New member starter kit

[Slayer1248]

Ok so I wrote this is the newbie section and was told to try it over here.

If you could make a newbie starter kit with all the things a person should have (the basics) what would you put in it.

I don't know all the lingo even though I have been reading my way through the forum so go easy on me please

[sagremus]

Hmmm. I am a newer member myself. I guess it all depends on your hair type. My hair is fine and straighter then yours, so as far as shampoos and conditioners, I can't be very helpful. My hair likes sulfates and silicones, but yours may not. However a few things I think anyone could use: a wide toothed comb for detangling/brushing, a silk scarf, something non-damaging for updos (still figuring this out myself), a shower cap (for shower days where the hair stays dry), claw clips, and coconut oil. And lots of draino hehe

[Slayer1248]

I've tried coconut oil in the past, are you using it as a mask and if so how or are you putting in your hair for daily use

[sagremus]

Here is a good link describing various methods people use, I posted what works for me there too: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=114820

[jacqueline101]

Monistat, lustrasilk mango and Shea butter cholesterol treatment, and Aussie three minute miracle, and leave in conditioner, and tresseme shine spray and hair toys and vo5 shampoo and conditioner.

[which.chick]

Hrm. Newbie starter kit. What I wish I'd had when I started?

1. TorrinPaige's advice on How To Wash Long Hair. It's here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEjdmXaUUU It's pretty much what I do, but I had to come up with it on my own, years ago.

2. A Fistful of Things That Are Bad For Your Hair: heat (curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers), chemicals (dyeing, straightening, perming), mechanical damage (from rubber bands, elastics with metal in them, ungentle detangling, bad plastic combs or bristle brushes, excessive exposure to the enviroment -- wind/sunlight), possibly 'cones.

3. A Fistful of Things That Are Good For Your Hair: gentle detanglilng, relatively minimal handling, less-frequent washing, possibly oil on the ends, wearing it up more often (sticks, clips, lower-tension updos, sleep braid or cap), patience.

[XcaliburGirl]

It's easy to overlook the announcements, but I think you should find some useful stuff here. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/announcement.php?f=9&a=11

which.chick summarized the basics very well.

If I was going to create an actual starter kit, I think I would include a pair of hairsticks, a pair of spin pins, a comb, and a big bottle of conditioner. Besides that, I think what one does NOT use that's more important for hair health.

[sarahthegemini]

Hmm, I would say: wooden (wide tooth) comb, satin sleep cap, scrunchies, selection of oils (a good starting few are coconut, olive and a lighter sealing oil such as jojoba or sweet almond), and lots of conditioner.

[peepopowitz]

I'd keep it pretty simple: a jar of coconut oil, a wide tooth comb, and a membership to the LHC.

[GrowingGlory]

I would include: a wide-toothed QueCraft buffalo horn comb, California Baby Therapeutic Relief Skin Protectant shampoo, NightBlooming Triple Moon Anointing Oil, and Scunci hair-safe (pantyhose-like) bands, and Goody Spin Pins.

If you like, add a high-quality brush suitable for your hair type, an appropriate rinse-away conditioner, leave-in conditioner, a deep conditioning treatment and a UV buff.

[Leeloo]

Ok so I wrote this is the newbie section and was told to try it over here.

If you could make a newbie starter kit with all the things a person should have (the basics) what would you put in it.

I don't know all the lingo even though I have been reading my way through the forum so go easy on me please

- pure coconut oil
- silk pillow case and sleeping bonnet
- wide tooth comb
- SLS free shampoo
- silicone free conditioner
- hair stick

[fairview]

In lieu of the wide tooth comb I would suggest a boar bristle paddle brush with reinforced nylon. Think of an old time oval paddle brush; I call them old lady's brushes, with nylon tips that extend about a 1/4" beyond the boar bristles. Outstanding for detangling wet hair out of the shower. I threw away my wide tooth comb and when my guests come out of the shampoo bowl I can start from the scalp and go to the roots and it just removes all the traffic along the way. Never pulls or damages the hair ever. If the hair is beyond BSL I may have to divide it in two sections, above and below the ear if there is a lot of volume.

The second thing I would recommend is a balanced diet.

Lastly an open mind. Don't assume everything is bad or good based on individual recommendations. Everyone's hair and scalp is different. What is good for yours may make mine a wreck and vice versa. Purchase small travel sizes at first and see how your hair reacts to it. A lot of $$$ does not always translate to a miracle product for your hair. Some of the best can sometimes be the cheapest. There are many types of sulfates and alcohols in hair products. Not all sulfates and not all alcohols are bad and not all are good; it depends on your hair and scalp. If your hair likes what you are doing to it now, don't fix what isn't broken. Make small changes preferably one at a time and stick with it for a month or so before making another change. Finally don't ask for medical diagnosis. No one is a medical professional on the forum and if someone claimed to be, I'd have to claim to be Steven Hawking. Anyone can be anyone on a forum. Take expert advice with a grain of salt and doubt.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I'd include a 'how to give up heat styling' leaflet, an SLS free shampoo, a rich conditioner for the length and ends only, a booklet of protective hairstyles, a pair of scissors and a note about S and Ding, a large wide tooth comb with instructions to start at the bottom and work your way slowly up, a few ouchless hair ties and scrunchies, a shower cap and some coconut and jojoba oil.

[sumidha]

The only thing missing from the list so far as I can see would be a recipe for Snowymoon's Moisture Treatment. :)

[McFearless]

I would recommend patience and fighting impulsive urges, refraining from comparing yourself/hair to others and really just paying attention to what is and isn't working for your individual situation. I agree with the member above who said pay attention to diet. The quality and quantity of hair starts from within. :) Best of luck.

[chen bao jun]

It so depends on hair type and its actually even more personal than that. I, for instance, can't use a comb, I have to finger detangle (which I found out after buying two wooden combs and a horn one). I also am not so great with coconut oil (though I can use it), I'd so rather use olive oil.

I'd give the newbie a blank hair diary to write down things that work for their hair as they learn them.

A silk pillowcase does nobody any harm. Its good for the skin (anti wrinkle) if they don't want it for the hair.

I'd give them a huge dose of patience, turn the water temperature down in their shower so that they can't wash their hair in water that's too hot, give them some of those ph strips to note whether the water is too hard or not and I'd give the list of 'don'ts'. No chemicals, no heatstyling, no rubbing the hair around roughly on top of the head while washing, etc. etc. However, some of them would later go back to some chemicals and some heatstyling as it would be fine for them and their goals.

I'd give them an etsy gift card so that they could find their non-damaging hair toy of choice--its different for everyone, also. Though we can suggest where they should start (spin pins, probably), nothing works for everyone.

[jrmviola]

Draino, Patience, Fructis Gardiner Three Minute Undo, Coconut or Olive Oil, Baby Oil or Jojoba Oil, Boar Bristle Brush, Basic Hair sticks, and a how-to book on 5 basic buns and braids (TorrinPage (sp?) has several)...

[heidi w.]

I would write a whole book on stuff.
That's how much info I have.
heidi w.

[PrincessBob]

Tangle Teezer, detangling comb, vinegar or citric acid for rinses, bandana or scarf, metal-free hair ties, and a pair of hair sticks

[clioariane]

Great idea! I would include a wide-tooth comb, a paddle brush, Kérastase nutritive shampoo, conditioner and deep treatment, a shower cap (for the deep treatment), Moroccanoil, a satin bonnet for sleeping, multi-vitamins and Viviscal (optional), shears for snipping off split ends, and non-damaging hair ties & spin pins. I hope that helps :)

[In2wishin]

Wide tooth comb and/or BBB
damage free ties/scrunchies
a simple hairstick
spin pins and/or Amish pins
Links to external sites that give basic information about various ingredients like comedogenic ratings (http://www.beneficialbotanicals.com/facts-figures/comedogenic-rating.html), what each ingredient does (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/ingredients-commonly-found-in-hair-care-products), etc.


I would not include any shampoo, conditioner, treatments, oils, etc because that is so personal and each member has to find out what works for them. I would hate to have a newbie get discouraged because an "essential" made their hair worse.

[Becky9679]

Since people's hair types are so vastly different it's rather difficult to recommend a universal starter kit in terms of things like shampoos, conditioners, oils etc. - what works for me could easily lead to a horrible mess on someone else's hair!

However, I don't think anyone could go wrong with some metal-free hair elastics, a few sticks and some basic updo knowledge of what will work for your hair length and thickness. Also, although I have heard one or two people say they don't like them, I think a tangle teezer would be very useful for most. As hair gets longer I would highly recommend a sleep cap to keep it out of the way at night.