NEED OF A BIG SISTER IMMEADIATELY!

Hello my fellow curly divas,
I am a new natural in the need of some serious guidance! I did the big
chop on Monday and I absolutely love it! No more creamy crack for me!!!!
I decided to began the transition from relaxed to natural at the end of
my first year at UVA, this past May 2010. When I came home from school
at the end of May I chopped my bra strap length hair into an ear length
bob. You see I've been going to the hair salon getting my hir styled
since I was a little girl so honestly I wasn't very good at doing my own
hair. I felt that if it was shorter I could manage it better (NOT
TRUE!). I headed back to summer school in the beginning of June and soon
after a month of struggling with making my hair look good, juggling
schoolwork and running (love my workouts!) I decided it was time to say
goodbye to the relaxed ends so I big chopped on July 7 and have never
looked back! However, I really do need some guidance! After the big chop
I food my hair texture to be very curly and I think I have some places
on the sides where my hair is more tightly coiled curls. Everyone loves
my chop which is encouraging. However, I'm kinda nervous. I was not good
at doing my relaxed hair and I have become a natural hair blog junkie
lol! I really want to try all the styles like braids and twist outs, but
I could barely twist my hair when it was relaxed...is there any hope
that I could learn? How hard would it be to teach myself??? Also I need
some help with products. In terms of the type of products I usually use,
I'm a natural/organic girl. My diet consists of primarily organic foods
and even down to cleaning products I try to use products that are
derived from natural things. The hair products that I bought when i
decided to go natural are; Organix coconut shampoo and conditioner,
cantu shea butter leave in, olive oil(which I mix with water to seal)
and currently I'm using some Mizani Moisturizing Hairdress as a leave-in
before I open up my Cantu. However, my hair has felt very itchy since
probably a day after my big chop. My cousin who went natural about 6
months ago suggested that I wash my hair with shampoo and see if that
got rid of the itch (I had been cowashing everyday because of my daily
runs), but it didn't help. When I wash my hair with Organix it doesn't
feel squeaky clean like my hair used to when I used organic shampoo.
It's really upsetting as well because my hair also feels dry to me
although people ensure me that it's not. I did not originally buy
products like Giovanni because when I first decided to go natural I had
not done the research that I have now and most natural blogs encouraged
newbies to not focus on spedning extra money to buy organic products
before you see how your hair takes to certain things. honestly, I wish I
had bought products like Giovanni and Aubrey organics maybe that would
have made a difference in how my hair feels right now:( People suggest
so many different types of products that it was a little overwhelming!
Also i feel like I'm messing up my curl pattern, my hair was much more
curly after my big chop than it is now;I feel like my hair looks frizzy
(Could the hairdress be to thick for my twa?). I'm really frustrated, I
hate not having good products or what I need. SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!

Yikes!

Take a deep breath and exhale!

I applaud you for taking the healthy route! When we neglect our health, the hair is the first to go.

I'll address the frizz first. Try a shampooing once every two weeks. Look at the ingredient list on your conditioners. Too many 'cones tend to interfere with the curly-girl co-wash program. Also, can you do all those oily and creamy products and still get good curl formation? Go to curlmart.com and read the reviews on the products you have in your closet now.

Do you have to co-wash daily? Will a water rinse after your workout suffice? Are you possibly allergic (sensitive) to an ingredient in your products?

You sound like me when I first BC'd - I was buying a new hair product almost every payday looking for something to moisturize my hair. Then I found Curly Nikki; I started with Herbal Essences (Target), moved on to Trader Joes's Tea Tree Tingle ($4.00), and now I'm loving Yes-to-Cucumbers ($8.00 Target) [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I have tried Giovanni Smooth as Silk and 50:50 ($8.00 at Ulta) and Aubrey Organics (Vitamin Shoppe), but I've never tried Organix. I read that it wasn't moisturizing enough for my hair type. I pay very close attention to reviewers with the same hair type as mine, 4b, so if they say a product doesn't work on 4b hair, I don't waste my money on it.

I would like to suggest you give a product a few tries (maybe 2-3 weeks). Try different ways of using the product (co-wash with plenty, rinse it all out, or leave some in) to see if it's truly working for you. I had to take a second look at KinkyCurly, and now I'm loving it. That and IC fantasia +Garnier S&S are my go-to's for right now. As my hair grows longer, I may have to revisit the Giovanni and Sebastian Potion 9 gathering dust in my closet. To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven... Ecc 3:1 KJV

After a shampooing, my hair needs a few cycles of co-wash before it starts feeling moisturized again. I also find my coils clump better after a few co-washes.

Have you looked at the video tab on Nikki's home page? There are some EXCELLENT videos on curl formation. I watched Indigochild613's tutorial and girlfriend changed the way I apply my gels [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hope this helps!

i bet your hair will forgive you. don't beat yourself up over what you think you should have done. if you've only shampooed and conditioned, it's likely you have not done damage.

i'm still transitioning so i don't have a clue what to do with twa. but if you like organic simple foods , try it in your hair. you could try moisturizing your scalp with organic olive oil/water after a wash, and not putting all the other stuff in it. you could slowly add products in after you get things a bit back on track. i've read that coconut oil is good for itchies. i'm liking grape seed oil right now, still not erased the itchies, but they are a lot better.

what sort of organic shampoo did you used to use? if it worked out nicely for your scalp, why don't you try it again? your hair texture is diff but your scalp is the same.

make sure you don't get the water too hot while you wash it. i think that heat causes inflamation which causes itchies.

yes, it is possible to learn to twist or braid. you could watch you tube to learn how. you can also buy some baby dolls to practice on, it is harder to practice on your own head i think. and see if some friends will help you.