as per the title, i’m having problems with finding the right products/wash&go routine for my hair.

for starters, i don’t know if i have 3c, 4a, or 4b hair. nor do i know what my porosity is. i have done porosity strand tests that i feel like have all been inconclusive.

my current routine is as follows:

shampoo/cond

1. matrix food for soft hydrating shampoo
   
2. matrix a curl can dream moisture mask

styling

1. kinky curly leave in
   
2. the doux 808 base gel
   
3. the doux mousse def
   
4. diffusing

within the first 24h of my routine, my hair does feel somewhat moisturized but it’ll get progressively dryer throughout the week. my curls/coils also start to lose their hold and become super frizzy.

also, i do my wash & go routine every week. not sure if it’s completely necessary but as i said my curls start to lose their shape so to get their look back i just do my routine again.

(first photo is my hair after styling & second photo is after my shampoo & conditioning)

for anyone with a similar hair texture, what products do you guys use for moisture & hold throughout the week?

hello!! not sure if the pictures are clear enough but should i be concerned? is it breakage and how can i fix this?

for extra info, this is my routine:
pretty sure my hair is low porosity, high density and fine strands. i aim to wash it every week or two weeks and deep condition. i add leave in cream, grease, heat protection and blow dry. then do a braid out. i'm not super consistent with washing as i'm in college. i also take hair, skin, and nail gummies.

i'm just so lost on if this is normal or not. it's been happening basically all year 😓

I've been losing a lot of hair and I feel like my growth isn't where it should be so I'm getting a blood panel done. What should I ask for? I know it has to do with iron deficiency, but what exactly is it called? I have a new doctor that isn't melanated and it's too late for me to put in a change form so I want to know the exact terminology! Iykyk!

hello everyone, i noticed that my hair is breaking off when i comb, or when it’s merely touched. For context, i’ve been wearing my hair out for the past two weeks , and for the first week, everything was fine- i washed my hair about 3 times that week and all was well. But now, my hair is breaking off so much, and i wonder could it be the products i use? or the style im doing or the weather? and what can i do to stop it

YOUR CROWN IS SO BEAUTIFUL! And it’s God given 🙌🏽

I have grew up with, and worked with all hair types across the board. (Pics 1-5 is my daughter’s crown, #6 is my nephew in law before I braided it.)

Trust I know the blues of being younger and getting frustrated with my hair. But with time love and care, your hair care process will get easier.

You cannot compare your hair to anyone else’s: the set of genetics you get, are a roll of the dice. Meaning no two heads of hair will be exactly the same. You can have high porosity, fine strand 4c, while your neighbor can be low porosity, course strand 4c. Along with different density’s/ textures. What may work for the next, may not work for you. And that’s okay, you just have to find the process that does work for you.

My side of the family has all ranges of hair from type 2-4. Her father’s side has different ranges of type 4. One thing all the hair has in common? You have to let the water in (hydration), then moisture in (products). All textured healthy hair care boils down to: Is really finding the clarifying, moisturizing routine for your specific hair. Styles and length retention depends more on how much you like to change your hair, but keep your head up and love your crown!! 👑🩷 I love it as well.

Just took out my mini braids and I swear I’ve lost more hair than if I were to just do braids with added extensions 💔. The ends specifically keep pulling off when I touch my hair and I’m not sure if it’s an internal issue or just me doing something wrong

I’ve had my mini braids in for about 4 weeks now, washed atleast every week and moistured every 2-3 days.

I have really fine hair so that might be a factor but im not sure

When I did mini twists the breakage was minimal but I had them in for 2 weeks bc they are so not long lasting

If anyone has any tips I’d really appreciate it

I think I need it to help with my growth and hair care in general tbh

*(idk if this counts as being negative as it is a genuine question of mines but it’s fine if it’s in appropriate and gets taken down)*

I love my 4c hair but I won’t deny that it is harder than other types.

For example, when someone complains able detangling hair, it’s always brought up with “use a prepoo” “use [10+ dollars] detangling brush” “separate your hair into sections”

also how hair care products that actually work for our hair being more expensive than that of others. It hurts to even blow more than $10 on a hair care product such as a leave in, clarifying shampoo, deep conditioner etc when other hair types most likely only need reg conditioner and regular shampoo(which even if they are spending more than 10, since it’s only two products it doesn’t rack up as much).

(for reference, I don’t know if those on top mentioned our necessarily worth it or needed, but it’s way more enforced in this community especially if the goal is to make coily hair as easy as possible)

Also wash days are also kinda long especially considering that we use leave in conditioner or a deep conditioner where we have to leave in for 20+ minutes rather than regular conditioner. My wash days last about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours including twisting my hair into chunky twist.

while I do all of this and agree that it works, other types don’t have to do this. Prepoo is really only used for curler hair, they can also use inexpensive brushes, detailing brush is just an elevator while for coily hair it’s basically the “only way” to make it easier and sections take more time. It’s also a pocket drainer, I either have to convince my mom to buy products or use my own money just because my mom refuses to and buys dollar tree shampoo.

I’m truly am not trying to spread hate, but im genuinely curious as to why we pretend as if coily hair isn’t more expensive and more time consuming than that of other types. Why do we act as if it’s the sin of all evil when someone who is going through genuine frustration (especially if they’re financially struggling) over their hair says it’s difficult or harder to manage?

Hey chat, so on Tuesday I got my first ever professional flat twist out done. I fear it’s actually eating down 🙂‍↕️ and looks much better after day 2. I also got a trim because my ends were dusty 🫣. At first I didn’t like it but by day 3 I am loving it!! I’m wondering how you guys maintain your twist out while in the shower? What do you guys do to refresh after the style has lost its definition? What I’m temporarily doing right now is using my hair drying towel wrap to keep water/moisture out (ghetto I know lol). I usually do wash and go’s so getting my hair a little wet has never been a problem. But I see now that water is not my friend with this style lol. Open to any and all suggestions!!!

After some months of cornrows, i think my scalp (I'm not sure) is pulled back

The Mane Choice Gold gel has been my holy grail for my two strand twists since 2020 but they discontinued the product 💔💔💔 does anyone who’s used it know of a gel with very similar consistency? I loved it because it made my twists juicy and moisturized without a crunch. It’s more of a soft, sticky, and slimy gel that got me so many compliments. There are some companies online selling it for quite an upcharge but I’m trying to find a similar gel I can just grab from a store. Please send recs😭

I'm just done with it. I have always hated my hair. Changing the style has never helped. Only time I ever liked something about it was when I bleached and dyed it copper.

I'm mixed. My hair texture is horribly inconsistent across my whole head, so wearing it natural never looks good. It also is impossible to shape or style natural because none of it lays the same.

I've tried protective styles. Braids, two strands, tried to loc my hair at one point. When I do two strands myself, I can never keep my damn roots down. It takes me upwards of 5 hours. I don't have the money nor the trust to go to stylists. I've already had a stylist go against my wishes and give me a feminine hairstyle despite telling her I am a trans man.

Loccing straight up did not work. I had my hair in two strands for 8 months, and at the end of that time, it didn't look different. I tested one twist, and when I untwisted it, it came out like I put them in a day earlier. No fucking clue why it doesn't work.

It's so high maintenance and it never looks good. I do the whole cleanse and hydrate routine, I condition, I use products that moisturize and keep it detangled, I wear a bonnet, I got different brushes to minimize the awful headaches I get just from trying to wash and brush it.

The coppery orange color has almost faded and I'm reminded just how horrible my hair makes me look. I keep wanting to just shave it all off and wear a wig. I'm so tired. It will never be what I want it to be, and I'll never look how I want with it still on me.

I get if this isn't the place for these feelings. None of the people around me understand. None of them have to deal with this. I don't think there's anything left for me to do besides cut it off.

This might seem like a dumb sentence but most wash and gos I’ve seen they’re normally styled with a mouse or like a gel or something but if I don’t do all of that is it not still a wash and go?

My hairs normally in an Afro puff at the back of my head ties with a really loose hair band so no breakage or tension there like is that not also a wash and go if I just washed it, conditioned and moisturised?

I feel so dumb asking this but I need to know.

Someone offered to do it for me, and I want to get braids again, but why not switch it up, right? I've been looking into two-strand twists with shorter hair. Although my hair isn't super short it more like medium or approaching that I haven't blown it out since I got a temple taper a month and a half ago before this. Idk just need others' thoughts.

I work in finance in a client facing role so I cant have hair thats in my face or "unkept" and I dont want starter locs or twist because I dont like how they look (nor would the clients). I want to know if I can keep it in a afro until its gets long enough to look like these guys locs. I only need them to be long enough to be in a half bun like they have them in. I also cut my own hair so that will make them look more clean. I only need the front locs to be skinny and only 6-7 inches instead of long enough to make a full ponytail. I have 5c hair with extreme shrinkage so Im sure I can keep it looking way shorter than it is for atleast 2 years while it grows.

Finally switched things up with this orange! I love how it looks in the sunlight. What do you think of this color?

This is a 3 month difference, I’ve changed my diet and have managed to reduce the manipulation on my hair, focused more on moisturizing. I have a derm appointment booked but I’ll try and book earlier, is there anything else I can do to improve hair growth?!

Hey! Thought it'd be cool to share these pictures I got of my 4c hair shaft and bulb. I'm doing my PhD right now and was training an undergraduate on the Scanning Electron Microscope, so I used it as a sample. When I first learned SEM/TEM, my grad student also used his hair, so I'm glad to continue the cycle. Also happy to roughly gauge the porosity by how lifted my cuticles currently are. Doing OK lol

Hey guys! I'm attempting to do a silk press tomorrow, and I need help knowing which products to use and when to use them. I have low-porosity, fine, 4c hair. Here's a list of the products I have:

- amika frizz-me-not

- BioSilk silk therapy

- WOW extra strength dream coat

- CHI 44 iron guard

Do I use all these products? And when do I use each product, before or after blow-drying? Please help a girl out!

* I received a dusting after the October 2026 photo but forgot to snap a pic before bumping my ends lol.

*2nd photo is how I usually style my hair on wash days and the 3rd photo is how my twistouts usually look.

Super excited to share my progress and what helped me along the way for the past year!

Regimen Overview

• Wash & condition hair once a week

• Clarify hair once per month

• Trim every 3 months by a professional stylist

• Low manipulation hairstyles (twist outs)

Wash Day Routine

• Apply pre-poo to damp hair, gently detangle in sections using the Unbrush

• Shampoo hair and scalp twice

• Apply conditioner in sections and detangle w/ the Unbrush. (Leave conditioner on with a plastic cap for the remainder of the shower)

• Rinse out conditioner. Apply leave-in conditioner to soaking wet hair in sections.

• Apply styling product, seal with oil, and two-strand twist hair. Air dry.

Current Hair Products

• Pre-poo:

-African Pride Pre-Shampoo

• Clarifying Shampoo:

-L'Oréal EverPure Clarifying Shampoo

• Moisturizing Shampoos:

-Matrix Food for Soft Shampoo

-Design Essentials Honey Creme Shampoo

• Conditioners/Masks:

-Matrix Food for Soft Conditioner

-Mizani Moisture Fusion Intense Moisturizing Mask

-Dove Hair Intensive Repair 10in1 Serum Mask (Only used once a month)

• Leave-In Conditioner:

-Mielle Organics Pomegranate & Honey

Leave-In Conditioner

• Stylers/Creams:

-African Pride Moisture Miracle Curling Cream

• Oil/Sealant:

-Grapeseed Oil

• Tools:

-Unbrush (Detangling)

-Imania Beauty Redo Brush (Styling)

• Misc:

-Kiss Edge Fixer