Okay y'all... hair is my forte, so my post will be long!
I'm not a licensed stylist, but I've been doing hair (for myself and friends) for over 10 years with no complaints or problems.
I agree with Ideal08 about the Apoghee reconstructive conditioner. It is kinda expensive ($20), and very strong stuff, so be careful, and ALWAYS follow it with an Apoghee moisturizer.
I am all about the new products by Organic Root Stimulator: Uplifting Shampoo, Hair Mayonnaise, Carrot Oil, Fertilizing Temple Balm, etc. They are a bit costly, too, but worth every cent! I live and die by the Hair Mayo conditioner! It will truly change the way your hair feels and moves!
Now, if your hair is really damaged (i.e. dry, brittle, breakage, split ends), then your best friend will be a good, versatile haircut! If you choose to keep relaxing it, you should avoid lye at all costs because it dries out the hair. Baby perms (Just for Me, PCJ) are good, but you really should let a professional do it because he/she can be sure to ONLY perm the new-growth. I suggest Affirm if you go to the salon. And, even if you are trying to let your hair grow, you MUST, MUST, MUST get your ends clipped every 6-8 weeks if you really want to see results. Sounds crazy, but the only way your hair will grow is if you keep your ends clipped. On average, our hair (black hair) grows about 6 inches a year. If you clipped 1/8 of an inch every 6 weeks, you're really only cutting about 1.5 inches off, so you'd still gain some length-- healthy length!
Here are my personal hair tricks:
1. I had lots of issues with breakage when I moved to Ohio because the water here is very hard. If your water is the culprit, try to rinse your hair in cool water instead of hot or really warm water. If you rinse it in cold water it will actually make your hair shinier!
2. About two times a week, I oil my scalp with a little Fertilizing Temple Balm, then I massage it in while holding my head down so that the blood rushes to my scalp. I also have a vibrating scalp massaging brush that I got from Sally's, and I use it to stimulate my scalp and hair follicles. My hair has been growing like weeds since then!
3. I use a 100% boar-bristle brush because it is gentler on the hair than regular nylon bristles are.
4. I always let my hair air dry. In order to avoid frizzing, I wrap it with a silk scarf while it's wet and just let it air dry through the day. When it's dry, I condition it with Carrot Oil and brush it until it straightens out, then I wrap it again (in a silk scarf, of course).
5. I NEVER comb it with a fine tooth comb while it's wet. Hair is its most vunerable when wet, so you should use a wide-tooth comb and be very gentle.
6. I admit that I use curling irons a lot (which is bad for the hair), but I always use a low setting AND heat-protection hair moisturizers. I try to avoid curlers by wrapping my hair in such a way that my style can hold without curlers, but whenever I NEED to curl it, I "bump" it just a little and I never use spritz or anything else that makes the hair hard or sizzle.
Other products that I swear by include Sebastian's Zero Gravity weightless hairspray (the bomb!), and that new anti-breakage shampoo by Soft-Sheen (orange bottle). I also love Loreal's natural scalp treatment and hot oil.
I could talk all day and night about hair, but I won't bore you anymore. If you have anymore questions or anything, let me know. If you were in Columbus, Ohio, I would HOOK YOU UP for just $10 (touch-up, trim, style). Good luck, girl!
the411
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