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Meditating_Coils

Washington , New Jersey

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Meditating_Coils

MEDITATING COILS' NATURAL HAIR
March 22, 2009

2006-2008 have been rough years in that I had alot of problems with detangling, breakage, dry, brittle, knotty ends.....because of bad habits and I got lazy with my hair care. I grew out my hair from TWAs(I miss them) almost to shoulder length. My hair was so much thick hair and it was just overwhelming taking care of it. So I cut it a couple of times to about 1/4 inch to get rid of the "damaged' ends. It grew back to about 5 inches but I cut my hair(Jan/Feb 2009) again after a set of extensions. Now it's about 3 inches and I've decided not to cut my hair anymore. This mean going back to basics with my natural hair, reading hair forums extensively, relearning about my hair and about natural hair care.

Bad hair habits:
1. Wearing wash-n-go styles-after about 5 inches this method caused alot tangling for my hair. Great for my TWAs. Hair behaves differently at various lengths.
2. Not detangling completely--my hair is thick and nothing worked....combs, denman brushes, conditioner washes...none worked! Just a tangled mess. My ends were just so busy and knotty. Sometimes I would just band my hair at night and in the am wear it out with a headband. When I touched my hair, little pieces where everywhere.
3. Wearing loose styles-got lazy braiding and twisting my hair. Shrinkage of loose hair=starting the whole wash-cond-detangle all over.
4. Wearing extensions too much--caused more knots. I would get the length but then have to cut my hair to mangage it.
5. Not enough moisturizing, deep condtioning, ACV, etc. ACV really detangled my hair and gave it a nice sheen. I want those days back.

What I know now:
1. Limit loose styles=less tanglesand knots. I just have to start
braiding/twisting more.
2. Braid, twist or banding stretches hair, minimizes shrinkage and reduces tangles=less detangling needed.
3. Satin pillow cases, scarf, do rag(my fave) are a must.
4.Limit denman brushes and combs. That brush was pulling out my hair. But everyone was raving about so "it couldn't be that bad." Iisten to my hair now.
5. Use fingers to detangle more especially when it's wet.
6.Frequent conditioning washes not necessary...esp. if I have to detangle.
7. Wash hair in sections and handle in one direction.
8. Shampoo every 7-10 days works best for me. I like shampoo.

So my plan is to keep things very simple and keep doing what works. I suppose I'm an old "newbie" and I don't mind it because I Know my hair's potential. It really is just hair when you really think about it.

NATURAL HAIR FACTS:
*NAPPY HAIR!--Thick, spongy, type 4 hair
*Last relaxer: Winter: 1999
*Completely Natural: August 2000

HAIRSTYLES:
*ultra short twa
*2 strand twists
*cornrow/braid/twist outs
*braids natural and w/ extensions

PRESENTLY USING THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS
**List to change as I experiment with others**

NATURAL PRODUCTS-
*African Shea Butter
*Aloe vera gel
*Oils--olive, avocado, coconut, castro
*Glycerin
*Crisco(haven't tried yet)

SHAMPOO---7-10days
Jasons(diluted)

CONDITIONERS--
*Suave detangling conditioner for Kids( I like this one)
*Suave--lavender, vanilla, clarifying
*Kiehl's(need more of this)
*Others in the bathroom cabinet

STYLING PRODUCTS
*Shealoe*
*Natures Blessing
*Spritz- cond+oil+glycerin+aloe
*Brush with cushion bacse. Denman brushes broke!!
*Detangling combs
*Small teeth combs for ends esp. if braiding
*Black bands for banding thick hair with no metal parts
*Hair clips, small claw like

GOALS FOR 2009-Retain length, strengthen hair, return natural sheen
*Managing my hair in between wash days*THIS IS THE CHALLENGE FOR ME BECAUSE MY HAIR IS DRY.*
*More fingercombing
*More deep conditioning
& try protein treatments
*Less loose hair styles
*Braid & Twist more
*Trim regularly & moisturize ends
*Make homemade products
*Section hair for shampooing

WISH List:
*Qhemet Products
* Shampoo bars
*Elucence

I hope this has been helpful. Thanks for all the thoughtful and supportive compliments.

MC/PB
2009

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