im seeing plenty of scattered threads with problems that ive never heard before or experienced we need to come together and share our experiences/ solutions : dry hair, split ends, flat ironing tips and solutions-  come on napturals bring it all!! 

 

 we need a s.o.s chapter to go to when we need it to avoid searching all over for ideas we missed .

i get knots too but not as often to the point where im losing hair or concerned. i use a detangling comb on my partially damp hair and its ok.

 

I would really love to see a refernece or a sticky up for naturals, is there a administrator among us, so  i can pm for help?

 

 

 

In the winter, right after I wash I make big plaits and keep the towel on my hair for a while. I wait until it is partially dry and make small braids or twists. Sometimes I make designs or either make frenchrolls and other protective styles out of my braids and twists so that they will not rub on my clothes

about split ends i just trimmed my hair last night i used the twist technique: i twist sections and trimmed only the ends.  this was my first trim since i went natural in 05 ( i have a few inches of relaxer)

It felt good to get rid of the relaxed ends(some of it at least)  I was inspire by a book called Textured Tresses By Diane Dacosta  a great read for any type of hair but mostly naturals she stated that Sistahs love to hold on to their hair wether damaged or not; i agree, after going natural i was so determined to see healthy hair.

 In this book she gave a few indian, african and asian recipes to stimulate hair growth as well a doing a steam treatment ( i learned another way to treat my hair!!) she sugests using shea butter to prevent split ends from riding up the  hair shaft

any who thats the power of reading

 

 

 

 Once the hair ends are definately dead to the world Id say trim but immediately after start to pay loads of attention to your ends and not the scalp with oils that will penitrate the cuticle not just coat it. But of course this is a personal journey. You have to find a moisturiser that has enough water to moisturise without the wet look and a good oil to seal the moisture in.

 

 Its with experimenting that you manage to find a way to keep your ends healthy, but it may be because some people focus on oiling the middle of the hair and the scalp and dont do the ends. On a whole I would say make sure something nourishing is rubbed on the ends of your fro at least twice a day for two weeks and you should see tangle free improvements

 

Also I found that using 'tails this time of year keeps my ends healthier so I have less trimming to do. I haven't had a trim since December and now I need only a little dusting. and number two - water water water. I never used to be a believer,  but water really does help especially for those of us with natural hair, we need all the moisture we can get. I highly recommend everyone investing in a humidifier, with all the severe and sometimes extreme temperatures that we subject our hair in the winter both hot and cold, the humidifier helps keeps hair moisturized as well.

 

I hope I helped.

LOL Indeed! Girl I understand exactly what you mean. The last 3 people I let trim my hair, one being my stylist for over 3 years hella PISSED me off too. The whole fact that I let them know exactly what I wanted done and they went on with the "I'm gonna do what I think is best and jack her sh*t up" attitude frustrated me beyond a point and got my attitude all stink. Especially since I didn't see my hair for two straight years (maybe not soooo bad) to get it to a condition and length that I am satisfied with and proud of. See if you can find a dominican salon in your area that does the blowouts. Their practice is to deep condition your hair before they straighten it which I think is way better than some black or white people's salons that just wash and then cook your hair straight. Also I found that they try not to apply too much direct heat or if they do, they're not excessive about it.

 

You could straighten at home, however if you know you're not that good at it and would end up burning your hair and causing more heat damage to it than someone else who straightens hair on a daily basis and who could get the job done and not apply so much heat to your hair, wouldn't you rather pay for it? That's the way I look at it, plus I just don't like messing with my hair too much. Life's easier that way.

 

Here's the link for the breakage posting. It's a good reference..

http://longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93610 - http://longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93610

 

 

 

 

blackhoney112 wrote: Thanks for the trimming advise...I went and bought shears to search and destroy and will only get a trim every couple of months...I don't think they were that bad last month but still went in and was mad at the lenght she took off. I will be playing it by ear from now on lol love59 wrote:  Im Napptural hehe[IMG]http://talk.hairboutique.com/smileys/smiley36.gif" height="17" width="17" align="absmiddle" alt="LOL" />! But I dont believe in trimming, If you keep your hair ends healthy then you dont have to trim anyways is my ethos. Plus its magic for hair growth too![IMG]http://talk.hairboutique.com/smileys/smiley1.gif" height="17" width="17" align="absmiddle" alt="Smile" />    Once the hair ends are definately dead to the world Id say trim but immediately after start to pay loads of attention to your ends and not the scalp with oils that will penitrate the cuticle not just coat it. But of course this is a personal journey. You have to find a moisturiser that has enough water to moisturise without the wet look and a good oil to seal the moisture in.    Its with experimenting that you manage to find a way to keep your ends healthy, but it may be because some people focus on oiling the middle of the hair and the scalp and dont do the ends. On a whole I would say make sure something nourishing is rubbed on the ends of your fro at least twice a day for two weeks and you should see tangle free improvements[IMG]http://talk.hairboutique.com/smileys/smiley1.gif" height="17" width="17" align="absmiddle" alt="Smile" />

 

I can recal Cathy Howse saying that trimming regularly is not needed but as you said we're all on a "personal journey" with our hair, that was well said and i agree b/c what i do one way might work for me and not for someone else. This is a journey of different perspective, a "personal journey" i cant get over saying that, "a personal journey" i love what you said.  LOL

 When it comes to trimming I do agree with cathy howse in regards to maintaining growth. When you want long hair I dont see the point of neglecting your ends (sometimes by accident) then trimming the split ends off unknowingly starting at square one again every couple of months.

 

 My "personal journey" as a Black woman who loves her curls is there is no other feeling like having healthy strong ends on your hair, tangle free, elastic!! Basically the most success I have had with my ends was with a creme moisturizer for my hair and coconut oil when my hair has just been washed. I live in Britain so its hard to recommend things and you just have to keep tinkering around with different products.

 

 A couple of months ago I started taking viviscal, a health supplement called perfectil and a hair cream for dry scalps i put on twice a day but i spread it to the end of my hair this time. Also I read an AMAZING book called "Hair Story" about the way our attitudes, social practices and styles have changed pre slavery, in slavery, emancipation and modern day which made me reconnect and think about my hair being strong.

 

 To cut a long story short my hair grew more than 1 inch in a month. I cant pinpoint what makes it grow so fast so I cant give directions, keep experimenting And love your ends!

 

O yeah! The latest Sophisticates magazine has a whole article on different types of conditioners, their purpose and how to use them.

 

I read "Hair Story" before and I love it. It is a book to reference, it's not  bias but informative. :)

 

The article is about 2 pages long and they have also have an article on lacefronts, just in case anyone was interested.

 

I prefer to use Leklair cholesteral... as a deep conditioner. Doesn't smell to great though but it works.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0312265999/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-6275511-3999362#reader-link">

Yup, you wont regret it

 

I do. I use my regular creamy conditioner afterwards and then deep condition with cholesterol. Hope this helps.

I am so glad that everything worked out well for you, MsMocha.

 

MsMocha wrote: Thanx Caramel, I actually did a few henna treatments and I used the ORS Hair Mayo after and my hair loves it!