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View Full Version : Wondering if this is a side effect of being more attentive to my hair



weeza
October 7th, 2013, 06:58 PM
Or if it's a side effect that is bad that is caused by switching to natural stuff and shampoo bars?
My hair is currently in two braids (i'm oiling it tonight), and looks like tiny weak spindly braids. I noticed about a week ago that my hair no longer looks or feels thick like it did just a few weeks ago since I started with CO washing/shampoo bars etc. Now it feels lovely but looks (and feels) about 1/3 of the size of what it did before I started.
Are products really that "fluffy" to hair when they have cones? Is this just how my hair should look without chemicals in it? It's sure a shock to have hair that suddenly feels thin.
Thanks for any input

Naiadryade
October 7th, 2013, 07:03 PM
Could be the CO washing. Lots of people report a lot of hair falling out when they use conditioner on their scalp.

Katrine
October 7th, 2013, 07:18 PM
It could possibly be the 'poo bars as well. I noticed a little thinning when I used them and stopped and the heavier shedding stopped. They're too alkaline for the scalp.

weeza
October 7th, 2013, 08:40 PM
Ill give my hair a break and see if that helps. Thanks

jrmviola
October 7th, 2013, 08:46 PM
my hair compresses when oiled, it looks thinner than it is. But I can see my entire length, which doesnt happen unless i oil. If i dont oil, the last 6" or so just dissapear, but its on the thicker side of things.... give and take...

weeza
October 7th, 2013, 08:52 PM
I noticed the thin look to my hair about a week ago, it looked so thin, lovely but thin.. Yes my hair compresses too with oiling, but today was my first day oiling so its not that.

jrmviola
October 7th, 2013, 09:12 PM
Yes my hair compresses too with oiling, but today was my first day oiling so its not that.

i dont know about others but my hair IS the thinnest the day of/ first day after etc. It takes a few days to absorb even a small amount of oil and that entire time it looks thin. When the oil is fully absorbed then i regain the thickness...

But your hair may be completely different from mine, sorry i dont mean to argue...

weeza
October 7th, 2013, 09:47 PM
I didn't take that as arguing at all! Every persons hair is different and reacts differently, so that may very well be true!

biogirl87
October 7th, 2013, 11:21 PM
weeza, the times I've tried co-washing my hair felt thinner when it dried (in general I only air dry). Nearly all my life I've been used to big hair/to having volume in my hair, so the less volume with co-washing is making me want to stop co-washing. Some people do have increased shedding with co-washing also.

Panth
October 8th, 2013, 12:56 AM
Perhaps check with your doctor that you don't have any vitamin deficiencies (particularly iron or B12) or thyroid problems.

It stretches belief that just 3 weeks with a new washing regime would result in the loss of 1/3 of your hair without you noticing ENORMOUS shedding during those three weeks. I think it's much more likely that it's been a slow-and-steady chronic condition and maybe your new washing regime has just made it more obvious, e.g. by making it less fluffy?

Bagginslover
October 8th, 2013, 02:16 AM
could it be that the cuticle is more closed than it was before, meaning you have no less hair, but it feels less as each hair takes up less space? I'm sure you would have noticed a bunch of extra shedding, especially to that degree.

summergreen
October 8th, 2013, 05:26 AM
I find my hair does feel thicker with cones, they seem to add bulk to it (I think this is the problem with cones for some people, that they kind of stick to the hair?) Agree with Bagginslover's suggestion about cuticles too - when I switched to wrapping my hair in a cotton t shirt after washing it felt and looked thinner than when I use a towel, although it was super shiny and frizz free.

Audhumla
October 8th, 2013, 07:44 AM
I agree to make sure your hair isn't actually shedding but I also think it could easily be a reduction in the poofiness of your hair because it's less dry and potentially because of handling changes.
In my experience, especially if your hair is in the mid 1's-late 2's texture-wise i.e. wavy to some extent or another, then CO washing and oiling will definitely make your hair look like it has a lot less volume. This effect would be amplified if you've stopped brushing in favour of combing and/or decided to air dry in a damp bun or braids instead of blow dry because those changes will reduce the poof factor.

spidermom
October 8th, 2013, 08:27 AM
My hair looked very limp with CO washing.

Go back to what gave good results.

slynr
October 8th, 2013, 08:31 AM
CO did not work for me. My hair was stringy and overall just didnt look good. Maybe it is the fine hair, although I'm sure plenty of fine hairs CO and love it. You just have to experiment and see what works best for your hair. There are a ton of ideas here at LHC some will work and some wont. Cant argue with a happy head of hair no matter what techniques you use to get it there:)

BlazingHeart
October 8th, 2013, 09:07 PM
So, um, I have to ask - are you losing a lot of hair, or does your hair just look more compact?

Some people complain about CO and 'poo bars 'weighting down' their hair, which would mean less volume without losing any hair - it just LOOKS like less. If that's the case, it's not harmful at all, it's just visual and it's the wash method doing it. That's a definite possibility.

As others have mentioned, some people do experience hair loss with both of those wash methods, typically when they're actually doing the washing. If that's the case, you'd probably notice an increase in the number of hairs that fall out when you're in the shower. If you aren't noticing more hair falling out (in or out of the shower), I'd suggest it's probably just appearance. Which is not to say that you should stick with your new wash method if you don't like the way your hair looks! Just that it may not be doing any actual harm to your hair, just changing the way it looks, and it's up to you to decide which visual you prefer.

Hopefully it's just a volume difference!