix, mane and tail, HAIR packets) at different times 1 per week
Deep conditioned (used ORS replenish, DPR 11) 1 time per week
Moisuturizing and sealing w/ oil 1-3 times/day
Products I am using:

BT ( just got that last Thursday)
Profective leave in
HB olive oil
DPR 11
Keraphix reconstuctr
Aphoogee protein treatment
Mane and Tail conditioner
Suave Clarifying Poo
Sebastians Poo and Conditioner
Honey almond oil
Care Free Gold
Kemi Oyl
Sta So Fro
QP Mango butter
VO5 split ends conditioner for co-washes
Infusium leave in ( just got it this week )

My ends are see thru at this point so I know I need a cut. I saw that some people had buddies that helped them out .. I need one bad if anyone wants to help. I used to relax my hair every 4 weeks cuz it seemed that my hair was breaking at my new growth. I have stopped doing that and am now going for a relaxer every 6 weeks. My new growth is terrible. Instead of any type of wavy new growth, I get the tight, tight, tight coiled dry new growth. I have a fotki that I just put up but no pics cuz I am really embarassed of how my hair looks. But I am willing to post them if I can ( i took the pics on a cell phone so i will have to figure out how to post them ) or if someone wants to take a look at my hair I am willing to send a pic thru email. I just started a hair journal so I know what I am doing to my hair each day.

As far as how I wear my hair I use wigs & falls mostly. I know this is long for my first post but if any other info is needed from me for help let me know.

Troubled !!!!!

 

[BioGeekChic]

Hi there it may be that you are over moisturizing your hair. Does your hair feel mushy? Are you getting a lot of breakage? I know that when I started I was doing everything under the moon to try and grow out my hair but my hair was still breaking. I used to wash 2-3 times a week but I found that it was too much for my hair. It seems that simplicity is the best policy.
You may want to reduce your overnight baggies to a couple of days per week instead of every nite. Moisturize twice a day instead of up to 3 times. Also hard core protein treatments like Aphogee should usually be done every 6-8 weeks and I usually do light protein treatments bi weekly. I also had dry new growth but taking flaxseed oil and increasing my water in take helped not only soften my newgrowth but it cleared my skin as well. Lastly try not to worry too much. It will all work out just be patient.

I'm sure others members would be happy to give more suggestions.

P.S. Have you checked out Sistaslick's Hair Breakage 101 Thread: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...ad.php?t=84746 it really helped me to understand how to balance the level of protein and moisture in my hair

 

[pinkcar2222]

Thanks for responding Biogeekchic...
Yes i did read sistaslicks post .. as a matter of fact her post was one of the ones i first read and still read to this day .. i guess i don't have the combo of moisture and protein down yet.
My hair has always been real dry so now that i have had the chance to have it feel soft for a change i guess don't know my happy medium between the two yet. Don't know how it should feel. I will try ur suggestion of not using the baggy every nite though. I am at wits end .. I never knew how to take care of my hair and now i see it's gonna be trials and tribulations.
I do drink alot of water thruout the day and i also take a Women's 1 a day vitamin and a supplement for hair, skin and nails w/ biotin. By the way my hair type is a 4B ... or maybe its a 100B as nappy and kinky as it is .. lol

 

[LadyPaniolo]

It's gonna be OK... I know how hard it is when you are trying to do everything for your hair and not getting the results you want. Sometimes we need to just breathe for a minute and relax.

A couple of things jumped out at me from your regimen:

1. Sure seems like you are using a lot of products. This is something everybody goes through. It can be hard to figure out which aspect of your regimen is messing up your results when your reg is so complex. Try simplifying it, so you can figure out what works and what doesn't.

2. Protein treatments once per week may work well on some heads, but that much protein causes many many LHCF girls to get dryness and breakage. Look for the sticky about moisture vs protein, it's so informative!

3. It hasn't been that long that you've been trying to turn things around. Sometimes it takes a while to get the results we want. Patience is your friend.

I hope you can find a hair buddy. I'm not a good candidate, as I know more about natural hair care than relaxed. But if you read up, go slow, and apply yourself, I know you'll get great results.

Happy growing!

 

[pinkcar2222]

Awww... thanks for ur post joyousnerd,
I guess i just don't know where to start. I read posts and i see some using more than a few products so that is what i tried to do .. ( heh heh )
I just looked over my list again and yeah i do have alot of products i use .. i tried to alternate them here and there thinking that was right ... I am so lost w/ what to do i guess i was willing to try a bit of everything if found useful. I used to have my hair up in a braieded weave a few years back and of course that grew my hair but the sweet lady that was doing my hair moved outta state so then i was like " oh no what do i do now ". Since i wasn't comfortable w/ wearing my hair out i resorted to wigs and falls. Then it was u wear those too much let ur " hair breathe " so i now am getting some phony ponys to wear. ha ha ...lol ... I just can't wear my hair out .. it's too short and i guess damaged at this point. It has no silky content to it. Its just all messed up. ( big ole' sigh )

 

[BioGeekChic]

Joyousnerd may be on to something about using too many products. My hair from what i can tell is mostly 4b with some 4a also. Once I realized that I was doing too much and going broke doing it I ended up doing this:

On your next wash day try clarifying your hair (for a fresh start) and choose 1 prepoo(if you do this), 1 deep conditioner , 1 moisturizing conditioner, 1 moisturizing leave-in, and 1 oil to seal (don't for get the occasional protein also- like I said I do a light 1 biweekly). Use these and only these for 1 or 2 weeks noting which products you do or don't like (of course if it doesn't feel good on your hair that day or the next you can move on to the next product). Keep doing this until you've used all of your products. It's good that u are keeping a hair journal because it may help you discover if one the products u are using is the culprit for ur dry growth.

Discard or give away the stuff you don't like. I know it can be confusing it took me about three months to notice any changes so you just have to be patient. Its all about learning through trial and error to find your perfect regimen. happy hair growing

 

[TeeKay21]

It took me a while to get the right balance and even when I did, I still got a big setback. But that's okay. I figured out less is more. Her is my regimine.

Wash weekly using Kenra chelating shampoo (I have hard water and get build-up from my products) I am careful to use only about two quarter-sized amounts, one for each side of my head because I don't want to strip my hair of all its moisture.

Next I condition with Nexxus Humectress (very moisturizing to counteract the poo).

Here it gets a little tricky with my protien usage. I like to strech my relaxers but I know my hair gets very weak at the line of demarcation between new growth and relaxed hair. That's why starting at week 6 I do protien treatments. (Week 6=Aphogee reatment for damaged hair. Week 7, I listen to my hair, if it needs something I use a very light protien, Cholesterol, but usually it doesn't need it this soon after the Aphogee. Week 8 I use emergencee for a couple mins. just after rinsing out the poo, then balance it out with Humectress. Then I just go off of how my hair feels to see if it needs more protien or not. usually, it needs something moderate like emergencee every week or two)

Whew! Past the tricky part. After I condition, I deep condition with ORS replenishing pak, EVERY WEEK! THat is the most important part of wash day for me.

After deep conditioning I use Aphogee Keratin leave in very sparingly while hair is still wet (it's a very light protien as well. My hair needs lots of protien). THen I towel dry and use Carol's Daughter healthy Hair Butter as a moisturizing leave in. It is very thick so it lays down the hair and tames the frizzies. I then Put on my doo-rag or scarf and air-dry over night. That's why the Hair Butter is so important. It's thickness keeps your hair moisturized and you won't end up with that dry, cotton ball look that many people get when trying to air dry. Tie it up in a doo rag also aids in the smooth sleek hair you want.

Finally I wake up the next day and flat iron with my Sedu using CHI Silk infusion (heat protectant) for the first 5-6 weeks after a relaxer because it's very light and makes the hair shiny and stuff. For the following weeks I use either Mizani curl and silkening wax or Keracare creme press because these help really tame the newgrowth to blend with the hair and they work as heat protectants.

If I feel my hair can't handle the heat, I will jsut use my caruso rollers using Carol's Daughter Hair Milk (Only a TINY amnt of this stuff because it is very concentrated and will have your head wet and your hair all heavy) on each section before rolling to aid in taming frizzies and give that sleek look.

For daily moisturizing, I do the dame thing as with the Carusos, just using magnetic rollers or flexirods instead before I go to bed for the night. THen when I wake up, my hair is moisturized and curled.

I know that is a lot, but notice that I only have one or two products for each task.

I may not have the longest, prettiest head of hair on the board, but I do belive that I have come a long way and that finding and sticking to a regimine works. I used to be confused with all the different types of products and what they were used for so it was helpful to see the break down of how someone incorporates them into thier routine.

Pics for inspiration:
Left side is hair air dried with Hair Butter, right side without

Some comparison shots. Notice how frizzy my hair was!

ANd to prove my hair can grow, a pic before my setback. This was after only eight months on the hair boards from when I started at ear-length in April.

Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to help and I alsways see posts like this and never go into any detail about anything, but since I had the time I figured I'd share all I learned. All of this is in my about me section of my fotki too!

 

[Missi]

Hey Pinkcar.....IMO I have a few suggestions: don't take it to the heart but I can just give u advice based on wat I've been through and how similar my problems are like urs. Ready?....

1. Purchase "Ultra Black Hair Growth" 2000 Edition by Cathy Howse ($6) so u can get a better understanding of how our hair should be treated: she'll list things that we should and should not be doing to our hair and how we can elliviate bad habits that we do: ex: NO BRUSHING!!!!!
2. Wash ur hair in the shower: Try Amla Oil as a pre-poo (u'll love it) & use a Detangling Moisture Shampoo followed by a moisture conditioner to give nice slip and softness to ur hair. Tie into a ponytail if u can and tie a scarf around ur head to keep ur hair flat: This should help w/ stretching: try 8-10 weeks. I think anything below 8 is pushing it to damage.
3. Air dry your hair (no heat) and then baggy ur whole head. IMO: since ur a 4b u can do this 7 days out the week and ur hair is fine. (hint: check out darkempress)
4. Also: i think the products you feel that give weigh to ur hair: u don't need: i also think that products like Aphogee & mane n tail should be used w/ their partner products as well. You do have a good list of products: i feel like some don't work well together on ur hair. Whenever you have free time: google & search LHCF "HENNA".
5. Girl don't worry: ur in good hands. I'm pretty sure after you experiment w/ ur products: u'll find the ones ur hair responds to positively. Just imagine a yr from now: u'll look back on this post and just be amazed of wat you achieved. In the fall take advantage of the Hide Your Hair Challenge using wigs.

~HTH~​

 

[SkinnyMocah]

Never fear. Do exactly what these ladies tell you!

This was my hair in August, thick crunchy, stiff, and dry. I was ready to shave it off:

and my hair now:

Some of this is stylist maintained but all of it is good haircare I found here. I didn't have to cut any of it. I got a trim in April... that's the only cutting I've had done since that first pic.

The members at this board know their hair! Take heed! Good luck!

 

[ladybug71]

Don't give up and stress gurl, you will get there. The ladies on here know their stuff and give great advice. You can always vent to me if need be! ((((HUG))))

 

[willie525]

I think once you get a relaxer and all those bad ends cut off then you'll feel a whole lot better. It will gice you a great starting point to start your journey.

 

[alundra]

Don't give up! I agree with the suggestions all of these ladies have made. Also KEEP A HAIR JOURNAL AND TAKE PICTURES! It doesn't have to be a fotki or anything that someone can see, but just write down how your hair feels after washing it, at least 2-4 times a month. I've been keeping one since March. I'll read over it and go "Wow, washing with Silicon mix really worked for me --why haven't I used it since April?" (To be perfectly honest I haven't because I've been trying to go without cones -- I discovered that I can't though.)
Lots of times we really want to try to use everyone's suggestions -- and we go through them and get very discouraged when we see pictures of people's hair and sometimes we think "wow, I used all of that stuff and my hair doesn't look like that! " With a hair journal and pictures, we can easily see what works for us and what doesn't.

Good luck!!!

 

[pinkcar2222]

thanks all for responding .. ( still looking for a hair buddy )
Ok ... i braved up and put up my BAD HAIR PIC NOW and also a pic of my hair how it used to me at one short time on my newly created awful beginning fotki ... now ya'll can see how bad off i am... I don't know how my hair is supposed to feel. I want that silky look and i just can't get it. I used to have some ok hair but that was after i took out braids and it had grown some at that time AFFIRM relaxer was used in my har. But ever since then i don't know how to take care of it and my hair had gone down the drain... Like i said i know i need a cut that is truely seen thru ( pun intended ) the pic itself. I am also thinking i need to change my relaxer .. right now my stylist uses DESIGNERS TOUCH .. i am sad to say i have no idea if it's lye or no lye .. my stylist is outta town till next week so i will be asking her then ... she used to use AFFIRM on me but since my scalp was on FIYAHHH she switched me to DESIGNERS TOUCH ... but all this was before LCHF and knowing a little more about hair now than i did then so i am thinking of going back to AFFIRM what do ya'll think about that .. well now that u have pics to compare my words to ... i will wait and see what ya'll say .... all i can say is it's a shame ...!!!!!!
oh yeah ,.... i do have CATHY HOWSE'S BOOK already but i am still in bad shape ...

http://public.fotki.com/pinkcar2222/the-awful-beginning/

 

[TeeKay21]

I'll be your hair buddy...if you want me too. I don't exactly have long hair though.

 

[TeeKay21]

I'll be your hair buddy...if you want me too. I don't exactly have long hair though.