What products should I try???

dxwash · 07-31-2007, 02:14 PM

I am new here. I have type 3c/4a hair. I have been natural since 2001 however the past 2 years I have been pressing my hair. I also color my hair. My very long hair got chemically damaged ( so I stopped seeing that stylist) had to get about 6 inches cut off. Now my hair is back thick and healthy. For the summer I wear braids but I am going back to my curly hair come this fall. I typically wet my hair in the AM apply conditioner, comb, and rinse, use a leave in and finger comb in some pro style gel. After my hair is dry I spray some glosser to de crunch. I am looking for some product suggestions for elongation, and definiton with minimal crunch. I deep condition my hair weekly.

TIA

Suburbanbushbabe · 07-31-2007, 02:17 PM

Are you happy with the way your hair looks now, or are you looking for products/routines to solve some problems or achieve certain hair goals? If so, what are they?

dxwash · 07-31-2007, 02:30 PM

Mainly I want curl defintion with shine. My hair alway looks dry or crunchy. and some areas shrink more than others so it looks uneven. I think that problem can only be solved with the right hair cut.

Suburbanbushbabe · 07-31-2007, 03:35 PM

The right hair cut can help, but shrinkage is shrinkage. What products are you using now (shampoos to stylers)

dxwash · 08-01-2007, 07:31 AM

when my hair is not braided. I wash my hair about twice a week with IC aloe shampoo. I condition with the IC moisturizing deep conditioner ( can't remember the name). For daily care I wet in the shower apply aussie 3 minute miracle, comb through, rinse out, the apply again as my leave in. Then I finger style with Pro style gel, let air dry then add some IC hair polisher. My hair gets crunchy and dry lloking. I want it to be soft and shiny with defintion and no frizz. Am I asking too much!!!

Suburbanbushbabe · 08-01-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dxwash

when my hair is not braided. My hair gets crunchy and dry lloking. I want it to be soft and shiny with defintion and no frizz. Am I asking too much!!!

No you're not asking too much. If the IC shampoo has a sulfate in it, you're basically using detergent to wash your hair. If the conditioners have silicones in them they could be drying out your hair. IC hair polisher is nothing but cones - this one "Cyclopentasiloxane" is the worst. Silcones form a barrier to moisture, which may be fine for hair you want to stay straight and protect from humidity, but they are death for textured curly hair.

Suggest you wash your hair once more with a sulfate-containing shampoo to get those cones out (check that your shampoo has no 'cones).

If you want to stay with drugstore brands there are lots of choices that don't have cones and mineral oils/paraffin or heavy waxes. Here are some that have been recommended here by similar curlies (I haven't used these but they get good mentions)

Shampoo - Creme of Nature
Deep treatments - Lustrasilk Sheabutter Cholesteral -- or mix coconut milk/cheap conditioner/pure castor oil/pure coconut oil or extravirgin olive oil/honey - makes a great deep treatment
Conditioners - Trader Joe Nourish, Suave naturals (Citrus Smoothie) V05 Vitaburst or Moisture Milks - add a little pure oil and/or honey for more moisture
Leave-ins - Aussie 3-minute miracle actually looks good as a leave-in. Generic PM the conditioer is too.
Gels - not familiar with Prostyle, but some good drugstore gels - LA Looks Sport, CHE Body Envy or Set Me Up, Ecostyler (heavy; little goes a long way), Citreshine. Aura Flaxseed.
Ditch the IC Hair polisher (maybe you can use it as a shoe polisher) - that stuff is not good for hair. Use natural oils, butters or pomades on your dry hair for shine. You can use a little castor oil rubbed on your palms and scrunched in your hair to seal your ends

If you want to step it up a notch here are some excellent brands, some of which are available on line, some on the ground

Deep Treatment - stick with the Lustrasilk or do an overnight oil treatment on dry hair before shampooing (castor oil + another oil)
non-sulfate hampoos - I haven't tried, but hear Aubrey Organics is good; Mastey Traite (lasts a long, long time)
Cleanser/shampoo alternative - Blended Beauty Cleansing curl conditioner - cleans and condition in one cycle; very moisturizing
Rinseout conditioner - Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose, Regis Olive Oil condish, Elucence MBC, Trader Joe Nourish,Tigi Moisture Maniac, MOP leave-in; Qhemet Biologics Olive detangling conditioner
Leave-in - Abba Nourishing, Qhemet Honeybush hair tea soft gel
Leave-in/StylerSheaMoisture Sheabutter leave-in (I love this, it doubles as a styler); Curls/CurlyQ Milkshake; or shealoe butter; Blended Beauty Curl Styling Butter (or the harder hold Happy Nappy styles)
Gel - Aubrey Organic Mandarin Magic
Oils/pomades - pure coconut oil, shea butter (pure or mixed with oil); jojoba oil; extra virgin olive oil; murumuru butter;Organikah sheabutter pomade; Blended Cutie Soft curls & Swirls

You can buy sampes of Curls, Blended Beauty, more at www.sistasplace.biz. Qhemet sells a 4 product sample pack.

jeamaria · 08-01-2007, 11:36 AM

Not completely sure, but I think the LeKair Sheabutter Cholesterol contains mineral oil. Did you mean the Lustrasilk one? If so, I second the recommendation-I now use it as a main conditioner and their Olive Oil Cholesterol is also good, and has a less strong fragrance. The other Lustrasilk Cholesterol's also contain mineral oil.

kd · 08-01-2007, 07:53 PM

i really think its the cones in your routine; im co washin right now and that seems to really agree my hair. Have you ever considered it? RIght now im co wahsing with vo5 straw and cream and conditioning with kenra; my moisturizer is Karens BB hair milk

and ic fantasia gel as a styler.

could you tell your experiences with braids? Im thinking about getting them for the fall and winter months do you change up exp: micros, cornrows, etc; how long do you keep them in and do you have a lot of damage when you take them out. Hair line, dryness? thanks!

Suburbanbushbabe · 08-01-2007, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeamaria

Not completely sure, but I think the LeKair Sheabutter Cholesterol contains mineral oil. Did you mean the Lustrasilk one? If so, I second the recommendation-I now use it as a main conditioner and their Olive Oil Cholesterol is also good, and has a less strong fragrance. The other Lustrasilk Cholesterol's also contain mineral oil.

Yes! Sorry. I edited it. Thanks!

dxwash · 08-02-2007, 07:23 AM

I get braids in the summer time and I was Pregnant last year so I had them in all last year. When you take your braids your there is a lot of shedding. I have had micros, kinky twists, senaglase twists, individual braids, and corn rows. With the micros you can wash your hair in the shower. I also use listerine or witch hazel to clean my scalp and I moisturize with Hollywoods beauty carrot oil. I haven't had any hair line damage, but I have heard horror stories. I keep each style in about 6 - 8 weeks. The longest I have had my braid in was 10 weeks. Just make sure you condition your hair well before you get them put in. and condition them well after or in between getting them re done.

Suburbanbushbabe · 08-02-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

I also use listerine or witch hazel

Both listerine and commercial witch hazel are mostly SD-alcohol 40 or drinking alcohol. Both extremely drying for hair and scalp.

dxwash · 08-02-2007, 12:08 PM

I happen to go to Trader Joes and bought the Nourish Shampoo and conditioner. I looked in my Aussie 3 minute miracle and it has a silicone in it. I am going to have to find a new leave in. I want to try some of the blended beauty moisturizer/stylers. I will try the samples first. I also got some jojoba oil. I don't know where to find coconut oil, but I have some EVOO at home. I can use that with honey for a deep treat. One question:

I have never used a moisturzer/styler do i use this in lieu of gel or with gel. Also should I continue to use my leave in with the moistuizer/styler?

that would then be leave in, moisutizer/styler, then gel?

Suburbanbushbabe · 08-02-2007, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Aussie 3-minute miracle - Water, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 12 Distearate, Foeniculum Vulgare Fruit Extract (Fennel), Humulus Lupulus Extract (Hops), Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Balm Mint Extract), Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow Extract), Hydrolyzed Casein, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour (Oat), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Chamomilla Recuita Flower Extract (Matricaria), Yeast Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower), Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Safflower), Simethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Lechitin, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Glycol Stearate, Acetamide MEA, Cetrimonium Bromide, Sodium Lauriminodipropionate, Fragrance, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Phosphoric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Yellow 6

If it's simethicone, that's not a silicone (I know, totally confusing)

Quote:

that would then be leave in, moisutizer/styler, then gel?

A leave-in can often be a styler too, then all you need is gel. Depends on the leave-in. Sometimes people leave in a bit of their rinse-out conditioner, then go with a styling gel. Some styling creams are enough on their own without gel, or with gel only on some part of the hair. It takes a little experimenting. What usually works for me is leave-in and gel. In winter I can do a styler like BB curl styling butter + plus spot applied gel, and no leave-in

dxwash · 08-02-2007, 01:11 PM

Good to know I can still use my 3 minute miracle. But there are some leave ins I would like to experiment with. The Shea Moisture leave in, Cantu shea butter leave in, Karens body beautiful hair milk. I am totally a product junkie, I htink you almost have to be with curly hair. My best friend is an esthetician so it is even worse with the skin care products

I am also going to try the styler with and without the gel. I am to afraid to go without a leave in. Thanks so much for your help.

tightlycurlygurl · 07-08-2009, 08:21 AM

Hey dxwash, how does prostyle gel work with respect to curl definition and hold? I'm from Trinidad and can't seem to find eco style gel anywhere, so i was wondering about prostyle.