confirming haircare tips

[burny]

this is what I have: http://www.anony.ws/i/2014/08/22/burny_hair.jpg
For the past few years, I've been getting about 1" trim 3-4 times a year. At the same time as trim, they've also been doing a flat ironing it. Between cuts, I've been almost strictly finger combing, and washing about every 2-5 weeks. wash = shampoo full hair, then condition full hair twice. Shampoo has SLES, and conditioner has cetearyl alchohol and amodimethicone. I'm switching to once a week CWC.

From scouring the info here, I think what I learned is:
A 'cleansing' shampoo will let me see the condition of my hair, and ten I can adjust my routine accordingly.
I should braid hair for sleeping, and use a silk(or similar) pillow case.
Running with hair down is 'bad', I should do it up some how for exercising
Flat ironing is bad, and it would be better to go without.
I should consider/try using a non-sulfate shampoo, and non-cone conditioner.

is any of this wrong, or other things I should strongly consider?

[Quasiquixotic]

You have some beautiful curls! I would caution you against changing too much to soon. My personal suggestion would be to stop flat ironing. And look into LOC - liquid, oil, conditioner - on the boards here.

Don't worry so much about changing the products you use. Dd has 3a hair, and the most helpful thing for her is moisture moisture moisture.

Baby steps, change one thing at a time for a month and then make the next change.

Your hair is beautiful!

[lapushka]

You have some beautiful curls! I would caution you against changing too much to soon. My personal suggestion would be to stop flat ironing. And look into LOC - liquid, oil, conditioner - on the boards here.

The link to the LOC method is in my signature.
I am with Quasiquixotic, don't go changing all of your current routine at once. Try one new thing at a time, and try it for at least 2 weeks. This way you'll know what works and what you like, and what doesn't work.

[Kaelee]

I just wanted to stop in and say good Lord your hair is stunning! :thud:

[Madora]

this is what I have: http://www.anony.ws/i/2014/08/22/burny_hair.jpg
For the past few years, I've been getting about 1" trim 3-4 times a year. At the same time as trim, they've also been doing a flat ironing it. Between cuts, I've been almost strictly finger combing, and washing about every 2-5 weeks. wash = shampoo full hair, then condition full hair twice. Shampoo has SLES, and conditioner has cetearyl alchohol and amodimethicone. I'm switching to once a week CWC.

From scouring the info here, I think what I learned is:
A 'cleansing' shampoo will let me see the condition of my hair, and ten I can adjust my routine accordingly.
I should braid hair for sleeping, and use a silk(or similar) pillow case.
Running with hair down is 'bad', I should do it up some how for exercising
Flat ironing is bad, and it would be better to go without.
I should consider/try using a non-sulfate shampoo, and non-cone conditioner.

is any of this wrong, or other things I should strongly consider?

Avoid ponytails if at all possible. They're not hair friendly. If you are into updos, try sectioning your hair so that the weight is distributed comfortably.

[burny]

lapushka I don't understand(video in that LOC page) wouldn't putting all that stuff in your hair make a huge mess(ie. ruin shirts), and make hair all greasy? I would have expected that to be something done instead of shampoo/conditioner, is that wrong?

[lapushka]

lapushka I don't understand(video in that LOC page) wouldn't putting all that stuff in your hair make a huge mess(ie. ruin shirts), and make hair all greasy? I would have expected that to be something done instead of shampoo/conditioner, is that wrong?

The key is to put minimal amounts in your hair. So dime-size amounts of each is *more* than enough. Curlies can get away with more, esp. kinky curlies, but not wavies & straighties. All of that was discussed in the thread. ;)

[Quasiquixotic]

Dd's hair (3a, f, i/ii) just soaks up oil and conditioner. My guess is this is in part because we live in Colorado where it is very dry and in part because I am a straighty and before I joined LHC she was water only and had straw for hair.

She is 4 and has 26" stretched hair - almost hip on her, I can put a 1/4 teaspoon of oil and conditioner in her hair and it will dry in beautiful spirals and be shiny and clean. Granted it took me about 2 months of guessing to "get" her amounts by sight. And on several occasions she ended up greasy, but by day 2 her hair absorbs it all. The big key for her hair is to have it near dripping wet when I do this.

My hair on the other hand (1b, f/m, ii) can only take ONE drop of oil and a pinky nail of conditioner, no matter how wet it is when I do this, or it looks greasy and stringy. It does not get better on day 2.

[burny]

For brushing: wide tooth wooden comb is best?
For hair sticks, what is going to be best for my hair?(material, thickness?)
What exactly is the L in LOC?(everything I can find just says "moisturizer" which to me, is just a buzz word)
"only change one thing every few weeks".. Since I only put something in my hair once every 3 weeks, I would still change something after each cycle? Or does "every few weeks" actually mean "after 10-20 cycles"?

Is there anywhere that has an indepth/detailed description of possible hair care routines? Most of the things I can find are in the form of "this is what I do", and/or don't really have details. In short, I don't don't have a clue how to properly take care of hair, and would like a good in depth primer.

more stuff I've learned is:
shampoo only the top 1-12"
don't condition the top 6-12"
don't brush hair(only broad tooth comb... why do brushes even exist then?)

[darklyndsea]

If you don't have problems from conditioning the roots of your hair, it's okay to do. Some people shed more or get greasy hair more quickly if they condition their roots. Personally, my scalp gets really dry if I don't condition it, so YMMV (like pretty much everything else).

If you have an average growth rate, your trims are removing at least half of your growth.

Updos do a lot to keep your hair in good condition. I highly recommend them.

[Entangled]

Might I ask why you are trimming an inch off three to for times a year? If you have around the average growth rate(.5 inches a month, around 6 per year) then you are trimming off most growth. That's fine if you're maintaining, or trimming damage off, but if you're trying to actively gain length, you might try fewer trims or smaller ones.
ETA: You have gorgeous hair!

[lapushka]

What exactly is the L in LOC?(everything I can find just says "moisturizer" which to me, is just a buzz word)

Water or leave-in. Simple. ;)

[spidermom]

Your hair is gorgeous. My first thought is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Your current routine obviously works well.

[meteor]

You have such great hair! :applause Beautiful texture! :D

I highly agree with everything Quasiquixotic recommended!
Moisture is key for textured long hair: sebum from scalp can't reach ends of long, curly hair as fast as ends of short, straight hair. So I recommend things like oils and humectants for keeping ends moisturized.
Also, there is a good chance that you'll like occasional hydrolyzed protein treatments, since long hair tends to have some wear and tear at the ends and you've had some heat damage.


(everything I can find just says "moisturizer" which to me, is just a buzz word) It's basically something that helps hold on to moisture or attract moisture, so a combination of occlusives (e.g. oils) and humectants (e.g. honey, glycerin, aloe) should give that "emollience", softness to skin or hair.


"only change one thing every few weeks".. Since I only put something in my hair once every 3 weeks, I would still change something after each cycle? Or does "every few weeks" actually mean "after 10-20 cycles"?
Honestly, I think it refers to practices that might or might not work for you, depending on your hair type and your specific case: for example, proteins, brushes, specific treatments - so you give it time to show.
But with clearly damaging things like flat-ironing that you mentioned, I'd recommend just dropping it, if you want to avoid further damage, since damage is cumulative and you can't undo it, you can only mask it and temporarily patch-repair it.


Is there anywhere that has an indepth/detailed description of possible hair care routines? Most of the things I can find are in the form of "this is what I do", and/or don't really have details. In short, I don't don't have a clue how to properly take care of hair, and would like a good in depth primer.
I recommend reading the Science-y Hair Blog and Natural Haven Bloom and Curly Nikki blog. You might want to look into the Curly Girl method.


more stuff I've learned is:
shampoo only the top 1-12"
don't condition the top 6-12"
don't brush hair(only broad tooth comb... why do brushes even exist then?)
I can't give exact numbers for where to put shampoo or conditioner: but focus shampoo on scalp (many do scalp-only washes) and conditioner on ends. Some condition from ears down, from shoulders down, etc. I condition from the area where tangles tend to form. Conditioner-only washes might be good to experiment with, too.
Boar bristle brushes are great for styling/smoothing hair and some methods (e.g. George Michael rely on it), but for highly textured hair, they tend to fluff up hair (unless you oil it) and break the clumping texture too much.
Also, there was research that showed too much brushing weathered cuticle. But of course it depends on how exactly you brush and the quality of the brush. Brushes should not be used for initial detangling.

[animetor7]

The only thing I'd say is to not be so concerned about exactly where shampoo and conditioner go. Especially because you're fairly wavy/curly you might find that even your scalp hair might need conditioning. And many members find success with the CO method of hair washing which involves only conditioner. But if your current routine is working for you and you're happy with it, don't worry and keep doing what you're doing. Regarding brushes, I'd say it sort of depends on hair type. Many wavies and curlies don't brush at all. But many straighter haired ladies use a BBB or tangle teezer and never cause any damage. And of course there are both curlies who brush and straighties who don't. So if you feel that brushing doesn't damage your hair or cause things you don't like, go for it! But make sure you're using non-damaging tools to care for your hair.

EDIT: I forgot to add, gorgeous hair! It looks like how I pictured Guinevere's hair as a child. :)

[burny]

:) thanks for the compliments.
Entangled:I get a trim that often, cause that's what my hairdresser says I should do. At this point though, not certain if I want it to grow much longer. I have had "relaxer"s put in my hair before, because it didn't occur to me that stylists would want to do bad things, and I didn't know better.
metero: thanks for the info on moisturizers, and article suggestions, I'll read those later.

In general, I think my hair routine has been bad, but that my hair has been able to cope with it. I would like to improve it over time though, and at least reduce things that are bad for it, eg, going to swap out the occasional brushing, with a comb. I can certainly improve the condition of my hair(I used to brush it IN the shower), which will be important if I decide I do want to go past classic.

[Entangled]

Well, it's all up to you on what you do, trim-wise. If you don't notice a problem with your ends, you don't have to trim. If you like the way it feels and don't mind the only two inch-a year growth, then get trims. However, stylists are not omnipotent, and many of their practices are intended more for short-haired people than long haired ones.

For me, the best thing LHC has taught me about is treating hair gently. The wavies and curlies can give you more routine advice, but minimizing mechanical damage by handling it gently, especially when wet, as it's most fragile when wet, has made a world of difference for me. As others have said, your hair is stunning, so you probably don't need a drastic routine overhaul, just a few tweaks. Your hair is inspiring!

[darklyndsea]

:) thanks for the compliments.
Entangled:I get a trim that often, cause that's what my hairdresser says I should do. At this point though, not certain if I want it to grow much longer. I have had "relaxer"s put in my hair before, because it didn't occur to me that stylists would want to do bad things, and I didn't know better.
metero: thanks for the info on moisturizers, and article suggestions, I'll read those later.

In general, I think my hair routine has been bad, but that my hair has been able to cope with it. I would like to improve it over time though, and at least reduce things that are bad for it, eg, going to swap out the occasional brushing, with a comb. I can certainly improve the condition of my hair(I used to brush it IN the shower), which will be important if I decide I do want to go past classic.

Your hair routine hasn't been very bad. Yes, there are things you can improve, but that's true of everybody. And if you decide you don't want to grow past classic, you probably don't have to worry too much about your routine since your hair's in good condition and so close already.

[meteor]

And I definitely agree with Entangled: trimming so frequently is unnecessary. If you don't see split ends or any other damage, trimming is done just to keep thicker hemline or to shorten hair. (IMHO curly hair in good condition can go longer with uneven hemline because curls hide that unevenness better than poker-straight hair.)

Consider that hairdressers need customers to return often for business. It doesn't mean that that's what your hair-dresser is like, it's just to explain that hair-dressers often recommend trims to be done more frequently than necessary - not wrong at all but sometimes counter-productive to growing out hair.