Hair Advice for Our Newbies

I thought it would be nice to have a thread for all the new members that come here in search for hair tips. We can pass on the hair advice we received that has helped us achieve (and to continue to achieve) healthier hair.

My learning process was slow, but once I saw results, I was hooked and thristy to learn more. My hair benefitted from it. First, let me tell you what my hair was like, BEFORE I began taking good care of it:

As a child my hair was always healthy and shiny and even through high school, even though I used 'grease' on my scalp, washed my hair every two weeks, and never really moisturized it. (I thought moisture was oiling my hair) But I started to hot comb it when it was relaxed and curl it on occasion. The salons I went to were not very informative on hair care and just went when my hair began to look bad only to repeat the same destructive process. Then two years ago it was starting to feel like straw and coming out in clumps. (If you could have seen pictures, you would cry for me.) Then I decided to do some research and take care of my hair better. I had to make the brave decision to cut my hair even. I went to the salon and balled like a baby because my hair was sooo damaged it had to be cut up to 1 inch in the back and up to my ear in the front so I had a bob. I had never had my hair shorter than shoulder length so it was quite a shock. But this hair dresser helped me out alot and gave me good info to start with. I got alot of compliments about the cut too. So this is the hair advice I live on now:

1. I try to avoid products with mineral oil and petroleum. If I can't fully avoid it, Ill find a product that has this as one of the last ingredients.

2. I keep my ends protected at all times. When I do wear my hair out, I make sure I'm wearing a hair friendly top and I keep it well moisturized.

3. Moisture, Moisture, Moisture!!! Different from hair oil and mandatory for healthy hair. I moisturize my hair a couple times a day.

4. No Hot Comb on relaxed hair. A big NO NO!! I learned this the hard way. (My mom still does it!)

5. Make sure to use protein in your hair once in a while. While moisture is good, you also need to strengthen your hair. A good protein treatment or protein conditioner is good to use once a month or every 2 weeks. (Some use it more but remember to use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards. Protein has the tendency to make your hair hard.)

6. Drink more water, less of the sweet stuff. I never was a soda drinker (or 'pop'depending on where you are from), but water is tons better for not only your hair but your whole body. Adding more fresh fruits and veggies helps too, not too mention beans, eggs, and whole grains.

7. Exercise. It gets the blood circulating all over. And you might as well look as good as your hair!!

8. Trim your hair on a as-needed basis. Some trim every 8 weeks like clockwork, but if my ends are still in tact, I keep them protected and hold off until they do need them.

9.Less heat, more washing. I've found that if I rollerset my hair and sit under a dryer, I have less breakage. But if you can avoid heat all together your hair will thank you for it. I also wash 2 times a week now and my scalp feels alot better.

10. Comb from the ends to the roots for less breakage.

These are a few tips that were passed on to me when I first started getting my hair together. I hope it helps all of you the way it has helped me. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to share all of this with everyone. Happy Hair!!!

Ok when I was younger a stylist burned my hair with a hotcomb, it had to get cut.  My mom hot combed my hair so much that it started to break off and turn read at the ends, my ends were split almost up to my roots. I didn't know how to take care of my natural hair (in highschool at this time) So i went and got a hair cut, an angled bob and a perm.  I changed to like 5 different stylists and eventually I learned how to do my own hair.  I started wearing buns and keeping my hair moisturized, and lots of braids and ponytails. I would only go to the hair dresser for special styles, but she never made them look like the book so I started doing that too.

When I got to college, hard water made my hair break off what was once down my back was now at my shoulders. It took me a year to find a shampoo and conditioner that made my hair feel great.  I contineud to wear cornrows every week and a half or pontytails because my hair grew:), didn't use heat, sometimes i wet my hair and scrunched it....

College, I tried to transition before but I did not have the support. I would get a perm once every 6 months and trim at least 1 time a month. I decided 2 years later from the last transition that I will transition again, I didn't like the history our people went thru with the relax and so I started growing it out. After 4 months of working with 2 textures I just cut it off. I had about 2 inches but ended up with 1 cause I had to cut the scab hair. I have now been natural for 10 months, I have to deal with negative people cause they can't see the beauty in everyone especially their own people, but that is THEIR PROBLEM NOT MINE. My friends really are supportive, my sister say sly remarks, but o well.

I learned...

*eat right and your body through healthy hair and skin will show it.

* Less heat is better for the hair, especially direct heat.

*comb from ends to roots

* comb when wet, newgrowth or natural hair.  (I always combed my relaxed hair only when wet and styled when wet too).

*try to stay away from clothes that clings to hair, especially velcro or snap ons, other attachmes aren't good.

*some of the best products are right in your kitchen!

* Be happy with what you have now, you can be your own support system.

* Be happy with what you have now, you can be your own support system.

Here's a few things I learned from a book called  The Black Woman's Guide to Beautiful Hair.

Shampooing:

Start by rinsing your scalp, making small openings or parts in your hair, so the water can rinse through. Focus on the crown, nape, behind your ears, and your hairline. Never dump shampoo onto your head. Instead pour it into your hands, and rub them together, spreading the shampoo down your fingers. Make small parts and openings in your hair and apply the shampoo to your scalp. Then slide or rubb your fingers through the hair alloiwing the shampoo to move tward the strand ends. Never massage on top of your hair, slide your fingers from under your hair directly on your scalp. This will prevent matting, tangles, and damage to the hair shaft. Use the pads of your fingers to massage your scalp

Conditioning: 

Towl-dry your hair before applying conditioner, to allow the conditioner to attact to the hair surface.  Make openings and parts in your hair, then apply conditioner with your fingers so that you can place the conditioner on the hair closest to your scalp. Next, apply the conditioner to the ends of your hair. Then apply to the entire strand. If the hair has tangles, apply extra conditioner directly to the tangled areas, then use your forfinger and thumb to massage the tangles away. Do Not Comb conditioner through, this will cause too much strain on your strangs. Allow the conditioner to work first.  Depenging on the condition of your hair, you can now rinse the conditioner out throughlt, or deep condition.

Deep Conditioning:

In order to have true deep reconditioning of damaged strands you must have maximum penetration of your conditiooner into the cuticle layers of your hair strands. To achieve this it is recommended that you use a deep penetrating, protein-and-moisture rich conditioner in order to stabilize the hair strands.  Use the conditioning method above, instead of rinsing cover your head in a thin plastic cap (i think seran wrap works just as good) and sit under a warm dryer for fifteen minutes (set the dryer to medium). Come out from the dryer, remove the plastic cap, and carefully apply more conditioner to the hairline, the ends, and to any short, weak spots as well as any weak or thinning areas. Cover with the cap as before and sit back under the dryer for ten more minutes. Come out and again apply the conditoner to any weak spots (hairline, thinning spots ect.) Cover with the cap and sit back under the dryer for another 10 minutes. For a total of 35 minutes. Finally rinse your hair in lukewarm water for ateleast sixty seconds.

Leave in Conditioner:

A leave-in will add elasticity to your strands  by placing a positive buildup on the hairshaft. After you rinse the conditioner, towl-blott in a squeezing motion to remoce excess water. Spray on the leave-in taking care to get inside any new-growth and the hairclosest to the scalp and the ends. If there are any tangles use your thumb and forefinger to massage the leave in directly into the tangled area. Next, finger comb through your hair. Do Not comb before tangles are removed, and comb from the bottom up.

Thers is so much more information in this book. but I thought I would just share this stuff.

Conditioning my hair during my shower also helped me. Before I go in the shower I would put a moisturizer on my hair paying special attention to the ends and hairline. My shower cap acts like a heating cap because of the steam from the shower. I found this to be a quick and easy way of getting a little extra from my moisturizer.

Welcome FeistyFem!!

You sure did go through some hair changes!! You have some very good tips too. I hope you enjoy your stay here!!