Hair Advice for Our Newbies

Thanks for the info. Oh and by the way I've decided and 9/27/08 will be the date of my BC!!! I'm gonna take lots of pictures, that is if i don't chicken out.

Edited by Puff - September 25 2008 at 2:25pm

Puff wrote: Next Question: This might be stupid but is it better to deep condition and then do hot oil treatment or vice versa? I haven't had a hot oil treatment since i was a little girl (idk y my mom stopped as i got older.) So I really don't know too much about it.   Also, being that I, as many of us have, fell victim to the myths of AA hair, like the fact that "we don't need to wash our hair as much as other races" or that "we NEED to keep our scalps greased" i really don't know how to take care of mine. (kind of embarrassing, but the truth none the less.) I know the recipes are gonna be great when i start using them regularly and so will many of the other tips you ladies have been so kind to share. But my hair is THICK and coils VERY tightly.   Is there something I can do so i dont look crazy for the next few months while i wait for my hair to grow back? Not looking for wigs or weaves, been there and done that. Braids are an option but what else is there.   ****THANKS LADIES*****Much Love, Peace, & Blessings.*****

A great hair tip for transitioning ladies is to not be afraid to do your Big Chop. I went without a relaxer for 6 months and then one day I decided it was time to make a change.

To make sure I folloed through with it I took a BIG clump of my hair in my hand and proceeded to whack it off with a scissor. That left me with one of 2 choices.....continue cutting or end up with a big ole hairless section of my hair. Needless to say I kept on chopping and almost 2 years later I am SO happy I did it.

Just take a deep breath and go for it! I was surprised at how great I looked with really short hair and you just might be as well. :D

Puff wrote: carameldiva wrote: Taking vitamins, drinking lots of water,exercise and getting plenty of sleep are also helpful. Queen helene works great as a deep conditioner for me( i do doctor it up a little). I hope this gets u on the right track. Let me know if you need some more help.   I hear a lot of people saying take vitamins or that they use vitamins in a recipe, what kinds of vitamins do you ladies use and how? Also if Carmeldiva wouldn't mind elaborating, how do you doctor your deep conditioner? I'm in the "research phase" of my transition. I've stopped relaxing over a year ago and am ready for the BC one of these days...kind of scared since I’ve grown attached to my hair, but I know that this is the change I need if I want to have hair when I’m 80. All you ladies seem to be so full of information and recipes I’m so excited to get started and grow, Grow, GROW!!!

I follow Bargello's Regimen. I will post it below.
By: Bargello
longhairlovers.com
Growing Out Message Board

Vitamins are very important for not just the growth of hair but for overall health. After doing years of research on vitamins, I have found what vitamins work and what ones don't. My overall health has improved 200% since starting my vitamin program. And healthy body means healthy nails, skin, and hair.

Multivitamin: I believe everyone needs to be on a good multivitamin. You need a vitamin that contains at least 100% of the most of the recommended daily nutrients. I am very partial to Vitaminshoppe's One A Day vitamin. This is an excellent vitamin for overall health. Note that it does not contain iron. This might be a concern and might not be. Most menstruating women can benefit from extra iron in their diets. If you happen to be a woman that becomes iron deficient easily, you might just wish to add in an extra iron supplement. By not having iron, this makes a good supplement for men, teens, and post-menopausal women.

Calcium: We all need calcium in our diet. This is something that is an absolute necessity. There is some calcium in the above multivitamin, but not enough. Remember that when taking calcium you also need Vitamin D and Magnesium for the calcium to be absorbed properly. Most multivitamins will contain Vitamin D and Magnesium.

Now for the vitamins which promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.

Hair Vitamins: I like a good hair vitamin to start my program. There are several out there. GNC's Ultra Nourishair is probably one of the best I have seen. It is what I take and is the absolute heart of my program. I am a firm believer in this vitamin. It contains all the necessary vitamins needed for healthy hair.

Note: I do not like the vitamins that state for Hair, Skin, and Nails. They generally have less than you really need of the necessary vitamins for healthy hair, skin, and nails. I am not sure why, but they do. If you take a good hair vitamin, your skin and nails will automatically benefit.

MSM: This vitamin is very important for healthy hair, muscles, and joints. It helps to decrease hair fall out. It does this by assisting in making the growth stage of the hair longer. The longer you are able to retain the root, the longer you hair will grow. You may take up to 2000mg/day. Note: Ultra Nourishair contains 500mg of MSM. I take an additional 1000mg/day.

Silica: Helps in the shine of hair. It is also a very valuable antioxidant. It assists in a lot of other areas other than just helping your hair be soft and shiny. There is silica in the Ultra Nourishair; I take an additional 500mg/day.

Evening Primrose: There is so much to say about this essential fatty acid. It contains Omega-6 Fatty Acid (Gamma-Linolenic Acid). This is a good Omega-6 Fatty Acid. It has several benefits of which I will only name a few. Some of the benefits are reducing PMS, clearing up eczema, helping your skin glow, minimize fine wrinkles, reduce cholesterol, help with your metabolism, and cure hair and nail problems. It helps nourish straw-like hair. You really only need 480-960 mg of GLA to reap wonderful benefits. I personally take 500mg/day. You should see results with Evening Primrose as early as 2 weeks of daily consumption. Your scalp should feel less dry and the hair growing in should feel softer and more nourished.

Flaxseed Oil: Now flaxseed Oil is wonderful in the sense that it contains both Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Omega-3 Fatty Acid) and Gamma-Linolenic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid). Omega-3 is very important in our bodies too. We need both to help maintain a healthy body. Omega-3 has been know the help ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It is also essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It helps hair in the same way Omega-6 does. Why take both? Because the cells of the body need both to work properly. Our bodies do not make either of the Fatty Acids, we must supplement. Taking both will help the cells of the body work more efficiently and in return help growth of hair as well as health of hair and body. I take 500mg/day. I really don't think you need more than that, but experiment. You might find your body does need more.

Biotin: Now biotin is what really can boost your hair growth. Skin, nails, and hair rely on biotin to grow. So, if we feed our bodies more biotin, then our skin will look better, and our nails will be stronger, and our hair will grow faster and stronger. My hair vitamin contains 1200mcg of biotin. I take an additional 2400mcg/day. I have played with the dosage a little and have found that my hair definitely grows faster with the total biotin of 3600mcg/day. You might need to play with this too. You might need more or less than I do for results.

Protein: I can't scream enough about protein. We need it. I don't care if it plant or animal. Truthfully your body can absorb and utilize plant protein better than animal. This is why vegetarians are incredibly healthy. I drink a protein shake everyday with my vitamins. I drink it with milk (it tastes better and I get extra calcium and protein with the milk), vegans can make a protein drink with soymilk (get it with calcium added and you have the benefits of extra vegetable protein and calcium). Adding protein to your diet will help your body all the way around. It will function better and you will not be as hungry all the time. I suggest a protein drink of at least 22gr. of protein. I suggest at least one serving a day. If your diet is really bad, you can drink more. The extra protein will also help your hair grow. It is protein too, you know.

With all this said, everyone is DIFFERENT! You might need more of something than I do, or less. Vitamins are personal things. You need to play with them to get the correct dosage for you. They are not a cure all. They can help your body in ways you wouldn't think about. I have tried to keep the above information brief. I could write pages about each vitamin and why you should take it. The above program works very well for me. My hair grows at the speed of 1 ½" per month. One thing to always remember, when starting a vitamin program, don't expect results overnight. It will take your body 2-6 weeks to benefit from vitamins. This time period depends on how depleted your system is. The average time being 4 weeks. If you are recovering from a serious illness, it could take longer.

One word about prenatal supplements. I personally do not think they will boost hair growth anymore than a good multivitamin. There are a lot of good over-the-counter prenatals out there. I like Natrol probably the best. When I sat down and actually compared the ingredients in prenatal vitamins and multivitamins, the multivitamin actually had more than the prenatals did. Prenatal vitamins do contain extra iron (for anemia), folic acid (for birth defects), and potassium (to help with muscle cramps). Now, none of those ingredients will boost hair growth. I have had 3 pregnancies and I have NEVER taken prenatal vitamins. When I presented my vitamin program to my OB-GYN, each one has stated that they could not have put together a better vitamin program for overall health during pregnancy and after. They have never prescribed a prenatal for me. There really was no need.

If you wish to take a prenatal in addition to a good multivitamin, by all means do. The only reason I think doctors have stated that there has been a boost in hair growth is that generally people don't take vitamins until they get pregnant. They take a prenatal and their hair starts to grow. They think it is the prenatal when in fact it is just getting some good vitamins in the system and the result of pregnancy itself. Pregnancy can cause your hair to grow faster as your body is renewing things a lot faster.

**As of 4/22/2002 Bargello has increased her intake of Biotin to 7500 mcg/day.

I doctor my deep conditioner with either glycerin or castor oil or turkey red castor oil.

Everyone can have beautiful hair, who does not want to change his hair style every day?How can we do that? the answer is to use wigs,which is easy to wear and give us a new feeling .

lydia

Edited by Karen Shelton - September 25 2011 at 11:35am

born kinky is right.......for women of color moisturizing conditioner and leave in's are vital for healthy looking hair.

my no. one advice is eat healthy.

Hi Guys:

I have african-american relaxed hair. I'm 7 weeks post relaxer and I have a question. During the week I wrap my hair and when I comb it out, nothing much comes out but when my hair is wet, I lose more hair than I would like to. Why do I lose so much hair when wet or when styling post shampoo/conditioning? I've noticed my hair is thinning.
When my hair has growth, it is difficult to detangle because my new growth is very tough/kinky/hard. I currently use the mane n tail detangler which has seriously cut down hair loss during detangling but I still lose hair when i blow dry. I usually blow dry right after I wash or let it air dry overnight then blow dry the next morning.
Is there something I'm doing wrong? I want my hair not just longer but thicker when I next relax in the next 7 weeks.
Should I stop blow-drying my hair and just set? I'm trying to keep my hair on my head. Please help.

These are very good information and advices.. keep them coming everyone.. Thank you for youe sharing

What i usually do to my hair is,  

Edited by Karen Shelton - August 20 2010 at 9:31am