Often when naturals are tracking their hair journeys, we usually first see a picture with short hair and a gradual transformation into beautiful long hair. However, the before and after pictures are only part of the story. More than likely, most people will have experienced a minor or major setback and recovered from it. Here are 4 key sources of minor and major setbacks
1. Frustration/hair misbehaving : Minor Setback
Have you ever tried to style your hair in order to leave the house for an event and it just will not behave? You can easily end up raking through it multiple times with a comb or misting too much water on it such that it starts to shrink and cause you more styling problems. You may soon start to see tiny little coils on the floor which are definite signs that you have damaged your hair ends. These damaged ends can then begin to split continuously and therefore lead to stagnation in hair length.
To avoid this type of setback, always trial your style before the event so that you know what difficulties you may experience. Additionally, always have a fall back plan which can work should you mess up. Hair accessories and simple buns often can rescue you from raking through your hair with a comb.
2. Over-expectation of Results from Hair Products: Minor or Major Setback
In hair forums I have often seen people ask what can they do about hair that is brittle or hair that breaks badly during detangling. The answer is almost always to include protein in the conditioning step or to step up moisturising. Hair conditioners are fantastic products but they really cannot โfixโ hair in this way and their effects are only temporary.
If your hair is constantly breaking, you need to look for a mechanical reason first and foremost. The primary reason that the hair breaks is because it is being handled not because of the product you are using on it. Develop a really critical eye when you are handling your hair, including during low impact finger detangling or conditioner detangling. If you see breakage, immediately use less physical force to separate the strands and split your hair into even smaller sections so that you handle less hair at a time.
3. Too little Heat : Major Setback
Usually you will be warned about high heat and we all know how damaging that can be, but low heat could cause just as much damage. As an example for a straight style, a slightly higher heat setting may allow you to pass over a flat-iron once but a lower setting requires you to pass it over several times. You should select the setting that gives you one pass rather than the several passes. Naturally this setting should be as low as possible e.g if you can get the result you want at 180F then pick that setting instead of 200F.
All this said, I am a great proponent of naturals on a hair growth journey generally avoiding heat use altogether. However, if this is not for you, educate yourself on proper use of heat and make sure that if you are going to a hairstylist, that they too are careful with heat on your hair.
4. The Hairdresserโs Inch: Major Setback
Many naturals shudder at the thought of trimming their own hair and therefore choose to go to a hairdresser to do it. However, many hairdressers overestimate what an inch is and can end up cutting off significantly more than what you request verbally.
To avoid this type of setback, select a hairdresser you trust, who is familiar and confident with dealing with your type of natural hair. If you can, go to the salon and see how clients are handled. Additionally, physically hold a lock of your hair in your hands and show your hairdresser how much you want cut off. Do not doze off in the middle of the trim, some hairdressers will still cut off more than you requested especially if they feel your ends would look better. Do not feel bad about asking for what you want, it is a service you are paying for.
Ladies, have you dealt with any of these setbacks?
Iโve definitely learned my lesson about using a comb on my hair. When I first started growing out my hair, I decided no heat and no comb. I donโt even remember why I started combing it but I did, and Iโve lost a good third of the length, if not more. I noticed more hair in the sink and on the floor but I convinced myself that it was just the โlooseโ strands. Well, lesson learned. I threw the comb away yesterday and just like that the curls and texture that Iโve been wondering what happened to are back. Now… Read more »
You donโt use a comb??? How do you detangle?
A lot of natural use their fingers to detangle their hair. It works.
I agree about the comb. My first year natural I combed and lost a lot of hair. Once I stopped using a wide tooth comb (even starting at the ends with small sections) and started finger detangling I kept the thickness on my fine strands.
hmmmm maybe I will do the no comb as a challege. How do you style? More updos? I never thought about doing this. I really donโt have what I consider to be a lot of hair loss when I comb but even if I could hang on to that bit i could be farther along in my desired length
In my year and a half of being natural, I am thankful that my hair is healthy and growing. I work hard to keep it moisturized and nourished. I can relate to #2. I have learned to NEVER wash/condition my hair when I am extremely tired, this leads to sloppy detangling, which can result in breakage. Also Iโve learned to take the time to style my hair and not do it in such a hurry that I am pulling and tugging. Being GENTLE is key!
I had a medically induced setback which caused me to lose at 60% of my hair. Had to stop taking what the doctor suggested I take and now my hair is on its way back. But hair loss โ at any age or for any reason โ is a real challenge.
I thought it was just meโฆiโve be on this healthy hair journey for maybe two months now. It started off great then it seem like all of a sudden my hair is in the sink. Itโs a little frustrating when you believe your doing the right things for your hair. I am not hard on my hair at all. I keep it moisturized rub my scalp. I am not ready to give up, but i am tired of seeing hair in my sink every morning. What am I doing wrong?
What have you been eating/drinking? Have you not been able to keep up with your normal exercise regimen lately? Something Iโve learned recently is that external factors only affect my hair so muchโinternal factors, such as what Iโm eating, how much water Iโm drinking, and how much Iโm exercising, have just as much, if not more of an effect on my hairโs strength/growth as external factors. Since Iโve started drinking about 1โ2L of water a day, exercising hard twice a week, and eating more vegetables, Iโve noticed my hair seems much more healthy, and any breakage I incur is a… Read more »
To be honest, I donโt drink as much water as I should but I do drink water. My veggie intake is pretty good. I eat a lot of fish and walnuts too. Iโve changed my diet pretty much after reading a lot of websites. I do need to exercise a little more. I am trying to figure it out. Thanks for that advise.
In my experience, it takes a long time to get hair healthy, especially if you are coming off of relaxers, heat and color. You have to figure up on a plan that gets your follicles healthy so that your hair will grow out healthy. It took me several years of hard work through trial and error to come up with the right regimen for my hair. 2 months is nothing. But now that I have come up with a good program, my hair growth has increased and hair loss is pretty minimal. Have patience. Do your research.
No relaxers, no color all natural.โฆI am just using better products and got my hair on a whole new program. Yea, I know 2 months isnโt nothing, but my hair texture is a lot different now. Itโs a lot softer. I was thinking my hair shedding because it is in shock and it didnโt know how to respond to the natural products. I am slowly getting it together, I hope. I write down everything i put in my hair and how it responds. Thanks ladies.
I have experienced that hair dressers inch a couple times. I find that when I have a regular stylist seasoned in natural hair I feel confident and donโt lose too much hair when getting trims. But anytime Iโve ever just randomly went to a salon for a trim I loose like 4+ inches. Another setback that wasnโt mentioned (for me and my head) is coloring. I only ever had my hair professionally colored. It wasnโt dry. It just didnโt appear to be growing. I thought I had reached my terminal length. Then I decided to stop and let it grow… Read more »
I have fine strands of hair so a comb is a no no for me too! I see a lot less breakage now that I finger detangle. I donโt care how wide the teeth are, a comb is not touching my head! Lol.
It took me more than 10 years to realize that I was to strong when handling my hair. Now Iโm trying the no comb method but Iโm not sure I will be able to manage my tangles without because my hair tends to tangle A LOT !!!! Still experiencing.
Setback Central: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsCM9ymAQ2Q
Comb is a no-no. Thatโs also why I donโt let anyone do my hair anymore because they butcher my fragile strands with the comb. I only comb my hair when it has conditioner or when it is damp. I will take the whole afternoon to carefully comb my hair.
Sometimes the biggest challenge is finding the right hair expert to style your hair. There are lots out there who claim that they are good but are actually not. The internet provides lots of information about it though so you can search there.
I just had a devastating setback with my natural hair that was past my shoulders about bsl. I usually would give my hair a break with sew ins and decided to be experimental with the braid less sew in. I lost 4 inches of hair and uneven on one side. I was horrified. Now I have to start over and afraid I wonโt get it back to where it was. Any feedback tips?
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