so frustrated with my hair

[Arden]

someone pass the cheese cause I'm about to whinnne


I hate my hair. I have tried everything I know to try to wash my head and something always goes wrong..

this past month... bumble and bumble.... did the two week rule.. worked great... now in week 4 and my hair, although shiney is limp, breaking and shedding so bad..

before that pantine.... also flat stringy hair...

before that... deva curl.... allergic

before that Dr Bronner liquid soap.... actually worked pretty well BUT over time made me hair super dull looking... and no offence to you all natural girls out there but I really get tired of the "hair" smell... yes hair has a smell... for those who have never lived without shampoo I'm sure you never knew... lol


what can I do? ....I feel like I'm trapped in this twisted world where my options are ...strong dull hair smelling hair, shiney limp breaking smell good hair or scalp on fire allergies...


help me.... comfort me.... and please bring provolone green apples and summer sausage.... chocolate covered cherries also bonus

[spidermom]

Have you tried a sulfate-free shampoo diluted? I always mix my squirt of shampoo into about 1/4 cup water, shake well, then apply with a squirt bottle in stripes from forehead area to nape, then massage in a finger-combing motion over the scalp. No problems.

I hope this helps; good luck!

[Nebulae]

Ohh, sounds like you hit a rough patch with those shampoos, here's some :chocolate: and :cheese: for you :)

Maybe you could try alternating the two shampoos that worked for a while, and see if a combination of those two will work? Otherwise I only have that dull advice to not give up yet and keep on looking and trying other brands.. Right now maybe that's not what you want to hear.. but somewhere out there I'm sure there's a good routine for you :flower:
I don't know what you have and have not tried but you could try SLS-free, your hair might enjoy CO, or like spidermom suggested to dilute your shampoo. :)

[ravenreed]

Did you rinse with ACV after using the Dr. Bronner's? I haven't had great results using it alone as a shampoo, but I do occasionally use it as a scalp wash then my scalp is acting up. I always follow it with CO-ing and an acidic rinse of some sort.

[feb26]

Curious as to if you're doing the typical "scrubbing" motion we were all taught to do or if you're massaging your scalp & hair? I found the scrubbing motion to cause tangles (both in & out of shower) & much more shedding overall. I now massage my scalp & hair with shampoo.I've had luck with Aveda & think you might do best with sulfate free shampoo (all it does is make bubbles, it makes no difference to the actual cleansing process) . I'd recommend cutting down to 2 shampoos a week & use dry shampoo as needed. Hopefully this'll keep your shampoo & you on better terms & correct some of yr issues. best of luck!

[spidermom]

I was thinking the same thing as feb26. Maybe it's not so much the product as your method for washing hair.

I most often wash standing upright in the shower, my hair hanging down, and massage my scalp in only one direction - forehead toward nape, fingers moved over a slight bit with each repetition. Sometimes I change it up and wash with my hair hanging toward the floor, massaging from nape toward forehead in single strokes.

[Natalia]

Im sorry :grouphug: how can a dead fiber be so annoying right? How do you feel about rotating your routine? Before i went wo and even now just alot less i would rotate beween more cleaning and more sleekening options. Since dr.b's worked the best maybe you can make different tweaks to it (like coconut milk, eo's, aloe) and keep it as your main then maybe do smt's/co every week or third wash depending on how often you wash to help with the dullness issue. Have you tried distilled water rinses? Citric acid and vinegar reat different for different people have you tried both yet? If you oil and your hair does ok with coconut monoi has a nice seletions of scent to hide that hair smell you could even add it to the doc b and do oil poo-ing. Just a note about monoi my hair was very so-so about coconut oil and i tried several brands but it really like monoi so not all coconut is the same for everyone. If you like pre-blended scents i know amazon has some nice well rated eo blends for 6 - 10 usd per 1/2 ounce whih would last a long time adding to your wash or mister. Oh thats another thing misting with rose water thats a nice treat. With your coloring youmight enjoy a rosemarry rinse too. Sorry im kind of busting with stuff right now as im in a very spa mood lol

[bunnylake]

I was in the same boat as you. Something was always wrong with my hair, and I have tried LOTS of different methods.
However, I recently tried NOT using conditioner. My hair was just so lank and blah and weighed down, I just figured... I haven't tried shampoo-only, so... and I really like it. Granted i've only done it three times so far, and it feels pretty weird in the shower and as it is drying, but when its dry it is so much lighter and softer and surprisingly NO FRIZZ. Maybe give it a shot.

[spirals]

I'm now using Dr. Bronner's with a citric acid rinse. Before that I was using bar soap with a rinse. My hair has never been healthier. I do use conditioner on the lengths and a leave-in on them. With shampoo I had oily scalp and dry hair. The conditioner leaves a nice scent. I use silicone-free stuff.

[akilina]

I like SpiderMoms suggestion of Diluted SLS FREE shampoo..... It has changed my whole world lol.

My hair was falling out so badly and this has helped a ton. Its not so harsh. Then with conditioner I just try not to get the stuff on my scalp.

Don't give up... Im not much to offer..I am in the same boat of hating my hair and feeling so discouraged and disgusted with it. I am here to lurk as well, and see if someone suggests something groundbreaking.

I have used home made shampoo bars the last two days and my hair actually likes it...Its not shedding as bad. Although today I was a little rough with it and lost the biggest wad of hair I have ever seen...its nearly heart breaking as lame as that sounds. I tried an ACV rinse for the first time but its wasteful to me..and I used conditioner after it anyway..

[MiaBeth]

I third the option for diluted SLS shampoo -- I've been doing CWC using diluted shampoo on scalp and conditioner ears down, and this has helped my scalp irritation immensely. Also, shedding has gone way down!

[Sillage]

Agreeing with the recs for an SLS free shampoo. I happen to like L'oreal EverPure Smooth.

[legendya]

I've been feeling that way too lately. My hair is super frizzy and curly, it turns into a tangly afro. It's sooo hard to detangle and so many fairy knots.

[jacqueline101]

Have you checked the label to see if they've changed the ingredients in your shampoo? Sometimes they do that with out warning.

[Arden]

thank you guys all so much for responding.

I am not sure yet what advice to take. I'm in a place of frustrated desperation. I keep looking at my hair thinking what's the point of long hair if it's going to look so blah....

I don't know.. I'm going to have to do a lot of sout searching here.

I bought a bottle of tresime anti breakage last night... of course after reading all these responses I'm second guessing that...

I did use the acv and the citrus rinse when I used the Dr Bronner.... and really that did work we'll for awhile.. my hair had more texture and body... but it just looked so blah and didn't smell "good" ...not bad... just.. like hair... the citrus rinse actually left me with a nice lemon scent... but on the d days I used it my hair would get oily faster....

when I wash I do focus the shampoo to the scalp and work the conditioner from the ends up.

when I did the Dr Bronner / acv I felt I needed to rinse my hair a lot... I used a plastic pitcher for mixing and rinsing.... the thing is it wasn't just the dullness and the hair smell that got me away from using it. we bought a new house and the hot water in the shower runs out too quickly. I have had to seriously cut down on my time in the shower as a result and doing all that mixing and filling and rinsing was making it so I didn't have time to do anything but wash my hair.

I started back to shampoo in part because I needed a faster routine...

I hate to admit this but I've not shaved my legs in weeks because I now have to set with the water turned off to do it and I get cold.

see the idea off adding conditioner to the Bronner routine sounds promising. as does trying just to do an alternate shampoo between washes....

but I guess until I get this water issue sorted out that's not going to work...

[Arden]

Have you checked the label to see if they've changed the ingredients in your shampoo? Sometimes they do that with out warning.

this!

one product I use to love and now can't use is Giovanni. I loved there old products and everyone said oh the new stuff works the same... not on me... when we first moved here I had a bottle of the old stuff left over and it was working perfectly. ran out and bought the new stuff... started having problems... thus leads us to the last 6 months of try this try that...

why can't they just leave the good stuff alone.

Aveda was another one. they use to make awesome products. then I noticed a difference a few years back. got the girl at my salon to finally confess they'd sold out. and with selling out came "formla adjustments"

if a company buys your product you would think they'd keep it the way people like it. but no...

oh well.... I'll figure it out I guess

[Arden]

....also the l'oreal ever pure line I'm allergic to.

....and deva curl

I don't know what's in them by deva curl makes much scalp break out on a rash and the ever pure didnt even make it on my head.. the smell made my sinuses puff up.

[turtlelover]

Have you tried Burt's Bees? It is sulfate free, and not as chemical smelling as some other stuff. I like the More Moisture shampoo and conditioner. I rotate it w/ CO washing and an occasional clarify w/ a sulfate shampoo, and I am happy with it. My curly/wavy hair loves it at the moment.

[Sillage]

....also the l'oreal ever pure line I'm allergic to.

:( That's too bad but at least there are lots of other sulfate free options. EverPure Smooth does smell like Soft Scrub to me so I can understand it bothering your sinuses :laugh:

[chen bao jun]

Try shea moisture shampoo. Target has it and CVS does now too and its gentle and mild

[Arden]

now Burts bees I like.. I use to use the grapefruit shampoo... BUT I can't find is anymore and what s more they have changed the bottle... which makes me concerned they changed the product...

can you still get the grapefruit shampoo and conditioner?


....allergic to Shea as well.... latex allergies

[urara12]

have ever had try Alterna Bamboo volume shampoo?
I have super sensitive scalp. I did try hundred shampoo and conditioner high end to low end.
drug store brand to all brand wholefoods carry.

somehow I don't get reaction with Alterna bamboo volume. maybe it's guruten and SLS free?
also my scalp ok with Pureology nano works <- I really don't know why??

[Arden]

alterna bamboo? no I'll have to check that out.

[spirals]

Yes To Carrots makes natural poo/conditioner. I tried it once and it made my hair shiny, but sort of flat. I don't know what it will do to your hair type.

[SunlightShines]

I didn't read all the way thru, so sorry if I'm repeating.... I've had a lot of problems with damaged hair and shedding caused mostly by allergic reactions to ingredients in shampoo. I'm allergic to coconut & sulfate. I found the Giovanni shampoos are heaven for my scalp. I do water them down if I feel a little dry or use full strength if Im feeling oily. I buy them at Target & Walmart in the Natural Hair care section.

I hope you find something that works for you! Good Luck! :)

[battles]

Have you tried shampoo bars?

[Natalia]

Chiming back in with aubrey organics specifically the jay one. Its the only shampoo i can use. i have reactions to the rose and the honeysuckle rose but jay goes over fine.