Straightened my hair too much!!

sarra9 · 12-28-2012, 11:21 PM

This may be a little long because I just want to be as detailed as possible. Also, my apologies if this gets asked a lot. I joined the forum just to ask this question.

I had (have?) naturally wavy hair. Somewhere between type 1 and 2A. (I didn't even know there were such types until I joined this forum!) I didn't really like it back then, so for the past 7 years or so I've been straightening my hair pretty much every day. It is straight now, and I want my waves back!! My hair length is about even with my chest, and it is very thin.

I keep seeing the suggestion of leave-in conditioner. I plan on trying that, but it seems like most people are saying that's good for dry, damaged hair. My hair might be damaged, but it's definitely not dry! It's very silky and smooth, and it gets oily quite fast.

I do plan to stop straightening my hair during this process of getting my natural hair back. But what are some other tips and suggestions? Should I try the leave-in conditioner? If so, what brands do you suggest? Should I use a shampoo and conditioner for curly hair? If so, what brands do you suggest? Should I scrunch it when it get out of the shower or just let it air dry and wear it natural with maybe a braid? Are there any home remedies or concoctions I can use? Any and all suggestions would help, and it is greatly appreciated.

This picture is from 5 years ago. (Sorry for the cropping and stuff; it's a weird photo of me, but it shows my waves quite well.)

This is what my hair looks like now when I just air-dry it. No heat at all.

ShubhoR · 12-29-2012, 02:44 AM

Try deep treatments first. Simple ones work great..like olive oil, pure coconut oil , avocados, honey and stuff. Also try a protein treatment as straightening strips away protein from hair.
First make sure your hair is properly moisturized. Leave in conditioners make sure that the moisture is retained in hair but it does not provide the "real" moisture that heat/chemically damaged hair needs.

If I were u, i'd deep condition on clarified hair twice a week if I had the time. If u want to increase thickness of your hair you can use cold pressed castor oil
HTH

Sent from android curltalk app.

curlypriya · 12-29-2012, 08:57 AM

I wud suggest a PT followed by a DT..u can try lite leave ins such as giovanni direct leave in condish which will not weigh ur hair down..or u can try leaving a tiny bit of your regular condish .. HTH

sarra9 · 12-29-2012, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShubhoR

Try deep treatments first. Simple ones work great..like olive oil, pure coconut oil , avocados, honey and stuff. Also try a protein treatment as straightening strips away protein from hair.
First make sure your hair is properly moisturized. Leave in conditioners make sure that the moisture is retained in hair but it does not provide the "real" moisture that heat/chemically damaged hair needs.

If I were u, i'd deep condition on clarified hair twice a week if I had the time. If u want to increase thickness of your hair you can use cold pressed castor oil
HTH

Sent from android curltalk app.

Thank you! I looked up an olive oil deep treatment so I'm going to do that today before I shower. I'm also going to purchase a deep conditioner, clarifying shampoo, and the castor oil. I appreciate all the tips!

Quote:

Originally Posted by curlypriya

I wud suggest a PT followed by a DT..u can try lite leave ins such as giovanni direct leave in condish which will not weigh ur hair down..or u can try leaving a tiny bit of your regular condish .. HTH

Thank you! But may I ask what a PT and DT are?

Corrina777 · 12-29-2012, 10:47 AM

PT is protein treatment- fantastic for helping damaged hair (can also help perk up natural curls/waves, especially if your hair is fine in texture). DT is a deep conditioning treatment.

Your product choices are best decided by your hair properties (texture, porosity, etc). The right products will enhance your natural wave pattern. Have you considered trying the Curly Girl (CG) method?

sarra9 · 12-29-2012, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corrina777

PT is protein treatment- fantastic for helping damaged hair (can also help perk up natural curls/waves, especially if your hair is fine in texture). DT is a deep conditioning treatment.

Your product choices are best decided by your hair properties (texture, porosity, etc). The right products will enhance your natural wave pattern. Have you considered trying the Curly Girl (CG) method?

Thank you for the definitions. Sorry I'm new to all these terms and whatnot. I read up on the CG method, but I'm worried about eliminating shampoo and using only conditioner to wash my hair. My hair gets oily very easily (I need to shower every morning - if I shower at night my hair will be oily by noon the next day.)

Corrina777 · 12-29-2012, 02:12 PM

We all had tons if questions when we first stumbled upon this site. Many people here are super helpful, so never feel bad for asking questions.

I had the same concerns about CG, especially since I do martial arts 4-5 days a week. The first thing to keep in mind is that co-washing (using only conditioner to cleanse your hair) is not mandatory for CG. The definition of CG is eliminating sulfates and silicones- how you do that is a personal preference. The second edition of Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey (where the name CG came from) does indicate that sulfate-free cleansers can be used. There are an abundance of sulfate-free shampoos (low-poos) to choose from- just make sure you choose one without silicones. I still rotate in a sulfate shampoo once every few weeks, usually when I do my PT/DT, but I found one that's silicone-free and extremely gentle. I found that the biggest improvement in my hair was from eliminating non-water-soluble silicone from my hair products, especially my cleanser and conditioner, because I was able to get more moisture into my hair.

I found that I can co-wash as long as I use a very light conditioner (my favorite is VO5 Vanilla Mint Tea) and massage my scalp really well while cleansing an while rinsing. There are also "cleansing conditioners" available, that will give a little more cleansing power than regular conditioner, but will still be gentle on hair. I'm a huge fan of these.

sarra9 · 12-29-2012, 03:31 PM

Okay I'm making a list of products to buy. So far I have a wide-toothed comb, a sulfate ad silicone-free shampoo, and a leave-in conditioner.

Do I use the sulfate and silicone-free shampoo daily? And do I use a conditioner in the shower as well? If so, should I be getting a specific ingredient free one or just any conditioner? (I might try a cleansing conditioner that you mentioned.) My shower routine right now is to wet my hair, shampoo my hair, do everything else I need to do, then right before i get out I condition from above my ears down to my ends, rinse and brush any excess shampoo and conditioner out, and then get out of the shower and immediately put my hair up in a towel.

One of the most popular suggestions I have been getting is a leave-in conditioner so I figured I would try it. I'm not sure what they do or how they work so I'm just going to follow the directions on the back of the bottle. But one question I do have about it is if it will leave my hair crunchy or greasy.

I'm a little all over the place. Trying some steps of the CG Method while also incorporating some other tips I've gotten. It's a little overwhelming since I'm getting many different responses so I hope combining a few of each won't hinder the process.

sarra9 · 12-29-2012, 04:40 PM

I took a trip to the store to compare some prices and products.

I'm liking the L'Oreal Everystrong line, which is sulfate free. It might just be good advertising, but I'm hoping it works well. I'm debating whether to get the Hydrating or reconstructing shampoo and conditioner, but that's just something I will decide based on my hair type.

Another sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner I spotted was Dream Waves Amplifying by Marc Anthony. I have used his Dream Waves Beach Spray before, which worked really well. I have also used his thickening cream, but not often enough to give a personal opinion on it. Between the two, I'm liking the L'Oreal one more.

For a leave-in conditioner (which I don't think I'm going to end up needing) I really only came across one by Aussie. I wasn't focusing so much on leave-in conditioners so I only looked at that one.

Has anyone had any experience with these specific products?

*Edit: after reading some online reviews I think the L'Oreal line might just be good advertising. Most seemed to not like it. Man, this is harder than I though!*

Some others I'm going to check out after reading online reviews: Bed Head Superstar, Living Proof Restore, and Giovanni Smooth as Silk.

ShubhoR · 12-30-2012, 09:30 AM

Its very overwhelming at first

don't worry. I'm sorry,i do not have experience with the products you mentioned. You will need to go through a trial and error phase before u find the products that suit u best. Boy , I remember my pocket money slipping away from me so fast when I started CG. :P
Have patience and Goodluck .

Sent from android curltalk app.

sarra9 · 12-30-2012, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShubhoR

Its very overwhelming at first

don't worry. I'm sorry,i do not have experience with the products you mentioned. You will need to go through a trial and error phase before u find the products that suit u best. Boy , I remember my pocket money slipping away from me so fast when I started CG. :P
Have patience and Goodluck .

Sent from android curltalk app.

Thanks so much! I'm going to the store right now to make my first purchases. Fingers crossed! Thanks for all the tips, ladies

GoldWaves · 03-28-2013, 11:11 AM

I would try leave-in conditioners, or, don't use shampoo for a while. I've found that, my hair is curlier when I just use conditioner in the shower. Try cutting back to using shampoo to just once a week, like I do. When you've conditioned your hair, scrunch it with styling mousse, and also, moisturize it with spray conditioners or gel or hair milks that help to prevent breakage and make hair shine, and preserve any curls/waves that may be there.