My new growth routine! Critique it please?

[goldcopperbrown]

You guys have taught me SO many cool things! Let me know if this routine sounds good (I have fine hair that is taking forever to grow because of prior damage, I got it cut 2 months ago and it's starting to be better).

Note that all of this is sulfate/silicone free.



Mon- Coconut brahmi oil in hair for 12 hrs during day (bun), castor oil on roots all day, shampoo upon getting home, leave-in conditioner.
Tues- Monistat on roots at night, amla dabur (no mineral oil) on hair at night as well.
Wed- Wear hair in bun (not washing out oil from night before), wash with conditioner and gentle shampoo maybe, at night.
Thurs- At night, put Monistat on roots, amla dabur oil on lengths.
Fri- Wear hair in bun, use harsher shampoo after work with deeper conditioner.
Sat- Same as Friday except co-wash or gentler shampoo.
Sun- Don't wash hair, use monistat on roots and coconut oil or amla dabur oil on length.

Thoughts?? I'm so new to this!

[lapushka]

You're doing quite a lot to your poor hair! I'd tone it down a notch. The best advice is "benign neglect". That is leaving your hair as good as alone, except for its washing routine and updos.

[browneyedsusan]

IMHO, the only thing that grows hair is time. Lots and lots of time.

I henna my roots monthly because I like the color, but don't do anything special otherwise. Bargain basement shampoo and condish every few days. No heat. No oils. No leave-ins. One trim in February to even up the overgrown pixie layers. Wear it up most days. (I haven't seen a split or other damage yet, but it's still short!)

[furnival]

I'm with lapushka on this one! It's easy to get sucked into all sorts of hair mayhem but really, the less you muck about with your hair the better. There's no need to go applying different potions to it every day. Just keep it up in protective styles, wash it as infrequently as possible, minimise damage in every way you can and invest in a massive bottle of patience. :)

[spidermom]

All you need is patience, not a complicated routine.

[jacqueline101]

I agree benign neglect is great.

[Othala]

IMHO, you need to keep things simple.

I suggest washing twice a week or as needed with a sulphate-free shampoo and rinsing really well, using coconut oil on the hair overnight as a pre-wash and after rinsing out the shampoo, using a well-formulated conditioner that you again, rinse out very well.

Applying ayurvedic oils means you have to use more shampoo and/or repeat shampoo to get them out and every time you do that you will damage your scalp skin barrier a little and cause cuticle damage to your hair shaft.

Be gentle and kind to your hair. Use gentle, bland products. They will not cause scalp reactions or necessitate shampoo overuse. To me this equates to pampering your hair and maximising growth.

[meteor]

I absolutely agree with everyone who replied, as in: benign neglect is best.
But you did mention that you are growing out old damage.
It's good to give hair serious TLC after damaging practices (especially heat and chemical damage) for a while. I'd recommend doing what you are doing while you have time and energy, but slowly simplifying the routine (rotating products) as you notice the hair is getting saturated. Your routine is so work-intensive it might be hard to keep up beyond a few weeks/months, and it's fine!

Also, be careful not to overload your scalp with too much Monistat/oils - it may "suffocate" hair follicles and even cause shedding, if you are doing too much. Our scalps usually do best when they are left alone and kept clean. I only use just enough oil to be able to glide fingers during head massages. Less is more.

[sarahthegemini]

Tbh that all sounds a bit excessive. I'd stick to two or three scalp treatments a week.

[Leeloo]

The routine sounds pretty good. It’s quite involved, but I’m sure your hair will thank you for it. Even though I do agree that benign neglect is great, a lot of people join this community to learn and experiment with new hair care products (which could be quite exciting), so experiment to your heart desire, just be careful not to overdo it. It is easier to tell what is working and what is not if you separate the treatments and try Monistat or oils on scalp first couple of months and then switch to the next treatment if the first one didn’t work.

[LadyCelestina]

I'd be careful with all the stuff you are planning to put on your scalp.Do you suffer from a dry scalp or a condition which requires using antibacterial/antifungal treatment?If not,why bother with Monistat and all those oils.

[starlamelissa]

I'd do less planning, and more forgetting about your hair. A watched pot never boils! But nothing your doing is wrong, it's just too much damned work.

[PamelaViktoria]

I don't have answers, but because I have fine hair too, and damage from highlights, I've always wanted to use coconut oil. It's great after I wash, but always makes my hair stringy as a leave in. I'll be watching you... haha

[Firefox7275]

You guys have taught me SO many cool things! Let me know if this routine sounds good (I have fine hair that is taking forever to grow because of prior damage, I got it cut 2 months ago and it's starting to be better).

Note that all of this is sulfate/silicone free.

Mon- Coconut brahmi oil in hair for 12 hrs during day (bun), castor oil on roots all day, shampoo upon getting home, leave-in conditioner.
Tues- Monistat on roots at night, amla dabur (no mineral oil) on hair at night as well.
Wed- Wear hair in bun (not washing out oil from night before), wash with conditioner and gentle shampoo maybe, at night.
Thurs- At night, put Monistat on roots, amla dabur oil on lengths.
Fri- Wear hair in bun, use harsher shampoo after work with deeper conditioner.
Sat- Same as Friday except co-wash or gentler shampoo.
Sun- Don't wash hair, use monistat on roots and coconut oil or amla dabur oil on length.

Thoughts?? I'm so new to this!

That's a lot of oils, and will mean you will need to wash more frequently which damages the hair (hygral fatigue). There is no scientific evidence of castor oil increasing growth, massage yes. If I was to use an anti fungal for hair growth I'd purchase Regenepure shampoo (sulphate free, contains ketoconazole).

IMO choose your ingredients and products based on your hair properties. Natural beneficial ingredients for damaged hair include coconut oil, hydrolysed protein, ceramides, 18-MEA and panthenol. Fine hair tends to do well with hydrolysed protein particularly.

[MaryO]

I definitely agree with everyone here about just leaving it alone. I am the same as you- tried everything and just made myself tired. After a while I calmed down and just leaving it up (simple little bun with spin pins) and it really feels like the hair just mad a jump and is much longer all of a sudden. I still do an occasional ioling and acv rinse just to make me feel like I'm actually doing something! ;-)

[woolyleprechaun]

You may be doing a tad too much :) If I were you, I'd stretch washes, wear protective updos and let it do it's thing. If your hair is in any way damaged, too much washing and handling will do it more harm than good.

[AnnaB]

I'm with everyone above benign neglect is best.

I wash my hair twice a week and both times oil before washing. All you need is to be patient, if you do too many things you will never know which of those are doing good and which contributing nothing to the hair growth :)

Try products/oils/routine by themselves for two weeks, and make notes of the results you are getting, go from there.