Treatments for dry, fine hair? Where to begin?

[Aredhel]

Hi ladies and gents!

I'm not *too* new to this forum (I had been a member since 2009, but I could no longer access my old account after a few years' hiatus so made a new one), but I am pretty brand new to hair care and am looking for some guidance on where to begin with it. I have super fine Asian hair, for the past 15 years of my life, I've just shampooed and conditioned every single day because I have an oily scalp (unfortunately along with dry hair), I would occasionally add some Argan oil to the ends of my damp hair when I remembered to, but that's about all the care I've been taking of it. I bleached my hair about 3 years ago to an ombre... terrible mistake, but I'm growing all of that damage out right now, so dealing with a lot of straw ends.

I have a ~50" hair goal, so I'm about 15" off from it... a few years away. I'm realizing that the only way I can achieve that goal is if I baby my hair from this point on. I've gotten to the point of only washing my hair once or twice a week now (yay stick buns!!), but I want to begin deep conditioning my hair. I have no idea where to begin though, since I've never done such a thing before. I realize everyone's hair and scalp are different, but would with hair similar to mine be able to guide me in the right direction? I could really use a few pointers on what oil concoctions (like types of oils for deep conditioning, regular conditioning, masks, etc.) I maybe should experiment with, ex., does anyone have some recipes that I can borrow? :) I really want to develop a healthy hair routine but I'm not sure at all where to begin!! I've done some extensive online research but it just all seems so overwhelming. I'm not even sure I want to use commercial shampoo anymore either!

Thank you in advance my dears ♥ And it's lovely to be back on the forum! I missed the atmosphere here. :)

[Aredhel]

I meant to post this in the "New? Start here!" Forum, would a mod be able to move this thread for me please? :oops:

[pailin]

For deep conditioning, an easy place to start is the SMT- lots of mentions on this site. Basically take a bunch of conditioner and add honey and aloe vera. I forget the proportions but a search will find it quickly. I usually just dump some in. You can add oil to it, or substitute oil for the honey or the aloe.
For oils, coconut is a good place to start, but pay attention to your hair; lots of people have great results (and it's been shown to decrease protein loss during washing), but a few of us find it makes the ends crunchy. Otherwise try olive, or maybe sunflower, jojoba, sweet almond. Start with whatever you already have.

[lapushka]

Maybe contact a mod about reviving your old account. :flower:

If you need to wash every day, then so be it. It's not bad if you take good care of your hair (because it is more manipulation).

I have an oily scalp and drier lengths too. Just pick up a conditioner for dry, and damaged hair. Those are the most moisturizing on the market. You can also try rinse-out oil, and the LOC method. Both links are in my signature. :flower:

[lucid]

I wash my hair every other day, using CWC, conditioner with non-buildup light silicones and shampoos with sulfate. It is just what works best for my hair. I have tried sulfate free, and I have tried stretching washes, but my hair just don't like it (shedding, itching, etc).

I don't have specific tips for you, but I can list the products I use (and two that I have ordered but not yet received), and maybe some of them can be helpful for you as well :)


Conditioners without silicones:
- Matrix Biolage Hydrasource Conditioner (I have not yet tried this, but I have seen several people recommend it).


Conditioner with non-build up silicones:
- Jocio K-Pak Intense Hydrator Treatment for Dry Damaged Hair (I love this, it does not weigh down my fine, long hair)
- Joico Moisture Recovery Conditioner for Dry Hair (I sometimes use this in the bottom 6'' of my hair if I feel like I could use some extra slip)


Deep conditioner without silicones:
- Matrix Biolage Hydrasource Mask (I have not tried this yet, but I have seen several people recommend it)


Deep conditioner with heavy non-build up silicones:
- Wella SP Hydrate Mask (I use this once a week/every other week on the bottom 2-4 inches of my hair only, and I really love it, it is way to heavy to use on my lengths though)


Whenever I feel like it:
- Jocio K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor

[Aredhel]

Thanks for the tips guys!! Lucid, your hair type looks rather close to mine too, so I'll definitely see if I can find some of the conditioners you've listed. <3

Is it a good idea to use oils directly on my scalp?

[lapushka]

Thanks for the tips guys!! Lucid, your hair type looks rather close to mine too, so I'll definitely see if I can find some of the conditioners you've listed. <3

Is it a good idea to use oils directly on my scalp?

Depends. Do you have a particularly oily, flaky, scalp? If so, I wouldn't go there.

Some people also get tons more shedding (you'll definitely *know*) when they put oil or conditioner on their scalps. If you're not one of those people, go right ahead and use your oil on your scalp.

You'll just have to experiment and see for yourself. Don't "douse" your scalp in oil though, or you will be washing that out multiple times and that kind of defeats the purpose of oiling the scalp.

Good luck!

[Zebra Fish]

Is it a good idea to use oils directly on my scalp?

As lapushka already mentioned,depends. I shed like crazy when using oils (or anything) on scalp. Another thing - try one stuff at a time. I know you want it all, but then you won't know what worked and what didn't. I did that few years ago and got flakes. So I used scalp oilings with tea tree and lavender EO - I did shed more, but my scap went back to normal in few "treatments". I still do use a heavy oiling once-twice per year.

Oh, as I managed to isolate later, I got flaky from ACV rinses (I used it once almost every week) - something that helped a lot of people to get rid of flakes. So I use them now just few times per year.