Newbie in need of some advice

[floralgem]

Well, I'm new here and am pretty clueless on everything, but here's my little backstory:

My hair was longest I would say 2 years ago. My friend took a picture after she had straightened it, and it was actually hip length! I then cut it above shoulder, and it's a little below that. So now that I found this place I want to grow it out again, so here are my questions: (see hair type on card)

1. What anti-frizz products are good for my hair that don't have any chemicals in it?

2. Should I use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair?

3. I have to do heat style and rollers for cheerleading in the fall/winter, so if I take a break from it off season, will my hair be less damaged then if I did it all the time?

[TheMechaGinger]

I know a lot of members here really like aloe vera gel to get rid of frizzies, it has to be pure aloe gel though. I know some of them have additives like food dye or menthol or preservatives so watch out for that . I'm a total -cone junkie and use regular serums for my frizz :D

The less you heat style the better, I'm positive the break will be better for you than keeping up the heat all year round. Maybe you can try pin curls or other methods of no heat curling as an alternative too?

And as far as the wide tooth combs go, some people really like them and some people don't. I'm one of the ones that don't, I really like the tangle teezer and just plain old boar bristle brushes but it took a lot of experimenting on my part to realize that so try everything!

ETA: Welcome to the LHC!

[letibear]

1. What anti-frizz products are good for my hair that don't have any chemicals in it?

2. Should I use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair?

3. I have to do heat style and rollers for cheerleading in the fall/winter, so if I take a break from it off season, will my hair be less damaged then if I did it all the time?

Hi, and welcome! I think natural oils are best for keeping frizzies away. There are a ton of different oils you can try (olive, grapeseed, almond, coconut, argan...) - the list is endless. My personal favorites are grapeseed and almond (they are almost odorless) and they are good for your skin too. Also, stay on top of deep conditioning. It'll help frizzies too. A wide tooth comb is great as long as the comb is smooth and seamless. You may also want to invest in a quality boar bristle brush to help spread oils used.

Taking a break from heat will certainly do your hair justice, but remember that once hair has been truly damaged, there is no fixing it, you can only trim it off. There are several no-heat methods for curls if that is an option for the style you're doing.

Welcome again, and good luck!

[heidi w.]

Well, I'm new here and am pretty clueless on everything, but here's my little backstory:

My hair was longest I would say 2 years ago. My friend took a picture after she had straightened it, and it was actually hip length! I then cut it above shoulder, and it's a little below that. So now that I found this place I want to grow it out again, so here are my questions: (see hair type on card)

1. What anti-frizz products are good for my hair that don't have any chemicals in it?

2. Should I use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair?

3. I have to do heat style and rollers for cheerleading in the fall/winter, so if I take a break from it off season, will my hair be less damaged then if I did it all the time?

First, WELCOME!!

To your questions.

#1. I am not a curly haired person, but if you are, you might consider Conditioner Only hair washing. There's a book titled, Curly Girl, that explains how it's done which is different from the LHC method. I hear this method helps the curly haired with moisture and thus frizz. There's also oiling the hair which many stand by. I oil my length only and I swear by it.

#2. Yes, a comb that is wide-toothed, or even extra-wide wide toothed, which is what I have to use. I stopped brushing around ten or so years ago now.

#3. Well, yes it'll be less damaged, but maybe you won't be able to tell the difference. The thing if you compete as a cheerleader to watch how tightly you pull your hair back, and know that a ponytail is not the best care of long hair. Hair in a ponytail is not well wrapped up. It's still swinging, still rubbing against fabrics that aren't favorable to hair, wind can still cause tangles, as can all that tumbling.

There's a lot to know. The main thing to know is that it is not one thing that makes the difference, it's the combination of a lot of little details. ETA: Remember hair is organic and should be treated like fine old lace. END ETA

Good Luck on your Journey,
heidi w.

[WaterMusic]

One method that is easy is not washing out all of your conditioner. Just leave enough in to weigh down your frizz and define your curls.

[SurferB]

What I'm doing, which is working so well (hair growth is 1.5-2inches per month):



I'm eating a clean diet (vegetarian), as always. I eat 2-3 organic free range pasture eggs everyday. I eat plenty of fruit and veggies. I only eat Whole Foods Market farmed raised salmon 2/week or white fish and raw goats cheese, Keefer. I also use organic extra virgin coconut oil, Juice Organics Shampoo and Conditioner, and I only wash my hair 2-3 times per week. Sometimes I'll throw an egg in my hair...ONLY organic pasture raised eggs! I won't touch the crap eggs from regular stores. Sometimes I'll also put avocado in my hair and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. I also have a special brush that doesn't break my hair and I don't comb it when it's wet nor do I brush it. I also use essential oils to really moisturize my hair, and of course being careful with the protein/moisture balance.


Also, Whey shakes daily from grass fed, ethically treated cows. Omega 3 fish oil supplements from Whole Foods, 2000 mg/day. Multivitamin. Arteisian Well water which has lots of sulphur in it..stimulates growth. Peppermint oils on scalp, Ylang Ylang III essential oils. Coconut oil deep conditioner 1/week. NO HEAT. I wear braids often, which is supposed to increase hair growth. ALSO, Sulfate free shampooo/cond. I have a filter to get all the chlorine out of my shower water. Chlorine dries out hair.

[floralgem]

Thanks for all the answers guys! I want to start with the CWC method to just begin with it, and I would move on to CO later on.

[caadam]

Well, I'm new here and am pretty clueless on everything, but here's my little backstory:

My hair was longest I would say 2 years ago. My friend took a picture after she had straightened it, and it was actually hip length! I then cut it above shoulder, and it's a little below that. So now that I found this place I want to grow it out again, so here are my questions: (see hair type on card)

1. What anti-frizz products are good for my hair that don't have any chemicals in it?

2. Should I use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair?

3. I have to do heat style and rollers for cheerleading in the fall/winter, so if I take a break from it off season, will my hair be less damaged then if I did it all the time?

WELCOME! :flower: Hopefully I can join in on helping you to find a method to try out!

1. First off, it's important to understand that everything is going to have chemicals. After all, what are we made out of? We have chemicals that make up who we are, and there are chemicals that make up the earth! Sounds obvious, but I think a lot of people associate the word "chemical" with bad ingredients, and that's not exactly true.

Saying that, some simpler products would be oils and certain conditioners. Considering your hair type (loose curls, I would assume form your hair type), the CO (Conditioner Only) method might benefit you. It could help to cut down frizz and moisturize dry hair in general. You just need to find a conditioner you like. Some preferred conditioners in the CO community are VO5 (which I found out is vegan-friendly, but it's not an organic or "natural" product), Suave, and White Rain. These are probably the least expensive conditioners and do well with COing.

If you want more information on organic/natural conditioners, you can check out the Conditioner Only thread here on this forum. Just make sure that if you do decide to try out the method to limit yourself to one conditioner for about 3-4 weeks so that you can see the all the results of it.

As for oils, a lot of ladies here use coconut oil and will do oil treatments before washing their hair in the shower. Or, sometimes they'll put on a small amount of oil on damp hair after a shower, or when it's already dry. This can help to keep away frizz, keep hair soft and shiny, and also healthy. Heidi W. has a video of herself oiling her hair with coconut oil. However, some ladies use other oils, like jojoba oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, and many others. Ask around and I'm sure you'll eventually find something you like. It'll mean trying to them out for yourself, though. lol

2. A wide-toothed comb is going to be less damaging, especially for you who has curls. It's also going to help preserve your curls instead of brushing them out, and I've found that since using a comb myself, I'm more aware of how I handle my hair. You start from the bottom up, and gently comb through all the tangles. Never pull through a tangle, lest risk snapping your hair and causing damage, especially when combing damp hair.

3. Well, once damage is done, then it's done. *shrugs* You can't really take it back. Like, if you have split ends, the only way to "repair" them is to cut them off. The best you can do is use certain products to help treat the damage, but you can't cure it, per se. Sometimes silicone in shampoos, conditioners, and serums will help to make hair look nicer and feel better (a lot of ladies here use products with silicone, but not always to help with damage—some just find that their hair really likes silicone!). Mineral oil, I've read, has helped some ladies to keep their hair in good shape if they are using a heat-styling routine.

All in all, doing less damage to your hair is going to be good for it. If you take care of it while using heat, it'll look better when you're not doing anything to it at all. To protect your hair when you're not doing much to it, try to put it in some protective styles: buns, braids, scarves, and I'm sure there's more out there. Heidi made a good point about ponytails, and it's very true. A ponytail isn't a very protective style because your hair is still being exposed to damage (movement, tangling, static from clothing and other objects, pulling). Instead, wrap your hair up in a bun. Treat it in a gentle manner, be mindful of it when you're handling it. I know for some girls it's very easy to twist their hair up mindlessly in an elastic, only to realize the plethora of knotted hair they created later. Not good. lol

There's definitely a lot more I could tell you, but I've already written too much. I have a bad habit of doing that. LOL :p

Just explore, don't be shy about joining in on conversations, even in the method threads (like the Conditioner Only thread). A lot of people here are more than happy to help you out, but just remember that you are the only person who will be able to know what's right for YOU. All we can do is give you some paths to choose (but with some golden rules that most of us will agree anyone should do for hair in general lol), and you'll have to walk down them and see which one works best. :D Good luck!

ETA: Just read RIGHT AFTER I posted that you're going to start CWC! Good luck with that!

[caadam]

Here's a link to the CWC thread if you haven't checked it out yet: CWC (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53421)

And here's the CO thread: CO (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2898)

:flower: