How do products make your hair feel?

[Obsidian]

I've been trying different products to help bring out my curls and reduce frizz. So far most do ok but they all leave my hair feeling like, well, something is on it. I'm never happy with the dry coated feeling, even if my hair looks clean and not weighed down, I end up washing just a few hours later.

Doesn't matter if its creams, balms or gels, they all just feel awful. Oil is ok if I use a tiny amount on wet hair but it does zero for me so I don't generally use it. Tried LOC today, it looked pretty good but once again, it felt awful, like I had too much dry shampoo on my hairs.

Got me thinking, I'm I expecting too much? Do most products leave a feeling in the hair? The only thing I can stand at this point is one brand of leave in and coney serums. Even then they have to washed out the next day.

I like my hair to feel absolutely clean and fluffy.

[littlestarface]

No I never have that coated feeling and if I did i'd clarify and throw that thing away. I like the feeling of really clean hair.

[Frankenstein]

Most things make my hair feel sticky, crunchy, and/or coated: oils, serums, creams, gels, leave-ins, you name it. There are very few products that don't, but I still hardly use them. If you feel like your hair does better without them, by all means, don't use em. It took a long period of experienting with all those things for me to realize that my hair just doesn't need it.

[school of fish]

Any kind of anything feels pretty yuck in my hair too. I can't use any leave-ins, oils, mousses, serums, gels, dry shampoos, pretty much anything without it feeling unpleasant. What's more, since my hair is straight, fine and with a cuticle that's slammed shut, it SHOWS anything that's applied to it :p I can't even conceive of doing an oiling and having it absorb, haha!! Texturizers of any kind, forget about it...

My hair responds best to daily washing - it behaves best when very clean, so I guess for me using product kind of runs counter to the stripped-bare state it prefers to live in ;)

I've just given in to it :)

[spidermom]

Yes, products make my hair feel different, but my hair gets pretty bushy without something to tame it, so I interpret the difference as being a good thing.

[Obsidian]

The worse offenders get tossed or given away, they others stay in case I need to tame my mane enough to look presentable.

Bad thing is I get so frizzy without product, I'd love to find something that helps without being gross.

I really need to buy some flax seed so I can try the gel, I hear good things about it.

[turtlelover]

I used to be able to use some heavier products, but since I started using henna, less is more. Now I just wash and condition, and that is it. I probably should start pre-shampoo oiling again, but I haven't even done that. Any kind of leave in just seems to make my hair greasy now. I think the henna does something good to my cuticle layer, because it seems more smooth and less porous.

[LadyCelestina]

Do you have low porosity hair? If yes, you could try things such as aloe vera, flax seed gel, panthenol etc instead of leave-in conditioners. They are humectants and should drag moisture into your hair without weighing it down. Also partially rinsing out your leave in. What I do is scrunch in water. You can oil over that if that's not a problem.

[LadyCelestina]

Any kind of anything feels pretty yuck in my hair too. I can't use any leave-ins, oils, mousses, serums, gels, dry shampoos, pretty much anything without it feeling unpleasant. What's more, since my hair is straight, fine and with a cuticle that's slammed shut, it SHOWS anything that's applied to it :p I can't even conceive of doing an oiling and having it absorb, haha!! Texturizers of any kind, forget about it...

My hair responds best to daily washing - it behaves best when very clean, so I guess for me using product kind of runs counter to the stripped-bare state it prefers to live in ;)

I've just given in to it :)

My hair is also like this. After washing it feels great, 2nd or 3rd day the length feels coated. There's no chance that the oils from my scalp weigh it down. It could be that some of my products evaporates and leaves only a film?

[Arctic]

Yes all products leave my hair feel different to the touch, some more (or worse) than others. I believe that's only normal, after all your hair shafts are (perhaps partially) coated with the product for styling purposes. I've had best luck on the touchy-feely department with creamy products.

I also think that many products work best when you won't be touching your hair all the time.

My current hair type can handle products pretty well, although I am in the same boat with School of Fish once again [our hair seems to share lot of qualities even if they are very different] that my hair is best in every way when it's completely clean. Thus I wash it almost daily.

When my hair type was still the one I was born with - straight, F, thin, slippery, and I believe low porosity - I couldn't use products. First they did not do anything to my hair, didn't give any hold what so ever. They weighted it down and made it look dirty. Back then I simply did not use products because there was no point.

[Annalouise]

It's perfectly normal, when having fine hair, to not be able to leave product in the hair. I've noticed that the fine hairs that use product or a good amount of product, like LOC, usually have iii hair. They can get away with it because of the density of their hair. When you have low density fine hair its very difficult to leave product on it. For myself its better to condition really well in the shower. And then just leave it clean.:)

[Obsidian]

I'm glad that what I'm experiencing is normal, just wish it didn't bother me so much.

Sounds like I should probably give up on products, my hair just doesn't like them.

I really have no idea what my porosity is like. My hair takes up color very well but it never absorbs moisture treatments or oil.
It takes about 2 hours to dry, currently at collar bone length.

[Annalouise]

For testing your porosity, take a few strands of *clean hair and put them in a bowl of water. If they sink to the bottom you have high porosity hair. If they just float on top of the water then you have low porosity hair. :)
To absorb moisture low porosity hair needs heat to help open the cuticle to get the moisture in, therefore wash hair with warm water, then apply conditioner and put a shower cap on to help retain heat on your head. Or, use a heat cap on a warm setting to help your hair to absorb moisture. Also, that is why some use a HOT oil treatment as opposed to putting room temperature oil on the hair which will just sit there.

[Borgessa]

I have very thin soft hair, anything in it just makes it feel like crap. So far i've not been able to leave anything in it with out washing it out! Since I have been "experimenting" there goes my washing once a week routine lol.

[Arctic]

For testing your porosity, take a few strands of *clean hair and put them in a bowl of water. If they sink to the bottom you have high porosity hair. If they just float on top of the water then you have low porosity hair. :)


That's actually not a valid method, even though it's often mentioned.

[school of fish]

Although *technically* I don't know my porosity (never had a lab analysis) I sure know how my strands behave, and since they behave very much as low porosity I just take it as given that that's what I have ;)

I do think henna may possibly be a contributing factor. I've been hennaing regularly for years and years, have no doubt that it's added to my already teflon-like hair :p

What I've found works best in my case for counteracting the dryness that often seems to go hand in hand with henna is to lean on rinse-out moisture methods, frequently - as in daily. Daily conditioner (thick rich textures with slip slip slippy ingredients), sometimes adding honey to the conditioner to give a boost, sometimes rinse-out oil on S&C days in winter when things get static-ey... all of these things are rinsed out completely. My hair fares FAR better with a modest daily dose of moisture that gets cleared away thoroughly than any kind of product or method designed to sit and soak. Maybe yours likes similar :)

I've found that over time this small-but-frequent, rich but rinsed approach to moisturizing has encouraged my hair's natural textures to shine through, both in my 1a strands and my more recent 2b new growth. After much experimentation I've concluded that adding product in an attempt to add moisture/bring out texture is a fail ;)

[Annalouise]

That's actually not a valid method, even though it's often mentioned.

Well don't keep us in ignorance, what is a valid method?

[LadyCelestina]

Well don't keep us in ignorance, what is a valid method?

The only way to figure out your porosity is by how your hair behaves. The float test has been debunked. I'm in a bit of a hurry, but if you google it, sciencey hairblog or natural haven has a pretty good explanation. Basically the hair floats for most people and it has nothing to do with porosity :D so it gives results that everybody wants to hear :D
And also your ends can be porous due to wear and tear while the top of your hair might not be, so there is a reason for using some products on length or ends only.

[Arctic]

Well don't keep us in ignorance, what is a valid method?

Unfortunately there aren't trustworthy DIY method for this. I think the best bet is to read how different porosity hair behaves and compare to your own. Although that doesn't always work either, I still don't know what my current hair type's porosity is, so I assume it's normal - not low, not high.

The reasons why the siking method doesn't work properly are:

- hair is usually not squeaky clean, which helps it to float
- the surface tension of the water helps light weighted object to float
- when you read the results of this test about 90% of people seem to get "low porosity" as a result, which just doesn't seem right.
- often the porosity of long hair is different near the scalp than at the ends, the water test does not tell anything about this

etc.

[Annalouise]

Unfortunately there aren't trustworthy DIY method for this. I think the best bet is to read how different porosity hair behaves and compare to your own. Although that doesn't always work either, I still don't know what my current hair type's porosity is, so I assume it's normal - not low, not high.

The reasons why the siking method doesn't work properly are:

- hair is usually not squeaky clean, which helps it to float
- the surface tension of the water helps light weighted object to float
- when you read the results of this test about 90% of people seem to get "low porosity" as a result, which just doesn't seem right.
- often the porosity of long hair is different near the scalp than at the ends, the water test does not tell anything about this

etc.

Thank you. :) Could one not just shampoo the strands to remove any surface oil first?
I would think that all healthy natural hair (no heat styling, no chemicals..etc) would be low porosity.
Damage to the cuticle is what makes the hair high porosity. So based on one's hair history, I think it would be safe to assume,
if one had never used chemicals (outside of shampoo & conditioner), and one never used heat, that they had low porosity hair. Conversely, if the hair has been dyed repeatedly, or heat tools have been used repeatedly, then the hair becomes more porous over time.
Would you agree? Would not this damage to the cuticle cause the hair to sink in a bowl of water? Just hypothetically speaking...

[LadyCelestina]

Yes, but you don't account for things like sun bleaching, mechanical damage from combing, washing, whatever. This is all damage that accumulates over time and can be comparable to damage from dye or heat on shorter hair.

[renia22]

My hair is on the thinner/ finer side (2c) and I can use products, but it depends on what it is. I also think I probably use a lot less than most people. The OGX spray on serums for example, I'll spray *one* spray on my hand, get it evenly on my palms and then very *lightly* work through. Also, I find that a lot of those types of products work better for me when I use them as a finishing product on dry hair, or when it's slightly damp, rather than wet (particularly if they contain natural oils..I hate oils on wet hair). I hated Dr. Bronner's hair cream when I used it on wet hair and thought it made my hair a greasy mess, but a tiny bit, when used on damp or dry hair, makes it shiny and smoother. In general, lighter, convential products that don't have a lot of heavy ingredients in them seem to work best for my hair type as well.

[school of fish]

Thank you. :) Could one not just shampoo the strands to remove any surface oil first?
I would think that all healthy natural hair (no heat styling, no chemicals..etc) would be low porosity.
Damage to the cuticle is what makes the hair high porosity. So based on one's hair history, I think it would be safe to assume,
if one had never used chemicals (outside of shampoo & conditioner), and one never used heat, that they had low porosity hair. Conversely, if the hair has been dyed repeatedly, or heat tools have been used repeatedly, then the hair becomes more porous over time.
Would you agree? Would not this damage to the cuticle cause the hair to sink in a bowl of water? Just hypothetically speaking...

This is a bit of an oversimplification, but I kind of liken the water float porosity test to trying to weigh a feather on a bathroom scale ;) You'll always come up with a weightless result - not because the feather is actually weightless, but because the scale isn't sensitive enough to take the reading.

The water float method just isn't sensitive enough to reliably register porosity from damage or otherwise, no matter how stripped clean the strand is. The 'feather' is too light for the 'scale' ;)

[lapushka]

It would be handy to know what all products you have tried, as "stylers" after shampooing & conditioning. This way, we can recommend you things better.

[hannabiss]

As ive grown in length I only use maybe a drop of cone-y serum on the length. Mainly to help detangle. When I was young...my hair was a flat matted down mess! I put all my hair on top of my head to scrub shampoo then I would heavey conditioner ALL over my head, rinse, a leave in conditioner (a lot), cone-y serum (a lot), possibly an olive oil mist spray my mom had...and I had no idea these products weren't really fixing split ends and making my hair stronger. My hair felt like a tacky junk filled sweater.

Now my hair is much better and silky. Though I will say I think I need to clarify at least once a month. If I don't I find it hard to comb the top of my head. I wish I could get a clarify clean with no sulphates.

[Obsidian]

It would be handy to know what all products you have tried, as "stylers" after shampooing & conditioning. This way, we can recommend you things better.

I can use any sulfate shampoo but generally use suave daily clarifying or hello hydration. The only conditioners I can use are herbal essence, any other brand weighs down my hair and makes my SD flare.

Good products: johnsons detangling leave in, Moroccan shine argan oil (coney serum), VO5 hair dressing (teeny, tiny amount)

ok products: fructis sleek and shine, perfect hair day night cap overnight perfecter, most oils.

bad products: Shea moisture curl smoothie, TRESemme Extra Hold Gel, any mousse, not your mothers kinky moves curl defining cream, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, KMS California Curl Up Curling Balm (used this a lot when I was very short, made my curls crunchy but not weighed down), TRESemme Curl Hydration Lotion Creme.

Currently trying: N4 smoothing balm, just got a sample yesterday so I need to try it a few more times. So far it seems pretty good. Its a creamy coney balm.

Annalouise, true low porosity hair is fairly uncommon, most people fall in the normal range which is where I consider myself. I do believe the henna has lowered or at least mimics lower porosity. Teflon coating is a good way to describe how henna feels on my hair and I'm sure it effects how products feel.

[Annalouise]

Ok, guys. So now I have no idea if I have low, normal or high porosity hair. :doh:

[Hay_jules]

The only curl cream I've found that doesn't make my hair feel gross is Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Curl Envy "Perfect Curl Cream". There's a whole line of strictly curls products and I've tried half of them...this is the only one that doesn't weigh it down and smoothes the frizz.

Marc Anthony Perfect Curl Cream (http://www.marcanthony.com/products/strictly-curls-hair/curl-envy-perfect-curl-cream)

[lapushka]

Have you tried leaving a bit of the HE HH in as a leave-in? I've heard from 2 people now that this is an excellent conditioner for a leave-in product. I have yet to try it, though, so can't report back on that. Have lots of products to finish up first.


Good products: johnsons detangling leave in, Moroccan shine argan oil (coney serum), VO5 hair dressing (teeny, tiny amount)

ok products: fructis sleek and shine, perfect hair day night cap overnight perfecter, most oils.

Why not stick to your OK products for a while, then continuing on experimenting. I find that if I go back to what does work, it settles my mood down a bit. I remember the days where I experimented heavily with products. Thank goodness a lot of them have already gone from my stash. ;)

[Obsidian]

I have tried HH as a leave in, it is a bit too heavy for me.
I am using the fructis serum still, it works as long as I'm very careful with the amount, a little goes a long way.
What I really want is a curl cream, wish I could find some place that sells small samples. No one else in the family has curly hair so my rejects go to waste.
The N4 smoothing balm is pretty nice so far. It's a bit pricey so I'll probably not buy more once this is gone unless it turns out to be amazing.

[OhSuzi]

So, I find that if I put a small amount of product in my hair whilst it’s wet, it does the trick without feeling too icky.
Hairspray (silverkrin or elnet) or a finger tips amount of V05 gummy texture wax stuff for curly or like John Freda frizz ease / loreal elvive stuff in orange bottle serum teeny amount if I want to blow dry it straight - It’s more effective than not using product at all, but less strong than if I put it on dry hair, but it means my hair stays soft and shiny and doesn’t feel full of products.
I’d wash it after 1 day as I wash my hair every other day / every two days any way.
But then my hair has never been mega long.

[lapushka]

I have tried HH as a leave in, it is a bit too heavy for me.
I am using the fructis serum still, it works as long as I'm very careful with the amount, a little goes a long way.
What I really want is a curl cream, wish I could find some place that sells small samples. No one else in the family has curly hair so my rejects go to waste.
The N4 smoothing balm is pretty nice so far. It's a bit pricey so I'll probably not buy more once this is gone unless it turns out to be amazing.

Curl creams can be pretty thick & moisturizing. I use the CES by SM and a coinsize is enough for classic length. Now that I'm hip, I've had to minimize the amount. So a pea size for your length is *more* than enough!!! It might not be a bad product, it might just be the way that you're using it. Your hair is still short, so it doesn't need most of all of that product. When I was that length, I barely used anything, and not even did the LOC method. I just S/C, done.

[catasa]

I have simply given up on regular leave-in products, as well as regular rinse-out conditioner - all it ever did for me was leave my hair with a gross, coated feeling, and most often not even giving a good-looking result as a compensation for the icky feeling and clarifying-needing tanglyness/stringiness. And I have put some money into trying different kinds... :rolleyes:

Nowadays I use regular, liquid honey from the grocery store as rinse-out conditioner, with a rinse-out-oil of about 6 drops of mineral oil distributed through wet lengths before applying the honey. After rinsing this well, I apply some more mineral oil as leave-in on dripping wet lengths, immediately after getting out of the shower. This works very well for me (currently at least, who knows for how long...?). That said, I do still have frizz, I have simply accepted that there is no way that I will escape that, but it is less than with other methods, and my waves/spirals at least form nicely underneath the frizz this way.

Good luck in finding something that works for you! :blossom:

[calmyogi]

I don't like how products or silicones make my hair look and feel. Silicones weigh my hair down and kinda ruin my natural texture. I don't really like any products either since they either make my hair look wet or make it feel stiff. So yes my hair feels like it has something in it as well and I don't like it.

[Dark40]

My hair loves different products!!! One of my favorite shampoo and conditioner is Pantene Pro-V, and my all time favorite deep conditioner is Cholestrol Conditioning Cream by Queen Helene, and another one called, "ORS Replenishing Conditioner. Those are my go to products.

[rina06]

When I find a product that works for me I get pretty attached to it.
Right now I have a curl cream that is a bit too sticky so I add some oil to it to thin it out and it works better in my hair. I've learnt sometimes its not even what you put in your hair but how it's applied.

Experimenting is fun :bounce:

[mermaid lullaby]

My hair is naturally wirey feeling, because it is coarse. I add conditioner to make it softer, but it's not soft. On a few occations, if I don't rinse my hair good enough it becomes sticky. I love the way my hair feels if I condition it right after it dries, and it feels like that for a couple of days.
I notice my hair likes fats or oils in my conditioner so I look for
Cetyl Alcohol
Stearyl Alcohol
Cetostearyl Alcohol

Then I avoid humidants because I live in a dry climate and heard I shouldn't use those because it whisks the moisture out if I'm somewhere dry.
I don't like cones that stick and buildup, but I like the cones that wash out.

Sorry! I did some rambling! But the thing is, if my product has the right stuff it makes my hair feel better.

[Obsidian]

I've tried applying products at different times, everything seems to work better in wet hair except for the coney serums, they are best on dry.
I've been working with the stuff I already have, they just aren't working for me. I do like the N4 smoothing balm but it's crazy expensive so I won't be buying any once my sample is gone.

Finally remembered to buy flax seeds and make some gel. Only used it once so far but it felt alright. Wasn't gunky or heavy, did make my hair not so slippery and help some with curl definition.
I could see it working really well for people whose slick hair spits out hair toys.

[catmashie]

It really depends on the product. Most hairsprays and gel make my hair look and feel sticky (or maybe I'm applying too much :confused: ). I like to make my own leave-in conditioners since store bought are a bit too heavy for my hair. I'm avoiding most hair products anyways so that is not really a problem. Most supermarket shampoos and conditioners feel the same as higher end products so I can use both types of products.

[yvsa]

I'm having a love and hate relationship with products. Especially with styling products. I was using them for enhancing my waves and make my hair look less frizzy. Turns out that they don't work for enhancing the waves and i still have frizz. Some of the products make my hair look dirty. Maybe that is because i am blond? I also think, for me, it is a length thing. At the moment i am passing shoulder length and for the last few weeks i'm not using styling products anymore and my hair seems to be fine with that. When my hair was shorter, the styling product did make my hair look better. But even then i didn't like the feeling on my hair. So for now i'm just shampooing and conditioning my hair and i love it:happydance:. But maybe when i hit another milestone that will change again. I just have to wait and see.

[Mrstran]

I tend to use products that leave my hair feeling like silk but not looking greased. I use Nexxus (leaving in a bit) and Pantiene smoothing serum.
Of corse though, I'm sure this would be overdoing it for normal healthy hair. Mine is badly damaged so this combo may be a bit extreme.

[Wusel]

What I have on my hair now is the Rahua hair wax. It's more a cream than a wax and, compared to other stuff, feels pretty nice. I've used it yestarday to make my new LOB look messy/undone and it's okay.