How can I break up with my hair dryer?

[heyitsmiriam]

Hello everyone :) LHC newb here still trying to find my way around the site.


My hair is stuck in a cycle of either being: a) frizzy, b) greasy, c) dry or d) all the above at once. I abused my hair with a flat iron around 6-7 years ago because I wanted my hair to lay smooth. But, I damaged it, preventing any chance of it being healthy! :(

Right now I'm doing the same old shampoo + condish method, with as needed clarifying with dissolved baking soda and water. I like to leave my conditioner in and put it up in a shower cap while I shave. Because I'm so fearful of my hair being a huge frizzy mess, I use my beloved hair dryer to smooth it with my BBB. But...I know that using my hair dryer is ultimately preventing me from having lush hair, so I was wondering if anyone knows any methods on how to have smooth hair without having to use my hair dryer and BBB to smooth it down, preferably without any serums because I find that they make my hair gummy and residue-ridden.


Thanks to anyone who can help me :)

[Aurum]

I'm not a hair expert by any means, but there are a few things that I can think of that might help.

Washing
How often do you wash your hair? If you wash every day, you could be drying your hair out. Stretching the time between washes gives you oily hair at first, but your scalp will adjust its sebum production and it is a lot better for your hair. I would also definitely take a look at the ingredients in your shampoo and conditioner if you haven't already. Shampoos with sulfates in them can also be too rough on hair, as they are basically detergent (though, some hair likes sulfates/cones, this really goes on an individual basis). When you wash, you should only be shampooing your scalp, because that's wear the oil comes from. There's no reason to shampoo the rest, unless there is actual dirt in it or something.
On the topic of greasiness, I would continue using your conditioner liberally on the length of your hair, but don't use it on your scalp because it will make it greasier. The rule of thumb here is shampoo ABOVE ears and conditioner BELOW ears. A BBB is great for distributing sebum through the length, so I would keep using that too!

Here's a great video from one of our longhairs on correct washing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEjdmXaUUU
(by torrinpaige)

Damage can definitely give you frizzy hair, so you might have issues with that because of your straightening. I'd suggest just treating your hair well and trim/microtrim periodically to get rid of the damaged ends.

Just a tip: you can still use a blow fryer/straightener, just do it less often and always use some kind of heat protectant.

Welcome to the LHC! Hope I helped a bit. :)

[heyitsmiriam]

I'm not a hair expert by any means, but there are a few things that I can think of that might help.

Washing
How often do you wash your hair? If you wash every day, you could be drying your hair out. Stretching the time between washes gives you oily hair at first, but your scalp will adjust its sebum production and it is a lot better for your hair. I would also definitely take a look at the ingredients in your shampoo and conditioner if you haven't already. Shampoos with sulfates in them can also be too rough on hair, as they are basically detergent (though, some hair likes sulfates/cones, this really goes on an individual basis). When you wash, you should only be shampooing your scalp, because that's wear the oil comes from. There's no reason to shampoo the rest, unless there is actual dirt in it or something.
On the topic of greasiness, I would continue using your conditioner liberally on the length of your hair, but don't use it on your scalp because it will make it greasier. The rule of thumb here is shampoo ABOVE ears and conditioner BELOW ears. A BBB is great for distributing sebum through the length, so I would keep using that too!

Here's a great video from one of our longhairs on correct washing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEjdmXaUUU
(by torrinpaige)

Damage can definitely give you frizzy hair, so you might have issues with that because of your straightening. I'd suggest just treating your hair well and trim/microtrim periodically to get rid of the damaged ends.

Just a tip: you can still use a blow fryer, just do it less often and always use some kind of heat protectant.

Welcome to the LHC! Hope I helped a bit. :)


Thank you so much :) This really did help a lot. Hopefully I'll be seeing my stylist soon and he can get rid of my scraggly damaged ends :)

[picklepie]

Your description is making me wonder.... are you really a 1b? Have you done a proper hair typing process (wash, then let drip dry with no combing or other manipulation)? Sometimes "frizz" and "damage" are actually just wavier-than-you-though hair!

another thing that pops out at me is the clarifying with baking soda. It's not a great clarifier, and it's super harsh. Maybe try a clarifying shampoo instead?

[MsPharaohMoan]

Hm. The way you describe your hair makes me suspect you might be more than just 1b…

eta: me and picklepie seem to be of the same mind...

[gnome82]

Take it out to dinner, give it the bad news. Go home without it.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

No rule against using a hair dryer, I use one sometimes on my fine hair, on a cool or warm setting, keeping it at 5-6" distance from my hair to dry it after washing. I don't dry it until it is completely dry, I stop when my hair looks almost dry but still has dampness.

Though I don't use it for styling purposes as I think that would dry the hair out too much.

To improve shine and mininise frizzies, I stroke 2 drops of mineral oil onto my damp hair - it works wonders when combined with gentle brushing with a Boar Bristle Brush (thanks to Madora's advice). Also, never brush your hair until you have gently detangled it using a wide toothed comb (preferably a seamless comb) and work from the ends upwards, never from the scalp downwards. Be gentle with your hair, as if it were an antique fragile garment. Especially important for us fine haired fragile types :)

Also, protective updos not using ponytailing and protecting hair from friction whilst sleeping, a silk or satin sleeping cap is excellent for this.

Gosh here I am going on in a great rambling hair speech - sorry :) Guess I just love hair topics a little too much :)

[heyitsmiriam]

Hm. The way you describe your hair makes me suspect you might be more than just 1b…

eta: me and picklepie seem to be of the same mind...


Thank you all for the input :)

I wasn't sure at the time of registering what type of hair I had, so I did my best guess. My typical hair is often greasy. I have tons of splits :( For as long as I can remember my hair has been straight with some body. I actually just now did the wash process to properly type my hair...will update this when I know the results! I'm so tempted to wide-tooth comb it right now. I know for sure my hair is within the 1-2 range. It doesn't have any type of curl, maybe a slight wave. Going off this, my hair is more of the open wave! It almost looks exactly like that, so I guess I am more than a type 1! Unfortunately, I can't get to my profile to make that change :(

http://i.imgur.com/lufkxAF.jpg

[memeow]

Hello everyone :) LHC newb here still trying to find my way around the site.


My hair is stuck in a cycle of either being: a) frizzy, b) greasy, c) dry or d) all the above at once. I abused my hair with a flat iron around 6-7 years ago because I wanted my hair to lay smooth. But, I damaged it, preventing any chance of it being healthy! :(

Right now I'm doing the same old shampoo + condish method, with as needed clarifying with dissolved baking soda and water. I like to leave my conditioner in and put it up in a shower cap while I shave. Because I'm so fearful of my hair being a huge frizzy mess, I use my beloved hair dryer to smooth it with my BBB. But...I know that using my hair dryer is ultimately preventing me from having lush hair, so I was wondering if anyone knows any methods on how to have smooth hair without having to use my hair dryer and BBB to smooth it down, preferably without any serums because I find that they make my hair gummy and residue-ridden.


Thanks to anyone who can help me :)

Are you using your BBB on wet, tangled hair? If so, this is likely part of the cause of damage and frizziness. Brushes should only be used on dried, detangled hair.

Have you tried blowdrying your hair while you finger-comb it, rather than brushing? If the hair dryer is too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your hair, too.

I find using a drop (really just one drop!) of mineral oil on wet hair helps makes it easy to detangle and smoother. I haven't noticed any residue from doing this. I also sometimes use Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioning cream, which does help with frizz but you may notice more residue with that.

I agree that your hair is likely wavier than you think :)

[heyitsmiriam]

Hm. The way you describe your hair makes me suspect you might be more than just 1b…

eta: me and picklepie seem to be of the same mind...


Thank you all for the input :)

I wasn't sure at the time of registering what type of hair I had, so I did my best guess. My typical hair is often greasy. I have tons of splits :( For as long as I can remember my hair has been straight with some body. I actually just now did the wash process to properly type my hair...will update this when I know the results! I'm so tempted to wide-tooth comb it right now. I know for sure my hair is within the 1-2 range. It doesn't have any type of curl, maybe a slight wave. Going off this, my hair is more of the open wave! It almost looks exactly like that, so I guess I am more than a type 1! Unfortunately, I can't get to my profile to make that change :(

http://i.imgur.com/lufkxAF.jpg

[Madora]

Hello everyone :) LHC newb here still trying to find my way around the site.


My hair is stuck in a cycle of either being: a) frizzy, b) greasy, c) dry or d) all the above at once. I abused my hair with a flat iron around 6-7 years ago because I wanted my hair to lay smooth. But, I damaged it, preventing any chance of it being healthy! :(

Right now I'm doing the same old shampoo + condish method, with as needed clarifying with dissolved baking soda and water. I like to leave my conditioner in and put it up in a shower cap while I shave. Because I'm so fearful of my hair being a huge frizzy mess, I use my beloved hair dryer to smooth it with my BBB. But...I know that using my hair dryer is ultimately preventing me from having lush hair, so I was wondering if anyone knows any methods on how to have smooth hair without having to use my hair dryer and BBB to smooth it down, preferably without any serums because I find that they make my hair gummy and residue-ridden.


Thanks to anyone who can help me :)

Heyitsmiriam, here is a method I invented to help air dry my hair gently and naturally.



Hair should be completely detangled and slightly damp before starting. The more water you can express from your strands, the faster the air drying will be.

Part your hair from nape to center of forehead so that it is in two sections. Band off one section with a scrunchie to keep it separate from the other section.

Take a pencil thin size sliver of hair in your hand.
Bring your hand up to your ear and then extend it all the way out (to the side)
Slowly let the strands drop to the floor

Take another pencil thin section and repeat steps 1-3

Repeat with the rest of the hair. Keep repeating the hair fanning motions until the hair is dry.

Once you notice that the hair is becoming drier, you can take larger portions of the hair, but use a wide tooth comb in place of your hand. Go slowly and gently when using the comb.

When hair is dry, band off the section with a scrunchie to keep it out of the way. Repeat the hair fanning procedure with hair in the other section.

When finished, you can leave hair as is, or apply your favorite oil, etc. and style as desired.

The technique was developed by me after years of having to wait forever for my very thick, long hair to dry (using the hair laying on a towel down the back approach). It took forever and I wanted a faster method.

Outside, my hair dries in 20 to 25 minutes. Indoors it takes about 45 minutes, using a portable electric heater (standing about 4 feet away).

The secret to drying your hair quickly is to thoroughly detangle it when you start, and to keep the air circulating through it as you fan the strands.

I'm not a fan of using a hairdryer..even on cool.

Also, for the sake of your hair, ditch the baking soda and use a true clarifying shampoo..like Neutrogena Anti-Residue clarifying shampoo (good reviews here at LHC!) Now the Neutro will leave your hair feeling like hay, which is the whole point! When you clarify, you strip the hair of everything that coats it. Follow the clarifying immediately afterwards with a deep conditioning treatment. This restores your hair to its proper self.

As for your splits, you might want to look into using a few drops of mineral oil (baby oil). MO moisturizes, tames frizzies and is a great detangler. You apply the MO to your hands/fingers, never directly from the bottle on to your scalp or hair. Once your hands are oiled, run them through your hair several times, until the oil sheen on your palms has just about disappeared.

MO is very lightweight, leaves no after scent, and washes out easily in your next shampoo. It is also dead cheap! Be sure and buy the MO (if you do) that only contains the MO and a scent...no additives! Additives make MO less effective. MO works best on hair that has been clarified first..but you can use it on damp hair too. Use it sparingly..2 drops to start. Good luck!

[heyitsmiriam]

Are you using your BBB on wet, tangled hair? If so, this is likely part of the cause of damage and frizziness. Brushes should only be used on dried, detangled hair.

Have you tried blowdrying your hair while you finger-comb it, rather than brushing? If the hair dryer is too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your hair, too.

I find using a drop (really just one drop!) of mineral oil on wet hair helps makes it easy to detangle and smoother. I haven't noticed any residue from doing this. I also sometimes use Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioning cream, which does help with frizz but you may notice more residue with that.

I agree that your hair is likely wavier than you think :)


I always make sure to wide-tooth comb detangle first then finger comb! I might have been mean to my hair and used my BBB on wet hair when I was crunched for time..glad to know now it's a huge no no! Thank you :)

[heyitsmiriam]

Heyitsmiriam, here is a method I invented to help air dry my hair gently and naturally.



Hair should be completely detangled and slightly damp before starting. The more water you can express from your strands, the faster the air drying will be.

Part your hair from nape to center of forehead so that it is in two sections. Band off one section with a scrunchie to keep it separate from the other section.

Take a pencil thin size sliver of hair in your hand.
Bring your hand up to your ear and then extend it all the way out (to the side)
Slowly let the strands drop to the floor

Take another pencil thin section and repeat steps 1-3

Repeat with the rest of the hair. Keep repeating the hair fanning motions until the hair is dry.

Once you notice that the hair is becoming drier, you can take larger portions of the hair, but use a wide tooth comb in place of your hand. Go slowly and gently when using the comb.

When hair is dry, band off the section with a scrunchie to keep it out of the way. Repeat the hair fanning procedure with hair in the other section.

When finished, you can leave hair as is, or apply your favorite oil, etc. and style as desired.

The technique was developed by me after years of having to wait forever for my very thick, long hair to dry (using the hair laying on a towel down the back approach). It took forever and I wanted a faster method.

Outside, my hair dries in 20 to 25 minutes. Indoors it takes about 45 minutes, using a portable electric heater (standing about 4 feet away).

The secret to drying your hair quickly is to thoroughly detangle it when you start, and to keep the air circulating through it as you fan the strands.

I'm not a fan of using a hairdryer..even on cool.

Also, for the sake of your hair, ditch the baking soda and use a true clarifying shampoo..like Neutrogena Anti-Residue clarifying shampoo (good reviews here at LHC!) Now the Neutro will leave your hair feeling like hay, which is the whole point! When you clarify, you strip the hair of everything that coats it. Follow the clarifying immediately afterwards with a deep conditioning treatment. This restores your hair to its proper self.

As for your splits, you might want to look into using a few drops of mineral oil (baby oil). MO moisturizes, tames frizzies and is a great detangler. You apply the MO to your hands/fingers, never directly from the bottle on to your scalp or hair. Once your hands are oiled, run them through your hair several times, until the oil sheen on your palms has just about disappeared.

MO is very lightweight, leaves no after scent, and washes out easily in your next shampoo. It is also dead cheap! Be sure and buy the MO (if you do) that only contains the MO and a scent...no additives! Additives make MO less effective. MO works best on hair that has been clarified first..but you can use it on damp hair too. Use it sparingly..2 drops to start. Good luck!

Ahh thank you! I can't seem to convince my mom that my hair needs clarifying shampoo! She's convinced that shampoo can be soap...she grew up washing her hair with plain bar soap, not for hair or anything! And she also preaches to me that all shampoos are the same and if I want to clarify, I should use Dawn dish soap (no joke!). Thank you for the advice :)

[Madora]

You're welcome! Oh, no, soap is not for your hair! Much too drying and other bad things! I'm sure there must be a gentle shampoo out there that doesn't cost a lot, that would be much better for your hair. Perhaps some other LHCers will chime in with suggestions on what shampoo to use. Good luck!

[heyitsmiriam]

I agree! I'm suspended from buying any new hair products because I have a whole shelf of failed products...sulfate-free, sulfate, coney-shampoo...the one I'm using right now has 1 sulfate and a seemingly water soluable cone..so far, so great. It's the John Frieda Touchably Full Volumizing Shampoo. After doing some research, I found that the volumizing shampoos are better for those with oily scalps like mine because they tend to leave less residue. Thank you again for your input :)

[hypersensitive]

Hi and welcome! I am totally cringing at you using baking soda, barsoap and dawn soap as shampoo! Those are things you need to stay away from if your hair is damaged AND fine.

I clarify with Suave daily clarifying shampoo then I really slather on the conditioner. I would suggest doing a deep treatment like hot oil treatment with coconut oil, or SMT. Air dry as much as you can. As an alternative, you can stand in front of a fan instead. Here is the visual hairtyping guide (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252) for reference, since I am a 1b.

[heyitsmiriam]

If anyone could help me out here, I'd love to know the true type of hair I have :)

http://i.imgur.com/6BcKlfG.jpg and http://i.imgur.com/h7cqPrP.jpg?1

[heyitsmiriam]

Ahh I made those pics too big! Can someone help? I don't know how to edit my post..

[Sarahlabyrinth]

That looks like 1b to me.

[heyitsmiriam]

Hi and welcome! I am totally cringing at you using baking soda, barsoap and dawn soap as shampoo! Those are things you need to stay away from if your hair is damaged AND fine.

I clarify with Suave daily clarifying shampoo then I really slather on the conditioner. I would suggest doing a deep treatment like hot oil treatment with coconut oil, or SMT. Air dry as much as you can. As an alternative, you can stand in front of a fan instead. Here is the visual hairtyping guide (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252) for reference, since I am a 1b.


No, no! I don't use bar soap or Dawn at all! I only used baking soda on my hair once last week and never before!

[Panth]

1) Hairdryers are not harmful if used on the cold setting and are most likely not harmful if used on a warm setting (cool enough that you can put your hand in the stream at the same distance as you used it from your head, and not feel uncomfortable/burning sensations). This is, of course, provided you don't create tangles by using the hair dryer - try to avoid that by using your other hand to hold your hair and gently fluff it, rather than letting the hair dryer blow the hair every which way.

2) Boar bristle brushes are for sebum distribution and smoothing hair for updos, ONLY. If you are detangling with your BBB, you are almost certainly causing damage. Also, (check with Madora, BBB expert) I don't think they're supposed to be used on wet/damp hair. If you want a straightening effect, you'd be much better to try drying your hair in a doobie wrap or similar (essentially using your head as a giant curler). The BBB can provide sheen/smoothening, but is best used as described by Madora.

3) There most definitely are differences between shampoos. Clarifying shampoos typically have higher concentrations of cleasners and usually use more stripping cleansers (i.e. sulphates - SLS, SLES, ALS, ALES). They also lack conditioning and moisturing agents (which, you may be surprised to find out, are in many types of regular shampoo, particularly the pearlescent ones). Choosing the correct shampoo is essential - you want the least harsh type possible that still works, but for clarifying (removing build-up) you want a much harsher (i.e. better at stripping) shampoo.

4) Please, please, please do not ever use baking soda to wash. It is highly alkaline and causes permanent damage to the hair (over time - one use shouldn't be the end of the world, so don't fret too much). Even if you follow up with an acidic rinse, you will only revert the scalp to its preferred acidic pH, not reverse the chemical damage done to your hair by the alkali.

5) Ditto for bar soap - all soaps are alkaline and will cause cumulative, irreversible damage to your hair but also (unless followed up with an acidic rinse) leave your scalp at an unfavourable pH which can encourage scalp conditions.

6) I very much agree that you should check out the visual hairtyping guide. Importantly, when hair typing you should wash the hair as normal and then NOT manipulate it at all. It is likely that you won't get a super-accurate picture if your hair is very damaged. However, it will be helpful. (Also - I disagree with Sarahlabyrinth - although I'm not great at hair typing and you need to do the proper no-manipulation to get an accurate hairtyping, you look to have a couple of body waves in there so I'd say at least a 1c, maybe a borderline 1c/2a).

7) How long is your hair? Hair grows on average about 1/2" per month. If you have not used the flat iron for 6-7 years, then unless your hair is >36" long there should not be anything left on your head that is still damaged from that. Have you been doing any other seriously damaging practices, e.g. bleach, dye (except deposit-only dye), chemical straightening (e.g. Brazilian keratin treatments), perms, backcombing, etc.?

[lapushka]

But...I know that using my hair dryer is ultimately preventing me from having lush hair, so I was wondering if anyone knows any methods on how to have smooth hair without having to use my hair dryer and BBB to smooth it down, preferably without any serums because I find that they make my hair gummy and residue-ridden.

How do you know your blow dryer's to blame? If you use it wisely, it can do no damage - at all. There's a lady here with floor length hair who uses her blow dryer. I typically use mine on cool / warm. My hair is almost TBL and I have no splits or white dots in my hair, so no damage.

[heyitsmiriam]

How do you know your blow dryer's to blame? If you use it wisely, it can do no damage - at all. There's a lady here with floor length hair who uses her blow dryer. I typically use mine on cool / warm. My hair is almost TBL and I have no splits or white dots in my hair, so no damage.

Thank you! I have new-found hope for my dryer! I use it on the warm setting and do cool blasts to set the style. To be very, very clear: I only tried baking soda once, so I won't do it again. I NEVER used any bar soap in my hair, that was just my mom's experience when she was young. Thank you all for your inputs :)

[MsPharaohMoan]

Ooooh I also see some body waves!

[heyitsmiriam]

Ooooh I also see some body waves!

I made a mistake I believe in washing my hair..I did water only without any product. No shampoo or condish! But, looking at the visual typing guide, my hair typically if not manipulated leans towards the 1b/1c range, maybe a bit in the 2a but definitely more 1b/1c. I took it upon myself to buy the Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo to clarify. We'll see how this goes :)

[lapushka]

I made a mistake I believe in washing my hair..I did water only without any product. No shampoo or condish! But, looking at the visual typing guide, my hair typically if not manipulated leans towards the 1b/1c range, maybe a bit in the 2a but definitely more 1b/1c. I took it upon myself to buy the Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo to clarify. We'll see how this goes :)

To make a hairtyping picture, you can shampoo and condition as normal, just don't comb/brush or otherwise touch your hair until it's dry. Also, there are a lot of methods here on LHC, there's WO, CWC, CO, WCC (link in signature), the only thing you need to remember is to not try it all at once. If you're going to go with a method, to try it, try it for a few weeks, then switch to something else.

[Panth]

To make a hairtyping picture, you can shampoo and condition as normal, just don't comb/brush or otherwise touch your hair until it's dry. Also, there are a lot of methods here on LHC, there's WO, CWC, CO, WCC (link in signature), the only thing you need to remember is to not try it all at once. If you're going to go with a method, to try it, try it for a few weeks, then switch to something else.

Yeah. The old recommendation with hairtyping was to clarify, don't put any conditioner or anything else on, leave it drip-dry without any manipulation whatsoever and photograph when completely dry. It's now been changed to "wash as usual, dry without fingercombing/combing/brushing/other manipulation, photograph when completely dry". There was a mistaken notion that clarifying reverts hair to a "natural" state which is only partly true - yes, it strips off product, but it also strips off sebum (the body's natural conditioning agent for hair) and if done without following up with any conditioning can leave the hair abnormally dry. Also, it was recognised that it's much better to hairtype to what the person deals with on a normal, regular basis, rather than some mythical ideal.