Hey everyone,

I’m having a lot of trouble with my hair and it’s really affecting my self esteem and confidence at work. I have really curly hair (type 4C according to the charts) and it’s always dry and tangled.

I’m looking for some good hair care tips, especially during these cold, dry winter months. What are your favorite products? How often do you shampoo your hair? Just throw out the routines and products that have worked well for you.

Thank you!

Read up on Keratin products. CHI and IT make excellent Keratin hair care products, I use both.

What is this "hair" thing of which you speak?

I'm mostly bald and buzz off the rest. No more worries.

I'm not bald but have a thinning spot on top. In the last 20 years, I've just hated paying for haircuts. So I've always had a set of clippers that come from WalMart of Target and about every 2 months I just buzz it off. Or more specific, my 6 year old granddaughter has said to me more than once "Grandpa Mike, your hair is very long..."

Here in Salt Lake, there's a place called "The $6.00 Barber Shop" and I've gone there several times when I don't feel like clipping do-it-myself. They are kind of uneven and the last time I went about 3 weeks ago, the price has gone to $8.00. And my cheapskate son in Wyoming was complaining about paying $15.00 there.

I once told my kids that when I was a teenager I used to part my hair down the middle. Their response - "You still do dad...its just that the part has gotten wider." I knew should have gotten that vasectomy when I had the chance.

I've been shaving my head in the shower every two or three days for the past 20 years. No fuss, no muss. I have a nice collection of hats to keep my head warm during the winter, and to protect it from the sun during the summer.

Before you wash your hair, cover it with castor oil, and give in about five minutes to soak in.

Also, cover your eyebrows and lashes with castor oil.

Then wash as usual.

You will be amazed at the difference.

Lois

And, you may want to try a collagen supplement in a shake. Add nutritional yeast to that, and you can't go too wrong.


Some stylists say not to wash it every day, but I can't help it! I wash it every single day--that's just me.

Your description seems more likely to be a nutrient deficiency or imbalance, rather than the result of external sources.

(External sources would be: too much direct sun on your hair because you work outdoors, or you live in an environment which is deficient in atmospheric moisture, or you are chronically exposed to external sources of toxins.)

Your hair is grown within your body, so it is likely that you are deficient in essential hair nutrients.

Start with water: Are you properly hydrated? Water is the most essential "nutrient" in your body, so you always need to drink enough "good" water daily (which may well mean water other than tap water). I drink at least a half-gallon of distilled water every day, and this seems about optimum for me. (Distilled water is pure water, and it is the best choice--"spring water" may, or may not, be an improvement on tap water, but distilled water is guaranteed to be pure.)

The first thing I do in the morning is drink nine big swallows of distilled water, and then I wait for about a half-hour before I take in anything else. Not only does this hydrate your body, it also (if you wait for awhile, like twenty minutes, before drinking or eating anything else) cleanses your body of toxins you don't need and don't want.

Beyond water, you need a really good (means: comprehensive) multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, which you take first, with your breakfast.

Specifically for what you have described: you need a good B-complex supplement which contains at least 50 mcg (microgram) of biotin, plus at least 200 IU (International Units) of Vitamin E (which may be designated as "tocotrienols" on the label), plus (as an additional supplement) lecithin in capsules.

[Lecithin, which was originally made from egg yolks when it first came on the market in supplement form, specifically improves the structural properties of hair, making it "stronger, softer, and more shiny." I take two, 1200 mg (milligram), capsules of GNC "Triple Lecithin" every morning, not for my hair specifically (I don't have any problems with my hair), but because lecithin is one of the important supports for "a healthy heart, liver, and nervous system"--and in addition, it is an important part of continuing skin health and skin density maintenance too.]

If you do not eat fatty fish (like wild-caught salmon; NOT fish-farmed salmon!!) several times a week, I would also strongly recommend that you take a good fish oil supplement (in capsule form) every day as well. (Designations such as DHA, Omega 3, EPA, and others generally indicate that the source of those sub-units is fish oil.)

Because of the sale of Whole Foods to Amazon, there has been (since Amazon took over) considerable dumbing-down of the supplements sold at Whole Foods, so I no longer recommend Whole Foods as a supplement source. They do still have some things, but they have dropped other important things (this is true for the food products they offer too), and their supplement prices are often too high (for the exact same products as are carried elsewhere).

[Since the sale of Whole Foods to Amazon, and although we still do shop there, we are also now having to shop, just about every week, at Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Follow Your Heart (our local, and now legendary, health food store), and even at our local supermarket for what we used to buy, almost entirely, at Whole Foods alone. Whole Foods, after Amazon took over, just doesn't, anymore, carry a bunch of really important things which used to part of their regular, everyday, "of course" inventory.]

In your local community, you can go to your local health foods store (if you have one in your area), or Sprout's (a "more healthy" supermarket), or your local GNC store (which are "everywhere"), and which offer excellent products at mostly really good prices (especially if you take advantage of their various customer benefit programs and their frequent coupons).

Online, I very highly recommend Life Extension (www.lifeextension.com), whose nutritional products are always among the best quality, and the most cutting-edge in response to the latest scientific research, and whose monthly magazine (mailed to customers) can literally save your life if you pay attention to the information provided in the various articles.

Hope this helps!

My twin granddaughters have very curly hair. They swear by the Deva Curl products and found a hair stylist trained in the Deva Curl method. They used to feel frustrated by their hair but now they look great and it takes very little time.

Yes--Tevai is right about Whole Foods changing, after the Amazon buy-out. AND THEY THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T NOTICE!

Curly hair runs in our family, and I inherited it. Also, in our family is alopecia, which is a thinning of the hair. My uncles and older male cousins are all bald (but very handsome), and my aunts had baldness, in their 80's and 90's. Longevity runs in my family, too.

Still, there is a lot you can do with curly hair. People with curly hair usually seem to hate it, but I like it!

Are you a male or female?

I have to have a good professional haircut. Stylists usually cut it too short, if they cut it wet. The curls shrink the length as much as 2 inches. Show the stylist what your hair looks like curly. I get a dry cut.

Hairstyles make a huge difference. Beauticians usually style my hair weird, because they have no idea how strong and stubborn curls can be. They usually blow-dry it straight and smooth and shiny, but flattened and heated until it is limp and thin. An hour later, because I live in the air, and I move around, it bounces back in a poofy mess at the bottom, still flat at the top, like a pyramid. Cartoonists sometimes use this hairstyle, as do clowns.

Embrace your curls! You're stuck with them, anyway. The more you fight with them, the stranger your hair will look. Find a hairstyle and cut that is compatible with curls.

Because my hair is also thin, hair products just mat it down, in a gooey, greasy mess. There are too many products out there, and I've tried them all:

Conditioner is excellent, but rinse all of it off. The leave-in conditioner doesn't work with thinner hair. All of our family uses conditioner to get rid of the frizz.

De-tangling spray works, but leaves the hair limp, and seems to make it even curlier. On my granddaughter and on myself, I use plain water, as the de-tangler seems to make our hair worse.

Trial and error.

These are the products I can not use:

De-frizz products are just oil. You might like it for your dry hair.My daughter uses olive oil sometimes, but her hair is very, very thick. My hair is oily, so I can't use it at all.

Curl-defining (which makes curls glop together in ropes, like dreadlocks) It makes my hair crunchy

Gels (which make your hair dry and brittle) Some contain alcohol, which would be very bad for your hair.

Hair creams and lotions (the "greaser" look) Watch out for alcohol and other preservatives.

Thickening spray (weighs it down)

Regular hair spray (too thick and sticky for fine curls, but I use it, anyway, for windy days). You should not breathe the propellant, and it's bad for the environment. I use the pump spray, though it doesn't go on as evenly.


With most curly hair, my beautician says that the less you fuss with it, the better. With my daughters and granddaughters, I would wash their hair, fix it, then leave it. It was almost impossible to re-brush it to touch it up. Once it was messy, it was messy, until the next washing. For that reason, I washed it almost every day. I wash mine every other day. With a good cut, that works. We are sporty, and active, and we swim and ski and hike in the weather, and wear hats, throw snowballs, so we have to wash and style our hair more often.

Can you wear a pony tail or an up-do on your bad hair days? My daughters always have to have their hair long enough to wear "up." My curly hair seems to improve with moisture.

My daughters use a porcelain straightening iron. Be careful if you try one. My hair is too thin and delicate to use one of those. Porcelain doesn't damage hair as much, and adds shine.

We also use keratin products. "Kerastase" brand is on Black Friday sale at Amazon and Sephora. I have to be gluten-free, as well.


I'm assuming you're female. My best friend in college was beautiful, and she had very curly hair. She was Homecoming Queen, and a song-leader. She was not Black, but she would go to Black salons, to stylists who were trained to specialize in African hair. My SIL has 2 adopted girls from Africa, and she lets the specialty salon put their curly hair in corn rows and braids, every few months, and they look darling.

Everything is expensive, while you are trying things out, but once you find what works, you can find stuff on sale. It's worth it, to finally like you own hair!

For males, my sons did better when they didn't try to straighten their hair, or fight against the curls. If they tried to tame it down, it would just stick up in the wrong places. Sometimes curls lay better, if they're not cut too short.

LOL--well--you asked.....

Mother Who Knows Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes--Tevai is right about Whole Foods changing,
> after the Amazon buy-out. AND THEY THOUGHT WE
> WOULDN'T NOTICE!

Yes!!!!!

[Also great practical info in the rest of your post, too. ;)]

I live in a humid climate so it tends to frizz the hair on muggy days. There's not a whole lot to do about it unless someone wants to spend hours on end working with their hair, but I don't.

I give into the curls. I start with a good conditioner/shampoo combo - whatever works best for my hair type. Then I add a leave-in conditioner styler for extra body when air drying.

To add bounce and curls, my salonist recommends Redkin curvaceous. A little bit goes a long way. Mix that with a little drop (dime size,) of Paul Mitchell Super Skinny serum to make it easier to apply so it isn't so thick and distributes more evenly throughout the hair.

Another product I like is Paul Mitchell Full Circle Leave-In Treatment. Frizz Free Curl Therapy. I experiment with them and interchange them so I don't use the same product all the time.

Also look for the sales. Like buy 1, get one half price. That kind of thing. It goes easier on the budget.

in 4 links to pics ~



thx ~

I have very fine wavy/curly hair. My hair needs a lot of moisture, but is easily weighed down with too much product. I am currently using Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Humectress conditioner (you can get both at Wal-Mart.) After, I wrap my hair in a towel, and then put a pea-size dab of conditioner (currently, It's a 10 Silk Express Miracle Silk Conditioner, John Freida also makes a similar cream conditioner) in the palm of my hand and mix it liberally with water. I then use both hands to smooth down my hair and control the frizzies. The key is to keep the mixture on the light side. I might do this 2-3 times, combing it through, and then use another dab to crunch up my curls. Then I let my hair air-dry, or use a mixture of air-drying and blow drying. You might want to use a diffuser on your blow dryer.

I don't know if this will work for you, but some or all of my routine might be worth considering.

Watch your hair carefully for when the strands start to separate or look greasy. That's when you wash it. You shouldn't need to wash it as often in the winter time. Since your scalp is dry, once a week might be plenty.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2018 07:57PM by summer.

I have been no-poo (condition only) for about 5 years.

My hair and scalp are much nicer for it. No, my hair and scalp are not greasy. My scalp is not dry and itchy like it was before.

You really don’t need to put soap on your hair to get it clean anyway. The act of scrubbing and the hot water running over it gets rid of the dirt, pollution, and extra oils you produce.

I do wash and style my hair every morning before work.

On the weekend I usually don’t do anything unless I’m going to something special. It still looks, feels, and smells nice even two days out from the last wash.

Dallin Oaks has mastered the no fuss no muss no hair thing but not a look I would recommend!

I buzz mine with a 1/2" guard on my electric hair shaver about every 2 - 3 months. Rinse it every day with water, and wash it with dandruff shampoo about once a week.

I don't know about you, but it works for me :)

I've been told that beer is marvelous for nourishing and strengthening of hair. Just don't screw it up with root beer.

It's wash with beer for me too, and condition with 3 egg yolks once a week, the hair just soaks it right in.

I use Shu Uemura products.

Don't freak - none of this is as expensive as it seems after the initial outlay. Excluding cuts/styling, I spend about $200 maybe $250/year on this stuff.

https://www.shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com/

In the winter, I only wash my hair twice (sometimes once) a week. On the off days, I wet my hands and finger comb my hair and use product (Cotton Uzu) as needed to tame the mane and define the curls.

Before I shampoo, I brush my hair. I use a Mason Pearson brush. I've had it for almost 20 years. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. Brushing loosens up any weirdness that my hair has picked up and it make my scalp happy and distributes my natural oils.

I use Urban Moisture shampoo and conditioner. I only shampoo once - no rinse repeat silliness.

**Important** I comb my hair while the conditioner is in, and I comb my hair after I've gently towel dried it <-- Sometimes I skip this step. I use a super-wide tooth comb. After the tangles are out, I don't comb it anymore. Use only your fingers for the rest. Always comb from end to scalp. Like hold a fistful/section of hair and gently comb the ends and make your way up to your scalp. Gentle. Gentle.

I follow with essence absolue hair camellia oil - smells soooo good. My hair is about to the middle of my back but I only need two pumps on average. I focus on the mid->end parts of my hair. Finger comb, finger comb.

Then I use a leave-in conditioner - I was looking for the name, but they don't carry it anymore. Anyway, I finger comb it through my hair and the main thing to remember is that you want to focus on the length and ends and not plop it on the top of your head.

Then do other stuff like brush my teeth, and I've gotten into Korean skin care, so I mess around with that and a Foreo Luna Play Plus (I swear this thing is straight from heaven https://www.foreo.com/luna-play-plus). I let my hair air dry for a while, and before I go out, I finger comb my hair with Cotton Uzu. Sometimes I take sections of hair and twist it around my finger (always away from my face). My hair is still wetish when I leave. I won't blow dry it with a diffuser or anything. I'll go get a professional blow out once in a while.

Once a month, I use a purple conditioner because I have silver streaked and salt-and-pepper hair. The purple conditioner makes the silver gleam and pop, but if you use too much, you turn into a blue hair lady.

I guess the main thing is that you do as little as possible to stress out your hair. Also look into getting silk or satin pillowcases - good for the hair.

I'm thinking about getting a stacked bob. Meh.

tl;dr



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2018 12:17AM by Beth.

Just use the pads of your fingers. Brushing before you wash gives you that nice scalp massage. Also keep the water as cool as you can stand (I KNOW! SUCKS!). And if my scalp does get itchy, I'll use an apple cider vinegar rinse. The only problem is that the smell of the vinegar will be in your nose All. Day. But your hair won't smell like vinegar. Promise.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2018 12:14AM by Beth.

They do natural hair only. I started taking my kid here in her teens when she wanted locks. You don't have to be near Philly to talk to them about hair tips.

http://new.duafephilly.com/

There is a great 4C Natural Hair Chicks Facebook page. I wash my daughter's hair in sections. Washing it in sections has been the best thing I ever figured out :).

For a couple of years I made her shampoo out of African Black Soap, jojoba oil and peppermint.

Target has a great line called Carol's Daughter.
She washes it a couple of times a week.

YouTube offers a lot of help:)

Good luck.

Try dying your hair, always a lighter shade than your own color if you want to look young.

Hair dye seems to help some hair problems.

But stay away from NICE AND EASY by Clairol. It's horrible stuff since they changed their formula this year.

I switched to Excellence by L'Oreal and my hair is great again.

only because contrary to conventional wisdom, any hair type that is similar to African hair is *more* delicate than hair that is more similar to European hair.

Coarse curly hair is more prone to breakage. Straightening (even Brazilian or whatever "natural" straightening processes are in vogue) are chemical straighteners. Then your curly roots grow back in and you're stuck in what I think is a ridiculously expensive cycle of maintenance. The same goes for color. If you choose to color your hair, professional bayalage would be a better technique as it grows out better and all your hair isn't colored and stressed.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2018 12:35PM by Beth.

Also, at least in my case the Brazilian Blow Out process destroyed my hair. It took 18 months of monthly cuts and NO chemicals to get it back to normal.

Now I just embrace my curls frizz and all.

I just don't have the time or will to blow it out myself. And my arms get tired. Blech. But I've been really leery of chemical straightening.

So, yeah. Embrace the curls and whatever the hell they decide to do.

I use Wen from QVC - Pomegranite. I use it like ordinary shampoo (don't pile it on) and then a little as a leave in shampoo.

I know there has been a lawsuit, and my hairdresser says don't use it, but it does leave it manageable and not lumpy.

The instructions say 14 pumps. I use 1 to wash and 1/2 as leave in. I don't use cold water. My hair looks the best it ever has. Also, the color stays longer.