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View Full Version : Identifying problems and what is "normal" hair....?



heathen
March 16th, 2013, 11:33 PM
I've lurked on these forums for quite sometime and have posted a few threads in the not-so-recent past.

I felt the need to post now to get some advice because I am very confused. I wish I could post more about things I know to help others, but I don't seem to be making any progress.

Something about my hair just doesn't feel right. It seems not matter how well I try to take care of it the length is always dry, tangled and velcro-y. I did a 2 step henna/indigo treatment to my hair about a year ago, and intermittently (twice since then, I think) touched up my roots. Right now, I have 4+ inches of roots (not so bad because my natural hair color is quite close to the fade henna+indigo result!)

I have noticed that the root texture is quite different that the rest of my hair. It is a lot softer. I must mention that prior to coloring with henna and indigo my hair was virgin hair. I very rarely use heat on it, I must have used it maybe 2 or 3 times in the past year. No other treatments are used.

Is it possible the those herbs ruined my hair texture and made it permanently dry?

I have noticed my hair is quite soft and healthy feeling the first day I wash it...but every successive day it gets more dry and tangled. I don't understand this given I don't do anything harmful to my hair of which I know. I try to keep it braided when I sleep, but it still gets dry and tangled. I can't run my fingers through my hair at all, even after I comb it in the shower.

The length is below bra strap right now, made about 4 or so inches before reaching waist length. It is on the thinner side of being classified as iii, and about a 2a.

After all that rambling... what I am asking y'all is...

When did you reach a point when you felt your hair was "normal" or healthy? What is normal for you? And how can we know when we achieve the best condition for our hair?

Also, any advice on how to solve my hair issue would be much appreciated. Needless to say, I am tried of spending money on products that don't work.

Sharysa
March 16th, 2013, 11:49 PM
Have you tried oiling your hair? My hair is always tangle-prone because it's coarse and thick, but that's a considerably different kind of tangle from "DRY and tangled," like if I don't oil the length after my shower.

The normal tangles are easy to finger-comb out of my hair in the morning or evening in a few minutes, but if my hair is tangled because it's dry, it starts feeling rough and turns into full on SNARLS that take at least ten minutes to get out.

heathen
March 17th, 2013, 12:07 AM
I've oiled a few times with varying results. Coconut oil didn't seem to work well for me for some reason...I mean, it didn't seem to do anything. I oiled once with hot olive oil overnight once and the results were amazing... But, trying it again later it didn't seem to make a difference. What kind of oil do you use?

teela1978
March 17th, 2013, 12:46 AM
When did you last clarify your length? Dry and tangly and not "normal" usually means I need to wash my hair with a very strong sulfate-laden shampoo.

ETA: also, maybe spritzing your hair to re-wet a bit might make the ends happer? That works for some people and seems like a possible solution if washing more won't work for you.

melusine963
March 17th, 2013, 01:01 AM
I also recommend oiling since it's the only thing that really helps untangle my own hair. When it's really dry, one application isn't enough. I'm always paranoid about making my hair look greasy, so I only add a very little bit of oil at a time. Once I see that my hair has absorbed it and is still dry I add a little more, and so on.

leslissocool
March 17th, 2013, 02:23 AM
Have you tried oiling your hair? My hair is always tangle-prone because it's coarse and thick, but that's a considerably different kind of tangle from "DRY and tangled," like if I don't oil the length after my shower.

The normal tangles are easy to finger-comb out of my hair in the morning or evening in a few minutes, but if my hair is tangled because it's dry, it starts feeling rough and turns into full on SNARLS that take at least ten minutes to get out.

When you henna, you coat the hair making it thicker. So if your hair is fine, it becomes thicker and you do feel texture changes. My hair is naturally really coarse, soaks up moisture like you wouldn't believe, and it tangles in a very different way than people with fine hair. It does feel dry.

My advice honestly would be to clarify, then deep soak it in olive oil. Coconut oil and henna for me didn't agree much, but my hair likes olive oil. If you have build up it can cause tangles, I would clarify.

Jorja
March 17th, 2013, 04:02 AM
I have a similar issue in that I'm growing out henna with maybe 3-4" roots of darkbrown/grey coming through. My new hair is so smooth and soft and the hennaed hair feels rougher.

I agree with the comments about oiling. After washing, I put my hand over the top of my sweet almond oil bottle and tip it over. Whatever sticks I rub between my palms and that does one side of ends. Then the same for the other half. Then I repeat and do the length from ear down. If it looks a little dry the next day I will do both sides of length again. My hair is m/c/iii and mid back length if that helps.

I find moisture rich coney conditioner keeps the tangles down a bit. But sometimes I use a cone free conditioner and 4 drops of baby oil each side of hair is a lighter way of minimising tangles. Tresemme liquid gold is the best thing I've found for keeping tangles away, but sometimes I don't like the coated silicone feel and go back to cone free and baby oil! Basically, whatever I feel like doing each time I wash (usually every 2-3 days).

Tangle teasers are brilliant for removing tangles without pulling your hair out. Start at the bottom and work your way up :)

I hope you find something that works for you and keep posting!

catasa
March 17th, 2013, 07:25 AM
I donīt know your routine or what products you use but I would second clarifying first, and then as someone else said maybe soak it in olive oil for a deep treatment if that has worked for you before.

Apart from that, my own experience is that my dry and frizzy (though never very tangle-prone) hair became very much better when I stopped using conditioner completely , both as rinse-out and leave-in, and instead put a few drops of mineral oil on wet hair after shampoo. I also dilute my SLS-free shampoo with some water and apple cider vinegar, I believe that also softens the hair a bit (though it can add a reddish tone so beware of that if you donīt want it). I think that for some hair types, maybe together with hard water which I have, just is better without conditioner.

Lilli
March 17th, 2013, 07:50 AM
My hair will get drier and drier at the bottom if I don't wash it. The best products for me are Aubrey shampoos and conditioners because for whatever reason, even if I don't wash my hair, the ends stay nice and soft and not tangly. I use them and add 3 drops of argan oil at the ends when it is damp from washing and it stays looking good. My roots do get greasy but I can just wash them lightly with my fingertips and a dot of shampoo to freshen up.

I do suggest clarifying regularly. It helps my hair immensely.

jacqueline101
March 17th, 2013, 08:39 AM
I'd clarify and try oiling the length.

torrilin
March 18th, 2013, 06:52 AM
Needless to say, I am tried of spending money on products that don't work.

Well, what products have you been using? Some conditioners work really well for me, even if I use just a bit. Others I need to use more to get the same effect. And some just don't work well on my hair no matter what. It all depends on what ingredients are used. My hair doesn't care much about silicone vs no silicone, and it's pretty neutral about protein which seem to be the common bugaboos here. Ingredients for detangling (behentrimonium methosulfate is a good one for me) matter a lot tho, and since I'm sensitive to fragrances, going fragrance free tends to keep my scalp happier. The stuff that matters for you probably won't be exactly the same. But it's usually possible to work out general trends.

It can also happen that shampoo ingredients cause problems (or help). I have very dry skin, and while sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate aren't harmful in and of themselves to me... they're really bloody strong detergents, and I need to dilute them heavily or my hair and skin wind up stripped of natural oils and not in great shape. Using a gentler detergent means I don't have to be as careful and fussy, so it's easier to use. Also means a bottle doesn't last for a year or more ;).

heathen
March 18th, 2013, 02:13 PM
Thanks for all the helpful replies!

I ended up oiling my hair with baby oil because it was the only thing on hand at the moment. It seemed to help. Though the VERY ends of my hair are still velcro-y and tangle-y. Looking at them, there is no damage. I would say it is the last inch to 1/2" that is causing issue. I did clarify beforehand with a harsh sulfate-laden shampoo (Suave clarifying) and after oiling followed up with Suave Naturals coconut. I had bought it initially because it was inexpensive (and I seem to need a bucket load of conditioner every time I wash my hair) and I wanted to try co-washing. I'm wondering if there is something in this conditioner which is causing the tangle-y ends...

Additionally, a big problem I have had for as long as I can remember is the hair at the nape of my neck. About maybe an inch or two across (the hair directly at the bottom and back of my head) that chunk of hair is SO incredibly dry, damaged and knotty. I even remember dousing it with olive oil once, and it still felt dry and squeaky...like rubbery or something. Looking at it, it is unbelievably split and gnarled. It is so perplexing because I cannot figure out why the section in particular is so prone to damage and knotting.

This is very frustrating also because when I was in middle and early high school (before I ever started to do anything to my hair aside from straighten it very occasionally) my hair was the thickest, longest, most lustrous and wavy. People would come up to me on the street and try to touch (weird) or ask me about it. It did not matter what I used on it... I could use the harshest sulfate-y, coney products and it would come out soft with a mirror-like shine.

Ever since I started messing with my hair as a teenager--heat damage, weird razored haircuts, and dying it every color of the rainbow--... my hair, even grown out virgin hair, doesn't seem to be quite the same. It seems thinner, more tangled and definitely drier. I'm 20 now, so is it possible that my hair did change drastically in the past 5 or 6 years?

For reference, I have bounced around with products for a long while as nothing seems to make a difference. I have very hard water (Central Texas) and the most success I've had so far was using Trader Joe's Nourish Spa shampoo and conditioner, though it did not seem quite moisturizing enough. Not a habitual oil-er, and not really a habitual anything at the moment. I'd like to switch to more natural, simpler products, but have no idea where to start. I am a college student, so I can't really afford to loads of money on hair stuff. (Though, I'd enjoy it...sigh)

Ok, fine, I admit it. I HAD to buy a Mason Pearson 'Extra Large B1' pure boar bristle brush I saw on eBay. It was new, and only 99 dollars! They're selling for $280 some places now...so I felt it was justified. Though, I still want to kick myself for buying a 99 dollar hair brush. :doh:

Salmonberry
March 18th, 2013, 03:08 PM
Have you tried any leave in conditioners? Oils don't really moisturize as much as they lock in moisture already present in your hair. See if you can find a moisturizing leave in for your ends. I've had a lot of luck putting a leave in on every day while my hair is damp. I also condition it every day even on days that I don't shampoo. I'll use conditioner to detangle my hair in the shower. I also detangle it multiple times a day while the tangles are small. I've been loving the Tresseme naturals moisturizing conditioner. It's relatively cheap, and has a lot of slip. It's really great for detangling.

torrilin
March 19th, 2013, 06:30 AM
I know the TJ's Nourish conditioner is one a lot of curlies like (I don't, but see previous on my fragrance issues... while by rights it shouldn't make me itch, it does). Since you're typing yourself as 2a/2b, your hair is going to like a lot of moisture, same as most other curlies. If you're doing the usual shampoo every inch of your hair routine and maybe repeat, it's probably getting to be too much for your hair.

I'd try the condition-wash-condition method (CWC) instead. Hit your hair with conditioner from the ears down. Use shampoo just on your scalp. Rinse, and then condition again. It's a pretty harmless way to see if the products you already have can work better for you. It's pretty rare to wind up with overconditioned hair, but dry is really common :). The articles section is down right now, but most of the articles aimed at new people suggest trying this (or really any other experiment) for at least a month. When I was new, I tended to go with "use up current bottle of conditioner" instead... I found longer experiments worked better for me.

If you find CWC is working well for you, or at least improving things, the next thing I'd try is diluting your shampoo. An easy way to start on that is start lathering up the shampoo before you put it in your hair, so you can kind of press and massage the foam into your scalp. Some posters use squirt bottles like you see for ketchup or hair dye if they need really dilute shampoo.

If I'm remembering the formula right, the TJ's Nourish conditioner should work ok as a leave in conditioner if that seems like a smaller change. And nothing says that if you find CWC works well that you can't use more conditioner as a leave in... So you could get a good 3 or more months of experiments off 1 pair of products :).

While it may not feel like 2a/2b hair is very curly, it still is worth checking out both naturallycurly.com and tightlycurly.com to learn more about curl friendly hair care methods. There's a pretty huge range of options, and a lot of the time it's like CWC where the method matters more than the exact product. Heck, my hair is straight and I'll still happily steal ideas from curly ladies... straight, really dry, and really fine makes for hair that's awfully similar to curly hair.

catasa
March 19th, 2013, 12:02 PM
If you have hard water, it may not be enough to just clarify, you may need to use a chelating shampoo instead which removes hard water mineral deposits. Also, using vinegar/citric acid/lemon juice, something that acidifies, is also good to lessen the amount of minerals that is deposited on each wash (it wonīt remove already deposited stuff though, I think at least, so you would need to chelate first). The acidifier can be used as a last rinse (I found this dried my hair out though) or as a rinse that is then rinsed out. As I said, since I donīt use conditioner, I dilute my shampoo with (my hard) water and vinegar and so rinse the vinegar out.

I think that there are several chelating products, especially in the US. I have only tried the Joico chelating shampoo and it worked OK as a chelator I guess, though I wasnīt so happy with it in other ways (smell, containing cones etc). Many people here love it though as I recall.

Also, if your back hair is more problematic, maybe you could try a silk pillow case? I found that it reduced my frizz incredibly, and it only takes a night or two on cotton to notice the difference again.

Another guess, maybe your hair would benefit from protein? My hair seems to be easier to moisturize if I do a protein treatment now and then. Try it with caution though and always follow a protein treatment with a moisturizing one, since too much protein can cause velcro ends and tangliness (which you obviously do not need more of :) ).

Latsly, again, I canīt say how happy I am with the mineral oil/baby oil. If you dare and if chelating does not help or not help enough, try it on without using conditioner first, I do think it may help a lot with the softness of your hair. It must be used on wet or damp hair though since it seals in moisture but does not provide moisture itself (most people use it on damp hair it seems, I like it better on dripping wet).

I really hope you find a solution, good luck! :)

lilliemer
March 19th, 2013, 05:51 PM
The articles section is still down, but I found a repost (on a different site) of a very helpful classic LHC article:

http://thenaturalmane.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/whats-wrong-with-my-hair-hair-diagnostic-tips/

Another piece of advice is to only change one thing at a time. It is tempting to overhaul the whole routine but then you never really know what you did to make the difference. ID'ing and fixing what is troubling you about your hair is kind of like a controlled experiment - only adjust one variable at a time. good luck!