curlies and protective hair styles

[mamaherrera]

I see so many of you talking about how they get growth by keeping hair in buns/braids, etc. But I hear that for curlies (like me) that these hairdos are not good for our hair, because our hair is so much prone for breaking. I have so much breakage right now which is why I'm very interested in hearing people's opinions. for example, for me, to do a french braid for sleeping, it's hard not to separate clumps to get sections, so maybe that's a reason for breakage/? I was going to try the bun method like I've seen so many of you say, but then I've read articles for curlies that say these styles place lots of pressure on hair, etc. and can even pull hairs out. So I would really like some opinions or testimonies on what works best for curlies to help us retain growth.

[Zesty]

I am not a curly hair expert by any means, but I did want to say that buns don't put pressure on hairs or pull them out if they're done right. Buns and other updos pulled very tight can eventually cause enough stress to pull hairs out and cause hair loss (traction alopecia), but the vast majority of average people don't pull nearly tight enough. If it's comfortable and not tight, and it's a gentle style such as a lazy wrap bun, you should have no problems with buns causing breakage. Once your hair gets to a certain length, leaving it down can cause breakage to the delicate ends from daily wear and tear, so updos are worthwhile. For the sleep style, maybe you could try pineappling (ponytail right on top of the head), a bun on top of your head, or a sleep cap, so that you won't have to break up your curl pattern with braids. HTH, and hope someone else can answer more of your questions. :flower:

[DarkCurls]

I agree with Zesty. I'm no expert either, but wearing my hair up has definitely not caused more breakage. Even French braids. Detangling before is a good idea (I don't do it, but I know it's a good idea :p), you're probably going to have to break up the clumps if you want really even sections. Also, separating clumps does not result in breakage as far as I know.
And yeah, buns haven't managed to pull my hair out yet. :D Don't worry.

[PrincessIdril]

Well I wear my hair in a bun most days and my hair is fine. The only time I've noticed getting breakage is if a pin gets caught when I remove them, and that happens so infrequently that I'm not concerned.

As long as you don't pull you bun really tight everyday and vary the style every so often you'll be ok. Also make sure to fasten it with hair friendly tools, like hairsticks.
I normally use bobby pins but that's because I do a lot of running around and I haven't got the hang of making a secure bun with hairsticks yet!

[mamaherrera]

Thanks you all for chiming in. With buns, right now I do a ponytail and then I wrap it into a bun, and then I put another elastic band around that to secure it. I would love to hear of some safer, better ways to secure it. I run and execise and you're right, if I don't secure it well, it's hurting me as I'm jumping around because it's pulling those hairs down and every which way, so I need a secure, not tight, but secure bun. I would love for some tips on how to safely secure buns.


And to the other curly who seems to have hair like mine. . .. do you detangle before washing?? I want to detangle with dry hair, especially if you say there's no breakage from that, but if you have gel in your hair from previous days, how do you detangle without damaging, and how do you get through clumps without breaking??? I think me detangling in the shower, even though I use tons of conditioner, I think it's stretching and causing breakage.

[afu]

I'm a curly and I wear buns almost daily as well as braids for bed and i find that they actrually prevent a lot of breakage because the hair doesn't get tangled up and need frequent detangling. Im currntly using water only to wash and so i have been detangling before showering, but usually when I conditioner only wash I detangle when damp.

My advice would be to ditch the elastics, try sticks, forks or hair friendly clips such as flexi-8s as they will put less pressure on strands of hair and cause less breakage.

If you hair feels stretchy when damp/wet it is probably worth doing a protein treatment, remember to always follow a protein treatment with a moisturising one

[mamaherrera]

Thanks for the info so much. I want to try detangling dry. could you tell me how you do it, with a comb I assume, but completely dry??? and do you start ends and work your way up?? do you detangle again in the shower, or no?

I was doing protein treatments, but my stylist said no, that I need more moisture because I'm curly. Dont know if he was generalizing or if he really analyzed my hair.

When you say ditch elastics, do you mean you don't even do a ponytail first?? When I"ve tried to do them just loose, like with a silk scrunchy, I get pain, a lot of bouncing and movement in the bun itself.

What do you all think about french twisting the hair and using an octopus clip to secure?? Is that a safe way to keep it up??

[PetuniaBlossom]

My hair isn't very curly, so I'm not an expert. Just wanted to chime in and say I recently started wearing a satin sleep cap. I just shove my almost-waist length hair in there any way it wants to go - no bun, no ponytail, no braid. I use my mister bottle (Mr. Bottle, hehe) (which contains filtered water, a few drops of coconut oil, and some lavender EO) just before I put on the sleep cap. In the morning, there are no tangles and even my dry ends are softened and silky. Just another one of the many great ideas from LHC. This site is wonderful!

[mamaherrera]

Everyone really does have great ideas, thanks. How does that work with oil and water mixed together, does it work? Hope some more curlies chime in

[PrincessIdril]

And to the other curly who seems to have hair like mine. . .. do you detangle before washing?? I want to detangle with dry hair, especially if you say there's no breakage from that, but if you have gel in your hair from previous days, how do you detangle without damaging, and how do you get through clumps without breaking??? I think me detangling in the shower, even though I use tons of conditioner, I think it's stretching and causing breakage.

Not sure who your question is directed at but I always brush/comb my hair before washing, but since my hair is pretty much always bunned or braided it rarely gets tangled so most of the time I'm just brushing to get shed hairs out.
As for your gel query, well that isn't a problem for me since I never use the stuff. I only use hairspray and that is also pretty infrequently. I just tend to gently brush that out, but if I've used a lot I might damped my hair slightly.

As for buns perhaps try and wean yourself off elastics slowly. Try securing the ponytail with an elastic but securing the bun with pins/sticks etc. Then once you get the hang of that ditch the other elastic. It is possible to get a good sturdy bun without elastics, it just takes practice :)
I can't comment on protein treatments, as I've never done
one or considered trying one but your hairdresser was right. In general curly hair is drier and does need more moisture.

[mamaherrera]

well my question was directed at all curlies. And for gel, I guess if I dampen it as well, it should help. And where do you recommend getting good quality pins/sticks/? what do you think of octopus clips to secure buns as well?? If I can find some sticks, I will start experimenting! Thanks

[LoveAngelBeauty]

I used to think that because my hair wasn't chemically processed, I did not need protein. This isn't true at all. Protective hairdos are supposed to protect your hair from breakage, not cause it. I think you should try some strengthening masques. Henna, deep conditioning with protein, and I've found that acv helps both for strength and for detangling. You can always follow up any of these with something moisturizing. But yeah, if you're experiencing breakage, it's more likely your hair needs more strength.

[mamaherrera]

LoveAngel Beauty--just a question. If I do protein, how do I do mild proteins in increments, I"m really scared to do a strong treatment. Can it work doing mild protein treatments, and if so, how, just more frequently?? ANd always after a low-sulfate free poo???

[Curly Crone]

I don't detangle before washing because I usually have gel in my hair. I comb after I am out of the shower when my hair is very wet. My hair hates protein but there are a lot of conditioners out there with protein and that maybe a safe way to test to see if your hair needs or likes protein.

I throw my hair up into a high pony and wrap the hair around into a bun that stays by itself for sleeping.

[gthlvrmx]

As a curly myself, i bun my hair 24/7. I detangle with my wide tooth comb followed by my mothers horn comb, and then bun it on the top of my head for bed. Then in the morning, if im going somewhere or i dont want a top bun anymore, i take it out, unraveling it carefully and then run my fingers through it, detangling it so i can make a good bun on the back of my head. Instead of elastics or sticks(usually) i use spin pins. Theyre efficient and really good to use, especially at night. They sell regular size, which are too big for me, and mini sized ones. You could try a bun on top of your head, just be careful detangling your hair because curly hair tends to catch on to other hairs and snag.
Careful on the protein treatments, ask yourself, how does my hair FEEL like?
is it dry?
is it stretchy?
Does it feel like hay or straw?
Is it gummy?
Or is it in the in-between.
Healthy hair is in between. Check your products you use for the ingredients. Proteins are sometimes in shampoos or conditioners, like mane n tail conditioner or suuva coconut conditioner. Some protein ingredients are called like "amino" something. Run a search on google and look for "protein ingredients long hair community" and you might find a link that says what protein looks like in products.
And there's the moisturizing ingredients that have words like "glycol, glycerine". They are commonly found in conditioners to attract moisture into the hair. They are humectants, which means they attract moisture , just like honey does.
Try a stretch test and find out how it reacts. If it stretches a little and then breaks, its fine.
If it stretches stretches and stretches more and then snaps, its over moisturized.
If it just snaps when you try stretching it, it has too much protein.
Adding more protein with a treatment will cause it become dry and break easily if your hair doesnt need it.
Curly hair does tend to be drier because of the porousness of the hair, i think because of how it curls and makes the holes open wider allowing moisture to get out, so find out what your hair really needs and likes.
If you're going to use a moisturizing treatment in the end, or ever, make sure your envirnment, the area you live in, is humid enough for it. Even for the conditioners or shampoo you use, make sure your area has enough humidity to let the humectants in it to work properly. A humectant under about 50-60% (dont quote me on this, i really forgot the real dew point for it but its about there. check the SMT stuff someone wrote about it there) dew point will not attract more moisture, but do the reverse and SUCK the moisture out of your hair and into the air. This is why i cant use any humectant ingredients at ALL, it makes my hair poof and dry, i live in a dry environment.
If you're going to do a protein treatment and your hair does not like silicones, take notice on the ingredients. Many protein packs i found came with a final step, a sealer, and this contained a large amount of silicone, that would build up too much on my hair. If you're hair doesnt agree with silicone, and ive heard from curlies it weighs down their curls, and also builds up so you gotta clarify it out, then its best to stay away from that. The best protein treatment i used so far was just using Mane N Tail Original Conditioner. Its choc-full of protein and no silicone. I think it might have glycerine in it, but once doesnt hurt, i coat my hair with my humectant free conditioner afterward.

And if your hair is "silky" enough, when you detangle your hair, you wont have the big problem of your hair tangling or snagging on itself.
You can try looking on Etsy for hairsticks to buy or check here on the forums where they sell hairtoys, or you can make one(theres a thread about that too on), or use a toothbrush (without the rubber thing), a knitting needle, ive heard even spoons are useful, or a color pencil just put nail polish on the tips to cover the wood. if its not glossy enough, use that wood gloss they use to finish hairsticks.

hope that helps and i hope i answered the right things >.< XD i didnt know if you knew what your hair needed, from what i read it seemed like you needed some help on that but if i spoke too soon, my bad!

[LoveAngelBeauty]

LoveAngel Beauty--just a question. If I do protein, how do I do mild proteins in increments, I"m really scared to do a strong treatment. Can it work doing mild protein treatments, and if so, how, just more frequently?? ANd always after a low-sulfate free poo???

I kind of want to tell you not to be afraid and just go for it, but I know that a lot of people have adverse reactions to protein and the different types there are, so....You can do mild protein treatments to start with.

You can start by making your own, using egg or mayonnaise and adding it to a cheap conditioner.

Here's a list of recipes:
http://nnemune.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/home-made-protein-conditioner/

I've also heard great things about gelatin but have never tried it:
http://scienceyhairblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/gelatin-hair-protein-treatment-faqs.html

When it comes to store bought mild protein treatments, I've used a lot but I like:

Organic Root Stimulater Hair Masks
Organix Keratin Hair mask
Shea Moisture Restorative treatment
Aubrey Organics GPB (on my list of things to try, people rave about it).
Lekair deep conditioners

These conditioners provide both moisture and strength. I'm not sure what your hair needs, but I think it's unlikely that you will have an adverse reaction from trying a mild protein treatment.

[racrane]

I gently comb my hair while damp and then braid it or put it in a bun. I'm pretty wavy and my hair never has had any issues. Just find out what works for you and your hair. :)