Conditioner and Frizz?

[ExpectoPatronum]

I was wondering if I'm the only out there where conditioner seems to be the cause of frizz.

Since going through puberty and my hair texture changing from straight to wavy, I've had to deal with the frizz monster. I've lost count of how many products I've tried but I'm serious when I say none of them have worked. Sulphate-free, SLS, cone-free, coney. Nothing made a difference. Cheap dollar store conditioner or expensive salon brands, I would ALWAYS end up with frizzy hair. Some products would tame it slightly, but it was never enough to make me want to keep purchasing them.

I tried a cassia treatment, and it REALLY helped. Unfortunately, the effects lasted only a few days. I'm a little too broke and don't really have the time to do a couple more treatments, so I began really paying attention to my hair. After all, there had to be something causing the frizz, right?

I began to notice that even when I applied conditioner to my hair dry, it would frizz up more. I decided to go out on a limb and replace conditioner in my shower with coconut oil as my hair really likes oils.

I applied maybe 2-4 drops total to my hair, and presto! My hair is hardly frizzy at all, which is impressive considering the humid climate and the fact that it's currently raining. There's no greasy residue and my hair still has it's natural volume. My hair doesn't feel super soft like it did on conditioner, but I'd rather have less frizz than silky hair. It actually looks similar to after I did the cassia treatment.

Has anyone else experienced conditioner causing frizz instead of helping it? I'm really curious since people here adore their conditioner, but my hair doesn't seem to be fond of it at all.

[Madora]

While I used conditioner for years (diluted) I switched over to using a tiny bit of Mineral Oil and noticed a lot less problem with frizz after shampooing:

More about MO here:

http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2012/10/hair-and-build-up-and-moisture.html

You use it very sparingly...2 or 3 drops on damp hair (you apply the drops to your palms, then run your palms down your damp hair).

[ExpectoPatronum]

I ended up with frizz even after using mineral oil. Granted, it wasn't as much. But it was still enough to really irritate me. I actually used it this morning to smooth down some flyaways and it worked perfectly.

And side note...I'm originally from the SF Bay Area too :)

[Suze2012]

Conditioner on it's own doesn't cause my hair to frizz...not unless the weather it hot and the glycerin or aloe content in the conditioner is high.

Other things..shampoo, combs or brushes, regular towels, sleeping with my hair down on a cotton pillowcase, blow drying, running my fingers through my hair, product build up.
All of those will cause frizz in my hair.

My frizz all started to go away once I began conditioner washing.
Over time I found th right products and treated my hair in ways it liked.

The only time now that it ever frizzes is if I get caught in rain or when I go for a haircut as I let my hairdresser use a comb.

[lapushka]

Are you sure you're not combing/brushing when your hair is dry? The "curly girl method" is amazing for wavy hair also, and it is adamant about not brushing when dry.

For me coney conditioner (twice), a leave-in, serum and gel for styling (Eco Styler gel) is awesome for taming frizz!

[LadyCelestina]

! My hair is hardly frizzy at all, which is impressive considering the humid climate and the fact that it's currently raining. There's no greasy residue and my hair still has it's natural volume.

I think humectants are to blame for frizz here.Especially if you don't rinse your conditioner out completely or use oil over it.

Of course,I am not saying your hair is bound to love conditioner,YMMV and it's always good to find something that works :) !
Just trying to figure out why can conditioner cause frizz.

[Noctifer]

(wrong thread)

[ExpectoPatronum]

Thanks for the different insights...Perhaps it is another habit that's causing my frizz and not the conditioner itself. I do comb my hair when it's dry - though I literally run the comb through once in the morning and I use a bamboo comb. This didn't happen when I used oil instead of conditioner so I think I'll stick with doing that for now.

I did try the CG method. I did it for three months. While my hair curled up a lot, I just didn't really like how it felt and my scalp didn't like being washed with only conditioner. There's also the small fact that I don't how I look with curly/wavy hair. I had straight hair when I was a kid and it's turned wavy as I got older. I didn't grow up knowing how to care for this hair type, so that's been a bit of a struggle. I also just don't feel wavy hair looks good on me. Maybe it's something I have to accept? Ugh. Gotta love hair...

[Suze2012]

Expecto...your post there reminds me of my past.. :)

When I was child my hair was straight with the odd little wierd kink here and there and it was only when I got to around my mid twenties that it changed and went a lot more wavy/curly.

I grew it from the age of 18 s through my teens it was very short. I ended up loving the length but hating that it never sat right, didn't suit me, frizzed always and it was kind of half wave half curl and it didn't really 'have any life'

I now get ringlets...and i can honestly say that it's only in teh past year and a half of my life that I have loved my hair..this is all due to LHC and conditioner washing and finding the right things for my hair. It took me about six months of trial and error with products but I got there.

Have you tried only combing on wet hair?
I haven't used a comb on dry hair for a good 20 odd years now but also I never use a comb on wet hair either.
The only time a comb touches my hair is when the hair dresser cuts it and when she is done I ask her to spray my hair with water to totally soak it again and then I put my own curl creme on it and use my own towel to scrunch and re wetting it stops it from frizzing after the comb has been through it.

I was in the same situation as you though with thinking my hair didn't suit me....it's only since I have let my hair do what it wants while making sure it's moisturised that it has begun to suit me.

Also, I had the same feeling in teh first few month swith conditioner washing as you but I just stuck with it. There is a transition stage that some folk go through where your scalp over produces oil. If you stick wit it it does go away.
I also do a shampoo maybe 3 or 4 times a year with a sulphate free shampoo which helps it to feel better when it feels a little dull.
I used to do this once every couple of weeks or so in teh beginning and it really helped.


I also believe that the cut can make a difference.
I could not have a blunt cut with all one length..It just wouldn't suit me...I have loads of layers and a V shaped hemline..

I never knew how to look after my hair either...and it was only frustration that got me here. I gave up...my hair won! :)

[ExpectoPatronum]

Suze2012...I'm glad I'm not the only one who had to deal with a change in hair type. I miss my straight hair very very much! But I'm really glad you've found a way that works, and I think I'm on that track too. Also, I'm pretty jealous you can go with shampooing only 3-4 times a year. That's amazing. I know I can get away with shampooing once a week on CG, but I may try to stretch it longer than that...We'll see. Other than that, it sounds like we're hair twins!

I've gone back to CG. I've been co-washing and combing ONLY when wet in the shower covered in conditioner. Though it's only been two days, my hair has gone from the 2a/2b, to 2c with a few ringlets. There are a couple sections of my hair that still remain a solid 2a, but the majority of my hair is really wavy-curly. My roommates thought I had curled it and were shocked when I told them it was natural. I've done CG in the past and stuck with it 3-4 months. I remember it making me shed a lot which was why I had quit. Looking back, I had been quite stressed out with trying to get into the housing I wanted for school and planning graduation and such from college. I'm hoping that was the cause of the shed, because the no frizz thing is really nice...

I guess I just have to suck it up and get used to it. I don't particularly like how I look with curly hair, but I guess I'll get over that.

[carrielynn]

I'm with you guys in the whole straight-with-a-few-bumps-as-a-kid thing. I hated my hair in college because the waves started to pop, and washing/blow drying every day gave me bad frizz. About two years ago I discovered CG, and have since learned to embrace my "new" hair and use the parts of CG that work for me.

I tried co-washing, and while my hair was super moisturized from it, I couldn't stand my scalp. Now I use a low-poo (sulfate free) at every wash (2-3x a week), avoid most silicones (occasionally one is there but I'm ok with it and the poo gets it out), and just read ingredients constantly. What works for some people might not work for others, simply because of hair properties (porosity, density, etc) or even because of where they live (dew points, etc).

That being said, a few experiments you could try are combing only when wet (and soaked in conditioner - you really should try to find one that your hair likes, to keep it moisturized), using a bit of oil after conditioning and before other stylers (like gel - I have to use a gel or I get frizzy), and/or using a t-shirt or flour sack towel to scrunch the water out.

Those are some things that have worked for me. Good luck! Once you find things that work for you, you'll look at your waves/curls differently and start to like them. :)

[ExpectoPatronum]

carrielynn, What shampoo do you use? I'll probably end up doing what I did before and shampoo with a sulphate free shampoo once a week. I just really don't like the SLS free poo I have now, so I'm kind of glad to be using conditioner so I don't have to put up with it for now.

My hair is very much liking combing when soaking wet and soaked in conditioner. I'm just wondering what I should do the next day? I wash my hair either in the late afternoon or night and I bun my hair when I go to bed. Even so, it still looks messy when I take it out of the bun. Combing, obviously, causes it to frizz, so I'm not sure how I can go about making my hair look presentable for classes.

Also, huge thanks to everyone here for helping me out. Your advice has already helped me loads with my hair! I've already started to get compliments on how it looks. It's a very good feeling. :D

[ravenheather]

Would it work to mist a little and fingercomb into place?

[starlamelissa]

Expecto, not everyone who does curly girl skips shampoo. Some use a curly girl friendly one, or use a normal shampoo and stick to curly girl for styling.