Anyone else have a wibbly wobbly all over the place routine?

[Nadine <3]

My routine is a mess. I think the only thing that really stays the same is I wash every 4 days, trying to stretch to 5. Once I get to 5 I'm going no further.

Nothing about my routine is the same. I find products I LOVE and I stick with them for a bit, but then...I read about something I haven't tried and I NEED to buy it and try it... or a different style of washing like CO, water only, sebum only, using shampoo/not using shampoo, silicones, no silicones. I jump from silicone free stuff, to stuff that's almost all silicones and my hair likes silicone free and silicones, I just have to be careful not to let it build up...

Anyways...I want to simplify my routine...but I get very easily bored and I like to mix it up! So do you stick to the same products and way of washing, or do you jump from product to product and washing style based entirely on your mood come washing day?:p

[two_wheels]

I like to think that it's reactive rather than random... So if my hair is too slippery I'll use a shampoo bar, if it's all weighed down it's time for regular shampoo, if it is all fuzzy it's panacea time... But really, yeah, a bit random here too :)

[starlamelissa]

when I first came to LHC, 4 years ago,I liked trying new things. Now I rarely ever try anything new/different/interesting.

for months I have used pantene shampoo, pantene conditioner, a mineral oil leave in on wet hair, and air drying. Brush when dry. I wear claw clips for lazy buns, or do a quickie english braid.

I've used the same hair dye brand for 3 years.

I recently bought a new hairbrush, my old one was bugging me. Its a paddle, which used to be a big no no around here, but the newer models are quite nice.

Been maintaining a bit longer than hip for about 6 months due to lack of interest, but i am planning on growing it a bit longer now.

[lapushka]

My routine hasn't changed in *years*. Gosh, I'm sooo boring. ;) But I do remember a time when I first came to hairboards, I also wanted to try everything at once. The key is not to, and to give something *time*.

[molljo]

I'm the same. The only thing that remains the same is when I wash. I haven't really landed on products that I can't live without (except Panacea), mainly because money is tight and I simply don't have the budget to buy ALL THE THINGS even though I totally would if I had the money. So, I'll use up whatever I have, then get something else when that runs out. There are just so many things to try! My hair is decent, not a huge mess but not beautiful either, and I'll probably just keep experimenting until I find that special combo (or until I just get bored?).

[two_wheels]

I don't think it's boring to have a routine! :blossom: I *aspire* to a routine that works 100%. I just think it's ok to wibble until you get that routine down.

[Laurenji]

I'll settle down into something for a few months, maybe a year, and then I'll start switching it up again. I was washing with baking soda and rinsing with AVC for almost 9 months, then wondered why my hair was so dry. Now I'm in a period of change again as I realized I should have never stopped oiling, and maybe CO-washing wasn't as bad as I remembered it.

[jacqueline101]

I have changed my routine a few times. I was trying to find my winning combination. I think I found my products. I'm happy to say my hair is improving and I'm hoping to gain what I trimmed off in order to get rid of my layers.

[Weewah]

I'm wibbly wobbling as a journey for the best routine that works for me. I change something every day, take pictures and notes of my hair that day, and keep doing what works and stop doing what doesn't.

[Nadine <3]

Honestly I'm slightly envious of the people who can just stick with one thing and be happy. It would save a lot of money and space in my tiny bathroom! I have this ridiculous need to try everything..even if I have a million things at home that work well. Something else could be *better* lol

[ErinLeigh]

My routine is the fact I have no routine. I use different products, methods, schedules etc.
I have no wash schedule. Just whenever I feel like it or if I have somewhere to be I want hair to look good for.
Sometimes I use sulfates, sometimes cowash, sometimes sulfate free.
Sometimes I will use cones. Mostly not (currently, that will be ever chsnging however)
Sometimes I use leave ins, sometimes not.
Sometimes I air dry, other times blow dry.

I never use the same product 2 days in a row, nor the same combination. I have probably around 30 products I mix and match.
I rotate oils also, finding a way to use all.

Its fun for me to play around I suppose. I wish I were more simple but accepted I truly prefer giving my hair lots of different things.

[Leslieslsa]

I am with you on this. I am all over the place. I actually spend more money on my hair than anything else. Some products I buy and use once and then never again. Others I like and use here and there. I have so much stuff I have been looking for friends to give some of it to!! I am a collector. lol.

[umbrellabones]

I guess mine is pretty wibbly wobbly! No real wash schedule. I only use shampoo bars, but I alternate between 3 to 5 different ones. some times I wash once, sometimes I wash twice. the strength of my acv rinses vary and sometimes I add essential oils...I rotate through 3 to 4 conditioners depending on my mood...I oil when I remember.. Its pretty laid back compared to a lot of people on here! :)

[ErinLeigh]

Honestly I'm slightly envious of the people who can just stick with one thing and be happy. It would save a lot of money and space in my tiny bathroom! I have this ridiculous need to try everything..even if I have a million things at home that work well. Something else could be *better* lol

I am the same way. Been changing products my whole life really.
I think its just my hair needs variety. I think one product just doesn't have enougj to cover my needs perhaps?
My hair gets to used to something and it stops working so that evolved over time to switching it up.

It used to bother when I first came here that I had no routine. Everyone seemed so content and at ease with theirs.
I have finally learned all hair is different and honestly mine responds to change. By rotating products I get the protein I need sometimes, the extra moisture retention from other things, some smoothing from others yada yada. I doubt I will ever stop switching up products but maybe hopefully I can do it in a way that is less spendy, such as more sample sizes or making sure I use up more of something before replacing it with another. Sometimes I wonder if my hair type or style dictates it. My hair is fine, prone to frizz, sometimes straight, sometimes wurly and other times wavy. Maybe that has something to do with it? I have to work with the ever evolving hair.

[ErinLeigh]

I am with you on this. I am all over the place. I actually spend more money on my hair than anything else. Some products I buy and use once and then never again. Others I like and use here and there. I have so much stuff I have been looking for friends to give some of it to!! I am a collector. lol.

I am the same way! I often wish I had friends that did the same do we could swap products.
I also wish there was some hair product of the month club that sent smaller sizes of things to sample. I have lately been scouting websites and checking out free samples or trial size offers. I am tired of large bottle of product going to waste.

[starlamelissa]

I definitely DID try things at first! I just became happy and settled over time. Also I am really weird about having unmatching half used products hanging around. It bothers me! I like a matching set of shampoo and conditioner, that does what it says on the tin and costs me less than $10 for the set.

Also it must smell like heaven, and not irritate my sensitive skin/scalp/ give me asthma attack.

Took some experimenting to figure that out.

[ErinLeigh]

I am the same way! I often wish I had friends that did the same do we could swap products.
I also wish there was some hair product of the month club that sent smaller sizes of things to sample. I have lately been scouting websites and checking out free samples or trial size offers. I am tired of large bottle of product going to waste.

Funny thing..as much as I play around with routine I haven't really tried any LHC experiments except one, cone free.
I had dabbled in cowash prior, did sulfate free, an occasional vinegar beer rinse, even tried oiling before joining. Never stuck with any one thing but tried all in my life. It kind of surprises me I didn't jump into trying all the fun stuff here. My only real experimenting has always been products. That increased since being here for sure though as I joined makeup alley and amazon same time and between the 3 sites there were just so many recommended products I couldn't wait to try.

So even though my "routine" varies, it technically stays same. Just products rotate. Whether I cowash it shampoo it's still same basic premise. Wash, condition, sometimes a leave in. I guess there is a sense in routine if I think of it that way.

[Nadine <3]

I am the same way. Been changing products my whole life really.
I think its just my hair needs variety. I think one product just doesn't have enougj to cover my needs perhaps?
My hair gets to used to something and it stops working so that evolved over time to switching it up.

It used to bother when I first came here that I had no routine. Everyone seemed so content and at ease with theirs.
I have finally learned all hair is different and honestly mine responds to change. By rotating products I get the protein I need sometimes, the extra moisture retention from other things, some smoothing from others yada yada. I doubt I will ever stop switching up products but maybe hopefully I can do it in a way that is less spendy, such as more sample sizes or making sure I use up more of something before replacing it with another. Sometimes I wonder if my hair type or style dictates it. My hair is fine, prone to frizz, sometimes straight, sometimes wurly and other times wavy. Maybe that has something to do with it? I have to work with the ever evolving hair.

This sounds so much like my hair! Mine changes from day to day and sometimes a routine that was fine my last wash just doesn't have the same affect. It will leave my hair feeling to dry, to flat, yada yada yada... I think my hair just likes the change as well. When my hair feels funky, I switch to something different and it feels great again. Weird.

starlamelissa I had a weird thing about having matching shampoos and conditioners as well. I couldn't just buy the shampoo or just the conditioner. I *needed* the set. After I joined here though I saw soooo many people mixing up different shampoos and conditioners or even just using the condish. I had a lightbulb moment and started to just buy conditioners but I still think to myself whether or not I want the shampoo lol

[Vanilla]

I definitely have a completely all over the place routine. I was using sulfate free shampoos and no cone conditioners before coming to LHC, and then tried cowashing, water only and then George Michael products (no cones and sulfates) with mineral oil. I clarified with garnier pure clean and then conditions with Aubrey Organics honeysuckle rose.

I now use loreal's eversleek line (no sulfates) with the cone serum. I occasionally use coconut oil as a prewash, and use panacea in the summer as a leave in when I'm riding. My hair is getting greasy way more quickly as of recent, so I might have to go back to sulfates again.

[ErinLeigh]

I used to be weird about having the matching sets too
I had to have both as I assumed they woukd work best together and the scent woukd marry better.
Now I find I only time i use a matching pair is if I'm doing the Loreal Eversleek for the day.

Fun thread!

[Nadine <3]

Mine never match anymore. I at least try and compliment the scents, although I find my hair usually just smells like whatever I used last in the shower so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. Shampoo doesn't seem to leave much of a strong scent. When I do match it's usually because I'm using my garnier fructis hydra recharge. I still add a heavy cone free conditioner between the shampoo and he matching condish. The conditioner isn't hydrating enough on it own for me.

Today I used my garnier to clarify, then I conditioned with my Suave aloe, and then I conditioned again with Tresseme naturals and that had AMAZING results. I loved my hair all day today!

I love rambling about product. Most people don't care lol

[ExpectoPatronum]

I change my hair routine at least once a day :p I'm always trying something new.

[Aderyn]

I have a pretty consistent routine. Wash my hair with a shampoo bar every 4 days or so, maybe put a little coconut oil or Panacea on the ends, air dry, put up, and I'm done. I vary the shampoo bars regularly (use up a full or 1/2 bar, then switch to another one).

I've recently decided to add conditioner to that routine, so we'll see what happens.

I'm always up for trying new things here and there, but I'm certainly not the type to "wibble wobble" around or try adding too many things at once to my routine. If I want to know how one thing works, adding in a lot of additional variables can skew the interpretation of the end result, to say the least. None of the specific products I use are "must haves", my hair does fine with variations and I don't want to be dependent on very specific products with a very specific formulation that could change or no longer be available on a whim.

[RainbowBowser]

I'm consistent with products, but I end up sporadically doing something different sometimes. An example of this would be using baking soda and ACV to clarify my hair, I basically never do that, and same with adding honey to a cone-free conditioner, I did it twice randomly.
One thing I am not figuring out at all: leave-ins, my sister gave me a bunch and its been trial and error.

[dancingrain91]

I'm slowly just sticking to a routine close to luxepiggy's for washing, using Garnier and Ice Shine to cowash and a citric acid rinse, along with the rosemary leave in conditioner and oil treatments Farah Dhukai on youtube posts. That's the real variable. When my hair gets over moisterized I do the gelatin protein treatment and if it won't come clean from a cowash I use the Ice Shine shampoo. I use a wooden comb from The Body Shop and my fingers to detangle and I wash when it needs it.

[Lydialove]

I'm all wibble wobble and don't really have a routine, doing whatever feels like my hair might need.

Though, I'm sort of a space cadet - it's possible I've developed a routine and just haven't noticed it yet.

[Natalia]

Im in transition right now. I used t be mainly CO then i was WO, now im trying poo bars and have been stretching washes for almost a year. It has more to do with life/health circumstances but being WO i did miss nice smelling stuff sometimes. I think im more of a serial monogamous than flip flop when i find something i stend to stick with it for 1 - 3 years then i change and do the same cycle. What my hair prefers is daily pampering what i prefer is low maintenance :p there is a bit of a mismatch.

[Rosetta]

starlamelissa I had a weird thing about having matching shampoos and conditioners as well. I couldn't just buy the shampoo or just the conditioner. I *needed* the set. After I joined here though I saw soooo many people mixing up different shampoos and conditioners or even just using the condish. I had a lightbulb moment and started to just buy conditioners but I still think to myself whether or not I want the shampoo lol

I used to be weird about having the matching sets too
I had to have both as I assumed they woukd work best together and the scent woukd marry better.
Now I find I only time i use a matching pair is if I'm doing the Loreal Eversleek for the day.
That's the one thing I've never gone for, to be honest I've always thought it's just a marketing gimmick (and still do)... I'm baffled that many people actually do think (or have thought) they need to buy "matching" S & C. ;) I choose which shampoo and conditioner to use in each wash based on what I wish to achieve, couldn't care less about the brand :p

But as to the original issue, I don't think there's necessarily nothing wrong with not having a set routine, if that's what works for you. :)

[lapushka]

Back when we were still experimenting, I couldn't get my hair past BSL. I also had to have dye and bleach in there, somehow. So, ... yeah. That. Happened. Then I stopped loving dye and bleach and my hair grew. No more chemicals, and my hair grew past BSL and past waist and past hip. So now I stick to one routine (the products may change, but the basics are the same). Wash with a harsh cleanser, then coney conditioners (WCC method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=119314)) and then the LOC method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=118167) for styling.

[jacqueline101]

I've had the same routine for a year now. I'm in a pickle when I use all of my lustrasilk cholesterol treatment. It's no longer made. The rest of my stuff I'm happy with. I wash on the same day same method and my shampoo sets match. I do use other products by other companies. I don't see any harm in it. I do what my hair loves.

[Sharysa]

(Un?)fortunately I'm one of the people who can hold a routine very well. Wash twice a week, oil after the wash, set it in braid waves. Trim my split ends every new or waxing moon, and maybe do a pre-shower oiling afterward. I guess it's because my hair is just too resilient (and I'm too lazy) to need much experimenting; product-wise, my hair is fine with Dr. Bronner's Unscented soap and some good almond oil.

[Aderyn]

That's the one thing I've never gone for, to be honest I've always thought it's just a marketing gimmick (and still do)... I'm baffled that many people actually do think (or have thought) they need to buy "matching" S & C. ;) I choose which shampoo and conditioner to use in each wash based on what I wish to achieve, couldn't care less about the brand :p

Yeah, same here. Especially when the bottles will say, "best used with other products from this line," which can include a dozen products in that line... just.. nope. Haha.

Though, when I was younger I definitely preferred S&C to be a matching set, for the colors and scents to be the same and look like they belong together rather than thinking they would somehow magically function better together, though I wouldn't get all bent out of shape when I used mismatching S&C. Nowadays, I really could care less.

[Lady Mary]

Mine was after I first joined LHC, definitely, but since then I have settled on a particular CV poo bar and an ACV rinse. Pretty basic but it works for me.