Shedding & Dry TWA

mycurlychic · 11-17-2012, 07:53 PM

Hello all of my Naturally Curly ladies! I am new on the scene here, I just did my big chop 2 weeks ago and I have a TWA. I am having a few issues with my hair though: First, since I have cut it, it has been shedding. I mean, I just run my fingers over or through my hair and hair comes out on my hands. And this was not the case before I cut it. Is this normal? I don't think so myself but I am seeking your opinions! And I just took a comb to my hair last night, for the first time since I cut it. I was detangling with my fingernails. Secondly, my hair is as dry as sin. And I have been putting Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Repair Cream in it, followed by coconut oil, every day. And it is still so dry. It seems like my hair just drinks the coconut oil! Lastly, I have been trying to find new products for my hair, both to moisturize and define the curl. I purchased the African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Moisture Intense Bouncy Curls Pudding. It may work for some but my tresses don't dig it. Leaves them dry and does not define the curl at all. Now, the Cantu leave in really defines my curls but I want something else. I don't think I should be putting leave-in in my hair everyday. I've also started wetting it with plain water before I put the Cantu in. So, any product suggestions ladies? Help me please, help me please!!! <3

ElizabethFaith · 11-18-2012, 11:24 PM

Sorry I am so late responding! I don't get on here often enough! First, in regards to the shedding issue, it is normal to lose between 100-200 strands of hair per day. It may just seem like a lot because this may be the first time that you have actually paid attention to the shedding (that happens to me all the time!) Unless you are seeing bald spots, or patches, then you have nothing to worry about! Oh, and please don't detangle with your fingernails. You could be ripping your hair. I used to use the Cantu Leave In Conditioner but it wasn't moisturizing enough for me, so I switched to the Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. I don't know if you are CG or not, but the Tresemme is healthier for me than the Cantu. As for the African Pride, I haven't tried it, but currently I am using the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and it is a gem! It really defines my curls! You've got the right idea of moisturizing and sealing. Do you dampen your hair before use the Cantu, and then seal with an oil on the days when you don't fully wash?

mycurlychic · 11-19-2012, 12:07 PM

Thank you for the tips and product suggestions. Yes, I have started wetting my hair before I apply the Cantu Leave-in, and then the coconut oil.

triple_spiral · 11-19-2012, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mycurlychic

Hello all of my Naturally Curly ladies! I am new on the scene here, I just did my big chop 2 weeks ago and I have a TWA. I am having a few issues with my hair though: First, since I have cut it, it has been shedding. I mean, I just run my fingers over or through my hair and hair comes out on my hands. And this was not the case before I cut it. Is this normal? I don't think so myself but I am seeking your opinions! And I just took a comb to my hair last night, for the first time since I cut it. I was detangling with my fingernails. Secondly, my hair is as dry as sin. And I have been putting Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Repair Cream in it, followed by coconut oil, every day. And it is still so dry. It seems like my hair just drinks the coconut oil! Lastly, I have been trying to find new products for my hair, both to moisturize and define the curl. I purchased the African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Moisture Intense Bouncy Curls Pudding. It may work for some but my tresses don't dig it. Leaves them dry and does not define the curl at all. Now, the Cantu leave in really defines my curls but I want something else. I don't think I should be putting leave-in in my hair everyday. I've also started wetting it with plain water before I put the Cantu in. So, any product suggestions ladies? Help me please, help me please!!! <3

Congrats on your new TWA! Some thoughts:

- Do you know your protein/moisture balance? If you are using moisturizer daily, but your hair still feels dry, it could actually be protein overload. I'm not sure if your products have protein or not, but if so that could be the culprit

- It could be the moisture is not reaching your strands because of build up. Are you CG? If so, are you sure that nothing you're using has cones, and that you fully washed out left-over cones with a clarifying wash before starting CG?

- I think that coconut oil acts kind of like protein? or helps keep protein in the hair? So if you do have protein overload, the coconut oil would be making things worse

- I would say to go ahead and use leave-in every day. Especially if your hair is dry....the only reason I would lay off the leave-in is if your hair became over-conditioned, which doesn't sound like the case here.

- I don't know anything about Cantu Shea Butter, but I'm not sure African Pride is the best brand....I remember trying their oil when I first started out, it was pretty awful/useless. It took me such a long time to find quality products that actually worked. For leave-ins, I'm a big fan of CurlJunkie ($$$$$) and Kinky Curly Knot Today ($$$). No luck finding a really cheap one, though some people have good luck with leaving in their regular conditioner. Some good, cheap conditioners that might work for you are GVP Conditioning Balm at Sally's, and Tressemme Naturals.

mycurlychic · 11-21-2012, 02:28 PM

Thank you so much for all of the advice and suggestions darling! I have no idea what CG is lol.Please elaborate.