New person in need of a hair guide/buddy!

[katsrevenge]

It is a serious case of over-information overload. There is just so much here, and some of it doesn't really make sense yet..

So I'm just going to come out and ask.

I have been doing the CWC thing for a few weeks. I've been using Garnier Fructis (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/Has%20been%20in%20a%20claw%20but%20finger%20brushe d/airdried.) for color treated hair shampoo and conditioner for most washes. Am using Suave Rosemary (http://www.amazon.com/Suave-Professionals-Shampoo-Rosemary-Bottles/dp/B002VA4FXA/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_text_b) and mint shampoo as a clarifier with and ACV water rinse as needed. (read rarely)

I brush my hair with a pick most of the time, a wide toothed comb sometimes, and a vented flat brush at night.

Most of the time I leave my hair in a messy bun with a metal-free ponytail holder.

The last time I had any interest in long hair I was in high school. It was tailbone. I used lots of the heat treatments and heat masks you used a hairdryer to set that seemed to be popular at the time.

Insert ten years of stripping, heavy dying/bleaching/product for fun punky looks. After a year with no dye it looks/feels better, then I dyed it with chemicals as it was making me feel old. I lost some curl to that! You can see my hair in my album as it is now.

As far as I know I've got my hair typed correctly. The curl comes and goes depending on weather and handling. It is very thick, medium textured and really doesn't have that much damage to it. I'm the only curly in a family of stick straight hair so I have probably been doing it wrong forever.

So.
People who have hair kinda like mine.. (or anyone really!)
Is this a good shampoo to use? My hair does get dull after a bit.

I have read curly/heavy waved hair people should NEVER brush their hair... errr... how does this work? How do you not snarl the crap out of it?

I'd prefer to stop using chemical dyes. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to henna without issues. But the recipes... I want a brighter red. I've read paprika is the thing to add?

Or is that more henna type dependent? I also have heavy greys in a few areas that must be hid. All hennas will pretty much cover them? Or do I need to spring for the highest quality I can?

Hair styles. What are some of ya'lls favorites? I'm correct in reading ponytails are bad? My hair has layers for sanity's sake but most are in the bottom part.

Oil. Exactly what do you do with it? Just rub it over the top? Just on the outsides?

Hair things. Which are the ones to avoid/ones to get, damage wise?

Anything else I should know?

[Mountaingrrl]

How often are you doing CWC? You may want to experiment CO for some of your washes -- curly hair tends to appreciate the moisture.

I'm not familiar with the Fructis shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair, although I do use the moisturizing conditioner and love it. I recommend checking the ingredient lists for silicone, dimethicone, etc., which could be building up on your hair and dulling it.

I have a similar hair type to yours and I don't use a hairbrush. I finger-comb my hair with conditioner in the shower or bath, I oil my hair, and I use protective styles a lot. My hair looks a lot nicer now than when I used to brush -- nicer curl, healthier looking and less frizz. I don't tend to get many snarls unless I'm caught in the wind with my hair down or something. In that case, I detangle with my fingers on moisturized hair, starting at the ends.

My go-to hairstyles are twisted buns (e.g. cinnabun, chignon) secured with spin pins, braids, and half-ups. Ponytails can be damaging, especially with repeated stress on the same part of the hair, but I will occasionally do a ponytail with a scrunchie covered in a soft fabric.

Oil: I rub a small amount over the length, all the way to the ends, on damp hair. Occasionally I'll do a heavy coconut oiling as a deep treatment.

Hair things to avoid: most elastics (especially those with metal), things with sharp ridges your hair could snag on.

Hair things to get: spin pins, Flexi-8s, u-shaped hairpins, soft headbands, silk scarves.

[torrilin]

If you wear the same style in the same spot on your head every day, chances are there will be breakage. The coarser and straighter your hair, the longer it'll take. And the less twisting and tight tension you use, the longer it'll take. Ponytails aren't the only guilty style, but they're an easy starter style and they have a couple features that make breakage easy... so people tend to notice it a lot. Then they freak.

Curly hair tends to be fairly delicate, but you're typing yourself as F/M and a iii, so... probably nowhere near as delicate as some. Especially since your hair could stand up to dye :).

FWIW, curly is a dominant trait genetically. You're probably not the only curly in your family. For a lot of people, their real curl pattern won't show if their hair isn't long enough. And for a lot of people, it's possible to comb or brush out their "tangles" and get nice bouncy straight hair with tons of volume. But then they bitch about frizz every so often... that tells you they're not brushing out tangles. They're brushing out curl.

As far as the brush thing... 1c means my hair isn't quite stick straight, but it isn't wavy enough that anyone would ever look at my hair and call it wavy. If I brush my hair out with a boar bristle brush, my waves vanish (don't use vent brushes, haven't for ages - my hair is fine enough that it breaks). Voila, stick straight hair. Most of the time my hair is in some kind of braid or bun, so it doesn't have much chance to get tangled. And most of the time, finger combing alone is enough to get my shed hairs that are done growing out.

If I have to do serious detangling because I wore my hair loose, I finger comb it starting from the ends and working my way up. If it still needs more work, I'll go after it with a wide toothed comb. If it still needs more work, I have a fine toothed comb. This is unfun. At BSL I had a couple incidents where it literally took 4-6 hours to detangle my hair. After that, I got a lot more careful about keeping my hair up... I've always tended to keep my hair more up than not, but that much detangling is not something I can live with. EVER.

[Anje]

Well, if your hair is dull, my suspicion is that either you've got buildup, or your conditioning is not sufficiently moisturizing for you. You might want to clarify and try a few other products or wash methods. I know a lot of the Garnier Fructis products have silicones in them, which are prone to building up. They add slip, but some people also find them drying. You might want to try going without silicones, just to see how your hair behaves, and choose which works best for your hair.

Conditioner-only washing is worth looking into, if you're interested. It tends to be more moisturizing for hair and scalp than routines that use shampoo each wash, which tends to be a good thing for curly hair.

Brushing: In general, if a curly-haired person brushes her hair when dry, it gets big and puffy. That's not terrible if that's what you're going for, or if you're going to style it. But if you want to wear it down in defined curls, the best thing seems to be to comb/brush it when in the shower and totally laden with conditioner, rinse it out, perhaps comb through some product, and drip-dry without touching the hair again. Some curlies also find they break hairs if they try to comb or brush dry hair, and so need the lubrication of conditioner to detangle it. If that doesn't apply to you, no worries.

Henna: Henna is red. Period, exclamation point. Be wary of any company selling henna in colors other than red. Be aware that it's a lot more permanent than normal permanent hair colors, and typically doesn't bleach out very well. It tends to turn gray hairs a bit orangey, unless you do several applications or use something with particularly high dye content. I tend to go with stuff from the local Indian grocery and get good results, but the best practice is to order from a reputable seller like HennaSooq or Mehandi.com.

Hairstyles: We could go on for days with this one. The short answer is I prefer doing buns with hairsticks over elastics. They feel more stable, wiggle less, and don't pull as much. Ficcares are another local favorite here for securing buns, but relatively pricey.

[Nae]

Okay, let me try to address some of your questions!

The pick is probably a good way to detangle your hair. I would drop the brush though if you are that curly. I recommend a Tangle Teezer for detangling while wet with copius amounts of conditioner down the length. The can be found at Sally's now, which is nice because they used to be only in the UK. Finger combing is good too though.

The shampoos I use are all sulphate free, I alternate between Chagrin Valley Shampoo Bars and Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar beet CWC with the first condition being a cheapy Suave of any scent. I personally stay away from Cones but only because it makes my hair too slippery for my hair toys.

I find that yemeni henna or celebration henna gives me the truest reds. I have tried the paprika thing but I haven't noticed any real difference. Some people have fine grey coverage, (check out the previously white/grey streak in my siggy) but it will start out orangey. After a few application the saturation built up to the point that you see in my siggy. I would say you should strand test to see what your hair is going to do with henna. Since it is crazy permanent, you want to be sure. Also keep in mind that the color does build up so eventually it can get really dark burgandy/plum colored if you keep doing full head applications. Just remember the only real way to get it out is scissors so be really sure before you go the henna route.

Another quick note, there have been reports of henna loosening curl pattern so you may have that side effect as well.

I use the lazy wrap bun and the cinnamon bun a lot. You can find tutorials on youtube. I think ponytails aren't horrible but keep in mind not to pony it in the exact same place day in and day out. Also, remember that the ends aren't protected in a pony the way they are in a bun.

Oil. I use a little (read a few drops) on the ends of my wet hair as I get out of the shower. I also put a little more on my ends at night before I braid it for sleeping. I use coconut or jojoba oil, it is easy to overdo it. If I know I am going to wash the next morning I slather it on but if it is just going to be a normal day I only put the lightest touch.

Hair toys, just avoid anything that could catch, like metal on ponytail holders or rough edges on things. If you want to be seriously enabled find the hair toy addict thread it showcases some of the most popular makers of hairtoys.

I can't think of anything else right now, just be patient, it will come. Check out the articles section, it has a lot of good info and don't hesitate to ask questions. You can always PM me if you want. Have a great day!

[katsrevenge]

First, thanks all! You have made this a bit easier to adsorb, LOL.

@Mountaingrrl

I wash like that probably three/four times a week because of the heat and getting sweaty. If it were coooler, I'd wash less. Should I be washing less, just rinsing or even keeping the hair out of the water?

I will check the Fructis. I'll also check the list for good conditioners to try the CO method with.

And I will try your method of hair combing. That seems to make sense... now I just need to find some oil!

And an excuse to go buy things... totally OK with that. :) Thank you for your suggestions! (because I have a few metal things, a ton of elastics (the soft no-metal kind) and just a single octi-claw that will still hold all my hair.) It really is time for new things.

@torrilin

That is good to know. The hair at the sides of my head and at the spot I tend to put the pony does feel rougher and the sides are a bit shorter for some reason. I do tend to wear a loose pony tail, but always at the same spot.

I'm guessing at the typing. My hair is not fine, but it is not coarse or wirey either (I've seen those hair types on others and they are not me.) It's more like a combo. I have very fine, delicate hairs and then I have very thick, robust hairs too. The ratio is about equal. And, my ponytail at the thickest part is about 6 inches around. So I have a lot of it!

As for dye, it never seemed to bother my hair till I stripped it three time for a new color one month. Even then it just went straight. (It was also much shorter and all of that has been cut off. What I have now was virgin till I dyed it in April)

My father's family had curly hair, but he is not in my life. My mother had stick straight hair, as did all my sibs and other relatives. :)

And I seem to be the only one with the frizzy hair, hehehe.
Gah. I was recently in the back of a convertible, and lost the hair tye. Took me two days to get all the snarl out with fingers, lotion and a comb. Never again.

@Anje I'm almost out of them anyways. So that can be a thing I try too. And after brushing I have early 80s sex kitten hair. It is giant and if I don't have layers, it is a triangle to boot.

And noted about henna. I have never used it, I have read mehandi.com a bit but I will admit to always being a little skeptical of even the best informative sites that sell the thing they talk about. It would be nice to use a red that does not wash all out for once!

Hmmm... hairsticks..those could be fun. And I have a dollar store budget right now.. pricey will have to wait! LOL

@Nae
Pick good, got ya. I will drop the brush. I will say that the tangle teezer looks a lot like a curry brush!

Good to know about the henna. I am sure. I'm just not ready to have as much grey as I do!

I will check out those threads, and the articuls. Like I said, there is just so much here that it is a case of not knowing where to start.

And thank you! :) You too!

[battles]

I'm pretty sure that shampoo does have cones in it, I was using it for awhile and it wasn't working very well for me. I'm using sulfate free shampoo and a henna conditioner now, but you could try CO. :)

[Madora]

EVOO Treatment highly recommended for making hair feel wonderful with tons of "slip".

How to: Wash and condition hair and dry thoroughly. Detangle with wide tooth comb.

1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a bowl
Use fingers to apply the oil all through your hair. Hair should be damp but not dripping from the oil.

Tear off some sheets of "cling wrap" (Sarah Wrap) and place over all the hair

You can leave on the cling wrap for a couple of hours or overnight.

Next morning, shampoo and condition as usual. Voila..terrific hair!

I also recommend the use of a pure boar bristle brush...very carefully! I don't recommend the tangle teazer because plastic generates heat, which is bad for your hair.

Also, be sure to follow each swipe of your brush with a swipe of your other hand down the hair you just brushed. This helps cut down on static.

A silk pillowcase is recommended by many LHCers.

Try and wear your hair UP and use hair friendly, non metal elastics.

Avoid ponytails as much as possible! Ditto..no blow frying or heat rollers/straightening/hot rollers, etc.

Have your hair trimmed every 3 to 4 months to keep the splits under control.

You might want to look into taking supplements (if you don't already).

Good luck!