Dandruff+clarifying+wet hair questions

[cdonald2]

Hi there! I am trying to grow my hair 18 inches, so far its been growing 3/4-1 inch a month with the care i am giving it. I just want to make sure i can get some info on a couple things.

1. best clarifying shampoo to remove build up (is once every two weeks okay since i use cones?)

2. best dandruff shampoo ( i find some dandruff from time to time and it is more of a problem with the cold weather, i also protect it with a satin cap under a hat when i go out in th ecold)

3. what the heck do i do with it when its wet? i know some say to keep it down, but others say thats damaging to the ends. some say to put it up, others say it damages where the hairtye ties it up. ive heard even leaving it up in a towel is bad. I use either satin, cotton or terricloth scrunchies to avoid most damage if i can. so, if anyone has good info on what would be best for hair when its wet, id really appreciate it :)

[Firefox7275]

What is the medical diagnosis for your dandruff? That is a laymans umbrella term covering several flaky scalp conditions, effective treatment for one can worsen another.

You may not need to clarify depending on the specific silicones you use and how much. Do you actually get build up and does your regular shampoo not shift it?

There are different schools of thought on wet hair. Some believe moisture (=water) is good since it softens, and practice damp bunning. Others hold that wet hair is weak hair so hair should open to air dry. One recent study did suggest it was best for hair to dry relatively quickly, however there are also studies showing that overly fast drying with a hairdryer causes cracking in the cuticle. No doubt there is a happy balance somewhere in between!!

Rough towels and rough clothing is likely damaging for hair to rub on. You could switch to soft microfibre towels, an old cotton long sleeve T shirt or flour sack towels if you are concerned about the loops on regular terry cotton towels. You could ensure you are always wearing slippy or silky tops when air drying your hair loose, avoiding rougher wooly sweaters or anything that tends to snag other fabrics.

[walterSCAN]

I don't have answers for #s 1 and 2, but for 3:

(I'm assuming your hair stats are recently updated for this answer.) Since your hair is fairly short right now, you can probably just leave it down to dry. As long as you aren't rubbing your head against things, your ends should be safe. Just blot it with your towel and take it down to dry, unless you enjoy drip-drying. ;) This also depends on when in the day you are washing your hair. If it's morning, then what I've said applies, unless you're wearing hats. If you wash it before bed, your ends might be getting rubbed against your pillow, so if you haven't already I would suggest investing in a silk pillowcase or sleep bonnet.

When it gets longer, you may want to damp bun or braid (or both) to protect your ends, making sure you use hair-friendly methods to put it up, but for now I think it's safe down. Good job with the scrunchies, although if it were me I'd nix the cotton and terry cloth ones and stick with satin. Have you tried spin pins? when your hair gets longer you may want to look into sticks and forks too.

Happy growing!!

[cdonald2]

im terrified of using cones but theyre hard to avoid. They are in my leave in conditioner that i use all the time, daily in fact. I wash about 2-3x weekly and i am not sure when you are able to see buildup

[jacqueline101]

Best clarifying shampoo: vo5 vanilla mint tea I use the conditioner too.
Best dandruff shampoo: garner 2 in 1 I use it myself on occasion
What to do with it. I like to air dry then turbie towel dry and braid. When hair gets long you have to protect the ends.

[walterSCAN]

im terrified of using cones but theyre hard to avoid. They are in my leave in conditioner that i use all the time, daily in fact. I wash about 2-3x weekly and i am not sure when you are able to see buildup

You won't necessarily see build-up first, you'll feel it. If your hair starts acting a little off or strange, then it's a good idea to try clarifying because it could be build-up. Why are you terrified of cones? I don't like them, personally, because my hair doesn't react well when I use them, but there isn't anything inherently bad about them.

[cdonald2]

I worry that if i use my leave on conditioners too much it will seal out any other products i use on them. Like it wont absorb as well with them or something. I dont now the science of them but i know about them coating your hair... so its worrysome to me. I want to keep it as moisturized as possible so i dont have to worry about my ends. Im at shoulder length now (maybe past it an inch or so) and i want to get to bsl by summer, so im avoiding cutting if i can. I just want to keep it as healthy as possible.

[Firefox7275]

Do you mean moisturised or do you mean conditioned? Water doesn't help hair remain healthy nor prevent splits and breaks, in fact it can weaken and damage hair ('hygral fatigue'). Old ends can be overly porous so take up too much water.

Silicones are one family of ingredients that can help protect ends as they age and get damaged ('weathering'). Most ingredients in products cannot penetrate anyway, there is a list of those that can over on the Natural Haven blog (deep conditioning series). You can replace the properties of silicones with other ingredients but which depends on your hair properties and the diagnosis for your scalp disorder.