Newly Natural- 4a/b hair i think- Help!

Hey ladies,
Since I am so newly natural I dont really know what works for my hair yet. My hair is extreemly dry all the time when i was relaxed and now. But i did notice Hardly ANY hair has come out since my BC- so thats good. I have been spending all day on this site looking at product reviews on different prducts but I dont see many product suggestions from fellow 4a/ 4bs. I want to get some like basic products to start out with tomorrow. I have already: Herbal essence hello hydration, VO5- free me freesia and eco styler gel with olive oil- which i think that gel might be to heavy for my curls. I also have some pure organic shea butter that i got from whole foods but it seems to be verry thick and heavy and when ive put it in my hair it kind of weighs my curls down- maybe i should whip it or something? i dunno- I need help!!lol Suggestions ladies of basics that work for you to keep your 4 hair soft, moisturized, frizzless and defined?

The things that have helped me with dry hair include:
Deep conditioning weekly (I use Lustrasilk)
Organic Aloe Vera Gel (I get from Whole Foods)
and protecting my hair from dry air (wearing hats, buns, twists, etc)

Hi there,

I also purchased some unrefined shea butter from Whole Foods. I scooped some out (along with some unrefined coconut oil) into a plastic container, added a few drops of jojoba and olive oils, and I popped it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. I whipped it up, and I've been using it on my hair (3C/4A), as well as my daughter's hair (4A). It works wonders, and it smells great!

HTH! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hurjurnee

I"m realizing in some areas the shea butter is a bit too heavy for me as well (I'm everything from a 3b-4b!).... the post above made mention of coconut and jojoba oil.... so try mixing your shea with a lighter oil (coconut, EVOO, jojoba, etc)... if that doesn't work, try just using an oil for sealing!

Thanks ladies for your inputs I will def try the dif things you curlies suggested for the dry hair .
what about products you use for like cowashes, deep treatments? Any expeeriences with the ecostyler gels? I was thinking about trying aubrey organics conditioners either the honey suckle rose or the white cameilla as a deep conditioner - then buying giovannis to use as a leave in conditioner
and are you ladies telling me to use those shea mixes as stying mixes for my curls? or basically just as a moisturizer?

Hi! I'm a 4b so I can totally appreciate where you are right now. I had a hard time trying to figure out what worked for me so I started keeping a running tally of all the things that I tried. I have a cheat sheet that I e-mail out to all the newbies that I run into around town. Here's the part about the products that I use:

Conditioner for co-washing:
Suave Organics - Coconut
Suave Humectants (add olive oil & honey to the bottle to super charge it for deep conditioning too)
Herbal Essance Totally Twisted
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration
Crème of Nature

Leave- In Conditioner:
Giovanni Leave-in Direct Conditioner (now Giovanni can be found at Wal-Mart, Target & Whole Foods. It runs about $8 but I’ve found it for $5 at TJ Maxx lately. You can stretch it by adding some to a small spritz bottle & adding some water)

Oils & Butters
Unrefined & 100% pure shea butter (you can mix all kinds of oils to it)
Organic coconut oil (you can find it at Whole Foods. It freezes at 60 degrees & below but you can rub a bit in your palms to apply it. A little goes a long way so just us a bit our you’ll look like you’re in a SoulGlo commercial)
Jojoba oil
Extra virgin olive oil (I’ve found that it’s cheaper at Whole Foods. A ginourmous bottle at WF will only be about $6. You can mix EVOO with anything to make is more moisturizing)
Castor oil (this will help thicken hair, especially edges, over time.
Tea tree oil (good for scalp massages but really strong fragrance)

@akaprincess00: that cheat sheet is a great idea, its hard remembering all the details from months and years of trial and error

@akaprincess- wow thanks so much i will be adding some of these things to the list as well. My shea butter that i have doesnt say its unrefined it just says pure organic shea butter- does that make a differnece if it doesnt mention unrefined? Also have u ever tried any gels to give more definition?

@tiashauntee - Thanks! Sometimes I'm convinced that my brain is full to capacity so I had to sit down & put all this on paper. I've been running into more & more naturals since I did my BC last summer so I wanted to organize my arsenal so that I could spout it out when needed.

@Blackdoll83 - I tried using EcoStlyer & some other one that all the boards were buzzing about but they weren't my cup of tea. I don't to wash 'n go styles so I really didn't have any use for them. I wear twist-outs daily so gel made my curls crunchy. Instead I use aloe vera gel or honey. Honey was a completely accidental find. I got carried away with it & realized that it makes an awesome gel to slick edges and can make some ridiculously sculptured coils! I will message you the full cheat sheet. I need to add on to it with my findings on henna & styling so maybe I'll know that out this weekend.

ETA: I'm not completely a fan of shea butter. I'm still playing around with way to get it to work for me. I have a hard time getting the weight & application just right to where it doesn't make my hair too soft.

I use a cheap, somewhat thin conditioner for rinsing product out of my hair, in-between deep treatments. I am currently using Garnier Nutrisse conditioner for my deep treatments...but I'm a full-fledged PJ (product junkie), so ask me next month, and that may change...lol. I've never used an ecostyler gel, but I've read on curlynikki's product list that she loves the AO conditioner. I BC'd in August 2008, and I've had to try different products on my hair to see how my hair responds to various ingredients.

I used the shea mix when I did my daughter's cornrows, and I've been using it to touch up my edges and seal my ends. I did a twist-out earlier this week, only using my shea mix while twisting my damp hair, and I've received rave reviews!

I'll finally get my avatar up this weekend, so you can see.

HTH!

Have a great weekend, curlies!

This is what I get when I use echostyler gel the one with olive oil. You have to apply in small sections while hair is wet and smooth and rake through with your fingers. Keep a spray bottle filled with water to rewet hair also apply a leave in conditioner first. Now this takes a looong time to dry so allow for that, for me a day and a half. Once completely dry from roots to end apply a light moisturizer to soften the curls you can also use spritz of your choice just don't wet it too much. Also the steam from a hot shower will also soften and loosen the curl sleep with a satin bonnet and your pretty much ready to go little work to do in the morning this last me up to 7 days. You won't see the length because there is a lot of shrinkage you'll see more as your hair grows out!
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This picture is I think 5 day hair! When my hair was shorter didn't like it but now I love it !!
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@hurjurnee -oh ok.. The shea mix to smooth and seal- got it. Cant wait to see your curls!
@naturalhonney- whoa thats what ecostyler did to your hair? And the style was 5 days old? Thats pretty amazing. I tried the eco styler 2 times this week and both times i just put some of it in my hand and just rubbed it in like i would conditioner- maybe i should try to do it in sections like u said- thats probably better than my method lol

Blackdoll to get defined curls you have to do it as I mentioned making sure the sections are not to big and I forgot to mention after its all applied shake your head like a wet dog lol to seperate the curls do this a few times I get crazy with it. One more thing apply the gel how you want your curls to fall when dry, once dry thats what you get.


My avatar is results from my twist-out.

@naturalhonney - K. will do. Thanks [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

@naturalhonney - i need to cut and paste this so when i have enough length i can try your method. love the shake your head like a wet dog. lol

@TMS~Feel free and I love the quote btw! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

@naturalhonney - thanks! i'm going to use that quote when folks start questioning/commenting on my decision to go natural.

another one that i've come across by him goes something like this "take the kinks out of your brain, not out of your hair."

Good idea and the second one I seen on a tee shirt! love it!!

@akaprincess00 - I've heard great review about honey, but have been afraid to use it, b/c all I can think about is bees chasing me, lol! Do you mix anything with the honey when you use it?

I use honey a lot and bees don't bother me. You must mix it will something or you will have a hard sticky mess.
Mixes vary from water to conditioner, it depends on the type of treatment you are looking for.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2107162_make-natural-honey-hair-conditioner.html

http://tipnut.com/honey-hair-treatment-recipes/

http://www.recipezaar.com/Honey-Deep-Hair-Conditioner-112018

@Happy2B - I was just writing to another newbie about how I discovered honey. I can't say that I've had any problems with bees or any other insects. First, make sure that it's 100% honey! Alot of places sell honey-flavored syrup & you don't want to put that crap in your hair!! On my wash or co-wash day, I pour about a tablespoon of honey into my hand & work it through my dripping wet hair. Honey has NO SLIP so it will stay wherever you put it if you don't work it through. Once I work it through, I go about my normal styling. I always use a bottle of Giovanni Leave-In & water to do my twists so this also helps as a "carrier" to distribute the honey as you are working it through. In the past, I've mixed honey with my conditioner or used it was a gel (on dripping wet hair only). Don't be afraid to play around with it. The worst case scenario is that you'll have to rinse it out & then you can just consider that your co-wash of the day!

Thanks tiashauntee and akaprincess for the info. I'll try to experiment with some of these mixtures this weekend since I'll be snowed in....I'll have lots of time to play in my hair. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

hola. i new to this forum and I am wondering how did you guyes decide or fiqure out what your hair texture is? and how do I go about it?

@piiinkz, here's the link that alot of people use. I'm only 3 months out from my last relaxer and I plan to transition for all of 2010 (hopefully) and alot of the ladies on the site say you can't see your true curl pattern until you cut off your relaxed ends.

Either way, this list has been great for me to start guessing!!

http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

@piinky - jamaicanmecurly is right on with the link. Once you figure out your hair type, you know what to expect from your hair & can think look into products that work specifically for your hair type.