I'm at a loss!

I'm still pretty new to Curlynikki but looking at all the pics of beautiful natural ladies i'm not clear about something. I would say i'm 4b pretty kinky with some tiny spirals in different places. I see all these folks with what looks like my hair type but they have all these tiny curls. My hair is a big nappy mess. i'm okay with nappy (cause i have to be) but some of you guys hair is so moisturized looking and you have these tiny little cute curls. Is there something i'm missing with my dry haystack of hair? If any of you have suggestions I would surely appreciate it. Like what products do any of you 4b's use to give that shiny, curly/kinky look? Any help from anybody would be really appreciated. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Good Morning Dawn! How long have you been natural? & what kind of products are you currently using?

Well, I'm wearing kinky twist extensions now so i basically have been using hello hydration conditioner and letting it sit for 10 min, rinsing and then i put Infusium 23 on it then, evoo. I'm taking it down this weekend but every time I takke it down and think about wearing my own natural hair in twists, i remember that my hair draws up so much that in places where it's down to mid back when stretched it looks about 1-1/2 inches. so I'm at a loss as to what to do.
I've been all natural for a little over a year and i don't want to do what i have done in the past which is to see all this hair and think: "hmmmm i should relax" cause I know that is only going to make me bald once again. I also put megatek on my scalp only about 2x per week. That's pretty much it.

I have 4a hair, and here’s what I usually use to moisturize:
- A leave-in (Giovanni Direct Leave-In)
- A spritz (water and conditioner)
- Extra virgin coconut oil

I keep it very simple, but it seems to be working. As for your twists shrinking, I seem to get better length retention with braids as opposed to twists. If you like the look of twists, maybe you could braid your wet hair and when they’re dry, take them out and put twists in. I hope that helps!

The only thing I can think of is that you're missing a step in your routine: moisturizer after your leave-in! Also as a natural it's soooooo important to do deep conditioning treatments!!!! That could make a HUGE difference in how your hair feels if you do a deep treatment every week.

I am also a little leary of megatek ... I'm not sure how beneficial it really is but I don't really know the facts. I just don't believe that products can make your hair grow faster (personal opinion). Why are you using megatek if you don't mind me asking dawn?

I started using it for my edges that were almost non-existent due to a relaxer gone bad. Now, whether or not it made my edges grow back or they were just going to grow back anyway I don't know. But thank you for the deep conditioning thought. That is something I don't do on a regular basis. I'm going to try that beginning tonight. I only have a small amount of Megatek left so that will be it Thanks again for the advice!!!

I have 4b/a hair and realized early on that I was not going to have the cute little curls you're talking about. But just because your hair may not do that, it doesn't mean your hair isn't cute. So to some degree, I think you just have to accept your hair type for what it can do. It's important that we don't try to compare our hair to others, but rather let it do it's own thing and what it does best.

Now, if dryness is your issue. I suggest applying products in this order:

1. Water based leave in
2. Oil
3. Creamy Moisturizer

And like BHolmes said make sure you are doing deep treatments as well as protein treatments. I find my hair clumps and coils better when there is a proper balance of moisture and protein. HTH.

Thanks Juices and berries. I am thinking that you are right. I do keep looking at others hair with the cute little coily curls and thinking that is what my hair should do. I'm going to accept that and move on. But i do think i'm missing deep conditioning and moisture. I'm going to try yes to cucumbers and that Queen Helene deep conditioner and see if that helps. Thanks everybody for all you kind words.