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View Full Version : Hair that Doesn't Like Conditioner



Daydreamer.
July 19th, 2016, 12:48 AM
My hair seems like it doesn't like conditioner. I've tried natural/conventional conditioners, silicone/silicone-free conditioners, and protein/protein-free conditioners. Every conditioner I've tried dries my hair out for some reason. Nothing seems to work more than a couple of uses. When I cut my hair short last year, I used shampoo only because my scalp got oily enough. My hair felt great then. But now that my hair is longer, I feel I need conditioner for detangling purposes. Can I use oil instead of conditioner? Is conditioner necessary to grow long hair? Will not using conditioner will be bad for my hair in the long term? Has anyone grown long hair or maintained long hair without conditioner?
Lastly, anyone else has hair that does better without conditioner?

Decoy24601
July 19th, 2016, 12:57 AM
I don't conditioner is necessary to grow hair long, but it usually does help to add moisture and slip to hair, but these can be done with other ingredients. Herbs like marsh mallow can provide a lot of slip, but they can also build up. I'm a big fan of fermented rice water for adding slip, volume, and shine. To keep your hair hydrated, you can use humectants like aloe and flax-seed gel. Oils technically do not hydrate hair because they are, well, oils, but they can help seal in moisture.

My hair does the best with minimal conditioner. I use soap shampoo bars now and since they don't fully clean off the conditioner, I like to use just a little bit on my hair before I use the shampoo bar, not after. I just figured out tonight that my hair hates ACV rinses now, so I don't do that. I tried going without conditioners, but my hair tangles way too much. On the other hand, silicone serums provide my hair with way too much slip, so I only use them every once in a while.

You can try different combinations of herbs, butters, oils, and humectants to keep your hair tame and hydrated without conditioner. YMMV, these are just some ideas off the top of my head.

P.S. I really do love fermented rice water, and so does my hair.

lapushka
July 19th, 2016, 04:19 AM
This thread might be useful to you too:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=138673

Johannah
July 19th, 2016, 04:23 AM
My hair seems like it doesn't like conditioner. I've tried natural/conventional conditioners, silicone/silicone-free conditioners, and protein/protein-free conditioners. Every conditioner I've tried dries my hair out for some reason. Nothing seems to work more than a couple of uses. When I cut my hair short last year, I used shampoo only because my scalp got oily enough. My hair felt great then. But now that my hair is longer, I feel I need conditioner for detangling purposes. Can I use oil instead of conditioner? Is conditioner necessary to grow long hair? Will not using conditioner will be bad for my hair in the long term? Has anyone grown long hair or maintained long hair without conditioner?
Lastly, anyone else has hair that does better without conditioner?

Short answer: yes you can use oil instead (as a leave-in on wet hair). No, conditioner is not necessary to grow long hair. No, it will not be bad for you hair in the long term if that's what your hair needs. Yes, a lot of people have grown long hair without conditioner. And I forgot names, but there are quite some people on tLHC with long hair without the use of conditioner.

Long answer: if your hair does not like conditioner, then don't use it. Unless you really want to, then you need to keep experimenting. But if you quit using it, then don't forget to use a leave-in after you washed your hair! Mineral oil would be something to experiment with, also serums if you find you need slip. Also, did you try humectants? You can find information here: article 1 (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/the-ultimate-guide-to-humectants-and-hair/) article 2 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/07/film-forming-humectants-what-they-are.html). This might be something to experiment with as well.

Saige
July 19th, 2016, 05:20 AM
I haven't used conditioner in years and my hair is perfectly happy with that. It's definitely not necessary for growing long hair. I like to oil heavily before each wash, then oil lightly when/if it feels like I need it.

calmyogi
July 19th, 2016, 06:02 AM
I only use conventional conditioners when I feel like it. Like if I want my hair to have slip for some reason, or do it to be weighed down because I like that look that day. Most conditioners dry my hair out after awhile. Most of the time I use Shea moisture oils, or their raw Shea moisture conditioner as a leave in, Or coconut oil. Sometimes I'll do oil before shampooing but put nothing on afterwards. A lot of this is more out of experimenting and a little because I change my mind daily on what I want my hair to do lol. But, my point is is my hair is healthy and I don't use regular conventional conditioners regularly at all, or very often. There are lots of ways to moisturize and grow hair without conditioner.

florenonite
July 19th, 2016, 06:20 AM
I grew my hair to hip using shampoo only (cut it because it took so darn long to dry, not because it wasn't healthy). I don't use any leave-ins, either, just the occasional smidgen of coconut oil or Nightblooming salve on dry hair when it needs it.

Hairkay
July 19th, 2016, 09:05 AM
I just use my DIY hair masks and a little oil that's it.

MlleMC
July 19th, 2016, 01:59 PM
I'm currently trying not to use conditioner, I last used it three weeks ago, but I've only scalp washed since (taking care to use my BBB before).

The thing is, I grew my hair past TBL without conditioner. It did look better when I started using it, but I also changed my shampoo to something completely different at the same time, so now I'm trying to find out what really made the difference. If I could keep skip the conditioner, I'd be really happy since I hate how long it takes to rinse out (and my skin reacts to most conditioners).

Deborah
July 20th, 2016, 12:40 AM
I haven't used conditioners for a number of years, with no problems. I finish my hair off with an acidic rinse, using citric acid powder in water, then don't rinse it out. (Vinegar in water works much the same.) This is because I have very hard water, and the acidic rinse leaves my hair very nice. I really don't need conditioner or any other product.

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:44 AM
I don't conditioner is necessary to grow hair long, but it usually does help to add moisture and slip to hair, but these can be done with other ingredients. Herbs like marsh mallow can provide a lot of slip, but they can also build up. I'm a big fan of fermented rice water for adding slip, volume, and shine. To keep your hair hydrated, you can use humectants like aloe and flax-seed gel. Oils technically do not hydrate hair because they are, well, oils, but they can help seal in moisture. My hair does the best with minimal conditioner. I use soap shampoo bars now and since they don't fully clean off the conditioner, I like to use just a little bit on my hair before I use the shampoo bar, not after. I just figured out tonight that my hair hates ACV rinses now, so I don't do that. I tried going without conditioners, but my hair tangles way too much. On the other hand, silicone serums provide my hair with way too much slip, so I only use them every once in a while. You can try different combinations of herbs, butters, oils, and humectants to keep your hair tame and hydrated without conditioner. YMMV, these are just some ideas off the top of my head. P.S. I really do love fermented rice water, and so does my hair. Thanks for giving me some ideas!

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:45 AM
This thread might be useful to you too: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=138673 Thanks for the link!

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:47 AM
Short answer: yes you can use oil instead (as a leave-in on wet hair). No, conditioner is not necessary to grow long hair. No, it will not be bad for you hair in the long term if that's what your hair needs. Yes, a lot of people have grown long hair without conditioner. And I forgot names, but there are quite some people on tLHC with long hair without the use of conditioner. Long answer: if your hair does not like conditioner, then don't use it. Unless you really want to, then you need to keep experimenting. But if you quit using it, then don't forget to use a leave-in after you washed your hair! Mineral oil would be something to experiment with, also serums if you find you need slip. Also, did you try humectants? You can find information here: article 1 (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/the-ultimate-guide-to-humectants-and-hair/) article 2 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/07/film-forming-humectants-what-they-are.html). This might be something to experiment with as well. Well, that's good to know. Thanks for the links to the articles!

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:49 AM
I only use conventional conditioners when I feel like it. Like if I want my hair to have slip for some reason, or do it to be weighed down because I like that look that day. Most conditioners dry my hair out after awhile. Most of the time I use Shea moisture oils, or their raw Shea moisture conditioner as a leave in, Or coconut oil. Sometimes I'll do oil before shampooing but put nothing on afterwards. A lot of this is more out of experimenting and a little because I change my mind daily on what I want my hair to do lol. But, my point is is my hair is healthy and I don't use regular conventional conditioners regularly at all, or very often. There are lots of ways to moisturize and grow hair without conditioner. I know what you mean. It's funny how conditioner can dry hair out over time. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who experiences this.

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:53 AM
I just use my DIY hair masks and a little oil that's it. Do you have any recipes for moisturizing hair masks?

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:56 AM
I'm currently trying not to use conditioner, I last used it three weeks ago, but I've only scalp washed since (taking care to use my BBB before). The thing is, I grew my hair past TBL without conditioner. It did look better when I started using it, but I also changed my shampoo to something completely different at the same time, so now I'm trying to find out what really made the difference. If I could keep skip the conditioner, I'd be really happy since I hate how long it takes to rinse out (and my skin reacts to most conditioners). I'm going to do the same to see if my hair improves. I also experience scalp irritation with some conditioners. I think it might be the fragrance.

Daydreamer.
July 20th, 2016, 01:59 AM
I haven't used conditioners for a number of years, with no problems. I finish my hair off with an acidic rinse, using citric acid powder in water, then don't rinse it out. (Vinegar in water works much the same.) This is because I have very hard water, and the acidic rinse leaves my hair very nice. I really don't need conditioner or any other product. I have hard water, too. Maybe that's contributing to the dryness? I was considering ACV, but does the acid harm hair over time? What's a good dilution?

Deborah
July 20th, 2016, 12:14 PM
I have hard water, too. Maybe that's contributing to the dryness? I was considering ACV, but does the acid harm hair over time? What's a good dilution?

I have never found any dryness or any other problem from using either vinegar or citric acid. People like different dilutions. I use a heaping teaspoon of citric acid powder in about 40 ounces of cold water, shaken in very, very well. Then I pour the whole bottle over my hair after I have finished washing and rinsing. I do not rinse the citric acid water out.

You could do the same thing with vinegar, either apple cider or plain white vinegar. I like citric acid better because it has no fragrance. When I used vinegar I eventually found that I liked white vinegar better because is has less smell than ACV. I used about half a cup of the vinegar mixed in with the 40 ounces of cold water. When my hair dried there was no fragrance left.

ravenheather
July 21st, 2016, 07:48 AM
If you need slip for strangling try kinky curly knot today. It is a detangler/very light leave in.

ETA detangling not strangling. I hope your hair isn't strangling you. Lol.

Daydreamer.
July 22nd, 2016, 03:24 AM
I have never found any dryness or any other problem from using either vinegar or citric acid. People like different dilutions. I use a heaping teaspoon of citric acid powder in about 40 ounces of cold water, shaken in very, very well. Then I pour the whole bottle over my hair after I have finished washing and rinsing. I do not rinse the citric acid water out. You could do the same thing with vinegar, either apple cider or plain white vinegar. I like citric acid better because it has no fragrance. When I used vinegar I eventually found that I liked white vinegar better because is has less smell than ACV. I used about half a cup of the vinegar mixed in with the 40 ounces of cold water. When my hair dried there was no fragrance left. I'm going to try ACV first since I have it. I'll try citric acid if I can find it. BTW, do you pre-mix the rinses or do you mix them after you've washed your hair?

Daydreamer.
July 22nd, 2016, 03:27 AM
If you need slip for strangling try kinky curly knot today. It is a detangler/very light leave in. ETA detangling not strangling. I hope your hair isn't strangling you. Lol. I've tried it a long time ago, but I forgot about it. Haha. My hair has strangled me before, though...