Best and worst 2013 hair experiments and changes to hair routines

[meteor]

Since the year 2013 is coming to an end, I think it's a good idea to take a moment to reassess our hair routines and experiments and share what we've learned in 2013:

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Thank you very much for your input, guys! :) And happy new year 2014! :)


I'll start:
1) Successful experiments:
- Stretching washes.
In my case, I went from 4 days to 10 days in summer and 18 days in winter! It took a looong time, and my scalp adjusts very quickly to changing routines, but this may not work for other scalps.

- Diluting conditioner.
I so wish I'd done this before. This was ridiculously successful result of pure serendipity. I dropped my bowl with hair masque in bathtub with hot water and decided to experiment with the resulting mixture instead of throwing it away. The masque that really disappointed me in the past surprisingly gave me the softest, shiniest, most tangle-free hair I'd had in a whole year! I think this is due to ease of application: runnier substances cover and penetrate the hair better and faster.


2) What I've changed in my routine:
- Pre-poo treatments.
I stopped all pre-poo treatments except light or heavy oilings 8-24 hours before wash (straight carrier oils, mixtures with EOs, infused oils).

- Silk.
Covering hair with silk before hair gets in contact with pillowcases, hats, turtle-necks, hoods, etc has made a difference in silkiness, shine and avoidance of tangles.


3) What I've learned:
Hydral fatigue.
In the past, I was under the impression that those ultra-long overnight conditioning sessions with steamers were good as they made hair very soft, but I realized that keeping hair wet over very long periods of time compromises keratin structure of hair and keeps hair in fragile state too long.

[Denebi]

That's a great idea for a thread!

1) Experiments:
- CO (fail)
- soap bars (success)

2) Added:
- oiling my ends before washing
- a water filter in my shower
- cold rinses after washing

Removed:
- conventional shampoos
- air drying in a bun

3) newly learned:
- I was suffering from hair loss again, and this time I did not chop it back but just kept on growing, and I think this was rather a good idea. My hair is thin, but longer than ever, which makes me happy despite the hair loss.
- CO isn't for me. At all. I tried it with different conditioners, diluted/non-diluted, sitting for only a short time or up to 45minutes. My scalp is greasy only a few hours after washing, I got dandruff to a point where I was ashamed to show myself in public and I lost hair in handfuls. Although the hair loss might not entirely be caused by CO, I had it anyways due to other reasons.
- my hair was hard, dry, velcro, stringy, meeh. Clarifying and switching to filtered water, soap bars and cold rinses made my hair feel soft and hair-like again. That was a big relief, I thought I had to chop it, because it was so ugly. Now, I like it again :)
- I changed my hairtype from 1b to 2a. I knew for quite some time (several years, I think), that I'm probably not 1b anymore, but I never took the time to do a proper hair typing pic (you know, freshly washed, air drying, not combing or anything, when do I have time to do this!). I was a bit surprised how wavy my hair had become in the meantime. And I really like it. It suits my fairytale ends a lot better, I think. I'm going to experiment a bit more with curly girl method in 2014.
- Hydral fatigue was also new for me, and I started using my blow dryer again, on the coldest level only, until my hair is not wet but damp. Then I do damp bunning, which I hope is a lot better than wet bunning.

[Johannah]

1) What have you experimented with? Was it a success or failure?
Ehmm... Haha.
Stretching washes to once a week - failure. I wash it twice right now and stick to that.
Avocado oil - success, made my hair soft. I use it twice a month.
Coconut oil as a leave-in - success, especially in winter. I use it when needed.
Argan oil as a leave-in - success, but only when my hair is really really dry. I use it when I have frizz.
SMT - failure, makes my hair dry and frizzy.
Everyday updo's - success, definitely in winter with the weather. I don't have many split ends anymore. Stick to that till June (or longer?!)
Feye's hair trimming - success. I did do this once (1" trim). I'll stick to that when my hair is 32" to get rid of layers. I don't like hair dressers.
Sleeping with a braid - success. So much easier and less tangles!
(fake) Tangle Teezer - success. Not as hard as a normal brush!
Healthy food - success. My hair grows a little bit faster.
Vitamins - not sure yet. I'll notice that in the future.
SLS- and conefree shampoo - success, not so much slip!
CO - success. Makes my hair soft with slip, but not too much slip (so I still can do updo's). I'm trying to use CO permanently instead of shampoo, started yesterday.
Clarifying - success. I just did do it once, but my hair got so much better! I'll definitely need it when I will use CO permanently.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
I restarted with LHC in September. Since than I changed my hair routine completely.
I actually added all of the successes from here above. I also started using heavy coconut oilings and S&D.
I removed any heat tools, brushing my hair a lot, going to the hairdresser a lot for trims and cony shampoos and conditioners.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
My hair changed so much because of everything (structure, but also color!). I went from 1c/2a to 1b/1c. It's still changing because of washing my hair SLS- and conefree.
I learned about hair humectants and now I know I need to change my hair routine. :o

[meteor]

Denebi, thank you so much! CO didn't work for me either, and I didn't have the desire to experiment with it further. It's hard enough to find an actual shampoo or shampoo bar that works well for scalp, expecting a conditioner to work equally well for my scalp and hair is a tall order...

Johannah, wow! That's a lot of great changes in one year! I'm sure your hair will thank you for your efforts with better condition!
And yes, humectants are very important to learn about. I'm still confused about the details of how they act and I can't get predictable consistent results with them due to changing dew points and ever changing humidity balance.

[Johannah]

Meteor, where do you live? Inhere it's quite easy: in summer/spring it's hot and I can use everything, in autumn/winter it rains constantly. I can't use heavy conditioning in winter because I'll become a poofball :p but CO with a very light conditioner actually helps to reduce frizz! That's also why I'm trying to use CO permanently :o This infographic might help:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Humectant-Infographic.jpg

[Flor]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

Water only (fail). BBB (fail). Nightblooming Hair Salves (success).

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Added oils, post wash. It was minimalist already (only shampoo bars and ACV), so nothing to remove, really.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

How to do one stick buns. Dutch braids. Cutting my own hair.

[lapushka]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

Nothing really. Just same as always. WCC & for styling the usual (what I now learned is the "loc method").


2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Nothing. Same as always. For years I've been WCC & loc method.


3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Nope.

Pretty sad, actually. :lol:
Was wondering whether or not I should fill this out. :lol:

[meteor]

That's an excellent piece of information, Johannah! :) Thanks a lot! I do live in climate with dry, cold winters (which suggests limiting humectant use) and damp summers (when hygroscopic substances are recommended for moisture).

I always used humectants with tons of water (usually in rinses or shampoos or watery conditioners) and tried to avoid them in low humidities in order to prevent the humectants from drawing water from my hair...

But I guess my confusion is about things like glycerin... I was reading this blog: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/03/moisture-issue-glycerin-is-your-friend.html , and the discussion there (in the comments) completely negated the importance of dew-points.
The idea there was that once glycerin is mixed with water (sufficient water that is), it is saturated, and once the glycerin is diluted, the water molecules are already attached and from there it is unlikely the glycerin and water will seperate. So it wouldn't be necessary for the glycerin to draw more water from the hair.

Here is what the author of the blog said about:
"It takes a lot of energy to remove water from glycerin. Scientifically, the reason why glycerin takes up water is to make it more stable. Therefore it doesn't make chemical sense for it to give up the water. Consequently if the glycerin is appropriately diluted, I do not think that the scenario you described as being probable at all. I do understand that people have reported this but I'm really at a loss to explain the observation."
And glycerin is considered to be a typical, powerful humectant.
I hope LHC-ers can weigh in on this, because humectants can definitely make my hair both soft and dry/sticky-feeling, but it's not as simple as avoiding them in dry winter and laying them on in humid seasons...

[meteor]

Thanks a lot, Flor! Keeping it minimalist is what I keep going back to myself. I think it's the key for long-term success.


Same as always. For years I've been WCC & loc method.

Lapushka, what is WCC? Water-Conditioner-Conditioner? Both rinse-out, or one rinse-out and one leave-in?

I have my own modified approach too - it's something between CWC and LOC, I guess. I call it OSCO or OSLO (I hope Norwegian members won't get mad at me :lol: )
Oil (heavy pre-poo for many hours) - Shampoo (diluted) - Conditioner (rinse-out) - Oil (lightest coating)
Or:
Oil (heavy pre-poo for many hours) - Shampoo (diluted) - Leave-in Conditioner - Oil (lightest coating)

[jacqueline101]

Successes vo5 split ends shampoo and conditioner weekly Saturday
Vo5 keep me strong leave in conditioner Monday Wednesday Friday
Water diluted monistat Monday Wednesday Friday
Tressemee shine spray weekly Saturday
Turbie towel dry weekly Saturday
Monthly Saturday lustrasilk shea butter and mango cholesterol
Monthly Saturday Aussie 3 minute miracle
Monthly vanilla mint vo5 clarifying shampoo and conditioner

Braided styles failed have lapsed in my vow
Things I've changed monthly washing a few months ago

Added isoplus sheen spray as needed when ends are dry

[lapushka]

Lapushka, what is WCC? Water-Conditioner-Conditioner? Both rinse-out, or one rinse-out and one leave-in?

Yes, that's exactly what it is, both rinse-out. Then for styling leave-in, serum/oil, and gel instead of cream (loc method).


Oil (heavy pre-poo for many hours) - Shampoo (diluted) - Conditioner (rinse-out) - Oil (lightest coating)
Or:
Oil (heavy pre-poo for many hours) - Shampoo (diluted) - Leave-in Conditioner - Oil (lightest coating)

That's neat, actually! :) You should totally post separately about that method!

[Denebi]

That's interesting, I'm doing a kind of OSCO routine right now:

- oiling the length and especially the ends with coconut oil
- shampoo (with CV soap bars at the moment)
- condition (and rinse out)
- cold rinse
- light oiling (only a few drops) when hair is dry

It makes my hair a lot softer although there is room for improvement. My hair still tends to be frizzy, and the ends don't stay that soft for long, I have to use oil on them daily. As I don't wear my hair down that often, I sometimes just put some more oil in and hide the oily ends in a bun.

[Applegirl84]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

CO only (fail), air drying (sucess), stretching washes beyond 2 days (fail), experimenting with leave in conditioners and serums (fail - my hair is better naked), sulphate free shampoo (moderate sucess, but still better volume with SLS), silicone free (sucess - way more volume!) vinegar rinse (fail - nasty smell), citric acid rinse (sucess) cassia (sucess), soap nuts as shampoo (fail), SMT (moderate sucess), overnight oilings (sucess as long as only on length), silk pillowcase/sleep cap (sucess), hair friendly updos (sucess! Hello hair sticks, buns and braids and good bye ponytails)

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

I'm still working on fine tuning my routine

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

I learned that I have wavy hair instead straight hair. I learned that less is more when it comes to my fine slippery hair.

[velorutionista]

This has been a good year for my hair (for example, I found LHC, which is probably the best thing I ever did for my hair!)

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

...tried CO (which was a total flop and led to copious shedding and mini panic attacks!)
...tried stretching washes (which was a moderate success, but I had really hit or miss results)
...stop cutting my hair! (total success...I lost 4 inches when I went in for a 1/2" trim in July and swore off trims for the rest of the year and my hair is growing along great!)
...S&D (totally loving this instead of trims!)

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

...started using coconut oil on the ends on a weekly-ish (as needed) basis, which is working really well for me
...ditched my claw clips in favor of hair sticks, which totally hold better and don't have any springs to snag my hair on!)
...started using dry shampoo on days I want to stretch a wash just a little further (aka really cold mornings I don't want to run out the door with wet hair!)
...learned how to get my hair into a bun without an army of pins

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

[meteor]

That's neat, actually! :) You should totally post separately about that method!

Thanks for the recommendation, Lapushka! :) I just posted it on the "Mane" forum.

[lapushka]

Thanks for the recommendation, Lapushka! :) I just posted it on the "Mane" forum.

Hope it becomes popular, because I think a lot of members on here have at one time used a deep treatment (oil or masques). Neat that you actually found an acronym for it and made it a method!

[cooklaezo13]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
I experimented with soap bars - success
Hair sticks - success
hair forks - also success

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
I removed conditioners with protein from my routine, after discovering they were the cause of my rough, velcro ends. This saved me from a lot of unnecessary trimming.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
No, but I've learned a ton from LHC!

[GrowingGlory]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure? See #2.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
Added: Washing with California Baby Therapeutic Relief Skin Protectant Shampoo & Body Wash with ACV in distilled water is the best method yet, QueCraft Wide-Toothed Black Buffalo Horn Comb is the best comb yet, Crockett Mountain Wood Works Red Cedar Claw/Spike is the best way to secure an updo yet. My UV Buff will be road tested this Spring and Summer. Eating enough heart-healthy fat, Nutiva Chia Seeds and taking Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gel seems to deodorize my hair and improve its texture.

Removed: All other wash methods were less effective, Aquis Water Towel ruffled my cuticle, three QueCraft White Buffalo Bone Combs broke, tea rinses ruffled my cuticle, vinegar rinses left my hair flat, TBS wide-toothed wooden comb was drying, any oil that did not come from my scalp just sat on my hair (low porosity), California Baby Mousse Gel was a good scented leave-in but had no hold.

3) It is possible to cultivate healthy long hair while keeping it simple!

[blue_eyes]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

Failure: LUSH hair products (Rehab shampoo & Okra conditioner, specifically). Dried out my hair immensely and left it completely tangled.
Success: Castor oil, biotin, & MSM

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Removed the use of heat tools and hair dye, and started using cones in my conditioner. My hair LOVES them.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Stay away from dye and bleach while you still can! :P The damage and growing out process is NOT worth it.

[Sharysa]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

1) Experiments:
-Pre-shower monthly oiling (success). Combing almond oil through my hair even just fifteen/twenty minutes before my shower left my hair ridiculously soft and smooth, so right on New Year's when my S&D is also due, I'll make sure to set a full half-hour aside before my shower.

-Dr. Bronner's Almond Scented Soap (FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL). I normally use a half-strength solution of the Mild/Unscented version, and I have no clue why my scalp started itching after a couple days of using the Almond soap. Maybe it's the full strength solution, or maybe it was some mild allergic reaction to what they used for scent. Either way, NEVER AGAIN.

2) Additions: I added the monthly/bi-monthly pre-shower oiling to my routine. Yessssss.

3) New things: None, really--most of the stuff I know is from LHC or UTT. :P

[LauraLongLocks]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

I tried CO-washing and I love it. I use non-coney conditioner on my canopy and cones on my length, every 1-2 days. After about two weeks, I do a CWC (with diluted shampoo), followed by an SMT and my hair loves it. About every 6-8 weeks, I need to clarify and start over on the building of cones.
Waiting to see if biotin helps my hair and nails. It's only been two weeks, so it's not long enough to know whether it's making any difference yet.
I am learning that I really like jojoba on damp hair, and coconut oil is perfect for a pre-CWC overnight oiling.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Added silk drops to freshly CO-washed damp hair and I love it. I use them on the bottom 3" of my hair. My ends feel as smooth as freshly cut ends.
Learned Madora's fanning technique to get hair dry quickly, and combined it with the blow dryer on cool. I like having hair dry quickly and this works so well for me.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Love the type of hair you were born with. Learn to work with it. It is beautiful.
When adding new pieces to your hair routine, do one new thing at a time so you will know what is working or not working for your hair.
I learned I don't have to buy expensive salon products to get great results. VO5 is awesome for CO-washing, and is only $.84 at Walmart.
YouTube: Cinnamon Hair, Torrin Paige, 4ypnotica, Arrow Den, and probably a bunch of others I can't think of right now. You CAN learn to do so many styles! Give it a try!

[Silverbrumby]

Rogaine. Hands down. Lost 1/4 inch in ponytail in six weeks. Gave me the worst eye bags ever.

[Ashflower89]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
For 2 months in the summer, I attempted the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine. I suppose it did work to an extent, but I had an awful time getting the measurements just right and kept ending up with paste hair. I was also really tired of smelling vinegar during every shower. I was SO relieved to go back to wonderful smelling shampoo. As for new products that DID work, I started using It's a 10 Leave-In Conditioner, and it makes my curls so shiny and my ends so soft, not to mention the awesome smell. I also started using Organix Moroccan Argan Oil from Meijer on my hair, leaving it in for an hour or two every weekend. It feels like silk afterwards, I absolutely love it. Look forward to applying it every weekend for the silky feel and the smell, boyfriend loves it too.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
I added the It's a 10 Leave-In to my daily routine, spraying once all over and twice a day on the ends, for extra moisture during the winter. I also added the Moroccan Argan oil as a weekend treatment, just trying to baby my hair.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
I learned a lot from LHC when I joined in October, nothing that everyone doesn't already know. =P

[HintOfMint]

Experiments: adding a capful of ACV to my conditioner mix, SMTs as my regular conditioner, prewash oilings, and cold rinses. All successful.

Additions/subtractions: Added the ingredients for the experiments above, and permanently added silicones. I subtracted protein from my conditioners, and blowdrying my bangs as they've grown out enough.

New things I've learned about my hair: apparently once in a blue moon, my hair has the ability to feel silky. From what I've deduced, it's a combination of aggressive moisturizing, cool dry weather, and not hard water.

[Andeee]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

I just joined LHC this autumn so lot of stuff is new for me! I am now stretching washes to once a week. I am now diluting my shampoo (SLS). I now do SMT (going for once a month) after washing with an SLS free shampoo and using a cone free conditioner as the base of the SMT.

I now use olive oil on damp freshly washed ends. This may change as I experiment with other oils. Still afraid to do a big heavy oil with coconut, but I have some in the bathroom cabinet.

Have just started learning how to do updos with spin pins instead of a claw clip everyday. The variety is good to keep me from getting bored.


2) What did you remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

No more trims just because the ends are dry! I will try to fix that as best I can with oils and conditioning treatments. No more combing hair while wet except for in the shower with conditioner on it.

No more pulling through the color every time I get it colored--it's fine with just the roots being done and then pulling color through a few times a year only.

[Colourful]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

Tried to skip washing from twice a week to once a week. It was too much of a hassle and now I am just washing my hair twice a week as I usually do.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
Oils, oils and more oils! Plus, I started to use leave-in conditioner which works like a miracle for my hair! My hair is so much better now since this decision.

[Naiadryade]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

-Clay + egg wash (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=110609) experiment was a success!
-DIY hydrolyzed protein (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116726) experiment was fun, but I'm still not sure whether it worked or not.
-Banana as a DT was a horrible idea, I had pieces of banana in my hair for days!
-Overripe avocado, blended and strained, was nice as a DT. Blending/straining might work for banana, but I'm still too scared to try. :shudder:
-CO with my heavy, shea-based conditioner was a FAIL.
-SMT was mixed. Left my hair soft and moisturized, but extra tangly.
-Shea Moisture was a success!!
-However, repeated applications of the Deep Treatment Masque as a leave-in between washes was a fail, made my hair over-moisturized.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Added:
-Shea Moisture products! I now wash with the Moisture Retention Shampoo and condition with the Deep Treatment Masque. My hair has never been so moisturized.
-Protein as a leave-in at least a couple times a month helps my hair not break quite so much.
-A dollop of DTM and a couple drops of oil in herbal tea, plus a little vinegar and protein, as a final rinse/leave in makes my hair feel soo good.
-Heavy coconut oilings for 12-24h before every wash helps my hair stay strong and soft afterward.
-Satin sleep cap YES.
-Microtrimming started in December, as I'm finally at waist! :happydance:
-ETA: oh yeah, and my Trusty Tangle Teezer!!

Removed:
-Complete abstaintion from store-bought products (still only go for all-natural things though)
-Clay and/or egg as my primary washing method (still use them occasionally when I run out of shampoo)
-Herbal teas and oils as my only "conditioner" (still use these things, but not in place of conditioner!)

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

-Hydral fatigue was a big one for me too! No more 3-hour wet treatments for me. I'm even considering partially blow-drying my hair on cool now.
-Also, http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com :bowtome:

[meteor]

Thank you so very much for your awesome replies, guys! :) I'm learning so much from them! It's interesting to see how many things (e.g. CO, stretching washes) are best for some LHC-ers and worst for others.
Also, I see those of us who joined TLHC in 2013 had so many excellent experiments this year, but even after years here, LHC-ers find new good routines.



Removed: All other wash methods were less effective, Aquis Water Towel ruffled my cuticle, three QueCraft White Buffalo Bone Comb broke, tea rinses ruffled my cuticle, vinegar rinses left my hair flat, TBS wide-toothed wooden comb was drying, any oil that did not come from my scalp just sat on my hair (low porosity), California Baby Mousse Gel was a good scented leave-in but had no hold.
Oh no :( Wide-toothed wooden comb was drying for you? I use The Body Shop one and I don't know how to tell whether it has a drying effect on my hair or not... How exactly did your hair feel after using it? And do you think it's the design or the wood that's the culprit? (let's say compared to plastic or bone combs)

[meteor]

Oh wow, Naiadryade! You've done so many exciting experiments this year! :)
I'll definitely try some of those!

And I so agree with many of you who mentioned minimal, rare trimming. I used to have my hair trimmed every month or so and I still somehow managed to constantly get split ends. Now, I trim once a year or even less frequently, I don't even S&D, and I have no splits, thanks to the LHC wisdom! Thank you, LHC! :)

[meteor]

Yes, that's exactly what it is, both rinse-out.
Lapushka, I forgot to ask: are both CC in WCC method the same rinse-out conditioners? If so, what is the idea behind doing it twice, instead of just using twice as much conditioner for twice as long in just one step?
Sorry if my question is dumb, I just can't find information on this method, except for this thread: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6289

[bibijay]

I'm really new to the forum and haven't had much time to experiment! But in the short time I've been on here have learnt a lot. So to answer the first question - What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure? - coconut oil overnight treatments have been my big success, ditto sulphate free shampoo, and cutting down on quantity of poo and frequency of washes. Also Microfibre turban instead of hair dryer, and finally, alternating coney conditioners with non coney has made my hair fuller and thicker.

[Agnes Hannah]

Here's mine:
1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
Cone free shampoo and conditioner, successful (although I still use cones as I try to vary things)
Condition only wash, if I have to wash more than twice per week, I do a condition only, success
Oil ends. I use argan oil nightly, and olive oil the night before a wash, success
2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
blow fry has gone. I air dry now, sometimes using Madora's fanning method. Very rarely use cool dry (twice since Sept) success
3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
Using oils, honey for lighting and hydral fatique, silk pillows and lining beanies with silk inserts, protective updos, hairsticks and forks, although I can't use these successfully yet, hair is still too fine although it has increased in circumference from 1.75" to 2".

Still want to learn about leave ins and diluted conditioner in spraybottles - when to use and why etc.

[bananagirl]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

***Cold Hair Blow Drying- someone posted a link on LHC from youtube on how to blow dry your hair without any heat. You basically sit in front of a Desk Fan and keep brushing your hair with a paddle brush. Eventually your hair dries and fairly straight. It worked wonders for the lady in the video. But my hair is super curly so it just turned out a flop and left me very cold haha.
***Hair Wrapping- again, my hair is so curly that I can't wrap my hair straight. Total fail for me but I know it works awesomely for others.
*** Brazilian Blow Dry- it saved my hair. Loosened my insane curly, made my hair so soft, actually added shine to my matte hair, and stopped me from using hair straighteners and blow dryers for 5 months.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
***Philip Kingsley Extreme Elasticizer. OMG it's my life and soul and I would never wash my hair without putting this on my head as a pre shampoo treatment. I shampoo/condition my hair twice a week, and before each wash, I wet my hair and put the treatment in and sleep with it in my turban towel. Next morning I shampoo/condition and my damaged hair from years of heat processing becomes soft and stronger.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
*** you probably all know about this too well, but I'm a newie to LHC. I realised how utter crap the loreals/treseme's/head and shoulders are at washing hair. I have switched to sulphate/salt/paraben free shampoos and am avoiding silicones and gylcerins in my hair styling products. They all DRY out my already dry hair, and the change is really helping me in my journey to grow healthy long hair.

[Verdandi]

I found LHC about half a year ago, and it completely changed my hair routine, so this answer will be full of things that most of you probably consider just standard haircare.

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

No cones: Great success! My hair suddenly gained some body and even a few waves at the neck. I got pretty chocked since my hair have always been slick straight 1a refusing to stay in updos without tons of hairspray. It's finally behaving!

Daily oiling: Sucess (after cutting out the cones, with the cones it just went into a horrible oily mess). I use Body Shops Rainforest Nutrition Coconut Oil (it's light enough to not make my fine hair feel greasy) daily on the lengths and especially the ends.

Pre-wash oilings: Moderate success,. For this I use the coconut oil that you buy in jars at the supermarket. Sometimes it works wonders and sometimes my hair just feel greasy even after washing. It works wonders on DBF's thick MBL hair though.

Stretching washes: I went from washing every day to just twice a week. I tried this about a year ago when still using cones, but it didn't work at all. Without them however, it works perfectly.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Everything above *points*

I removed my regular hairbrush when i realized how damaging it was and and replaced it with wide toothed comb and BBB. Later on I also bought a Tangle Teezer, but it's usually just DBF who use that.

Removed heat styling completely. I din't use it often before, but it happened, especially att shoulder lenght. No more fried curls!

Started wearing hair up at (almost) all times.

S&D's, I've had long hair almost all my childhood and hated going to the hairdresser because she would chop off so much. I always thought it was necessary to go get a professional cut or it would look horrible. l realized that wasn't the case, made a micro trim on myself in September and now I maintain it with S&D, awaiting the long term result. *excited*


3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Putting my hair up with sticks and forks and combs! I always wanted to do that, but didn't know how. Now I've found a whole new world of pretty hairstyles thanks to you guys! :D

[meteor]

***Philip Kingsley Extreme Elasticizer. OMG it's my life and soul and I would never wash my hair without putting this on my head as a pre shampoo treatment. I shampoo/condition my hair twice a week, and before each wash, I wet my hair and put the treatment in and sleep with it in my turban towel. Next morning I shampoo/condition and my damaged hair from years of heat processing becomes soft and stronger.
Thank you very much, bananagirl! :) I'm really intrigued by this product. I understand it's for highly porous and/or damaged hair. But I can't find the ingredients anywhere. Can you please share what's in it (at least the first 5-10 ingredients)?

[marietta]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
I experimented with short hair :? I stopped dying and started using henna two years ago but I still didn't know how to take care of my long hair so the new growth became damaged too. So I made up my mind and started to cut my damaged, dyed length - I went from BSL to a pixie cut in half a year. I took my time to get used to shorter hair, and made funny updos, crimped a lot, curled, etc. (I should have dip-dyed it green :D)
After my last cut it was a few inches long. I have never been short haired in my life before. I have wavy hair so I had to blow dry and flat iron for a while to be presentable. It grew upwards and curled in a weird way.. It was funny and ok at home, but not at work/uni.
Now it's about chin length, it's getting better. I let it air dry now and baby it as much as I can. It is healthy an shiny from SMT and henna, and I do french braided pigtails for the night. So it is a success.

Learned to clarify with BS (or mixing it into conditioner) then rinse with diluted lemon juice - success
WO - fail, but helped starting CO
CO washing - success, but still experimenting.
boar bristle brush and coconut oil - success if I don't overdo it
deep treatments - success. My hair likes only so much protein but loves moisture.
satin pillowcases - since my hair is not a bird's nest in the morning, it' a success.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
Added: weekly deep treatment, mostly SMT. I use BBB daily. I rinse with diluted lemon juice after every wash.
Removed: SLS shampoo. I have one with SCS, but trying to keep away from it, since I learned to clarify with BS/lemon juice. I detangle with comb instead of brush. I keep away from heat.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
Well, all I know is from LHC and hair themed blogs.

[Symphony]

Best- Putting olive oil in my hair every night before bed. Just enough to soften and protect it, as I only wet my hair 2x/week on average.

[PixxieStix]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure? - In 2013- all failures when deviating from my previous routine, I tried three different conditioners/shampoos (Organix, something from the Body Shop, and Desert Essence). I need to stick with the conditioner and shampoo I've been using, my hair loves it and I should just keep using it.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why? - I tried changing up the products, and that was a no-go. Recently I ran out of my conditioner and started using Toadstools leave-in after towel drying, then oiling the ends as usual (with coconut oil or argan oil) once dry.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers? - I'm not sure if this applies to anyone else, but for my own hair, now that I've found my Holy Grail products, I need to just stick with them.

[animetor7]

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
-Mostly I've just been trying to stretch my washes with some success, I have gone from every other day to about every three days which is still not quite to my ultimate goal of only two washes a week.
-I also had to adjust to living in a dorm this year which meant I had to give up shampoo bars while I'm at school as I can't facilitate a vinegar rinse. :( On the upside I have discovered Nature's Gate shampoo which is lovely when diluted and used only once a week with CO for the rest of it.
-In the interest of stretching washes I have also gotten better at using my BBB and preening on days when I don't wash as well as using dry shampoo or corn starch for the last day before a wash as my roots still get very oily. I have discovered that corn starch to soak up oil works best for me when I apply it to very oily roots before bed, massage it in and then don't brush it out until morning so that it has time to soak up the oil.
-So ultimately this year has been a success in terms of experiments with no permanent failures, although I haven't really gone far outside of my comfort zone of products and such that I like, I've only varied slightly in how I use them. The only thing I now know will never work for me no matter how I use them are any sort of cone.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
-I have added Morning and Night brushing/preening with my BBB on non-wash days so as to distribute my scalp oil down my length.
-I have also added nightly end oiling with coconut oil on non-wash days.
-I have removed clarifying once a month and S&Ding once a week. My hair really only needs clarifying 3 times a year, or about every 3 months and two times every year this is taken care of by my bi-annual trims at the hairdressers. Thus I only need to use a clarifying shampoo every 6 months and it needs to be diluted otherwise I leave my hair in a sorry state. And my hair only needs S&Ding about once every month or two otherwise I lose any growth I gain.
-I have also completely removed any cones from my routine. Over the past year I kept trying to reincorporate them, but they just don't work for me. They leave my hair niceish for a day or so and then it turns into a dry, tangly, straw-like mess.

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
-Many of you already know this, but I have learned that in a lot of cases method is much more important than ingredients or products. For instance I used to think the only shampoo I could use is a really expensive organic kind, however any sulfate free shampoo will work, I just have to dilute it so that it is gentle as my hair doesn't need harsh cleaning agents. So in terms of hair quality, knowing to dilute my shampoo and only use it sparingly is much more important than the exact shampoo that I use.

[Naiadryade]

I'm not sure if this applies to anyone else, but for my own hair, now that I've found my Holy Grail products, I need to just stick with them.

It's probably because of your name.

:rollin:

[ErinLeigh]

Thank you very much, bananagirl! :) I'm really intrigued by this product. I understand it's for highly porous and/or damaged hair. But I can't find the ingredients anywhere. Can you please share what's in it (at least the first 5-10 ingredients)?

Aqua(water), Castor oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Olive Husk Oil, Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA, amodimethicobe, Polyquarternium-37, Silicone Quaternium-18, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/ Dicraprate, Trideceth-12, Diazolidinyl Urea, Trideceth-6, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Methylparaben, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Propylparaben, Sodium Benzoate, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

[ErinLeigh]

Thank you very much, bananagirl! :) I'm really intrigued by this product. I understand it's for highly porous and/or damaged hair. But I can't find the ingredients anywhere. Can you please share what's in it (at least the first 5-10 ingredients)?

double post..wow this stuff is expensive $35-55 listed prices.
I wonder if you could just mix castor,glycerin, conditioner and maybe a ceramide oil like hemp for a homemade version of this prepoo treatment and get similar results?

[SleepyTangles]

1)
Successful Experiments
- learning to henna my roots :D!
- washing with indian herbs again, though I'm still perfectioning :o!
- I've found lot of new sulphate and sls-free shampoos that my hair actually likes ...
- U shape hemline!!!
- Monthly dusting for the win!

Experiments not completely successful, but that can be handy when needed:
- (soft) bristle brush, very useful if I'm lightly oiling my lenght, but not so great on scalp (it flattens the roots a bit too much)...
-coconut oil - I can't seem to make it work on my hair already, but it has great potential (its very coating and protective), plus I've incorporated it in my lip butter recipe and its AMAZING!

Epic Fails
- I've tried to incorporate small doses of cones (amodimethicone and stuff), but that made my hair feel drier, despite the shine, and overall did not help the tangles at all.
- too many DT are bad as no deep treatment at all.

2) I've cutted on oils, expecially after wash: my hair seem to need them a lot less, now. Until I've tried cones again, yeah...:( I'll just bring back my jojoba for a while.
I've also sewn a little satin sleep cap! Its really wonderful, it reduces a lot the tangly, brokeny flyaways... sadly, it always slip of while I'm sleeping, so I'd say I do half night in it, half on my regular pillow ;).

3) I'm actually using sticks! And they finally hold my hair well enough to be used regularly instead of scruchies! Now I'm in search of methods to evenly distrubuite the weight, because there aren't many stiles I can do, at my lengt. I've also "learned" new braids, so I'm quite happy.
I've not yet mastered any "crown" hairstyle, be it twistes or braided :demon:.

[Andeee]

I've already replied to this thread a few pages back, but since then I now have a new thing! I finally tried a pre-shampoo oiling with coconut oil and it worked great! I've been really scared to use it as some people report crunchy hair after using coconut oil and I wasn't sure if I had porous or non-porous hair. I *think* it's porous. Anyway I used oiled the bottom six inches which is all pretty dry from color damage. My hair just soaked it up. I put it all up in a bun for a day and washed the next day. The ends were soft and shiny! I'm not sure how often I should do this though--maybe once a month?

[Mizumi]

Success!

-Finally found a way to use amla powder. Mix one part with one part henna and four parts conditioner - hair lovely as never. And not red!

-Probably the first WOW effect on hair: macadamia oil. Two drops make wonders for my ends

-Discovering henna in general. Nice way to do red streaks, and nice conditioner as well.

-Self-tuning my mask. added one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of linseed to my aloe mask. It got better!

-Microtrimming

Fail!

-Used a lot of linseed oil for the first time.. Oily hair for whole Christmas. sigh.

-Trying to stretch washes from 2 days to 3 = hair loss after shampooing, lol.

-Still can't get rid of split ends.

-A lot of dandruff from my coffe treatment.

[Of the Fae]

Success:
Learning how to henna roots without overlap, took me a while to learn that :)
Growing all the way to BSL, almost MBL

Fail:
Having massive dry ends
Dying my hair chemically multiple times, with bad results
Cutting it all off to a mohawk

Another success:
Rehennaing, growing it out again healthy without any bleach or chemicals

[Of the Fae]

Sorry double post, something went wrong so edited.
Happy newyears anyway :)

[Naiadryade]

I've already replied to this thread a few pages back, but since then I now have a new thing! I finally tried a pre-shampoo oiling with coconut oil and it worked great! I've been really scared to use it as some people report crunchy hair after using coconut oil and I wasn't sure if I had porous or non-porous hair. I *think* it's porous. Anyway I used oiled the bottom six inches which is all pretty dry from color damage. My hair just soaked it up. I put it all up in a bun for a day and washed the next day. The ends were soft and shiny! I'm not sure how often I should do this though--maybe once a month?

To be honest, I'd recommend doing it before every wash to help prevent damage from hydral fatigue. This article (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2011/05/before-you-shampoo-conditioner-or-oil.html)briefly explains this benefit.

[Sillage]

I'm not sure how often I should do this though--maybe once a month?

I would say you could do it way more than once a month since some people do it before every wash. However, some people get crunchy ends from over frequent coconut oil use, but it's very YMMV with how much is too much. Sorry that's not a very good answer!!


1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

The Tangle Teezer! LOVE IT!!!! Makes brushing my hair so much easier.
Found my HG shampoo: L'Oreal EverPure Smoothing
Loving Pantene Ice Shine Conditioner
Loving BLOW DRYING with my Sedu on low

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

Alterna Kendi Dry Oil Spray for detangling and over all softness and smoothness.
Shea butter for keeping my hair feeling supple and moisturized.
Ditched weekly treatments because they don't really do anything for me in the long run.
Got rid of a lot of products that didn't really do much for my hair-- trying to be more minimalist now

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
Blow drying has been great for my hair. Did all thru 2013 and no damage yet.

[Immera]

The best discovery this year was how to add a thin ribbon to my braid and then use it to tie off the ends. Much kinder to my ends than ponytail holders.

Trying to go sulfate-free was a failed experiment. It just didn't cut through the greasies. I did move to diluting my sulfate shampoo with success.

I am trying again to stretch my washes. I have been a daily washer throughout my life, am trying to move to twice a week. I now have a job where I can wear a scarf a few days a week without too much consequence. I have been on a sulfate hair fast since Dec. 18 because of vacation, although I went swimming twice, CO afterward, and then washed with an SLS-free shampoo after house cleaning Friday. Have to wash tomorrow (monday), then hopefully skip until Thursday. We will see.

Strange thing is as my scalp gets oilier, my ends get drier. Even with preening and brushing. So I am using more oils without washing than with.

[melusine963]

My best hair routine change in 2013 involved moving from somewhere with very hard water to somewhere with very soft water. My hair has never been so tangle free in its life. :) I can hardly take credit for this, however. Apart from this, I have finally figured out the right amount of coconut oil to use as a leave-in.

[~honeyflower~]

Best of 2013

•going from apl to waist this year.
•I got to do something fun with my hair like Katniss's braid and Elisa's coronation bun. I'm not one of those crazy fans, but it was fun wearing the hairstyle and have a little girl stare at the back of my head. You know...for once, the Disney animators got the hair thickness right!
•switching to an all moisturizing routine.
• I'm starting to feel satisfied with my hair
•oh yeah! LHC came back on, that was a good day.
• figured out the right amount of oil to use

Worst of 2013
• wore a top bun to bed
• I gave up on WO and CO, my transition never was successful even on week ten.
•my hair was too short to do anything so I was stuck with a French braid until summer.
• I was on a budget, that was the reason why I went WO and CO.

[kidari]

The biggest change in 2013 was that I drastically changed my hair color. I was always really scared to do it and I knew I didn't want to pay tons of money to get if professionally done. I was also concerned with the maintenance of it, but since I accomplished it myself at home it's been no big deal to maintain. When I dyed it darker, I was always doing a roots touch up only around the front portions every 4-6 weeks anyway. With the bleaching and the coloring, I've incorporated a lot of protein treatments with heavy duty cone-heavy conditioners into my routine. Successfully going from dyed black to a dark blonde/light brunette on my own was my biggest milestone of 2013. I really learned a lot about lightening dyed hair the hard way- it needs to be bleached out more than one time, let your hair rest between each bleaching, there will be bands of overlapping color so getting it even is a process, it will pull all kinds of ugly red and orange and it will be a pain to figure out how to combat it through continued lightening and toning... etc.)

I didn't really try a ton of new things but I have made new discoveries of awesome products I now regularly use on my hair including avocado oil, cooking oil sprays and using Misto to apply oil on my hair easier and faster with less mechanical damage, stretching washes, Kirkland sulfate-free shampoo, Ion effective care conditioner, Hask henna n' placenta, Silicon Mix conditioner, etc.

Changes to my routine would be that I used to always air dry but now I roughly blow dry my roots upside-down on cooler settings and when my hair is almost dry but still damp, I'll put it up in a couple buns and let it finish drying that way. It's made my life so much easier and my wash routine more pleasant and efficient. Basically, I focused on streamlining my routine to be as efficient as possible while still being effective.

[Andeee]

Thanks Naiadryade and Sillage. I did it two weeks ago and I wash my hair once a week, so maybe every other time will work for me, will experiment.

[GrowingGlory]

Duplicate post.

[GrowingGlory]

Oh no :( Wide-toothed wooden comb was drying for you? I use The Body Shop one and I don't know how to tell whether it has a drying effect on my hair or not... How exactly did your hair feel after using it? And do you think it's the design or the wood that's the culprit? (let's say compared to plastic or bone combs)

I just read this post today. It felt dry after three weeks of use.

[GrowingGlory]

[QUOTE=meteor;2598765]Since the year 2013 is coming to an end, I think it's a good idea to take a moment to reassess our hair routines and experiments and share what we've learned in 2013:
I would like to answer this set of questions for 2014.


1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?
I started washing in shower water with Zest Whitewater Fresh Antibacterial Body Wash.
2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?
My routine now consists solely of washing (as in #1), air drying, combing with a horn comb, and restraining in a cinnabun with a cedar spike. Just today I tried deodorizing it with Lysol Spray.
3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2013 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?
Yes, Zest Whitewater Fresh Antibacterial Body Wash works well in shower water, and Lysol Spray deodorizes hair, too.

Thank you very much for your input, guys! :) And happy new year 2014!

[iluvbooks]

(2014)

1) What have you experimented with? Any new methods and/or products? Was it a success or failure?

Rosehip oil on the ends. I like it, because it looks shiney without the greasy look.

2) What did you add to your hair routine or remove from your regular hair routine? Why?

I added raw organic honey to my shampoo and to my before-shower deep conditioning routine. It's my new "miracle" product, lol!

3) Anything new you learned about hair in 2014 and wanted to share with LHC-ers?

Yeah, that terminal length is for real, and it sucks!