When to start conditioning short hair?

[skeletonous]

When I used to have BSL+ hair, I would use conditioner from the bottom of my ears down. Since I got my pixie cut, I have only been shampooing my hair (no SLS and definitely not every day). Now that my hair has reached a bit past my ears, should I start conditioning the very tips?

I've considered just putting a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends after washing, just to make sure they stay moisturized. Putting conditioner any higher will make my fine stranded hair look greasy.

[spidermom]

You could bend forward and use the very tiniest amount of conditioner on the hair that hangs away from your scalp. For me, it's the uppermost layer of hair that needs conditioning the most.

[animetor7]

My DBF has hair that is about 6-7 inches long and he always uses conditioner and has since his hair was short and he decided to grow it out. He does have thick hair though, so I don't know if that's helpful for someone with fine hair. My mother also uses conditioner on her 5-6 inch long hair and she has very fine hair, but it's also very dry. Maybe you could work in conditioning every other wash if you feel that it is weighing your hair down too much?

[sarahthegemini]

I wouldn't start until you begin to dislike how your hair feels. How does it feel now? I

[skeletonous]

spidermom I might try that :o thank you!

animetor7 my hair is thick in quantity but the strands are fine, so I may have to use conditioner first and then shampoo...which doesn't sound like it makes much sense. :laugh: perhaps conditioning every other wash as you mentioned would be better.

sarahthegemeni my hair is, thankfully, very soft and I haven't found much damage yet :D so I might not need to condition for a while.

[lapushka]

I think my hair got conditioner at around APL. Not before that. Certainly not at chin length. But then I have oily hair... so...

[skeletonous]

^ I'm not sure what kind of hair I have as far as oil amount, I have to shampoo it every other day at this length. Perhaps when it gets longer I can stretch that out, but I seem to have to wet my hair between washes, otherwise it gets too oily? Not sure on that one.

[lapushka]

^ I'm not sure what kind of hair I have as far as oil amount, I have to shampoo it every other day at this length. Perhaps when it gets longer I can stretch that out, but I seem to have to wet my hair between washes, otherwise it gets too oily? Not sure on that one.

That's oily hair all right. At shorter lengths, I still needed a wash 2 to 3 times a week. Now at almost TBL, I've been able to stretch to a week. Length works in your favor as far as oil goes, but you definitely need plenty of conditioning at these longer lengths.

[Nesoi]

I conditioned mine from about ear length, if I recall. Mind you, before that I used 2in1 so technically I always did!

[skeletonous]

lapushka good to know :D I'll do some research, maybe I'll learn something about oily hair that could help!

Nesoi For some reason I don't like using 2in1, but I'm glad it worked for you :D I'm sure it made things easier.

[Madora]

If you wash every other day, then go easy on the conditioner! Dilute it with a little bit of water. You are still getting the benefits of conditioner but not as much buildup as if you were using it "straight".

Also, be careful to not over condition your ends. You can dry them out with over conditioning plus oiling. Less is more!

[Latte Lady]

You could always do pre-wash conditioning/oiling instead. That ought to keep your hair and scalp happy. You could also do C/O washes instead or a C/O wash for every other hair washing. You have lots of options but you are only going to know what works for you by trying them out.

[skeletonous]

Madora That's a great idea :) my fine hair would probably really appreciate the less buildup part too! Also I had no idea over conditioning/oiling could make your hair dry! The more you know ;).

Latte Lady I'm actually doing a pre-wash oiling right now :o it seems to work nicely! I did try co-washing for a while but my hair is fine and has low porosity, and the conditioner still seemed to weigh it down slightly and make my hair look greasy. Suave Naturals Coconut was the best CO washing conditioner I tried, but I really try hard to purchase cruelty free stuff so if I try it again, I'll perhaps try v05's coconut conditioner.

[vicvic]

Hmm...I have always - like literally, since childhood - conditioned all of my hair and scalp, including when I had my pixie. I actually didn't know until now that that's not what you're supposed to do...learn something new every day! Well yeah, if you're on the lhc all the time.

I've never really had a problem from conditioning like that. Perhaps I just have dry hair, or would if I didn't condition it. I actually tried co washing for a while, and had ok results.

If your goal is to grow your hair out as long as possible, as healthy as possible, then keeping your hair conditioned now while it's young certainly can't hurt, and maybe will keep it younger longer...like, age more gracefully...since older hair is dryer hair. This was the logic behind my co washing experiment, I don't know if it is based in reality.

You should just try it, maybe on your ends, and see how it works for you!

[lapushka]

Hmm...I have always - like literally, since childhood - conditioned all of my hair and scalp, including when I had my pixie. I actually didn't know until now that that's not what you're supposed to do...learn something new every day! Well yeah, if you're on the lhc all the time.

I've never really had a problem from conditioning like that. Perhaps I just have dry hair, or would if I didn't condition it. I actually tried co washing for a while, and had ok results.

If your goal is to grow your hair out as long as possible, as healthy as possible, then keeping your hair conditioned now while it's young certainly can't hurt, and maybe will keep it younger longer...like, age more gracefully...since older hair is dryer hair. This was the logic behind my co washing experiment, I don't know if it is based in reality.

You should just try it, maybe on your ends, and see how it works for you!

It can be kinda different for curlies though, esp. if your doing the curly girl method. You practically live on conditioner in that case, no matter the length!

[SnowbirdRose]

I'm so glad this questioned was asked! I too have have been wandering about conditioning and when to start. Thanks to the replies my questioned have been answered. Did not know that over conditioning could be drying to hair.

[Knifegill]

Wait! I am somewhat curly. Does this mean I need conditioner now, even at ear length? Hadn't considered it.

I don't know enough! Halp!

[lapushka]

Wait! I am somewhat curly. Does this mean I need conditioner now, even at ear length? Hadn't considered it.

I don't know enough! Halp!

Depends. If you follow curly girl, you wash with conditioner. But curlies tend to use conditioner from scalp on anyway, I've noticed, no matter the washing method. Curls need moisture. You could try it without too much conditioner, and then with. Whatever works for you. There's no one catch all.

I use WCC (see signature), it's a modified CG, esp. with LOC for styling afterwards (see signature). I use conditioner on the lengths only, and only started using conditioner at around APL length.

[Nesoi]

Skeletonous, I don't recommend it! It's what my husband used and I was too lazy/cheap to buy anything else. I stopped when I decided I was going to grow my hair out :) I went sulfate-free and no-cone and never looked back!

[Knifegill]

Depends. If you follow curly girl, you wash with conditioner. But curlies tend to use conditioner from scalp on anyway, I've noticed, no matter the washing method. Curls need moisture. You could try it without too much conditioner, and then with. Whatever works for you. There's no one catch all.

I use WCC (see signature), it's a modified CG, esp. with LOC for styling afterwards (see signature). I use conditioner on the lengths only, and only started using conditioner at around APL length.

Except I don't know what Curly Girl is and I still haven't found your forum's compendium of abbreviations explained. It could be many months before I am even competent enough of a poster/hairkeeper to be asking the right questions.

[vicvic]

Hmm yeah I suppose you're right. Most of what I have read about hair is for curlies. Although I always wore my hair straight as a kid...brushed it to death, and all that...and then straightened my bob that I had through high school. But I guess that doesn't affect how much moisture your hair needs? Hmm.

[lapushka]

Except I don't know what Curly Girl is and I still haven't found your forum's compendium of abbreviations explained. It could be many months before I am even competent enough of a poster/hairkeeper to be asking the right questions.

Here's curly girl (google is your friend) ;)
http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

[vicvic]

It can be kinda different for curlies though, esp. if your doing the curly girl method. You practically live on conditioner in that case, no matter the length!

Sorry that last post was a reply to this. Still getting used to the forum :D

[vicvic]

Ok wait...so you saw it? Lol this forum...

[lapushka]

LOL :lol: :D

[skeletonous]

Skeletonous, I don't recommend it! It's what my husband used and I was too lazy/cheap to buy anything else. I stopped when I decided I was going to grow my hair out :) I went sulfate-free and no-cone and never looked back!

My boyfriend likes the 2 in 1 stuff too :laugh: he even asked if something was also bodywash, which is pretty much unheard of as far as "women's" 2 in 1 stuff. I'm glad sulfate free and no cone works for you! :D I prefer sulfate free as well, cones seem to be okay but I'm not sure.

[terryn]

skeletonous -- Be careful with sulfate free + cones. Cones can build up on your hair, and with no sulfate to remove the build up you may start to experience problems after a while.

As for the rest of the thread, I am re-growing, but I grew from mohawk to about APL previously. I started conditioning at about shoulder length, as that was when I could get conditioner on just the hair and not the scalp. I'm prone to oily-scalp, and I have fine hair as well, so I did not condition for most of my life. Now, what works for me is BS/ACV. I keep some conditioner around for deep conditioning treatments, like post-henna (henna always leaves my hair feeling almost straw-like). I think you can start conditioning whenever you want, really. And just see how it affects your hair! Good luck!

[skeletonous]

terryn Thanks so much for the info! I don't currently use anything with cones in it as far as I know, so I should be okay for now. :) I'll probably need to clarify once in a while when I start using conditioner (which will probably have cones).

[ErinLeigh]

Late to the party but....
Maybe just the pre wash oiling is fine..and once in a while..just massage some conditioner into the ends with 2 fingers during your shower. It will be more controlled and will keep off scalp. You can judge from their the effects and if helps and is something you would want to continue.

For normal hair, I would imagine ear length I guess is good length. Personally I conditioned even when hair was only stubble, but I am a conditioner freak.

Knifegrill....give it a try and see what you think?

[terryn]

terryn Thanks so much for the info! I don't currently use anything with cones in it as far as I know, so I should be okay for now. :) I'll probably need to clarify once in a while when I start using conditioner (which will probably have cones).

It is definitely possible to find cone-free conditioner! And, now that I think on it a little more, that might even be best since you have fine hair. That way, it wouldn't weigh your hair down as much. Definitely do what works best for you tho.

[skeletonous]

It is definitely possible to find cone-free conditioner! And, now that I think on it a little more, that might even be best since you have fine hair. That way, it wouldn't weigh your hair down as much. Definitely do what works best for you tho.

I'll keep that in mind, thank you! :) I also noticed that the shampoo line I prefer to use (Organix) uses a water soluble silicone in their formula. Would this cause any buildup even though it's water soluble? I don't know much about cones :lol:.

[terryn]

I think that the water soluble ones are less likely to build up. If you like it, go ahead and keep using it! The troubles people seem to have is table prone or sticky feeling hair, of you find that happening to you, the first thing you should do is clarify to remove the build up with a clarifying shampoo. Then, without putting more of the conditioner on your hair, try to assess its state. If it feels fine without the conditioner, then you are golden, of it is dry or damaged, then the cones might be preventing whatever other good stuff you are putting on your hair from being able to reach the actual shaft. I'm no expert tho! I really try to buy only all natural, organic type things, and for my hair, I avoid the whole list of everything "bad" - cones, sulfates/sulfites, parabans, etc. But my hair is super picky, maybe yours won't be!

[Horrorpops]

For normal hair, I would imagine ear length I guess is good length. Personally I conditioned even when hair was only stubble, but I am conditioner freak.

OMG this, I conditioned my clipperblade 2 buzzcut! I fear I am also a bit of a conditioner freak:hmm:...But my hair has never really been what you'd call oily so as always YMMV.