Tanya asks:
CN’s Response:
1. My hair told me that she loves Yes to Cucumbers for detangling. Although Herbal Essence’s Totally Twisted gets the job done quick and effectively, YTC doesn’t leave behind a slippery film upon rinsing. Its all natural ingredient line up leaves my detangled hair soft, moisturized, and clean feeling. It detangles just as quickly as HE, and I actually use less product (since it suds up a bit)… which is a good thing since it’s a bit more expensive than the HE.
As a leave-in, it’s moisturizing, and imparts a wonderful shine! Sorry for sounding like a commercial, but I’m really loving this ‘all-purpose’ conditioner.
2. I recently learned the dangers of leaving out the ‘sealing’ step in my styling routine. My ends have been quite unruly, dry, and even knotty lately. I realized I hadn’t sealed in months (ran out of Afrika Republic a while ago), but thanks to Sharika at Butters-n-Bars, my shea butter supply is replenished, and I can get back to work! I also have a bottle of Vatika Oil… I’ve been using it on my ends recently, but it’s too soon to report results.
3. My hair really isn’t a fan of shampoo. Not even the natural, sulfate free kind. I HAVE to pre-poo prior to a ‘poo session or my curls feel crunchy, dry, and miserable.
What about you? What have you learned about your curls?
I have learned that my hair enjoys henna treatments every 3 weeks. It's funny how that works because I notice the stretching of my curls while applying the henna but that same wash out my hair scrunches up! I have to wash it again and then I notice the thickness in my hair more as well as the loosening of the curl more after that second wash, but I love the progess I am having with conditioning, washing, and henna treatments!
I have learn that …….
"im more relaxed being natural".I read this quote somewhere and it describes my hair journey.
1) my hair loves shea butter
2) my 4b/c hair hates any type of oil(olive, coconut, jojoba etc) directly on my scalp
3) my olive oil, mayo, and egg deep conditioner is best for moisture
4) my hair loves when products are applied to it soaking wet.
5) i am a product junkie and i have tried alot of expensive products, the cheapie one's work the best for my hair
6) as a leave in my hair loves V05 strengthening conditioner
7) she also loves aphoghee 2 min reconstructer treatment once a week
OMG this site is so inspirational! I only have only an inch of new growth right now (my hair is about 11-12 inches and I just decided to transition about 3 weeks ago). I can't wait until my hair is all grown out!
Hey ladies!!
1) My hair is really enjoying being sealed at night. (Less frizzy's, pretty curls)
2) My hair LOVES HENNA! Who woulda thunk it??
3) My hair loves conditioner….regular shampoo has done it so dirty!!
Thanks for this site!! You ladies are such an inspiration!!
DreamchaZer1920
1) My likes to be left alone, and I'm more than happy to oblige;
2) Shampooing every few days or so is a good thing; and
3)I love my hair and her attitude (but I did from the first BC 8 years ago)!
1. I have been over moisturizing my hair-
2. The best moisturizer is WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. On wash day adding conditioner before i wash my black soap out makes my hair feel greeeaaat.thanks kimmaytube…with this and the water my hair is smiling again!
My transitioning hair does not like Aphogee leave in conditioner.
My transitioning hair likes when I mix the Shea Moisture conditioner with Kera Care Humecto creme conditioner.
My transitioning hair likes olive oil deep conditioners and Mane n tail shea butter aloe creme.
1. Big Girl (MY HAIR'S NICKNAME! LOL) loves TUI leave in condish.
2. She loves it when I put two strand twists in and let them loose after day 3.
3. Loves to be loved…I love my hair…
***QUESTION**** Do you seal your ends, after twisting or can you seal the ends when the hair is loose? If it's loose how are you sealing?
1 very important thing – using shea butter on wet hair gives me definition 4 days on my washngos!!!
Great question! Loving the responses!
I have learned:
1) My hair LOVES, LOVES, LOVE daily cowashing with thick, creamy conditioner! My current faves are Herbal Essence None of Your Frizziness, Yes to Carrots, Bedhead Moisture Maniac, Victoria's Secret So Sexy Nourish and Mizani Moisturefuse.
2) Puffs help me achieve 2nd day hair! Love them!
3) While I'm just 2 months post-BC, I've NEVER been more in love with my hair! And I had some GORGEOUS, LONG relaxed hair! Natural is me and I am loving it!
Thanks for your blog, Nikki! It's the 1st website I check EVERY morning! 🙂
Shawntal (mrs_smith1913@yahoo.com)
@trusapphire39 I seal my ends with olive oil or coconut oil, easy to apply and my ends thrive!!
About my hair…I have learned:
1. Daily moisturizing is a must, I dont know why I ran from this but I just thought every single day was too much…My hair said, look….do it everyday please LOL
2. My hair absolutely LOVES oils! I have just discovered castor oil btw…but olive,shea, jojoba oil=Love affair. I use CD's hair balm and my hair shines like the glory of the Lord! 🙂
3. My hair must be detangled either every week or every other week. I load up on either oyin honey hemp condish,aussie moist, or even suave naturals and comb it out in sections with a wide tooth comb while im in the shower, it's quick and easy and keep knots and shedding to a minimum
Wilma says:
1. My hair does not deal well with shampoos, it gets really dry, and unmanageable.
2. However, my hair does like Blended Beauty Shampoo.
3. My hair loves twist outs and afro time!
1. My hair loves creamy moisturizers with oils.
2. My hair has a lot of personality–three in fact. Curl size varies from pencil to waves making styling interesting.
3. Less is better for my waves and more is better for my pencil curls.
the three things my hair has told…screamed…begged…and so on
1. less manipulation yields more desirable effects, so i got back to my protective styles and sealing my ends with lighter oils.
2. your hair has a better memory than you think. i locked my hair for 8 years and cut my locks…i've worn my hair loose for 7 years, and i chop when the mood hits me. my hair will coil on itself and lock quickly if i leave it be for too long.
3. my hair doesn't like direct heat…so i better not entertain it if i want to keep having hair on my head.
Salutations,
The three things I've learned about my natural hair:
1.) My hair loves organic products (i.e. oils, butters, conditioners – AO, etc.), Oyin, and homemade concoctions (My hair has grown the fastest using these products and Curly Nikki's braid outs. Please note I want to try tiny twist, but I am concerned my hair will dread.)
2.) My hair loves the fact that I do a pre poo treatment with EVOO (or a cold pressed oil) prior to dunking my head in AO GPB poo diluted with water from my shower filter. Then protein treatment with AO GPB under the bonnet dryer for 45 min and complete the treatment by DC(ing) with AO HSR & EVOO under the bonnet dryer for another 45 min. After my DC rinse, I add EVCO, Oyin pomade & Whipped Pudding, and my concoction in the spray bottle (combination of organic ingredients {EVOO, Jojoba oil, Avocado oil, Castor oil, Shea oil, etc.}, AO HSR, AO JAY, My favorite leave in conditioner / detangler Taykiele, a little bit of AO GEL & Kiss My Face gel for hold, and a little filtered water from my shower- please note I also use the contents of the spray bottle every evening when I braid my hair up for the night and detangle with my Ouidad comb). Love the Ouidad comb – Thank you Curly Nikki). In addition, I use ACV to cleanse my hair and do a hot oil treatment once a month then finish off with my hair routine documented above. Please note that I only wash and / or shampoo my hair when I need to, but I haven't been able to last for more than 10 – 14 days.
3.) I have to detangle and braid my hair every night or trouble will be brewing under my Satin bonnet. I plan to start putting food based b-complex and amla supplements into my concoctions. Also can't wait to use my cassia obovata and bentonite clay. Lastly, my organic garden is growing so I am hoping to start making my own infusions of oils, butters, and hair concoctions to meet my healthy hair needs. Now that I know the true essence of my hair, there is no going back.
Please note that I use organic products because my skin is very sensitive and I have had negative reactions to all types of products (foods, clothes, detergents, perfumes, fragrances in products, soaps, hair products, etc.). I have also learned that research is key, look up all the ingredients, and if the company won't email you a list of ingredients in the bottle; DON'T BUY IT (spent too much money on return shipping). Live, Love, & Peace ~ Sweetsop
I learned that my hair:
1) loves Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner
2) loves to be left alone, not fussed with every day
3) grows best & healthiest when I do minimal amts of manipulation, & use lots of olive oil, shea butter.
Lately, this is what I've learned from my shoulder length 4b hair:
1)Henna glosses + deep moisture treatments= No breakage
2)Watery leave in conditioner is NOT my friend
3)Loose-drying hair (a la wash and go)-No Bueno!!
Lately I have learned this about my (almost shoulder length) 4b hair:
1)Henna gloss + deep moisturizing treatments= no breakage
2)Watery leave ins are NOT my friend
3)Letting hair dry loose (a la wash and go)- NO BUENO!!!
Fiona Fabulous,
(that is what i call my curls that is)
tells me all the time
1. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize. I believe she is a greedy gut when it comes to Coconut Oil.. I think i would be rich if i had some Coconut oil stock.
2. Flat twisting to my scalp will piss her off and she will go on strike for the entire day. She prefers separate twist or plaits, it reminds her of when she was a kid.
3. She is in love with indian store products. Henna, Alma, Vatika Oil.. they are her new BFF's and she will ack a plumb fool if she doesnt have contact with them in any shape form or fashion. It will be for my own good to hook her up on a regular basis.
1. IC Fantasia gel layered on top of a leave-in conditioner and an oil on dampened hair makes for deliciously soft wash and go defined curls.
2. You CAN combine protective styling and wash-n-go hair to aid retention and reduce tangling. Simply leave your defined clumped curls in a few big braids for staying at home and sleeping and a bun/updo for work. Then you can wear it down for special occassions without a need for additional styling.
3. A faster and more effective version of the conditioner only method is conditioner plus gel. No denman required as the gel makes the hair clump by itself. Conditioner alone doesn't seem to work too well on my fine dense hair type
I'm new to the transitioning game, but I learned a few things about my hair:
1. Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose does not mesh with my relaxed hair (hence the terrible matting) – but the areas that I cut off and is natural, we have a beautiful connection. So for now, I'm using the J.A.Y and we have found a happy medium!
2. I cut alot of my hair off, and am doing wash and go's and found that VO5 Moisture milk and Giovanni Direct Leave In work well together and it helps to speed up the air drying process – my hair comes out super soft!
3. I'm ready to release myself of this straightness – and embrace the joys of being natural. I concur with the rest of the ladies that have said this, this website and many others are an inspiration and it is nice to know that there are MANY women all over the US and the world that are sharing their love (and sometimes frustration) of natural hair care, and it feels good to know that I (you) are not alone in this. This is the most valuable lesson of all.
Coconut Oil is my buddy
My hair loves DC
Co-washing is my BFF Shampoo is the devil 🙂
Thetruthisoutthere's hair says:
1. Don't comb me while dry or I'll get midstrand splits
2. Don't trim ends my with any old scissors or I'll give you split ends
3. Don't wash-n-go me without applying IC Fantasia, or Castor oil, or Qhemet Ammla-Olive HC afterwards or I'll get single-strand knots
4. Co-wash and deep condition me with a moisturizing conditioner like Hello Hydration or Knot-Today or I'll get 'krispety-crunchety' dry
5. If MORE THAN ONE reviewer states that a certain hair product sucks dirty socks, save your money and stop being such a product junkie!
1. Castor oil is the best! My hair has sheen and looks & feels moisturized.
2. Coconut oil rinses are mandatory…it really makes the difference in how my hair behaves when styling.
3. Co-washing (HE Hello Hydration & Yes to Cucumbers) is a life (hair) saver for sure!
1. My hair doesn't like shampoo, of any kind (sulfate-free or not). It gets dry very quickly, so I will start only shampooing once a month or every two to clarify.
2. I need to do better w/sealing my ends. They've become dry, tangled, and frizzy in not doing so when I haven't had this problem before.
3. Coconut oil is my friend! My hair loves it.
1. A DC/PT combined with really high dew points gives me fabulous buck naked hair.
2. It wants trims more frequently than I thought.
3. It still isn't into shampoo, but it understands that my scalp will not tolerate anything less. My hair will be cool as long as I saturate it first and keep my low poo concentrated on my scalp.
1). my hair s gel. anything that makes my hair stiff and hard makes it dry and unmanageable.
2). my hair LOVES castor oil, hairveda's products make my hair feel moisturized.
3). My hair LOVED protein, but d henna.
4). My hair prefers to be cowashed, and my hair is way too thick to detangle in the shower
1. After my bc, my hair is WAY curly than I once thought. Geesh… I expect waves.
2. My hair is freaking thristy all the time. No matter the oil, conditioners, or how much water I take in, its still dry….
3.What works for some folks, may not work for me. My hair doesn't like ECO gel for styling….
The three most important things I’ve learned (the hard way usually) about my hair are:
1) Wetting my hair with water on a daily basis, even if it’s just when I wet my hands and run it through my hair, makes my hair super- duper soft and it seems to help retain length!!
2) It doesn’t matter how much anyone else raves about a product, if my hair doesn’t like it, it’s not going to work for me!
3) And it seems to me, although a lot of people claims it’s harmful, my hair seems to LOVE attention, aka manipulation!! I know, strange, huh?
Hey ladies!
QUESTION!!!
what can i use to seal my hair that is NOT shea butter? ive found that it irritates my eyes really bad w/ or w/ out my contacts in.
1. My hair loves conditioners and aloe based gels.
2. Co-washing is my best friend – daily.
3. Heavy oils and butters are a no-no. I end up with a big frizzy poof.
4. 3 product layering (leave in, gel, serum) are keys to great hair days.
1) I think my hair prefers being out. She doesn't like being tightly braided or bunned.
2) My hair loves henna. Of course, I have to DC after to prevent straw hair. But, my hair needs the protein every now and then, and it soaks up the color beautifully!
3) I've also learned to accept my hair, as she is. Even if that means minimal curlie q's 🙂
1)shampooing and conditioning in sections and braiding them up after makes washing hair a lot easier
2)eco styler is amazing
3)protien treatments really make my curls pop:)
1. My hair loves henna treatments [[Its been soo shiny and moisturized since I started doing them]]
2. Wash & Gos = single strand knots… I try to do twists and braid outs more often now.
3. Natural products are the best thing for my hair more moisture and less build-up!
1) My hair loves co-washing–not shampoo.
2) My hair (wet or dry) loves coconut oil
3) My hair prefers braid-outs to twist-outs.
1) Since my hair has grown it needs to be washed in sections
2) Twist outs are still my staple style
3) My hair likes cream based moisture more than water based
1) My hair LOVES Yes to Carrots, especially the Mud Mask.
2) Coconut Oil is NOT my friend. It feels like my hair is gasping for air after I use anything with a significant amount of coconut oil in it.
3) Twist outs are my fav styling option, the smaller the twists the better. That way I can rock them for a few days in cute ponys and buns and then wash and untwist them for a whole new style.
1) oil rinsing at least my ends under the shower prevents 99% of my single strand knots
2) build up from butters melts well in oil rinses, and oil residue melts well in conditioner
3) my hair needs a shower of water at least every 3 days, but if I cowash everyday it declares war: it needs to keep in touch with its own natural sebum for 3 days.
L
My hair loves the Shea Moisture Coconut Souffle Curl Enhancing Cream(The whole Shea Moisture line is great) and the Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner and Leave In.
My hair also loves the 2 strand twists and the smaller the better for twists outs
My hair loves Curlformers
Nikki,I feel like I should know this, but what exactly is "sealing"? No matter how many times I trim my hair, the ends remain absolute devils.
1. My hair likes to be trimmed more frequently than I thought. I started trimming every 8 weeks (as opposed to 12), and I notice that my curls have much better form and are more springy.
2. Detangling after my pre-poo is MUCH better than detangling just-washed hair. I load my hair with a bunch of Oyin Honey Hemp & coconut oil, let it sit for awhile, then detangle, then wash & condition…fantastic results.
3. Moisturizing at night is better for me than doing it in the morning. Again, I notice that my curls are better formed and my hair seems shinier when I infuse it with a lot of moisture @ night and don't really manipulate it in the morning.
1. My transitioning hair hates Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo
2. My transitioning hair loves Suave Humectant conditioner and ORS Replenishing Pak!
3. The hair at the crown of my head grows faster, is thicker, and unruly. The mid nape part of my hair is easy to comb.
1.To embrace my shrinkage! I love shrinkage now! lol and when my hair is well moisturized it looks its best…I guess I accept it more now because my hair has gained so much length over the years and I prefer it to be above my shoulders now so I don't have to pull out the scissors(yet) for the look/length I want
2.The best way to get a perfect defined wash n go look without tangles and dryness is to deep condition my hair overnight in twists and rinse in the morning while applying products right after rinsing without disturbing the pattern the twists leave in my hair(something I haven't done in a while but revisited today)
3.My hair prefers it's naturally curly state as opposed to heat styling to straighten! I do like the change and ability to see the true length but I always come to the point where I'm ready to wash it out and wear it curly so I've come to the realization that I have finally come to that point where I am 100% happy with my hair in it's curly state and prefer it over straightended hair which is an accomplishment for me during this journey 😉
1.MY HAIR LOVES SHEA MOISTERS CONDITONER AND HELLO HYDRATION CONDITONER (GOOD STUFF)
2.CO-WASHING IS BETTER FOR MY HAIR THEN SHAMPOOING
3.MY HAIR IS NOT A BIG FAN OF PURE COCNUT OIL IT LEAVES A BAD FILM ON MY HAIR