It’s been said over and over, natural hair is work…as is anything worth having. While creating a hair care regimen is work, any natural worth her salt in coils knows that having one and maintaining it is paramount. Any deviation or exclusion from the regimen can prove to be detrimental. It’s like a puzzle…if any of the pieces are missing, sure, you can put it together partially and even get an idea of what it’s supposed to look like but it will never be complete. With that being said, every now and then I fall victim to laziness and try to skip a step and it never pays off. My absolute least favorite, can’t stand, would rather slit my wrist, I need a shot, thing to do is detangle. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. If done correctly, it’s time consuming, it’s tedious, it’s frustrating, and it can make or break you (your hair), literally. As much as I dread the process, I respect its impact and importance but I definitely dread it.
Sharing hairstories and life experiences from a curl’s perspective. Find Tammy at her blog, Curlychics, on Twitter, and Facebook.
Ugh…detangling. By far.
I love wetting my locs and seeing them swell up with water.
but I dont necessarily like shampooing.
I also hate how much longer retwisting takes when im doing Chinee bumps/coils/bantu knots.
but my locs end up looking fly when i do.
I hate tying it up and prepping it at night. All I want to do is sleep but my hair won't let me lol sigh!
The night time retwist….I wish I could snap my finger and my hair would be mist, oiled, finger detangled and twist….but no I have to sit there and twist it up…but in the morning I see why its benefical because my hair soft to the touch and defined.
I don't dread any hair care process. I like washing my hair and playing (detangling) it. My regimen is simple and fairly quick. I guess I'm the outlier…
The dryer my hair the cooler it looks, but of course, it NEEDS deep conditioning…which is tedious:-D
the deep conditioning. it makes my hair look its best – no doubt about it, but it takes an hour to put it in – i have a brahmi oil mixture, and i put it in on my roots, then put castor oil on my hair, then spray with wen's replenishing mist, then put a plastic bag on it and sleep overnight with it on, but when i am tired, it is dreadful.
Keeping the night time routine, especially when im tired!!! Thats usually around the time i go for a long term protective style
Mine is detangling as well I hate it and plus I'm very tenderheaded so that doesn't help me either lol….
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Also saw mentioned on the CN forum, that fellow youtuber Naptural85 has a good video on Top 10 Tips for Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural Hair. It looks really good, and has alot of good points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyc3eMx97hY&list=UU9Zl_UOLc2F5Aq45G6DxEaQ&index=1&feature=plcp
Detangling and putting the hair into sections. Takes forever. Even when hair is damp, even when i've drowned it in oil. My hair is very tight kinky and coily and my strands are fine. I have alot (alot) of hair so when I detangle it sheds so much I may have enough to make a separate afro puff piece. Lawd.
Somehow I resent putting my hair into sections to wash and condition and comb. I like the feeling of water all over my head and combing through my whole hair. If I do it all loose at once I get tangles and troubles though.
gracey
As most have already said, detangling is the most dreadful for me! But twisting is a close second!!
As most have already said, detangling is the most dreadful for me! But twisting is a close second!!
I hate the henna process and the lingering smell.
Definitely de-tangling for me. Even though I do it in the shower with conditioner in, it still takes longer than my arms would like. It tends to go like this: de-tangle a section, wash or shave something to give arms a rest, de-tangle another section, repeat until done.
The worst part, trying to maintain a style! Whenever I do a new style on freshly washed hair, i'm always super excited but come that following night or the next day when I have to re-twist/braid/wrap/roll/curl or whatever else that my style may require, it's frustrating, time consuming, and always produces a major stale face from me in the process -____- lol luckily my styles look the best 2-3 days later after all that hard work has paid off :]
Detangling!!!!!! It just takes forever and I'm a soppy mess afterwards. I have a good slippery conditioner but with BSL 4a ultra thick hair – it is no easy task. Just today I sat in my tub, conditioner everywhere, double detangler in hand with conditioner dripping into my eyes thinking, I really, really hate this step but love your hair today and it will thank you tomorrow.
Without a doubt re-twisting at night. I just want to go to sleep but I now if I don't re-twist I'll be even more upset in the morning.
Worst- drying time. If not completely dry, all your work is for nothing.
Deep conditioning is just so time consuming, i don't really hate it though, i just try to find the easiest way. I don't like detangling, not because it's hard but more because its a gamble, my hair will sometimes look great before, but after it looks wild or vice versa. The only thing i really dread is figuring out what to do with my hair for church.
Detangling!!! It's my Dr. Doofenshmirtz (in Perry the Platypus terms), lol!! Our relationship is getting better though since I've begun the curly girl method!:)
I guess the most hated step of my regimen would be trimming, because I so frequently forget it until after I've already washed and twisted.
I hate styling! I got the washing, steaming, detangling down but I can't style for the life of me. I usually just put my hair in a few big twists or braids and take them out when they're dry. I'm not patient enough for consistent protective styling.
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DE TANG LING, hands down! Especially now since I'm dealing with breakage.
I use to dread henna applications but I solved that by not doing them anymore. I became natural in the first place so I wouldn't be a slave to my hair. Because I don't use a 101 products on my hair and I only detangle when I co-wash, my BSL hair is a breeze to take care of. I use only TWO products (well, three, if you count water) – conditioner (to co-wash and style) and oil. During the week, I apply oil and put in two braids and roll the ends. In the mornings my hair is extremely moisterized. My hair has never been healthier
Detangling! I wish my hair had the power to self-detangle. Right now it has the SUPER power to tangle in milliseconds and make me look like I didn't just struggle to comb through it. Man, yes! Detangling is the worst!
washing my hair is my most hated hair chore because that means i have to detangle, condition, style, and then wait FOREVER to dry…i wish i could just continuously style dirty hair and only wash like once a month lol
Without a doubt I dread coloring my hair! OMG it takes SO LONG to apply Henna/Amla/Clove mix, let it sit, then INdigo, let it sit, and all the rinsing, then deep conditioning for 30 min to 1 hr, then detangling and FINALLY styling…by this time I am ready to do a wash n go but it is usually late at night so I have to braid my hair….OMG!! I said I would do henna treatments once a month but went almost 4 months recently because it takes like 8 hrs for me to do it and I was sooo tired….I am already 3 weeks behind my once a month regimen…hope to get it done next Sunday
I used to do all of that pre-poo, dry detangle, shampoo, DC…etc. now, I keep it SIMPLE! I just cut from WL (because it was just too much for me) to BSL. I hate styling and air drying! This leads to me rocking a loose high bun…CONSTANTLY.
Doing a pre-poo and deep conditioning, because they make my hair routine take about 1 to 2 hours longer! Luckily, I only DC every two to three weeks to save time. I don't always pre-poo, but I really should because I still use sulfate shampoos and I want to protect my hair from damage. Also, detangling can be a pain, but it does not bother all that much. I usually detangle my hair, while listening to some good music and the time goes by really fast.
-Foxyrou
Detangling is my least favorite hair chore, for sure! It requires a lot of patience, which I am slowly getting (lol). I think once my hair gets a little longer I will embrace the detangling a lot more.
Detangling for sure is the most dreaded part of my routine!
Cleaning the hair catcher in the shower! Esp if I haven't detangled my hair in a couple of days. Grossness!
I dread waiting for my braid-outs to dry thoroughly! I'm learning not to braid it while its sopping wet.
I hate shampooing. God bless the person who came up with cowashing. Right now I'm trying the Curlygirl method and detangling has become much easier. But shampooing…..cannot stand it. Nothing I've used seems to be moisturizing enough so that my hair isnt a hot tangled mess and I shampoo in sections.Shea Moisture's retention shampoo is okay but there has to be something better. I'll take any suggestions 😉
I love henna but not the work. I took a month off and this month I'll do it again. 😉
Retwisting at night. Sometimes I just wanna go to bed!!!
I hate drying my hair. whether its air drying or … well, thats all i do. It just takes SOOOOOO long, and if I go to bed and its wet and I can feel it squish under my head, I'm automatically pissed off. all I can think about is that wet hair drying under my head, matting up, soaking my pillow! like, "no…WIRE…. HANGERS!" from Mommy Dearest, I'm like, no Wet PILLOWS!!! That and… styling. Its such a stinkin waste of time. My hair is totally rebellious and give me the middle finger on a daily basis, plus I wear hijab, so even if i psych myself into thinking i look cute in some weird hippy-chic "i just let my hair BE" kind of way, I have to strangle it into submission in order to put on a scarf when i walk out the house! wtf.
I hear you. Detangling without a doubt is a dreaded part of my regimen! In the early stages of having natural hair there were times I hit my strands with the scissors…not my best moment. The good thing is I've come a long way with my detangling technique and the amount of time required. Watching naptural85 do it was especially helpful.
Jumping in and out of the shower! Once I step out, I don't want to get wet again. It seems like I'm using so much more water, too. Some days, I just go for the sink.
I hate washing my hair, henna-ing my hair, Deep conditioning my hair….ugh :-(. I just wait it out until my hair feels like it's going to threaten to walk off of my scalp. Bad, I know….
I hate waiting for my twists/braids/WnGs to dry…I want to touch my hair all the time and see it free all the time lol
twisting…ugh!
Twisting it at night and trying to figure out what to do after washing it are probably tied. I've been wearing my hair natural for over four years and I'm STILL learning and trying to figure out what works best on it.
Before I found the right product, I always dreaded the washing part of my hair. That's the part after doing my pre-poo/detangling, and then it comes the washing…Because of the two textures, I am transition. Now, that I co-wash with tresemme natural and when I do shampoo with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning shampoo, my hair does not 'lock up' at the demarcation line.
-discoveringnatural.blogspot.com
After a stylist used a relaxer that was too strong and I lost 3”-5” of hair length, I decided to make the transition to natural hair. I’ve been transitioning for the past 6 months with a straw set to hide the difference between my natural hair and the relaxed hair. And the part I hate the most is putting in the straws! In the beginning, it took me 2 1/2 hours just to put the straws in my hair. After 6 months of doing this, I am now down to 90 minutes. It’s still hard, but I push myself because I love playing with my coils! I have some length now so I am considering switching to rods. Hopefully, setting my hair with rods will go even faster.
I really dislike wash day. Sometimes it's fun when I am in the "hair mood" LOL.. But most times I just wish the entire process of washing, detangling and styling took no more than 15 minutes lol. But I guess I'm asking for too much because wash day is the only day I spend a long time on my head since that is the day I style and set it for the entire week. Then during the week I just maintain and or refresh that style which takes me no more than 5-10 minutes each day depending on the style. But then you see, a week goes by so darn fast so when it's wash day again it's as if I just washed it the other day.
HENNA! My hair loves the treatment, but man is it messy and time consuming! Bleh!
Detangling!!!
Detangling! it took me two hours… but then again it gives me an excuse to have a movie night 🙂
lol I'm so lazy so just about everything. I love when other ppl do my hair
Cassia treatments, they take all day!!!
Detangling…..UGH!!!!
Jen
I hate braiding or twisting my fingers hurt and my arms are in pain. I also dislike waking up to what I thought would be a cute hairstyle and its a fail and I have to use my imagination to think of something cute to do with it…
Since I have a headfull of gray roots peaking thru every 10 days to two weeks, the HENNA PROCESS is inevitable and sometimes I really dread the "leave on timeframe" so it can color my gray. Doing the process every 10 days can really work ones nerves sometimes but my hair is so much happier after it's done (and so am I!) smile.
Allnatural1 (Michelle in TX)
Detangling is definitely on the hit list because it's so time consuming I do it a day ahead of time before washing.
Brooke B.
definitley shampoo day…im going on 10 weeks and still procrastinating!
The only time I don't want to wash-and-style my hair is when I'm sick. When that happens, I throw my hair in a bun and keep it moving until I recoup. Thankfully I don't sick very often.
I honestly love taking care of my hair.
detangling is easy for me but its when i have to redo my bantu knots at night. I usually redo every 2 days and it takes like an hour n a half 🙁 i wish they would last a week lol
Coloring. I'm so messy. I've henna-ed without gloves — orange fingers for days. I've dripped dye all over my bathroom. ugh.
Detangling. No question lol
Twisting or knoting at night! some nights im just not in the mood and barely awake but u got to do what u got to do.
"Whatever works for YOU! I can understand how things can get harried due to all the info and products available. Some people just get caught up and frustration ensues."
THIS. I honestly think some people have made the process of taking care of their hair waaaay more complicated than it needs to be. I cut out or cut down on doing certain things that I always heard I should do or else and simplified it as much as possible….
DETANGLING!!!!!
LOL how is this fun? Maybe detangling but I still sort of enjoy it….i dunno, I don't really care for most of the stuff I have to do to my hair but the results are ALOT more worth it than when i would do it on my relaxed hair. I washed, deep consitioned, twisted, sort of detangled my relaxed hair…just like I do now but the results are just more worth it as i already stated.
Twisting & curling every night! I always read about those curlies whose TnC's last for a couple days; and I envy them…When I try it, my hair always looks like a matted mess the next morning after taking off the satin bonnet 🙁 So, I twist every night…at least i'm getting quicker with it
Shampooing, rinsing, conditioning, and rinsing again is my necessary evil. I prefer co-washing; but, I know shampooing is a must.
removing braids. i love my hair braided cuz its the absolute best PS but omgsh… taking them down is just… UGH!
I love the whole process of pre-pooing, washing, DCing/Steaming and styling my hair but I HATE waiting for my hair to dry! I know that's the last and definitely a critical part of the entire process and can really "make" or "break" your style, but its hard to not touch my hair while waiting for it to be completely dry and depending on how I'm styling it; now its all about WnGs, its takes FOREVER when I airdry. I really try not to diffuse too much. I don’t own a tabletop hair dryer YET. But am definitely open to recommendations for a good one!!
The other thing that I'm finding challenging is along the lines of Curly Nikki's least favorite. I usually don't redo/rewet my hair or reapply styling products regardless of whether its in a twistout, braidout or WnG. I pineapple every night and take it down in the morning and fluff it out with some type of butter/oil/pomade/serum. BUT!! I am trying to be good and add that moisture a few days into my WnG, which means my now stretched hair will go back to not quite as stretched but not nearly as shrunken as on wash day. So finding a happy medium of misting my hair or just wetting it down in the shower and applying something (I'm finding that gels are pretty darn good for this; I'm new to using gels on the regular) to reanimate and awaken my curls, is my current biggest challenge. I’ve heard that Hair Milks are good for dry moisturizing (am considering the one that folks are raving about by Bask) so I’m going to see how that works without having to add much, if any, water.
I dislike the jumping in and out of the shower. The detangling process is actually easy. But the shampooing then rinsing. Then conditioning, then rinsing.. I try not to let it bother me but it really does.
DETANGLING! It feels like every dang time I get half the section detangled, I find one small tangle and I have to start over.
Two thing…jumping in and out of the darn shower! Ugh…I hate it, I have become lazy and have been doing like 5 mins or however long it takes to shave DCing…dry DCing doesn't really work with my hair,none really soaks in.
Second is drying time. I wish i could just snap and hair would be dry.
I dont really dread much because I dont make a chore out of it…Im not sitting for 3 days trying to finger detangle then sitting for another 2 days with some oil or whatever on my hair under a cap, just to wash it out and then twist it up and hide it under something. I make it as easy as possible without sacrificing health or time. But that's just my opinion 😉
DETANGLING!!!
Detangling, detangling, detangling! It's tedious, frustrating exercise of necessity. What I wouldn't give to have my texture and be able to detangle in even 30 minutes.
Mine is twisting my hair. After one year natural, i still dont master the technique. The twist always come out blah. Never like all the twists i see on pics or youtube. And it always takes so long.
I agree with one of the other ladies said I don't dread doing any part of my reggie. I keep it pretty simple pre-poo over night usually Friday night, Terresnetials Saturday morning, DC, leave in WNG or twist for a twist out. Doesn't take a lot of time I have figured out what works for me. My hair is very curly and very thick a little pass shoulder lenghth. I also agree with the the person that says Terresnetials has made a huge difference I agree, should have tried this stuff ages ago lol.
Detangling. Washing my hair is a easy peasy its the part where I try and get a comb through it and hit those MAJOR tangles that have me singing the blues.
When I wear my curly, which is about 95% of the time, my routine is easy breezy. A little HE Totally Twisted for a co-wash, Olive Oil smoothing hair butter, and anti-frizz serum create AMAZING twist outs for me that I do once every 3-5 days. However, I periodically straighten my hair for color/trim/professional maintenance and I HATE IT! It takes like 2.5 hours to blow dry and straighten (I like it really straight so I part it into very small sections)and it puffs up as soon as I walk outside.
I hate having to style my hair! One day, my style will be on point, the next day its not working at all and its a fight the entire day!
There are times I dread the whole process prepoo, shampoo, condition or deep treat, leave in, seal, and style. I especially dread the process if I am doing a henna and indigo treatment. Normally it's only those times when I want to twist my hair. I have about 5 inches of hair so putting in mini twists are really time consuming.
I hate detangling before washes. I'll wear a twist out all week and come the weekend I know I'm in for an epic battle lol. I just get a glass of wine, find a movie, and go to work.
Protein treatments and trimming-both of them make me extremely nervous because I always wonder if I am doing them right…Especially protein-with trimming it's ok if you mess up-if you leave protein in too long might as well start with a blank slate
Anybody have any advice about how to handle protein treatments?
I HATE washing my hair. The whole process is so long and tedious, and air drying is the worst. For my last wash though I used the terresentials earth wash, and rather than a three hour wash, condition, detangle proces it only took about an hour, and my hair was super moisturized. If you've got extra thick, extra coily hair like mine, you know the kind that tangles right back up as soon as you remove the comb from it, then try terresentials. I think I'm in love.
Just washing my hair is a process….it took three days for me to actually wash my hair…i prepooed on tuesday then cover my hair with a plastic cap and a scarf until today…and then washed my hair this morning put conditioner in it then put another plastic cap and scarf on as well as a hat and went to work. I usually wear my hair under a scarf cuz i just cant be bothered
I can honestly say that I am happy with my current hair care regimen. Perhaps I have just become accustomed to how to care for my hair and am realistic about what I need to do to maintain a very busy lifestyle and keep my hair looking (and feeling) happy and well groomed.
I don't think you need to have a TWA to experience that. I had one 12 yrs ago when I first went natural and believe that it was easy to manage, but it is not necessary to have one to have a simple routine that works.
Whatever works for YOU! I can understand how things can get harried due to all the info and products available. Some people just get caught up and frustration ensues.
The process I dread most is detangling. It is the bane of my existence! But I still LOVE my natural hair.
The entire Wash Process… shampoo(sulfate free) conditioner, deep conditioner, detangle, leave in and then style, makes me miss those wrap n go styles of relax hair…
Detangling, indeed! Especially because I have to be the laziest person on Earth when it comes to doing my hair regularly. So as a result, my hair becomes so tangled and knotted that it gets matted. I know…. I'm creating my own hell when I let it get to that point. I just spent this past week finger detangling small sections and was able to wash it last night. There is TRULY hell to pay when I fall off my regimen.
I dread the whole process at times. I don't want to wash,condition,treat,use a leave-in and then style.Then I have to let my hair air dry.Sometimes I need to feel real inspired or put on a good movie or TV show just to get the job done.On days when I am REALLY not feeling it,I only wash,condition,put on some leave-in conditioner, throw a product in and let my hair air dry.
That's the great part about having a TWA, nothing to dread–literally! It seems the majority of naturals on this site are committed to the idea of growing their hair long, to "BSL" or beyond. I've never had a desire for long hair, even when I wore it relaxed. And when I read the posts about knots, detangling, pineappling, protective styling and intense nightly regimens I don't envy long-haired naturals at all. I suppose the hardest part is the frequency of trims needed to keep my cut sharp and tight. Other than that, there is almost zero maintenance. Wetting and moisturizing daily is never a problem, even in the winter. I use a satin pillowcase to protect my hair at night and that is pretty much it. I guess it just depends on how much hair you have to deal with. mzcnnd
Sometimes I dread wash day, just because it can take a while depending on if I am going to shampoo vs. cowash. It can be quite time consuming–lol!
Thankful detangling is a breeze for me when my hair is loaded with the right conditioner (I LOVE Suave Naturals and Aubrey Organics.) I always detangle in sections.
~caramelcurls