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View Full Version : Advice for thin/oily/2b curls?



Ashflower89
May 11th, 2014, 02:49 AM
Okay, I usually just lurk around here to see growth progress pictures cuz I think they are really inspirational, but I really need some advice on my hair care routine because I have no idea what Im doing lol.

I have shoulder length kinda thin dark ash blonde 2b curls that are flattened out very easily, and for most of my life, Ive had NO volume at the crown, totally flat. I just finished growing out a pixie, and couldnt get through the awkward stages without straightening twice a week, so there is some mechanical damage mostly on the ends. Now that ive hit shoulder, I packed the straightener away and swore it off. My wash routine has always been a small amount of shampoo at the roots only, and LOADS of conditioner cuz I always thought my hair was dry. I finally learned that I actually have fairly oily hair, and stopped putting conditioner on my roots altogether. Ive gained some volume from doing this, but it doesnt seem like a very gentle way to treat my roots. I have flyaways going all the way up my head, probably from straightening twice a week or sleeping on wet fragile hair and rolling arround a lot (yes i have a satin pillowcase). I use Its a 10 leave in condish spray every day to smooth the flyaways and protect the ends. My normal poo/con brands are Herbal Essence Tousle Me Softly or Aussie Moist.

I tried BS/ACV for two months but couldnt seem to get the measurements right and always had gross pasty feeling hair, plus the boyfriend complained of the vinegar smell in the shower lol. After that I tried water only, but my hair gets so weighed down with its own oils after 2 days that I looked gross. I tried conditioner only and it was terrible, super limp oily hair. Eventually I missed the smell of Herbal Essence and went back to it. I got my pixie May last year, and besides 3 mullet chops, Ive had no trims, so I know I need to clean up my ends with a decent trim soon. I work at a dirty factory and must shower daily, so my hair gets wet every day whether I wash it or not. I have to wash every other day minimum to avoid flat greasy head. I work 3rd shift, shower as soon as I'm home, then go to bed.... so no time for air drying besides laying in bed. I dont do any deep conditioning or oil soaks because im afraid of making the flat oilyness worse.

SO - if you made it through that wall of text, here are my questions. Since my hair is wurly, thin, and gets oily fast, should I clarify it of all the coney condish and go sulfate/silicone free? Do you think I could wash less than every other day by doin it? Should I keep shampooing the roots only since they get oily fast but the ends are damaged? Is not conditioning my roots at all a bad idea? Should I deep condition or oil the lengths only? Should I wear a shower cap on the days I don't need to wash to avoid hydral fatigue? Maybe I should go cone free to avoid the weight of it but still use sulfate shampoo for the oily roots.... i dont know. I'm lost lol

florenonite
May 11th, 2014, 06:18 AM
Since my hair is wurly, thin, and gets oily fast, should I clarify it of all the coney condish and go sulfate/silicone free?

That depends. Have you tried cone- or sulfate-free before? If so, how did it go? If you haven't tried it, then it's worth a shot. Generally-speaking, however, you should only make one change at a time. So try cone-free with a sulfate shampoo first, then after a few weeks, if you think your hair's responding well, try sulfate-free. You may find that your hair responds well to cone-free, but your scalp still needs sulfates.

Should I keep shampooing the roots only since they get oily fast but the ends are damaged?

Yes. There's no reason to shampoo the length every time you wash. If you're using cones or lots of oil, then you'll want to shampoo the length sometimes, but you don't need to do it every other day.

Is not conditioning my roots at all a bad idea?

No. In fact, I think most people, besides those doing something like CO, don't condition their roots anyway.

Should I deep condition or oil the lengths only?

Yes. There's usually no need to condition the roots.

Should I wear a shower cap on the days I don't need to wash to avoid hydral fatigue?

That's an option. Another idea might be to condition the length every day (or do a CO wash), but only shampoo the roots when you have to. You say you have to shower daily because of your work environment, so you probably want to at least rinse your hair after work. Speaking of which, it's possible that showering right before bed is contributing to the oiliness; I find that my hair needs to be dry before I go to sleep or anything that's damp will be greasy by morning. Perhaps you could spend five or ten minutes blow-drying after your shower and see if that helps?

walterSCAN
May 11th, 2014, 07:44 AM
I agree with everything florenonite told you. Also, I'm wondering if you've ever tried plopping to encourage your waves? It might help with root volume too if your hair gets mostly or all the way dry that way. (For the record, however, from your photos your roots don't look very flat to me.)