Hard finding balance in my routine

[Misschilly]

Hi beautiful girls!

Before LHC my routine was:
wash every other day with regular shampoo and conditioner or dt
I wore my hair up everyday and went to bsl
every time I went to the salon they told me my hair was a bit dry and I should do some dt..witch I often did

Now:
Co once a week
want to add something to protect my tips every day
wearing hair up everyday..
grown to waist

So my problem is that I often get build up or get greasy..I can oil everyday the first 3-4 days and the hair drinks it up, then my hair says stop and get greasy..

I feel like I've gone from to little to too much and having problem finding the right balance now..

should I try a SLS-free shampoo every other week?
How often can I oil?

My goal is to get into some kind of benign neglect state like I was before..not have to "read my hair" so much, just do what I need, put it up and continue to let it grow..=)

[Firefox7275]

Why do you want to add something every day without cleansing? You wouldn't do that to your skin, and skin has its own mechanism for removing build up (natural exfoliation). Plenty of ingredients in a good conditioner are substantive ('sticky') enough to survive through several wash and wear cycles, especially if you are protecting hair in between. Some still work if they deposit a single layer of molecules on the hair.

Oiling is absolutely useful but its over emphasised on LHC: there are various conditioner ingredients specifically used to patch repair or protect, that work synergistically with oils. Remember oil is 100% active so even a couple drops is loads of molecules; conditioner is largely water and we rinse away the vast majority of it. Some hair types do well with a little left in, but whether that builds up depends on the ingredients.

If you put too much stuff in your hair dust, dirt and lint will stick to it affecting the 'slip' and possibly causing tangling or other damage. This is not protecting your hair, less really can be more.

[DweamGoiL]

I agree with Firefox regarding moderation with oils. I used to oil every 2-3 days and now rarely do it in between washes and my hair like yours used to be dry. I was becoming resigned to the fact that I just had dry hair. I used to wash with sulfate-rich shampoos often because I used to be a lot more physical and into working out quite frequently. Now, I mostly use oil to seal my ends after a wash, but that is about it. If it feels particularly catchy like after I henna or something, I will add a bit of oil and smooth it through while I brush.

I have fine hair also and although I would love to CO wash to promote my wave, it did not work for me. I tried to give it the good 'ole college try, but after the first 2 months, I could not stand it any longer. My dandruff was unreal and it was always greasy and looked as if it was coated all the time. Now, I wash 1-2 a week with a sulfate-free shampoo and use light conditioners since my hair is very prone to being limp. I do deep condition 1-2 a month, but honestly, most likely closer to once since I never really get around to it as often as I should :)

[ErinLeigh]

I don't reapply oil once it has been added. I find it a bit more drying that way. If I wash, condition then oil then it stays as is until I wash it, unless I am doing a heavy all over pre wash treatment before bed with the penetrating oils. (I wash several times a week though so things are different for us)
Maybe after washing you can add a leave in conditioner and then oil to seal that and let it be until next wash, or only oil one or 2 more times max? I guess I am saying perhaps it would help to stop once it reached saturation and stops drinking it up. May help with the buildup issue.

As far as co washing for me personally, I do shampoo also. I tend to do a few cowashes then do a gentle non sulfate shampoo. Then a few more cowashes then a sulfate shampoo. It works for me. My hair is really fine so I need that so things do not get to heavy.

[sarahthegemini]

I'm confused, if you're adding oil to your hair every day, obviously you're going to get greasy at some point ...the obvious 'solution' would be to wash your hair after day 4 and re-start the cycle or stop oiling so frequently. Why do you feel the need to add something to your ends daily? A leave in conditioner or serum should be enough to protect your ends between washes. Unless your ends are very fragile, are they?

[Misschilly]

I don't reapply oil once it has been added. I find it a bit more drying that way. If I wash, condition then oil then it stays as is until I wash it, unless I am doing a heavy all over pre wash treatment before bed with the penetrating oils. (I wash several times a week though so things are different for us)
Maybe after washing you can add a leave in conditioner and then oil to seal that and let it be until next wash, or only oil one or 2 more times max? I guess I am saying perhaps it would help to stop once it reached saturation and stops drinking it up. May help with the buildup issue.

As far as co washing for me personally, I do shampoo also. I tend to do a few cowashes then do a gentle non sulfate shampoo. Then a few more cowashes then a sulfate shampoo. It works for me. My hair is really fine so I need that so things do not get to heavy.

Yeah, I guess I need some "oil detox" and cut it down a lot..before lhc I barley never putted something on my hair so I guess I have to go back, first try with just one application after wash and then perhaps add on..

I think I'll try to dilute a shampoo/buy a sulfate free one to use sometimes, maybe every other wash or once a month..

[Misschilly]

I'm confused, if you're adding oil to your hair every day, obviously you're going to get greasy at some point ...the obvious 'solution' would be to wash your hair after day 4 and re-start the cycle or stop oiling so frequently. Why do you feel the need to add something to your ends daily? A leave in conditioner or serum should be enough to protect your ends between washes. Unless your ends are very fragile, are they?

I don't think I wanna wash more so I need to cut down the oiling!
My ends are not so frigile I think, but they are pretty old so I want to take care of them..what's the difference between a leave in and serum? Is something better?

[ErinLeigh]

Yeah, I guess I need some "oil detox" and cut it down a lot..before lhc I barley never putted something on my hair so I guess I have to go back, first try with just one application after wash and then perhaps add on..

I think I'll try to dilute a shampoo/buy a sulfate free one to use sometimes, maybe every other wash or once a month..

Some none sulfates can be pretty harsh too on my hair. It gets frustrating looking for the right balance. I have a sulfate shampoo, a stronger non sulfate like cocamidopropyl betaine, then a more gentle like Decyl Glucoside. I play around based on how much buildup I think I have as each seem to clean my hair differently. Are you liking cowashing? If so, Every other wash may be a lot of a jump for you..maybe start with monthly and then decide to to do more often shampoo like every other wash if you like results?

I hope you find your balance. It is a pain trying to sort it out. For me it gets expensive too because I start product jumping. Good luck with it :)

[sarahthegemini]

I don't think I wanna wash more so I need to cut down the oiling!
My ends are not so frigile I think, but they are pretty old so I want to take care of them..what's the difference between a leave in and serum? Is something better?

It's easy to go a bit overboard, but remember, it's possible to have too much of a good thing :D

A leave in is short for leave in conditioner, whereas a serum is usually a silicone or oil formula that provides no conditioning but can provide extra slip and shine and offer some protection. Personally I prefer leave in conditioners. Perhaps you could try using a leave in conditioner after washing and then applying a drop or two of oil over the top, then see how your ends feel after a few days.

[ErinLeigh]

I don't think I wanna wash more so I need to cut down the oiling!
My ends are not so frigile I think, but they are pretty old so I want to take care of them..what's the difference between a leave in and serum? Is something better?

Leave ins tend to be conditioners. They can have silicones or not. Most serums are pure silicones. They tend to look syrupy. The oil can be your "serum" instead which is what I do personally.
Most cowashers shy away from silicones because conditioner is not enough to remove them (unless water soluble ones) which can lead to buildup.

Hope that helps. It is very general but I am sure you get the idea.
It just sound to me like you are happy with routine but have begun to over oil thinking more is better.
It happens to a lot of people. If you just stick to oiling when needed instead of doing daily I think you will find you aren't in need of major change. A little shampoo once in a while is great for clarifying and restarting. You could simply get a clarifying shampoo and do as needed. Other than that it there is nothing wrong with cowashing and oiling. Moderation is all.

[Misschilly]

Some none sulfates can be pretty harsh too on my hair. It gets frustrating looking for the right balance. I have a sulfate shampoo, a stronger non sulfate like cocamidopropyl betaine, then a more gentle like Decyl Glucoside. I play around based on how much buildup I think I have as each seem to clean my hair differently. Are you liking cowashing? If so, Every other wash may be a lot of a jump for you..maybe start with monthly and then decide to to do more often shampoo like every other wash if you like results?

I hope you find your balance. It is a pain trying to sort it out. For me it gets expensive too because I start product jumping. Good luck with it :)

I do find that co makes my salp produce less oil witch is nice! Yes, I hope I'll learn soon so I can go back to my beign neglect kind of mode. Yes, it's easy to buy to much things..I'll try to be careful and think before shopping=)




It's easy to go a bit overboard, but remember, it's possible to have too much of a good thing :D

A leave in is short for leave in conditioner, whereas a serum is usually a silicone or oil formula that provides no conditioning but can provide extra slip and shine and offer some protection. Personally I prefer leave in conditioners. Perhaps you could try using a leave in conditioner after washing and then applying a drop or two of oil over the top, then see how your ends feel after a few days.


Yeah, I guess it's just feels good to actually do something for your hair every day..time to change!
I'll try a leave in and oil, right now I've just applied some panacea's hair salve after my wash yesterday!

[MeAndTheMaz]

A leave in is short for leave in conditioner, whereas a serum is usually a silicone or oil formula that provides no conditioning but can provide extra slip and shine and offer some protection. Personally I prefer leave in conditioners. Perhaps you could try using a leave in conditioner after washing and then applying a drop or two of oil over the top, then see how your ends feel after a few days.

Okay. Now I gotta ask. I thought "conditioning" was "slip and shine and [. . .] protection". What else does conditioner do?

[sarahthegemini]

Okay. Now I gotta ask. I thought "conditioning" was "slip and shine and [. . .] protection". What else does conditioner do?

Well I guess the main thing is that conditioner can have ingredients that can actually moisturise the hair, patch repair it etc. Whereas a serum mostly has silicones which coat the hair, rather than actually help it so to speak.