Not relaxed, but I'm a silk pressed natural. My hair has been longer and healthier since wearing it straight full-time. All of the manipulation from trying to "define my curls" resulted in constant split ends, breakage, and single strand knots. And I don't care what anyone says, I have personally experienced that the use of silicones...yes, silicones...have been the secret to my hair's success.
I'm a braided natural (Ive never done a wash and go and twist/anything out are no longer my thing) and I also use silicones, ... Sulphates, mineral oil, petroleum jelly etc. In fact, I'm currently avoiding"natural" oils and butters. They're in bloody everything nowadays, as companies try to jump on the trend for "no chemicals"
Same! My hair retains so much better when I keep it straightened. I even get more trims because I can see my ends and it still gets longer faster than wearing it unstraightened.
@@daisiesandpandas1218 I don't do straight oils and butters anymore either. I realized that they were making my hair crispy all of these years. It's too hard to wash out.
Yass, Dom!! Loving the update and health of your hair. So gorgeous!! LOL @ “hair becoming one dreadlock” but I’m all for finger combing and thoroughly detangling on wash day, too. That minor setback was a set up for a strong comeback💪🏾💕
Ahhh! Val - this means a lot. I feel like I have officially tried EVERYTHING under the sun to get my hair under control/healthy. Who knew that a little neglect was all it needed? HAHAHA! Seriously though - seriously happy to finally find a routine that works for me. xo
I love what you said about stretching. I used to stretch for 5-6 months at a time and all I got was tangles and breakage. Then I realized 12 weeks was my sweet spot and I went from neck length (just on my shoulders) to arm put length in about 6 months and still going strong. I'm never stretching again.
I also learned the hard way. I stretched for over 6 months and lost so much length from matting and tangling. The relaxed hair was so weak compared to my new growth that it just gave up at the demarcation line. The products I used for my natural hair caused the relaxed hair to mat up
You have to make sure you don't sweat out your new growth. You have to keep leave in conditioner on it while working out and make sure it is wrapped TIGHT.
OMG Dominique your hair literally grows at x2 the rate mine does! When you cut your hair last we were at the same length...told myself we were hair twins! And now you've just zoomed past me. 😢 Blessings to you. You looking amazing as usual!!❤️💖
@@StyleDomination I'm definitely going to try not combing. When I saw your results and looked at my own hair I was definitely like "one of these things is not like the other"😂🤣. In South Africa a lot of the hair relaxers we buy are shipped in from USA & Canada so growing up there were conspiracy theories that toxins or hair destabilizers were added to the relaxer shipments going to Africa. I've learnt throughout the years that this was false and indeed just a conspiracy. I'm sure many African people had a similar experience or knew the same folklore. So seeing how vastly different our results were just took me back on some...hmm🤔 were my aunties right? 😂😂
@@boemomapetla9559 Oh wow. I doubt anything nefarious was happening with relaxer shipments. Hair relaxing though is notoriously difficult, especially if you are doing it yourself. And then add to the fact that the after care is a lot...it takes real work to ensure healthy hair!
These tips also work on short relaxed hair. I have a pixie and since the pandemic, I no longer feel I have to flat iron my hair every day. I just moisturize, seal, and place my scarf on at night. When I wake up my hair is smooth and guess what, I don't have to comb it! Little no styling along with eliminating the flat iron was a game-changer in the condition of my hair. It looks shiny and healthy. One thing, since my hair is short, I do relax it every 6 six weeks, around the perimeter only, then when there is about an inch of new growth, depending on how my hair is behaving, I will have an all-over touch. Thank you for all the great tips, which actually help all regardless of hair length 😊. P.S., I love Reece.
I need a “Gloria” in my life but unfortunately in Adelaide there aren’t any … the benefits of a great stylist should not be underestimated… looking great Dom
@@only1mesabby hey it’s a long story but I don’t mind explaining. Long story short, she overprocessed the fuck out of my hair. I initially went to her for a virgin relaxer. Half my head was coloured jet black, but the other half was virgin hair. I went to a professional because I was scared of over processing the coloured half of my hair, since it would be a double process. I called her a month before and explained my situation and she reassured me. I went in and reminded her of our convo and she was self assured that my hair would not break off. So anyways she relaxed my hair, and it didn’t break off! Yippie. But my hair was thin and flat as fuck. Even the virgin sections were thin and overprocessed as fuck. I hadn’t been relaxed in years so I just thought it was normal for relaxed hair, especially since I don’t have high density hair. Anyways I enjoyed my hair for 4 months, no breakage at all! I went in for a touch up, and that’s when things went downhill. The back and crown of my hair were under processed, and the rest of my hair was processed normally. I was very disappointed and I had to perform a corrective relaxer on myself. I suspect she used a super relaxer on when I went in for my virgin application, and then a regular strength when I went in for my touch up, and she didn’t process it correctly. I don’t think Gloria knows how to process 4c hair honestly. She does a fantastic job with Dom but she has like type 4a hair. There was another client that came in right after me and she had like type 3 hair that she was looking to relax. What I learned from this is just because a stylist does your friends hair well doesn’t mean they will do your hair well too since everyone’s head of hair is different. I’ve been doing my own relaxers for over a year and I’ve gained a lot of thickness!! On top of that she burned my scalp both times I went to her! Both times she said it was because my scalp was dry 🤪 I haven’t burned since doing my own hair I guess she was just really rough
My last relaxer was Dec 2020. I’ve always had healthy long hair. Since the pandemic my hair is the worst it’s been in my 53 yrs on earth. My roots are so course and my hair is super dry. Since moving to a different state, I’ve gone to a hair salon that hates doing relaxers, she literally relaxed my hair quickly and never deep conditioned it. I’ve never had this type of hair salon experience before. There aren’t a slew of African American salons where I’m located, literally only 2!! So now, I’m going to get a touch up this coming Thursday, I’ll try the only other African American salon. I really miss NYC when it comes to salon choices and great hair and scalp maintenance.
Excellent advice as usual - many thanks! I’ve had great gains following your advice and my hair is the longest and healthiest it’s ever been. I’m now at collarbone length and for the first time having to be mindful of my hair getting caught in clothes and bag straps! Also, I’ve never done the traditional hair wrap at night - instead I do what you now do with the crisscross method. I take the clips out and use a silk scarf and bonnet on top (and I sleep on a silk pillowcase - I’m a bit extra!). I did a Covid induced stretch of 8 months and survived with minimal damage, but I would never want to do anything near that again. I think for me, 3 to 4 months is fine. I’ll play it by ear and see how it goes. And to avoid not getting the appointment I want with my stylist, I book the whole year at once the year prior!
Prior to watching you the only hair person I trusted was Iyanna Yvonne. Sometimes information can be shared in such a manner that it's overwhelming and by the time you finish watching you feel nothing but discouraged. These tips were realistic and helpful, and I can't wait to implement them to repair damage that I suffered from an unskilled stylist. Thank you ❤️. And yes, I subbed.
I got so excited when I saw the door open!! Reese!! He is so adorable 🥰 I completely agree about listening to your hair when it comes to stretching. 13 weeks is my absolute max stretch! The main reason I relax is for convenience. Stretching longer is too much work for me.
Cool thats a good long time. I would say how long you do it varies so much due to how you are going to wear your hair. If you wear various styles every week or every couple. If you wear the same style for months on end or more. But its mainly what styles you are wearing. If you are wearing it in a bun, updo, plaited, in braids or under a wig then you can go all year stretched out because the hair stays hidden. The ends and the variation of the hair stays hidden away.
I just texturized my hair this morning with the S curl texturizer. Followed the directions to the T and my hair came out so good! Your tips is exactly what I did when I was natural for 16 yrs BUT I wasn’t consistent. This time around I will be. 😊
You are changing lives with this video! I was told to stretch my whole life. I never retained length, and there was ALWAYS tons of hair on my bathroom floor. I was 42 years old when I went to a 9-week schedule. Imagine thinking you could not have longer hair for 42 long years 😢. I discovered the no-combing method 2 years after I stopped stretching. That is extremely effective for retaining length as well! (I also stopped roller-settting, which is the other thing we're told is a better practice. My fine hair couldn't tolerate the tension and heat at the same time.)
I recently ruined my progress from stretching far too long. I wore crochet braids for 3.5 months (they were awesome mini twists!) and the takedown process was a complete mess. As careful as I tried to be, I ended up with mats and tangles that ripped alot of my hair out. Now I'm having to cut it to chin length and starting the journey over again. I will NEVER stretch like that again.
4:15 that’s real…. I tried 4 months and it was hard now I go every 2 months and some change and now it’s so manageable.. protein is my enemy if I use it too often … you look gorgeous ❤️
Hey Chris! That is exactly why I had to stretch my relaxer so long. It was the beginning of the pandemic and salons had been closed for ever. I got to four months before I couldn't take it anymore and decided to relax myself. I called my stylist and she gave me some tips, but it was still so hard. I CANNOT do it again! I still have a section of my hair that's a bit curly kinky because I missed it while self-relaxing!
I stopped using Keratin altogether. I noticed it created a coating on my hair so moisturizers could not get through. Resulting in dry brittle hair. My hair also has more movement as well.
I loved this video! One thing that helped me was using a clarifying shampoo after a touch up ALSO using an ACV on my scalp and hair is so amazing. Your hair will be so soft, easy to detangle and shiny!
Thank you. Stretching has never worked for me. The maximum I can go is 2 months as well so I’ve always wondered how some people can sustainably retouch it 2 or three times a year
Love this video!! Thanks for the tip about the trimming. I’m literally afraid to go to my hairdresser sometimes because she is very scissor happy. She always says that in order for my hair to grow she has to trim it.. and I understand. But the amount my hair grows is exactly what she “trims”. And when I tell her that I’m not cutting this time or tell her that I want a trim and not a cut.. she visibly gets upset. I keep going to her because other than that her hands and her process really agrees with my hair.
Your hairdresser gets mad…?about YOUR hair….?and you’re paying her to do a job?! Sadly I’ve had the same experience with stylists. 🤦🏽♀️ Wish I had a Gloria in my life.
She actually gets upset...this should be an enjoyment time...sounds like a very stressful time. I'm sure you are not the only one who gets this treatment there...sounds more like her hands and her process not only don't agree witth how you want "your hair" but also seems awful for your mentality. How can you trust her on your head. Stop letting her think you need her.
Stretching has worked for me by putting my hair in protective style. I now end up relaxing my hair every 6 month. I barely need a trim and barely need to use oil in my hair, they're healthy and stronger than ever. my journey did start at the beginning of the pandemic, your diet and daily vitamins also help a lot.
I ruined my hair with too much heat and dying so I am taking ALL your advice to heart here, even though you did this video a year ago! Merry Christmas! Love, Jeanie
I use to relax every 8 weeks and my hair was breaking.😔 but I stretch 18 weeks this helped..Now I want to stretch more.. Proteins are a No No..I do a Protein once a year!.we don't need protein treatments every month! If it's healthy Aussie is a great deep conditioning for 23 years now.. your hair looks good 👍🏽 Do what works for you. God Bless you ❣ 🙏🏽
Hey Sapphire! Your hair is looking GREAT! I am filming a video on my stretching experience. I see so many here on youtube doing it successfully and I just cannot seem to do it. Maybe it's because I work out a lot and my new growth gets dry from sweating. Maybe I'm not using hydrating enough products. I don't know. Two positives I saw from stretching was the my nape grew back thick and strong and when I would flat iron my hair, the volume was beautiful!
Thanks so much! I got a keratin treatment and my hair did not do well. I don’t do relaxers but prefer to wear my hair straight. I’m glad to know the protein can wash out! Your right when my hair was growing the most is when I got it done every 3-4 weeks and it thrived!!!!!! So back to routine. Thanks for the info 😊
Thanks Dom. I try to stretch for 4 months but by then the root is so thick, I can’t get the comb through it. So I decided to do 3 months it much easier for me and my stylist 👏🏾🥰😊👍🏾
What I've recently done to get passed the exact three months stretch is putting my hair in an all back corn-roll. I just put wigs over it when I go to work. So it's been 3months and two weeks for me now and I have *never* gone this far with my stretch. Plus u can also take care of ur hair in that style or just moisturize once or twice a week.
I stopped relaxing when I was seventeen and a half. I never looked back, I was having the same problems in secondary school and sixth form. I've missed processing but I've fallen back in love with my natural hair texture and relax really wasn't doing much.
My first time here I've been binge watching videos today. Natural for 4 years but struggling with to relax or not, been in micro braids for the last two months. This has been the most informative by far you and your hair are beautiful.
I'm just starting out in my relaxed hair journey and I'm so impressed with how much your hair's grown from the last cut and it's looks amazing! My hair also hates long stretches so I keep it to 3months on the dot. Now if only I can get my high-porosity ass hair to stop being so dry! 😐
I know I’m late to this but I can relate totally to high porosity!! I am doing weekly very dilute ACV Rinses and going by curly Chemist’s RU-vid channel. She has great porosity videos!!
When I was relaxed my hair didn't like to be stretched beyond what it was use too...it would start to look like crap. I am natural now & what a difference from relaxed to natural. When I transitioned after 10 months & cut off the relaxed ends...it was literally just dead...I was really shocked....will never forget that.
I absolutely love your videos! The tips that you have provided in your videos have made a tremendous difference in my hair's health and growth! Thank you so much for your content! ❤️❤️❤️
Try wrapping your hair at night with a gentle boar bristtle brush! Do the clip method like you mentioned clipping one half to the other side and the other half to the opposite side. Then take your silk scarf and wrap your hair. Then gently pull the clips out from underneath the scarf. Be sure to use smooth flat clips so they remove easily. This will stop any manipulative breakage from wrapping your hair at night but give the same result come morning
So glad to see you back with the update. Which products have you let go after realizing they weren’t good for your hair? Do you still love the Joico Moisture Recovery? What about Olaplex?
I don’t stretch at all. I swim at least 5 times a week and wash my hair every time I swim and I relax every 4-6 weeks. Don’t have breakage 🤷🏾♀️. I have a bob though. I’m contemplating growing it out but those in between lengths are the hardest to get through.
Such a great video Dom! I agree, I finally started listening to my hair again and I don't think I can stretch long either. Once I get to three months, my roots are not happy with me 😆 Would love to see how you style your hair when working out
I also can't stretch for too long, I can only go 3 months. I'm so jealous of those who can go 6+ months on a stretch 😭. I self relax, and my relaxer day is such a tedious process lol
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much, Kimberly! I have a little team that keeps the blog running and looking good. Admittedly, I had been totally neglecting it. Sigh. Means a lot that you watched the video and checked out my site!
I couldn't put that book down. I loved every second of it! I read many reviews that stated the book is slow to start, but I didn't find so. I had never heard of "white passing" in my life. I couldn't imagine!!! And good for you for actually having an engaging discussion at your book club instead of just drinking wine, gossiping and analyzing Real Housewives of Wherever the Hell...;o)
I just chopped off about 3/4cms today. Relaxed mid August. It feels so freaken delicious. Looks amazing. Comb goes right through. I use a cholesterol treatment as a DC, mixed with olive oil and castor oil. Greenhouse the night before. Growth isn't at the pace I would like but the thickness and it feels healthier.
Your hair looks great! I love the samurai head wrap. No clips, no wrapping, all satin, super cute and allows my hair to look like I wrapped it. Black owned too.
I tried the stretch thing and it broke my har off so bad lol I realized not all protective styles works on my hair either relaxed or natural. So, once every 8-10 weeks is good for me
Your hair looks great!! I also cut my hair and now I miss it but it's growing back. It takes a while for my hair to grow back and now I will try your tips. Thanks for posting this, very helpful :)
Love your hair!! I have been using Aussie leave in for years, it's great!! Great tips!! Can you do a video on protein free products, and how to tell if a product is protein free??
Thanks for the video! I know you said you usually only wear buns or updos, but maybe a fun video would be you trying different hairstyles for longer hair such as yours. I'm always at a loss about how to style my hair on days that I'm not wearing a bun. Long hair can be tricky to style
I've been following you for years, I think from when I used to relax my hair, but I could never keep that retention my hair strands are fine, I have locs now so on a different hair journey, but I like how honest you have been and how stretching for too long doesn't work for your hair. Even hair products that work fr you wont work for someone else!! fab video
Hey Dom, I think Gloria knows what shes doing with your hair.👍 She probably has tought you so much that if she had to leave for a while you could do it yourself until she came back, maybe not as well 😅but enough to make it work. I think it looks like you put just enough lubricant on your hair to make it silky but not over oily. Thank you so much for the info.😊
Love your hair but honestly I’m confused because I’ve heard our hair grows a certain amount per month but I’ve witnessed 2-3 inches in a month with me it really the maximum hydration I run water on my hair for 20 minutes and my natural hair grows fast that way I think permed hair can do this as well❤
Hey Girl !! I’m glad you posted this. I get keratin treatments every 6 months (which I need to either stop getting or get them more frequently) and I was looking at the floor thinking, my hair is all over the place 😢😢. I am definitely going to try your alligator clip method and revisit your luxury hair products post. I use Olaplex products now, but something has to change. Thank you for this 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
He is so cute! I don't have relaxer but my hair appears and somewhat behaves like I do, so I treat it like that. It is sooo protein sensitive that if I use one, I literally can only leave it on for 1/2 the processing time. Trust me, I learned from experience. This may not be for everyone, but like you said, you have to do what works for you. :)
I’m no longer relaxed but I’m still loving/watching your hair videos. I read “The Vanishing Half” and it was really good. I didn’t care too much for the ending though.
Your hair looks great Dom! Your diligence is really paying off. Regarding your inquiry of what we want to see on your channel... when is your sister gonna feature again? I know I've asked before and I promise I'm not a stalker lol it's just a fun time when Erica comes on and we see a different side to you too. Maybe you could do each others hair routines. natural - relaxed ha!
Protein overload is real. I remember when I used the ors mask on my natural hair every two weeks and left it on for 40 mins. My hair was always dry and snapping and I didn't know why. Never again!
I have noticed for me all the ORS products were drying my hair then I read ingredients and they consisted of too much protein and mineral oils which dry hair even their caster oil was drying my hair and I didn't get it and noticed the ingredients aren't good.
Your hair looks so healthy, I went from being natural to a relaxer, and I don't comb my hair that often either. I love your hair routine because I think it would help my hair and long stretches caused a lot of breakage to my hair as well. I wanted to know how often are your wash days and do you deep condition at each wash day and I would also like to know where did you get your heat cap from. I would love to purchase one. Thanks so much it was so informative for me. Have a great day 😊 😊😊.
Hi Valeria! I wash my hair twice a week because I workout a lot. I normally wash every Saturday/Sunday and Wednesday/Thursday. In the winter, I'll wash only weekly. I deep condition every single time I wash my hair. It's tedious, but worth it. I used to deep condition for an hour, but that was killing me - eating up too much time. That's why I got the heat cat, to speed up the process. Here is the heat cap I use: amzn.to/2Z6J0QX. Thanks for watching!
@@StyleDomination Thank you so much for the information 😊 I really appreciate it and I would also like to thank you for the link to purchase the heat cap. Have a good day 😊 💛
Hi Dominique! Your hard work has paid off, and your hair looks amazing. I’m also team no experiment when it comes to stretching. I relax at 8 weeks, and it works for me. I gave myself a haircut last night, so I can start over. My hair was starting to feel overly dry because of protein. I have some new protein free products that I will be using on my hair to get my hair back to normal. Do you still use Olaplex? If so, how often do you use it?
It’s because the the longer you grow it out the longer and more those two different textures are connected and the take products differently and they are battling. The only way that’s works is protective styling
I need to get a clarifying shampoo for sure. I stopped stretching but I need to back off the heat. And the manipulation my problem is I’m not confident with my hair up. I feel my face is too big for that style 🤷🏽♀️. It maybe in my head but it’s a confidence issue. I love your videos. I appreciate all your tips.
I love Aussie Moist Deep Conditioner!! It leaves my hair so soft like butter lol! I use to try to stretch up to three months for my relaxers, but I cannot afford to do that because my hair was breaking off. So my hairstylist suggested every eight weeks for my relaxer and it does make a difference! However, I am in the mist of reviving my hair due to protein damage! I was being careless and not paying attention to what products I was using on a consistent basis, which I was using an intensive leave-in protein conditioner every two weeks during my wash day and I realized that I do not need that! My hair suffers mostly from moisture so my hairstylist recommended doing more mask treatments to get it back going. I'm on the hunt for a good one so any suggestions are welcome :)
