The top 3 products for growing your 4C hair to waist length

 Shea Moisture Curl & Shine shampoo

Afro curly hair thrives on moisture. Your hair care regimen starts with a good cleansing regimen. Hair should be washed weekly with a non sulfate moisturizing shampoo. You want your hair cleansed but not stripped. No shampoo does it better than Shea Moisture Curl & Shine hibiscus and coconut shampoo. This shampoo is sulfate FREE. It cleanses your scalp and leaves your hair tangle free. It  contains no harsh ingredients and is PH balanced for the hair. Using PH balanced products for the hair is the first step to finding your curl pattern.

A Seamless Comb

Hotcombs.net

 Growing your hair to great lengths requires you to preserve your hair strands. Brushing and combing, weakens your protein bonds and leads to breakage. Weekly breakage leads to no length retention. Finger combing is still the number one way to preserve your hair, however using a seamless comb is the second way. Once you use a seamless comb you will never again allow a comb with seams to go through your hair. A seamless comb is something you must experience for yourself. Worth the small investment. Best comb is the HS703WW styling comb.

Aphogee 2-step treatment

 

Aphogee 2-step treatment

The secret to growing your hair to waist length is to preserve your hair strands. Hair is a fiber and like most fibers it gets worn out overtime. Giving your hair regular good protein treatments is the key to growing your hair to waist length. (Always follow instructions on the bottle) More information on protein keratin  treatments here.

No More Breakage!

Lightly flat ironed hair

About 2 weeks ago I made my second most valuable hair care purchase, I ordered a seamless comb. Actually I could not make my mind up so I ordered 3 different styles. I had  contemplated on purchasing a seamless comb for awhile but I guess I didn't fully believe one would make that much of a difference in my hair care regimen. 

But I was proven to be wrong.

Because I follow the CoilyQueens™ regimen I finger comb most of the time.  Three years ago I gave up using a comb on my hair because every time I did, I could feel my hair being ripped out and even hear it snapping. Since my hair was healthy at the time, I came to the conclusion that Afro hair was not meant to be combed. Thus I started finger untangling and combing, and my hair started retaining more length thus getting longer. But I kept thinking about the seamless comb and what, if any, difference it would make in my hair care regimen.

So what exactly is a seamless comb and 

what is the big deal?

A seamless comb is exactly what its name implies, it is a comb which has no seams. You can tell from handling a seamless comb versus a regular comb that it is made of quality materials. Grab one of your personal combs and run your fingers along the teeth of the comb, you will feel a line or seam. Now some combs have larger lines than others but all cheap combs are made with that seam. When you comb your hair especially black hair with a comb with seams, those seams glide through the hair and snap the hair as you comb your. How many times have you felt the ripping and the snapping, and heard it also? So the big deal is that a seamless comb allows you to comb your hair without ripping it out or causing any damage. Trust me they do work!

You can tell by the smile on my face that I am happy with this purchase. This is two of the 3 I ordered, these two are my favorite ones. On the left side is the Hercules Sagemann number 703WW. It is a styling comb good for detangling short or long hair. All of their combs are made by hand and come with a guarantee to be seam free. The style 703WW cost me 10.95. So you can expect to pay double the price of a regular comb. The seamless comb on the right is a Magic Star jumbo rake comb and it costs 17.50. This comb glides through your hair like butter. You will see no broken hair in the comb, unless you hair is shedding. You will get no breakage from these combs.

A closer look at the 703WW styling and detangling comb. These combs are chemical and heat resistant. As soon as you hold this comb you can feel that it is made of a higher quality than just your average $5 comb. If you are on a hair journey why not use the best on your hair, you deserve it.

On the left is a another look at the Magic Star jumbo rake which cost me 17.50, this is one of their best sellers and when you use it you will know why. On the right is the third comb I purchased and it is the HS5580 styler comb it has wide teeth and is designed for curly hair. This comb helps to enhance the volume and bounce of your roller sets or curly styles. 

Cost 11.95.

I have never had a comb to glide through my hair without snapping some of my hair. When you are a slow hair grower such as myself you understand the importance of keeping the length you have. I still recommend finger combing 90% of the time, but there are certain styles that look better when we use a comb, so when you need a comb use a seamless comb and not a comb poorly constructed with seams that rips your hair out as you use it. 

A closer look at the HS5580 styler comb. Designed for curly hair or hair which has been roller set. Chemical and heat resistant with antistatic guard. All of their combs are non porous so you do not have to worry about mildew or mold.

Did I say I love these combs? Yes I love these combs! No seams equals no breakage. Do not settle with combing your crown of glory with cheap combs which contain seams which have no consideration for your hair strands and rips them or weakens them. Find out more about seamless combs at hotCombs.com, this is where I order my combs from. You can also check Sally's Beauty Supply for seamless combs. Seamless combs come in any style a non seamless combs comes in but it doesn't break your hair. If you desire longer stronger healthy hair with no breakage then purchasing a seamless comb is a must.

Flat ironing tightly coily hair

Three common causes of heat damage:

1. Having the setting on your flat iron to high.

2. Straightening hair which is not hydrated.

3. Straightening hair which is damaged.

 

Coily Queens flat iron method

(read all instructions before you begin)

Use harsh heat responsibly, always schedule your flat iron sessions in advance. This gives you proper time to prep your hair for the harsh heat.

9 day preparation for flat ironing your natural tightly coily hair.

Day one: Give your hair a protein treatment such as aphogee 2-step treatment. Be sure to deep condition your hair afterwards and apply a good leave in conditioner

Day two: GHE over night or 3 hours. Apply natural oils and more leave in as needed.

Day three: GHE ^

Day four: GHE ^

Day five: Shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and deep condition your hair.

Day six:  GHE apply natural oils and leave in as needed.

Day seven: GHE ^

Day eight:  GHE ^

Day nine: Cleanse your hair with a mud clay wash. The clay wash give your hair strands a thorough cleansing without stripping your hair of needed oils. You hair will feel soft and conditioned after using a good clay wash. Follow your wash with a good moisturizing conditioner, sit under dryer with conditioner for at least 10 minutes, rinse out conditioner with cold water to close the hair cuticle. 

Now your hair is ready, it should feel strong, soft and have great elasticity. No breakage when you manipulate it gently.

4 Steps to straightening your hair

Step 1. Be sure you have done the 9 day heat prep, this will help to keep the heat from scorching your hair. The number one cause of heat damage is flat ironing dehydrated hair.
Step 2. Apply a leave in conditioner followed by a silicone based heat protectant. I recommend Cantu shea butter leave in  conditioner. Braid hair in sections then allow to air dry, do not blow dry.
Step 3. Once hair is dry apply a little more leave in conditioner and heat protection. For extra protection you can use a keratin spray on your strands, Chi and Aphogee make good ones. Section your hair into smaller sections and and remove any tangles using a seamless comb. Allow all product to dry before putting the flat iron on your hair.  If you choose to blow dry your hair, then apply more heat protection after you finish blow drying.  (the heat protection you choose should have silicones in it, these silicones protect your hair strands from the harsh heat of the flat iron)
Step 4. Take each small section and flat iron using the comb chase method. Be sure your comb is a seamless comb. If you feel your hair popping as you run the comb threw your hair then stop and untangle that section some more, to prevent breakage.  If you followed all previous mentioned instructions, you will only need 2 passes with the flat iron. Even if your hair is tightly coily 2 passes should be all that is needed maybe a third pass for clean up. How long your press lasts will largely depend on the time of the year you flat iron and how well you take care of it daily. 

During the Winter months my presses last for 7 days plus.

Important reminders before using the flat iron on your hair:
If your hair is breaking do not flat iron it or add anymore heat
You hair must be detangled before applying the flat iron to your hair
 If you feel your hair popping when using the chase method, stop and untangle some more.
Your goal should not be bone straight hair
Do not set you curling iron above 350-375 degrees
Use a good quality ceramic flat iron that has number heat settings.
Never flat iron dirty dry hair
After you apply the flat iron to each section run your fingers through the section to make sure hair is not scorched or breaking.
On the day you decide to flat iron try not to also use the blow dryer, let your hair air dry when possible.
Most important is to take your time. 

Products to consider:
Aphogee 2 step protein treatment
Shea moisture retention shampoo
ORS heat protectant serum
Cantu styling promade (contains petroleum, which will keep your hair from reverting so quickly)