Need help!
Surlycurly
Posts: 156Registered Users
in Hair Type 3
I am a newbie to this board who desperately needs some advice! I have thick 3C hair with some 4A in the crown. I used to wear my hair relaxed for about 26 years, then grew tired of the routine and decided that I needed to stop trying to get my hair to do what it was not meant to do; enter the big chop!
Ever since that time (about 5 years ago) I have been keeping my hair very short (about 1 1/2 inches on top and 1/2 inch in back and on the sides). I've recently let my hair grow and have about 6-8 inches now.
The problem is, I am having a very hard time finding the right products to use on my curls! I have heard a lot of posters on this board talk about various products, but I am on a very limited budget, and can't really afford to spend a lot on hair care. Also, where I live there are not a lot of stores where I can find products for my hair type. I can't afford salon/professional products and the more inexpensive products that I've been using don't seem to work for me. I'm getting so frustrated with finding something that works for my hair that I am very seriously considering getting a relaxer again (although I have this funny feeling that I will regret it!)
Any suggestions?
Ever since that time (about 5 years ago) I have been keeping my hair very short (about 1 1/2 inches on top and 1/2 inch in back and on the sides). I've recently let my hair grow and have about 6-8 inches now.
The problem is, I am having a very hard time finding the right products to use on my curls! I have heard a lot of posters on this board talk about various products, but I am on a very limited budget, and can't really afford to spend a lot on hair care. Also, where I live there are not a lot of stores where I can find products for my hair type. I can't afford salon/professional products and the more inexpensive products that I've been using don't seem to work for me. I'm getting so frustrated with finding something that works for my hair that I am very seriously considering getting a relaxer again (although I have this funny feeling that I will regret it!)
Any suggestions?
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Products:
Jason Tea Tree Shampoo
Jason Tea Tree conditioner
Cantu Shea Butter, Avocado/Rosemary oil
Egg Protein Treatments
Burt's Bees Shea and Grapefruit Conditioner
Hair, Skin and Nail Vitamins
Oyin Greg Juice
I'm actually doing a giveaway of sorts because I mixed a big jar of it, so I was able to jar an additional 8 oz. All you have to do is register and leave a comment saying you're interested in the pudding. If you're the only one then the jar is yours. If there is more than one person interested then your name goes into a drawing, and I have hubby pull a name out of a hat on Friday. This is just a suggestion, but mixing your own is just as easy:) HTH
Last Texturizer: March 12, 2008
BC: July 21, 2008
Hair: Coarse, low porosity, iii.
Certified Denirophile:love5:
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different outcome". ~ Albert Einstein
Yes, Please go to your local dollar store and purchase one or more of these products:
Suave Naturals Conditioner, Alberto V05 Conditioner, or White Rain Conditioner.
I would recommend Suave Naturals for your hair type specifically though. If it's a little to heavy try the Alberto V05.
Remember though make sure the bottle says SUAVE NATURALS.. don't get what just says SUAVE.
Guess what ? All these Conditioners cost 1.00 or 99 cents. And for the Big bottles they are 1.79. Sometimes you can catch sales and they are 89 cents or 79 cents.
Other places these products are sold are: Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Eckerd, CVS, etc. And yes..even at these places these products are 1.99 or less.
A lot of 3c and 4a and 4b women do the CG (Curly Girl Method) and use these Conditioners because they are inexpensive, do not contain silicones or sulfate, and they REALLY work on our hair VERY well. Your hair will feel hydrate, soft, and your curls will pop!!
Please check out this website to find out what the CG (CURLY GIRL) method is all about if you don't already know, even if you do know it may be a good idea to look anyway because it explains in easy to read detail the ins and outs of being a CG: http://dormroomcurly.blogspot.com/2008/12/style-definitions-table.html
Tons of natural women of color use the method discussed in the above link. And we have some of thee prone to dryness and breakage hair around! And if it works for us.. YOU KNOW IT'S AWESOME! LOL! Especially, since we have some of the most fragile hair around, given many think we don't which is a misnomer.
I know a lot of 3c's and 4's like to use some sort of natural oil in their hair. Olive oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Tea Tree Oil are all great oils for these hair types.
Olive Oil as you know can be purchased at any Supermarket and is not that expensive. Sweet Almond Oil can be found at Rite Aid and sometimes so can Tea Tree Oil. It's a little pricey for the Sweet Almond Oil or Tea Tree. But what you can do is get a large bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a small container of the Sweet Almond or Tea Tree Oil. Take a small container of some sort and pour some Olive Oil in it and put a few drops of one of thee other oils in it. This way your oil will stretch. I recommend the Sweet Almond oil over the Tea Tree though to do this trick. Because of the wonderful smell of it. It makes the Olive Oil smell so good.
But the thing a lot of naturals that have 3c or type 4 hair rave about is SHEA BUTTER!!! I am NUTS over it. WHY ? It's a great moisturizer, leaves my hair soft as cotton, and defines my curls like no one's business. Now Shea Butter can be found at a Whole Foods Store..but since you don't have many options as far as stores.. this is thee one product you may want to invest. Best thing of all.. it's worth it. You can get some online at www.amazon.com, www.coastalscents.com or simply do a search online of raw shea butter. You can get some on amazon for as low as 4.75.
Now.. make sure you order from a place online and make sure it's REAL SHEA BUTTER. Don't try to get Shea Butter at a local store because it won't have it. It will have products that say it CONTAINS shea butter and frankly those products come with a lot of filler that isn't good for type 3c and type 4 hair.
Another thing is to find a good soft hair gel for yourself that doesn't contain silicones (meaning any word you see in the ingredient list with -cone, -xane, or -conol attatched to the end of the word.) Like if you see DIMETHICONE.. put it back. LOL! Well if you want to that is... I am anti-cone (especially and particularly for type 3c and type 4 hair... so you'll have to excuse me.. LOL!
I've found that with my type 3c hair.. I DO NOT need to invest in expensive products to make my hair look good UNLESS I just want to try something else, and I do on occassion. But for me, I just needed to find products that work well with my hair type and don't contain sulfates or silicones. And plenty of type 4's have told me the same about their hair.
So you do have inexpensive options to try BEFORE and if you decide to relax again. I hope this helps and best wishes with your hair no matter what you decide! :wave:
I never realized I could use Suave or White Rain conditioner in my hair (guess I'm still stuck in the mindset of using what was labeled "African-American products"). I know that I can both find and afford all the products you ladies listed, and I will definitely be giving them a try before I go the way of the relaxer again! LOL
Yeah I like the Suave naturals better too. V05 didn't do anything for me at all.
3c/4a:glasses8:
:alien:APL and beyond:alien:
http://public.fotki.com/destinych3:hello1:
Updated 102209
Relaxer free since '96. TIGI Bed Head Control Freak Shampoo, TIGI Bed Head Foxy Curls condish, Let's Jam Conditioning Gel Extra Hold, IC Tea Tree Instant Moisturizer, and African Royale hot six oil
before buying online, you may want to check to see if your town has a natural foods/natural products store. these type of stores sell real shea butter....usually, it is a lot more expensive. personally, shea butter does nothing for my hair.
good luck!
So I get MOST of my Shea Butter from him but I like to get it online too if I see a good deal.. and I really wanted to try the NOW shea butter since I was getting their glycerin anyway. LOL!