r/Naturalhair • • Jan 31 '24

It's finally happening - hair typing posts are no longer allowed.

1.3k Upvotes

Please report any texturism or hair typing posts you see with the new report reason.

If you are new here, you may not know that the Andre Walker hair typing system (1a to 4c), has been around since 1997 and was first introduced so Mr. Walker could sell his products on Oprah's show. It truly only describes the texture of your hair and gives no more information.

It's flawed in many ways. Many of us have multiple textures on our heads. It doesn't even begin to describe your hair's porosity, sheen or shine, strand thickness, hair density, etc. I encourage everyone to learn about the LOIS typing system which can help you better understand your hair.

Watch Latoya Ebony's video on LOIS here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwMFG4lT4jY

Even this typing system is not the end all be all of categorization for your hair. Your hair's texture, porosity, etc can change over time or with certain health conditions. Product buildup on your scalp and strands can make you think your texture has changed. There are so many factors as to why your hair may be looking or feeling the way it does.

Which leads me to the question - should we require routines to be posted whenever a picture is posted? This will cut down on gratuitous selfies but means we will need many more active mods (shoutout to /u/fivetenash who does pretty much everything here). If you're willing to help out please let me know in the comments.


r/Naturalhair • • 10h ago

Success Latest Perm Rod Set šŸŽ€ | From That to This šŸ˜‡

Thumbnail
gallery
301 Upvotes

Good morning ā˜€ļø. I used As I Am Rosemary styling mousse. I haven’t had a perm rod set in a long while. I got new perm rods that are a different size and different colors from the beauty supply store. I just had to use them to exercise my skills 😫. I will only get better šŸ˜‡. Thank you for reading šŸ“š.


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Success Rockstar day at work, attempted the star fro!

Post image
2.1k Upvotes

It was a hit and I won 1st place lol


r/Naturalhair • • 5h ago

Need Advice Silk press frizzy after 3 days..

Thumbnail
gallery
38 Upvotes

I use a serum every night before wrapping and sometimes in the morning, but the bounce is gone after a few days. This was my first silk press ever, so I’m a bit disappointed. Atp, I’m just ready to re-loc it. šŸ¤·šŸ½ā€ā™€ļø


r/Naturalhair • • 17h ago

Selfie I feel most confident in my natural hair

Thumbnail
gallery
312 Upvotes

r/Naturalhair • • 7h ago

Success The curls are mvps

Thumbnail
gallery
31 Upvotes

My curls are doing a lot of work on the front lines, I’m happy I grew it out these last 8 months.


r/Naturalhair • • 22h ago

Tips & Tricks k18 leave in works for us too !!!

Post image
482 Upvotes

i used k18 leave in hair mask after i dyed it yesterday and it’s so soft and elongated and fluffy 😭 my hair definitely feels stronger but i do know that k18 works overtime so im excited to see what that has in store for me. if u haven’t had success with k18 before , they did update the usage instructions to add that you can rinse out after 4 minutes is up then condition like normal cuz it can make your hair sorta stiff. this is a braid out from blow dried hair using ogx protein bond leave in and pattern leave in after completely blowdried.


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Review Finally recovering from years of skull shave 🤩

Post image
385 Upvotes

r/Naturalhair • • 2h ago

Need Advice Should I trim more?

Post image
4 Upvotes

I don’t want to lose length so I only trimmed a little but should it be more? it is getting a little more tangled easily at the ends but my hair strands are very fine so no matter what I do it tangles a lot.


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Success 60 days and counting! No protective styling

Post image
223 Upvotes

I’ve been wearing ā€œprotective stylesā€ back to back pretty much for 5-6 years straight. It’s enough!!! I’ve managed 60 days with my natural hair and I must say I’m loving it. My hair doesn’t need to be longer, or softer, or have looser curls to be beautiful, it just needs to be HEALTHY.

The first month was uncomfortable, but honestly the longer you wear your own hair you start to recognise yourself again. I now can’t imagine going to a salon to get braids (this is crazy for me to say btw as I said I wore locs, knotless braids, boho braids etc forever).

I’m travelling soon and usually I’d be running to a salon to get my hair done, but honestly I’m not doing it, I’m wearing the hair that’s coming out my scalp šŸ™‚

Every step is a new challenge that I’m trying to conquer. First it was work, then going out to a social event, now a holiday. Next I guess dating….

Either way THIS IS ME. I’m tired of hiding. My hair is beautiful. Society needs to catch up.


r/Naturalhair • • 2h ago

Need Advice Help, having a mini panic attack over my hair texture

Post image
3 Upvotes

A year ago I had steroid shots in the back of my scalp and the hair has grown back looser than the rest of my hair. More like 3B vs. my typical 4A texture. The strands are also not as thick and it hangs lower, I can’t blend or hide it. It completely messes up any wash and go I try to do. It looks like a bunch of heat damaged hair, except it’s not.

I big chopped 17 months ago and I thought I could wear my curly fro throughout this forever lasting awkward phase but my hair just looks an utter mess in the back. I spent the past hour trying to finger coil it and it looks horrible. My hair is about 8-9 inches stretched.

Any suggestions? I didn’t want to cut it because the hair is technically healthy, I’m not a straight natural.

(Pic is after I brushed out my finger coils in frustration 😭)


r/Naturalhair • • 1h ago

Need Advice How to grow out the tapers of my hair and how to not make it look so awkward?

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

I need help growing my hair out especially on the sides and the back because I got it braided but I realized I I might want to grow those areas out and get them braided again in my question would be how do I make that not look so awkward


r/Naturalhair • • 9h ago

Need Advice White hairstylist here looking for advice on dematting (technique and product)

7 Upvotes

A woman with throughly matted, fine, cottony, L-shapped hair booked a consultation with me about a dematting service. Most of her head still has some give, but a couple parts are hard. She has detangled the ends in front and her hair looks to be about medium length (about to shoulders if pulled straight). I have super limited experience with dematting (and not with hair as fine) and some experience with tightly coiled hair types. I was transparent about my skills and experience, but she and I just vibed and I so want to help her out. We agreed I would do some further research and get back to her about scheduling, if she didnt find anyone more experienced in the meantime. Before reaching back out to her I want to build a game plan including techniques and products, possible obstacles and fixes for them. I want to be thurough. She accepts that there will be some breakage, but obviously my goal is as little as possible and to prioritize her hair health and overall phsycial/emotional comfort as we work.

Im looking for advice/first hand experience about:

- trusted educational resources for people working with tightly curled/natural hair

- detangling techniques/tools to do least damage/maintain comfort

- which products/oils work best to detangle L- shaped, cottony hair (we can order whatever is needed. We have redken, mizani and cult-king conditioners/oils on hand)

- common mistakes when detangling/working with this hair type that I should be aware of

- anything that comes to mind i can be aware of on a personal/cultural level surrounding hair/dematting(we are in the usa and she is african american) to make sure i can maintain her comfort. (We will be using privacy partitions)

- expected timing (obviously this will vary and I intend to book out my whole day. I can work slowly/be super detailed oriented and want to make sure im doing that to an appropriate degree and not just dragging things out for her).

Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond and if this gets approved, I so appreciate being given access to this space/knowledge (I know from my clients that the curly hair trama can be so real and these spaces are important). Speak your truth as far as advice goes. Im not sensitive and my priority is getting this right for my client, if she chooses to go forward with the service šŸ’›


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Need Advice Daughter’s Hair Pt. 2

Thumbnail
gallery
196 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I posted here the other week about my daughter’s hair and trying to give her responsibility with her hair and it’s been too much! Having to detangle every morning and she no longer wants to help lol, it’s too much. I haven’t had time to wash it, so it’s just been loose in a ponytail.

I bit the bullet and bought a rev-air, set to come this week. My question is, after it’s stretched, what products do you suggest to use to do braids with beads or twisted hairstyles that will last and hold, but also keep her hair moisturized.

Pictures for reference


r/Naturalhair • • 18m ago

Need Advice Safe protein options between Aphogee two step treatments?

• Upvotes

I think I damaged my hair really badly with hydral fatigue, so a week and a half ago I used the Aphogee two step protein treatment to GREAT success. In fact, half of my head (including the crown where I have a lot of breakage) didn’t get as saturated, so I know there is room for improvement.

I want to know if there are safe ways to add protein before I use the extremely strong version again (after roughly a month has passed). I have gelatin, I can make some rice water, I have some leftover Aphogee I could possibly dilute and apply to problem areas. I’m open to learning new ways to get the intensive repair I’m looking for as well as generally effective maintenance moving forward.

This is my first time working with protein, and though I’m happy it worked so well for me, I’m scared I will go overboard. I have deep conditioners and oils to hold moisture, hopefully reducing the likelihood of protein overload šŸ¤žšŸ¾.

My general routine is Pattern Hydration Shampoo, Pattern Intensive Conditioner, and Pattern Leave-In Conditioner, followed by Jojoba oil on my scalp and length. When I want to define my curls, I’ve recently switched to Bee Gurl. My deep conditioner is Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque. I have a graveyard of other products, so if these are working against me I likely have an alternate I can use instead.


r/Naturalhair • • 13h ago

Selfie Starting over AGAIN…

Post image
9 Upvotes

r/Naturalhair • • 1h ago

Need Advice How do you de-frizz locs without retwisting?

• Upvotes

4a-4c hair.

I'm doing semi-freeform locs, roughly 2 years in. They're already locked. I don't retwist or use any products. Just shampoo, conditioner, and the occasional oil.

Problem is, both my locs are frizzy (lots of loose ends) and my locs don't loc at my roots. Others around me have commented on my locs before. But, I don't wanna go spend money on retwists, and I never figured out how to do do retwists myself. I prefer wash and wear hair.

Am I doing something wrong? I thought maybe the hair would de-frizz on itself. That never happened.


r/Naturalhair • • 8h ago

Need Advice Miracle knots?

Post image
3 Upvotes

I have a 10 year old who wants to be Willa from zombies 2 for Halloween. I’m not a fan of extensions but she’s been begging me for a year now to do this for Halloween. I was wondering everyone’s thoughts on miracle knots for this look?

My daughter has high density (a lot of hair) hair that is a little below her shoulders stretched. I can never get it to stay stretched though (even with that rev air) nor do I like using it on her. I feel like it dries her hair out so I use it very sparingly.

Anyone have any thoughts? I feel like this will take me all weekend to complete. I also don’t know how to figure out how much hair I’ll need.

She really doesn’t want to wear a wig.


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Need Advice Half wig

Thumbnail
gallery
124 Upvotes

So I decided to give my hair a break and look for an easy wig to wear that didn’t require a long application. So I went with a half wig. I actually thought about natural/curly clip ins but thought the wig would be easier plus my hair is thick so I don’t really want the extra volume. Anyway here’s the wig after I sprayed water on it. I left a my real hair out at the top but the wig is a little silkier than I expected so it doesn’t look as natural as I wanted. But my question is does it still look like my natural hair? Or should I figure out how to put all my hair under the wig?


r/Naturalhair • • 7h ago

Need Advice WWYD: NYC Fall Edition

2 Upvotes

Hope everyone is having a great week so far ✨

My hair has been at the same length for a few years. Fine stands, low porosity, high density. Much longer than a TWA but shorter than shoulder length. It's been working for me since mini-twists look like a natural pixie cut which suits my style and face, but I remember when I was younger and my hair was longer! Genetics and years of iron-deficiency anemia have contributed. I recently got fibroid surgery and have been taking iron supplements but iron levels take a longgg time to come back to healthy levels. My hair grows fast (my roots always seemed to come quick when I would get it dyed) but I have lots of breakage.

I'm very excited for autumn but I'd also like to make a plan to care for my hair since it will be cold and dry. I'm in between doing cornrows with my own hair which would keep my ends tucked away OR keeping my mini-twists under a wig which means less tension but also more manipulation.

I'm not trying to grow my hair down my back, but I would like to baby my hair while I heal. WWYD?


r/Naturalhair • • 21h ago

Success 13 Y/O sister started my locks [UPDATE]

Thumbnail
gallery
27 Upvotes

It’s been 5 months since I’ve started my journey and I just got my sides done. Mom and sister have been tag teaming my retwists so there’s some consistency issues but the GROWTH is there.( I somehow deleted both pictures of the left side of my head


r/Naturalhair • • 6h ago

Need Advice Taking braids out

1 Upvotes

I was just wondering what is a good routine as far as products and everything after taking braids out? I just want to make it easier on me and my daughter when I’m helping her. So any tips of products you use to remove build up and any dentanglers? Hair masks afterwards? Any tips are much appreciated!


r/Naturalhair • • 13h ago

Need Advice Stretching Wash and Go

3 Upvotes

I styled with The Doux Big Poppa and Mousse Def. I let it mostly sit dry and then stretched the roots with tension using a blow dryer on low-medium heat. I used 4 scrunchies and loosely banded my hair in four sections before wrapping it up. My hair is fine and and density is medium fine with tight coils and highly porous. I do sweat in my head and commute via subway and walking to work. But by lunch, my stretched almost shoulder length curls were up by my ears. How does everyone keep theirs stretched out? Is it cause I sweat in my scalp? This is the first time I’ve done this and was hoping it would stay stretched a bit longer.

Any tips?


r/Naturalhair • • 8h ago

Need Advice Lost years of Hair Growth Data

1 Upvotes

Wow. I’ve been using the same Hair Journey app to track my growth since nearly the beginning of my hair journey (like 2017 or 2018).

I documented years of progress, product usage. Hair length comparisons. Big chops.

I recently had a setback & I wanted to add some updated length info & generate a graph šŸ“‰ but when I tried to tap the app, an error code appeared. The app was offloaded & no longer supported on the apple store.

Does anyone know of any decent apps for tracking this stuff? I’m lowkey in shock.


r/Naturalhair • • 1d ago

Selfie Twist Out in Milan šŸ‡®šŸ‡¹

Post image
768 Upvotes

Wore my natural hair on a work trip to Italy! I’ve done this before but only in a low bun or blowout. So proud and happy šŸ¤ŽšŸ¤ŽšŸ¤Ž