Ayear of caring for my curls and still a mess . . .

Snash14

I started transitioning my hair from hella damaged to healthy and curly in November 2014. Yeah, I've used heat styling a few times since then, maybe ten, usually with a protectant but I've since ditched all heat products. Anyways, I got a haircut to chop off some split ends around a week ago and my hair is now frizzy and losing it's curl. I was a 3A/3B and now I'm at a 2C/3A. I coated my hair in mayo last minute thinking that I had nothing to lose and that this would help, and now my hair is oily, frizzy, and not as curly, even after multiple washes and rinses on multiple days.

I have low porosity, very thick and dense collarbone length 3A hair (or at least it usually is 3A). I use all Shea Moisture products

Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo twice a week,
Apple cider vinegar for clarifying once every other week
African Black Soap Dandruff Control Conditioner on the roots only once a week
Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner at least every other day, if not more
Curl Enhancing Smoothie after every wash, usually a dime sized amount, followed by scrunching, plopping, and coconut oil

Am I doing something wrong here? Where is the frizz coming from and why are my curls going?

Therese1

It sounds like build-up to me. I would do a clarifying shampoo with a non-Shea Moisture shampoo (apple cider vinegar will not get rid of all build-up) and follow up with a deep conditioning (again, with a non-Shea Mositure conditioner). I think your hair may also be reacting to the shea butter, which is why I suggest a different product line. Shea butter has a tendency to build up on some people's hair and leave it very dry.

Curlista93

I agree with Therese. I had build up a couple weeks ago and multiple washes didn't even help. I washed with a sulfate shampoo that also contained Disodium EDTA (a chelating agent) and it got rid of the build up. I believe the EDTA is what helped get rid of the build up because I had used another sulfate shampoo previously and it did not get rid of it.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using CurlTalk App

Snash14

Therese1 wrote: »

It sounds like build-up to me. I would do a clarifying shampoo with a non-Shea Moisture shampoo (apple cider vinegar will not get rid of all build-up) and follow up with a deep conditioning (again, with a non-Shea Mositure conditioner). I think your hair may also be reacting to the shea butter, which is why I suggest a different product line. Shea butter has a tendency to build up on some people's hair and leave it very dry.

Thanks! I'll be ordering a sample of Mixed Chicks soon since I've always wanted to try out their products. I've found that SM tends to be too heavy for my hair anyways unless I dilute it.

Snash14

Curlista93 wrote: »

I agree with Therese. I had build up a couple weeks ago and multiple washes didn't even help. I washed with a sulfate shampoo that also contained Disodium DETA (a chelating agent) and it got rid of the build up. I believe the DETA is what helped get rid of the build up because I had used another sulfate shampoo previously and it did not get rid of the build up.

Thanks! What was the shampoo called, and since it has sulfates in it, how often would I use it?

Curlista93

Snash14 wrote: »

Curlista93 wrote: »

I agree with Therese. I had build up a couple weeks ago and multiple washes didn't even help. I washed with a sulfate shampoo that also contained Disodium DETA (a chelating agent) and it got rid of the build up. I believe the DETA is what helped get rid of the build up because I had used another sulfate shampoo previously and it did not get rid of the build up.

Thanks! What was the shampoo called, and since it has sulfates in it, how often would I use it?

No problem. The shampoo I used was a family dollar brand shampoo. When I picked it up I thought it was Herbal Essence but it's actually a knock off lol. It gets the job done though. It's called "Herbal Shampoo" and it comes in a blue bottle. I wouldn't use it too often because it can be drying. I only use it when I need my hair to be super clean. How much you use it really depends on how quickly you tend to get build up. And like Therese1 said make sure to deep condition and moisturize after!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using CurlTalk App

Therese1

Curlista, thanks for your post. It makes me realize that mineral build-up can really be a separate issue from product build-up, since you found that using a sulfate shampoo didn't fix your problem and you had to use one with disodium EDTA. That's good to keep in mind!

naturecat

I personally use apple cider vinegar to chelate my hair. It's simpler to me than trying to find a shampoo that does it all. So that's another option you can consider.

Snash14

naturecat wrote: »

I personally use apple cider vinegar to chelate my hair. It's simpler to me than trying to find a shampoo that does it all. So that's another option you can consider.

That's what I've been using. I started using more than what I normally use, and it seems to work alright. The only concerns for me are that it leaves a faint smell and causes frizz.