The "I Take Back Everything I Said About..." Thread

[lilliemer]

I have made some pronouncements about things my hair 'hates' only to try it again later and find it's worked. Case in point: coconut oil. It had been making my ends dry and crunchy when using on wet or damp hair. I soaked my hair in palms-ful of vatika last night in desperation as my hair was like brillo. Washed out this am and my hair was soooo much softer! my ends are still damaged and I'm going to trim but I'm going to have to re-think my approach to coconut oil.

Have you ever changed your mind about a product or ingredient? how did you come to find out that it might be working better than you thought?

[starlamelissa]

hmm..oil free products. I used to shop for products that said "oil free" because I though oil would be bad for my skin. My skin is super sensitive and reactive but mineral oil is really good for my skin. And hair. So yeah, i take back everything I've ever said about oil/vaseline. It rocks!

[stew]

i've also begun to rethink coconut oil, but only in the last couple of days! funny this thread should come up. i was using either too much or too little, but i've been using it as a leave in on damp hair for the last couple of days and it worked fine, whereas before it left my hair lank and greasy. i still don't like that it makes my hair straighter, but oh well.

[TheMechaGinger]

I take back everything I said about cones. I jumped on the no-cone band wagon so hard, and then for over a year my hair slowly declined as I preached about the evils of sulfates and those waxy hair coating demons and as soon as I picked up a drug store conditioner (out of desperation) laden with sweet cones my hair was fabulous again. Love em!

[Arashi]

Great thread idea! I take back some of what I said about coconut oil. It still doesn't work for me on a daily basis, but as a monthly deep treatment(heavy oiling for an hour or so before box dye) it's awesome.

[spookyghost]

I too think its funny this thread should come up because I was just thinking today that my hair might need protein after all! Not sure if it really does, I will know this weekend, but I have been saying how much my hair hates protein and needs moisture. Well imagine my surprise when I am slowly combing threw my wet hair, with a large tooth comb, and my hair strands are stretching! Thats never happened to me before. My hair has always just snapped. But I always conducted that protein/moisture test on dry hair! I didnt know I should be doing it on wet hair. So I just might be taking back everything I said about protein!

[akilina]

I take back everything I said about protein!!

My hair actually likes it now as of lately. :) I actually find using products with protein (in moderation) very very beneficial all the sudden.

[spirals]

I take back what I said about brushing and hairtoys. I thought brushing was bad, but if I oil first, I can get nice waves and neater braids. And at first I said I didn't need fancy hairtoys, just pins and elastics, that my hair was my accessory. Well, thanks to my mom and the enablers, I am looking for ways to wear sticks, clips, and scarves. And I'm currently drooling over a $42 copper fork at Maizey Dorzy.

[Katleen]

I take back what I said about Gibson Tucks :-) I used to hate the way they looked on me, made me look like a 1850's schoolmarm...
But now my hair is longer and they look great, have actually become my go-to updo...

[battles]

I take back what I said about stretching washes.

I always thought my hair was far too oily to ever skip a day washing my hair. With more length and the right combination of products, I've managed to stretch to every 4-5 days.

[Faux]

I've been putting argan oil in my hair (I soak the ends) a few hours before I wash it and I love it. I was turned off by oiling, but I now love the results.

[Tisiloves]

I take back everything I ever said about CO washing, it does get my hair squeaky clean and it can be done with cones. (Also how did I not notice how dry my hair was for 24 years?)

[MasCat]

I take back what I said about using a BBB to detangle before combing ;)

[Vrindi]

I take back what I said way back in high school about washing your hair every day being good for it and not washing every day being gross. I take it all back and now I don't have greasy hair anymore. I can go on camping trips and not wash my hair and not look like a grease ball, but have beautiful hair while roughing it!

As for coconut oil, I just realized that it helps your hair maintain protein. So, it will work beautifully for my hair, and then it will make it dry after a while (too much protein I guess), and I switch to almond oil. I just go back and forth between these two oils as my hair needs it. I have accepted the fact that my hair "routine" has to be flexible because my hair is a little bit moody.

[Anlbe]

I take back what I said about using a BBB to detangle before combing ;)

Ditto, after years of clinging to my expensive natural bristle brushes I eventually came to realise the did nothing good for my hair and that denman brushes, hand finished combs and the recently embraced tangle teaser are actually the way for me....

[Tota]

I take back everything I said about CO not being good for my oily scalp. My scalp actually feels much better since I CO and I was even able to stretch washes (I was never able to do that while I was using shampoo).

[jacqueline101]

I take back the thoughts I've had about oils too my hair likes them and stretch washes. I've even learned to accept my layers I don't like them but we've found peace.

[melusine963]

I take back what I said about boar bristle brushes. Now that I know how to use them properly, they work very well for me.

[Neneka]

I take back everything I said about henna. When I first tried it I thought I hated the colour I got but look at my hair now...

Oh, I also take back everything I said about my natural ashy hair colour some years ago. Ashy hair can be gorgeous, it's not boring at all.

[LadyCelestina]

I take back saying I have resilient hair!

Sounds pessimistic,but it's in fact not pessimistic at all - only when I cut a good bit of what I thought was "healthy hair" because of thin ends,I did realize how much better can my hair be!

[Madora]

I take back what I said about boar bristle brushes. Now that I know how to use them properly, they work very well for me.

Glad to hear they're working for you, melusine963!

[hermosamendoza]

about co washing. I said it didn't work and it made my hair disgusting....I was just doing it wrong lol

[Alvrodul]

When I first discovered LHC and started experimenting with my routine, I discovered that when my hair was exposed to protein, it got bratty, like a two-year old in a bad mood. It also loved oil, and would soak up most oils like nobody's business. The more oil it could swim in, the happier my hair was.
Nowadays, though. I won't say it is the other way around exactly, but my hair will happily accept protein, carefully applied. And I need to be a lot more cautious with the oil.

[Leah Polamalu]

Great thread idea! I take back some of what I said about coconut oil. It still doesn't work for me on a daily basis, but as a monthly deep treatment(heavy oiling for an hour or so before box dye) it's awesome.

Do you shampoo the oil out before dyeing or just use water?

[Bedhead]

about horn combs. I was equating dehorning the animal (removing it's root from its skull) with trimming the horn off, so I said I wouldn't support it. Well, I since have realised I was wrong and now have a horn comb and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

[Maelyssa]

Oh yes! The cones versus cone free debate. I go cone free and like it. Then I find a coney conditioner and fall in love until about a month later when my scalp is gross and my length limp and yuck. I go cone free again and it resolves.
So as much as I'd love to rock cones...they really aren't the best for me no matter how many 'miracle products' I find.

[MandyBeth]

The "wonders" of natural or better cleaners - shampoo bars, soapnuts, even ALS. Yeah, my hair might improve, but to this day - my scalp riots, and bloody, pus filled sores are worse for my hair than SLS that my scalp loves.

H4H - their henna never went dark or cool toned, even with ten layers of high dye content henna. Add in my hair acting like it had metallic salts in it. Then, per the owner, I'm the problem. I now use Henna Sooq and dye black, but even straight same proportion mix as first step, the red colors is far richer.

Oil shampoo - looked great at first. Never balanced in my cat fine hair, and then developed massive split ends.

Not reading the full thread prior to purchasing hair toys. I bought some excessively over priced products that were worse quality than the drug store and gave money to one of the most immoral forgers.

[spirals]

Mandy, I use natural method, but I never had any problems with ALS, either. I only stopped shampoo because it's so hard to find anything with any other detergent than SLS. (SLS is a problem for me; it causes hairfall for me personally). Natural can be good or bad. We all have to find the best methods/products for us instead of being in one camp or the other. I can use natural soap and commercial conditioner and simple coconut oil and aerosol oil spray all happily together. And I am enamored of my fake-arres that I got at Target. I really like hairtoys, but living within my means is really important. Will you post your story about fakes? At least as a cautionary tale?

[Fufu]

I take back everything i said about my goal.

I wanted to have waist-length hair but I figured i'm not suitable for this length, and the amount of care I had to put into is not me.

[XcaliburGirl]

I take back everything I said about letting dry without combing for waves. 1. I needed to find the right products (currently coconut oil and AVG are working OK). 2. I needed to find the right step-by-step method. 3. I needed to NOT TOUCH UNTIL 100% DRY! (In caps because I knew that, but always gave up at about 70% dry.)

I also take back much of what I said in my blog post yesterday about wanting to maintain my hair at shoulder length. I've changed my mind 10 times since then, so I'm just going to keep on growing until I can keep one decision for two weeks.