New Start For '08; A Newbie's Story

[fRagrant.]

<div align="center">Hey everyone! My name is Amber, but call me "AMBY" (like the Ambi soap lol)

I was secretly roaming around today and was so intrigued. So I decided to join.
I love black hair and everything about it- it&#39;s unique and versatile..unlike any other hair in the world.

Well let me tell you about my Hair Horror Story. Don&#39;t worry, I&#39;ll cut it short!
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JULY 2007:

School starts in August..I have to get my hair done. What should I get? A half-wig/wig/tracks?
(I normally don&#39;t wear my hair out (relaxed) because I take poor care of it.)
So I ask my mom how I want my hair for the first day of school...and I told her tracks. I had got GLUED-IN tracks instead of SEW-IN.

Talk about my ignorance in hair :doh Anyway, after taking all of the tracks out, my hair was sticky with glue EVERYWHERE! Using Glue remover shampoo didn&#39;t help (EVIL CHEAP BRANDS :Angry: ).
So my mom was forced to take it in her own hands.
She and I knew my hair would be permanently damaged after this.
My mom RIPPED, TORE, PULLED, & WASHED (REPEAT in that order) and I was hurting like hell.
My WHOLE head is damaged from all that glue.

I STILL got some remaining traces of on some of my strands :unsure:
How should I get them out?

I haven&#39;t had a chemical fire cream in months! So now I decided to go natural.
I&#39;m transitioning and have a good amount of NG. NO MORE RELAXERS/TRACKS FOR ME IN A FEW YEARS!
All I need is to keep trimming off these relaxed ends until I&#39;m FREE! LOL.

[bebedee]

Hi Amby....welcome to NP!

I am so sorry to hear of your hellish hair experience. My scalp ached just reading it, so I can only imagine how you must feel. :hug:

What I do know is that most beauty supply stores that sell weave supplies and bonding glue also sell bonding glue remover. That should help get the remaining glue out of your hair. Whether you decide to style your hair in braids, twists, wigs, etc. the main focus should be to keep your precious new growth as healthy as possible so that when you chop off the processed hair, your new head of hair will be gorgeous and strong..

You can start off right by reading the ingredient listing on the products you use. Many of the members here at NP avoid products that contain mineral oil, petroleum/petrolatum or silicones (any ingredient ending in -cone or -conol). Reason behind this is that these tend to leave an invisible coating on your hair, keeping needed moisture away and leading to dry, brittle strands. To minimize breakage during your transition, other members use non-sulfate shampoos like Creme of Nature Detangling Shampoo (red label with yellow cap), Others do something called the no-poo method, which involves cleaning the hair and scalp with a non-silicone conditioner like Suave Naturals or VO5 to keep hair soft and manageable. Nappturality also discourages the use of direct heat to style your hair, as even a one-time use of heat can cause irreversible damage to your kinks & curls. You have a lot of options - just choose the one that works for you.

I hope I didn&#39;t overwhelm you with information! If you have any questions, Nappturality has a great search feature you can use to see if your question has already been asked. The Transitioners&#39; forum is another great spot to check out and get the support you&#39;ll need as you transition. You are also welcome to send me a PM (personal message) if you have any questions along the way.

Again, welcome....you came to the right place!

[fRagrant.]

:D