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View Full Version : Fed up with my hair!!!



sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 09:55 AM
It's dry! I recently started CWC, which I thought would make my hair less dry but no. Admittedly i've only been cwc-ing for about 1-2 weeks (but I'm doing it daily as I was originally S+C daily) I've clarified and decided to go cone-free, I've got nothing to lose right Anyway, my hair doesn't have as much slip but I believe that's normal for no cones isn't it? I haven't had good slip in a while anyway due to dryness. I plan on doing a few moisture treatments next week (possibly smt's and hot oil treatments) I like the fact that no cones means my hair looks fuller and brings my waves out a bit but I really want wow-factor shine. I always thought cones were good for providing slip, shine and making hair feel healthy but my hair was feeling dry and not smooth at all.

I think I'm just rambling! :o

Firefox7275
July 20th, 2013, 10:29 AM
All coney products are not the same and all cone-free products are not the same, your hair properties (porosity, coarseness) and dew points/ humidity will all affect how products work for an individual. Do you have hard water or swim, have you done a chelating wash lately? Could you use dry shampoo to stretch washes to every other day?

Oil treatments are not moisturising (= adding or increasing water) they are the opposite, acting as anti humectants/ sealants/ reducing porosity/ occlusives depending which oil you use and whether it penetrates. Often what feels like dryness is nothing to do with a lack of moisture, it may be build up (hard water or products), raised cuticle, too many humectants or protein, issues with conditioning, needing a trim.

For shine ensure all your product are low pH ~4.5, only use the gentlest shampoos or conditioner wash (many shampoos slowly strip the protective fatty f-layer), cool water, don't wash too often to avoid hygral fatigue (water damage), conditioners that contain a small amount of natural oils, use ingredients that patch repair damage like hydrolysed protein, ceramides and panthenol, continue to avoid heat styling, protect hair religiously from sunlight.

Unfortunately hair is dead so damage ultimately has to be grown out, natural shine will come when truly virgin hair grows in (never or rarely touched by chemicals, heat, sunlight, shampoos, frequent brushing or combing). Even with continuing to dye, one year into the Curly Girl method the top half of my hair was completely different to the lower half of my hair as the cuticle and protective f-layer were still (partially) intact - it was actually shiny, not too poofy when washed and air dried even with no conditioner.

HTH.

sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 10:56 AM
All coney products are not the same and all cone-free products are not the same, your hair properties (porosity, coarseness) and dew points/ humidity will all affect how products work for an individual. Do you have hard water or swim, have you done a chelating wash lately? Could you use dry shampoo to stretch washes to every other day?

Oil treatments are not moisturising (= adding or increasing water) they are the opposite, acting as anti humectants/ sealants/ reducing porosity/ occlusives depending which oil you use and whether it penetrates. Often what feels like dryness is nothing to do with a lack of moisture, it may be build up (hard water or products), raised cuticle, too many humectants or protein, issues with conditioning, needing a trim.

For shine ensure all your product are low pH ~4.5, only use the gentlest shampoos or conditioner wash (many shampoos slowly strip the protective fatty f-layer), cool water, don't wash too often to avoid hygral fatigue (water damage), conditioners that contain a small amount of natural oils, use ingredients that patch repair damage like hydrolysed protein, ceramides and panthenol, continue to avoid heat styling, protect hair religiously from sunlight.

Unfortunately hair is dead so damage ultimately has to be grown out, natural shine will come when truly virgin hair grows in (never or rarely touched by chemicals, heat, sunlight, shampoos, frequent brushing or combing). Even with continuing to dye, one year into the Curly Girl method the top half of my hair was completely different to the lower half of my hair as the cuticle and protective f-layer were still (partially) intact - it was actually shiny, not too poofy when washed and air dried even with no conditioner.

HTH.

Thank you :D
Well, I've never done a chelating wash but I have clarified as I think I got build up from my original shampoo and conditioner as it had protein and collagen (?)
I know this sounds silly but I'm not sure now whether I'm mistaking lack of slip and smoothness for dryness (I'm really not hair experieced)I don't really know what healthy hair feels like, my hair is still soft and has a bit of shine (just not "wow that's shiny! type shine) Whenever I use oils, I use them after cwc to seal in moisture, OR if i'm doing a treatment, I use a penetrating oil (evoo) on damp hair.

In regards to dry shampoo - I am trying to decrease my washing, so if i'm staying in for the day for example, I won't wash my hair so dry shampoo would come in handy to help the stretching process. Would it be best to completely avoid water on non-wash days? Or should I still condition my length?

I feel like so many of my hair observations are hypocritical, I just don't know what happy healthy hair feels like, so I don't know if my hair actually is *really* dry or whether it's just no-slip that is concerning me - do I have to investigate/put up with my hair not having slip *hides in embarrassment!*

Anje
July 20th, 2013, 11:12 AM
I never use cones and my hair has a pretty decent amount of slip, and your hair is straighter (therefore possibly more potential for slipperiness) than mine.

1) If it's been a while since you clarified, clarify your hair. Buildup could explain all your problems.
2) Do a real moisture treatment, not just CWC. SMTs are my favorite, but my hair apparently is fond of humectants.
3) If your hair doesn't object to oils, put a drop or two on. I prefer doing this with wet-to-damp hair with sesame or emu oil, but personal experience should dictate how, when, and what you use to oil.

If your hair seems overly stretchy when it's wet, you might want to stick a protein treatment in there as step 1.5, but it's easy to overdo it on protein and they can make hair initially dry and tangly and snappy, so I hesitate to recommend them as part of my standard dry hair cure-all. If your hair's been permed, bleached, or if you know it likes protein, stick a treatment in there. Protein-deficient hair tends to hold moisture better when it's had a protein treatment first.

I recommend that you do all of this in one go; make an afternoon of it. Each step builds on the one before it to help hair be able to absorb and retain moisture.

jeanniet
July 20th, 2013, 01:49 PM
I actually don't have more slip with cones, since they just don't agree with my hair. So yes, you can have plenty of slip without them. If you live in a hard water area, use well water, etc., a chelating wash may be a good idea, as it will give you a clean slate to start from. I think CWC can be problematic (there is a post from Luxe Piggy somewhere explaining why), so it might be better to simply CO with an occasional low poo thrown in. This is what I do. I clarify maybe every few months, and probably chelate once or twice a year (well water). If your former shampoo was really heavy on protein, you may simply need more moisture to balance it out, but if you have damage (bleach or whatever) the protein was likely needed. I get the most slip from a drop or two of camellia oil.

3 Cat Night
July 20th, 2013, 01:56 PM
Have you tried conditioner-only washing? I have dry hair and switching to that method has helped immensely.

sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 02:15 PM
I actually don't have more slip with cones, since they just don't agree with my hair. So yes, you can have plenty of slip without them. If you live in a hard water area, use well water, etc., a chelating wash may be a good idea, as it will give you a clean slate to start from. I think CWC can be problematic (there is a post from Luxe Piggy somewhere explaining why), so it might be better to simply CO with an occasional low poo thrown in. This is what I do. I clarify maybe every few months, and probably chelate once or twice a year (well water). If your former shampoo was really heavy on protein, you may simply need more moisture to balance it out, but if you have damage (bleach or whatever) the protein was likely needed. I get the most slip from a drop or two of camellia oil.

I have no serious damage, as in bleach/dyes for example, but I did used to use a lot of heat. I'm not sure how much protein was in my original S+C but it was advertised as a "volume building 'poo with silk protein and collagen" I should probably do a few moisture treatments and re-assess - I'm just so frustrated, I didn't realise finding a routine would be so difficult. I get quite an oily scalp so I don't think I could transition to co-only.

sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 02:17 PM
Have you tried conditioner-only washing? I have dry hair and switching to that method has helped immensely.

My scalp gets too oily for co-washing :o

WilfredAllen
July 20th, 2013, 02:27 PM
Sometimes I confuse dryness with product buildup. Dunno if that's your problem, but I'll throw the idea out for your consideration. Also, determining your hair porosity (google it) can help you find the best moisturizing treatments for you.

lapushka
July 20th, 2013, 02:29 PM
My scalp is too oily for CO as well. We do WCC instead of CWC here. So just wash and then condition twice. It provides a lot of moisture. Afterwards a leave-in and serum (or a few drops of oil) is used to top it off. Then the styler is a little bit of gel. It's plenty shiny and slippy enough.

Suze2012
July 20th, 2013, 03:32 PM
Sounds like you need a clarify and start deep treats but alsotwo weeks isn't very long.
Mine took about 6 or 8 months of co washing and deep treats weekly to really feel less dry.
I hadn't used heat nor dye for about four years prior to starting co washing.

Maybe give things a little more time.

sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 03:49 PM
Sounds like you need a clarify and start deep treats but alsotwo weeks isn't very long.
Mine took about 6 or 8 months of co washing and deep treats weekly to really feel less dry.
I hadn't used heat nor dye for about four years prior to starting co washing.

Maybe give things a little more time.

Thanks :) I used a clarifying 'poo earlier today for a fresh start. I guess I need to be more patient, it's hard though, I just wanna see results asap! But I will stick with this routine, do a lot of deep treatments (next week is going to be treatment week!) and more importantly ... have PATIENCE!

sarahthegemini
July 20th, 2013, 03:53 PM
Sometimes I confuse dryness with product buildup. Dunno if that's your problem, but I'll throw the idea out for your consideration. Also, determining your hair porosity (google it) can help you find the best moisturizing treatments for you.

I thought I could be confusing dryness with build up too so I clarified and my hair feels slightly better but still a little dry (now I know for sure it's not build up though so that's reassuring in a way!). I'm gunna try and work out my hair porosity and go from there.