CALLING ALL CURLIES WITH THICK HAIR....

Today was WASH day for me. My hair hadnt been washed in 13 days and 11 of those days my hair was in mini twist. So you can imagine what my detangling session was like. Yes, it looked like a small animal's life was lost.

For the past few months, I have been trying different things to limit my shedding. I've been unsuccessful so far which made me wondering, is this amount of shedding normal for me? Do curlies with thick hair tend to shed more?

Thick hair curlies, PLEASE weigh in!!

Hmm, interesting theory. It would make sense. I guess by thick, our hair is "denser", more hair, more shedding?

I shed a lot less then I did when I was transitioning (obviously because the hair in the shower was also breaking. ><), but I still feel like it's a lot of hair. I don't know what the "normal" amount of hair for me should be, I'd rather not count them lol.

I'll be watching this thread for other replies as I'm curious. I don't think I'd be much help to you at the moment.

I detangle/de-shed every 5 to 7 days and every single time my shed ball looks like a small animal (see attached pic). There's no way to limit shedding. You can limit breakage (and even in some cases eliminate it) but shedding is a natural part of the hair growth cycle. And the longer, thicker, and curlier the hair, the more frightening your shed balls will look, but don't despair it's perfectly normal (at least for me it is). If there are bald spots or thinning, then that's a problem that should be checked out by a doctor, but if the hair is growing and there is no thinning, it's perfectly normal. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
FYI: This is the hair from my drain catcher and the hair that I manually (I'm a finger comber) took out of my head after 5 days. It gets even bigger if I go 7 days.

My daughter has hair kind of similar to your hair, Aimward and that's what I get everytime I wash her hair (sometimes a little more). And don't let me wash her hair in the tub and let the water drain before I scoop up the hair. I would be killing myself unclogging the drain.

My hair is not as long as your,s
and I am sporting a TWA,
I don't comb my hair everyday-
I have combed my hair twice in 3 months.

Having said that, when I have combed it
the shedding was not bad @ all. It isn't a comb-full.

The first time it may be a quarter-size amount of curly hair
that I remove from the comb. There was less the second time.

I was surprised- pleasantly.

I have read (somewhere) that curly hair sheds more,
and we tend to suffer from slit ends more, hence the limited combing.

Have you used additives such as garlic (or extract),
or green tea rinses (caffeine prevents shedding)?

AimWard wrote:I detangle/de-shed every 5 to 7 days and every single time my shed ball looks like a small animal (see attached pic). There's no way to limit shedding. You can limit breakage (and even in some cases eliminate it) but shedding is a natural part of the hair growth cycle. And the longer, thicker, and curlier the hair, the more frightening your shed balls will look, but don't despair it's perfectly normal (at least for me it is). If there are bald spots or thinning, then that's a problem that should be checked out by a doctor, but if the hair is growing and there is no thinning, it's perfectly normal. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
FYI: This is the hair from my drain catcher and the hair that I manually (I'm a finger comber) took out of my head after 5 days. It gets even bigger if I go 7 days.

Thanks for your input!!! That's about the amount I shed after a week...maybe a little more.

fleur_nouvelle wrote:My daughter has hair kind of similar to your hair, Aimward and that's what I get everytime I wash her hair (sometimes a little more). And don't let me wash her hair in the tub and let the water drain before I scoop up the hair. I would be killing myself unclogging the drain.

Thanks for sharing!

Sweet Tee wrote:My hair is not as long as your,s
and I am sporting a TWA,
I don't comb my hair everyday-
I have combed my hair twice in 3 months.

Having said that, when I have combed it
the shedding was not bad @ all. It isn't a comb-full.

The first time it may be a quarter-size amount of curly hair
that I remove from the comb. There was less the second time.

I was surprised- pleasantly.

I have read (somewhere) that curly hair sheds more,
and we tend to suffer from slit ends more, hence the limited combing.

Have you used additives such as garlic (or extract),
or green tea rinses (caffeine prevents shedding)?

When I had a TWA, I didnt comb my hair either and I shed less. But now that my hair is longer (A few inches shy of APL stretched), I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT go without combing my hair. I would have a matted, tangled mess on my hands. My hair is too coily to finger comb only.

I am currently researching black tea rinses.

my hair is super thick!! and i noticed when i first did my BC (2months ago) my hair never shed..but now that my hair has grown out some the shedding is starting to come..

Ohhh yeah (in the deep voice you have heard on commericals I am sure)
I have a lot of dense hair that is about shoulder length (stretched) and even when I was relaxed I had LOTS of hair. My hair stylist used to tell me that my shedding was "normal" because I had so much.

Since being 100% natural, I have noticed two observations:
1. that when I used a large tooth comb, then my denman (if needed) then I have much less shedding. If I use a denman only, I have much more in my brush.
I don't know if that's because the wide tooth comb isn't grabbing the loose hair or not, but I still either twist my hair up or WNG so I know it's not the routine.
2. When I deep condition seems to be a factor. I tend to lose less, especially when I simplified my routine and noticed that my hair and protein ain't a good mix.

But another random thought: Because the weather is changing, that can make a huge difference in shedding too. That's something I learned from my mother "back in the day." And i have noticed that trend throughout the years.
If you have gone that long without touching your hair, I am sure that your shedding was quite normal!

Lynnieluve wrote:Today was WASH day for me. My hair hadnt been washed in 13 days and 11 of those days my hair was in mini twist. So you can imagine what my detangling session was like. Yes, it looked like a small animal's life was lost.

For the past few months, I have been trying different things to limit my shedding. I've been unsuccessful so far which made me wondering, is this amount of shedding normal for me? Do curlies with thick hair tend to shed more?

Thick hair curlies, PLEASE weigh in!!

I have VERY dense, thick hair and strangely, I experience no shedding at all. Seriously. A few hairs here and there, and thats it. I use a product to stop shedding, and it works! ...but I thought some shedding was normal so I'm confused as to if this is healthy for my hair or not. I literally lose no hair in my detangling process. So maybe it doesn't have to do with the density of the hair...

rayray19 wrote:my hair is super thick!! and i noticed when i first did my BC (2months ago) my hair never shed..but now that my hair has grown out some the shedding is starting to come..

That's the same way it happened to me.

kbelle wrote:Ohhh yeah (in the deep voice you have heard on commericals I am sure)
I have a lot of dense hair that is about shoulder length (stretched) and even when I was relaxed I had LOTS of hair. My hair stylist used to tell me that my shedding was "normal" because I had so much.

Since being 100% natural, I have noticed two observations:
1. that when I used a large tooth comb, then my denman (if needed) then I have much less shedding. If I use a denman only, I have much more in my brush.
I don't know if that's because the wide tooth comb isn't grabbing the loose hair or not, but I still either twist my hair up or WNG so I know it's not the routine.
2. When I deep condition seems to be a factor. I tend to lose less, especially when I simplified my routine and noticed that my hair and protein ain't a good mix.

But another random thought: Because the weather is changing, that can make a huge difference in shedding too. That's something I learned from my mother "back in the day." And i have noticed that trend throughout the years.
If you have gone that long without touching your hair, I am sure that your shedding was quite normal!

I started using my denman about a month ago. I purchased it after I BC'd and it just didnt work for me. Now, it seems like it's a must because when I used my shower comb, it detangles but it doesnt remove the shed hair that well, which will cause more tangles. Today when I washed my hair, I used my shower comb first, then I used my denman to remove the shed hairs.

SwirlyCurls90 wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:Today was WASH day for me. My hair hadnt been washed in 13 days and 11 of those days my hair was in mini twist. So you can imagine what my detangling session was like. Yes, it looked like a small animal's life was lost.

For the past few months, I have been trying different things to limit my shedding. I've been unsuccessful so far which made me wondering, is this amount of shedding normal for me? Do curlies with thick hair tend to shed more?

Thick hair curlies, PLEASE weigh in!!

I have VERY dense, thick hair and strangely, I experience no shedding at all. Seriously. A few hairs here and there, and thats it. I use a product to stop shedding, and it works! ...but I thought some shedding was normal so I'm confused as to if this is healthy for my hair or not. I literally lose no hair in my detangling process. So maybe it doesn't have to do with the density of the hair...

No shedding??!! What product did you use?

Lynnieluve wrote:

SwirlyCurls90 wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:Today was WASH day for me. My hair hadnt been washed in 13 days and 11 of those days my hair was in mini twist. So you can imagine what my detangling session was like. Yes, it looked like a small animal's life was lost.

For the past few months, I have been trying different things to limit my shedding. I've been unsuccessful so far which made me wondering, is this amount of shedding normal for me? Do curlies with thick hair tend to shed more?

Thick hair curlies, PLEASE weigh in!!

I have VERY dense, thick hair and strangely, I experience no shedding at all. Seriously. A few hairs here and there, and thats it. I use a product to stop shedding, and it works! ...but I thought some shedding was normal so I'm confused as to if this is healthy for my hair or not. I literally lose no hair in my detangling process. So maybe it doesn't have to do with the density of the hair...

No shedding??!! What product did you use?

I use this pre poo treatment Alopecil Apretadora. Its not really a natural product, but I love it and it has been working great for me for years even since before I went natural. You can get it at a Dominican salon or beauty supply or at roundbrushhair.com. It makes my hair strong and feel SO soft, but I often question if its healthy cuz I though you were supposed to lose like 100 hairs a day or something...I definitely don't lose that much lol.

SwirlyCurls90 wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:

SwirlyCurls90 wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:Today was WASH day for me. My hair hadnt been washed in 13 days and 11 of those days my hair was in mini twist. So you can imagine what my detangling session was like. Yes, it looked like a small animal's life was lost.

For the past few months, I have been trying different things to limit my shedding. I've been unsuccessful so far which made me wondering, is this amount of shedding normal for me? Do curlies with thick hair tend to shed more?

Thick hair curlies, PLEASE weigh in!!

I have VERY dense, thick hair and strangely, I experience no shedding at all. Seriously. A few hairs here and there, and thats it. I use a product to stop shedding, and it works! ...but I thought some shedding was normal so I'm confused as to if this is healthy for my hair or not. I literally lose no hair in my detangling process. So maybe it doesn't have to do with the density of the hair...

No shedding??!! What product did you use?

I use this pre poo treatment Alopecil Apretadora. Its not really a natural product, but I love it and it has been working great for me for years even since before I went natural. You can get it at a Dominican salon or beauty supply or at roundbrushhair.com. It makes my hair strong and feel SO soft, but I often question if its healthy cuz I though you were supposed to lose like 100 hairs a day or something...I definitely don't lose that much lol.

I would be scared to use it...LOL!!! I dont want to stop shedding altogether. I just want to figure out what's normal and what's too much without going bald first.

It's normal to lose up to 120 hairs a day, so if you're going multiple days without detangling, I'm sure that amount goes up. So, 13 days would equal about 1560 hairs. I shed a bit, but not nearly as much as I used to.

LOL ikr! Tru that! I stick to it cuz its done me right for so long, but I don't really go around recommending it cuz I'm not really sure what all the ingredients are.

SwirlyCurls90 wrote:LOL ikr! Tru that! I stick to it cuz its done me right for so long, but I don't really go around recommending it cuz I'm not really sure what all the ingredients are.

I looked them up

Purified Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Lanoline,
Centerare F-12, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Rosemary Extract, Cinnamon Extract and Colorant Yellow #5 and Blue #1.

I have very thick hair. I was losing alot of hair and I changed how I did things. These were the changes: 1) I bought a shower comb and the only time I use a comb is in the shower once a week when I wash my hair 2) I section my hair and do the whole shampoo, condish, detangle deal in the shower under running water 3) Apply a hefty dose of Kimmaytube leave-in on wash day and 4) Minimum disturbing strands the rest of the week. I mean I don't brush or comb. Even if I retwist or re-braid, I still don't comb and I don't have tangles. I credit the leave-in for no tangles b/c before using that leave-in, I dreaded wash day because twists made my hair tangle and the entire process took forever. I have a very small amount of hair in the comb. I will save it next time to post.

I have very thick hair. So tick that I can't put it in a ponytail because by the time I grab hair at the nape of my hair, my hand is too small to hold the hair from the crown and this since I was a kid!

But about shedding I don't know if I can truly say I don't shed that much because when I wash my hair, before I even start the detangling session with conditioner (which takes about 3-5 minutes because my hair doesn't tangles much) I have about 20-30 little o's of hair around in the tub. After I detangle, I barely have anything in my combs (I detangle with a wide tooth comb then with a rattail). But then when I start styling, I have a lot of little ringlets of hair in my hands or down my shirt. Overall if I gather the entire amount of hair that falls in the tub, in my combs and down my shirt I have a small little ball of hair.
But then again I find little ringlet's of hair everywhere... on my pillows, on the couch, on my bathroom floor, in numbers of 5-6 at a time.

Hey Lynnie- I myself experience a good amount of shedding per week now that my hair has grown. With my twa, I had the minimum but now that my hair is about 7 inches longer than it was then- I do shed. My understanding is that you are supposed to shed a certain amount of hair a day. I read a previous post that said 120 per day, but I think I've seen the number higher. Anyway, I have noticed that when I use my Ouidad comb, detangling is easier and the shed hairs come out easier also. But I think it's normal to lose the amount you are seeing.

I have thick hair and my sheddage used to be ridiculous...until I started being more diligent. Now I detangle at the sink in front of a mirror. Let me start off by saying that I am VERY generous with my conditioner. First, I section my hair in 4 and I detangle with my fingers. Then I detangle with my jilbere shower comb, then i detangle with the denman. It sounds like a lot but I did that this past wash session and I did not have a lot of sheddage and very minimal breakage. Actually, all of the hairs that I checked were shed hairs. I didn't see any breakage (of the ones I checked). I just try to be as gentle with my strands as possible! Hope that helps!

If I was to show a pic of my shed hairs ya'll would worry about me. I am an extremely heavy shedder and my hair has always been thick. Heavy shedding is normal for me.

I have pretty dense hair too and like raytay said, I did not have much shedding when I first bc'ed, but now, 3 months later my hair is shedding a lot more. I have noticed that my hair sheds more in fall and winter than in the spring and summer, especially when the season first changes. It did this even when I was relaxed. I have also noticed that I have much less shedding for the weeks after I do an ayurvedic treatment (amla, henna or maka). I've tried the tea rinses a couple of times but did not notice and immediate decrease like I do with the amla powder.

freckledmom4 wrote:I have pretty dense hair too and like raytay said, I did not have much shedding when I first bc'ed, but now, 3 months later my hair is shedding a lot more. I have noticed that my hair sheds more in fall and winter than in the spring and summer, especially when the season first changes. It did this even when I was relaxed. I have also noticed that I have much less shedding for the weeks after I do an ayurvedic treatment (amla, henna or maka). I've tried the tea rinses a couple of times but did not notice and immediate decrease like I do with the amla powder.

How long did you do the tea rinses? I did them for a month straight every weekend and each weekend the shedding decreased. I caught all the shed hair in a hair stopper so that I could see if they made a difference.
I don't do them anymore because of time constraints.

naturalnolagirl1900 wrote:I have very thick hair. I was losing alot of hair and I changed how I did things. These were the changes: 1) I bought a shower comb and the only time I use a comb is in the shower once a week when I wash my hair 2) I section my hair and do the whole shampoo, condish, detangle deal in the shower under running water 3) Apply a hefty dose of Kimmaytube leave-in on wash day and 4) Minimum disturbing strands the rest of the week. I mean I don't brush or comb. Even if I retwist or re-braid, I still don't comb and I don't have tangles. I credit the leave-in for no tangles b/c before using that leave-in, I dreaded wash day because twists made my hair tangle and the entire process took forever. I have a very small amount of hair in the comb. I will save it next time to post.

I also do your step 1, 2 and 3. I used a modified version of the Kimmaytube leave. If I can ever find KCKT in Target, I will try the exact recipe.

I twist my hair on wash day and leave them in for 5-6 days. When I wear my twist out, I dont retwist. I only retwist if I wear my hair out all week.

gigihaitiancurly wrote:I have very thick hair. So tick that I can't put it in a ponytail because by the time I grab hair at the nape of my hair, my hand is too small to hold the hair from the crown and this since I was a kid!

But about shedding I don't know if I can truly say I don't shed that much because when I wash my hair, before I even start the detangling session with conditioner (which takes about 3-5 minutes because my hair doesn't tangles much) I have about 20-30 little o's of hair around in the tub. After I detangle, I barely have anything in my combs (I detangle with a wide tooth comb then with a rattail). But then when I start styling, I have a lot of little ringlets of hair in my hands or down my shirt. Overall if I gather the entire amount of hair that falls in the tub, in my combs and down my shirt I have a small little ball of hair.
But then again I find little ringlet's of hair everywhere... on my pillows, on the couch, on my bathroom floor, in numbers of 5-6 at a time.

I have those little o's too, but way more than 20 to 30. You're luck your thick hair doesnt tangle much.

poeticlyspkng wrote:Hey Lynnie- I myself experience a good amount of shedding per week now that my hair has grown. With my twa, I had the minimum but now that my hair is about 7 inches longer than it was then- I do shed. My understanding is that you are supposed to shed a certain amount of hair a day. I read a previous post that said 120 per day, but I think I've seen the number higher. Anyway, I have noticed that when I use my Ouidad comb, detangling is easier and the shed hairs come out easier also. But I think it's normal to lose the amount you are seeing.

I've read that we shed on average 50-100 hairs a day. I know this is consider normal but I still dont like it.

Curliana wrote:I have thick hair and my sheddage used to be ridiculous...until I started being more diligent. Now I detangle at the sink in front of a mirror. Let me start off by saying that I am VERY generous with my conditioner. First, I section my hair in 4 and I detangle with my fingers. Then I detangle with my jilbere shower comb, then i detangle with the denman. It sounds like a lot but I did that this past wash session and I did not have a lot of sheddage and very minimal breakage. Actually, all of the hairs that I checked were shed hairs. I didn't see any breakage (of the ones I checked). I just try to be as gentle with my strands as possible! Hope that helps!

I use to detangle this way but recently changed my routine to save time. I detangle with my fingers and shower comb in the shower. Then I do my final detangling with my denman and my deep conditioner out of the shower. I twist my hair into chunky twist. When I rinse out my deep conditioner, I leave the twist in.

I gave up after 2 weeks and went back to amla because the amla also conditions and gives my curls more definition and shine. I may have to revisit this because I only have enough amla for 1 more ap.