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  1. #1
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    Default Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    Hi beautiful people,

    I'd like to warn you that this will be a very thoroughly explained post so that i can get the very best help from this community. I made sure to do my homework and read through a lot of the forum topics + discussions to try to find any similarities to my hair issues. While i drew some comparisons to others' hair struggles, my ups and downs are in its own lane. But maybe what i share with you all today can shed light for some in the future

    I am 27 years old and have naturally dark brown 3a and 3b shoulder length curls. I've always loved my curls and never the type to straighten my hair frequently, maybe 2 - 4 times a year max. With that being said, I always had a pretty good handle on how to manage my hair since i was a child. Disregard the fact that i used blue gel and mousse for most of my teenage years. I did, for the most part, ditched those products heavily filled with chemicals and sulfates at around 21, and decided to stop dying my hair to allow my natural hair color to flourish.

    Fast forward to last year, when I first noticed my hair feeling very sticky in the beginning in Jan '19, after living 2 full years in NJ from South FL. My hair seemed fine in the winter, as tea tree oils and leave in conditioners like Cantu and Garnier were my holy grail. I was also using Suave Argan Oil &/or Moroccan Oil Shampoo 1/2 times a week & Conditioner at least 3 times a week. Every month I would do at least 1/2 deep hair treatments/masques, particularly Deva Curl and Shea Moisture and Briogeo.

    When my hair started to feel sticky, it was usually while in the shower - as i would finger detangle my curls after letting the conditioner sit for 5-10 minutes. This would go on for a couple of months, and then a different type of issue would come about.
    My hair started to become extremely hard to manage, and moisture would not stay. My hair would get soo dry and knotty when it dried after washing it a few hours before and then apply styling products while it was damp. It was not like my hair at all. My hair would look frizzy and thirsty no matter what i used. Before, my hair could go for 3 days easily, unwashed, and still maintain its volume and curl pattern if i simply applied water to it. So i decided to stop using all Suave, Cantu, and Garnier products and stick to solely Deva Curl & Shea Moisture.

    My hair started coming out thick, as early as Spring last year. I remember thinking to myself that it did not look like the normal hair ball i would accumulate while in the shower, literally whole strands of curls would come out and i my eyes would water because my hair was going through major shit. The hair thinning really came in strong from spring to summer. And my hair pattern would start to change around this time too.

    My curls began to look straightened from the roots to the mid shaft - by my nose - then curl the last 2 inches. It looked awful. And on top of that, the body of my hair decreased by half its density and my hair looked noticeably gone. At this point i started to eliminate all products from my regimen except Deva Curl Hair Masques and Shea Moisture Black Castor Oil Conditioner. Using Shea moisture as a leave-in when needed to style.

    The hair thinning lessened around the fall time last year. My hair was so depleted at this point anyways. Frizzy, half straightened out/half curly, flat and less voluminous more than ever before. I maintained about 3-4 hair cuts throughout 2019 and am not sure if i witnessed my hair growing or if the straightening of my curls played a role in the length.

    I also want to mention that i feel and can see that in the middle of my scalp, it is completely flat. My hair would usually voluminize itself at the center of my head, so i realized that this is where hair is mostly losing its curl pattern, from the roots to mid shaft. Also, at the sides of my head where my hair line started. Luckily hairline didn't thin out too badly.

    Last November was the very FIRST time that i straightened my hair that year - against my own instincts only because my sister was getting married. So traditionally i of course, went to a Dominican hair stylist, but someone that i had never been to, who my mother highly recommended. Nevertheless, i straightened my hair and noticed how badly my hair thinned out when seeing how little of a pony tail i had. It was heart-breaking. Even the hair stylist told me it wasn't normal and i should be concerned.

    When i washed my hair from the straightening, after 5 days, my hair was damaged like i had never seen before. My curls were straightened out except for about an inch at the ends. Total devastation ensued. I didnt know what to do except for.. nothing.
    I eliminated everything from my hair care lineup at this point except for Mielle's Berry palmade edge control, because at this point i was wearing my hair in a bun or a hat almost everyday.

    I went from being the girl with the hair that everyone envied (which i was always humble about, letting whoever in on whatever product or secret i had) to the girl who tried to hide her hair as much as possible. In Jan. of this year i went to a dermatologist who took some strands and examined my scalp. The results and examination came back with no irregularities.

    A facebook with over 60,000 members, that i joined, believes that Deva Curl is the primary reason behind our hair struggles. I will say though, that i find the most similarities with those in that group than here and other curly hair forums, so there has to be some sort of connection i think. The administrator's main claim is that it is the plastic that DC uses is harming our hair follicles. Could be.

    Another interesting find that i pieced together was my diet. At the end of 2018, i completely eliminated all pork, red meat, turkey and even eggs from my diet. Except for moms holiday pernil (it's a sin to Puerto Ricans not eat this during Xmas Eve).
    Upon doing some extensive research, i found a study that explains how curly hair follicles are made up of proteins that contains many copies of the amino acid cysteine. Cysteine amino acids can bond with other cysteines further down the hair shaft contributing to curling of the hair between the bonds. Curly hair has more of these bonds, referred to as disulfide bonds, than straight hair because the follicle shape and angle allows different regions of the hair to come closer together making these bonds easier to form.

    Foods that are highest in cysteine amino acids are poultry and eggs. So i of course added them back to my diet and am now solely using all natural + organic hair treatments with the exception of 2 products: Creme of Nature Leave-In-Condtioner Spritz and Shea Moisture Castor Oil Conditioner.
    I now only conditioner the hair once a week, usually on sundays and shampoo every other week.

    I use half apple cider vinegar + spring water with sprigs of rosemary to condition.
    to shampoo Olive oil + ACV + lime + egg followed by Shea Moisture Conditioner.
    In between washes i spray my hair with an aloe vera mixed with water solution i made that smells like musky armpits.
    and that's all folks.

    My hair is still lacking in its curl pattern, definition + volume, dryness, and a lot of frizziness. I will say the hair loss has gotten somewhat better but hard to say when you only wash once a week.. I'm overly optimistic and just hope that my hair can recover from all of this.

    If you all can please drop your all time favorite natural remedies and DIY products below, it'd be greatly appreciated. As well as any natural treatments/brands/supplements to implement in my daily routine would be superb. Feel free to drop links to articles and your own experiences if they may be similar.

    Many, many thanks in advance to all of you and may we forever cherish the crowns were blessed with

    love & light to you all♡

    #BLACKLIVESMATTER



  2. #2
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    Girl, WOW. What a ride your post is.

    I immediately cringed when I saw you were using Deva Curl. I have had so many women come here talking about hair loss and thinning after using that product. It is like a buildup happens that literally drags the hair out of your head. And it happens slowly over a period of time until BANG and your hair is tangled straw all of a sudden. I am so sorry this happened to you.

    But it's not all bad - you were using really good products, and you still are. You saw the specialist and eliminated any internal cause of your hair loss, which is the most important thing to do whenever hair loss is experienced. You are still using some good products and I can't fault any of the ones you are using. Your hair recovery i going to take time. Not only do your strands have to recover, your follicles do And depending on at what stage in your growth cycle you lost hair, this could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to begin to regenerate But it WILL regenerate, because you do not have permanent alopecia which your doctor would have seen if you did.

    I don't know how good or bad condition your hair currently is and how much of it you can save without breakage because I haven't seen or felt it (and you know that now you may have heat damage on top of it) so your focus should be on preservation.

    Nappturality is developing a special line of hair products which are coming out later this year (hint, hint) but until then I can recommend you use products that contain 2 important things: Keratin and Biotin. These will help strengthen the hair you have and enrich the new hair that will emerge from your follicles. That said, I would not overload on protein since your hair sounds like it could be brittle, but focus on products that will increase elasticity and hold moisture. Go easy on glycerin unless as an ingredient it is very far down the ingredient list and the inclusion list contains a lot of other moisturizing ingredients above it.

    If you can get your hands on a hair steamer, try using it once a week if you can, with conditioner in. I don't know where you live, but you probably should use a shower filter to filter out any chlorine and minerals that can damage your hair.

    Internally, I recommend you take a nutritional supplement designed to help with your hair's condition. Never take more than the recommended dose. Keep your diet as fresh as possible during this stressful time, get your daily requirements. If you can't, take a multivitamin to make sure you do.

    You probably already know that you must sleep in a satin cap. If you don't, your pillow will draw out the moisture in your hair and you will find it harder to maintain moisture.

    External products can only do so much, They can fortify hair, balance scalp pH, increase scalp circulation and encourage healthy growth but in the end it is your internal health that will determine your hair growth. You have your own cycle (and I know you already know this because you've been reading) and this cycle can't really be changed to a great degree regardless of claims of extra-fast hair growth.

    If you stick to your regimen, you should see a big improvement in your hair's condition within a couple of weeks and it should start filling back out within 6 months. PLEASE stay away from direct heat.

    Let me know how you do. Patience is so important.

    ~Dee~
    "The truth is, your natural hair, in all its texture, is the hair that is ideal for YOU.."
    ~Dee~


  3. #3
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    Dee, you are so heaven sent. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to not only read my novel of a post lol, but the time that you spent to inform and educate me I am so grateful for.


    The satin cap is something that I need to implement more for sure, I will be on top of that from here on out. I didn't know that about hair moisture.. Wow
    Can you tell me a little bit more about nutritional supplements? I've been dying to get more into these, I'm kind of anti commercial vitamins. But I've been wanting to intake natural supplements for the longest time but was always afraid of where to start.

    I'm going to scour these forums for product reviews for keratin and Biotin until you're line comes out
    I trust the integrity of your brand here so I am overly excited for your hair care!

    I cannot thank you enough for all of the recommendations and encouraging words of advice. You have given me newfound hope and I can't wait to try all of your lovely suggestions. This network that you've created is soo important for us natural haired folks, and I feel so fortunate to be apart of it!

    Love & Light,
    #BlackLivesMatter

    Valencia

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  5. #4
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    Hi Valencia,
    You are very welcome!

    Yeah, I am also wary of commercial vitamins. The neon yellow urine that results from taking these things has always freaked me out (LOL-sorry if TMI). I only take when I am deficient in something (like vitamin D in the winter, or iron) or when I can't get enough from a regular diet. Not all vitamins are created equal and some can do more harm than good, especially if you are not deficient in the vitamin or mineral you are taking.

    The B-series of vitamins are usually fine to take because your body will eliminate any extra and it won't build up. Biotin can be extremely dangerous in high quantities so if you take these be SURE to never exceed the recommended dose. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you may be deficient in Biotin as red meat is one of the best sources of it as are eggs and salmon. If you want a more natural source of biotin naturally as well as other good things, salmon oil is a great source and is easily tolerated.

    I hope you find more information that is helpful to you, I am in the middle of reorganizing some topics on this forum to make things easier to find.

    Please feel free to ask for help anytime. I'm always here!

    ~Dee~


    Quote Originally Posted by fauxxever View Post
    Dee, you are so heaven sent. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to not only read my novel of a post lol, but the time that you spent to inform and educate me I am so grateful for.


    The satin cap is something that I need to implement more for sure, I will be on top of that from here on out. I didn't know that about hair moisture.. Wow
    Can you tell me a little bit more about nutritional supplements? I've been dying to get more into these, I'm kind of anti commercial vitamins. But I've been wanting to intake natural supplements for the longest time but was always afraid of where to start.

    I'm going to scour these forums for product reviews for keratin and Biotin until you're line comes out
    I trust the integrity of your brand here so I am overly excited for your hair care!

    I cannot thank you enough for all of the recommendations and encouraging words of advice. You have given me newfound hope and I can't wait to try all of your lovely suggestions. This network that you've created is soo important for us natural haired folks, and I feel so fortunate to be apart of it!

    Love & Light,
    #BlackLivesMatter

    Valencia
    "The truth is, your natural hair, in all its texture, is the hair that is ideal for YOU.."
    ~Dee~


  6. #5
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    You provide such valuable information and are pointing me in all the right directions within this vitamin universe.
    I'm going to do deeeeeep digging into what vitamins work best for my diet and lifestyle. Your insight is wonderful.

    I'll be on the lookout for your haircare line

    thanks Dee, you're divine
    You be safe and stay well

    Love & Light,
    Valencia

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  8. #6
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    Wonderful advice. When I was a loose natural I discovered that the less my hair was manipulated, the more it grew.

  9. #7
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    Default Re: Curls Depleting, Help Me Pls

    It may be caused by stress, like many things happening to our body. Try avoiding it in the first place, otherwise all the other lifehacks will be useless. Here's a good article https://womanlylive.com/a-guide-to-embracing-stress/ might be useful. Good luck!

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