Frostfen
September 22nd, 2013, 08:41 PM
All right, I've been trying to learn how to manage my hair properly for about a year now, because I realized that using strong sulfates and intermittent coney conditioners may NOT have been best for my hair (my hair was incredibly voluminous and poofy), but even with experimenting with non-sulfates and "natural" conditioners and stopping all heat tools, my hair is now just constantly frizzy and crunchy.
Sure, some of it may be my natural hair texture, I'm pretty sure I'm a 2b (sometimes it flattens to a 2a, for whatever reason), but if you look closely at my hair, it seems that every strand has its own unique curl and sometimes even its own unique texture.... so maybe that's why a lot of them rebel and won't just lie with the main waves and curls! Yet, as you can imagine, I was surprised when all these non-sulfates were making my hair frizzy! After all, they're gentler than sulfates, right? They seemed to control the canopy frizz more, but they made it crunchier. But then, through research, I realized that the high amounts of protein in all the non-sulfates I had picked were probably contributing to the dry crunchies. In the shower, I pulled on some strands, and they promptly snapped off, indicating low moisture/too much protein. When I used "alternative" methods to moisturize my hair, however, they also seemed to leave my hair still dry and crunchy! I've tried coconut oil, which made my hair look odd and frizzy and crunchy, while olive and jojoba oils didn't leave it crunchy, but certainly frizzy after a few hours. ACV helps with the frizz a little bit, and I used that in place of conditioner for a long time since I couldn't afford legit conditioner for a while, but it of course doesn't moisturize the hair. Aloe vera gel makes my hair shiny upon first application, but I think it builds up and then makes my hair frizzy and crunchy. The humectant properties probably don't always help with the frizziness, either. Since I couldn't afford trying bunches of different conditioners, I've only used two so far, so perhaps I can't judge adequately what isn't working..... but again, they gave me crunchy frizzies! Maybe it's because they contain oils and butters as well.... so far, I've used Desert Essence Lemon Tea Tree conditioner and Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. The former helped with hydration but still didn't help the frizz, and the latter doesn't really seem to moisturize and just leaves my hair feeling..... odd. Like it's coated, and, well.... crunchy. I tried an SMT for the first time today using the Shea Moisture (because that's the only conditioner I have right now), and while my hair felt much softer and more manageable in the shower, it's dried awfully frizzy and stiff. Perhaps I didn't wash it out enough, but I'm quite frustrated!
Anyone have advice for the head of hair that seems to be very picky? After all, if aloe nor oils nor butters have seemed to help, what can? How can I troubleshoot this problem? Will I just have to find protein- and aloe- and oil-free products? Or perhaps am I just just using what I have in the wrong manner?
Sure, some of it may be my natural hair texture, I'm pretty sure I'm a 2b (sometimes it flattens to a 2a, for whatever reason), but if you look closely at my hair, it seems that every strand has its own unique curl and sometimes even its own unique texture.... so maybe that's why a lot of them rebel and won't just lie with the main waves and curls! Yet, as you can imagine, I was surprised when all these non-sulfates were making my hair frizzy! After all, they're gentler than sulfates, right? They seemed to control the canopy frizz more, but they made it crunchier. But then, through research, I realized that the high amounts of protein in all the non-sulfates I had picked were probably contributing to the dry crunchies. In the shower, I pulled on some strands, and they promptly snapped off, indicating low moisture/too much protein. When I used "alternative" methods to moisturize my hair, however, they also seemed to leave my hair still dry and crunchy! I've tried coconut oil, which made my hair look odd and frizzy and crunchy, while olive and jojoba oils didn't leave it crunchy, but certainly frizzy after a few hours. ACV helps with the frizz a little bit, and I used that in place of conditioner for a long time since I couldn't afford legit conditioner for a while, but it of course doesn't moisturize the hair. Aloe vera gel makes my hair shiny upon first application, but I think it builds up and then makes my hair frizzy and crunchy. The humectant properties probably don't always help with the frizziness, either. Since I couldn't afford trying bunches of different conditioners, I've only used two so far, so perhaps I can't judge adequately what isn't working..... but again, they gave me crunchy frizzies! Maybe it's because they contain oils and butters as well.... so far, I've used Desert Essence Lemon Tea Tree conditioner and Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. The former helped with hydration but still didn't help the frizz, and the latter doesn't really seem to moisturize and just leaves my hair feeling..... odd. Like it's coated, and, well.... crunchy. I tried an SMT for the first time today using the Shea Moisture (because that's the only conditioner I have right now), and while my hair felt much softer and more manageable in the shower, it's dried awfully frizzy and stiff. Perhaps I didn't wash it out enough, but I'm quite frustrated!
Anyone have advice for the head of hair that seems to be very picky? After all, if aloe nor oils nor butters have seemed to help, what can? How can I troubleshoot this problem? Will I just have to find protein- and aloe- and oil-free products? Or perhaps am I just just using what I have in the wrong manner?