18 year old guy growing out the flow

[jamesteban]

Ok, so I have been growing out my hair during the summer and I have a lot of questions and problems that I would like some help with. I figured the best place to ask for hair advice would be from a women dominated forum so here i am. Just want to let everyone know before i start explaining that i have absolutely no knowledge of hair at all. I am like a baby and you all would be my mothers.

My hair is currently about 4-5 inches on the top and like 2 on the sides. I in the stage where I'm trying to have it slick back but it wants to continue in the side part. To give you a visual, my hair... and my face for that matter look like seth green, here is a pic. http://www.thehairstyler.com/mens-hairstyles/casual/short/straight/Seth-Green-short-jagged-hairstyle. I have more auburn colored hair and it is currently a good deal longer than his. I have been told i have dry hair and should condition it because currently i solely use shampoo(head and shoulders) like 4 times a week. My questions for you people are these,
1. How often should I condition and shampoo. like every time i shower or what?
2. How long do i keep shampoo and conditioner in my hair while in the shower?
3. Any other tips?

Oh yeah, im thinking of buying these-Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo and Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Conditioner

[HumanBean]

Condition, wash, condition.

Here's the original article: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6582

[DancingQueen]

Ok, so I have been growing out my hair during the summer and I have a lot of questions and problems that I would like some help with. I figured the best place to ask for hair advice would be from a women dominated forum so here i am. Just want to let everyone know before i start explaining that i have absolutely no knowledge of hair at all. I am like a baby and you all would be my mothers.

My hair is currently about 4-5 inches on the top and like 2 on the sides. I in the stage where I'm trying to have it slick back but it wants to continue in the side part. To give you a visual, my hair... and my face for that matter look like seth green, here is a pic. http://www.thehairstyler.com/mens-hairstyles/casual/short/straight/Seth-Green-short-jagged-hairstyle. I have more auburn colored hair and it is currently a good deal longer than his. I have been told i have dry hair and should condition it because currently i solely use shampoo(head and shoulders) like 4 times a week. My questions for you people are these,
1. How often should I condition and shampoo. like every time i shower or what?
2. How long do i keep shampoo and conditioner in my hair while in the shower?
3. Any other tips?

Oh yeah, im thinking of buying these-Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo and Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Conditioner

1) Yes, you should condition every time you are in the shower. As HumanBean said, you can also start with conditioner, then shampoo, and condition again. I think you might as well wait a bit with that thug; just shampoo and lots of conditioner should be fine with your current length. :)

2) I prefer to keep shampoo in my hair 1-2 minutes, and conditioner around 5 minutes. I have very dry hair. But the preference is different, you might want to experiment a bit yourself.

3) On days your hair feels dry, try to give it a deep conditioning treatment - that usually helps a lot.

Good luck growing ;) ... But can I be a sister instead of a mother? I feel kind of young to be a mother already... :p

[leslissocool]

Deep conditioner is damping hair with a mister using water and putting warm oil ( not enough to burn your fingers, like warming a baby bottle just put it in a cup, put hot water in a pan ad let the cup in the pan warm the oil) on the hair, leave it for an hour then you can shampoo and condition ( or condition shampoo condition, CWC).

It's a hot oil treatment, it's good for the hair. Just try adding conditioner to your routine first, see if it solves the dry hair issue, if not do a hot oil treatment.

[jacqueline101]

You should condition your hair and you can use oils on the extra dry parts too.

[Firefox7275]

Ok, so I have been growing out my hair during the summer and I have a lot of questions and problems that I would like some help with. I figured the best place to ask for hair advice would be from a women dominated forum so here i am. Just want to let everyone know before i start explaining that i have absolutely no knowledge of hair at all. I am like a baby and you all would be my mothers.

My hair is currently about 4-5 inches on the top and like 2 on the sides. I in the stage where I'm trying to have it slick back but it wants to continue in the side part. To give you a visual, my hair... and my face for that matter look like seth green, here is a pic. http://www.thehairstyler.com/mens-hairstyles/casual/short/straight/Seth-Green-short-jagged-hairstyle. I have more auburn colored hair and it is currently a good deal longer than his. I have been told i have dry hair and should condition it because currently i solely use shampoo(head and shoulders) like 4 times a week. My questions for you people are these,
1. How often should I condition and shampoo. like every time i shower or what?
2. How long do i keep shampoo and conditioner in my hair while in the shower?
3. Any other tips?

Oh yeah, im thinking of buying these-Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo and Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Conditioner

Welcome to LHC!

Why Head & Shoulders or a tea tree oil shampoo, have you been medically diagnosed with seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD = greasy dandruff), or are you self treating a self diagnosis, or no particular reason?

You should condition every time you wet your hair, you should wash whenever it needs washing - either only when your hair or scalp seems dirty or on a regular schedule if you have diagnosed SD. Be VERY careful with oiling your hair/ scalp if you have SD many oils risk worsening the condition.

[fairview]

As a male stylist I thought I knew a lot about hair. When I joined this forum, I learned a lot about hair they didn't teach me at school. At the same time there is a significant amount of misinformation here also. You'll be able to sort that out in short order.

I would recommend you read the conditioning only thread. Conditioner takes the place of shampoo. I had my doubts since I have a slightly oily scalp. Without shampoo I thought my hair would be a mess, itchy scalp, dirt magnet, etc, etc. My hair and scalp have never been in better shape and condition. I typically shampoo once every six weeks only because I use color.

I like Paul Mitchell products. I attended a PM school. If I were to make a recommendation I would suggest you give the Awaupi Wild Ginger products (only PM products in black bottles) particularly the keratin cream rinse. The stuff is great. The Tea Tree products are great. I use the one with exfoliating crystals in it as a scalp scrub about once a week. Great stuff and if you use your imagination, this stuff has unlimited potential for other body parts also. Also if you are going to buy professional products such as these it is very tempting to turn to the internet. All of the professional products have a non diversion policy meaning they only sell to salons. There is no guarantee that these products purchased on the internet haven't been adulterated or expired. Salons guarantee these products and you can return them if for an exchange if you are not satisfied with their performance.

I'm not a big believer that rinse out conditioners do much if anything to help improve hair quality. I use leave in conditioners very sparingly.

You don't need to break the bank for hair products. Just find stuff your hair likes. You'll know which ones. Sometimes the best can be the cheap generics.

[Tangle or Curl?]

As an alternative to slicking hair back out of your face have you tried using a LITTLE BIT of texture paste or aloe vera gel (clear, not green) to lightly flip your hair back? Or maybe a rough half updo, such as Vigo Mortinson in Lord of the Rings, or Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman? That can be a flattering look on Long-haired men.

[Arniky]

just shampoo it with conditoners often, good diet and let it grow long and longer

[Wildcat Diva]

What about going low or no sulphate on the shampoo? That can help a lot with not stripping your hair and scalp too much. I have had good luck with Chagrin Valley's shampoo bars. They do lather really well, you get the suds on your hands and work them into your scalp. You do have to work a little harder to get it to clean with a scalp massage with the suds in. I always repeat the suds and find that the second time it lathers even more richly.

By the way, when I do this, I've got cheapo (Vo5) on my length before I shampoo, not rinsed out. Then after I rinse the shampoo off my scalp, and the condition off my length then I add more cheapo conditioner on the length (from the ears down) and massage that in and leave a minute before I rinse it out.
This method is called CWC, and it leaves your length of hair protected from any harsh cleanser, while your scalp can get the cleansing method of shampoo, if you want that.
It's win-win.

I also like to use a diluted white vinegar rinse, or a citric acid rinse at the end of it all. Sound like a lot, but I only do this 1-2 times a week, as I wear my hair up a lot. Maybe as a style you can try a single braid where a pony tail would be to keep it up and out of the way. Just watch those elastics, as they can damage the ends of your hair if you do that. But as a guy, your updo choices are more limited than a woman, unless you just throw convention to the wind and bun with reckless abandon.
If you decided to try the braid thing, maybe just know that in a year's time, you might need to trim an inch or so where the braid tassel was. But your hair that was protected and grew is now 6 inches longer, so sacrificing that inch or so on the ends is worth the five inches gain you will get in length (assuming average growth).

HTH

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

1. How often should I condition and shampoo. like every time i shower or what?

Every time you shampoo you should condition. Try not to wash your hair too frequently - as a teenage lad you'll need to wash your hair more frequently than most adult females, but just be careful not to strip all of your natural oils. Try to use a shampoo with no SLS' in it, as these can be too harsh for some people's hair (washes my permanent colour right out). Try a deep conditioning treatment once a week to strengthen your hair up. If there are cones in your conditioner then you'll need to clarify every now and again, maybe with something like an apple cider vinegar rinse, to stop build up from locking out moisture from your hair.

2. How long do i keep shampoo and conditioner in my hair while in the shower?

Keep shampoo in for as long as it takes to work it through your scalp. Let the shampoo rinse out through the rest of your hair. Heat conditioner up between your palms and leave it on for about 5 minutes, or a little longer if you can manage it. I apply mine only to the length so all that gunk doesn't go back onto my freshly washed scalp. V05's 'Treat me right' is a nice deep conditioner.

3. Any other tips?

Use a wide tooth comb instead of a brush, and detangle from the ends to the top. Get plenty of biotin, protein and zinc into your diet. Make sure to drink around 8 glasses of water a day. Get around 8 hours of sleep a night, too. Exercise helps blood circulation which helps hair growth. Blow drying and heat styling damage the hair and that damage cannot be repaired.

[patienceneeded]

Welcome to the forum! My advice to you is this - make small changes and understand that everyone's hair is different. What is a miracle method and holy-grail product for one person may be the worst. thing. ever. for the next person. Don't change everything all at once, or it will become very difficult to determine what is working or not working.

When I joined (Dec 2010) I washed and conditioned with just your normal every-day store bought stuff. For the next 2 years I tried pretty much everything - Shampoo bars, Water Only, Conditioner Only, Condition-wash-Condition, ACV rinses, white vinegar rinses, no cones, yes cones, so SLS, lots of SLS...everything. I think the only method I never tried was the NoWaterSebumOnly. I tried everything, thinking there had to be something "better" than what I was doing before joining.

And now, for the last 6-8 months what do I do/use? Normal shampoo and conditioner (Herbal Essences). Yep - it has sulfates in the shampoo. Cones in the conditioner. And my hair is happy. I do dilute the shampoo (I have an old water bottle in the shower. I fill it 1/2 full of water and add about a teaspoon of shampoo, perhaps less. Shake it up and apply it to my scalp. Scrub, rinse, and then apply my conditioner from my ears down the length of my hair).

I have made some small changes, some things I would never have done pre-LHC. I love my coconut oil and use it several days a week on the ends of my hair. I like my jojoba oil and use it the same as my coconut. Mineral (Baby) oil on the ends of my hair works great. I own 3 tangle-teezers. I don't use a straightening iron and only use a blow drier about 5 times a year anymore. No more chemical color. Satin pillowcases, hairtoys, etc. There is a lot that I have learned and will forever use.

Everyone is different. You need to experiment, same as I did, and find what works for you. (For example - many people here LOVE conditioner only washing...I hated it. It made my hair shed like crazy! Going "all natural" gave me scalp acne...ick. Others love it.) I would start by adding conditioner to your routine. Do that one change for 2 weeks and see what you think. Head and Shoulders does make a conditioner (I buy it for DH, he uses it on his beard). Try that change first. After 2 weeks, you will know if it is helping and working or not. Then, try switching brands. You can go sulfate and cone-free, and give it 2 weeks. Make 1 change (or 2 small changes) at a time and give it at least 2 weeks with the new method or new products to determine if your hair likes it or not.

And last - start reading! There is so much information on this forum it can be a bit daunting, but you'll learn a ton of information!

[YamaMaya]

I'm too young to be a mother (well not TOO young, I am legally able :P) but I'll give you some advice nonetheless.

Hair likes moisture, specifically, oils. Go on youtube and look up "hot oil treatment". No, it's not a torture technique, but it will eventually make your hair much stronger and less prone to breaking. You can use just about any vegetable or nut oil, but I prefer grapeseed for the vitamin E and because it's very light and absorbs easily.
Breaking is your enemy from henceforth. You have committed yourself to long hair lifestyle and you shall mourn every broken hair. You will take extra care when brushing and detangling that you don't break your hair. Don't brush it right out of the shower, wet hair is weak and snaps easily. Wait until your hair is 90% dry to detangle
Sulphates are also your enemy. Look for sulphate free shampoo. Sulphates are extremely harsh on the scalp and can even accelerate your hair loss. If you want to find sulphate free on the cheap, look for children's shampoo (no I'm not kidding), and check the label. Any ingredient with "sulphate" in it is a no no.
Don't shampoo your hair every day. It may sound dirty, but it's much kinder to your hair and scalp. Shampoo strips the scalp of moisture which your body then has to recover. If you can, try going shampoo free (no poo).

That's all I can think of for the minute. Happy growing :D

[HylianGirl]

Hello and welcome! I won't be your mom too, I'm just 22 hehehe I hope we're not overloading you with info, but here's my two cents:

1. How often should I condition and shampoo. like every time i shower or what?

Wash your hair when it feels greasy, that varies from one person to another, as well as life style, but basically you need to wash as often as not to make your hair greasy, and not too often in order to prevent from drying. You said you use head and shoulders, that is a VERY harsh shampoo, it is made for people with scalp problems, don't use them if you don't have any. If you feel you hair is dry, try searching for a shampoo without sulphates, to know wheather or not the shampoo has them, just read the bottle, sodium lauryl sulphate is a ver comum sulphate, shampoos with it can be drying. About conditioning it, try conditioning it at least everytime you shampoo.

Also, no need to rinse lather repeat, that is a myth created by shampoo companies to make you use more product, lather only once unless your hair is exceptionally dirty.

2. How long do i keep shampoo and conditioner in my hair while in the shower?

Well, I guess it depends on the persons hair, but I personally just shampoo my hair and rinse it right afterwards. I keep my conditioner for longer (it needs more time to work on the hair), I leave for about three minutes (usually the time for me to shower my body and so on), I recomend finger combing the hair with condioner on it to make sure it covers the most strands as possible.

3. Any other tips?

Deep condition ^-^ it is really good for the hair, and not that dificult, just get a deep conditioner of your preference, put it on your hair for a while (as litle as half and hour or as long as overnight, whatever you prefer) and then rinse it out, makes the hair super soft and moisturising. ^-^

[jamesteban]

Thank you all for your advice, i am implementing all your tips into my hair routine. I found out all the shampoos that i own have sulfates so i will definitely be changing that. again thank you a ton.