Curly hair OVERLOAD!!!

[b][color=cyan]Hi Ladies!!

I am a new natural(about a month now), and i'm here learn as much about my hair as possible!! I want to be my own stylist and my own guru(lol i think its spelt that way)! Today especially, I really need YOUR help! I've been feeling very discouraged about my hair because it's very short(obviously lol) and I don't feel like its growing back as quickly as I thought it would also, I cant seem to keep defined curls! I've only achieved it once using shea moisture products but I used it again the next day and i got frizz! And before when I used other products when my hair was wet it'd be curly but once it dried it look like a frizzy, unintentional fro MESS! AHHH somedays i wonder why i did this!??!! Anywho I really wanna learn to love and care for my curls but i am reeeallllyy going to need YOOOUR help, plleeeeaaasssseee!! SOO my questions for today are: How do you think my hair will turn out(biggest fear) pictures are great(celebs etc who you think my hair(in the future) will resemble, hair type etc.)?? How do I get SUPER defined curls(since my hair is extremely short)? What advice do you have about hair growth??

Here is my Big chop picture:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5908952&id=831503974

Here is me today(about a month after BC):
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6360399&id=831503974

This is what my curls look like:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6308493&id=831503974


THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! ALL ADVICE, PICTURES, ETC are WELCOME!!!

It's possible your hair is still dry and freaking out from your BC. What other products are you using in your hair besides the Shea Moisture??

As for your hair turning out, there's no telling really. A lot of curlies seem to experience their hair & curl pattern change as their hair grows out. I don't think you should fear what your hair type will be or how it will turn out. You should just embrace whatever comes out of your head and rock it with confidence!!!

On to defining your curls... it could be several things. 1. the post BC dryness, since you're still just a month out. 2. it could be the products you're using or the ingredients and 3. you may not have a hair type that technically "curls" up (I can't be sure, I can't see your FB pics to confirm that) so I would count more on #'s 1 or 2.

And for hair growth... yeh I don't really know lol. I just make sure to keep my hair very moisturized. I have coarse, highly porous hair (check out this site: http://livecurlylivefree.com/home.htm ) It was THE MOST helpful source of information I've found in regards to helping me understand my hair and what it needs.

HTH some

welcome curly!! first off...i totally agree with mstokes. i totally understand how u feel after ur bc http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/07/divas-reaction-to-national-afro-day.html

trust me...u have to have patience n consistency! dont worry about comparing ur hair to anyones. like u said...u want to get to learn and LOVE ur own hair. i started out with an amber rose cut just 10 months ago and here i am almost 5 inches later. i've learned a lot from just research along with trials n errors of myself and others around here.

you want to learn as much as possible...believe me i learn somethin new everyday. another good thing to start is a hair journal. this has helped me tremendously. each month i keep track of my hair length, products, styling tips, recipes and etc. I also write how my hair makes me feel every month. i know its a change esp in ur twa days to have certain feelings about how u look n etc. its basically like my journal in a way. im on this forum literally ALL DAY and i also turn to youtube, my hair is my new addiction.

in the beginning i was chasing down this whole curl definition and hair growth....again be patient. i started focusing more on keeping it healthy and maintaining what i already have. the growth will come in due time...actually faster than you expect. i get curl definition when i use eco gel though but thats another story ...i dont trip on curl definition becuz i have different textures throughout my head. its more wavy n thick up top (so i apply or rake more product up top) and around the sides its more loose n curly/coily.

after i bc'd my hair stayed dry no matter how much i washed it, oiled n moisturized it. i've learned im not the only one...once u start fresh wit a bc u have to retrain ur tresses all over again. if u think about it...if you've been wrapping ur hair the same way for years u cant just wake up n expect to wrap it the opposite way for it to stay! it took me a good 4-5 months to see a change in keepin it moisturized. this is where bein consistent comes in...everyday i spritz my hair w/oil n water day and night. protective styles also help me maintain moisture too; you'd look good w/coils and not goin over board on using too many products at one time.

its so easy to become a pj and want to try EVERYTHING...its very tempting. i use a product at least 3 times or for 3 wks to get a record of how my hair reacts n how it feels. sometimes u get lucky n have good results the first time...try it again to make sure. when i was using one thing one day another line a few days later..i was all over the place n couldnt tell what was working. in the end i lost out on money so dont make the same mistake i did.

i'll be celebrating a full year since my bc in sept. believe me...time FLIES sooooo fast. i love ur story and look forward to ur journey. you should also join the twa challenge in the hair challenge section, challenges are fun for me cuz i learn alot from others.

Hey Curly and Welcome to Curl street!

I agree with Mstokes that its hard to determine how your hair is going to look or turn out. My hair has changed a lot since my bc. The biggest thing is having patience and keeping your hair moisturized and healthy. As long as you keep your hair moisturized and healthy it will grow. Just remember not to compare your hair to others because you will drive yourself crazy

Hi CurlyO....

You've been given some great advice!! I can't add much to it, but just embrace your TWA.

Congratulations...and welcome to CSJ!!!

KNH

Welcoem to curl street!

I would say take this time to really get to know your hair and what works for you. All the ladies were very correct when they said moisture is important! For me I had bc'd back in January but I didn't start really learning how to take care of natural hair til about a month or so ago. Since I changed up my hair products I've noticed a difference in how my feels. Right now I would say Youtube is going to be your best friend!! You may hear about products on CurlyNikki and then you can look at different hair reviews on YT. Also you can get lots of style ideas. I know for me I'm constantly looking for ways to style my TWA (it's only about an inch long so I know I'm limited).

I think right now there's not much anyone can tell you about how yor hair will turn out. As I pay more attention to my hair I notice that I have 2 different types of curl patterns in my hair. And I think as it grows I'll probably have more.

Your hair is probably growing but you're not noticing it. NubieNatty had a great idea of starting a hair journal. I'm a visual person so i take pictures of my hair from time to time and that's how I can tell that my hair is growing.

How I was able to define my curl pattern? I co-wash my hair every day and I use a leave in mixture that I heard about on YT (look up kimmaytube on youtube....she's awesome!) and i use Kinky Curly Curling Custard. So far that's what works for me. I think that you're gonna have to play around with products to see what works for you. And from what I've heard so far what works for you when you have a TWA may not work for you once you have a BAA. Plus I think finding out about products is really fun. My word of advice would be get trail sizes of stuff so you don't end up with a bathroom full of products that you don't want to use.

But I'm sure you'll find a routine that works for you. I would recommend that you join the TWA Hair growth Challenge under the Hair Challenge section of the forums. There are other ladies with TWAs there and they'd be able to offer you support and its a way to help track your growth.....

Welcome and hope I didn't talk your ear off!!

WOW!! Thanks ladies for all the help!! I will definitely be taking alllllll of your advice so I can get the hang of having natural hair, I had a perm since age 6! so this is VERY new for me lol! Currently, I am using... the shea moisture deep treatment mask as my conditioner and I co-wash daily, then at night I put shea butter/Wild growth hair oil in, and before I leave the house i use the shea moisture leave in on wet hair and eco styler gel...i think I may be using tooooo much gel because my hair isnt soft around mid-day its pretty dry by then...