Calling The Hair Gurus - What Does My Hair Want?

[silvurgrin]

Since joining LHC, I've been trying different things that I've been learning about with my hair.

A little background- I have BSL hair, and am trying to grow it as long as I can. It's fine, a little wavy, and makes about a 2.5" thick ponytail. Most days it's in a bun or a braid, and I sleep with it in a bun on the top of my head.

I seem to shed an awful lot, but I always have. I'd like to minimize my shedding, if I could. I have recently gotten rid of my seborrheic dermatitis by rubbing a few drops of argan oil into my scalp after I wash it. I also lightly oil my ends with argan, but I can only do this after I wash every second day, or my hair just looks greasy and gross. I'd like to try CO, but I want to use up my shampoo first, and I have a lot of it. I'll alternate between Aveda Scalp Benefits, Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special something or other, and Lush Soak and Float shampoo bar. I condition with Aveda Scalp Benefits Conditioner. I've tried doing coconut oil treatments, but they seem to make me flare up again.

Basically, I want to minimize shedding, thicken up my hair, and strengthen it somehow. Any ideas on what you think could help my hair would be greatly appreciated!

[silvurgrin]

I forgot to add that it tangles really easily, hence always being braided or up. For a loooong time I used Aveda Brilliant conditioner, because this is the only conditioner I could find that made my hair manageable.

[Ingrid]

I'd suggest giving up the shampoo you're using, because that is often the culprit in causing shedding. After I stopped using shampoo, my shedding was significantly reduced. Your scalp might be different but I found that sulphate shampoos were particularly bad for me because they both exacerbated shedding and caused red "bumps" on the scalp. After I stopped using shampoo, all my scalp problems were gone.

Herbal rinses (nettle, catnip) also have considerably helped reduce my shedding. Also, I found out I was iron-deficient, so taking iron supplements has helped the shedding be minimised as well. Massage with castor oil (or honestly probably any other type of non-comedogenic oil) might also help with shedding and regrowth, I've used it successfully to prompt regrowth in areas where I had thin hair. As for thickening hair, you can't really affect the thickness of the strands since it's genetic, but you can use things like cassia or henna to provide a coating over the hair to make it look thicker.

I hope that gives you some potential things to look into, obviously that's just my experience but from what I've read on the forums many people have had success with these methods :)

[silvurgrin]

Thank you, Ingrid. I'll look more into the herbal rinses, and I want to learn more about CO washing. And I've heard a little bit about castor oil, but I've also heard that it's a total pain to get out after. Any tips there?

[Shorty89]

Co can make finer or thinner hair limp sometimes, so just be careful. You could try henna or cassia for thickening. Cassia is a clear coating while henna is a permanent red.

[two_wheels]

I would monitor shedding very carefully if you decide to do CO- for some people it is clearly the answer, for others, it increases shedding.
I find cassia great, but given that you have scalp issues, please do a patch test first or just a little bit on your head! shudder:
Definitely try only one new thing at a time. That way, if you get horrible results you will know straightaway what to stop doing.

And finally... please let us know the results of your experiments, we're all here to learn! :blossom:

[pixldust]

If you want to try castor oil and are worried about washing it out easily, you could mix it with a lighter oil to thin it out. I use a two-thirds cold pressed castor to a third evoo mixture and leave it on overnight before wash day. Even though I use SLS free shampoo I've never had a problem washing it out.

[silvurgrin]

I know this is weird, but I don't actually have any evoo, and I don't really want to buy some as we're moving internationally in a month or two... I do have jojoba oil, though. I know it's not a real oil, but do you think it would work instead? I also have grapeseed oil.

[Shorty89]

People here use both of those oils. It really depends on your hair. Jojoba works decently for me, but I still love my coconut oil. I've never tried grapeseed though.

[Ingrid]

Thank you, Ingrid. I'll look more into the herbal rinses, and I want to learn more about CO washing. And I've heard a little bit about castor oil, but I've also heard that it's a total pain to get out after. Any tips there?

I've never had issues with removing castor oil... If anything, you only need a tiny amount (two drops or so) to massage the entire scalp, and if you do it before bedtime, it gets completely absorbed overnight so you can hardly tell! I've also had good luck with nettle rinses removing oil, they really cut through the oil without "stripping" your hair. Nettle also removes coconut oil and other types that may be used as a pre-rinse or pre-wash treatment.

I'm also certain if you don't apply a massive amount of castor oil there won't be any issues washing it out even with mild or diluted shampoo, even though it's a reasonably thick oil. Likewise, you might want to dilute the oil with a lighter one, as suggested by pixldust, but once again be careful that you use only a small amount that can get absorbed during massage.

[silvurgrin]

If anything, you only need a tiny amount (two drops or so) to massage the entire scalp, and if you do it before bedtime, it gets completely absorbed overnight so you can hardly tell!

So I tried a castor oil treatment tonight, but I used a lot more than a few drops. I guess I should have read this thread first! I ended up using maybe 1 or 2 tablespoons with a carrier oil blend that I've got on hand. I had to shampoo twice to get it all out, but I seem to have gotten it all. I'm going to rub in a little argan oil just as soon as I finish writing this post so my scalp doesn't completely freak out. I also put coconut oil on the length of my hair, not coming anywhere near the scalp. If I get good results from this, then I'll likely turn this into a weekly thing. Except I'll only use a few drops next time! Lol!