Frustration X 3 Heads and then....

MsC. · 09-22-2008, 09:45 AM

Hi everyone....*waving*
Well it has been a trying week with trying to figure out three heads of natural hair so i need some advice pleeeeeaaase.

Where do I began? well i raided the vitamin shop and brought way too much but it is ok bc i will use all of it i hope

Ok break down of information:
My hair as i have started figuring it out is 3c/4a thin fine strands and silky to touch and shiny with moisture, falls flat and wavy in the shower and absorbs water quickly.

My oldest has 3c/4a as well but it is super thick with a wiry feel to touch and a bit hard to detangle and shiny with moisture absorbs water but it takes a minute bc her hair is very thick.

My youngest is a 4a she has tiny tiny cute curls and S-strands all over her head her hair is so soft to the touch like cotton,or something close to it,just really soft it doesnt shine but it is soft with sheen and also absorbs water quickly.

Products i am currently using on our hair:
shampoo 1x a week cream of nature(tried organix white tea and grape seed way too drying)
cowash condish..suave coconut,suave green apple,v05 tea.
Conditioners...giovanni moisture condish
aubrey`s honeysuckle rose
aubrey`s camellia
Leave in-Jane carter leave in
ORS hair mayo leave in
cantu shea butter leave in.. which i don`t like bc of the white things in our hair.
I won`t even list the moisturizers and oils too many to name but the main ones being jane carter nourish and shine,organics kids shea butter moisturizer,ors olive oil moisturizer and tons of different oils from castor to avacado.
So now that you have all the info here is my problem
My hair seems to stay soft as long as i keep it braided or wrapped if i leave it out to long in a puff it dries out, it doesn`t tangle but it feels sooooo dry,I hate the feel of dry hair,but i also hate the feel of sticky hair.

My oldest daughter`s hair left out is also dry and coarse and tangles up if i leave it in anything but braids or buns.

My youngest daughter`s hair dries out and shrinks if left out???I don`t know why it seems to get smaller on her head if i let her hair be free,anyway so i put both their heads in braids and beads over the weekend which seems to be keeping their hair softer and i am adding a bit of nourish and shine in the a.m.
My hair is in a puff right now but i know in an hour if i don`t braid it, it will feel dry,though my curls are still evident my hair dries out.
So i was thinking about putting in braids as a protective style for the cold months ahead bc the humidity level here is about 0. we live in a mountain state it is dry heat or dry cold but always dry.
Any advice? should i just braid us up? I don`t want to manipulate any of our heads too much bc i want it to grow,but i also want to get to know each of our hairs to care for it in the best way possible as well,I need help

On a side note after being frustrated all weekend over hair and how to take care of our hair we got to school this morning and i was sad bc there is this little boy with a beautiful head of big blondish curls,just gorgeous he always wore his hair in an afro look, just free and this morning he walked by and he was completely bald,I was like awww man i loved his curls and wondered what happened to shave them all off.
It kind of put my goal back into perspective on hair bc even if i am just getting the hang of our hair which all seems to be different i would never give up on the journey it is just challenging to find that happy medium.

kaymoore · 09-22-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsC.Curliness

Hi everyone....*waving*
Well it has been a trying week with trying to figure out three heads of natural hair so i need some advice pleeeeeaaase.

Where do I began? well i raided the vitamin shop and brought way too much but it is ok bc i will use all of it i hope

Ok break down of information:
My hair as i have started figuring it out is 3c/4a thin fine strands and silky to touch and shiny with moisture, falls flat and wavy in the shower and absorbs water quickly.

My oldest has 3c/4a as well but it is super thick with a wiry feel to touch and a bit hard to detangle and shiny with moisture absorbs water but it takes a minute bc her hair is very thick.

My youngest is a 4a she has tiny tiny cute curls and S-strands all over her head her hair is so soft to the touch like cotton,or something close to it,just really soft it doesnt shine but it is soft with sheen and also absorbs water quickly.

Products i am currently using on our hair:
shampoo 1x a week cream of nature(tried organix white tea and grape seed way too drying)
cowash condish..suave coconut,suave green apple,v05 tea.
Conditioners...giovanni moisture condish
aubrey`s honeysuckle rose
aubrey`s camellia
Leave in-Jane carter leave in
ORS hair mayo leave in
cantu shea butter leave in.. which i don`t like bc of the white things in our hair.
I won`t even list the moisturizers and oils too many to name but the main ones being jane carter nourish and shine,organics kids shea butter moisturizer,ors olive oil moisturizer and tons of different oils from castor to avacado.
So now that you have all the info here is my problem
My hair seems to stay soft as long as i keep it braided or wrapped if i leave it out to long in a puff it dries out, it doesn`t tangle but it feels sooooo dry,I hate the feel of dry hair,but i also hate the feel of sticky hair.

My oldest daughter`s hair left out is also dry and coarse and tangles up if i leave it in anything but braids or buns.

My youngest daughter`s hair dries out and shrinks if left out???I don`t know why it seems to get smaller on her head if i let her hair be free,anyway so i put both their heads in braids and beads over the weekend which seems to be keeping their hair softer and i am adding a bit of nourish and shine in the a.m.
My hair is in a puff right now but i know in an hour if i don`t braid it, it will feel dry,though my curls are still evident my hair dries out.
So i was thinking about putting in braids as a protective style for the cold months ahead bc the humidity level here is about 0. we live in a mountain state it is dry heat or dry cold but always dry.
Any advice? should i just braid us up? I don`t want to manipulate any of our heads too much bc i want it to grow,but i also want to get to know each of our hairs to care for it in the best way possible as well,I need help

On a side note after being frustrated all weekend over hair and how to take care of our hair we got to school this morning and i was sad bc there is this little boy with a beautiful head of big blondish curls,just gorgeous he always wore his hair in an afro look, just free and this morning he walked by and he was completely bald,I was like awww man i loved his curls and wondered what happened to shave them all off.
It kind of put my goal back into perspective on hair bc even if i am just getting the hang of our hair which all seems to be different i would never give up on the journey it is just challenging to find that happy medium.

If you want a low manipulation hairstyle, I would suggest Kinky Twists. They are easy to do and you can keep them for about a month. Also, I had 0 breakage and little shedding. I only kept mine in three weeks but my hair grew a tremendous amount about an inch. When I went back to my beautician she was really surprised and kept asking when are you going to BC?

I also understand your dryness worries, I have the same problem in the area of my hair that is completely natural-my hair line. The only products that seem to do anything are the Qhemet Biologics. My hair retains a lot more moisture in this area with Qhemet than with any other moisture product. My hair in this area is about two inches and is probably a 4a/4b mix. On the Qhemet website, there is a recommendation chart for specific types of hair also. They have a sampler set or you can purchase individual 2oz samples for 5.00. The sampler sizes lasted me over a month. A little goes a long way! My favorite product is the Burdock Root Cream--it enhances curls and moisturizes at the same time.

Recommended Conditioners:
-Kinky Curly Knot Today: Awesome detangler and leave-in
-Giovanni Direct Leave-In
-Trader Joe's Nourish: My co-wash that is just awesome. And its only 2.99. This conditioner makes my hair soft. I keep my house stocked with this product at all times.
-Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner

Recommended Shampoos for Clarifying:
-Trader Joe's Nourish--It's thicker than normal shampoo-almost the consistency of a gel and is not drying. It is the only shampoo that I have found that does not leave my hair dry.
-Chargin Valley Shampoo and Soap Bars: The Shampoo Bars dry the hair out more and the soap bars are more moisturizing. They are both very good.

Recommended Moisturizers/Creams:
-Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Milk: Check out Empressri's youtube video---her name is richeau on youtube---she has fabulous recommendations for a lot of products.
-Qhemet Burdock Root Cream
-Oyin has a few butters and hair creams as well and the sampler sizes are generous. I still have product in my samplers from over two months ago. A little goes a really long way.

Hope these suggestions help some what.

Kynnib · 09-22-2008, 11:02 AM

I think ive finally gotten my hair down to a science. All my favs are in my signature.

I co wash every 2-3 days (inecto coconut oil conditioner. I like to se a more moisturizing conditioner than suave or vo5)

regular condition (KBB deep conditioner, nubian heritage coconut papaya)

deep condition 1x a week (KBB hair mask, jessicurl WDT)

Leave in (giovanni direct, any good conditioner)

oil scalp (hairveda shikakai oil)

butter up my strands (KBB hair butter, hair milk, hairveda almond glaze)

i spray leave in on my hair every night before i go to bed.

I know there are a lot of you and you dont want to spend a lot of money but you can find a really good conditioner to double as a CO wash and even put some in a spray bottle and it can triple as a leave in. Hairveda is reasonably priced and lasts while. Giovanni line is also really good and reasonably priced.

MsC. · 09-22-2008, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaymoore

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsC.Curliness

Hi everyone....*waving*
Well it has been a trying week with trying to figure out three heads of natural hair so i need some advice pleeeeeaaase.

Where do I began? well i raided the vitamin shop and brought way too much but it is ok bc i will use all of it i hope

Ok break down of information:
My hair as i have started figuring it out is 3c/4a thin fine strands and silky to touch and shiny with moisture, falls flat and wavy in the shower and absorbs water quickly.

My oldest has 3c/4a as well but it is super thick with a wiry feel to touch and a bit hard to detangle and shiny with moisture absorbs water but it takes a minute bc her hair is very thick.

My youngest is a 4a she has tiny tiny cute curls and S-strands all over her head her hair is so soft to the touch like cotton,or something close to it,just really soft it doesnt shine but it is soft with sheen and also absorbs water quickly.

Products i am currently using on our hair:
shampoo 1x a week cream of nature(tried organix white tea and grape seed way too drying)
cowash condish..suave coconut,suave green apple,v05 tea.
Conditioners...giovanni moisture condish
aubrey`s honeysuckle rose
aubrey`s camellia
Leave in-Jane carter leave in
ORS hair mayo leave in
cantu shea butter leave in.. which i don`t like bc of the white things in our hair.
I won`t even list the moisturizers and oils too many to name but the main ones being jane carter nourish and shine,organics kids shea butter moisturizer,ors olive oil moisturizer and tons of different oils from castor to avacado.
So now that you have all the info here is my problem
My hair seems to stay soft as long as i keep it braided or wrapped if i leave it out to long in a puff it dries out, it doesn`t tangle but it feels sooooo dry,I hate the feel of dry hair,but i also hate the feel of sticky hair.

My oldest daughter`s hair left out is also dry and coarse and tangles up if i leave it in anything but braids or buns.

My youngest daughter`s hair dries out and shrinks if left out???I don`t know why it seems to get smaller on her head if i let her hair be free,anyway so i put both their heads in braids and beads over the weekend which seems to be keeping their hair softer and i am adding a bit of nourish and shine in the a.m.
My hair is in a puff right now but i know in an hour if i don`t braid it, it will feel dry,though my curls are still evident my hair dries out.
So i was thinking about putting in braids as a protective style for the cold months ahead bc the humidity level here is about 0. we live in a mountain state it is dry heat or dry cold but always dry.
Any advice? should i just braid us up? I don`t want to manipulate any of our heads too much bc i want it to grow,but i also want to get to know each of our hairs to care for it in the best way possible as well,I need help

On a side note after being frustrated all weekend over hair and how to take care of our hair we got to school this morning and i was sad bc there is this little boy with a beautiful head of big blondish curls,just gorgeous he always wore his hair in an afro look, just free and this morning he walked by and he was completely bald,I was like awww man i loved his curls and wondered what happened to shave them all off.
It kind of put my goal back into perspective on hair bc even if i am just getting the hang of our hair which all seems to be different i would never give up on the journey it is just challenging to find that happy medium.

If you want a low manipulation hairstyle, I would suggest Kinky Twists. They are easy to do and you can keep them for about a month. Also, I had 0 breakage and little shedding. I only kept mine in three weeks but my hair grew a tremendous amount about an inch. When I went back to my beautician she was really surprised and kept asking when are you going to BC?

I also understand your dryness worries, I have the same problem in the area of my hair that is completely natural-my hair line. The only products that seem to do anything are the Qhemet Biologics. My hair retains a lot more moisture in this area with Qhemet than with any other moisture product. My hair in this area is about two inches and is probably a 4a/4b mix. On the Qhemet website, there is a recommendation chart for specific types of hair also. They have a sampler set or you can purchase individual 2oz samples for 5.00. The sampler sizes lasted me over a month. A little goes a long way! My favorite product is the Burdock Root Cream--it enhances curls and moisturizes at the same time.

Recommended Conditioners:
-Kinky Curly Knot Today: Awesome detangler and leave-in
-Giovanni Direct Leave-In
-Trader Joe's Nourish: My co-wash that is just awesome. And its only 2.99. This conditioner makes my hair soft. I keep my house stocked with this product at all times.
-Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner

Recommended Shampoos for Clarifying:
-Trader Joe's Nourish--It's thicker than normal shampoo-almost the consistency of a gel and is not drying. It is the only shampoo that I have found that does not leave my hair dry.
-Chargin Valley Shampoo and Soap Bars: The Shampoo Bars dry the hair out more and the soap bars are more moisturizing. They are both very good.

Recommended Moisturizers/Creams:
-Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Milk: Check out Empressri's youtube video---her name is richeau on youtube---she has fabulous recommendations for a lot of products.
-Qhemet Burdock Root Cream
-Oyin has a few butters and hair creams as well and the sampler sizes are generous. I still have product in my samplers from over two months ago. A little goes a really long way.

Hope these suggestions help some what.

Yes the suggestions help alot (thank you..*hugs*) but it sounds like alot of money in products for 3 heads...lol i am going to look into the Qhemet products,how long do they take to ship?
Another question what are kinky twists? can i do them myself? are they similar to two strand twists?
Where can i find trader joe`s products,I like the giavonni but i think i need something thicker for my older daughter`s hair bc it is thick and coarse so when i put on the giavonni i feel like i am using the whole bottle...lol. also she has atopic dermatitis on skin and scalp is there anything you can suggest for flaking? I was going to use sulfur8 but it has a bunch of bad ingredients in it.I came across empressri`s youtube last night looking for solutions for the winter she is so pretty! I saw she had most of the qhemet line,I wonder how much i would need for the three of us..hhmmm,I am a pj so i have been trying to cut down,I believe i am going to fall off the wagon...today..lol.

MsC. · 09-22-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kynnib

I think ive finally gotten my hair down to a science. All my favs are in my signature.

I co wash every 2-3 days (inecto coconut oil conditioner. I like to se a more moisturizing conditioner than suave or vo5)

regular condition (KBB deep conditioner, nubian heritage coconut papaya)

deep condition 1x a week (KBB hair mask, jessicurl WDT)

Leave in (giovanni direct, any good conditioner)

oil scalp (hairveda shikakai oil)

butter up my strands (KBB hair butter, hair milk, hairveda almond glaze)

i spray leave in on my hair every night before i go to bed.

I know there are a lot of you and you dont want to spend a lot of money but you can find a really good conditioner to double as a CO wash and even put some in a spray bottle and it can triple as a leave in. Hairveda is reasonably priced and lasts while. Giovanni line is also really good and reasonably priced.

Thank you Kynnib,
Are any of these products available in local stores? i heard good things about hairveda,I want something that will work for all of our hair,low cost,all natural,cg friendly and local.I know that is like asking for a miracle...lol.Thank you for your help i am going to check out hairveda and their prices.

Kynnib · 09-22-2008, 11:52 AM

lol. yeah that is asking for a miracle. The only things that are available nationwide are giovanni and inecto. Both are found at ulta. I think you can also find giovanni at rite aid and target. Ordering online is smetimes better because the direct leave in was 7.99/8.5oz at ulta but I found it online for 12.00/liter.

kaymoore · 09-22-2008, 01:04 PM

The samples sizes of Qhemet are 5.00 each for a 2oz. but the regular sizes are about 16.00. But I would definitely try samples before you buy. It takes about two weeks to get the products. They are freshly made and have a shelf life of about eight months. I have had a large container of the Burdock Root Cream for about two months and it is not even half empty and I use it everyday. So, a little goes a long way. If you could find a product that all three of your heads liked it would be a life saver. Kinky twists are simply double strand twists. You can do them with your hair or you can add extensions. I had mine done with extensions but they also work on regular hair as just regular two strands. For some odd reason, twisting my hair really makes it grow a lot faster than even braiding. If you need to see a youtube video with instructions there is a really good one by The ebonymajesty.

For dry scalp---I recommend shikaikai oil. I have been using it for about two months now as an oil rinse/deep conditioner. It does not smell the best--but I have virtually no dandruff at all. Most of the aryuvedic oils work really well.

Trader Joe's brand is only found at Trader Joe's shops, you can check out the website and see if there are any locations near you. The consistency of the conditioner is super thick. I have to use much less of it than the Giovanni. The Giovanni is gone in about a week for me. The Trader Joe's lasts a little longer and I can get two bottles for about the same price. Well they are only 2.99 per bottle. What a steal!

I wish you luck on finding products that work for all three of your beautiful heads.

nb12 · 09-23-2008, 02:57 PM

I totally know your frustration.. I also have two daughters. My oldest has long, thick thick thick 3C/4a hair that tangles really easily and the youngest has long 3c hair that is easy to manage but its a lot of it. The easiest thing for me to do with their hair is kinky twist, ponytails, or braids..that way i dont have to do their hair daily as I do mine...
Once i wash it, I oil their scalp and use Hollywood Beauty Carrot Creme and twist in small twist..Their hair can last 1-2 weeks depending on size of twist or braids... I can put their twist in ponytails or leave down.. I think the low manipulation has helped their hair grow a lot longer and healthier than my own. I dont use too many products on my daughters hair... I have pictures in my albums of both thier hair and trust me.. i do know your frustration....

http://members.fotki.com/nsb12