Please help with randomly dry hair

[Arwenlily]

I don't understand what is going on. I have had the same routine for about 2 months now and haven't changed anything. I wash about every 5 days with my typical shampoo followed by an ACV rinse and usually apply some coconut oil to my ends. Usually my hair is soft and shiny but today out of nowhere, my hair feels incredibly dry and is showing signs of low elasticity (my new growth hair feels fine). I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of time just now and I can hear the snapping shudder:. I don't know what is wrong because I didn't change anything. I shampooed, did the ACV rinse, damp braided my hair and the only thing I didn't do was put any coconut oil. What the heck?

[meteor]

Could be seasonal change maybe? If so, you might need to switch up products accordingly.


I don't know what is wrong because I didn't change anything. I shampooed, did the ACV rinse, damp braided my hair and the only thing I didn't do was put any coconut oil. What the heck?
Presence or absence of oils can have quite a dramatic effect on how dry or oily your hair feels. Why not bring back coconut oil or some other oil. If that doesn't work, maybe a deep treatment (for example, an SMT) is in order? I'd use both humectants and oils.


It's best to deep condition on freshly clarified hair. It might be just build-up from using the same products with the same routine. Clarifying helps a lot against dryness caused by coating/build-up.

[Arwenlily]

Yes, it seems so but I'm worried most about is the low elasticity ... I swear the last time I washed my hair was fine. The reason I tried to do without coconut oil was because my hair was feeling a little bit weighed down, so I wanted to try and see what my hair would be like without it. I guess my hair is not a fan of that idea.

Do you think doing the SMT would help with low elasticity as well?

[Ocelan]

I would definitely try a moisturising deep treatment, for example SMT. Coconut oil is high in protein so you might have protein overload. Try to combat this by adding moisture. You might have to do several treatments if one doesn't do it.

Do you have pre-LHC damage on your ends maybe? I know I do and my hair ends neeeeed extra moisture, a lot. The top part with the new growth is fine with any routine pretty much, but the ends not so much. You might want to continue doing a moisturising treatment (even a heavy conditioner might do) every 2 weeks or so after you nurse your hair back to a healthy state.

Also you could try to gently clarify your hair (without much rubbing because of the state of your hair right now). It may be that the coconut oil has caused buildup on your hair and that needs to come off before your hair can feel the benefits of oils or conditioning products.

[ErinLeigh]

I would clarify/chelate followed by a cone free deep deep conditioner, then go back to routine and see if everything is back to normal first. Would be easiest way to determine if anything needs changed or not by how hair behaves when you go back to routine.

[Arwenlily]

I would definitely try a moisturising deep treatment, for example SMT. Coconut oil is high in protein so you might have protein overload. Try to combat this by adding moisture. You might have to do several treatments if one doesn't do it.

Do you have pre-LHC damage on your ends maybe? I know I do and my hair ends neeeeed extra moisture, a lot. The top part with the new growth is fine with any routine pretty much, but the ends not so much. You might want to continue doing a moisturising treatment (even a heavy conditioner might do) every 2 weeks or so after you nurse your hair back to a healthy state.

Also you could try to gently clarify your hair (without much rubbing because of the state of your hair right now). It may be that the coconut oil has caused buildup on your hair and that needs to come off before your hair can feel the benefits of oils or conditioning products.

Thank you for posting this because this really got me thinking about coconut oil and protein. I did some research and found this article: http://urbanbushbabes.com/coconut-oil-dry-brittle-hair-for-some/

Basically it says that coconut oil causes dry and brittle hair for those who already have enough protein in their hair, as coconut oil has been shown to prevent protein loss. Is it possible that this is what happened to me?

[Arwenlily]

Also, I've never done an SMT before. Where would I be able to find aloe vera gel?

[Ocelan]

Atleast here aloe vera gel is sold in the health food/organic item stores, but depending on your location you might find it even in larger grocery stores. Just make sure you guy the clear 99% aloe vera gel (the 1 % is most likely water) as I've heard they also sell some kind of green stuff for burns and such which has some not so nice ingredients hairwise.

If you don't have the ingredients at hand right away you can do just a long (atleast 15 minutes but up to how long you can stand it on your head) conditioner soak (preferably cone-free) or add honey or molasses in that conditioner you do the soak with.

[ErinLeigh]

The sell the clear aloe gel usually by the sunscreen area in Walmart and Walgreens, Target and CVS tyoe stores.
Fruit of the Earth is clear and works well.

When I had a keratin treatment I experienced a bit of protein overload. My hair was dry, tangly, crunchy and snapped easily. I added SMTs and other protein free deep conditioners to get some moisture into hair and they did work. The hair softened up and stopped snapping. It was a lot more pliable afterwards and did help with low elasticity. If you are on the too much protein side somehow, adding in the protein free deep treatments will help a lot.

I would still clarify and chelate first just in case it's as simple as mineral or product buildup and then do a deep moisture conditioner. As far as the coconut oil..if you keep with it and it still works after the clarify, perhaps alternate it with avocado, argan or jojoba or some other type oil? Add a drop to damp hair to seal moisture and reduce tangles, then see if anything changes for the better after a month?

[spidermom]

Coconut oil does NOT contain protein.

[Anje]

Do you normally use conditioner? Many people eventually get dried out hair with a shampoo-and-oil only routine.


Coconut oil does NOT contain protein.
Thank you.

Lipids != proteins.

[Arwenlily]

Do you normally use conditioner? Many people eventually get dried out hair with a shampoo-and-oil only routine.


Thank you.

Lipids != proteins.

No I don't use conditioner except when I do a deep conditioning once a month. But is it possible that coconut oil can dry out hair as well?

[Anje]

No I don't use conditioner except when I do a deep conditioning once a month. But is it possible that coconut oil can dry out hair as well?
I think it might be more accurate to say that coconut oil might not be sufficient for all your hair's needs. Some moisture in the form of humectants can make a big difference in hair's suppleness and ensure that it stretches slightly instead of being snappy. Some conditioning agents (most of which are at least somewhat synthetic) are really helpful for adding slip. Coconut oil is good for hair, but it can also reduce how much moisture it absorbs -- it's plausible that you've driven more water from your hair than is desirable.

[Arwenlily]

The reason why I hadn't been using conditioner is because I use this shampoo: http://www.ecosevi.com/products/pumpkin-seed-shampoo
which is a moisture shampoo and when I've followed it with conditioner before, my hair felt overconditioned. So instead I began to use only an ACV rinse afterwards .... what do you think might be better then?

[Anje]

You know how individual these things are... What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. That said, I think that you probably need to condition a bit more frequently than you currently are doing, given that your hair is dried out. Might be twice a month, might be a rinse-out conditioner every other wash.

Alternatively, clarifying might not hurt. (I know I always notice buildup at the ends first.) That shampoo looks very mild -- if something is building up a bit, it might not be getting it all off.

[Arwenlily]

Of course, everyone's hair is different as we can clearly see on these forums :). I chelated this morning with Redken Cleansing Cream and conditioned with Biolage Deep Smoothing conditioner for about 25 minutes. Once my hair dried, I put a little bit of almond oil. My hair is super fluffy, not really frizzy, but feels very odd. I don't know how to describe it. It feels dry and soft at the same time ... didn't know this was possible.

I guess I may have to use more conditioner in my routine, I'm just so confused about what is going on. I don't want my hair to break off.

[Anje]

Is it smooth, or rough/squeaky at the ends by any chance?

[Arwenlily]

It feels mostly smooth but maybe a little rough at the ends of the canopy.

[kitana97]

If you don't have the ingredients at hand right away you can do just a long (atleast 15 minutes but up to how long you can stand it on your head) conditioner soak (preferably cone-free) or add honey or molasses in that conditioner you do the soak with.

So, is molasses a good substitute for honey? I have a huge jar of molasses that I could use.

[Ocelan]

So, is molasses a good substitute for honey? I have a huge jar of molasses that I could use.

I actually haven't used molasses myself (it's really hard to find around here so I haven't bothered), but I've read about it being good for moisturising. Some people can't stand honey in their hair but maybe they can molasses? I'd like to try, but if it's the dark kind, I read it might alter the color a bit. Someone who knows this better can say!

And about the protein thing: So it is a myth that coconut oil has protein? They say it everywhere so I believed them, daft me. I myself can't use coconut oil because of the scent, so I'm inexperienced with the protein/no protein in it. Sorry if I mislead, but it does seem like there's a definite lack of moisture here.

[Arwenlily]

I actually haven't used molasses myself (it's really hard to find around here so I haven't bothered), but I've read about it being good for moisturising. Some people can't stand honey in their hair but maybe they can molasses? I'd like to try, but if it's the dark kind, I read it might alter the color a bit. Someone who knows this better can say!

And about the protein thing: So it is a myth that coconut oil has protein? They say it everywhere so I believed them, daft me. I myself can't use coconut oil because of the scent, so I'm inexperienced with the protein/no protein in it. Sorry if I mislead, but it does seem like there's a definite lack of moisture here.

This where I learned that coconut oil doesn't have protein, maybe it can help you too: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2011/08/protein-treatments-coconut-oil-and.html

I definitely think there is a moisture problem with my hair right now, wish I knew what the problem was ... Maybe I should try co-washing again for a little bit? But I love my Sevi shampoo :(

[Arwenlily]

You know, I was thinking .... Since my hair is really fluffy and soft. Is it possible that my hair is over conditioned again? When I pull on a shed hair, it stretches and stretches until it is straight and then stays like that.

[hennalonghair]

I think it might be more accurate to say that coconut oil might not be sufficient for all your hair's needs. Some moisture in the form of humectants can make a big difference in hair's suppleness and ensure that it stretches slightly instead of being snappy. Some conditioning agents (most of which are at least somewhat synthetic) are really helpful for adding slip. Coconut oil is good for hair, but it can also reduce how much moisture it absorbs -- it's plausible that you've driven more water from your hair than is desirable.
I agree with this. Its not a protein problem. I think you may have had coconut oil build up and didnt rinse the shampoo and the oil out of the hair.
What I would do is clarify your hair but with diluted shampoo and rinse extra well with warm water, following cold water.
Deep condition ( comb through) and leave in on for 20 minutes to half an hour. Wrap hair in plastic wrap then wrap a warm wet towel around that to help moisture seap in. Comb through once more before rinsing. Rinse really well with COLD water. Final rinse 2 tbsp. ACV per litre of water. Towel hair with clean t shirt.
Leave ACV rinse in hair.

another thing that really helps dry hair is to get a great cone free all natural conditioner, fill spritz bottle 1/4 full of contioner, a 1/2 tsp. of aloe vera gel and the rest with water and shake it up. Spray on hair whenever it feels dry. This really works well and gives hair the chance to freely drink up as much moisture as it needs without the worry of frizz.

I hope this helps

[ErinLeigh]

No I don't use conditioner except when I do a deep conditioning once a month. But is it possible that coconut oil can dry out hair as well?
If it builds up and isn't removed it could. If it is being applied to dry hair that is not properly moisturized it could also make hair even drier. I would be just like any oil or cone though in that sense, not just specifically coconut oil.

I think it sounds like could be buildup or not enough moisture in routine. Not enough moisture can be different than too much protein. The balance can just be off.

[Arwenlily]

I agree with this. Its not a protein problem. I think you may have had coconut oil build up and didnt rinse the shampoo and the oil out of the hair.
What I would do is clarify your hair but with diluted shampoo and rinse extra well with warm water, following cold water.
Deep condition ( comb through) and leave in on for 20 minutes to half an hour. Wrap hair in plastic wrap then wrap a warm wet towel around that to help moisture seap in. Comb through once more before rinsing. Rinse really well with COLD water. Final rinse 2 tbsp. ACV per litre of water. Towel hair with clean t shirt.
Leave ACV rinse in hair.

another thing that really helps dry hair is to get a great cone free all natural conditioner, fill spritz bottle 1/4 full of contioner, a 1/2 tsp. of aloe vera gel and the rest with water and shake it up. Spray on hair whenever it feels dry. This really works well and gives hair the chance to freely drink up as much moisture as it needs without the worry of frizz.

I hope this helps

Before I read your post, I attempted to do something similar. I chelated and then conditioned with a deep smoothing conditioner for like 25 minutes. But I feel like this has made it worse and I'm kind of freaking out. Today my hair looks awful, it is fluffy, flyaway, and super soft. It is lacking and definition whatsoever and I don't know what to do.

[Anje]

If it seems unusually, uncomfortably stretchy, you might do well with a protein treatment.

Simplest one I know (at least for the dark-haired set -- I don't know if this'll stain light hair) is to dilute some low-sodium soy sauce in water, soak your hair in it for a little while, then wash it out. It's fairly mild, but I wouldn't suggest going too strong with protein treatments on healthy hair until you really know how your hair reacts.

[meteor]

You know, I was thinking .... Since my hair is really fluffy and soft. Is it possible that my hair is over conditioned again? When I pull on a shed hair, it stretches and stretches until it is straight and then stays like that.


I chelated and then conditioned with a deep smoothing conditioner for like 25 minutes. But I feel like this has made it worse and I'm kind of freaking out. Today my hair looks awful, it is fluffy, flyaway, and super soft. It is lacking and definition whatsoever and I don't know what to do.

How does your hair respond to hydrolyzed protein? When hair is mushy, stretchy, too soft, with no definition, it means it needs structure, i.e. usually protein, amino-acids, artificial peptides. Some hair doesn't like any proteins, while other responds well to only the smallest size (hydrolyzed keratin, silk are a safe bet).

I think your moisture/protein (elasticity/hardness) balance is off and you need to really analyze your hair's needs. Here's a good article on understanding and managing hair elasticity and porosity: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/managing-elasticity-and-porosity-in-hair.html

Can you post the products or ingredients that you use regularly? And also, is your hair virgin or chemically processed or did/do you use heat on it? This will help figure out if and what your hair is lacking.
I think only very strong, virgin and low-porosity hair requires no conditioner, as per your routine. And I think curlies very rarely can get away with using absolutely no conditioner on a regular basis.

[meteor]

If it seems unusually, uncomfortably stretchy, you might do well with a protein treatment.

Simplest one I know (at least for the dark-haired set -- I don't know if this'll stain light hair) is to dilute some low-sodium soy sauce in water, soak your hair in it for a little while, then wash it out. It's fairly mild, but I wouldn't suggest going too strong with protein treatments on healthy hair until you really know how your hair reacts.

I agree. And I'd add to that a DIY gelatin treatment. We have a few curlies here that had excellent results with it. http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/gelatin-hair-protein-treatment-faqs.html
And obviously, there are a lot of excellent commercial protein treatments (Aphogee 2-step, Joico K-pak, Mega-tek, etc).

As for soy sauce, I've never tried it, I guess the soy protein hydrolyzed during fermentation is what works in it. But I recommend carefully checking ingredients first... and don't forget the problem with the smell.

[Arwenlily]

Anje Thank you for the recommendation. I've never heard of using soy sauce before but maybe I'll give it a try. I'm going to try laying off the coconut oil for a while regardless though ... I recently purchased a sample of Ostara's hair salve so maybe I can try that instead.
meteor About once a month I usually clarify and chelate followed by deep conditioning using this conditioner, which has hydrolyzed soy and vegetable protein: http://natures-gate.com/Shop/item?Product=42100051&category=237&WithLinks=1
I didn't seem to really do anything special to my hair, it just felt smooth.

Thank you all for the help :blossom:

Here is my routine:

I wash every 4-5 days with Sevi pumpkin seed shampoo (http://www.ecosevi.com/collections/wash/products/pumpkin-seed-shampoo)
Followed by an ACV rinse (2 tbsp to 2 cups of water) -- I know that most people say this is a strong solution, but it hadn't caused me any problems and was making my hair smooth, frizz-free and shiny
Then I usually damp braid my hair until it dries
Then the day after I usually apply coconut oil, and sometimes another time after that before I wash next

*As far as the status of my hair right now, I have virgin hair up to about bottom of my ears and the rest had been colored once with permanent hair dye (one shade darker than my natural color) and was straightened once or twice.

[Arwenlily]

Oh and also, I'm so confused when it comes to conditioner because you would think my hair would really want it. But every time .... I mean every time i use it, my hair is weighed down, overly soft, and curl-less. I don't get it. That is why I stopped using conditioner. I finally thought I had found the perfect routine because I have been searching for one for a while. I swear, my hair felt great, the best it has ever felt up until 2 days ago. Now I'm stuck.

[Anje]

It's because you say you have dry hair. Dry hair usually needs conditioning, though what sort can vary substantially and figuring it out tends to be a matter of trial and error. The more you describe, the more we're sorting out what does and doesn't work for you and what it's likely that you need.

Given that you tend to get over-conditioned easily, get rather stretchy hair, etc., it sounds likely that your hair would like a bit of additional protein. That will probably give it volume and firmness and make your hair more willing to maintain its curl when moisturized. It can help hair bind more moisture to it, too, to prevent it from acting dry.

(There are other folks, myself included, who find that protein just makes our hair dry, stiff, and rough-textured. You usually don't know which category you're going to be in without trying multiple things. That's normal.)

[meteor]

Thank you so much for posting your routine. You are using a very gentle shampoo (it's almost a CO-wash), so I can understand why you are not using conditioner. However, you can use that Nightblooming's Panacea Ostara hair salve that you've just bought as a leave-in. I think her products are top-notch and should help condition hair.

Honestly, when I get stumped like this, I usually just change up my products depending on how hair feels (maybe dig out some old products from your stash?). For example, if it's stretchy, like you are describing, I use some protein. If it's dry and brittle, I use oils or even butters and waxes.

I like to re-set by doing a heavy pre-poo oiling overnight, then clarify, then follow up with protein treatment for 5-15 minutes and wash it out with a moisturizing (rich in humectants) conditioner.

[Arwenlily]

Anje Of course, and your help is much appreciated :). Trial and error really is the only way to learn and I'm going to have to do that to potentially solve what is going on. Sounds like a protein treatment is in order. Also, sorry for the wrong choice of words ... I'm having a difficult time describing what my hair feels like.

meteor That sounds good to me. Do you think that Nature's Gate conditioner I posted before is enough, or do I need more? Maybe I should try the soy sauce?

[meteor]

Anje Of course, and your help is much appreciated :). Trial and error really is the only way to learn and I'm going to have to do that to potentially solve what is going on. Sounds like a protein treatment is in order. Also, sorry for the wrong choice of words ... I'm having a difficult time describing what my hair feels like.

meteor That sounds good to me. Do you think that Nature's Gate conditioner I posted before is enough, or do I need more? Maybe I should try the soy sauce?
Hydrolized soy and vegetable proteins are at # 11-12 in that conditioner, so it may or may not be enough. Since it generally works fine for your hair, I'd use it. Protein needs time to bind to hair, so leaving it on hair longer (15-20 minutes) can help get more protein in your hair.

If you have some gelatin lying around the house, you could "beef up" your conditioner with a tablespoon of gelatin soaked in water, following one of Science-y Hair Blog's gelatin recipes (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2012/06/update-to-gelatin-protein-treatment.html). Or use soy sauce or beer (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2012/04/what-cookin-vegetarian-protein.html), as fermentation breaks down proteins, so they are small enough ("hydrolyzed") to be able to penetrate and adsorb to hair.

Good luck! :) Let us know how it goes. It may take a few sessions and a few tweaks.

[Arwenlily]

Okay, so this is what I did. I clarified and put a good amount of the Nature's Gate conditioner and left it on under a shower cap for a good 30 minutes and covered my head with a towel in an attempt to trap the heat. I then rinsed out the conditioner, followed by an ACV rinse (1 tbsp to 2 cups of water) and it seems to have worked! My hair isn't fully dried yet but so far it feels great. I will see for sure when it dries.

[meteor]

Yay! :D I'm glad it's already working for you. If the improvement isn't enough, you can follow the same routine during your next wash, as protein builds up. You can also a pea-sized amount of protein conditioner as a leave-in. But don't go overboard, as there is such a thing as protein overload - hair usually feels stiff, brittle, dry, rough, and coated.

[hennalonghair]

Okay, so this is what I did. I clarified and put a good amount of the Nature's Gate conditioner and left it on under a shower cap for a good 30 minutes and covered my head with a towel in an attempt to trap the heat. I then rinsed out the conditioner, followed by an ACV rinse (1 tbsp to 2 cups of water) and it seems to have worked! My hair isn't fully dried yet but so far it feels great. I will see for sure when it dries.
This is good to know. Every once in a while my hair gets temperamental also.
I'm really glad this worked out for you.
Natures Gate is a nice brand.

[Arwenlily]

meteor My hair is fully dry and most of my hair has reacted well but some parts are a little but sticky and others are a little stringy and stretchy. What do you think this is about? And what do you think I should do with the next wash?

hennalonghair Thank you :) It seems like it has mostly worked so far but I'm not sure of I need more protein still.

[meteor]

meteor My hair is fully dry and most of my hair has reacted well but some parts are a little but sticky and others are a little stringy and stretchy. What do you think this is about? And what do you think I should do with the next wash?

hennalonghair Thank you :) It seems like it has mostly worked so far but I'm not sure of I need more protein still.

I would use the same routine next time, since your hair is responding well but is still a bit stretchy in some places. It can take more than one application to get adequate protein, especially because your conditioner is not heavy in proteins (#11-12 on the ingredients list). After that, you could rotate your Nature's Gate conditioner with your Eco Sevi routine or re-introduce some other products that worked well for you in the past? I am a proponent of product rotation, because so many ingredients build up easily.

[Arwenlily]

Thanks so much. I'll give this a try and see what happens!

[kitana97]

I actually haven't used molasses myself (it's really hard to find around here so I haven't bothered), but I've read about it being good for moisturising. Some people can't stand honey in their hair but maybe they can molasses? I'd like to try, but if it's the dark kind, I read it might alter the color a bit. Someone who knows this better can say!

So, I used dark molasses in a SMT for the first time today. I was a bit nervous; I didn't know if it would alter my color but it didn't! My hair feels really soft :D So for you and anyone else with lighter color - my ends are fairly blonde with the rest being light auburn and the molasses didn't darken them one bit.