How to make dark hair glossier with no color change or extra oiliness added, please?

[StephanieB]

Okay, I just did a "search" in this forum... and I'm too overwhelmed to deal with it all at once.

Please help me out?! :eek:

I have virgin naturally dark brunette hair that is often mistaken for black in indoor lighting. Out in very bright direct sunlight, it is easy to see dark chocolate brown color with some lighter browns, and with lots of golden and red highlights and red lowlights. Remember - this hodgepodge mixed-up color is natural.

My hair is just getting into much better shape than it was say, 6 months ago, thanks to my finding this site.

I have no more split ends; I bit the bullet and had a hairdresser TRIM only as much as necessary to get rid of all split ends and keep the length fairly even. I lost a bit less than an inch overall length.

I now use Chaz Dean WEN. No more shampoo. Been for the past 3 1/2 months now.

My hair is no longer flyaway. It's still thin... but I don't think anything's gonna help that much, right?

But my hair has no real gloss to it, like I've seen in pix here. No... eh, no shine. It's not exactly dull - but it isn't glossy either.

What can I use on my hair that's herbal or natural to add a lot of gloss to my hair without changing my own color?

I don't want to henna - never liked it in my hair, and also don't wish to be a redhead again.

I think I can't use indigo either - coz I don't want to go any darker than I am by God's design... and I don't wish to lose my own reds and golds, and I definitely do not wish to make it "flat".

If I understand cassia correctly, it won't do a thing to my own very dark hair.. Is that right?

I've been told, over the decades, to try all sorts of stuff... like mayonnaise, raw eggs, honey and raw eggs, olive oil, etc.
None worked - primarily because all made my oily hair problem much worse and/or dried out the dry ends too much... or both..

I have extremely oily hair that must be washed daily to look it's best at the roots, but isn't usually washed more than every 3rd day due to both dried-out ends that I just trimmed off AND physcial energy-comsuption issues because I'm handicapped and if I washed every other day I would never have the energy to get anything else done but that. Also - I can't transfer into/out of my tub/shower without assistance, which I rarely have when it'd be a good time to wash my hair.

So - what herbal and/or natural thing(s) might I try to get my hair really nicely glossy without changing my hair's natural color and without making it oilier, please?

I have no problem searching out threads on specific things once they are mentioned. I just was too overwhelmed at the answer threads listed in my initial search! OMG!!

TIA :)

[ChloeDharma]

What about a vinegar rinse at the end of a wash? Diluted of course. I've gone back to doing this after forgetting to bother for ages and i'm loving the shine it gives, it also makes my hair feel amazingly silkier as it comes into contact with my hair.
Aloe vera gel might be another idea if you apply that after washing....normally i'd say to try adding one drop of joboba oil to it in the palm of your hand as usually with me that seemed to give the benefit of oil without the risk of stringyness that oiling can give....but you might want to skip that bit.
I must say your hair looks anything but dull in your picture though and looks like it's already shiney so are you sure this isn't that very common problem of not realising how nice your hair actually is?

[StephanieB]

I must say your hair looks anything but dull in your picture though and looks like it's already shiney so are you sure this isn't that very common problem of not realising how nice your hair actually is?

How would I know, or be able to answer honestly, if that's the problem? :rolleyes:;)

It may be that... *shrug*


But I would like to make it look more glossy... if I can do that with no risk to my hair's good health or it's nice natural color.

I will do a search tomorrow on vinegar... thanks. :)

[SweetPea88]

I've done herbal rinses in the past and they've made my hair super shiny. I most often did rinses with rosemary, which is great for darker hair and is said to help stimulate the scalp. I just took a bundle of rosemary and let it steep as if you were making a tea, for about 20-30 minutes. Once cooled enough, use it as a final rinse after shampooing and conditioning. You can rinse with water afterward or not. HTH!

[plainjanegirl]

My two ideas are not exactly natural but they are not bad and will not affect your natural color.
The first would be the Clairol conditioning glaze....it comes in a blue tube....basically the conditioner that comes in the haircolor boxes but now sold separately and I think it is great!!!
The other thing I was told to try but have not and will try it soon. But it is the clear shine glaze (also I think by Clairol).
Good luck!!

[Deborah]

Hi. Vinegar rinses work nicely, but they do smell like, well, vinegar. You can leave them in, but most folks prefer to rinse them out. An easier (and in my opinion, nicer) alternative is to do a final rinse in citric acid water. You just pour it cold over your hair after you have finished washing and rinsing. No need to rinse it out at all. If this interests you, you put about 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid powder in a quart bottle. Fill the bottle up with cold tap water and shake it well. Use it after washing. You can do it without getting any of the cold on your body if you lean forward a good bit. This helps remove any water hardness or chemical problems from your hair, and leaves it nice and shiny. If you want a little to try out, email me, and I'll send you some (free.)

[serious]

If you dont want to use henna,try honey and aloe vera gel.You can also try fenugreek mask, it makes wonders for my hair !
And I also think yor hair doesn t look bad at all !

[ljkforu]

Hi. Vinegar rinses work nicely, but they do smell like, well, vinegar. You can leave them in, but most folks prefer to rinse them out. An easier (and in my opinion, nicer) alternative is to do a final rinse in citric acid water. You just pour it cold over your hair after you have finished washing and rinsing. No need to rinse it out at all. If this interests you, you put about 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid powder in a quart bottle. Fill the bottle up with cold tap water and shake it well. Use it after washing. You can do it without getting any of the cold on your body if you lean forward a good bit. This helps remove any water hardness or chemical problems from your hair, and leaves it nice and shiny. If you want a little to try out, email me, and I'll send you some (free.)
I agree! Citric Acid from the health food section or store or Ascorbic Acid (Vit C) Vitamin Store. I have been using 1/4 tsp per 20 oz of water and my scalp is a little itchy. I have read that this is because it is a little to acidic.

What acid does is closed the cuticle of the hair, imagine pine cone to spaghetti strand (way over exaggerated)

[ljkforu]

If you dont want to use henna,try honey and aloe vera gel.You can also try fenugreek mask, it makes wonders for my hair !
And I also think yor hair doesn t look bad at all !
I just used Cassia Obovata on my sons hair. It is a great glossing agent and it doesn't impart color anything but white hair (a pale gold.)

[Nat242]

Fenugreek and catnip treatments both make my hair quite shiny.

[Katze]

washing with sulfate shampoos now and then makes my hair shinier, because it cleans off the buildup.

Vinegar rinses sometimes make my hair shinier, sometimes not...same with WO washing.

SMTs or deep conditioners also help make my hair shinier. Your hair already looks very shiny, so whatever you are doing is good!

[mellie]

I've heard that cassia will give you shine but not color. You can probably find it locally as Senna (it is sold as a laxative). If you can't find it as a a powder but only as leaves, you can always grind it yourself in a spice/coffee grinder.

Here is the Cassia Thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=406&highlight=senna

[mellie]

P.S. I've been washing with soapnuts which have made my hair very shiny, as you can see in my siggy pic!

[StephanieB]

Okaaay. More overwhelming choices - all sound interesting! LOL

It's nice to have ideas, though...

I think I used to use home-made rosemary-infused vinegar on my, years ago. I don't remember clearly why I stopped... probably the 'scent' :p
I'd forgotten that, until now.....

Let me start with that, since I make my own flavored vinegars and grow my own herbs in my front garden. I have plenty, and sufficient rosemary with which to make much more.

Meanwhile, I will start researching honey & aloe mixes as another potential, and the citric acid rinse, as well.

Deborah - is the citric acid powder the same stuff that I use in jelly- and jam-making, and home canning fruit?


Thanks, everyone! :)

[ktani]

StephanieB

I just posted this in Honey. I hope it helps you.


Honey for just conditioning not lightening.

Honey slowly releases peroxide on dilution with fluids that constain water. This exempts oil. The operative word is slowly.

The time recommended for honey lightening with the new dilution, and distilled water, is 1 hour.

Using honey as a rinse and leaving it on the hair for 5 to 10 minutes, with tap water (which contains minerals in most cases and minerals deplete peroxide), should not cause any lightening of hair colour. If a rinse is left on the hair, as the hair dries, any peroxide production will cease.

Honey used undiluted as a leave-in on damp hair (the size of a pea is used for whole sections of hair) should not and has not been reported to lighten hair colour. There is not enough moisture in damp hair to dilute anything, much less honey.

Hair conditioners can contain ingredients that interfere with honey lightening, they have an acidic pH that will not contribute to more than gradual lightening at best in most cases, and have a water content from about 70 to 90%. Conditioner is no longer recommended for honey lightening but microwaving a honey/conditioner mix is recommended to eliminate the possibility of some lightening.

Using honey mixed with any Vitamin C containing ingredients, will deplete any peroxide produced. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes Vitamin C, and is depleted in the process. Mixing honey with aloe vera gel, which contains 3 x more Vitamin C than raw lemon juice, is one way to lessen the chance of hair lightening, but again microwaving the mix is the best choice.

Microwaving a honey mix will destroy the enzyme in honey that produces peroxide. The microwaving time has been under some debate. I think the safest time is from 30 seconds to under 1 minute.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=308762&postcount=2447

[spidermom]

Dark hair seems to "drink" light in pictures, although it will reflect the flash of a camera. A photographer we once worked with said that dark colors often seem like a hole in the picture. I don't think that all of these treatments can do much about that. Your avatar photo looks nice and shiny.

[StephanieB]

Thank you, Ktani. :D


My scary Mommy-Dearest mother called me, just now (why/how does she know - from a few hundred miles away in Philadelphia - whenever I'm about to do something nice for m hair?) to... as she put it "just to chat".

After 5 minutes of my usual less-than-enthusiastic "umm"s and "uh-huu"s, and "oh, really" and "nice" kind of non-talk -- she said, right out of the blue, "Do you remember when you used to put beer in your hair? And how godawful that stank?"


Well, after stepping on my dog's tail to make him yelp, and then prodding him with my shoe's toe in his ribs to make him bark... I hung up with the excause that I had to go answer the door. Midnight will forgive me - he understands. He growls softly whenever he hears her voice from the phone receiver.


I used to use beer rinses weekly in my hair, back when I was in my 20s. (a long time ago)
And, as I recall - I also loved whatBody on Tap shampoo and conditioner did for my hair, back then... gee, I sure wish they still made that stuff!

It gave extra body to my thin hair, and made it super-soft (no frizz) and so shiiiiiineeeeyyyyyyyyyy!

That's the kind of glossiness I wish my hair has, right now.


So - I'm wondering.......

Down in my cellar, I have a wine cellar, and a separate brew cellar - for my fave stouts, lagers, ales, etc.

Should I raid my brew cellar for a bottle of something good to sacrifice to my hair?

If it works, I'll be quite torn, however:
"waste" my best brews for my hair -- and not my mouth & stomach?!!
- or -
enjoy having really nice super-shiny, glossy, thicker-bodied hair?!!


And which brew to sacrifice so sadly???

Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout (seasonal, and only obtainable for a few weeks per year, and hard to come by, even at that time)??

BB/BCS is the best Russian Imperial style double stout on the planet. Period.

Coopers Best Extra Stout (which I must get imported from Australia at such a ridiculously high price)??

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale (not only expensive due to the importing of it, but also a rarer commodity than other Coopers beers, even in Oz)??

I don't buy cheap beer.


Maybe the very black Black Chocolate stout will do something nice for my hair color... and I like it's smell best, so in case it lingers, it'd be better to use that.

Yeah, maybe I should try a bottle, and see...

[ktani]

Thank you, Ktani. :D


My scary Mommy-Dearest mother called me, just now (why/how does she know - from a few hundred miles away in Philadelphia - whenever I'm about to do something nice for m hair?) to... as she put it "just to chat".

After 5 minutes of my usual less-than-enthusiastic "umm"s and "uh-huu"s, and "oh, really" and "nice" kind of non-talk -- she said, right out of the blue, "Do you remember when you used to put beer in your hair? And how godawful that stank?"


Well, after stepping on my dog's tail to make him yelp, and then prodding him with my shoe's toe in his ribs to make him bark... I hung up with the excause that I had to go answer the door. Midnight will forgive me - he understands. He growls softly whenever he hears her voice from the phone receiver.


I used to use beer rinses weekly in my hair, back when I was in my 20s. (a long time ago)
And, as I recall - I also loved whatBody on Tap shampoo and conditioner did for my hair, back then... gee, I sure wish they still made that stuff!

It gave extra body to my thin hair, and made it super-soft (no frizz) and so shiiiiiineeeeyyyyyyyyyy!

That's the kind of glossiness I wish my hair has, right now.


So - I'm wondering.......

Down in my cellar, I have a wine cellar, and a separate brew cellar - for my fave stouts, lagers, ales, etc.

Should I raid my brew cellar for a bottle of something good to sacrifice to my hair?

If it works, I'll be quite torn, however:
"waste" my best brews for my hair -- and not my mouth & stomach?!!
- or -
enjoy having really nice super-shiny, glossy, thicker-bodied hair?!!


And which brew to sacrifice so sadly???

Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout (seasonal, and only obtainable for a few weeks per year, and hard to come by, even at that time)??

BB/BCS is the best Russian Imperial style double stout on the planet. Period.

Coopers Best Extra Stout (which I must get imported from Australia at such a ridiculously high price)??

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale (not only expensive due to the importing of it, but also a rarer commodity than other Coopers beers, even in Oz)??

I don't buy cheap beer.


Maybe the very black Black Chocolate stout will do something nice for my hair color... and I like it's smell best, so in case it lingers, it'd be better to use that.

Yeah, maybe I should try a bottle, and see...

You are most welcome.

This is about your hair, no one else's. Your mother is no doubt just concerned for you.

From what I have read on using beer for hair care, it needs to be flat, and I think that you should use one that has the lowest alcohol content.

However, it you let it sit opened to get flat, some of the alcohol should evaporate.

Try testing the flattened beer on your hands or a piece of fabric, rinsed. See how much odour lingers. That will give you some idea, though not exactly, what will happen in your hair.

[spidermom]

Your beer stash sounds wonderful; I love the dark stouts. If it were me, I'd buy something cheap to try in my hair.

[StephanieB]

google + fingers x etymology = fine research


I'd heard that the Body on Tap stuff sold by Vermont Country Store, and Out of Africa and Senza wasn't the same stuff at all... entirely new/different recipes, and that the modern stuff contains no real beer... and is just one more gimicky product that is reported not to be different, like the original stuff was. Body on Tap apparently was originally made with Anheuser-Busch beer - Budweiser, to be specific - by Bristol-Meyer (who later became Squib-Bristol-Meyer), and when Bristol-meyer later bought Clairol, after a massive company reorganization, marketed the Body on Tap products thru Clairol.

It turns out to be true - the stuff made today and sold in the USA by Vermont Country Store isn't at all the same product.

It seems that Clairol somehow sold the original rights to the product name and idea to someone else, who now produces & sells it in bottles similar to the Clairol bottles.

Read the story (http://ataplow.googlepages.com/bodyontapshampoo) here. Their former Purchasing manager - Alan Taplow - tells the tale here, complete with his email addy.
I discovered that link from this webpage (http://ataplow.googlepages.com/bodyontapshampoo).

The original Body on Tap ingredient list:

Read straight from the original shampoo label (http://ataplow.googlepages.com/BOTLabl.jpg/BOTLabl-full.jpg).

Beer is the 2nd ingredient listed, right after water.
Mr Taplow states on his webpage clearly that it was a full one-third proportion of beer in the original recipe.


The modern Body on Tap ingredient list:

Shampoo - Beer, Crotein A, Formaldehyde Solution 37%,
Methocel EM4, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid Anhydrous,
Emcol CC9 NS, SLS Cinokex 60%, Polyethylene Glycol
6000 (Distearate), Momamid 150 LMW-C, Methylparaben,
Propylparaben, Dye, Fragrance, Uvinul MS 40, Empicol 0405,
DL-Panthenol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Purified
Water
Conditioner - Sodium Hydroxide Analar, Citric Acid Anhydrous
Jaguar Gum c-135, Empilan CME, Laurex CS, Escalol,
Empigen CM, Disodium EDTA DL-Panthenol, Germaben 2E,
Fragrance, Beer, Finsolv TN, Triethanolamine 98/99%,
Purified Water


I see nothing special in the modern ingredients that isn't found in many other easier-to-get and less costly products... if anyone else sees something I don't, please say what? Thanks.


This makes me think that I'm gonna take a sacrifice bottle of the BB BCS and open it and *sob* let it go flat... and add some apple cider vinegar into it, and wash my hair with my usual WEN, and use the beer-mixture as a final rinse, and rinse it out fgood with clear tepid water. And let my hair air-dry as usual.

If I like the results, I'll try it again, exactly the same except for using a cheap can of Bud. My mechanic drinks that ... stuff. I can use a can of his.

Comparing the two treatments should let me know if cheap Bud is the same on my hair as the fancy stout... or not.

How long to wait between test rinses? A week, d'you all think??

[StephanieB]

From what I have read on using beer for hair care, it needs to be flat, and I think that you should use one that has the lowest alcohol content.

However, it you let it sit opened to get flat, some of the alcohol should evaporate.

Oh. Dear... The black chocolate stout is 10.6% or 10.9%. (forget which) Yeah, it's strong! lol


Well, still... if it goes flat, it'll be a little less alcoholic.





Your beer stash sounds wonderful; I love the dark stouts. If it were me, I'd buy something cheap to try in my hair.

Which Washington are you in? D.C. or the Pacific northwest?

if in D.C., you're not that far... if the state, yeah, you are kinda far for a visit. ;)

But, I have successfully shipped cases (and six-packs) of it, as Christmas gifts, to Internet buddies in Texas, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Colorado, and Australia.

I'm sure it will reach Washington state, as well.

[DarkChocolate]

Hello:)
I have found that doing protein treatments with only an egg yolk have made my hair super shiny:) After I do an egg yolk treatment I wash my hair with Burt's bees Brazil Nut Shampoo and also condition with Burt's Bees Brazil Nut conditioner.

I only use the egg yolk because the egg white dries my hair since it is an astringent:)

My hair isn't greasy or anything after the egg yolk treatment.

[StephanieB]

Well, I decided - in the interests of hair science - to try the experiment.

I pulled a bottle of the Brooklyn Brewery black chocolate stout, which was jumping for joy to be drunk lobingly, and took it upstairs.

I apologized to the stout for the sin which I was about to commit upon it in all it's innocence, assured it that it was a sacrifice to the greater good of long hair the world over, and cracked it open.

It spat up all over me, all over my brand-new never-before-worn teal frilly sweater.And all over the kitchen counter, and dripped onto the floor.

I went back downstairs and put he sweater in the laundry immediately. I don't care if I waste resources for one item in the washer. I put the just-washed dog sweater in with it, to balance the washer drum.

I had to haul myself up to the first floor, and on up to the second floor to put another sweater on... it's 50 degrees F in here today. I'm not kicking the oil-burning furnace on 'till Thanksgiving week, nor am I using all the electricity that those small space heaters use until then.

Then, I went back down to the kitchen to clean up. Thankfully, the dogs did most of that job for me. :D

I put the mostly-full by-now settled bottle of stout away in the microwave oven, to hide it from the dogs & cats. Those little furry four-legged beer-guzzling monsters that they are. When they earn their own money, they can spend it on fancies for themselves... but 'till then, they can 'make do' with Aussie brew.

I know from experience that this stout will take many hours to go flat. I may have to wait 'till tomoroow for it to be totally flat.

So I figure that there's probably about 8 or 9 ounces left of the 12 ounce stout. I think I"ll add... eh... maybe 6 ounces of apple cidar vinegar to the stout, once it's flat. Then, it should be ready to use.

[ktani]

Well, I decided - in the interests of hair science - to try the experiment.

I pulled a bottle of the Brooklyn Brewery black chocolate stout, which was jumping for joy to be drunk lobingly, and took it upstairs.

I apologized to the stout for the sin which I was about to commit upon it in all it's innocence, assured it that it was a sacrifice to the greater good of long hair the world over, and cracked it open.

It spat up all over me, all over my brand-new never-before-worn teal frilly sweater.And all over the kitchen counter, and dripped onto the floor.

I went back downstairs and put he sweater in the laundry immediately. I don't care if I waste resources for one item in the washer. I put the just-washed dog sweater in with it, to balance the washer drum.

I had to haul myself up to the first floor, and on up to the second floor to put another sweater on... it's 50 degrees F in here today. I'm not kicking the oil-burning furnace on 'till Thanksgiving week, nor am I using all the electricity that those small space heaters use until then.

Then, I went back down to the kitchen to clean up. Thankfully, the dogs did most of that job for me. :D

I put the mostly-full by-now settled bottle of stout away in the microwave oven, to hide it from the dogs & cats. Those little furry four-legged beer-guzzling monsters that they are. When they earn their own money, they can spend it on fancies for themselves... but 'till then, they can 'make do' with Aussie brew.

I know from experience that this stout will take many hours to go flat. I may have to wait 'till tomoroow for it to be totally flat.

So I figure that there's probably about 8 or 9 ounces left of the 12 ounce stout. I think I"ll add... eh... maybe 6 ounces of apple cidar vinegar to the stout, once it's flat. Then, it should be ready to use.

Oh dear.

l hope that the sweater does not stain, which begs the question, why a dark stout when you do not want to darken your hair colour? It may darken your hair colour somewhat.

[StephanieB]

I used to use Guiness, before I discovered how pale that tasts as compared to RIS's like Old Rasputin and, later, to BB BCS.

Black stouts never did anything to my hair's color. In fact, I've never been unable to wash out black stouts from even white t-shirts. It just doesn't seem to stain anything of mine.


Anyhow, since I never had black stout color my hair or clothing darker, why not?

It's here and I needn't go out in the cold on my mobility scooter to buy. :)

[ktani]

I used to use Guiness, before I discovered how pale that tasts as compared to RIS's like Old Rasputin and, later, to BB BCS.

Black stouts never did anything to my hair's color. In fact, I've never been unable to wash out black stouts from even white t-shirts. It just doesn't seem to stain anything of mine.


Anyhow, since I never had black stout color my hair or clothing darker, why not?

It's here and I needn't go out in the cold on my mobility scooter to buy. :)

That all makes perfect sense to me. I did not know whether it had a history of staining anything.

Thank you for the clarification.

[StephanieB]

Hello:)
I have found that doing protein treatments with only an egg yolk have made my hair super shiny:) After I do an egg yolk treatment I wash my hair with Burt's bees Brazil Nut Shampoo and also condition with Burt's Bees Brazil Nut conditioner.

I only use the egg yolk because the egg white dries my hair since it is an astringent:)

My hair isn't greasy or anything after the egg yolk treatment.

Hi, DarkChocolate.

Sorry. I missed your post before. I think they crossed in cyberspace.


How to you use the egg yolks? Just rub them into your hair?
And do you leave them in? Or just apply and rinse?


I wondered about eggs - I've heard they work, but never knew anyone who ever actually tried it. :)

[StephanieB]

That all makes perfect sense to me. I did not know whether it had a history of staining anything.

Thank you for the clarification.

Laundry's done. It doesn't appear to have stained the sweater, which is on a rack, flat, drying over the dryer while that's on.

I'll let you know if it does stain... sweater or hair. :D

I don't think it will... I've spilled it on myself too many times, in my younger days, so I'm not worried.



OMG! That ^ sounds so crass...

Well, we all make mistakes when we're younger... right? lol

[ktani]

Laundry's done. It doesn't appear to have stained the sweater, which is on a rack, flat, drying over the dryer while that's on.

I'll let you know if it does stain... sweater or hair. :D

I don't think it will... I've spilled it on myself too many times, in my younger days, so I'm not worried.



OMG! That ^ sounds so crass...

Well, we all make mistakes when we're younger... right? lol

LOL, I have had my share of stout. I still like it. I have just never spilled it on myself. I tend to "wear" other food and drink, lol.

[StephanieB]

Gee - now all this talk about food and stout is making me hun-greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!


Medifast just doesn't cut it when you want a pizzasteak with mushrooms and lots of onions from Pat's, fries from Gino's, and a Bella Vista or two to wash it all down with... and maybe a pretzel or two with mustard afterwards. Yeah..... and... ooooooooooooooooh, a nice big fat hoagie, too.

It's only a roughly 2-hour+ drive down to south Philly.

pondering it

[StephanieB]

No trip to Food Heaven (a/k/a Philly) for me today. *sigh*


But I did wash my hair with WEN, rinse it out real REAL good, and do a final rinse with the beer/cider vinegar. (just tipped the cider vinegar right into the flat stout)

It was more than 2... and maybe 3 times as much as I needed for a simple rinse to my hair.

So, I used a good heavy third of it. And rinsed my hair with running tepid water for over 5 minutes. I set a timer for the 5, and just kept rinsing it 'till I couldn't stand my head tipped any longer.

I had a bad scare for a few moments!

When I carefully tipped the vinegar/beer over my hair, and tried to work it into my hair... I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. I screamed for hubby, and he came running. I felt no hair!!

If you already know about my worst hair mishap (go read it in my blog) you'll know why I almost - literally - had a heart attack. I dunno if I can stand losing all my hair to a stupid chemical mistake, for a second time in one lifetime!

My hair is very fine, and thin. It was so soft that I just didn't feel it on my fingers! It is simply too silky to feel with one's wet fingertips.

Hubby came barging in when I shrieked. He asked me what was wrong, after poking his head past the shower curtain. He thought I'd fallen off my bath chair, or something... It took him a minute or two to figure out what exactly I was screaming at him.

He looked mystified, and told me that all my hair was right there, on my head, tips/length in my hand... Then he panicked: Why didn't I feel my own hair?!

He reached in and grabbed a handful of my hair. That, too, isn't a good thing (flashbacks) but he wasn't thinking straight.

I almost tore my own hair out while he was holding it, as I cringed away from his hand. BUt it slipped silkily righ thru his fingers. He coudln't actually keep a hold on it.

It's really straaaaaaaaaaange... being this lightweight silky. I've never felt anything like that on my own head before.

Once my heart wass beating at an acceptable rate again... I dried off, and transferred out of the shower.

I wrapped mya hir carefully up in a Diva towel, and let the towel sit for 10 minutes. Took the towel off... and am now letting it air dry.

It's too silky. It can't be my hair.

I dunno if it'll even hold in any fork, barrette, clip, or pins. It's too soft, I think.

Anyhow, it feels really nice so far. Looks okay, but wet hair is hard to judge visually.

It smells very faintly of apple cider vinegar, and not of beer at all. If it still has a faint vinegar semll tomorrow, I can always use a few drops of essential iol(s) in water, shaken in a spritzer, and sprits my hair lightly for fragrance cover-up.

I may just leave it alone. It's not really offensive. And you have to really bury your nose in it to smell it. I asked my next-door neighbor, and she says it's nothing to worry about and no one would notice.

I'm gonna wait for it to dry, and take a digipicture.

And wait 'till tomorrow to see what hiar toys are best, will even hold it up right now.

[DarkChocolate]

Hi, DarkChocolate.

Sorry. I missed your post before. I think they crossed in cyberspace.


How to you use the egg yolks? Just rub them into your hair?
And do you leave them in? Or just apply and rinse?


I wondered about eggs - I've heard they work, but never knew anyone who ever actually tried it. :)

Hi Stephanie:)

I wet my hair then spread the egg yolk over it. I leave it in for about ten minutes,rinse,shampoo and condition:) The main purpose of using egg yolks is to take advantage of the protein they provide:) I started using egg yolks about August 17th. I have seen a tremendous difference in my hair.

[Dolly]

But I did wash my hair with WEN, rinse it out real REAL good, and do a final rinse with the beer/cider vinegar. (just tipped the cider vinegar right into the flat stout)

It's really straaaaaaaaaaange... being this lightweight silky. I've never felt anything like that on my own head before.

I wrapped mya hir carefully up in a Diva towel, and let the towel sit for 10 minutes. Took the towel off... and am now letting it air dry.

It's too silky. It can't be my hair.

I dunno if it'll even hold in any fork, barrette, clip, or pins. It's too soft, I think.

Anyhow, it feels really nice so far. Looks okay, but wet hair is hard to judge visually.

It smells very faintly of apple cider vinegar, and not of beer at all. If it still has a faint vinegar semll tomorrow, I can always use a few drops of essential iol(s) in water, shaken in a spritzer, and sprits my hair lightly for fragrance cover-up.

I may just leave it alone. It's not really offensive. And you have to really bury your nose in it to smell it. I asked my next-door neighbor, and she says it's nothing to worry about and no one would notice.




So, how did it feel when it dried? For me the vinegar rinses work wonders....and when my hair dries, the vinegar smell isn't noticeable....my fiancee spends most of our time together with his nose buried in my hair, and I have always told him to let me know if he can smell the vinegar....he never can.

[StephanieB]

Hi Stephanie:)

I wet my hair then spread the egg yolk over it. I leave it in for about ten minutes,rinse,shampoo and condition:) The main purpose of using egg yolks is to take advantage of the protein they provide:) I started using egg yolks about August 17th. I have seen a tremendous difference in my hair.

Hmmm

I'll have to remember that, and if the beer/vinegar doesn't make my hair as glossy as I'd like, I'll try the egg yolks next. Thanks. :D

[StephanieB]

So, how did it feel when it dried? For me the vinegar rinses work wonders....and when my hair dries, the vinegar smell isn't noticeable....my fiancee spends most of our time together with his nose buried in my hair, and I have always told him to let me know if he can smell the vinegar....he never can.

Lighter of weight than usual. and much dofter and a whole lot silkier!! :D

No vinegar smell after it dried - not even a hint. Nor beer smell, either.


I think I'm gonna try this every other week or so (or every 4th or 5th washing).

But I'm not gonna use any more of my best stouts. I'm gonna try using Budweiser the next time. And if it works just as well... well, like I always tell Bud drinkers: I finally found a good use for Budweiser, since it's not really a beer. ;) lol

[Dolly]

Lighter of weight than usual. and much dofter and a whole lot silkier!! :D

No vinegar smell after it dried - not even a hint. Nor beer smell, either.


I think I'm gonna try this every other week or so (or every 4th or 5th washing).




Excellent! Glad it's working for you!!

[StephanieB]

Two weeks later, and my hair is still glossier and softer than it was before I tried the beer-vinegar rinse. :cheese:


I think I'm going to continue some experimentation with different beers, and different vinegars... ann I'll keep posting the results both here and in my blog.