Somewhat new here, sort of. Need advice

[weeza]

I will never learn all the abbreviated lingo here, so my apologies.
I used to be an active member here but I opened up my own business and thus ran out of personal time, but things have calmed down so I'm back! No worries, I don't expect anyone to remember me, and it seems all my old posts disappeared.
I am having a rough time with my hair. It's almost tailbone length, but I think I need to chop off about 4 inches of split ends and baby it from here on in. I have horrible split ends and my hair is dry and tangles easily, it's curly but leaning toward the wavy side.My goal is classic.
I've been having a hard time with dry hair (but not dry scalp) so I've been trying new products and ways to treat my hair. I tried a boutique shampoo, and won't ever use it again, I know many treatments say to give them a chance and your hair will even out, but it dried out my hair so badly that it tangled up on itself so badly I had to hose it down with detangler just so it would quit breaking. That is now in the back of my cabinet to be used say if I ever get tree pitch on my skin, I see no other use for it.
I was attempting to go "No poo", I'm sure most/all of you know what that is, so I thought if I bought an all natural sulfate free and organic (labelled that way) product that maybe it would work, nope, onto the next idea. I bought a shampoo bar, which seems to have only one questionable ingredient and it works better, but I'd rate it as passable to good. The ingredients:

Shampoo bar
Ingredients: Water, Coconut Oil, Argan Oil, Castor Oil, Olive Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Panthenol, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Fragrance

My husband got into it and wanted to help so he bought me Yucca Root, the only problem is the kind sold at the store does not foam up. He was very dishearted.
I just recently started taking my hair care seriously, so I apologize if I sound like the village idiot!

My regime:
I wash my hair twice a week, I do not blowdry except when it's 20-30 degrees out. (sorry, as willing as I am to baby my hair, I won't freeze)
I wash my hair VERY sparingly with my shampoo bar, then apply a mix of my favorite conditioner with some Argan oil and let that sit while I shave.
I only use a boar bristle brush.
When my husband is out of town I leave my hair down at night, I find it tangles less. ( he's gone 4 days a week). When he's home I put it up with a bun.
I don't really use styling products, occasionally I use a bit of hairspray, but my favorite stuff is no longer sold and all the new ones I have tried don't really wash out, they leave a dried out residue on my hair.

What didn't work for me:
Yucca root ( there are no organic grocers or health stores here to get the good stuff)
Satin pillowcases ( I kept having to pick my pillow up off the floor throughout the night)


My hope is to get some advice on either a treatment like Yucca root that is natural as a shampoo, or something easy like a decent CO wash. I LOVE the conditioner I use now but it is too heavy to use as a wash.

So, long story short, I need advice!
1. Is there any treatment like Yucca root that is natural that foams up and actually cleans? I read up on ACV and Baking soda, but I heard it's not good for long term use, is that true?
2. Are there any reccomendations for a simple DIY shampoo I might be able to make myself and keep in the shower?
3. My biggest goal is strong shiny hair, as it is for all of us, but are there any tips on getting shiny hair?

Yes, I have read the forum, I am still reading ideas and threads, so thank you so much for all the reading ahead!

[pogo0685]

Welcome back! I am not much help but I would say you should play with oils on your ends to make them more shiny and keep them in better shape. You say you are more wavy now, have you tried the curly girl method? I use suave coconut conditioner as my "wash" and whole foods brand peppermint conditioner as my "conditioner" and then put a tiny tiny bit of coconut oil on my ends while my hair is damp. Like I said I am not much help but this is what has saved my hair. I tried the no poo thing, did shampoo bars with no luck. I was using Aubrey organically honeysuckle rose conditioner and while I love the smell my hair hates it and turns into a huge knotted horrible mess if I use even a tiny bit. So if you try curly girl you might have to play around with what exactly your hair likes. You might be able to get your hair to more the curly side rather than the wavy side also!

I tried baking soda and ACV and it turned my hair to straw and over half of it fell out. I do not at all recommend it for long term use. I hope you find something that works for you!

[weeza]

I unfortunately tried Loreal EverCreme shampoo, that was not good for my hair. I have tried about 6 sulfate free shampoos and I just tried my first shampoo bar, I'm hoping to report back good results after a few more washes

[Leeloo]

What didn't work for me:
Yucca root ( there are no organic grocers or health stores here to get the good stuff)
Satin pillowcases ( I kept having to pick my pillow up off the floor throughout the night)


My hope is to get some advice on either a treatment like Yucca root that is natural as a shampoo, or something easy like a decent CO wash. I LOVE the conditioner I use now but it is too heavy to use as a wash.

So, long story short, I need advice!
1. Is there any treatment like Yucca root that is natural that foams up and actually cleans? I read up on ACV and Baking soda, but I heard it's not good for long term use, is that true?
2. Are there any reccomendations for a simple DIY shampoo I might be able to make myself and keep in the shower?
3. My biggest goal is strong shiny hair, as it is for all of us, but are there any tips on getting shiny hair?

Yes, I have read the forum, I am still reading ideas and threads, so thank you so much for all the reading ahead!

Hello and welcome back!

About satin pillows. Have you tried silk pillow cases? They are not as slippery as satin ones. And a silk or satin sleep cap will help a lot with tangling and dryness.

Also try oiling your hair with pure coconut oil the night (or 24 hours) before wash. It doesn't have to be a heavy oiling, but that should help a lot with dryness as well.

I was also trying to come up with a recipe for a shampoo and conditioner (that's how I found LHC), but after reading around LHC I'm thinking that a good SLS free shampoo will be a better solution.

For shine I've read that ACV rinses make hair shiny (1 tsp to 8 ounces of water).

Baking soda and shampoo (3 tbsp. of baking soda mixed with 3 tbsp. of shampoo) make a great clarifying shampoo which are very drying (most clarifying treatments are) and are not for every day use, just once a month or 2 months.

[weeza]

I have an order of coconut oil on the way to my house, and shea butter. I think I might get addicted (GEE THANKS MEMBERS!) to Chagrin Valley soaps. I just added a bunch of samples to my online cart there so I can try each and see if any work for me.
We have ACV, so I'll give that a try.
I'm thinking maybe shampoo bars may be the way to go since I'm not sure I shampoo enough to leave a homemade mix made up together, it would go bad before my second use. Maybe tiny batches.
I took a very quick pic of my hair but I guess it didn't post to my signature?

[weeza]

Thank you all for your replies! I also tried this, and while it feels nice, I worry about all the chemicals
[URL=http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod4181045[/URL]

[Panth]

One thing I notice - you say you only use a BBB. Is that completely-only? Because if so, that's almost certainly a source of at least some of your damage. BBBs should NEVER be used to detangle hair - they are for smoothing and sebum/oil distribution after all of the tangles are removed. I'd advise you invest in a wide-toothed comb (horn, wood or plastic, though the latter may cause static in the winter) and/or a tangle-teaser for detangling. Another option is finger-combing (i.e. detangling by using your fingers as a comb), though I find that takes far too long for minimally better results than a wide-toothed comb, at least on my hair.

[Bagginslover]

I notice you're worried about your wash product foaming-it isn't neccisary for it to foam to clean. Most commercial shampoos contain a foaming agent, because we have been condtioned to think that lots of foam=clean. It doesn't, what it does mean is damage. Those foaming agents are very drying, and bad for your hair in general. What I'm trying to say is don't discount something just becaise it doesn't foam, it likely doesn't need to ;)

[weeza]

So the CV soaps are nice, but a little harsh, however with some tweaking they may work.
I ran into a problem yesterday that I need advice on. I wore a new sweater to our jewelry show, and as the day went on my hair tangled, then matted...it was awful. I wore my hair down and I was powerless, I didn't even have a comb with me.I am currently sitting here after spending the day detangling and my hair looks gross because I had to over condition and put extra argan oil in just so it would calm down.
Any advice on making hair "Static safe"? Generally it's fine, but the new sweater ruined months of hard work due to static tangling

[weeza]

Oh and I lost a ton of hair throughout the day from all the static/tangling :(

[CurlMonster]

Maybe wear your hair up next time you wear the sweater, to stop it from tangling your hair.

[BlazingHeart]

If you're really interested in going the natural route, have you looked into soap nuts? I know there are a few members around who use those, and if you search you should be able to find threads describing how they prepare and use them. It won't give you the kind of foam you get from mainstream shampoos, but as I understand it, more like what you get from really nice, expensive triple-milled french soap, where it's kind of milky looking and a bit slippery rather than bubbly. That's the same sort of effect you should be getting from the yucca, btw - not bubbles and foam, but milky slick liquid.

[AnqeIicDemise]

1) Look at your styling tools. You say you only use a BBB.... like Panth mentioned, BBBs are not meant to be for detangling. They're there to remove dander, lint bits, or other debris from the scalp and spread the oils along the hair shaft. Its bristles are not strong enough to remove tangles and only snag bits. I once, waaay back in ye old days and pre LHC, use my BBB to detangle. I had so many splits, its kind of sad.

Invest in a wide tooth comb, or better yet, a Tangle Teezer. I love that thing to bits -- as do my cats. ( True story, my cats confiscated my first TT and its all I use to groom them now. The long hair loves it. He sees me reach for mine and starts meowing for attention.)

2) Invest in a leave in conditioner/detangler. I make my own; 1 part conditioner to 3 parts water and and a dash of olive oil. (I'm using a small 50ml bottle so I only put in like, 1/8th of a spoon of olive oil). I put in two pumps on each side, total of four, after my hair is about halfway dry. I then detangle. (I have 1 TT, 2 wide tooth combs and now a 'The Wet Brush' for detangling because something always goes missing in this house. If the cats haven't tried sandwiching the TT against the sofa, my hubby's taken it. )

3) If you don't use a leave in or a de tangler, a few drops of oil or serum help in de tangling. I sometimes get too lazy to make more of the leave in so I just use whatever oil I have on hand. I've got a little bit of a collection -- coconut oil, amla oil, olive oil, almond oil ... shea butter and coconut oil mix. I use them all at some point or another. I like to use products that have multiple uses. Coconut oil, for example, is great for cooking and all over the body. I've also used mineral oil too! That worked fantastic. So far, my only dislike of oils has been Olive Oil but that's if I use it straight. Its just too heavy for me. Try it out and see what works best for you. Some ladies HATE coconut oil. -shrug-

4) Recognize that some shirt/top materials are less friendly than others. For the type that make my hair tangly and staticky, I wear my hair up. If I want it down, I choose fabrics that won't give me issues. Its a trial by error for me as I'm too lazy to pay attention what I'm doing with my tops/shirts but I can promise you once I have a shirt that gives me issues, if they're bad enough, I won't forget. Example: my favorite emerald colored shirt? Hair's up.. it gives me tons of static, destroys braids and my hair somehow weaves itself into the fabric. :\ I think its a part rayon bled (again, haven't read the label) because, man, my pits stink if I'm not careful. I'm allergic to most deodorants so I skip it for the most part and this is a shirt I HAVE to wear something. It just makes me smell bad. :(

[weeza]

My mom got me a tangle teaser, I asked for it based on recommendations here and LOVE it! Even with the tangle teaser it still took 30 mins to brush all the tangles out.
I use shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley. I condiition with a mix of my favorite sulfate free conditioner with argan oil mixed in. I only use my BB now for oil distribution (thanks for that hint when I first joined!).
So it sounds like I need to wear my hair up or donate the sweater? Sigh, I guess a local charity would be thrilled to have a brand new sweater! I was hoping there was some magic trick to preventing static from angering my hair, I guess not, but thank you so much for the replies! This site has helped me with new ideas and better ways of treating my hair, it seems to be working so far. Thanks!

[Naiadryade]

Try Shea Moisture. Their products completely changed the feel of my hair... it used to be really dry, especially at the ends. I thought oil helped, but after I started using Shea Moisture I realized what moisturized hair actually feels like! I use their Moisture Retention Shampoo, and their Deep Treatment Masque as a conditioner (and often a little mixed with hibiscus tea and aloe juice as a leave-in). If you're dealing with stubbornly dry hair, I highly recommend it! Especially the Deep Treatment Masque. It's completely natural too, bonus!

Also, it worries me a bit that if faced with the choice between wearing your hair up and donating the sweater, you choose donating it... Life is damaging for hair! Especially dry hair. Rubbing against clothes, chairs, seatbelts, etc can cause lots of mechanical damage. Plus it tangles more, which creates more damage. You should seriously considering wearing your hair bunned or braided often. Many folks on here wear their hair up almost 24/7. I really like wearing my hair down so I'm not that strict about it, but I do notice more damage when I leave it down, especially if I was doing anything other than sitting around.

[weeza]

It only worries me because I just bought it, this was the first time I ever wore it! My hubby would have to be educated by me on why it's bad for my hair and even then he'd think it was very weird and a waste that I'm giving away a brand new sweater he just bought for me 3 days ago. I'll see if I can treat the sweater for static, but mainly I just needed to know what I should do if static ever hits my hair again (since it may happen again and be just because of dry air etc, something OUT of my control).
Thank you all!

[Naiadryade]

Don't ditch the sweater. Just wear your hair up. It's not difficult or a big deal.

[DreamWalker]

If you feel like your ends are a mess...cut them off. Seriously. I was at tailbone a little under two years ago, my growth was stalled, and I didn't want to cut my hair. I finally cut off 8 inches, and it was the best thing I could have done. It'll grow back, and will look much nicer with nice ends.

I'll second what others are saying about the BBB. Get a wide-tooth comb, and only use the BBB after detangling your hair. I'd also learn to do something like a nautilus bun, as you can then put your hair up almost anywhere, given access to something you can stick in your hair.

I used to use baking soda/ACV, but my hair ended up feeling sticky and weird all the time...I know it works great for some people though, and I find if my hair freaks out (suddenly feels super dry and brittle) an ACV rinse after I wash my hair really helps. I also tend to dilute my shampoo - it still cleans, but I can use a lot less of it. If your length feels dry and crinkly, maybe try putting a little conditioner on it before you get in the shower (to protect it from shampoo - you could also try not to let the shampoo run down the length too much), and the a bit more after shampooing? I do that occasionally, and it makes my hair feel softer. And if your scalp tends to be oilier, experiment with not putting any conditioner on hair above your chin.

Good luck!