hair growth

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job of taking care of everything. What brand name products are you using? I know from experience that you have to get the "right" product for you. You may want to experiment with some of the products mentioned on this board. I have had wonderful success with Aveda and Nature's Gate. Artec is another good product. Not being African American, I do not know what products are specifically made for that type of hair on the market. I know it does make a big difference if you land on the right product for you. Also, our genes play a big role.. but you can also help them along with vitamins and eating right.. and the right hair products.. best of luck..Cher> I am an African-American woman who has had> bad hair days practically all my life. My hair> is thin, fly-away, and breaks easily. For the> past year I have been taking a multivitamin which> has done wonders for my nails, but hardly anything> for my nails. My hair is about neck length in> the back and chin length on the sides. I wash> it once a week with a split ends treatment shampoo.> I use a deep conditioner and hot oil treatment> on alternating weeks. I moisturize my scalp three> times a week and moisturize my ends every other> day. I wear my up everyday, sleep in a satin wrap> and trim my ends every 6 to 8 weeks. I usually> perm it every 7 weeks. I can see some improvement> in the year that I've been caring for it regularly.> I am wondering if there is something I am excluding?> Help!!

> I am an African-American woman who has had> bad hair days practically all my life. My hair> is thin, fly-away, and breaks easily. For the> past year I have been taking a multivitamin which> has done wonders for my nails, but hardly anything> for my nails. My hair is about neck length in> the back and chin length on the sides. I wash> it once a week with a split ends treatment shampoo.> I use a deep conditioner and hot oil treatment> on alternating weeks. I moisturize my scalp three> times a week and moisturize my ends every other> day. I wear my up everyday, sleep in a satin wrap> and trim my ends every 6 to 8 weeks. I usually> perm it every 7 weeks. I can see some improvement> in the year that I've been caring for it regularly.> I am wondering if there is something I am excluding?> Help!!Hi, eternity!I am Native American, black and Mexican. I am familiar with the problem you may be having, so I thought that I would just make an addition to what Cher and Gigi have suggested.As Cher has stated, it is imperative that you use excellent products, whether that is Aveda, Ouidad, Pantene, or yes, even Aubrey Organics which I use. You may want to experiment with several to see which works best. Since your hair is fragile, Aveda's Shampure shampoo is very gentle and may be a help to the split ends. Likewise, Aubrey Organics J.A.Y. (jojoba, aloe, yucca) shampoo is for dry to normal hair and lacks the sodium lauryl sulfate which can dry hair out even more. Aubrey's Jojoba and Aloe Hair Reconstructor and Conditioner is excellent for split ends and overprocessed hair.As Gigi has stated, hot oil treatments and deep conditioners are essential for dry, brittle, fragile hair. With the hot oil treatment, I would suggest that you use jojoba or olive oil and apply it as Gigi stated. That is, as a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment. I have walked around with jojoba in my hair for as long as 48 hours before I washed it out. I would recommend that you apply it the evening before you plan to shampoo. In other words, sleep with the oil in your hair before you shampoo. If you are wearing a satin wrap, that's great. I would say buy or make a satin cap, so your hair is covered. The cap helps to hold your hair in place and catch any shedding through tossing in your sleep. You might also put a piece of saran wrap over your hair with or without a warm environment even before going to sleep. THe oil will be superconcentrated that way.As Gigi also stated, deep conditioning must be done after you shampoo. Leave the conditioner in your hair for at least twice the stated time on the bottle. Your hair needs that.I would venture to guess that the major problem with your hair is related to your relaxer. As Gigi stated, you must have the service performed by a professional or simply put you run the risk of losing all or some of your hair. Similarly, even though your hair is short, you are having the relaxer too often. Repeated relaxers with poorly conditioned hair are a recipe for split ends, rough texture and definite overall bad hair days.Several years ago, I used to relax my hair at a rate of about every 5-6 months. My hair length was close to my shoulders and had quite a few waves which could get hard with tangles and such. What I noticed was that my hair was getting weaker over time. I don't think I conditioned my hair nearly as well as I do now. I also noticed that once I truly let my hair grow, the need for relaxers was not necessary because the added length stretched out my hair substantially. The waves are modest and my hair is close to waist length now. I realize that not everyone wants to or can eliminate a relaxer. However, Gigi is definitely right about the pre- and post-conditioning of your hair. It cannot be emphasized enough.If at all possible, find a way to extend the time between your relaxers. Could you find an alternative hair style for the stretch period? Think about how long you could go beyond the seven weeks. Also, most people's hair grows an average of half of an inch a month. You are barely giving your hair any room for growth, let alone strength.I think you said that you have been taking a multivitamin which has helped your nails, but not your hair. I would add a B-Complex vitamin to the multivitamin along with some Vitamin C. Vitamin C is excellent for split ends and your skin will love you for both vitamins. Whether you take the C in tablet or increased natural sources or do both is your choice. The fact that the vitamins have helped your nails, but not your hair makes me believe that the frequency of the relaxers with poor conditioning may be your major problem.I have never understood why so many blacks oil their scalp religiously, especially with mineral oil-based products. It seems to clog the pores. I can tell you that a guy friend of mine eliminated this step from his hair regime and his hair has grown substantially. I told him to use something like jojoba and his hair is gorgeous. I think he actually likes evening primrose oil the best. He is a handsome man with beautiful hair!I hope that I have helped....Look forward to seeing your posts in the future.....Jade