NEED HELP WITH THE BASICS! dry hair...

[jsdolly122]

hi all,
im new here and needing some help with the basics... shampoo and conditioner!


here is a little about my hair:
long(tailbone length)
thick-ish, coarse
wavy, not quite curly, if i brush it though it becomes a big poof!
about 6 inches of natural roots, then the rest is colored


here are the problems that i would like with help from a good s & c:
dry hair
breakage - due to the dry hair
dandruff!! reeally bad... the dry flaky kind


i wash my hair every 2- 4 weeks, sometimes conditioning in between - although when i CO it tends to make it dryer.. which is weird, so i think its because i am not using the right conditioner?


i would ideally like a product that is more natural, but given i wash so infrequently its not a huge priority.


here are the products i have tried more recently:


-pureology hydrate - not hydrating at all.. made my hair super dry.


-organix coconut milk shampoo and contioner - this worked for the longest time, but the past few months it has made my hair really dry, crunchy, and breaking! so i stopped using.


-just recently i bought giovanni 2chic (with keratin and argan oil) that seems to have made my hair very soft, buuut it has flared the dandruff like crazy!!!! worst flaking i have had in a long time.. any idea why??


-i have also tried using coconut oil to help with the dryness, but it made my hair crunchy and breaking! again.. not sure why this would be?


any recommendations would be very appreciated! there are so many products to choose from its kind of overwhelming! i am also very confused about the protein/cone issue, and whats best for me..
here are some of the brands i have been considering as they come up a lot on the forums:


aubrey
jason
alba
avalon
lush products
the body shop
CTonics




living proof
devacurl
carols daughter
loreal eversleek
verb





Sent from my iPad

[heidi w.]

Oil the length only to add in a bit more moisture. Your hair description is much like my hair. You want to copy those that have hair which is similar to yours. I always oiled the length ONLY, not the scalp. I created a video showing how I oil. Oil from the bottom of the earlobes on down. Shampoo doesn't matter as much as conditioner. I recommend using Biolage's Hydrating Conditioner on the length only, not on the scalp hair.

So what's up with the scalp hair? Well, it moisturized itself with sebum so it doesn't need additional help. Most have moist tops and dry bottoms of hair.

You only need around 1 T of oil; that's it. Scrape some oil out of the jar, put it on the palm of one hand, and melt it via rubbing both palms together. The common problem with oiling at first is using too much oil. So for too much, and you know it, pat the palms on a paper towel to clear some of the excess off. You should only have a smear of oil reflection. My video is very clear about this. Find it via googling, heidi w. oil hair video. I do not have that long of hair anymore, but it still serves its purpose. If I don't say anything about doing something, that means, don't do it.

Stop coloring your hair. It's making your hair dry. You are beautiful the way you are made.

You have dandruff. First, see a dermatologist to diagnose it accurately. All flakes are not derived from dandruff. I recommend Nizoral shampoo; it works very well. I used it for many years.

Wash the top hair with Nizoral, which comes over the counter and prescription strength. The length can be washed with shampoo.

heidi w.

[biogirl87]

jsdolly122, I do know what shampoo would be best for you as everyone's scalp is different. I just want to caution you about L'oreal Eversleek Intense Smoothing shampoo, if you are considering it. I used this particular shampoo for almost two months this fall and for the first time in my life since my teenage years/since the time I briefly used Pantene shampoo/conditioner, I had gotten flaking which I believe was due to the L'oreal Eversleek Intense Smoothing shampoo since that was the only change in my routine when I used it.

I think your relatively infrequent washing may be contributing to the flaking you experience. Have you tried washing your hair slightly more often (once a week or so)? I find that I need to wash my hair more often than even every two weeks for my scalp to not be flaking (I think my scalp and hair do best when I wash my hair every 4-5 days to once a week, as that is when I have the least amount of hairs come out in the shower and during my daily brushing). Also, are you opposed to using sulfates in your shampoos? I know this goes against what you would normally read, but for some reason it was the sulfate-free shampoo that gave me the flakes.

[lapushka]

I would seek some help with the scalp. It might "just" be regular dandruff, but it might be something more severe. Also seconding the Nizoral shampoo, and seconding trying to wash a little more frequently.

I have SD, Seborrhoeic dermatitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seborrhoeic_dermatitis) and need to have my hair washed at least once a week, prolonging brings flakes. I also need a harsh cleanser, so a strong sulfate shampoo. Milder surfactants are worthless for me and bring about more flakes. Also the flakes are scaly, not like regular puny dandruff.

[biogirl87]

jsdolly122, I also wanted to mention that quite a few people have found the Organix lines to be drying to their hair and scalp. The olefin sulfonate that is one of the main, if not the main, surfactants in the Organix lines (with the exception of Coconut Milk) is actually as harsh as SLS scientifically-speaking.

[jsdolly122]

thanks for the replies! i guess im still wanting some recommendaitions on a good basic shampoo and conditioner
anymore suggestions anyone?

[tbonita]

The sensitivity to the coconut products may be a protein sensitivity... Although I know coconut oil is not a protein, it holds protein into the hair or something of that nature) correct me if I'm wrong about the science of this) but I am protein sensitive, eradicated all protein products from my regime, and breakage stopped. When I used coconut oil, there was the breakage again. Just something to keep in mind! HTH :)

[biogirl87]

thanks for the replies! i guess im still wanting some recommendaitions on a good basic shampoo and conditioner
anymore suggestions anyone?jsdolly122, I think that it is not so much what shampoo and conditioner you use as it is how often you wash your hair. With that being said, if your hair and scalp do not mind you using sulfates, Herbal Essences has a lot of nice shampoos (their Body Envy line has the lowest level of conditioning, so as long as you avoid the Body Envy line you should be fine). Also, Suave and VO5 are both nice shampoos as well.

About conditioner, I find that it works best when I used matching shampoo and conditioner (except for the odd instance when I used L'oreal Eversleek Sulfate-free Intense Smoothing Shampoo since if I had bought the matching conditioner I would not have been able to try L'oreal sulfate-free shampoos because to me spending $10-11 on a shampoo and conditioner set is too mu

[Kelikea]

I use Desert Essence Organics Coconut shampoo and conditioner. I also oil a bit with coconut oil or a mixture of Nubian Heritage black seed and honey shea butter and coconut oil. The Desert Essence line has many others besides the coconut, if coconut is not your favorite. I find their lemon tea tree to be helpful for an itchy, flaky scalp.

Also, for the flakes, I like suave dandruff conditioner in coconut. I dilute it with water in an applicator bottle and squirt it directly onto my scalp and rub it in, leave for a minute or two, then rinse out very well. It is also good on the whole length. Sometimes I use it for CO when I don't want to shampoo.

[biogirl87]

Kelikea, please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the dandruff come back when you stop using shampoos or conditioners for dandruff?

[Kelikea]

Kelikea, please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the dandruff come back when you stop using shampoos or conditioners for dandruff?

I guess it would depend on the actual cause of the dandruff. I used the word "flakes" because it can cover many things. Sometimes its just dry and flaky. Plus, the tea tree lemon shampoo is all natural, it doesn't have dandruff medication in it. It does feel good on the scalp, though. IDK.