Managing between washes?

[angelfell]

Hello everyone! I haven't posted here in a long time.. although I've still visited frequently. Life got busy for me and, unfortunately, I've allowed my hair care to slack. Nonetheless after numerous trims and the inability to leave my poor hair alone, I'm finally close to my goal. I've come close many times before hacking a few inches off and I'm determined to get there finally. A friend of mine on Facebook just recently posted about how wonderful her hair feels now that she washes with baking soda and vinegar only, and I suppose I got homesick and decided to wander back. So, yesterday, I washed with baking soda and vinegar.. hair felt great. Now, I want to put 5 days between washes, maybe eventually 7. Besides grease, my biggest issue is (undoubtedly due to mangled ends) after sleeping on my dry hair just one night, in the morning, the ends and only the ends look.. well, angry. Like I took them all between my hands, rubbed them furiously while also laughing maniacally. I assure you I've done no such thing but I'm beginning to wonder exactly what I do in my sleep. NONETHELESS the only way to fix this issue I've found is to generously wet the ends again. So, today, I didn't wash my hair per say, but I did re-wet it. Is this okay to do between my washes until I get another trim? This might be awhile, too.. I'm short on cash and I don't exactly trust myself with the scissors.

Oh, and I missed you guys, seriously.

[melusine963]

Have you tried oiling your ends after you've washed your hair? This works as a great leave-in conditioner and detangler for me, making my ends less dry and far less tangly.

[jacqueline101]

Baking soda and vinegar is used to clarify with its very drying that's why your hair is angry. I'd recommend taking the stretch washes day by day go as long as you can without washing. You will be able to train your hair to do it.

[angelfell]

Melusine93: I haven't. I'll try that now and see if it works. Thanks!

Jacqueline101: My ends have been this way though for a few months now, and up until yesterday I was just using regular shampoo and conditioner. I have no doubt my hair is dry though. I'd like to find the time to do a deep conditioning treatment, but between working full time and going to college full time.. well.. I mean, I'll try XD

[Sillage]

Welcome back, Angelfell :flower:

Do your ends normally look that way after sleeping on them or is this due to the baking soda and ACV? EDIT: just saw your post, never mind! Re wetting your ends is fine.

A protective style while sleeping could help and so would a satin pillow case (I recommend silk satin because it's more comfortable to sleep on than polyester satin).

[melusine963]

I second Sillage's protective style suggestion (bunning or braiding both work well). If you haven't oiled your hair before, remember that a very little goes a very, very long way. I use coconut oil, but other people here have had luck with olive oil or mineral oil. You want just enough rubbed between your palms to make them slightly shiny. Then smooth your palms over your hair, paying special attention to the ends. I never put any oil higher than my chin. My scalp produces more than enough oil to keep the roots happy, so if I added any more my hair would look horribly greasy. It's better to add too little and then go back to add more, than too much and be stuck with greasy, stingy hair until your next wash day. Good luck!

[Kelikea]

I re-wet my ends and apply conditioner or oil when they do that. The best thing I've found, to protect them at night, is to bun and secure with spin pins and put on a sleep cap.

[angelfell]

I'll look and see if I can find any satin pillow cases which match my bed set. I'm sure I can.. white will actually do. I'll try doing a bun before bed, but a braid might be easier for me.. do they work equally well? I'm hoping to hold out washing until saturday since that would be exactly a week. It's my first time waiting that long so golly, we''ll see. Also, I go to the gym 2-3 times a week, is it okay to rinse my hair just with water after that?

[Wildcat Diva]

Washing with water after the gym sounds fine. Depending on how much you sweat, you might not even need to. Sometimes I use a misting bottle with rose water in it on my scalp and that really seems to freshen things up without having to rinse my whole head of hair.

[ravenreed]

My hair dries out if I don't cleanse it frequently, no matter how much oil I use. Does your shampoo and/or conditioner contain protein? That can cause angry ends.

[Kelikea]

Wearing a braid at night does not protect the ends, they can still rub against your back, shirt, pillow case, etc. Sometimes I just braid, but then my ends look like what you described in the first post.

As far as stretching washes goes, you have to do what you are comfortable with. I work out and get sweaty, but by the time I get home, don't feel the urge to wash right away. Skipping a day or two is fine (for me). If it feels nasty, then I wash. I don't worry about it too much, as long as I don't wash every single day. BS and vinegar worked for me in the summer, when it is very humid, but the fall and winter seasons get drier and windier, so I switch to CO or very little poo and CO.

[Wildcat Diva]

You could braid in a paranda. Once you get used to it, it goes in quick.

[angelfell]

Thanks everyone for the input and help! I'm going to try putting my hair in a bun tonight and see how well I sleep with it. I am anxious to see how I hold out without washing. I hope I can make it the 7 days. I may cave on Friday but I think I can at least get through until then.. I only have work until then, no other plans, so how greasy my hair is really doesn't matter.

[Natalia]

Yean re-wetting is fine might even be a good change to mix up some kimberlily's and give them a treat. If you find your hair needs some smoothing try a boar bristle brush.

[spirals]

I do it all--use acid rinse, put in leave-in, oil on non-wash days. But I refuse to sleep in any kind of 'do; it has to be loose or I will be uncomfortable. So I have angry, tangled ends every day. My solution is to oil them and carefully comb out if I want a wavy look or to spray and scrunch with a water/conditioner mixture for curls. Of course on wash-day I can detangle while conditioner is in it.

[angelfell]

I tried the bun and found it a bit uncomfortable. I put it on top of my head, but I move around in my sleep a lot so it didn't do much good. In the shower this morning, I only wet my ends, and of course washed my body. I haven't washed since Saturday.. only 4 more days to go! So far my hair isn't that much of a greasy mess. One more question if anyone is still looking at the thread.. will using a dry shampoo hinder the progress? I want to try to train my scalp so that I only have to wash it once a week with the baking soda and vinegar. Is using dry shampoo to take away the oil going to hinder this just as washing with shampoo or baking soda would? Thanks!

[Natalia]

I tried the bun and found it a bit uncomfortable. I put it on top of my head, but I move around in my sleep a lot so it didn't do much good. In the shower this morning, I only wet my ends, and of course washed my body. I haven't washed since Saturday.. only 4 more days to go! So far my hair isn't that much of a greasy mess. One more question if anyone is still looking at the thread.. will using a dry shampoo hinder the progress? I want to try to train my scalp so that I only have to wash it once a week with the baking soda and vinegar. Is using dry shampoo to take away the oil going to hinder this just as washing with shampoo or baking soda would? Thanks!

Dont have much input on the dry shampoo. I havent found it very helpful even though it did absorb the oil when ive done it it left my hair feeling gunky and it took forever to get it out. Id rather have greasy hair than have to get that stuff out of my hair again but i am fine/thin and mostly straight so im not an ideal canidate. My point is when ive done it i wanted to shampoo sooner than if i hadnt because it was such a pain no idea if it affects your cycle length though.

[goldloli]

massaging cornflower is much nicer in effect and condition of hair compared to dry shampoo. i used some of the new batiste xxl volume today and it was hideous! feels gross and stiff and matted. not to mention how drying it is. i thought the cornflour too much hassle, you have to massage it in instead of spritz and brush of a dry shampoo, but damn this stuff is totes not worth it. id rather just have washed my hair.

[angelfell]

My hair is fine, thin, and mostly straight as well, so I think ill skip out on the dry shampoo. Looks like I'm braiding my hair until the next wash.