by
Black Girl With Long Hair
One of the biggest challenges of going natural is wading through all the advice to figure out what works for your hair and what doesn’t. And while some naturals might report amazing benefits from a particular practice, others might see no result at all — even finding it detrimental. Here are 5 natural hair practices that don’t work for everybody.
Some naturals love the ease of this style, which entails co-washing, then applying styling product and letting the hair go. But others don’t like the feeling of having a wet head for hours, or the tangling that wash and go’s can bring.
Many naturals swear by protective styling as a way to retain length, but for some it isn’t necessary. Some naturals are able to retain length by simply being gentle with their hair — even if they style it on a daily basis. Remember, the necessity of protective styling is dependent on how fragile your hair is. Stronger hair will require less, while finer, delicate hair will require more.
Castor oil and shea butter are two go-to products for sealing in moisture, but if your hair is on the fine side those heavy products might do more harm than good, weighing down the hair and taking on a sticky, glue-like property. If your hair is fine, try sealing with a light spritz that contains oil, a light oil like jojoba or a light whipped butter.
Not everyone will achieve the “henna red”. Henna’s burgundy color doesn’t really show up prominently unless hair is light enough that the dye can show up when deposited.
Henna’s curl loosening qualities tend to show up more prominently on looser textures as opposed to tighter textures.
Some naturals can incorporate blowdrying into their regimen (for detangling or styling purposes) without consequences. Others deal with dry hair that leads to breakage and, in worst case scenarios, hair that becomes straight and won’t revert to its curly state.
Believe it or not, not all naturals are a fan of the twist. Fine-haired naturals often find that twists look thin and scalpy on them. Plus, on some textures twists become very shrunken (as opposed to stretching the hair), leading to tangling, knots and breakage.
Ladies, which natural hair practices simply don’t work for you? Help add to our list!
73 Responses
Bantu knots are the ONLY style, other than the wash n go, that work for me! The curls come out so perfect! But my twist outs n braid outs make me so freaking mad b/c I put all that effort and the next morning…. NOTHING. Just a mess that can only be fixed with a quick wash n go. I am currently transitioning and I have to say, my natural curl pattern is really nice. My relaxed ends are a handful but I deal. Going full blown in March tho, I need more length before I can just chop away.
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Usually when I twist my hair, it coils up. It’s kind of cute actually so I don’t mind.
Wash & Go’s? No. I’ve not even yearned to do try that. My sister was so obsessed (stalking wash & go individuals – 4a-4c hair), it was half sad because she’s in some other major denial phase.
Wash and go’s, of they were the only way to do my hair, I would have to go short. I cannot get wash and go’s to work consistently on my long hair. The only way they come close to working is if I plop for a long time, and even then my hair gets this frizzy, messy, disorganization to it. It’s not something other ppl notice, but I need organization in my hair, control over my tangles, and frizz. I don’t have a lot of time to do my hair, so the time I spend needs to guarantee me a consistent result. So I do braid out’s, always, and while my hair can do heavy oils/butters, what I have found is I can use this stuff when I am wearing protective buns, which my hair does need, but when I wear my hair out I use light leave-in’s because my hair is so long it can easily look greasy and flat. So being it is long and dry it does benefit from heavy products, but I tend to wear them on my daily grind and do protective buns and stuff, and then when I wear my hair down or in a loose style I can afford to go with much less on it, especially since I use grapeseed oil, which is awesome as a protectant for high volume hair. Twist out’s can work on my hair when it’s dry, but not at all when wet. One thing I refuse to believe protects my hair is a pineapple. For protection at night I wear braids or bun. My hair is so long my ends would move around too much and I could wake up to a mess with a pineapple. My hair would be better off left down, but of course I would not do that either. I am a tad bit skeptical about deep conditioning too. I put heavy oils on my hair the night before washing but no matter what I have to dust my hair on a regular schedule to keep it healthy.
I am SO glad to have read this article! I finally accepted that wash n go’s DO NOT WORK FOR ME!!!! I finally realized this after over 12 years of denial – thinking why this style didn’t work for me. I tried twisting and pineappling my wash n go’s and forget it – no 2nd day hair for me.
Plus, I have thin hair that gets scalpy when I do twists. Plus, I have a hard time keeping braids because my head itches badly.
I’m learning what’s good for Sally isn’t always good for me!
I can’t do Bantu Knots. I have tried many times and it doesn’t give me a define curl like other people who do bantu knots. Bantu Knots give my hair a wavy mess. I have tried doing it wet and on dry hair and the results is my hair tangles up on itself and then I have to just pin it up. Other people who do Bantu knots there curls look soft and fall to the side. My hair is too densely populated to do bantu knots.
Lately the only thing that works for me is wash and gos. Twist outs look horrible on me. I’ve tried them so many different ways but they always look scalpy and in general I think my hair is too short and my head too big for them.
Also, I like my natural curl pattern after I was my hair better than the clumpy wavy curl pattern I get from a twist out. My natural curl pattern is a lot more defined.
So, I don’t know if this stuff is good for hair or not, but lately all I do is cowash, then moisturize with a little bit of leave in condish, add some tea tree oil (for my scalp), and then saturate my hair with the olive oil brand wrap/set mousse. Afterwards I let it airdry and voila…that stuff is the only stuff I found that holds my natural curl pattern without leaving and weird residue or that gel hardness that you can get from other products.
So yea, I’m not sure if that stuff is technically good for my hair but…it works wonders for me.
Once every two weeks I deep condish my hair with a mixture of olive oil, sea butter and conditioner. In general I only cowash my hair twice a week or so (more in the summer than the winter), and I only use shampoo if I’m trying to get products out of my hair.
Oh yea, and protective styles are HORRIBLE for me. I suffer from severe itchy scalp (only when my hair is braided, never otherwise) and no matter what I do, use (or don’t use), my scalp itches like crazy with any type of braided style. I used to have locks for seven years…ever since I took them out my hair cannot withstand any type of braided style… go figure.
even in the braids in this picture were itchy..and it was done with no product..and it was only a fauxhawk
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I cannot use castor oil. OMG what is that?
I don’t do protective styles either. My hair never stays in them and I look like a fool in short order. My hair is not damaged and responses well to low manipulation styles like twists, twist-outs, braid-outs, french twists with the front out, etc.
No co-washing. Talk about head itching and build-up on my hair. Yuck.
I love Giovanni or Knot Today leave in conditioners after shampoo that I seal in with shea butter. The difference is I kinda liquify the shea butter so I control how much I use better, and I concentrate just on the ends working a small amount up to the new growth. My hair loves this and is bouncy, smooth and does well.
Don’t get the whole multi oil concoction thing. Too much work. I use coconut oil (I’ve been using that since I was a child – my grandmother always put it on me and all the grandkids skin and hair), or shea butter, or sometimes I blend them both together in the blender and make a butter. Then I put in my mini-twists and call it a day for 2 weeks or so.
Shrug.
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/debwithtwistsdb.jpg[/img]
Protective styling is not for me even though I have fine 3b hair. I really don’t get the concept of protective styling. I think my hair is better off without it.
Wash and Sets- I used to be hooked to going to the hair salon and getting my hair bone straight. Then I noticed that whenever I wanted to wear my hair curly it would take a couple of days to a week to get my curl pattern back (due to heat damage). I also noticed that when I straightened my hair myself I did not have this problem.
1. Wash and Go’s don’t work, Tangling
2. Protective styling with braids… depends, box braids murder my front edges and if done too frequently murders all my hair. If there’s no hair added and I take extra care to wear my scarf/bonnet every night, I’m good, but if done too frequently my scalp becomes tender.
3. I just learned today that heavy butters and oils are a no. Although I love the little coils and tiny ringlets I get when I use Shea Moisture’s Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle. If I use that then I can’t use anything else; it works like gel.
4. I’m newly fully natural, so I’m weary about dying… not ready for all that extra stuff yet.
5. I’ve thought about doing this with Henna, but I’m enjoying my two textures… when it gets longer and I see how it falls like at 12inches then I’ll reconsider…
6. I don’t blowdry, my hair is thin and easily dries out.
7. The only twisting I do is for my bantu knots and bantu knot outs. Or to flat twist the front for a style.
8. Water as a moisturizer… only works when I already have stuff in my hair and I don’t want to add more gunk, so I just re-wet what’s already present.
9. Using Shampoo and Conditioner as is. I water everything down so I can work it through my hair I detangle as I work then through my hair, otherwise I find that I still have as much dandruff as I started with and it just seems like I washed the hair, not the scalp….
10. Flat-ironing… my hair is too thin. I did it once for a keratin treatment. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again… not until a special occasion.
Like I said, I just became partially natural in November and fully earlier this month. I’m still learning about my hair, because half of what works on others, doesn’t really work on me.
Well I am glad I have read this article, I find that Shea butter and Castor oil is a no no, even though most people recommend this for my hair texture. I know both of these products just sit in my hair and do not moisturise. I have dense but fine hair Wash and goes it another, one, I tend to just cowash twice a week and oil my scalp with coconut oil and use a gel like product (Curls unleashed- Curl boosting jelly ) to moisturise my hair, seem to be working for now I am @ twa stage
Twists as a functional hairstyle is NOT for me. I have fine hair and it lways looks scalpy. They work however as protective styling underneath wigs and to keep tangles at bay. If I tried to wear it as a style, I look like a 1st grader.
I have found that becoming natural is a personal thing in reference to regimens and practices. I spent months youtubing and googling about natural hair before I BC’d and all of that information helped me on what to do, what not to do and what just doesn’t work for me. I don’t dry my hair, it’s so thin and brittle that heat is a no no, Wash and go’s are my friend on certain days, I’ve never tried the henna thing and most likely never will. My hair isn’t long enough for a nice twist out but my texture when I did them on my hair now, showed a promising outlook on them in the future..lol. I make most of my own haircare products to ensure the ingredients I want are in them. I only use a few store brought products that I swear by and will not change. I was a product junkie but now I learned, not everything works for everyone. I am loving discovering my hair and I js got up on Eco Styler Gel. . .love that ish!
I usually feel like a big failure whenever I read anything on this site. I am a mixture of African and East Indian and unlike my sister who has fine, wavy/ curly hair ( sorry I am not versed in “types” of curl), I have a head full of extremely thick, coarse, wavy/curly kinda straight in some places, hair. It tends to be on the dry side and tangles easily. I am also a mother of five, the youngest being 6 months old, so I don’t have the luxury of much free time to sit and seal my ends or do Ps every night, it’s either I ask someone to twist it for me ( cause when it comes to getting a straight part in my head I’m hopeless) or I get up every morning and pull it into a ponytail parted a different way every day to avoid stress on the same areas everyday. After the birth of my daughter I had hair less at my temples as I always do post partum, but I have been natural for my last three pregnancies ( almost 5 years) and its always bounced back nicely. While I am fully aware healthy hair means hard work and commitment, mommy duties ultimately come before length retention.
My hair HATES twistout/braid outs. They start out really cute; but by the end of the day I REALLY regret that I let my hair go like that. And since my hair is growing more out instead of down; I prefer to keep her braided connected down.
I am a fine haired natural but my hair hates long term protective styles like braids and twists – tangle city! The other day I got out of a steamy shower put in a little product in my stretched second day hair and thought I looked great. Unfortunately it was night and I had no idea how to make that look last so I twisted it up and went to bed, but I think I will experiment with the Steam and Go in the summer. My hair was soft and my coils were poppin!
Oh, I also wanted to add that pineapple never works for me but my hair might still just be too short.
So true! I LOVE this list!
WNGs: Best for 3 types–hair that doesn’t have 75% shrinkage—like my 4 type that turns into a tangled mess LOL!
Protective Styling: While not required for any hair type, can be beneficial to all of them (if one can get past the false stigma of them being ugly & boring!) There are some BEAUTIFUL styles out there!
Heavy Sealing: Essential for my 4 type head with thick, dry hair—3s/thin hair normally gets build up quick!
Henna as Dye: The lighter the hair before applying—the more it will show!
Henna as Curl Loosener: Haven’t tried, but from what I’ve heard this works best for 3 types.
Blowdrying: Is okay for my thicker hair (but still needs to be done gently—I’ve had bad breakage before from rushing!)
Twisting: GREAT on my thick 4 type head 🙂 With fine haired friends—not so much!
I guess I am one of the few that loves wash and gos and doesn’t notice wet hair 🙂
All I can really do is rock WNG because my hair is so coily. But it’s sort of a PS for me I suppose, because once I do it, I’m good for the next 5-7 days, so here’s no styling. I just pineapple, take it down & shake the next morning. I love the variety I see other naturals achieve….my stubborn curls spit everything out with ATTITUDE, lol!
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/churchcurls-1.jpg[/img]
OMG, we have a similar curl pattern. I finger detangle and my curls look exactly like that. I wash my hair, condition, finger detangle and then let my hair air dry. I will either pineapple or make loose braids and my hair stays like that for 5 days. If I don’t feel like wearing curls, I detangle with my denman (which smooths my hair) and make twists and leave them in a bun.
My only problem is wash and goes it my hair shrinks and I have a total mess on my hands. I just started using henna since my tips were comercially dyed I got great results but my roots did nothing. But everyone says they love it so what can I say
1. Works for me (see YouTuber cynthiarf; her techniques allowed me to wear WNGs past what I thought was my traditional maximum WNG length)
2. Works for me (if by “work” you mean “the ends/hair are protected”; I think there’s a protective style out there for everyone; as another scalpy-twists natural I prefer updos)
3. Sorta-kinda (the longer my hair gets, the heavier I can go…but I have yet to get to a length where I can use castor oil or shea butter straight)
4./5. Never tried it, not interested. I like my silver hairs!
6. Works for me (now that I do tension blowdrying instead of using a comb attachment)
7. Sorta-kinda (yeah, they’re scalpy, but they stay put and they usually don’t tangle too much if I twist on wet or damp hair)
Something to think about from a veteran natural: Just because something works (or doesn’t work) right now doesn’t mean it might not stop working (or start working) later on. Also keep in mind that each of the above items can be done in many different ways and it might just be the case that you find the right way for you and your hair.
braidouts never work on my hair!!!! transitioning now from heat damage my ends always look limp and like their screaming IM DAMAGED ND I DONT FIT IN WITH THE REST! lol but flat twistouts and bantu knots have saved the day
I’m not a huge fan of twists or twist-outs. But when I do occasionally try out these styles: Twists = FAIL (too sparse, shrunken & fuzzy), Twist-outs = FAIL (lacking in fullness especially in crown area).
If my hair wasn’t so prone too breakage (without protective styling), I would rock my hair in its puffed out form for days on end!
#7 doesn’t work for me at least right now. I look like a child with twists in my hair and its current BSL. Once I reach hip length I’ll see…
For me I can do wash and go’s but I think the way I see youtubers do them is time consuming, and I don’t think they’re very cute on my hair. I have not tried henna yet but one day I will, I do blow dry maybe once a month to do certain styles like buns or a really fluffy braid out. Twists don’t look the best on my hair, my hair is thick, but its very fine. But I do enjoy using natural oils like coconut oil, peppermint oil and olive oil for moisturizing and hot oil treatments, and I do like shea butter, but I prefer it for my skin. Protective styling is helpful also.
Is this not the truth?!! Number 3 and 7 apply to me!
Just goes to show you how everybody’s hair is different. I’ve never tried henna anything before. My hair is really fine, (it does kink into a very nice fragile soft fro though). My hair doesn’t like wash ‘n’ goes, but loves the heavy oils. Like everyone else though, I can’t just wear twists by themselves. They look too ‘scalpy.’ But twist outs sealed with castor oil look great!! Also, I can blowdry my hair often with no problem. And most protective styles look stupid on me because I have a round cheeky face. I just look bald headed with them. Lol!
i’m one who prefers the braiding the hair and letting it down in the morning to twists. in an effort to stay away from heat i’ve been resorting to this lately and it works because twists on my fine strands achieve the result of looking scalpy. also that wasn’t mentioned is that some of us can get away with not sleeping with a satin or silk nightcap or pillowcase. when i was younger my hair touched my midback and i NEVER used one, and my hair was never dry. that still holds true today. now i use one to preserve my style, not because cotton dries out my hair. and when i don’t protective style, i still don’t see telltale breakage of the ends. so it’s certainly true that not everything holds true for every one. i protective style primarily to keep my strands out of my face, as i’ve always been acne prone and lately have found my acne held at bay entirely due to the fact that my hair is now perpetually pulled back. 🙂
Of the things listed in this article, wash and gos are a big no no. My hair is super thick, takes forever and a day to dry; and when it finally does, the pretty curls that were there when it was wet are just an oversized pile of frizz. never tried henna, but if it took 2 applications of commercial permanent colour to give a hint of colour, then im almost sure henna would b ineffective. sealing with oil does not work for me either. the next day or two when i want to remoisturise, my hair is the weirdest combo of dry and oily. another thing that doesnt work for me is spritzing the hair with water to moisturise. makes my hair feel dry and stripped
Hmmm from what you’re saying it seems you may want to look into the porosity of your hair if you haven’t done as such already. I know I had a similar problem with using two applications of dye to get some kind of colour going and I am general opinion I have low porosity hair. That is to say it makes it difficult for products to penetrate my hair shaft.
2,4,6 and 7 are the only ones that work for me!
It’s strange, twist outs never turn out right. But, I love a bantu knotout. I seal with a light butter or spritz with water/oil. I always have to mix my coconut oil with shea butter. I have never been a fan of a wash and go. I have been natural since 2009 and I’ve had a rinse or 2 but never tried henna and I don’t think i will. I only blowdry before I straighten my hair. I prefer to airdry.
…I would have to say finger detangling makes absolutely no sense to me!! It would only work for me if I had exactly 10 hairs on my head,but that fro of mine only respects the authority of the COMB!!! I am kind of fascinated by the whole finger detangling process and it does seem like it could simplify a naturalista’s life.
I am with you on this one…however I thought maybe I’ll give it a try and I did finger comb before washing and I did notice more shed hairs as oposed to broken hairs. In the shower I went back to the comb. Finger detangling still does not feel right and I will only use it if the parts in my hair does not matter or if I am about to wash hair so the smooth-look-of-a-good-comb-out is not neccessary. Note though it takes TIME.
I can only finger detangle after a DC of 30 minutes, then I use my wide comb and finer comb. I’d never detangle my hair comb, fingers without a DC first, try it.
i can’t do that either. seems rather time-consuming to me. me and the comb get along great provided i wet my hair first and then gently go at it.
I will not do a wash and go unless I have no choice. I’ve done a wash and go – gone to work for a full day – come home – and it’s still wet! Blow drying works great for me and it gives me the frizz, length and volume that I like.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THIS POST!!! I thought I was the lone man out because my hair does not like my hair. It LOVES my sister’s hair. She got an amazing auburn color, thickening, and curl loosening. I got dryness, coarseness, and ZERO color. I also can’t do wash and goes because I have scalp issues. I like protective styles because they last for a while.
I meant to say my hair does not like henna…lol.
what happens when you henna your hair? I recently hennaed and my hair is shedding like crazy. I’ve heard people say that it makes the hair stronger, and in fact I think it did the exact opposite. Does your hair shed a lot?
Most of the ‘raves’ do not work for me, but henna works.
After using it about 3 to 4 times, I noticed a significant thickening and strengthening effects. My curls didn’t particular loosen, but they were popping (majorly 4b, with 4a at the crown).
I’m pretty hard to convince about things, but henna is amazing.
Song give up at the first attempt, rather continue trying it every month for about 4 times (leave it in between 4-8 hours). Don’t forget to DC afterwards (I DC mainly with blended avocado and banana and some oil).
Things may not work at first, but it will as time goes on. It didn’t ‘appear’ to work for me at first, until I persisted.
Henna is every hair’s miracle powder.
*starts rant*
– as when i permed my hair, i need to have clarifying wash at least twice week, i dont get this i wash my hair once a month thing, but go ladies go
– i sooo wish i could wash and go, but its looking more and more like i will have to twist, i love my natural texture but the tangling and the frizz iss to much, but i am still in the fight
– i dont seal, i dont henna, i dont protective style, and i dont blow dry
*sigh*
For me what doesn’t work are
1) wash and gos
2) Henna for anything.
3) braids (without extensions) I find it eirther tangles easily between trims and when after trim it just does stay put, plus it looks scalpy)
4) buns/ponytails (breakage galore)
My wash-n-go is more “wash and go sit under the dryer for a while;” It ends up being protective, because I don’t have to manipulate it every day. I sleep with a soc-loc, moisturize at night, spritz, moisturize and fluff in the morning, and I’m good.
I cant do twists or braids. My hair isnt heavy enough and the braids stick up like coolio and lots of scalp shows (naturally thin hair).
Shea butter loved my face but is too heavy on my hair alone. Mixed in with a dc, sit, and rinse out is fine.
Henna is too much protein, I have to be careful.
No sulfates is one that isnt mentioned but I have to use a sulfate poo or my scalp will drive me crazy!
oh yeah i forgot about this one! yeah, i’ve been using sulfates all my life and i’m quite satisfied with the way my hair turns out. good thing you mention it!
I thought I was the only one who actually uses sulfates, lol. Anytime water hits my scalp, I have to wash with a sulfate shampoo or it will itch like crazy – no cowashing, no ACV rinse, no baking soda – just good ol shampoo. I find that Herbal Essence Hydralicious line works perfectly fine.
Have you ever tried using tea tree oil? I rub it into my scalp before co-washing. I love that for clearing up my scalp’s build up and getting rid of the itchies.
My hair loves 1,3 & 7. Tried Protective Hair Styling on many occasions but not working out, it’s not me it’s her! By the 2nd day she’s fighting to come out of the bobbi pins, she starts itching and she won’t stay where I put her…uggghhh!. As soon as I get home and take what style I had her in out she’s fine, when I wear my hair out she’s fine. It’s a love/hate relationship!
When I wanted to color my hair I was going to use henna but heard too many mixed reviews about it. Plus,it was too much to deal with. I just used Textures and Tones by Clairol.
I’m always tempted to do wash n gos, but just the thought of detangling my hair afterwards stops me in my tracks. My hair gets tangled quickly. I haven’t done wash n gos since I had a twa. Maybe one day I will have the patience to try it.
i second this. wash and go’s result in breakage out of this world for me.
My hair is 4a, I mainly do wash and gos, co-wash almost daily, and I don’t have problems detangling. I detangle once a week with AVJ, oils, and conditioner and it takes me 15 minutes with barely any breakage. I don’t shed a lot so that may have something to do with it.
Couldn’t help feeling that as usual, us fine haired naturals get the short end of the stick. Pretty much “protective styling” is the main thing we should be doing ….but IMO protective styles are so ugly and boring lol That being said, I am currently participating in kinkycurlycoilyme’s castor oil challenge and while my hair loves prepooing with castor oil, now i understand why when i use it on my dry hair, it just sits there, never penetrating.
*curious* could you give me the link?
I can do wash and go’s every now and then, but only if I wrap it in a t-shirt first… and I can’t do it consecutively. Surprisingly, most of the above practices do work for me except the protective styling and twists. PSing is a wonderful idea, but I can’t keep my hands out of my head for more than 2 days, and my hair doesn’t seem to mind, as long as I moisturize and seal every night. Twists aren’t a good stretching tool for my hair, as it just shrinks up immediately like a W&G, and can tangle like so, so I have to bun the first day after washing, then if I want to do a twist-out, my hair will have dried and stretched enough to make a difference. I mostly rock braid-outs though. Great Article!
Braids and braid-outs. My hair does not like braids. I can use braids for stretching but not for styling. The braids crinkle my hair in a pattern that’s opposite of what my curl pattern prefers. Twists, on the other hand, are perfect! Since my hair grows in a coiled pattern, the twists are naturally suited for the coils.
Same for me with braid outs….but in some sections at the top of my hair, it actually does work. I start with the braid then twist the ends. Anywhere else it looks like a Sun Chip.
I’m also not a fan of sleeping with a satin scarf AND pillow. I wake up sweating and gasping for air which ends up ruining my hairstyle. The scarf is enough for me.
I love the Sun Chip reference!!!! My coils can’t stand braid outs or any other PS situation. 🙁
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/churchcurls.jpg[/img]
I felt like I was looking at my hair there for a minute, except my crown strands are really thick so they wave rather than create the pretty coils and my edges are more tightly coiled.
I have not been able to get a decent braid out or twist out. I just use it to stretch my hair.
All of this applies to me except the protective styling part. lol. Also my hair type can never acheive a “puff” or “afro.”
Hi, I have fine hair, yet lots of it, my mother is caucasian and my farther is bajan so I have a combination of fine and thick hair, I am trying to grow it and my hair is currently above shoulder length, it is really dry, splits very easy and Overall in bad condition. At the moment I have to tie it up, I put hair food in regular and I use hair gel to slick it back. In 2008/9 my hair was in such good condition and I would wear it out in spiral curls, a bit like corrine bailey rae, and I was very proud of it. But in 2009/10 I got bored and made the biggest mistake ever by throwing a relaxer in it (also due to my own insecurities) and messed it up, to the point it is now a big mess… Its so fustrating cause I know my hair is beautiful, I think sometimes I just get bored and dont oppreciate it as much as I should. I am at a point elwere I just wanna get back my natural beautiful hair and need some advice on what I can do to regain it…. HELP!!!
You should post this in the forum. You will definitely get a better response. Wishing you all the best in your hair journey!
Hi Amelia!
i Recommend that you scale back on your use of gel. I know that’s easier said than done, but a better option may be to use something like Jane Carter Nourish and Shine instead of gel for slicking back the hair. I may add a warning that slicking back usually requires extensive brushing to smooth the hair and then pulling the hair to tie it back. Both of these add stress to the hair which can result in further damage.
A weekly deep conditioning treatment will help tremendously. I would recommend using a heating cap and leaving it on for at least 30 min. An overnight treatment is good too.
The split ends must be cut before you can expect to actualize truly healthy hair. There is no permanent way to repair a split end. If they aren’t removed, the hair will continue to fracture upward. I would recommend having this done by a professional stylist who is experienced with cutting curly hair. Once you have the ends trimmed of the splits, avoid extensive and frequent heat use (blow drying, flat ironing, etc).
Overall, keep your hair well moisturized. I think that’s the main key to achieveing and maintaining healthy hair. Good luck!!
Boil up some irish moss and add some oil that your hair likes to it and use it instead of hair gel. It works a charm. I have thick 4b/c hair and use it to make ringlets in my hair, not my whole head of hair just the loose baby hair, it is also great for smoothing all my hair down before I do an afro puff – yes my hair is finally long enough for an afro puff.
Yes, I agree with all of these. As a fine haired natural, I’m not a fan of shea butter and hate the way dry twists look on me (thin and very scalpy). What works for one does not always work for the next.
Thank you for this article! There are so many of these so called “natural hair practices” that don’t work for me and I kept trying and trying while damaging my hair in the process…after 1.5 years of being fully natural I finally figured out that “everythang ain’t for everybody!”
Sealing with heavy oils or butters (3) on the entire hair shaft equals greasy hair for me. I only use castor oil on my ends and edges. Shea butter attracts lint to my hair–I use it on my skin instead.
1,3,4,5 & 7 don’t work for me.
Wash-n-goes (1) were fine when I had a TWA they’d cause too much tangling on my Afro-textured hair now that it’s longer (APL).
Dye and “curl loosening” (4 & 5) are not the goal of henna for me–I use it for its strengthening properties.
Twisting (7) does not work for me–at all. Twist-outs are hit-or-miss (mostly miss) so I do braid-outs. Braid-outs–as compared to twist-outs–impart a prettier pattern onto my hair, stretch my hair better and are easier to detangle. They’re my go-to style and a great base for my buns and updos.
A twist out….can’t do one to save my life. I’ve been natural for about 15 mos and EVERY single one has been an epic fail. I love the way they look, just not on me!
same here! I actually think it’s because my stretched hair is at that awkward length…I pretty much end up spraying water all over till it shrinks to a cute fro and then i’m happy with it…any twist/curl pattern disappears at that point. Ah well, I love my shrunken fro, it’s how I’m surviving through awkward length land.
Yep, its always odd to me to hear how many folks are against blowdrying. For almost a year, I’ve been doing it once a week and I’ve seen a lot of growth and my hair is still perfectly healthy AND its dyed blonde!
I get it from my mama…she has hair strong enough to lift an ox, LOL.
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My hair is the same exact way! It absolutely loves the dryer. Even though I have been natural for the past ten years, most recently, I have been avoiding the dryer like the plague due to information on youtube and forums. However, since I have low porosity hair, my hair needs heat in order for the cuticles to lift and absorb products and stay mosturized. Ever since then I have been using the dryer at least once a week and my hair has been thriving. I forgot the most important lesson for natural hair: no two hairs are alike.
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I use to co-wash frequently but find that my hair does better with just a rinse and finger comb or spritz with water. I only wash, condition, and comb out with comb once a week. So far my hair likes this better and my curls are more defined and less poof. I love protective styling. My hair doesn’t require shea butter or castor oil to seal, I can just use coconut oil and that’s sufficient. I’ve never tried a Henna but I do color my hair with traditional hair color and find that it loosens my curl but the effect only lasts about two months which is generally the time to touch up the roots. I like blow drying occasionally to see how long my hair has grown and so far no problems other than having a head full of long, thick hair. I tried twisting my hair when wet but didn’t come out right…looks better if blow dried.