Hair that gets drier instead of oily when stretching washes

[Chocowalnut]

I probably wash my hair 3 times a week on average. I can't stretch washes much longer than a few days without hating my hair, not because it gets oily and dirty, but because it seems to dry out get tangly and not have any appealing shape to it. It never gets greasy but it gets so dry until I wash it again. Does anyone else have this problem or know why my hair does this and what I can do about it? I worry as my hair gets longer I'll need to stretch washes more.

[lapushka]

I would assume dry roots means you can stretch longer. :shrug:

[*Stella*]

I only wash once every 7-10 days, (CO) and usually because my hair is dry and tangly rather than greasy. My hair is bleached though, so to be expected.
If your hair is unprocessed, it sounds like you need to alter your regime to keep your lengths moisturised.

[Kimberly]

This happens to me sometimes. I mist with rosewater (just rose oil in water, no glycerin) and scrunch. If that doesn't do the trick, I get out my Nighblooming Panacea and put a tiny bit on the ends. Never fails.

[Nique1202]

It definitely sounds like you're not giving your length enough moisture. Can you give a rundown of all the things you put on and do to your hair? It'll be easier for us to give suggestions when we know what you're already doing or not doing.

[Chocowalnut]

I wash with a shampoo (recently herbal essences Hello hydration) and then put a lot of conditioner (also HH) on from root to tip and wide comb through until completely detangled. Let it soak in for rest of shower. I gently pat and squeeze out excess water then let air dry. Sometimes I will put a little herbal essences curl cream in and scrunch a little before air dry. Sometimes I will put a little oil in (either biosilk drops or hair chemist coconut oil drops), and sometimes I won't put anything in it.

[lapushka]

I wash with a shampoo (recently herbal essences Hello hydration) and then put a lot of conditioner (also HH) on from root to tip and wide comb through until completely detangled. Let it soak in for rest of shower. I gently pat and squeeze out excess water then let air dry. Sometimes I will put a little herbal essences curl cream in and scrunch a little before air dry. Sometimes I will put a little oil in (either biosilk drops or hair chemist coconut oil drops), and sometimes I won't put anything in it.

Seems like a really good routine. I would keep the lengths moisturized (mist, put leave-in + oil/serum back in) and stretch until the roots get oily.

[Chocowalnut]

Seems like a really good routine. I would keep the lengths moisturized (mist, put leave-in + oil/serum back in) and stretch until the roots get oily.

Thanks. It seems a couple people are recommending misting so I will give that a try.

[lapushka]

Thanks. It seems a couple people are recommending misting so I will give that a try.

Yeah, and you can mist with just plain water, or squirt a bit of conditioner into the bottle. Some make concoctions with aloe vera and glycerine and some EOs. You gotta test out and see what works best for you.

[Nique1202]

I would definitely put a drop or two of oil or serum on after every wash, and then mist and apply the oil/serum again as soon as you notice your hair feeling dry to seal the moisture from the misting in. You should be able to stretch your washes WAY longer this way if your scalp doesn't get greasy.

[Shelley48]

It sounds like you need moisture. Does the hair at your scalp get greasy at all? Is it just the ends that get dry? You probably need to apply moisture everyday. Maybe the ends keep soaking it up after you apply moisture, if you do, and it needs more.

Good luck, I hope you can figure out the problem!

[lapushka]

Yeah, I would only wash when the roots get oily. It is a matter of keeping the dryness moisturized. If you mist, be sure to seal in the moisture with an oil/serum and/or leave-in as said above! It's the LOC/LCO method (check out my signature for a link to that).

[meteor]

This isn't too uncommon with dry hair.
When my length gets dry between washes, I just do a mini-LOC : run wet hands over length and then spread a few drops of oil with a dollop of conditioner to lock in moisture right before bunning. When I take the length down, it's always soft and moisturized again.

[Nadine <3]

I get this issue sometimes too. I just mist my hair and seal with a light oil (very light, and very little! I don't want to put in to much and get it greasy.) just as others have already said.

[*Stella*]

I oil frequently between washes, mostly coconut and argan oil, which my hair loves but obviously different oils suit different hair types.

[Chocowalnut]

Guys I tried the recommendations of misting my hair and putting a little oil. I did that and put it back up in a bun. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what but my hair looked like crap this morning when I took it down. It was stringy and frizz. Right when I put the water on last night it felt like a bad idea as it made it feel frizzy and like it wasn't going to be good. Am I supposed to brush it when I mist it? Because normally I don't brush my hair.

[meteor]

^ Yes, you are supposed to spread it very well - either with hands or with a brush or a comb. :)

It kind of sounds like you may have used too much oil? :hmm: If not, the oil might be too heavy for you... I'd try it with a leave-in/rinse-out conditioner next time.

Also, dry feeling hair is sometimes caused by build-up. It's possible that your length has simply accumulated too much product build-up and it may help to clarify to remove that dry coating and then deep condition (e.g. with SMT or oil + conditioner) after.

[Chocowalnut]

^ Yes, you are supposed to spread it very well - either with hands or with a brush or a comb. :)

It kind of sounds like you may have used too much oil? :hmm: If not, the oil might be too heavy for you... I'd try it with a leave-in/rinse-out conditioner next time.

Also, dry feeling hair is sometimes caused by build-up. It's possible that your length has simply accumulated too much product build-up and it may help to clarify to remove that dry coating and then deep condition (e.g. with SMT or oil + conditioner) after.

Thanks, I will try again and comb it next time. Normally my hair doesn't look good when I comb it though. If that doesn't work for me I have been thinking maybe I can cowash sometimes instead of stretching washes. That would be OK for my hair right? Because the only time I like my hair is after a wash.

[meteor]

^ Sure :agree: , or if you don't want to do a full CO-wash, you can try what Anje mentioned recently: wetting down braid tassel/pony in a sink, conditioning it and then rinsing it out - a bit like a mini CO-wash. ;)

[Chocowalnut]

^ Sure :agree: , or if you don't want to do a full CO-wash, you can try what Anje mentioned recently: wetting down braid tassel/pony in a sink, conditioning it and then rinsing it out - a bit like a mini CO-wash. ;)

Thank you :)

[maegalcarwen]

This isn't too uncommon with dry hair.
When my length gets dry between washes, I just do a mini-LOC : run wet hands over length and then spread a few drops of oil with a dollop of conditioner to lock in moisture right before bunning. When I take the length down, it's always soft and moisturized again.

I have the same, and I do the same! It works great, I usually wash once a week - but you do need to know when it cannot be saved and you have to wash it :D

Also, I never brush my hair, EVER - only in the shower, finger comb with conditioner in it. So when I do the water + oil stuff, I just use my fingers to gently detangle it. And I never put it up or braid it after this, because then it gets funny.

[*Stella*]

Thanks, I will try again and comb it next time. Normally my hair doesn't look good when I comb it though. If that doesn't work for me I have been thinking maybe I can cowash sometimes instead of stretching washes. That would be OK for my hair right? Because the only time I like my hair is after a wash.

CO washing works perfectly for my hair, shampoo makes it drier and harder to manage and also greasy. My hair hates shampoo.
Have you tried argan oil? it is lighter than coconut and fully absorbs, it is my favourite oil for my hair

[mira-chan]

I have dry hair and a scalp that produces dryer sebum. My hair does not get oily, even after a month. What does happen is the dry tangling and scalp aches. I wash once a week. Oiling before wash can help break up any scalp crud. If your scalp tolerates it, a very light oil massage helps A LOT. CO washing didn't work for me, but I periodically leave my conditioner after the shampooing step, for up to 30 min as a deep condition. That works nicely. Also using a regular or a deep conditioner as a leave in, helps keep the ends nice longer.

[cwarren]

I wash with a shampoo (recently herbal essences Hello hydration) and then put a lot of conditioner (also HH) on from root to tip and wide comb through until completely detangled. Let it soak in for rest of shower. I gently pat and squeeze out excess water then let air dry. Sometimes I will put a little herbal essences curl cream in and scrunch a little before air dry. Sometimes I will put a little oil in (either biosilk drops or hair chemist coconut oil drops), and sometimes I won't put anything in it.

I have dry hair/scalp issues as well. But one thing that definitely made it worse was the Hello Hydration conditioner. Has your hair always been like this or did it start recently? Maybe changing your shampoo/conditioner will help your hair stay moisturized longer.

[RottenMango]

I have curly hair but an oily scalp. The longer I go without washing, my roots will get oily and the length and ends of my hair will get dry. Water is the only way of truly adding moisture to your hair, so it’s not surprising that going too long without a wash can lead to dried out hair.

[YvetteVarie]

My hair gets dry when I stretch out washes. I normally just mist or use a misturiser and put an oil on top to refresh. But when that stops working, I know its time for a wash and deep condition

[enting]

I have curly hair but an oily scalp. The longer I go without washing, my roots will get oily and the length and ends of my hair will get dry. Water is the only way of truly adding moisture to your hair, so it’s not surprising that going too long without a wash can lead to dried out hair.

My hair does the same. Sometimes I can comb it out and lightly oil the length to get it feeling and looking better (if also straighter), but I can't do that indefinitely. At a certain point it just still feels miserable under the oil and I must wash it.

[milosmomma]

Has anyone suggested ROO yet? That has really helped my ends and sometimes I dont even feel the need for leave ins and oiling after a wash(although I'm oil crazed to I usually at least lightly oil to seal as well :lol:) Roo is the rinse out oil method, you oil your hair in the shower, ears down or ends only, after you shampoo. I let the oil sit for a minute then add conditioner 9n top and also let that sit for a minute. I usually condition twice but I know a lot if people have success with one conditioner. I also notice if I use an apple cider vinegar(acv) rinse my hair and ends in particular behave longer and I can usually get and extra day out of my wash when I do.

[Panthera]

I have the same problem too. I try to spray my hair with water and put some light conditioner or oil but the next day the ends look limp, greasy and dry at the same time. I've also tried lavender oil spray (cg method) but I'm not sure what it's supposed to do. :D

[cjk]

Even the best of products can leave a buildup. Start with the basics.

When was the last time you clarified?

[blackgothicdoll]

I agree with clarifying first. Spritzing hair may work, but a cool trick for low porosity hair is to spritz with warm water before adding additional moisturizer. It opens up the cuticle. Also, no cold water rinses for low porosity hair, or the cuticle is closed and your hair will dry out sooner due to not allowing in additional moisturizer.

Maybe, in addition, checking your shampoo and conditioner for cones, waxes or heavy oils. It creates a cycle where your hair is never actually clean.

[Caribbean_girl]

I'm having this problem right now! I tried using aloe vera with honey last night and before going to work today I put a coconut oil and shea moisture leave in spritz on my hair AND IT'S STILL DRY. Am i over moisturizing or what am I doing wrong?

[hollygolightly]

Guys I tried the recommendations of misting my hair and putting a little oil. I did that and put it back up in a bun. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what but my hair looked like crap this morning when I took it down. It was stringy and frizz. Right when I put the water on last night it felt like a bad idea as it made it feel frizzy and like it wasn't going to be good. Am I supposed to brush it when I mist it? Because normally I don't brush my hair.

I had the same problem before about not oily hair but dry, I second what everyone said about misting but if I wet my hair and put it up it will feel frizzy and stringy. I suggest waiting for your hair to dry while wearing it down. Also, after washing LCO always helps me retain moisture