New and looking for advices

[Locke]

Hi everyone. I was looking around the internet for tips and trick on haircare and found this forum. I recently got suggested some tips by someone at work to help maintain the hair, but I would like some additionnal information from wherever I can find it.

I've been growing them for 31 months, and before now I mostly used run of the mill conditionner and shampoo. For brushing, I used a small plastic brush with 10 separators.

So I got suggested some other brand of haircare product and mostly to use a boar brush, or something similar.

I'm wondering if that's all right. I'm posting two pictures so you can see how it looks. Those are current pics :)

Thanks for any help and comment. Also, if there's a general guide up somewhere to help me, I'd be glad.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/tanathos/Moi/15may09008resized.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/tanathos/Moi/16may09003resized.jpg

[GlassEyes]

Hiya! ^_^ Welcome to the forum!

There's any number of things you can try and find on this forum. XD; It's a bit galling, actually. You might want to look into things about oiling and braiding, for example. Bu what you've been doing seems to work, since you have great hair. xD;

Anyway, again, welcome!

[neon-dream]

Hello and Welcome to LHC! :flowers:
This site is full of information for however you want to take care of your hair.
What kind of brush do you use? As some have seams which can damage your hair, but yours looks nice and healthy :)!!

[danacc]

Welcome!

If you're looking for tips, I highly recommend Ursula's Standard Newbie Advice (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39). A boar bristle brush is better for scalp massage and distributing oil than a plastic one. Generally, a wide-toothed, seamless comb is the best tool for detangling. But go read Ursula's article which gives a great place to start.

The forums here are incredibly friendly, but they can be overwhelming. Just take it slow, and ask a lot of questions. :)

[RancheroTheBee]

You look so much like my brother, I almost choked on my tea.

Anyway, you seem to be doing a lot of things right by the looks of it. What kind of products (brands) are you using? Do you have a picture of your brush? What exactly do you want to improve with your hair?

:) And welcome! Glad to have you.

[Locke]

Oh lala! Fast responses!

I just took some pictures of the brush I used before, and the current one.

To the left is the old one, and the new one is to the right. Supposed to be authentic boar hair or something (at 20 $, I hope it is! :D)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/tanathos/16may09006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/tanathos/16may09007.jpg

[danacc]

Oh, I see. Use the one on the left to get tangles out. (It is a comb.) Use the one on the right for scalp massage and smoothing of the hair once the tangles are already gone.

[Locke]

Thanks for the guide. I just read it and will try out what it says for the shower routine. Also, are you sure about the comb? I got told that kind is damaging... but that's the thing, the information that I hear are all based on "I heard that...", and it really gets confusing about what's right and what's not to use.

But for the comb or the brush, I always start at the bottom, then work my way up.

[neon-dream]

But for the comb or the brush, I always start at the bottom, then work my way up.

This is the best way to do it! :D
Brushing from the top can cause a lot of damage, I had to learn the hard way :( haha

[GlassEyes]

YES, YOUR NAME IIIIIISSSS FROM FFVI! XDDDD

Anyway, the comb is actually better, as it's wide-toothed and won't tear up the surface of a hair when it IS tangled like a brush can when knots occur.

[Crysania]

welcome to lhc :)

[Sarahmoon]

Welcome! Nice hair :)

The comb looks perfectly fine to me.

[Ella Menneau P.]

I don't have much advice for you, but you have beautiful hair!

I'm new here, too, and totally overwhelmed by the volume of information available. And pleased, too, that this really is a community of caring, helpful people!

One thing I have started doing since joining is oiling my hair. I use jojoba--mostly because it's what I use as a massage therapist so it's on hand already. The first time I did, my hair drank it up. I don't color and rarely use heat on my hair, so I was a little surprised. The result is that between oilings it has been easier to comb out, and it feels heavenly. I thought I needed a trim because my ends were starting to tangle, but now they comb right out!

Welcome!

[creativehoney]

Its awesome here I have learned so much here.

I do conditioner only washes and I use a little as a leave in.
And put coconut oil on my ends when my hair is almost dry.
It works for me.
My hair looks so different from when I first started coming here. (and that's only been about a week or so)
You will probably have to do some experimenting to see what is best for your hair.

[JamieLeigh]

Great hair! Welcome to LHC. :D The suggestion of the boar bristle brush (BBB) is a good one, but you also need to figure out how you're going to get your tangles out, assuming you have them like most other normal folks. A BBB won't help you detangle...it's mostly good for smoothing the outer surface of the hair, and helping to distribute the oils from your scalp down your length. If you fingercomb out the tangles, you won't need anything else, but if you would use a regular comb, make sure it's wide-toothed and seamless, so that your hair won't catch on it and break off. I use a wide-tooth wooden comb...that way if anything happened to it, I could just sand it down instead of having to purchase an all-new comb. :)

[Locke]

Thanks everyone, for the welcome and the tips. All of this already gives me a good starting position.

I'll be using the comb then for detangling and the brush after to smooth the hair out. We also told me that it's a good idea to lightly untangle and brush before a shower, so it makes it easier to do it after.

[Paper Moon]

Locke is the best character from FFVI :D my fav one! :cheese:

Your hair is looking great so far!

[GlennaGirl]

Wow.

Wow wow wow wow wow.

(fainting)

(picking self up)

Oh. The. Hair.

That is all. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help.

[GlassEyes]

Locke is the best character from FFVI :D my fav one! :cheese:

Your hair is looking great so far!
*COUGHTERRAISBETTERCOUGHCOUGH*

[Renbirde]

Thanks for the guide. I just read it and will try out what it says for the shower routine. Also, are you sure about the comb? I got told that kind is damaging... but that's the thing, the information that I hear are all based on "I heard that...", and it really gets confusing about what's right and what's not to use.

Look on the inside edges of the comb's teeth. Can you see seams where the two halves of the mold met? It's those seams that damage hair-- they are sharp and can scrape the hair's cuticle off. If you have them, you can knock them off with a bit of sandpaper.

And you have beautiful, beautiful hair.

[Pixna]

You have beautiful hair -- very, very handsome!!!!!!!!!!

No advice -- whatever you're doing seems to be working. :gabigrin:

[Arctic]

Welcome! Your hair looks healthy and thick :)

There is a fantastic article in the articles section written by Teacherbear about how to gently handle your hair to avoid breaking hairs and split ends, I warmly recommend it. Articles section is always a great place to start when joining here, and don't forget the articles of the old, archived boards.

One good thing that I have learned here, is that it is mostly your scalp that needs to be washed, so concentrating the shampoo on scalp only, letting the suds run through the length when rinsing. Always let the hair hang down when washing, don't pile it on top of your head.

Many people here dilute their shampoo. Also CWC washing method is gentle, easy and popular. (Wet your hair, apply conditioner to the length, without rinsing shampoo scalp area, rinse all, apply new conditioner to the lengths, let it sit a while, rinse.)

Also you'll notice that many people here use the cheep market brands, they are not necessarily bad or expensive brands are not necessarily good. It's all about ingredients.

Oh, and you could try to find your hairtype using Fia's hair typing system (from articles) and finding your hair twins to see how they care their hair, that might give hints and ideas. But always remember hair is very individual and what works for one might not work for other, even if they seemingly have similar hairs.