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View Full Version : Hair dry and clumpy when wet?



Cinnamonqueen12
February 28th, 2015, 06:09 PM
Last year I was having terrible issues with my hair after a failed attempt at making shampoo with castile soap. It would feel sticky and gummy in the shower, and that feeling wouldn't go away after it dried. I finally got that feeling to go away, but now I'm having other issues :mad:. When wet, my hair feels kind of dry, and it clumps and tangles, instead of feeling smooth and clean. It almost feels over clean, but I wash it every 3-4 days. When dry, it looks dull, and feels....off, I dont know how else to describe it. Almost like there's a residue on it. I have tried SMTs (minus the aloe vera, I don't have any on hand), slathering my hair with coconut oil and leaving it overnight, leave in conditioner, you name it, I've probably tried it. I even tried clarifying shampoos to see it it was build up, because I have started to notice little white flakes around the roots of my hair. The flakes are still there, though, and the clarifying hasn't done anything except make my hair feel worse. I recently ordered Joico chelating shampoo, and I'm anxious to try it in case it fixes the problem, but I'm running on empty here. This is my last resort, and if it doesn't work, I don't know what to do. Has anyone ever had this, or have any suggestions :pray:?

gthlvrmx
February 28th, 2015, 06:39 PM
Have you checked if it's hard water build up? Check online and see if your area has hard water. If you do have hard water, club soda rinses will help and getting a shower filter will help too. ACV will also help prevent you from getting too much hard water build up I think. Is your hair damaged? Are you rinsing enough when you wash your hair with shampoo or conditioner? Sometimes those flakes can be leftover conditioner or shampoo. You have to do a little more work if you apply conditioner to your scalp.

Cinnamonqueen12
February 28th, 2015, 06:48 PM
I think my area does have hard water. I have done ACV rinses in the past because I've heard that they help with hard water and clarify hair. They used to make my hair super soft and siney but now they just make it feel icky. I usually spend a lot of time in the shower rinsing my hair, so I don't think its leftovers, but it might be, I never thought of that. With my hair being so matted, it's hard for the water to get to the scalp. My hair shouldn't be damaged, it's all new growth, I cut off everything that had been dyed.

endlessly
February 28th, 2015, 07:17 PM
Have you been doing any protein treatments? Those can leave your hair feeling gummy and sticky because of protein overload and soaking your hair in different oils/conditioners can sometimes make it feel worse. Normally, I've heard that a vinegar rinse or deep clarifying shampoo would help with this, but since you've already tried that, I'm not sure what else to recommend. I used to put regular white vinegar diluted with a small amount of water into a spray bottle and mist that onto my hair when it was feeling matted like you've described and although it was very acidic and probably too strong for my hair, it always worked to make my hair feel shiny and clean again.

elvenelk
February 28th, 2015, 07:22 PM
I think the best thing to do is not wash it for a few days. Let nature do the work. I think the head oils ecosystem needs to be rebalanced :)

Cinnamonqueen12
February 28th, 2015, 07:24 PM
How would I check online to be sure there is hard water?

Cinnamonqueen12
February 28th, 2015, 07:28 PM
Endlessly- I actually used protein treatments to get rid of the gummyness, and it worked really well. Lately I've been doing lots of moisture treatments, but I feel like they are not absorbing into my hair. Why use white vinegar over ACV? Is there a difference or just a preference?

Elvenelk- I try not to wash for at least 3 days so that I don't strip the natural oils too often and dry out my hair. How long do you recommend not washing for? By 4 days, I'm an oil slick, and sometimes the natural oils make my hair feel gummy and clumpy.

elvenelk
February 28th, 2015, 07:30 PM
You can tell by how easily soap etc washes out. if it is very quick you have hard water.

elvenelk
February 28th, 2015, 07:34 PM
Endlessly- I actually used protein treatments to get rid of the gummyness, and it worked really well. Lately I've been doing lots of moisture treatments, but I feel like they are not absorbing into my hair. Why use white vinegar over ACV? Is there a difference or just a preference?

Elvenelk- I try not to wash for at least 3 days so that I don't strip the natural oils too often and dry out my hair. How long do you recommend not washing for? By 4 days, I'm an oil slick, and sometimes the natural oils make my hair feel gummy and clumpy.

It will take a while for your head to adjust, but once a week if you have hard water. Dont dry it immediately squeeze the water out with your hand. then again with an old tshirt. dont use a towel. put a couple of drops of oil on your hand and apply to the tips. then wipe the remaining on your palm through your mid length then dry naturally.

kidari
February 28th, 2015, 07:43 PM
You can tell by how easily soap etc washes out. if it is very quick you have hard water.

I never knew that! Good to know... haha my water is very hard then, but I like how everything rinses out so fast. As for advice, I think maybe you should just try conventional shampoos that you can easily buy anywhere. They're formulated to work well with hard water and such. If DIY castille soap-based shampoos are not working for you then don't pursue it. I know I tried and failed miserably. I made only a small batch and I used it only once, it was such a terrible experience. Also, don't overdo it with your hair. Some people can't use a heavy conditioner each wash. Don't overdo anything, period. That includes washing too often, overdoing the protein treatments, over moisturizing, or even trying to stretch washes too far.

Kelikea
February 28th, 2015, 08:04 PM
Castile soap shampoo and my hair/scalp did not agree. I would get flakes really fast, and a weird smell. I even used a vinegar rinse, but it just didn't work. You might just not be able to do castile soap. What have you used in the past that worked?

Cinnamonqueen12
February 28th, 2015, 09:05 PM
I never knew that! Good to know... haha my water is very hard then, but I like how everything rinses out so fast. As for advice, I think maybe you should just try conventional shampoos that you can easily buy anywhere. They're formulated to work well with hard water and such. If DIY castille soap-based shampoos are not working for you then don't pursue it. I know I tried and failed miserably. I made only a small batch and I used it only once, it was such a terrible experience. Also, don't overdo it with your hair. Some people can't use a heavy conditioner each wash. Don't overdo anything, period. That includes washing too often, overdoing the protein treatments, over moisturizing, or even trying to stretch washes too far.

I'm still in the learning stage with my hair. I have never washed it more frequently than every three days unless I had to look presentable, but I am only now trying to stretch the washes to every 4 days. I am also being a bit more careful of what goes on my hair. Everything was going ok until that one castile shampoo experiment. I never used it again. I am still trying to see if my hair likes cones or not (doesn't seem to care) and I haven't had too much of an issue with the protein/moisture balance until recently. Now that I'm paying more attention to my hair, it seems to be very different than I thought it was.

Kelikea - I had the weird smell too, along with an awful residue that lingered even when dry. It made my hair sticky like glue. I know some people can use castile soap with no problem, but then others wont ever put it on their hair. I love it as a face wash though, mixed with a little honey, but it will never touch my hair again. In the past, I never had a "this one shampoo works and I will use it for eternity" type of relationship with shampoos. It was always (in the store) "Oh, I think this one sounds nice", "This one has a pretty label", " OOOOOOOHHHH I want to try this stuff!!!" and if something didn't work (which didn't happen often) I never repurchased.

gthlvrmx
February 28th, 2015, 11:25 PM
I think my area does have hard water. I have done ACV rinses in the past because I've heard that they help with hard water and clarify hair. They used to make my hair super soft and siney but now they just make it feel icky. I usually spend a lot of time in the shower rinsing my hair, so I don't think its leftovers, but it might be, I never thought of that. With my hair being so matted, it's hard for the water to get to the scalp. My hair shouldn't be damaged, it's all new growth, I cut off everything that had been dyed.
ACV doesn't clarify hair. Clarifying shampoos like the neautrogena anti residue shampoo clarify.

How would I check online to be sure there is hard water?
Just type in Google "hard water map" or type in the name of your city/state and put in "hard water" as well. There should be maps online of where hard water is.

Have you been doing any protein treatments? Those can leave your hair feeling gummy and sticky because of protein overload and soaking your hair in different oils/conditioners can sometimes make it feel worse. Normally, I've heard that a vinegar rinse or deep clarifying shampoo would help with this, but since you've already tried that, I'm not sure what else to recommend. I used to put regular white vinegar diluted with a small amount of water into a spray bottle and mist that onto my hair when it was feeling matted like you've described and although it was very acidic and probably too strong for my hair, it always worked to make my hair feel shiny and clean again.

Actually, too much protein usually feels dry and like hay or straw. It tends to break a bit easier and certainly feels stiff. Gummy hair usually happens when it's over moisturized.

molljo
February 28th, 2015, 11:48 PM
I honestly think you'll be good once you wash with the Joico shampoo to give your hair a good chelating. It sounds like the castille soap mixed with the minerals in your water and left soap scum on your hair. No amount of deep conditioning treatments is going to get that out. Just wait out the messy hair until you can chelate.

Tussi
March 1st, 2015, 02:11 AM
I found a tip in an old thread, about rinsing hair with club soda. Maybe this would help?
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/archive/index.php/t-73056.html

Cinnamonqueen12
March 1st, 2015, 08:22 AM
Thanks everyone!