…I decided to go ahead and flat iron my hair. I was on a No Heat Challenge until June of this year but once I thought about it, I realized that’s insane. I live in Humidity City, USA and by June things will be completely out of hand. Plus I want to get back to the pool by June, both for training and for fun with the kids!

As usual I did things differently than the last time I flat ironed. Honestly, I am still trying to perfect this process. Since I only flat iron every few months, that doesn’t give me a lot of practice. However, I’m improving with each try. Below is what I did this time around.

• Shampoo’d with diluted Suave Clarifying Shampoo
• Deep conditioned with Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner 
• Rolled hair with large flexi rods and  air dried
• Applied Garnier Blow Dry Perfector Straightening Balm, Sleek and Shine, 5.1 Fluid Ounce
•  to each section and blowdried (more to add on this product below)
• Applied scant amounts of Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade
• Flat ironed with GVP Flat iron

Here are some pictures of the process

After blow out

I put it up in a ponytail because the roots were still a bit damp and I was waiting for them to air dry.That's when I noticed that my edges still had a bit of conditioner in them that I'd neglected to wash out. It was causing a flaky residue.

I ended up having to rinse my edges (very carefully!) to get the product out. I was rewarded with these little ringlets. As you may have read, my edges are recovering from post partum shedding. The area is thin but has had pretty good growth considering that they were near bald at one point

Close up

The product that I used from Garnier was just something I picked up in the grocery store. My main goal this time around was to use a ton of silicones in my products. I normally use a non- silicone deep conditioner and then use ‘cones in my heat protectant or leave in. I figured I might as well use them all the way through. That was my first change.

My second was using flexi rods, which have been under my bathroom sink since Moses was a baby, to stretch out the hair before blow drying it. I think the last time I straightened my hair, I did a  rollerset with an attempt to get it as smooth as possible. This time, I was just trying to stretch the hair out and get it mostly dry. It was faster than rollersetting the other way and I just wasn’t in the mood.

Back to the product from Garnier. What I used is called Garnier Blow Dry Perfector Straightening Balm, Sleek and Shine.

This stuff really put doubt in my mind. First, it said that it lasted up to 7 shampoos. That sounds like some kind of relaxer or Brazilian Keratin Treatment to me. And I’m scared to death that one day one of these companies is going to sneak some kind of relaxing agent into their products. Also, there are warnings not to use it on relaxed hair, bleached hair, and you need to wear gloves when applying it? Heck no! Something ain’t right!

So I get home and read the reviews. I dodged a bullet. The reviews on Amazon are HORRIBLE! People’s hair falling out, texture forever damaged. It’s scary what some of these companies will put on the market. Anyway, please don’t confuse what I used with that kit.

Anyhoo, here is the finished result. I have to say, it turned out nicely. I pin curled my hair to wear it down but mostly I’ve been wearing it in a bun.

Pin curls

I pinned kind of big sections because I've found that if I use smaller sections, it creates more volume.

Would it be triflin' if I wore this out somewhere?

Pulled my curls forward

Even thought it turned out nicely, I was still a little disappointed that my hair hasn’t appeared to have grown much since the last time I straightened it. Excuse me, I hadn’t retained much length since the last time I straightened it. At any rate, here is my length check.

As my hair gets longer, it gets harder to take pictures. This photo is courtesy of my 5 year old. I knew he'd start earning his keep around here! lol

This was almost a year ago vs today

So I see a little growth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy with my length but I would love to see waist length just to say that I did it. I know that I’ve not been pampering my hair as I should so this is my own fault.

All I can do is try again…no regrets, right?

Here are some things I absolutely can’t stand at work. First, hair flopping in my eyes. An errant piece of hair can be the most annoying thing on the planet. I have even gone so far as to borrow a paperclip to try and keep the hair out of eye.

Second annoying thing at work: Hair on my shoulders falling into patient beds. No matter how clean my hair is, it’s unacceptable for it to fall into the beds of my tiny patients with their fragile immune systems. To remedy this in the past, I have used a rubber band from the front office.

When I started dipping into the office supplies a little too much, I decided that it was about time I started carrying some backup.

Ouchless bands and headbands These are great for pulling the hair back into a puff (the remedy for any natural hair disaster) or just pulling it back from the face.

Bobby pins To tame that little piece of hair that always sticks up on the side of your head. Or that piece of hair that refuses to stay out of your eye. Oooor maybe you are not feeling today’s braidout and want to make a quick but stylish updo.

Spritz bottle Over the past, I’ve put all sorts of liquid in my mini spritz bottle. During the dryer months, I’ve used a leave in liquid conditioner to remoisturize on the spot. Right now, I have plain water with a few drops of lavender oil. Lavender (along with tea tree oil and rosemary) and water make a nice spritz post-exercise to refresh the hair.

Scarf  Maybe your ouchless headbands aren’t doing the job and you need a bit more backup. A scarf, for me, is a must have. Sometimes it’s not even a matter of needing to fix a hair problem. Sometimes, I just want to accessorize and didn’t have time before I left the house. I usually carry a black colored scarf for simplicity sake.

Gel With the loss of my edges due to post partum shedding, I find gel to be more useful than I have in the past. Until my “nubs” grow back completely, a little gel is helpful in smoothing back the flyaway poofs.

Moisturizer The pink bottle contains a creamy moisturizer. I don’t use this much but I do keep it on hand. I also use it when I run out of lotion for my skin.

Trimming Shears Yes. It’s that serious, folks. I’ve spent too many days examining the same split end over and over. If I see one, I want to trim that sucker. Overboard? Maybe. Genius? Definitely!

——–

So there you have it. The only thing I’m lacking is a rain bonnet. Although I rarely run for the rain, there are times when I still don’t want to get my hair wet.

Do you have an emergency hair bag? What “supplies” do you carry with you at all times?

I’d said awhile back that I wanted to straighten my hair at the end of September. Well, I’ve had some interesting, er, experimentation since then.

I started off with a simple braid out. It was very soft and my hair felt moisturized. After a day of wearing the braid out, I say to myself :”Self, I bet if you took a flat iron to this incredibly soft and moisturized hair, it will straighten nicely and easily”.

Why do I lie to myself? This was the result.

Cute for a blow out, but not for flat ironing! Yikes.

I think the main source of my anger was because I wasted the time straightening. It was straight as I was ironing it, but then puffed right out once I tried to wear it all down.

Because I was so mad that I got it so wrong, I decided to try something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I wanted to rollerset my hair, then blowdry and then lightly flat iron. My main problem: Rollersetting has never gotten well for me. But it’s something that I need to practice so I thought, why not now?

I know to some of you rollersetting divas out there, this might look like a hot mess, but it is much improved from my prior attempts. I actually *gasp* let it dry completely over night after sitting under the dryer for about an hour. My hooded dryer is not very good and extremely cheapo so it would take hours for me to get completely dry.

I took the rollers out in the morning and I was surprised at how soft it felt.

As you can see in the picture above, I used a technique called “ponytail rollersetting” I saw someone do one years ago on some hair board or blog and have always wanted to try it. I have to say, it makes the whole process so much easier.

What is ponytail rollersetting? It’s the use of a band (I used small no snag bands) on each section of hair, near the scalp…hence the term ponytail. This helps to stretch out the roots of the hair before putting it the rollers in. It only took me about an hour to put the rollers in.

I didn’t have time to flat iron it so I put it up in an updo while I went to one of DS’s extra curriculars.  I have no idea how I did it, it just happened lol.

I then flat ironed lightly.  Since I’d applied flat ironed less than 2 weeks prior on the braid out, I didn’t want to overdo it with the heat.

I really wish I’d taken pictures right after the flat ironing, but my husband wasn’t available to be my photographer. My five year old attempts is but his finger is usually in the shot or the angle he shoots at makes me look like a giant. By the time hubby was able to take a picture, I’d worked out some and had some reversion. Has anyone else noticed that it gets harder and harder to take pictures of your hair once it grows a good amount?

Anyway, here’s the picture. I think I’ve had a bit of growth and I’ve realized that my hair grows in a “V” shape as much as I was trying to get it to grow in a blunt shape. Oh well. I’m going to straighten again in 2-3 months and maybe trim then. I am just barely touching waist length, especially when I pull it down a bit more. I’m not going to claim WL yet though.

Here’s the breakdown of everything I did, if anyone is interested:

•  Shampoo and DC  and detangled with  Lustrasilk Shea Butter Plus Mango
•  Rollerset with Nexxus Leave In and ponytail elastics (the little black snagless ones). I used hard rollers with roller pins.
•  Let hair dry completely.  Take out rollers.
•  Blow dry each section with comb attachment and Pure Elements Blow Dry Creme
•  Flat ironed on about 300 degrees with GVP flat iron

My future plans right now are to practice my rollersetting! Thanks for reading

Permed Hair

How long did you transition?

I was transitioning for about 6 months. I wasn’t too sure if I was going to go natural. Never in a million years would I have thought about going natural. I loved my Halle Berry and Kelis haircuts. But my hair kept shedding.

So I decided to give my hair a break from the perm; I put braids in my hair. November 2009, I woke up one morning and decided to take out my braids. I looked at my hair and was like “I think it’s time”. I went into the mirror and chopped my hair. I had about an inch of hair left.

Transitioning Styles

What styles did you transition with?

My transitional styles were braids and weaves.

What are your favorite products so far?

Unfortunately, I am still struggling with finding the right products for my hair. I’ve spent so much money on products, but nothing seems to work. My hair is so thick and dry, the ladies in the office where I use to work, felt so bad for me, they gave me all these products to try; they didn’t work. I’m still searching.

What do you love most about your hair?

I love the thickness and curl my hair has!!! It’s so sad, but since I was 11, I had a perm. I forgot what my “real” hair looks like.

Was the manner in which you BC’d?

Not an expert in cutting hair, but I used a pair of scissors from a beauty supply store.

Natural Styles

List any opposition/problems you faced along the way.

WOW!!! I was so not prepared for the reaction I got. So after I did the BC that day, I felt so LIBERATED and true to who I really am, a beautiful Black women, I decided to take a walk outside with my new hairdo (Plus I was hungry, so I had to make a run to the store).

Soon as I stepped out the door, my heart started beating fast. Instead of taking my normal route to the store, I took a different way; I was too scared. Before I got to the first block, this guy said to me “you’re a beautiful sister”. Boy did that boost my confidence. I was so confident, on my way back; I decided to take my normal route home.

On my way back home, with a few houses before mine, these little boys on my block starting running behind me and making fun of me. I was so not prepared for that; in addition to the other problems I would soon face. I noticed the same guys that tried talking to me at school, train, outside when I’m walking etc, stopped talking to me. There have been other not so good experiences that I have had since I first cut my hair.

But another one that stood out for me was in class. We had to partner up and do various massage techniques to the head. By the time my partner was done with me, her hands and the massage table was so greasy, she had to step out to wash her hands because of the amount of grease I had in my hair (My hair was so dry, I was adding loads of grease to it).

Other problems: MAJOR dryness, shrinkage, inability to comb my hair.

Growth and progress

Advice for newly natural ladies.

We all know about having good overall heath; nutrition, water, exercise, sunshine, proper air, temperance, and hair maintenance. However, one we may sometimes I overall look is regular check-ups with your doctor. A few months having gone natural, I noticed, two areas in the back of my head were so dry, itchy and the hair kept coming out.

Long story short, I saw my dermatologist; they sampled a piece of my scalp. When the results came back, the doctor said I had eczema. My doctor gave me a topical treatment for my hair. My hair has grown back since then, but it’s still dry.

—-

Nadine, 

I normally comment at the beginning of the post, but I wanted to say a lot and didn’t want to take away from your feature.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your story had me very emotional. This thing called hair is powerful. 

I can tell by these pictures that you are a bad chick with gorgeous healthy hair and glowing beautiful skin. I am so sorry for all of the negativity you have experienced but I am so happy that you have come through it with such a positive attitude. 

I did want to make some suggestions based on your narrative:

Greasy hair does not always equal moisturized hair. A lot of products, especially those containing mineral oil and petroleum, will give the hair some shine and coat the hair (giving the appearance of moisturizing) but in reality, it’s not moisturizing the hair. When I touch my hair, I can feel some product, but it’s not completely drenched. (Click here and here to see my tips for moisture). 

I’m glad your doctor recognized your eczema for what it was! You are absolutely right that so many of us, myself included, will forgo seeing the doctor when we really need to be seen on a regular basis. For your eczema, you may want to (if you haven’t done this already) try some extra virgin coconut oil.  It works wonders for the condition. I don’t find it to be the most moisturizing thing for my hair, but I love it on my scalp and also to seal or oil rinse. 

Again, thank you for your story because I know there is a woman right now reading this who will continue her natural hair journey because of you!

An email from SRM:

Hi,

I love your site!  I am a BC and have been for about two years now.  I flat rion my hair or press and curl it with the comb frequently and am experiencing a lot of shedding.  Mainly short pieces of hair.  I took a break from flat ironing for a few months and did some protien treatment and deep conditioning treatments and my hair felt healthier.

Now I want to wear it straight but have the breakage again and as soon as I walk out side, my hair poofs and reverts very quickly.

Oh, and I workout six days a week, sweating in my scalp often.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

SRM

SRM, thanks for the email. I think you know what needs to happen. Sounds like the flat iron needs to go.

To be clear, if you’re getting a ton of short pieces of hair that do not have a white bulb (hair follicle) on one end, then you are experiencing breakage, not shedding. I hear a lot of people use these terms interchangeably, but it’s important to establish the difference.

Your hair has a natural shedding cycle that it is always going to do. The rate of shed may be increased or decreased by internal factors (ie pregnancy). Breakage is caused by damage or weakness of the hair.

If you want to be sure which is which, examine each hair closely to see what the deal is.

If it were me, I would give up the flat ironing. Especially since you work out so much. I am guessing that “frequently” means every week or more? That’s a lot of heat and a lot of potential damage. I would find that very frustrating: the breakage and the constant flat ironing. Your hair obviously doesn’t like it since it flourished during your break from heat. If you don’t stop completely, at least decrease the frequency with which you flat iron.

If you are still wanting to wear a straighter style, I would suggest trying rollersets on very low heat or air drying. I would also suggest that you leave your hair alone as much as you can. Don’t stop working out because… body /health > hair …any day of the week.

To decrease reversion, perhaps you should try some products that fight humidity. Sabino Moisture Block is highly recommended.  Though I have to admit that these types of products don’t always have the best ingredients.

Also, I don’t know where you live, but in an area of high humidity, you may be better off leaving the straight styles for the fall/winter time when you won’t be battling moisture in the air.

I know this probably isn’t the answer you want to hear, but that’s all I got!

Love, peace, and hair grease!

I was sent this article and thought I would share it. Very interesting info. In addition to being on the hunt for great hair, I’m also on the hunt for great skin!

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOUR SKIN?

BOARD CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST SERVES UP SOME COMPLEXION SAVING ADVICE

Want truly fabulous skin — glowing, vibrant, and younger looking skin? Make sure you’re putting foods for healthy skin on your plate.

“Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look,” says NYC Board Certified Dermatologist and Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgeon  Dr. Ariel Ostad.

The reverse is true as well. The less attention we pay to what goes in our mouth, the more problems we may see cropping up with our skin. “You could have sallow, dry and older-looking skin. It’s not going to happen overnight, but starve your skin long enough, and it’s going to show,” says Dr. Ostad. What’s more, some health experts believe that when your diet is missing certain foods for healthy skin, other, even more serious skin problems can result. Dr. Ostad points out that, “a number of conditions, such as acne, can cause you to suddenly break out. And some chronic skin conditions, such as eczema, may be linked to diet.”

Berries

Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries pack high amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants help block “free radicals,” such as the sun’s rays, from damaging skin cells. But don’t toss your sunscreen. Eating berries is an extra step you can take to help protect your skin from damage and prevent premature aging. “Free radicals; like the kind formed from sun exposure damage the membrane of skin cells, potentially allowing damage to the DNA of that cell,” says Dr Ostad. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in these fruits can protect the cell, so there is less chance for damage.” When you help protect the cells from damage and disintegration, you also guard against premature aging. In this respect, these fruits may very well help keep your skin younger looking longer,” says Dr. Ostad.

Sweet Potatoes

Vegetables such as sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene and vitamins A and C — a good formula for beautiful skin. These nutrients can help retain skin moisture and prevent dryness.

Low-Fat Dairy

One the most important components of skin health is vitamin A. One of the best places to get it is low-fat dairy products. In fact, experts say that the health of our skin cells is dependent on dietary vitamin A.  “The A in dairy products is true A, so everyone’s skin can use it,” says Dr. Ostad. He adds, “low-fat yogurt is not only high in vitamin A, but also acidophilus, the “live” bacteria that is good for intestinal health. It may also have an impact on the skin. Anything that helps keep digestion normal, any live bacteria or enzymes, is also going to be reflected in healthy-looking skin.”

Salmon, Walnuts, Canola Oil, and Flax Seed

These seemingly unrelated foods all deliver essential fatty acids, and thus are key foods for healthy skin. Essential fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes, which is not only what act as barriers to harmful things but also as the passageway for nutrients to cross in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell. Dr. Ostad explains that, “Because it is the cell membrane that also holds water in, the stronger that barrier is the better your cells can hold moisture. And that means plumper, younger looking skin.” The same inflammatory process that can harm our arteries and cause heart disease can harm skin cells. Essential fatty acids can offer protection to both. The best-known essential fatty acids are omega 3 and omega 6, which must be in balance for good health (and good skin). Though we all seem to get enough omega 6, Ostad says many people lack omega 3s. Fish, walnut, and flax seed oil are among the best sources.

Oils

Oils can give your skin much needed moisture. Just make sure you’re using healthy oils, such as olive oil. Adding just 2 tablespoons a day to your diet will help keep your skin properly lubricated and healthy.

Whole Grains

The mineral selenium is an antioxidant found in whole-grain products. Selenium can help control cell damage that can lead to skin cancer. Filling up on whole grains will help you avoid refined white flour and starchy foods that can increase your insulin levels. High insulin levels can induce inflammation and irritate your skin.

Green Tea

This beverage deserves its own category in any article about foods for healthy skin. The skin-health properties in this beneficial drink just can’t be beat. “It has anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s protective to the cell membrane. It may even help prevent or reduce the risk of skin cancer,” says Dr. Ostad. Indeed, a study published recently in the Archives of Dermatology shows that whether taken orally or applied to the skin, green tea can reduce the risk of damage from ultraviolet light (such as the burning rays of the sun), and thus reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Water

While the exact amount you should drink each day varies, no one disputes the role good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy and even young. When that hydration comes from pure, clean water; not liquids such as soda or even soup, experts say skin cells rejoice. “It is my belief that our skin needs at least eight glasses every day,” says Dr. Ostad. In addition to keeping cells hydrated, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which Dr. Ostad says automatically leaves skin looking better. He adds that, “when we’re properly hydrated, we also sweat more efficiently.”

SOME COMMON MYTHS DEBUNKED

Chocolate Causes Acne

Fried foods don’t, either. There is no little pipeline that carries oil from your intestines to your skin. Oily foods have nothing to do with the skin’s oiliness, and oil isn’t the cause of acne, anyway. Acne occurs when testosterone and other hormones stimulate the growth of skin over pores so that the oil, sebum, that keeps the skin flexible and wrinkle-free, gets trapped inside. When bacteria degrade this oil, then there can be whiteheads, blackheads, and various kinds of inflammation.

Junk Food and Dark Colas Cause Acne

Experts agree that there is no evidence to support the claim that gorging on pizza and Coke leads to acne. However, if you notice that your acne flare up significantly after consuming certain foods or beverages, eliminate those items and watch your skin. You may have stumbled in your own free brand of treatment.

Vitamin A Prevents Acne

The Truth – Vitamin A is an important part of skin health. Basically, if you don’t have enough Vitamin A in your system, your sebaceous glands produce excess lipids, causing pimples, but if you have too much vitamin A, while your pimples might not be the issue, other parts of your body, like your liver, may be negatively affected. The optimal daily intake with food and supplementation is about 15,000 IU.

If you’ve been around enough African American females, then you’ve probably heard the dismay expressed over sweating too much and ruining one’s hair. In fact, you may have been the one to share this particular sentiment ( I know I have!).

No, it’s no secret that many of us avoid swimming and working out because of our hair. Most people would associate this with just relaxed heads but I’ve heard many a natural lady complain about a twistout going awry because of an intense workout.

Though I still think everyone should get out there and workout even if you’ve got freshly a freshly flat ironed ‘do, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it’s easy to maintain such a style when you’re sweating like a hog.

Having said that, there’s no reason to sit there like a lump on  log either. So, here are a few ways to keep active with less possibility of ruining your ‘do.

Yoga

Downward Dog…Crane…Frog…Cobra…

No, not a trip to the zoo. It’s a trip to a relaxed and toned body!

Yoga can be for anyone. Whether you’re old or young, healthy or sick, yoga can be incorporated to fit your needs. No, you don’t have to look like old dude in the picture above. There are some very simple poses that don’t require you to turn into a human pretzel.

Here are some benefits of yoga:

• In some individuals,it improves blood circulation, heart rate, respiratory rate, and cardiac endurance.
• It can improve your posture
• More vigorous forms of yoga can improve muscle tone

Even though yoga has seeds in Buddhism and Hinduism, many other religions have found it to expand prayer and meditation as well. If you’ve never tried mediation, please do. On a stressful day, it really helps me to pull things together.

Most gyms that I’ve been to usually offer yoga classes, but you can do it at home. There are plenty of resources online and at the bookstore.

Tai Chi

Have you ever wanted to say that you are practiced in martial arts? Well, ta chi might be for you! (Do I sound like an informercial?)

It’s a soft martial art but still good for your body. I’ll admit, that most people I see doing it are older but I’ve tried it and found it to be very relaxing as well as a good stretch for my body. You basically perform a series of poses while moving gracefully…I’m not graceful, but even I felt my gracefulness boost a bit

Even though you usually see people moving slowly when doing these poses, there are some faster paced forms of tai chi as well.

Potential benefits:

• Reducing anxiety and depression
• Improving balance, flexibility and muscle strength
• Reducing falls in older adults
• Improving sleep quality
• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving cardiovascular fitness in older adult
• Relieving chronic pain
• Increasing energy, endurance and agility
• Improving overall feelings of well-being

Strength Training

We all know that there is a big difference between being flabby skinny:

and being toned skinny:

Even if you do have a lot of fat still, having some toned muscle under it can make it appear firmer. Other benefits of strength training:

• Improves muscle tone (for both appearance and functional reasons like posture)
• Protects bone health
• Disease prevention (strength training can be as helpful as medication for arthritis)
• Improves mood
• Boost energy levels
• Burns calories both during and after (you burn more calories at rest)

This site is so cool because it not only shows you different strength training exercises, but it gives you a video short (some with both male and female versions) of each exercise. I love it!

Other suggestions

If the above ideas don’t work for you, you can try:

• toning down your usual workout. Take a stroll outside for pleasure.
• working out indoors
• For  other tips on working out while wearing your hair straight, click here. There you will find how I keep up my natural flat ironed hair and still stay in my workout routine.

I want to add that this is one reason I could never go back to relaxers or wearing my hair pressed all the time. Even though I understand the sentiment, I think it’s ridiculous to lose the benefits of exercise simply for hair.

Moni's Awesome Braidout!

Hi Kcurly,

First, I want to say that I love your blog!  It’s definitely one of my favorites.  Now that the weather is warmer, I’m wearing my hair out in my signature braidout (picture attached).  Do you have any suggestions for a good daily moisturizer?  I’d like something light, either a lotion or cream, to use on my hair when I rebraid it in large braids at night.  I’m looking for something close to a hair milk, definitely not a spray.  Thanks for your help!

Cheers,

Moni

Moni, first of all your braidout is on fiyah! Just off the top of my head here are several suggestions for a light cream/lotion you might like for the warmer weather.

Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root

KBB Hair Nectar or KBB Hair Milk (Most people say the Nectar is lighter, though I’m the odd man out on that one)

Coconut Oil (Used sparsely of course)

Kinky Curly Knot Today

Maybe some of the ladies here can give you more recommendations. Thanks for reading!

So I’m still doing the straight thing. Getting tired of it quick and will probably do a wash n go sometime this weekend. Today I’m rocking a big old messy bun made with two satin scrunchies. (TIP: Satin scrunchies can be found at a lot of BSS and are great for making pony tails and buns if you experience breakage from hair bands. They don’t get the hair as tight as the elastics, but are much more gentle).

I am going to try and do a bun tutorial. Ya’ll please be patient with me, I know I said I was going to do another puff tutorial, but it just hasn’t happened yet. But it will!

So here is my workout hair for this week. I’ve had some reversion near the nape and at the roots a bit, but it’s still ok considering I’ve been sweating like a pig. I did the high ponytail and then banded the rest of my hair.

I also have my trusty headband firmly in place to soak up the sweat.

If you’d like to try this but your hair is too short to get into one ponytail, do 4 or 5, however many you need. Make sure the roots are pulled taunt for when you start sweating.

Hello Kcurly,
In September 2009, I decided I wanted to be chemical free and start wearing my naturally curly hair. I have a really dry/coarse grade of hair so I knew it would be a challenge. So I informed my step mom and she gave me information about a Keratin Treatment that may make the transition a little easier (she swears by this stuff).

Needless to say, I tried and IT failed. The skin around my edges started to peel and I began to shed a lot more than normal. I told her about this and she suggested I should keep moisturizing it, and said the flat iron may have been too hot. I thought it was an allergic reaction or it was done wrong. During the next month and a half, I became a proud owner of three new bald spots!!! I then realized my hair could not be saved and I went to have it all chopped off. That was the most emotional moment for me. I wanted to try the transition gradually, and be more comfortable with the thought of being a “bald” woman; so let’s just say, this is what caused my big-cut-decision.

About a week after the BC I decided “hey let’s try a texturizer.” Granted, that made me a little more accepting of the cut because it didn’t look so dry and I had some curl definition, but I didn’t want to have to rely on chemicals anymore. I only wore my hair out in public ONE time after that. I didn’t like the cream that was suggested by the manufacturer because it left a nasty film on my hair. Another one I tried, within their line, left my hair crunchy. I have no idea what to use or try. After all of the disappointment I decided not to put another texturizer in my hair, and continue with my original plan.

Well, now it’s January and I’ve been covering up this “mess” with hats and head wraps. Last week I decided to go to the barber shop and have it cut again. As of right now, I have no more chemically treated hair on my head. BUT, I’m back to covering it up because I don’t know how to moisturize it, and keep it looking nice and healthy. Also, he cut it a lot shorter than it was when I first started.

I read a few of the product reviews and suggestions you posted, and I have no idea where to start. You gave so many great options I got a little overwhelmed. Do you, and fellow readers, have any suggestions for beginners? I currently wash and condition my hair with Silk Elements product line, and I have been using Mostions moisturizer on my hair. I realized the moisturizer isn’t doing much because a) my hair eats it all up and it doesn’t even last at least two hours, b) I have to put almost the whole bottle in at one time, and c) my hair is still very brittle. If I scratch my head the wrong way I have hair falling from my head. Help me guys!!!

Thanks,
Tiara

Tiara, you have been through it, girl! I hope your experiences show other newly naturals the road of chemical alteration is fraught with peril. (Think you want a texture softener? Read this post!)

Now on to your questions. This post and this post have suggestions for keeping moisture in your hair (or rather, this is what’s worked for me).

The products that you’re using…I’m not familiar with the Silk Elements line, but the Motions moisturizer is garbage, to be quite frank. Get away from the stuff with mineral oil or petroleum in it. That’s why it’s just sitting on your hair. Stuff like that is ok on top of something moisturizing, as with the Chicoro method (she uses vaseline to seal in after using conditioner) but to rely on it by itself makes my hair into a hot mess.

Now, once you’ve tried everything else, you may want to try eliminating silicones. That is not for everyone, but they do cause some people to have buildup and dry hair.

You have a TWA so keep it simple. I first suggest you do a shampoo to start with a clean slate. Do a good DC (check the ingredients, if you are short on money Lustrasilk has an awesome DC), and go from there.  Conditioner wash when you need to, sleep with a satin scarf/pillowcase, deep condition, moisturize as needed, try to limit the shampooing, oil your scalp as need.

Most importantly, read, read, read and educate yourself. Good luck!

Maybe some readers will have some more suggestions for you!