Hello from Indiana!

[MotherOfDragons]

Hi everyone!

I'm glad I found this site, because I am absolutely the most indecisive person about my hair. I've cut it in to a pixie twice, which I loved, but the growing out process is so awful that I haven't had it past my shoulders since. It's been almost 8 years! Obviously Daenerys is my hair inspiration- I love her braids. I'm actually very good at braiding. When my hair was too short, I exploited my friends to let me braid their hair.

I am determined this time. I've talked myself out of cutting it again several times, and I hope that this site can help when I get the urge to cut!

I'm not going for extreme length; 24" at the most probably. My hair is super fine and I have a lot of it. It is in the puffy stage where there isn't enough to weigh it down, so it poofs out. It used to be stick straight, soft, and shiny, but as I have in the last 4 years or so (I'm 25), it has gotten drier, frizzier, and slightly wavy (but only in the back!).

I haven't found a shampoo/conditioner combo that I like, so I am open to any suggestions. I'd like to definitely avoid parabens, but I can't seem to find anything that is paraben, sulfate, and silicone free. I can find 2/3, but not free of all 3! My hair is also pretty dry, so I need moisture, even though I only wash once a week, or whenever it starts to feel greasy. I tried no-poo with baking soda and ACV. I stuck with it for a few months, and I loved the detangling aspects that the ACV had, but overall it just made my hair way too dry. I tried a few home made shampoos but didn't have any success. All left my hair weighed down and greasy.

Luckily my hair grows pretty fast and doesn't split easily, so if I can resist cutting it, I should be able to grow another 12" in a year and a half, maybe less.

Thanks for any tips!!

MoD

[lapushka]

Welcome! :)

Are you looking for a sulfate or sulfate-free shampoo?

[MotherOfDragons]

Yes, definitely. From what I've read, the sulfates can be drying and since my hair has been dry lately, that could be my problem. The ones I've tried have left my hair tangly though, and because it is so fine, it just breaks when it tangles.

[MotherOfDragons]

Clearly I didn't read your question right! I'm looking for sulfate-free.

But I've also heard that silicones can be damaging, and I try to avoid parabens for their (admittedly tenuous) connection to breast cancer. I just can't seem to find a shampoo/conditioner that is free of all three. Any advice? Should I avoid sulfates over silicones, or the other way around?

[MotherOfDragons]

Clearly I didn't read your question right! I'm looking for sulfate-free.

But I've also heard that silicones can be damaging, and I try to avoid parabens for their (admittedly tenuous) connection to breast cancer. I just can't seem to find a shampoo/conditioner that is free of all three. Any advice? Should I avoid sulfates over silicones, or the other way around?

[browneyedsusan]

Welcome, fellow Hoosier!

I can't advise any of your hair issues.
Good luck gaining understanding of your hair and happy growing!

[lapushka]

Clearly I didn't read your question right! I'm looking for sulfate-free.

But I've also heard that silicones can be damaging, and I try to avoid parabens for their (admittedly tenuous) connection to breast cancer. I just can't seem to find a shampoo/conditioner that is free of all three. Any advice? Should I avoid sulfates over silicones, or the other way around?

I use sulfates (and silicones, just not in my shampoo), so can't advise you on sulfate-free.

[brickworld13]

Hey, more Hoosiers. I don't live there anymore, but I grew up there. Always have a special place for Indiana. Welcome. :waving:

[MotherOfDragons]

Nice to see Hoosiers! So you know about Indiana weather. Crazy hot summers, don't want my hair touching me at all, and extremely cold winters where your hair will literally freeze. Last winter, during the polar votex, even though I wrapped my hair in a balaclava, it still got wet from sweat (driveway shoveling) and froze!

[brickworld13]

Yep. If you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes.

[Melispelos]

Welcome :)
I would recommend you to try some oil treatments. They will reduce the poofing and the dryness right away. Coconut oil has done wonders on my hair in that regard. I suggest you search in the forum about it, I remember there were several threads on that subject.

[Zesty]

Hey, I'm from Kentucky, but currently living in Indiana too! Welcome! :)

Have you heard of/tried SheaMoisture? I was skeptical of this brand because it's marketed towards hair that's waaaay different from my own, but it works great! I use this shampoo (http://www.sheamoisture.com/SheaMoisture-Coconut-Hibiscus-Curl-Shine-Shampoo-_p_751.html). Super-uber-natural ingredients, and somehow doesn't build up on my scalp or anything like that. It also doesn't strip my hair. I use a conditioner from them too; as far as I know none of them have silicones.

You can find their stuff at Target and drugstores like CVS. Sometimes at Kroger. It's in the "ethnic hair care" section. The best selection I've found was at a large-ish CVS near our grocery store (sometimes they'll have just one or two products, and I'm always looking for a particular one).