Are you newly natural & frustrated? Here are a few tips all in one place!

I am wonder if my hair texture (mostly 4b) has something to do with it not tangling so badly. Since I do not have a ton of coils wanting to interlock with each other, maybe the wavy-Z's allow me to get away with being lazy about combing.

FineChyna, have you tried the Curly Girl method of hair plopping to dry the hair while keeping the curls?
 
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Nymphe said:
I am wonder if my hair texture (mostly 4b) has something to do with it not tangling so badly. Since I do not have a ton of coils wanting to interlock with each other, maybe the wavy-Z's allow me to get away with being lazy about combing.

FineChyna, have you tried the Curly Girl method of hair plopping to dry the hair while keeping the curls?
i never heard of that method before
 
nice thread only thing and can say is to condition, condition , and keep on conditioning. o yea did i say keep your hair condition :D
 
Hi, I just did my Big Chop on 7/30/07, and I'm so happy to find this thread. Thank you all for your great advice...:grin:
 
Hair type: sheeplike on most of my head, some curly parts, thin and
frizzy at the temples
Length: don't know exact measure.

Mostly just "ditto" to what's already been said.

Main piece of advice to newbie naturals: remember, you can't change
the laws of physics! Natural hair WILL do its own thing sometimes,
like when two different textures on your head decide they want to
dance rather than sit still and play nice. Don't fight it. If your hair is
in healthy condition and your ends are trimmed, you should look
fine. Natural hair is less about specific style techniques and more
about care.

If your hair is just way too dry no matter what, consider cutting back
on products. Some combinations of ingredients cause more problems
than they solve.

Don't try too hard to imitate styles you see on celebrities. They have a squad of stylists who follow them around spritzing their ringlets and waxing down their edges every 10 minutes. Find what works for you.

DarkVictory
 
Here are my hair stats:
Name: Bublin
Hair Type: Nappy 3c/4a (a head full of tiny spirals that tangle very easily)
Hair Length: 7-9” from root to tip (i shaved all of my relaxed hair off 18 months ago)


My top tip for gaining length is to choose a style that you don't have to comb or brush every day and i also stay away from extensions.
My hair is always in natural cornrows or individual twists. I find that false hair is too harsh against my own.
I'm fonder of twists more than cornrows as they tend to irritate my sensitive scalp. I'll keep the twists in for two weeks, moisturising every day.
So for the two weeks there is no combing, pulling, brushing, scrubbing, fiddling - just moisturising

How i moisturise my twists to keep them bouncy and light..............
1. Spray with African Pride Hair, Braid and Scalp spray
2. Apply Kids Organic Shea Butter Detangling Leave-in Conditioner (this stuff should win an award!)
3. Seal with very small amount of organic coconut oil - concentrating on the ends.

I do this every morning and wear a bonnet at night.

My hair unravels fairly easily but the ringlets at the ends look pretty so i leave them like that for a few days then go over them and re-twist the ends. ( i have to change my Avatar as my hair looks nothing like that now - due to me taking better care of my hair, better styling techniques and patience and added length)

I have kept split ends to a minimum using this 'Leave-it-alone' method.

My mother has mid back length hair after being natural for 3 years and all she does is keep it in cornrows.

If i get bored i just throw on a half wig (fall) over a lycra skull cap (to seal in the moisture) and cover the line with a hair band.


Oh, another tip is to watch your diet. I hate drinking water but i've found out that if i don't my hair suffers terribly - it gets very dry.
 
Here are my hair stats:
Name: turnergirl
Hair Type: Nappy 4A/4B (I have randomness all over the place in terms of textures)
Hair Length: 13- 14"from root to tip all over. I am working on getting the layers grown out.
Album Link:http://public.fotki.com/turnergirl/
Album password: none

turnergirl Newbie Hair Tips:
The wash and go is your friend. Even if it does not look the way you want it to at first. It is a wonderful low manipulation style that will allow you to easily wash or co-wash your hair however much you want to. work with it until you get it to do what you want it to do.

Try to find as many hair products you can in a health food store. It will save you so much money on the back end if you have honey, glycerin, coconut milk, vegetable oils, castor oil, aloe vera on hand to add to your hair products. You will probably go through lots of trials with products. If they are not moisturizing enough you can always add these things to them to make them work. If your shampoo is to harsh you can always cut it with oil (I have done that and not needed conditioner afterwards). This will allow you to use pretty much everything you buy before you move on the next product which in the end will save you lots of money. (If the product ruins your hair of course you should toss it but if it is so-so it can be revived.

Try not to jump on bandwagons, listen to your hair and do what it likes. In the end you will save length, time, money and tears.

Enjoy your hair at every length stage. Of course we are all here because we like long hair, but don't forget to love your hair where it is. It is a stage you will not be able to relive unless you cut again. Cherish the carefree twa stage or that strange in between length. Those days will be over when your hair cross the 11 inch or more threshold. Detangling, knots and matting usually becomes an issue at this stage.

If you get into a style rut, look through fotki's of naturals of all lengths. You would be surprised by the inpsiration you can get from someone with hair longer or shorter than you. There is always someone out there with an style that you did not think off.
 
Name: NewYorkgyrl
Hair Type: 4a
Hair Length: ???? ( I have no idea)
Album Link: http://public.fotki.com/NewYorkgyrl
Album password: in profile

Hair oils don't work for everyone
Neither do wash and go's
Daily moisture is key
Qhemet Biologics Products is the best thing since slice bread
Deep Conditioning is a MUST


Do what works for you!!!!
 
Tetbelle thanks for bumping this old thread up, had no idea it even existed. Lots of wonderful info in here, that I soooo needed for once i'm completely natural!:up:
 
Name: Harmony0221
Hair Type: 4A/4B tightly coiled, some wavy parts
Hair Length: not sure of the inches but I'm @ apl
Album Link:http://public.fotki.com/Ebony0221/

What I have learned being natural is condition, deep conditon, and conditon again.
Once I started conditioning regularly my hair and I started getting along.

To remain natural remind your self why you went natural. There have been plenty of times I wanted to just go back to relaxing but I remembered all the problems I had with a relaxer..

And when you get really fraustrated just walk away.. Otherwise you'll end up doing more damage then good..
 
Haven't read the whole thread but I'm happy there's more encouragement for us newly natural!
 
I'm so silly...I just read this thread as if for the first time and totally forgot I already gave it my props. This should be a sticky!
 
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