I need help!!

[alessandraa]

I rarely have time to sit down and go through all the threads (school, daughter..etc) and I am trying to get my hair as long and healthy as possible as soon as possible, like most people here! I needs tips, information, perhaps pointing me to a good thread. What should my routine be? how was it be washed? is wearing it down to bed a bad thing? All these things I do not know. Enlighten me with all your hair knowledge!

[meteor]

If you could post your current routine, we can probably help you improve on it.

Yes, I recommend containing hair for bed (e.g. braids) if you can and also sleeping on silk satin or just smooth material (silk pillowcase/sleep cap/scarf).

Keeping hair up as much as possible during daytime is good too. In general, you want to limit any heat/chemical/mechanical damage. So avoid heat styling, detangle very gently, avoid chemical treatments if you can.
Also, I recommend checking out Science-y Hair Blog (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/managing-elasticity-and-porosity-in-hair.html) and Natural Haven Bloom (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-everything-you-need.html) for conditioning treatments information.

[alessandraa]

Thanks :)
I usually wear my hair in two braids so at least I've been doing that much!
I know I shouldn't but I do wash my hair everyday in the shower, organic shampoo and conditioner and I find my hair more dry using them then the stuff with chemicals in them. My hair get super oily really fast and it's so dry and gross on the bottom. I do trim it, but it seems no more than a month later it's back its dry state once more.
If I don't wash my hair everyday the top of my head is SO oily, it looks wet. It's gross.

[Verdandi]

The braid thing is great! Protective updoes over all is great!

When changeing from harsh cleansers like SLS to the organic and more gentle shampoos, there might be a transition time where the scalp adjusts to producing less oil, and your hair may feel more greasy. Try to avoid washing every day, you don't have to skip many days, but at least test skipping a day of washing. French braids are great for hiding dirty hair if you want to. Stretching washes may or may not work, but it's worth a try :)

The dryness you're expeincing is either dryness, or that you haven't got used to how your hair feels withouth silicones. Try deep conditioning or a SMT (link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128)) and see if that makes any difference!

If you feel that your hair is so dirty day two, try using a dry shampoo. It might help you tackle the greasy hair and to stretch washes an extra day.

Good luck! :)

[meteor]

Well, if you have to wash every day, you should try to soften the blow. One thing that helps is diluting shampoo heavily (I use 1:10 shampoo:water ratio) or even adding a drop or two of oil into your shampoo. Always dilute or mix things in a separate container as the preservatives won't be effective on diluted products.

Also, have you ever tried dry shampoo? Additionally, maybe you could experiment with Water-Only or Conditioner-Only or Conditioner-Shampoo-Conditioner methods? Conditioners contain some mild surfactants that should be enough to wash your hair, unless it's covered with grime or a lot of product.

Many of us here (myself included) do heavy pre-shampoo oilings on dry/damp hair overnight before washing. It really helps. Frequent shampooing is harsh on hair as it contains harsh surfactants and causes hygral fatigue (swelling and shrinking of hair), not to mention the mechanical damage from manipulating wet hair.

Also, you are saying that "organic" shampoo and conditioner are more drying than "the stuff with chemicals in them". Organic shampoos/conditioners also contain chemicals in them, and if they aren't as effective on your hair, just go back to the products that do work for you. :) I think many LHC-ers and other hair enthusiasts went back to traditional, "non-organic" shampoos/conditioners because they just work better for them, despite all the bad press. Do what works for your hair. And Your Mileage May Vary. :)

[jacqueline101]

Daily vitamins are good too plenty of water. I found protein to be my friend in hair growth, I stretch washes and condition the length. Oils are good too. You might check out the articles here on bbb, terms, and hair types some of these are sticky threads. Knowing your hair type might help you to find threads that will help you with your hair.

[AmyBeth]

I've found that two of the most common themes running through LHC are treating your hair as gently as you would antique lace, and benign neglect. Meaning leave it alone as much as you can after detangling and putting it up. Everyone's hair is different, so once you are happy with a routine, you should stick to it. What works for one may not work for another. If your hair is happy with every day washing with standard SLS shampoos, so be it. Stretching your washes to every other day might be helpful though. At least try not to use the shampoo on your dry ends. CWC (condition/wash/condition) might also be something to try.

[MungoMania]

My hair likes protein, but yours may be different. Protein strengthens my hair. I like a scalp serum too and use an aloe vera toner on my scalp every night with a little scalp massge to stimulate blood flow to the scalp. Using wide tooth combs helps prevent tangles and is a good way to distribute healthy oils through the hair. Getting to know your own hair is the key to having healthy hair and scalp, but for me, it all starts with the scalp because your hair is only as healthy as your scalp. Scalp serum, vitamins, massage, drinking water and eating right are all beneficial to hair growth.

Everyone has given you some really helpful answers so I don't have that much more to add. :)

[Theobroma]

For starters, regular, non-organic shampoos and conditioners aren't objectively evil. If they worked for you in the past and you find the organic ones too drying (so did I, by the way) I suggest you consider sticking with them.

I do second the suggestion to dilute your shampoo if you're using it every day, though. You might find that if you're exposing your scalp to surfactants in lower concentration it'll respond by producing less grease, so in the long run perhaps you'll be able to stretch washes if you want to.

For your ends I'd suggest oiling them to combat the dry appearance. Try some coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. Scrape up just a teeny bit of CO with your fingernail, or use just a drop or two of EVOO, spread it on your palms and then wipe them off on your ends. If your hair drinks it right up, repeat the process. I did this pretty much every evening when I first started oiling and my ends were like straw. (Note, though, that if your conditioner contains silicones your hair might be unable to absorb the oil, so this will probably work best with a cone-free routine.)

[Federica]

Many people here have already give you good tips.
I must say that all that oiliness you're complainig of might be CAUSED by the frequent washings.
Our scalp produces the sebum to condition the hair, if you remove it all daily, your body reacts with producing it a lot, and you start a vicious circle in which your scalp gets more and more greasy, and you ends get dryer and dryer.
That's bad.
Stretching washes is very popular here. The first times can be hard, but you'll get used to it, and so your hair.
I wash mine just once a week, and it doesn't look greasy at all since the 6-7th day.
I find useful to use a boar bristle brush (BBB is the abbreviation) that's very gentle and spreads the sebum from your scalp towards the lenght.
Try also a dry shampoo between your washes, it makes miracles!

If your ends are damaged and dry, you can try with coconut oil leave ins: I usually put some drops on my ends every evening before braiding for sleep.

Generally the "treat you hair like old lace" thing is the best. Would you wear your most beautiful dress for everyday and wash it in the machine with bleach?
Nope.
That's the same with your hair. Keep it up most of the time, handle gently, avoid the heat. This makes a HUGE difference.

Happy growing!

[lazuliblue]

As you've said your scalp is oily and the ends are dry, it may be that your shampoo is too harsh for your hair. It may be drying out the ends and also causeing your scalp to over-compensate by producing more oil.

You could try to find a more gentle shampoo or if you fancy a bit of searching, look for a shampoo without sulfates/silicones and then a conditioner with no silicones. Sulfates strip your hair, silicones coat it again to make it smooth, but you need more sulfates to wash them out! So it can become a vicious cycle.

The best advice (as others have said) is to treat you hair really gently, wear protective updos (buns are popular, secured with hairsticks/forks/pins), don't use much heat and keep split ends at bay by either micro-trimming or actually hunting for the individual splits and trimming them.

[alessandraa]

Thank you! You ladies are the best. I have just been washing the top of my head/the roots and conditioning all over and I already noticed a nice difference, although it would seem I do need another trim :(

What is stretch washing? Can someone guide me on what needs to be done.

[lapushka]

What is stretch washing? Can someone guide me on what needs to be done.

You stretch your washes by a day for a few weeks, then another day, and another, for as long as you can go in between washings.

[alessandraa]

Thank you :) I have been doing this and I see great improvement.