Best LHC Tips, Tricks, and Products

[Pixna]

What are the best tips, tricks, and products you've learned about from LHC and couldn't live without? Please provide links, if appropriate, so we can all find out more.

Here are a few of mine (I'll add more as I think of them or you jog my memory):

Feye's self-trimming method (http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim)!!

Kimberlily's DeFrizz Spray (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277) (I use it on my face as a moisturizing toner as well as on my hair as a leave-in)

Madora comb (http://madoralonghairheaven.com/madoraprod1.html#Madora%20Detangler%20Comb)

60th Street (http://60thstreet.net/index.php?define_main_page.php) wooden and dymondwood three-prong hair forks (they're VERY nice people, too)

Detangling from the ends to the root (rather than the other way around)

Benign neglect!!!

[Flaxen]

Damp bunning

Bedtime braiding

Shea butter and Fox's SBCC (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586) (although I'm not using either right now)

Heat cap

Earthly Delight shampoo (http://www.network54.com/Forum/192056/message/1020036901/Earthly+Delight%27s+Herbal+Shampoo--EXCELLENT!)

Cocoveda oil (http://www.hennasooq.com/usa-store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=146)

Creative 8L wide tooth comb and silk pillowcases at Tenderheaded Accessories (http://www.tenderheaded.com/)

Japanese boxwood comb (http://chidoriyaworld.stores.yahoo.net/tsugcomlarbo.html)

[redneckprincess]

SMT
CO
just to name a couple

[LadyVictoria]

Getting rid of my plastic paddle brush
SMT
Coconut Oil
CWC
Braiding before bed
Protective updos
No protein
No heat styling
Twice weekly shampooing

[Unofficial_Rose]

Kimo's lotion: 1/3 shea butter, 1/3 aloe, 1/3 coconut oil.

Melt it together, stir, put in fridge. Take out of fridge a couple of hours later and stir.

Apply pea-sized blob evenly to towel-dried hair. No more dry-looking hair. Honestly, this stuff is great - thanks to Kimo, if she still visits LHC. :flowers: It can also be used on skin. Now my hair is highlighted, it just drinks the stuff. A little on dry hair can tame the frizzies, too.

Aussie Miracle Moist: The best and non-expensive coneless conditioner, tames even damaged hair. Boots keep doing 2 bottles for £3. And I keep buying it. Were it not for LHC, I'd never even have tried the stuff.

[rosyaddie]

For me, I'd say oiling has made a huge difference. I use olive oil and about a drop rubbed between my palms then through my hair after conditioner.... Sooo shiny and soft!

[AlleyKitten]

Oiling, especially coconut oil.
Switching from a paddle brush to a wooden comb.
CWC-type methods, and generally using more conditioner.
SLS-free shampoo.
Updos...basically all of them. I could sort of kind of do one updo before I found LHC. Also rope braiding.

[rags]

Coconut oil

60th street forks

Ketylo sticks and forks (hold like a rock and he's great to deal with too!)

CWC

Flexi 8's

Amish pins


My list is high on toys because that's where I always had trouble before - drugstore toys would never work on my hair. They slid right out!

[truwave]

Jojoba oil, just a few drops after washing, and nightly.

[amaiaisabella]

Wide-toothed combs! And, echoing Flaxen, Fox's shea butter cream :)

[Loviatar]

Biolage conditioning balm and the Sally's knock-off. My HG product.
Dairy whip. I wish their site would come back.
Rake combs.
Bhringraj oil.
Damp bunning with acrylic hairtoys.
Nightblooming's etsy store.

[Fayjoi]

Coconutoil and all other oils too, but coconutoil was the first one I used with great succes.
SMT
CO
CWC
Ficcare, Flexi8, hairsticks

[MandyBeth]

Learning to go cone-free.

Learning that with time (and no cones), my hair does actually like protein.

Oil

Aloe (my hair says yum, yum....)

Etsy

[Xandergrammy]

First, FICCARES!!! I never had any kind of clip that actually held all my hair like glue. Of course, I'm addicted

Hair forks and hair sticks

CWC

Aloe gel

[Roseate]

I also love Kimberlily's spray and Fox's shea butter cream.

Damp bunning is great, and something I never would have tried- I always had this fear that my hair would mold if I put it up wet, since it stays wet all day that way. No mold, just soft hair!

Deep moisture treatments of all kinds- SMT, caramel treatment, even just a good CO soak- I never did DT's before LHC, and I always had dry ends... c'mon, self, connect the dots!

Heavy-duty hairtoys. My hair snaps the drugstore kind, I had given up trying.

[indigonight]

Buns
hair sticks
using herbs only to shampoo
oil
henna
pure cow bone wide toothed comb
realizing that everyone's hair is different and has its own needs, what works for you might not work for the next person....so find the routine that makes you happy
tons of conditioner
no cones -ever- organic all the way....

[Rhiannon7]

1. CWC
2. CO
3. SMT
4. Kimo's shea butter, aloe vera gel and almond oil mix.
5. braiding for sleep
6. hair in bun or braid 99% of the time
7. air dry
8. wide tooth comb
9. micro trims
10. benign neglect
11. Indian henna
12. Boar Bristle Brush.

[metal_sugar]

Coconut oil and SnowyMoons Moisture Treatment!

[longforhim]

Combing gently, instead of rough brushing.
Oiling
CWC
wearing hair up more

[contradiction]

wooden comb
minimal brushing
cold water rinses
no hair elastics (just clips and pins)
and the most important one is probably giving drugstore products a second chance. the 2.99 s and c i use now is so much better than the redken i used to use.

[Hiriel]

Kimberlily's defrizz spray. I'm absolutely convinced there's nothing it can't do. I usually spray this in my hair instead of oiling it with just oil, easier to get a tiny bit of oil all over and you get aloe and water as well! I even spray it on my legs after shaving them, as moisturiser. My skin loves it, and it feels to cool and nice.

I also love my Ketylos, especially the waterproof aqua pearls :)

And I have learnt, oh, pretty much all the hair styles I know here :D

[FrannyG]

Horn comb
SMTs
COing
Learning how to use hairsticks
Learning hairstyles (a wonderful new hobby)
Ficcares!!!!!!
Flexi 8s
Coconut oil before hair colouring

Lots of other things too, but I can't think of them right now. :ponder:

[Sissy]

1. air dry hair instead of blow dry and flat iron
2. comb/brush hair gently from ends up
3. seamless bone combs (Hairsense on Ebay) and wood combs
4. hair toys (I never owned any before)
5. CO washing
6. Catnip Treatments
7. SMT
8. Hair Oils (Coconut, EVOO, Argan, and especially Camellia)
9. have found a bunch of products that work great on my hair by using the reviews section and reading others recommendations (Yes to Carrots, Nature's Gate, Jason, Aubrey Organics, Sally's GVP line)
10. was given links to iherb.com and vitacost.com some great places to score good deals on oils, conditioners, etc.

[Elspeth30]

-Madora Comb

-CWC

-Jojoba oil and using oil in general

-More hairstyle ideas than I can easily list

-Hairtoys of all kind that I never knew about, especially my Bronzejewelers clip

-Feye's self-trimming method

[Sabayon]

Shampoo Bars
ACV rinse
Basically every updo I know how to make
Bun sock!

[melikai]

-Stopping brushing, using a wide-toothed comb from the ends up, combing out when almost dry rather than when wet.

-Finoriel's Egg & Honey shampoo (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=329890&postcount=13). Still the best natural hair cleansing recipe I've found so far.

-Hairsticks: once I learned to use them properly, they're the least damaging option for keeping my hair up. Beetnik505 spiral sticks (http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=22033985) hold especially well.

-No silicones or sulfates. Aubrey Organics Blue Chamomile shampoo (http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=087) is my favourite right now.

-A couple drops of oil on my ends at night. Avocado and Camellia oils work best for me.

[Cinnamon Hair]

How to make buns of all kinds --Hair Style Dictionary (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=259752#post259752)
COing
Ficcares -- ficcare.com
Hair sticks and forks --papadonh, graydog, ketylo, 60thstreet, barefoot maiden on etsy
Creative 8L seamless comb --from tenderheaded.com

Umm pretty much everything I know about hair I learned on LHC. :D

[Masara]

Oills. I would never have dared use them on my fine hair
Henna and how to use it properly
Practically every hairstyle I do
How to use a hairstick
Hairtoys (ficcare, flexi-8, quattro, ketylo, speharb..)
Nightblooming's panacea hair salve
Etsy :whistle:

[jacqueline101]

Oiling my hair
Stretch shampoo and condition
Boars bristle brush
Protective up do
Benign neglect
Monistat

[meteor]

1. No brushing.
2. Bunning / damp bunning / using hair sticks.
3. Different ways of applying different oils.
4. CWC and using way more conditioner and way less shampoo.
5. Ayurveda for hair.
6. Going back to products that my hair likes and dropping expensive salon professional products that are supposed to work but don't.
7. Not listening to bossy hairdressers who don't deal with long hair. Listening to real results only.