used cassia and hair is not great

I am 15 months post relaxer. I had been straightening my hair a lot due to job interview. I noticed whenever I did my cornrows and then unbraided it when it hair dried, I always had some frizz on my ends but my hair was always elgongated.

well, i finally managed to do a cassia treatment the first week of Feb. and I think I overdid it. I had had used a lot of sabino moisture block in my hair since I kept flat ironing so I wanted to make sure to get as much 'cones out as possible before I used cassia. So I washed my hair with Elucence Volumizing Clarifying shampoo I think one time or maybe 2x. I then did an ACV rinse and let them sit for a couple of seconds. i rinsed that out and used the totally twisted condish to detangle. I then wrapped my hair in a towel for a minute without rubbing. I had the cassia mixed up with green tea( 2 tea bags), 2 tsp of marshmallow root powder, 2tsp of hibiscus powder, and some tsps of honey. I put in my hair and left it in for like 4 hours maybe or longer with only body heat. Upon rinsing I used the jessicurl weekly deep condish and added honey again and sat under my steamer for like at least 45-60 min. I then rinsed out and put in my non-protein having suave juicy green apple conditioner, the lottabody setting lotion, and then an oil to seal. ( I always used this combo when I cornrow set my wet hair and had great braid-outs.) I then did my first ever self-cornrow. I let my hair air dry.

to my disgust, my hair came out terrible. it was very frizzy and sticking up (something it never does) and not as defined as when I get my hair cornrowed in the past. It felt soft at first but then it started to look dry. I know that the steam opens up the cuticle but it was supposed to impart moisture too.

I rewashed my hair a couple days ago and used the chagrin valley rosemary mint shampoo bar which left my hair really soft. I let the hair airdry then I put in some elasta qp fortifying intense conditioner (which I didn't remember has hydrolyzed silk protein -- like 3rd on the ingredients list) mixed with honey and coconut oil. I left it on with no heat for like a day or so. my hair was hanging with moisture? when I took off my plastic cap. I used the same leave ins after rinsing it out and cornrowed. My hair looks the same way. i think my cuticles must be raised now. darn.

I washed my hair again this past Sat. and used the same shampoo bar and washed once and used the jessicurl weekly deep condish again but w/o any heat just in a plastic cap. I rinsed with cooler water to see it that would help and put in the same leave in but w/o the lottabody setting lotion and cornrowed. upon unbraiding my hair tonight, my hair still looks frizzy at the ends and is not elongated as it was before my first jump into cassia. I am trying to figure out was it really cassia or did I just overdo it when I first used it.

any recommendations?

thanks in advance for reading and any advice.

I don't use Cassia and I don't recognise a lot the products you used but my only thought is possibly the clarifying and rinsing with the ACV before putting the cassia on was a bit much for it? If Cassia is like henna, it's often drying by itself and compounded with ACV and clarifying will dry it out even more.

If I have to clarify before using henna, I'll do it a day or two beforehand and always deep condition afterwards. I also always pre-poo with an oil, usually amla oil before I clarify too.

To reduce frizz and increase softness, one thing you might like to try next time is to mix the cassia with coconut milk?

Don't give up. It sounds like you just possibly need to refine your mix and technique to suit your hair better. This is normal when starting out with henna and cassia.

What does marshmellow root and hibiscus powders do?

So, this is what you did the day of the cassia
1. Flat ironed hair
2. Clarifying shampoo (1x or 2x)
3. ACV rince
4. Totally Twisted condish
5. Cassia
6. Green tea
7. Marshmellow root
8. hibiscus flower
9. Honey
10. Jessi Curl
11. Suave condish
12. Lotta Body
13. cornrows

That seems like alot of stuff. Have you used all of those things before like that? My first henna was kind of like that your first cassia experience. Maybe the cassia did not like the other products. I have no idea but I hope your hair gets back to health soon!

Unless you are trying to get the dye to release in Cassia it isn't necessary to use anything acidic(the tea) when mixing. Cassia color is only effective on gray or blonde hair and unlike Henna you will still get the same conditioning benefits without the dye release. I was lurking the hennaforhair threads last night and the site admins reccomend leaving it in for only 1hr if you are having issues with dryness and are not attempting to color your hair. I tried elements of Nikki's original mix for my second Cassia treatment and didn't have the same problem i did on my first treatment with dryness. Try adding plain warm water and a little EVOO and keep the honey in your mix. While my hair loves Jessicurl, it could not stand alone to combat the dryness left after the Cassia treatment. I had to go back and add AOHR for my deep treatment. You might also want to try a heavy conditioner as your leave in until you restore your moisture levels.

Hey ladies,
first off thanks so much for responding to my hair woes.

r2d2-- (i love that robot by the way [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] ). thanks so much for the hair encouragement. the idea about clarifying beforehand is a great idea. regarding the hibiscus power, I had used that when I used henna on relaxed hair back in 2007 and it made the henna effects better. my waves were even more defined. the marshmallow root is supposed to help with slip i believe. I admit I am not well versed in it yet.

dreammerchant-- thanks for your response. The only thing is I didn't flat iron when I used the cassia. I was flat ironing my hair often prior to using the cassia. I think I did do too much as said. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] You said you had a similar issue when you first used henna? Please let me know how your got your hair better.

tictactan-- thanks so much for more info on the cassia. I didn't know about mixing it only with water. and you are most likely right about jessicurl. I used to buy aubrey organics a lot and may have to mix jessicurl with it. I mostly have deep conditioners with proteins and/or cones and didn't want to use that with the cassia.

currently my hair is still shrunk and still is not as defined in some areas. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] so I will keep you all posted.

thanks so much for responding. thanks for caring.

I just tried the henna again but tweeked the recipe and it got a little better. Then this month, I did my third henna with just warm water and some almond tea. I think it was the way I mixed it the first two times. I know that my hair is protein sensative so I stayed away from the yogurt recipes and focused on the ones that had moisturizing qualities. You wil find your perfect mix!