In light of my previous posting, At A Crossroads, I believe that the main cause of this problem is that low manipulation is not for me. My hair needs to be detangled regularly. I've been doing air dry styles and leaving them for 5-7 days at a time. They looked good, but underneath a problem was brewing.
My hair also thrived when I roller set it every 5 days. I was wrapping or pin curling every night and moisturizing and sealing lightly. My hair really flourished. So it's not really the style that helped, it's the fact that I removed sheds and detangled at least every other day while moisturizing and sealing. I need to go back to this. This is why its most important to keep a journal of some sort for reference.
Lately, I've washed once a week with no combing or detangling during the week. That obviously doesn't work for everyone. My shed hair caused a major problem: breakage and tangles.
Low manipulation styles work for people who don't shed alot, have the patience for hour long detangling, or have easier to manage new growth. I am none of the above. This also counts for people who know their new growth enough to have been through the trial and error phase. This is all new to me. As I've said, I'm almost entering into unfamiliar territory once I complete week 14.
So, after looking back through my regimen history, I'm going to go back to what I know works. My only problem is that my hair is still tangled at the roots in some spots. I'm going to need another really good deep conditioning and detangling session first.
I am really ready to slap a relaxer on and keep it moving. After flat ironing my hair the other day, I miss my hair being sleek and straight. I just keep in mind that I'd rather have thicker, fuller, natural hair that can be straightened as well. Yes, a real re-evaluation is needed to determine whether to proceed with this transition.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Low Manipulation: Not For Everyone
2 comments:
Im so glad you posted this---I thought I was the only one who thought something must be wrong w/me! When I read that folks dont comb their hair for days I literally cringe. If I put my hair up and ignore it never combing or moisturizing--by day 2 Ill have a dry matted mess resulting in hair loss. Im with you that low manipulation thing---aint for me either! Maybe we should start a club--lol!
I am eight months post relaxer and I know I have to detangle at least twice a week only when I getting ready to cleanse my hair. Low manipulation to me means that I don't want to use a lot of heat each month because I have to detangle. For me I have found out that detangling is so much better when I do a good pre condition treatment. I am purchasing a seamless comb so there will be no snagging. And I am really making sure the products I use do not contain petroleum or mineral oil in them. It's a learning process but it is worth the effort.
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