WOC: The Hair Thread

[MissTT]

I wish we had a Trader Joe's, too. I'm often hearing good recommendations from there.

Sounds like a lot of us have skin/scalp issues. I have seborrheic dermatitis and it is a PITA. Sagehen has been excellent at walking me through some oil concoctions to help treat it. I feel like I'm bugging her, but she never treats me that way.

Personally, this place has been one of the coolest spaces ever regarding the gathering of WOC. It feels good.

 

[leahrenae]

I wish we had a Trader Joe's, too. I'm often hearing good recommendations from there.

Sounds like a lot of us have skin/scalp issues. I have seborrheic dermatitis and it is a PITA. Sagehen has been excellent at walking me through some oil concoctions to help treat it. I feel like I'm bugging her, but she never treats me that way.

Personally, this place has been one of the coolest spaces ever regarding the gathering of WOC. It feels good.

I've been told I have this too! Please share your oil concoction recipes!
It's sooooo annoying! I was thinking it may be eczema due to the itchiness and burning sometimes... at this point, I just want a clear scalp! Flakes falling on my shirt is NOT cute. at all!

 

[leahrenae]

Also, any of you ladies deal with wigs or half wigs? I'm all about half wigs and I'm surprised more women (at least the ones I know) don't have much experience with them. They're so easy to deal with and don't put any stress on your hair.

Thanks for your input!

I've been using the creme of nature argan oil edge control. I like it sooo much better than the ORS edge control, that stuff is sooo flaky!
but I experienced the same, the hold of the CoN doesn't last very long.

I tried a half wig about a year go.. it was convenient but I didn't like the style so I stopped wearing it.
I'm actually (still) making some clipin extensions. they're just as convenient and you can have different styles.
very easy to make, so you can save money just buying supplies and hair as opposed to buying the clipins.

 

[MissTT]

Right now I am using a mixture of coconut oil, neem oil, peppermint oil, and rosemary oil as a treatment on my scalp. I let it sit for at least 30 minutes, but have slept in it before b/c I was too lazy to wash my hair. LOL It has subsided to mild dandruff now, but still itches and sometimes insanely so. Washing my hair more often is definitely helping the flakes though.

leahrenae you're natural right? How do you work clip-ins into your hair? I may want to consider them for summer. You just have to sew the clips onto wefted hair, right? I'm thinking I could manage that. The thing is I can't braid my own hair. I regret not having this skill.

 

[shontay07108]

Braiding your own hair takes a lot of practice and patience. It took me a long time to get as good as I've become and I still haven't mastered it. Cornrows are not my friend mostly. I can do a decent enough job though so that my hair lays flat under my half wigs.

 

[VampyCouture]

Shontay, I haven't tried half wigs, but I like wigs as a protective style. I have never done lace front wigs though. Just a regular wig and I secure it with bobby pins rather than clips. I also don't 'wear them for extended periods of time. Only 8 hours here and 6 hours there when I feel like it lol

 

[shontay07108]

I've played around with a couple of synthetic lace wigs, but they look so obvious and ratchet to me. No matter how I tried it. I looked older and it just wasn't a good look. If I ever get a lace wig, it's going to be human hair and all lace, not just the front. I also want it custom made. I need to find a salon to go to so I can be sure. I'm afraid of getting ripped off online. I want a certified, Beyonce type lace wig and nothing else will do. Half wigs have been good to me, though. I wear them all the time and have done so for at least 5 years now. A lot of people think it's my own hair. I'm not hung up on having people think that, but I won't correct them :lol:. People can believe my hair is fake as long as it's well done, ya know? I used to take my wig off every single time at the end of the day, but now I wear a curly one and it's a lot easier to just wrap it up at night.

 

[MissTT]

Well it's not that you want people to think it's your hair as much as you don't want it to look like a wig - because that's bad. LOL. I totally know what you mean. I'm embarrassed that I ever wore synthetics. I must have looked crazy. Shontay send me a link to where you get your pieces. You can PM if you want. I used to have a curly one like yours about 12 years ago. It was so hot! 'cept some p0rn star Heather Hunter had the same piece I think.

 

[shontay07108]

I actually get my pieces from a local wig shop. I've been going there for years and the owners know exactly what I like(and give me a bit of a discount, too). I do plan on buying some pieces online, though. These sites are on my list : http://www.shophairwigs.com/ http://www.blackhairspray.com/ http://www.hairsisters.com/en/index.php

 

[MissTT]

We have one shop here locally that sells units and lets just say, ahem, they're not what I would call professional. That's why I have so many issues. I can get wefts at Sally's though. Haven't done it in ages. Found a bag of hair when we moved and I was so mad I had wasted it. LOL I know it was from a good 10 years ago so I pitched despite it being unused. I had opened it though.
Thanks for the links. I think I'm gonna try a partial this summer. I used them before and they are very natural looking.

 

[MissTT]

I've purchased from:
ebonyline.com
hairwigharlem.com
clairhair.com
elevatestyles.com
especiallyyours.com is still sending me catalogs, but I stopped shopping with them a long time ago. Other places have cheaper units.

 

[leahrenae]

Right now I am using a mixture of coconut oil, neem oil, peppermint oil, and rosemary oil as a treatment on my scalp. I let it sit for at least 30 minutes, but have slept in it before b/c I was too lazy to wash my hair. LOL It has subsided to mild dandruff now, but still itches and sometimes insanely so. Washing my hair more often is definitely helping the flakes though.

leahrenae you're natural right? How do you work clip-ins into your hair? I may want to consider them for summer. You just have to sew the clips onto wefted hair, right? I'm thinking I could manage that. The thing is I can't braid my own hair. I regret not having this skill.

I tried coconut and tea tree oil mix and it left my hair feeling very weighed down and didn't seem to help much. perhaps I wasn't applying/washing out properly. I'll try it again...

yes, Im natural. you can just clip them right onto your hair, but I actually plain on braiding my hair back and clipping the extensions onto the braids and having some 'leave out' in front.. all you need are wig clips, needle, and thread and sew the clips right onto the wefts

 

[Richelle83]

I've never had a wig or weave. Most of the time its too hot here-for me at least.

Jojoba oil closely resembles the sebum your scalp produces. I need to buy some more and see if that will help. Use to cowash daily but now Lola is too long for all that and have noticed my scalp and roots are dry.

 

[MissTT]

I tried coconut and tea tree oil mix and it left my hair feeling very weighed down and didn't seem to help much. perhaps I wasn't applying/washing out properly. I'll try it again...

yes, Im natural. you can just clip them right onto your hair, but I actually plain on braiding my hair back and clipping the extensions onto the braids and having some 'leave out' in front.. all you need are wig clips, needle, and thread and sew the clips right onto the wefts

I put the oil on my scalp, not so much my hair. Maybe that will help?

I guess I was envisioning you clipping in bone straight hair with curly hair. Do you straighten your own hair first or are you wearing curly styles. I'd love to see pics if you happen to have any. Even if they're of someone else doing the same thing. Feel free to PM.

 

[Richelle83]

Quote: Originally Posted by CartoonChic

What test are you talking about and how can I take it? I think my hair is one way and then it decides to change its mind and be something else.

Did you get that steamer? How do you like it if you did? I'm still thinking about picking one up.



From Curly Nikki-You’ll need a glass container at least 6 inches tall and a few inches wide. Fill the container almost to the top with tap water and let it sit undisturbed until it reaches room temperature. While you’re waiting, pluck a clean hair from your head. Then, very gently lay the hair on top of the water. Look at the glass container from the side and watch the hair to see how it sinks. If your hair is in virgin condition it will float for a long time. If it’s very porous it will start to sink right away. The higher the porosity, the faster it will sink.

Did this with two strands from different sections of my head. One strand took a day and a half to sink lol the other strand-half of the strand suck and the other half was still floating -_-

Hubster bought me a steamer in 2010 and its sitting in the living room unused. Its hot as all get out for one and mainly after doing it regularly I didn't notice any difference than baggying my whole head. I feel guilty now so I might try again in a week or two and see how that goes.

 

[CartoonChic]

From Curly Nikki-You’ll need a glass container at least 6 inches tall and a few inches wide. Fill the container almost to the top with tap water and let it sit undisturbed until it reaches room temperature. While you’re waiting, pluck a clean hair from your head. Then, very gently lay the hair on top of the water. Look at the glass container from the side and watch the hair to see how it sinks. If your hair is in virgin condition it will float for a long time. If it’s very porous it will start to sink right away. The higher the porosity, the faster it will sink.

Did this with two strands from different sections of my head. One strand took a day and a half to sink lol the other strand-half of the strand suck and the other half was still floating -_-

Hubster bought me a steamer in 2010 and its sitting in the living room unused. Its hot as all get out for one and mainly after doing it regularly I didn't notice any difference than baggying my whole head. I feel guilty now so I might try again in a week or two and see how that goes.

Thanks! I'll try the test next week. I'm thinking my laziness will get in the way of using the steamer properly.

 

[CartoonChic]

1.

2. I agree with PresstoBlend. For some reason, I always assumed you were mid twenties. Not sure why. Don't know your age or anything, but I irrationally thought that about you and a few other Specktrettes. Maybe it's your young spirit

Right. I don't have the time to worry about what other people think when I have life and other stuff going on! lol

Lol! Thanks. I get that a lot, actually. I'll be 37 in 2 weeks.

Shontay, love your new avatar.

 

[shontay07108]

Lol! Thanks. I get that a lot, actually. I'll be 37 in 2 weeks. Shontay, love your new avatar.

Thanks! I'm not crazy about it though. That shirt with that necklace? No. I just bought that necklace and wanted to try it on. I'm wearing RiRi Woo in that picture and I'm so excited about it, I wanted to have it in my avatar. Gotta get a better shot sometime soon. I bought 2 RRW's and now I'm wishing I had bought 4. I haven't been this excited about a lipstick since Mac's Love Goddess.

 

[Copperhead]

Ah, thank you so much Richelle! Searching on my own, somehow I would come up empty and get frustrated. I have a healthy head of hair and I've been relaxing it for a long, long time w/o a lot of maintenance, but I want to get on the ball now that I'm getting older. We know everything goes south after 30.

I, like you Shontay, have relaxed hair. I take care of it but I don't make a big fuss about it. My hair does not require a lot of maintenance and it's a good thing because I'm very lazy when it comes to my hair. I was never a "regular"at hairdressers. Like my mom, I never had standing appointments. I have one that I had been going to on and off for about 20 years but I haven't been to her in at least 3 years. Even in the 20 years that I'd go to her I'd only go about once or twice a year (if that). I've just always been good at taking care of my own hair. I guess I'm just fortunate enough that it would take a whole lot of neglect in order for my hair to not be healthy, or at least to look like it wasn't. I don't have many holy grail products. I once used to go to this male hairdresser that got me hooked on Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Humectress conditoner. I still like those. Design Essentials has a sheen spray that I really like. I use ORS Moisturizing Lotion for more moisture. I color my own hair and just recently took to it with a pair of scissors. I just wear a simple bob so it wasn't hard to do. LOL. Right now I'm using a shampoo and conditioner by Motions but I'm ready to try something else or I may just go back to Nexxus.

ETA: And I absolutely LOVE beauty supply stores. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm in a beauty supply store. I just recently went to buy new brushes and came across this deep conditioner pack by ORS with banana and bamboo extract in it that I bought and will try upon my next hair wash.

I saw you said you need edge control. I have one by ORS Edge Control that works pretty well. I don't use it often but when I do, I don't apply very much. There are a few others on the market as well.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Before I went natural I had long, healthy, relaxed hair. I found that washing every 1 or 2 weeks depending on how hot it got out here in the MIA worked great for me. In my opinion roller sets were my saving grace. I had body, volume and shiny hair. Which I find is hard to maintain when your hair is any other color but black. I was of the opinion when I was relaxed that shampoo is just that shampoo. I would wash my hair with anything and then spend a little more time and money on my conditioners. Most of my deep conditioners were from the Dominican salons. They should be fairly easy to get at most urban beauty supply stores. Silicon Mix is one, I still use that one as a natural occasionally. For the most part I had someone who helped me take great care of my relaxed hair in NYC. Once I moved out to Miami I found a salon (Dominican) that I loved. The photo included is an old one. My hair relaxed was actually longer than this before I cut it.