Long Transition w/ Thin & Fine Hair

Hi Everyone!! I found this fourm through Miss Jesse's Facebook page! I started reading on Monday and here I am Thursday ready to start my transition!! It has been 2 months since my last perm and my hair currently comes below my shoulders. I am planning on a very loonnnggg transition because I am use to length; I hope I can care for both textures properly, at least until my curls reach my chin/shoulders (about 15 - 18 months). Ok lets focus, If you look at the picture below (I hope I uploaded it right) you can see what my hair looks like now with a wash and go...that consist of a leave in conditioner, gel or mousse followed up with an oil sheen and a load of crunching (squeezing my hair in my hand to create the waves/curls). So I love the way my hair looks but I hate how dry & brittle my hair becomes. I have very thin/fine hair but my hair breaks and sheds when I wear my hair like this... Any ideas on products that will allow me to achieve the same effect without drying/ damaging my hair? I am also looking for good products for twist & braid outs for thin/fine hair. I was going to get Miss Jesse's Curly Pudding but my girlfriend who also has thin hair said it weight her hair down...not sure if its the amount she uses or if its just heavy...Any thoughts/ideas to help me on this journey? Anyone taking the same journey with me? Hope to make some friends along the way so thanks in advance and once I start my blog which will depict my hair and weight loss journey (just had a baby. well 9 months ago lol, trying to loose 46 more pounds) I will add the info here!

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Thanks for your time!!

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Welp, I don't consider my hair fine, so I don't believe I can help you much. But if a product "looks" heavy, it probably is, such as gels, puddings, etc. They're thicker and more likely to add weight. Try something light and water based, I know I mention Hawaiian Silky alot, but to me it's very lightweight, you can pretty much lose the product in your hands. ^-^ But I doubt this will give you the look you want to achieve without some styling. I haven't tried the crunching method before, but maybe the gel and mousse are drying out your hair. They're both designed to slightly harden the hair to hold the style.

But maybe someone else can help you a bit more. Sorry if I'm not too much of a help!

I have been transitioning since 9/09, I have fine 4a/b hair. My hair loves protein so I use all Giovanni Products: Once a week, I shampoo with Deep Moisture shampoo, deep condition with Hair Reconstructor and SAS conditioner, I use Direct Leave In or Xtreme Silk for my leave in, Hair styling foam to set and either EVCO or Castor oil to seal root to tip. I thought the Castor oil would be too heavy, but I apply it as the last step and on damp hair, and it leaves my hair moist, shiny and soft.

You can find Giovanni products at Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, CVS, Pharmaca. They are all natural and organic.

HTH