First Steps

[Talythia]

Hi there!

I'm new here, and while I've had long hair all my life, it's only really in the past year I've started to think about trying to take good care of it.

I know there's a lot of info available here and around about this sort of thing, but what would you folks recommend for first steps for a long hair-care newbie? :confused:

My hair is just wavy/curly enough to get really puffy when brushed or combed, and I'd like to start by making it behave. I've thought of trying conditioner-only washing or coconut oil as I've read about here and on the long hair LiveJournal community. Is there anyone who has/had similar hair here who can vouch for these things working, or is it really variable depending on a person's exact hair type and previous hair treatment?

[morgwn]

Hi there!

I'm new here, and while I've had long hair all my life, it's only really in the past year I've started to think about trying to take good care of it.

I know there's a lot of info available here and around about this sort of thing, but what would you folks recommend for first steps for a long hair-care newbie? :confused:

My hair is just wavy/curly enough to get really puffy when brushed or combed, and I'd like to start by making it behave. I've thought of trying conditioner-only washing or coconut oil as I've read about here and on the long hair LiveJournal community. Is there anyone who has/had similar hair here who can vouch for these things working, or is it really variable depending on a person's exact hair type and previous hair treatment?

First of all, welcome! :)

I'd say to check out the wurly/curly thread and also perhaps check out the curly hair book (it's on Amazon). The oil you use and like best does seem to be dependent on each individual head and I'd suggest that you try a few of the most common ones first and see how you like them (e.g. coconut oil, jojoba oil, EVOO, shea butter). CO washing also seems to be dependent on each person. It is what I use with clarification maybe once a month or so.

I definitely would suggest, however, that if you don't already have one, get a wide-toothed comb and pretty much just use that and your fingers to sort your hair. That'll keep it from going frizzy and not tear your hair from tangles. It seems to work much better with wurly/curlies. I do also use a BBB maybe once a week, the night before a shower, to help spread coconut oil more through my hair, although my hair then will be pretty saturated. My hair usually soaks most of that up by the following morning and then I just do a CO wash.

I think after some exploration, you'll find a routine that works for you with some extra hair-care practices for once a week to once a month thrown in there. Good luck on finding your best routine and don't be afraid to keep on trying new things if your hair seems like it needs a change. :)

[hurricane_gia]

There's a great article here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39) on how to get started. It's pretty good advice, and it's broken down into steps so you won't feel overwhelmed.

Welcome to the land of hair-obsession! :D

[Talythia]

Thanks!

Ahh, I have a wide-toothed comb (though I'd like to get a better one, as it's one of the plastic ones with a seam) but my hair still ends up with unwanted volume *sigh*

I think the problem may be that my hair type has changed since I was little, and I'm not used to it being so much wavier. Whether this is because my diet and health are admittedly poorer than they used to be, I don't know. So I'm not used to dealing with wavy hair with the occasional curl, and my 'instinct' is to try to brush it smooth (without hair-drying it straight-ish).

[Katze]

welcome!

I also went wavier, and seem to keep going wavier. It does take getting used to but 2 hair is lovely, the best of both worlds!

Moisture is the key to waves. Your hair wants more moisture than it would if it were straight. for me, leave-in conditioner, misting, aloe, and *light* oiling help make my hair spiral from the ears down, and stop that 'poofy' look.

Don't brush, except to get your hair smooth for an updo or before washing. Combing tidies waves enough, but brushing pulls them out and flattens them. I only ever brush down to the scalp before I'm going to wash, to help distribute sebum.

Since you are already a long hair there will probably be a lot of information here you already know, and your suspicions and ideas about hair will be validated. This place is great, glad you found us!

Katze

[Silver & Gold]

Welcome. I doubt that there is anyone here who can tell you what routine is going to work best for your hair. I think that is a journey that we all take by using the forums for ideas on different things to explore.
I read and then experiment based on the success of people with hair types similar to my own. I've been experimenting on my hair as well as the hair of my husband, son and daughter. We all have different hair needs so it gives me a real opportunity to see what works on different hair types. My biggest problem is that my hair is partially processed so I'm treating both virgin and processed hair on the same head - a tricky task at times.

[Curlsgirl]

Just wanted to say welcome! If you are combing while your hair is dry even unless it's for updos depending on how much curl you have it could make it go frizzy. If I do this I only do it for braiding or updos or I mist or wet after. It took me a while to get used to not brushing too but I love my hair now with no blowdrying in it's natural state. I can't recommend the Curly Girl book enough for that part. It also can help you with other ways to treat your hair more gently and it's not just for curlies, it's for wavies too. Most of all read, read, read and TRY to do one thing different at a time so you can see how your hair responds before moving on. Stopping heat and brushing will make a world of difference and was definitely the best thing I did for my hair.

[Periwinkle]

Welcome to LHC! Take a good look around: this is your life from now on :)

You'll probably discover a lot more as you find your way around, but the most basic things for me have been being more gentle with my hair: putting it up in different ways, learning to braid, switching to a comb and using less products.

[Talythia]

Heh, a year ago all I could do was normal English plait, a bog-standard bun and various ponytails. Now (thanks to Dreamweaver braiding) I can do French and Dutch plaits, herringbones (a bit) and two-strand ropes if I concentrate and a selection of buns (thanks to lurking here over the past year). It makes a huge difference in how I regard my hair. I used to like it long because that's how it had always been and it was too annoying to have it short (to me) and constantly needing to be flipped back over my shoulder - now I want it long because that way I can actually do stuff with it, and I want it to look the best it can be :) Thanks for the advice so far, I'll see what works to begin with :cool: