Fine-Haired Girls Unite! My Last ‘Hail Mary’ to Get to Brastrap Length

I think we have been having similar issues with our hair.  I also have fine hair and find that a lot of the tips mentioned on the hair blogs don't work for me.  For example, people would be recommending tons of products...but I realized that my hair does a little better on little to no product.  It took me two years to admit this to myself, though. Before I cut my hair, I would only put in some sort of leave in or oil after my shampoo and condition (and only a leave-in or oil, not both).  Since cutting my hair a few months ago, I don't use any product after I shampoo and condition.  I condition wash every one to two weeks.   I shampoo and deep condition once a month, do a light protein treatment whenever my hair is starting to feel "mushy."  My hair is growing quickly, has a nice sheen and is quite soft.

Too much product weighs my hair down and ultimately leads to breakage.

I also think that with this new head of hair I am going to do what works rather than what is popular.  I should probably admit that two-strands twists look like crap on my hair (which saddens me, because I've seen many heads with these juicy, thick, sheeny twists) and tangle too easily.  I should probably admit that my hair doesn't mind heat too much, as long as it's used judiciously...obviously not every day and I should use it alongside some low manipulation hairstyle. 

Anyway, the key for me is less manipulation, gentler handling, and not too many products.

I have not had any length goals since I don't straighten my hair, actually I'm quite the opposite; I trim when my ends get ragged. Since I don't have a relaxer, I do protective styles most of the time in the form of twists and cover them with a satin bonnet so I cut down on the manipulation quite a bit that way. The only time I actually go through my hair is when I wash, which I try to do at least every two weeks at the latest depending on what's going on, or if I need to style for an occasion. Clarify once a month, follow up with a moisture shampoo and conditioner as well. I use  Beautiful Curls leave-in conditioner and jojoba oil to seal, and then I twist. I also eat a lot of whole grains, fruits,veggies, and lean meats. I consume almost no refined sugar at all and only drink water or my "special wine" of 1/3 glass of cranberry juice and water. I also take food based multivitamin (absorbs better) and calcuim/vitamin D supplement (black women, we need Vitamin D with the passion, take head) as well of course not just for hair but overall health.

I agree with the low protein and low manipulation, but one of my most important hair tenets is NO PONYTAILS. I have not put my hair in a ponytail for over two years and this is the longest, fullest, strongest  my hair has ever been. When I want to tie it up I either wrap it or use Spin Pins and/or roller pins. Spin Pins totally rock because they don't pull the hair.

I use JOICO Moisture Recovery shampoo & conditioner (low protein), Kinky Curly Knot Today for moisture, then seal with a -cone type glosser. I wash my hair every 4-5 days, roller set, wrap at night, and no heat in between.  I do a 5-minute protein treatment once a month and no deep conditioning. Other than that my hair is out.

The last time I was at the salon, I spoke to my stylist about "protective" styles. Her issue with these styles is the amount of hypermanipulation it takes to get them into and out of the "protected" state.

Different things work for different people. This is what has worked for me.

Yes, I do have a relaxer. I tried going natural for almost a year, but I was in an accident, hurt my hand and could barely comb through it. I don't regret going back because I was damaging my hair more trying to go natural than when it was permed. My hair was broken off, dry, and suffering. I wanted to keep it straight and the amount of heat and stress I was putting on my hair was far worse than anything I did with a perm.

I am with  BWDB.  Find a low maintenance style that works for you and keep you hands out of your head.  That is what is working for me.

The techniques work. The products don't matter so use you like and what makes your hair feel good. If you look at cultures where the women have very long hair they have several things in common.  Low maintenance, protective hair styling  i.e braids and keeping  it covered. There is nothing new in this. 

I worked with several nurses who had hair down to their behinds. These women were of all races and yes a couple were black. They all did the same thing. A simple braid style keeping  it up on top of their heads. No letting it down most days.  No having it rub against clothing. At home they covered it up. 

My grandmother was another women with very long hair. She wore it the same style all her life.  Parted down the middle, two long braids that she would then wrap around her head, a short bang in the front. She cut it shorter, to her shoulders, when she got older because she did not want to fuss with all that length but the style stayed the same, two braids, short bangs. 

After nearly three years, this coming Feb marks the three year mark of my growing out my hair. I'm all natural, no heat 4b/4c. I can now pull it back into a very short pony tail.  It does not look like much but it is enough for me when pulled back to put on a hair piece when I go out. That is what I was sporting when we met in Brooklyn. I braid it and cover the braid with a satiny material to protect it from the piece.  I do not use the combs that come with it to attach it to my head. In fact I remove them since I found that they were cutting into my hair and applying way to much pressure on the two spots where they were attached.  I do use the draw string and hair pins which evens out the weight, no pulling. 

Most of the time at home I have it under wraps. That is a must now that it is winter. Cold air outdoors and dry heated air indoors will kill you so I moisturize braid it and then cover it.

I do my wash and condition routine once per week. At age 57 of course my hair is graying and I had been coloring it but I have decided to quit that. I don't want the hassle and expense of maintaining it and it is just one less point of stress that my hair does not need. I have to admit that I am digging the pattern that the gray is growing in.

Bottom line the roots of your hair will do their thing all you have to do is to protect the ends.

Oh and patience. It takes the time it takes.

Diggin the PYT pic above! 

You will get there...Before locing my hair, I would just have days of "no-style", styles. For those days when you're doing nothing special, it is O.K. to have a natural, messy ponytail or low-slung bun. Refrain from trying to style hair within an inch of it's life. Save those fussy styles for a weekend day and/or special occasion. Working girls may want to consider headband styles and hairpieces...

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