The Experiment Thread

[Eastbound&Down]

I looked and didn't see a thread that covered this so I figured I would make one because I know we have some experimenters here in the LHC! If there IS an existing thread of this sort, please let me know!

This thread to write out out your particular experiment will be (hair related, of course), how long you plan to do the experiment, and to post updates and conclusions.

My experiment: applying oil the the length of my hair while still wet after the shower.

How I will do it: Pull hair into a ponytail, either finger comb or use my TT, and apply 5-6 drops of oil throughout the length.

Duration: I will do this after each S&C so roughly twice a week for the next 3 weeks.

Initial thoughts after experiment #1: my ends seems to really like it. I didn't go to bed immediately so I kept playing with it and so my waves are much looser than normal. I'll try to leave it alone more next time to see if this process affect my curl pattern too much.

[Corvana]

Cool thread! I know there's one for herbs, but I don't think there's one for conventional products! I don't know if this would be considered a product or general thread, though. I suppose it's in how it's used!

My experiment 1: Using Aussie 3MM moist as C#2 in my WCC
Duration: Honestly I get a pretty good idea after one try of any new thing since my hair very quickly tells me if it hates something. I've got a whole week to see how everything settles and whether or not I like it, since I wash weekly.

I'm debating adding a "wear my hair up more to see if I can condition my scalp to not give me headaches" experiment, but since I don't have many styles I can do at this length it's hard!

[Eastbound&Down]

Cool thread! I know there's one for herbs, but I don't think there's one for conventional products! I don't know if this would be considered a product or general thread, though. I suppose it's in how it's used!

My experiment 1: Using Aussie 3MM moist as C#2 in my WCC
Duration: Honestly I get a pretty good idea after one try of any new thing since my hair very quickly tells me if it hates something. I've got a whole week to see how everything settles and whether or not I like it, since I wash weekly.

I'm debating adding a "wear my hair up more to see if I can condition my scalp to not give me headaches" experiment, but since I don't have many styles I can do at this length it's hard!

Corvana, thanks for replying. I don't have any stipulations for what can be posted, simply a place for people to keep tea k of their experimenting and share their finding with others. This can mean trying new products or trying new techniques. I hope the 3MM works for you, my hair loves that stuff!

[Corvana]

Corvana, thanks for replying. I don't have any stipulations for what can be posted, simply a place for people to keep tea k of their experimenting and share their finding with others. This can mean trying new products or trying new techniques. I hope the 3MM works for you, my hair loves that stuff!

My hair doesn't hate it, but it doesn't love it as a deep treatment! It's just not enough, apparently lol. But I really want to test it as a regular conditioner!

[Eastbound&Down]

My hair doesn't hate it, but it doesn't love it as a deep treatment! It's just not enough, apparently lol. But I really want to test it as a regular conditioner!

Do it!! Have you tried a sealing oil?

[Corvana]

Do it!! Have you tried a sealing oil?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that? I do ROO, or if I forget I put a little oil in my damp hair after I shower.

[Eastbound&Down]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that? I do ROO, or if I forget I put a little oil in my damp hair after I shower.

Yeah, oil on damp hair seals in moisture. If you are needing some more moisture you could give that a try.

[Corvana]

Yeah, oil on damp hair seals in moisture. If you are needing some more moisture you could give that a try.

I think oiling twice would be too much :laugh:

[Alibran]

I always put oil on my hair when it's wet. If I put oil on dry hair, I just end up with dry hair that's coated in oil.

Today's experiment was hand cream. I noticed my ends were a bit dry when I had my shower, so I wet my hair and put some coconut oil mixed with a bit of hand cream on the ends. If you're wondering why hand cream - and I think that would be reasonable - it's because I've noticed my most successful conditioners from the distant past all contained glycerin. My hand cream was the only thing I could find that contains glycerin.

Tomorrow, I will study my ends and see if it made any difference.

[Eastbound&Down]

I always put oil on my hair when it's wet. If I put oil on dry hair, I just end up with dry hair that's coated in oil.

Today's experiment was hand cream. I noticed my ends were a bit dry when I had my shower, so I wet my hair and put some coconut oil mixed with a bit of hand cream on the ends. If you're wondering why hand cream - and I think that would be reasonable - it's because I've noticed my most successful conditioners from the distant past all contained glycerin. My hand cream was the only thing I could find that contains glycerin.

Tomorrow, I will study my ends and see if it made any difference.

Interesting, never thought about hand cream for hair.

[Jo Ann]

My hair doesn't hate it, but it doesn't love it as a deep treatment! It's just not enough, apparently lol. But I really want to test it as a regular conditioner!
If you have a HG (mine is Hello Hydration), try using that as a second conditioner (I also WCC). I've used up many conditioners my hair didn't like by using those conditioners FIRST, then my HG as my second conditioner. That, for me, helps make an "inferior" conditioner work better for my hair.

[Corvana]

If you have a HG (mine is Hello Hydration), try using that as a second conditioner (I also WCC). I've used up many conditioners my hair didn't like by using those conditioners FIRST, then my HG as my second conditioner. That, for me, helps make an "inferior" conditioner work better for my hair.

I don't have a HG for regular conditioners, just a HG deep conditioner. My hair isn't too picky with regular conditioners at all, and the ones my hair does like are cheap and unlikely to be discontinued any time soon!

My hair doesn't dislike the 3MM, in fact it likes it quite a bit! But it's just not what I'd consider a deep condition, compared to my usual deep conditioner. More like a slightly stronger regular conditioner :laugh:

I also use conditioners I don't like as shaving cream lol. Haven't had to buy that for ages!

[Jo Ann]

Using disliked conditioners as shaving cream...now THAT'S creative! :)

[Alibran]

Using disliked conditioners as shaving cream...now THAT'S creative! :)

I've been doing that for years. I think I first heard about it on this forum!


Interesting, never thought about hand cream for hair.

Most people wouldn't. It isn't the most obvious thing!

It would probably be way too rich for most people, but my hair seems to be drinking it up happily. My ends are feeling much softer than they were yesterday morning, so I wet it and did the same thing (hand cream mixed with coconut oil) through the lengths today. It's looking a bit weighed down (but that's probably because I overdid the oil when I washed on Tuesday), but it feels lovely, and it's moving like hair should. That's probably a hard thing to understand if you have hair that moves naturally, but mine tends to just 'sit' in whatever position it was in when it dried. Today, it isn't doing that.

I desperately want to wash now, so I can try it as my final styling product in the wash routine, but I should really wait until Saturday.

[Eastbound&Down]

I've been doing that for years. I think I first heard about it on this forum!



Most people wouldn't. It isn't the most obvious thing!

It would probably be way too rich for most people, but my hair seems to be drinking it up happily. My ends are feeling much softer than they were yesterday morning, so I wet it and did the same thing (hand cream mixed with coconut oil) through the lengths today. It's looking a bit weighed down (but that's probably because I overdid the oil when I washed on Tuesday), but it feels lovely, and it's moving like hair should. That's probably a hard thing to understand if you have hair that moves naturally, but mine tends to just 'sit' in whatever position it was in when it dried. Today, it isn't doing that.

I desperately want to wash now, so I can try it as my final styling product in the wash routine, but I should really wait until Saturday.

Oh, I understand. My mom has a hair type close to yours, and mine hangs around 2b/2c so the immobility is something that I have experienced. If my ends ever start to feel too dry, I'll have to remember to give this a try.

************************************************** ************************
Update #1: I did my first S&C for the week, followed by oil on the ends. I think my hair is liking this new method, they feel very smooth and I've even noticed a reduced number of white dots? Maybe that's just because they are coated, but I'll take it. Next wash is on Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

[Eastbound&Down]

Update #2: I did my routine and went straight to bed with wet hair. My hair is as wavy as normal if not more, so at least I know that the oil isn't effecting my curl pattern. My ends feel very happy and smooth.

[Alibran]

Here's an update on my hand cream experiment, with a photo.

I'm so excited about this because my hair seems to be absolutely loving it. I washed on Saturday (routine was shampoo->1st conditioner->coconut oil rinse->2nd conditioner->coconut oil mixed with hand cream as leave in) and was very happy. Sunday and yesterday, I sprayed the ends with water mixed with a little ACV, then put a tiny bit of oil/hand cream mix on the damp hair, and that settled the frizz down. I would have done the same today, but had a headache, so I wanted to get my head wet and cool. I was struggling to detangle, so I used some cheap conditioner for slip, then finger combed oil/hand cream through while soaking wet and put it in a turban for 15 minutes or so.

Results below. I'm loving the definition, and my hair feels soft and not greasy. (The lighter colour on top of my head is grey roots that need colouring.)

http://wordsabouteverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DSCF9169-shrunk-cropped.jpg

[lapushka]

I think oiling twice would be too much :laugh:

I do the rinse-out oil, and then I still put a serum (oil) in in my LOC/LCO method. So, really, it's not too much, not when you're at my length it's not. ;)

[Eastbound&Down]

Here's an update on my hand cream experiment, with a photo.

I'm so excited about this because my hair seems to be absolutely loving it. I washed on Saturday (routine was shampoo->1st conditioner->coconut oil rinse->2nd conditioner->coconut oil mixed with hand cream as leave in) and was very happy. Sunday and yesterday, I sprayed the ends with water mixed with a little ACV, then put a tiny bit of oil/hand cream mix on the damp hair, and that settled the frizz down. I would have done the same today, but had a headache, so I wanted to get my head wet and cool. I was struggling to detangle, so I used some cheap conditioner for slip, then finger combed oil/hand cream through while soaking wet and put it in a turban for 15 minutes or so.

Results below. I'm loving the definition, and my hair feels soft and not greasy. (The lighter colour on top of my head is grey roots that need colouring.)

http://wordsabouteverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DSCF9169-shrunk-cropped.jpg

You have beautiful curls! I'm glad your method is working for you. My hair has always been pretty low maintenance, but mostly because I know I have to pull it into a bun everyday. I may get to play with it more once I start my civilian job.

[Corvana]

Here's an update on my hand cream experiment, with a photo.

I'm so excited about this because my hair seems to be absolutely loving it. I washed on Saturday (routine was shampoo->1st conditioner->coconut oil rinse->2nd conditioner->coconut oil mixed with hand cream as leave in) and was very happy. Sunday and yesterday, I sprayed the ends with water mixed with a little ACV, then put a tiny bit of oil/hand cream mix on the damp hair, and that settled the frizz down. I would have done the same today, but had a headache, so I wanted to get my head wet and cool. I was struggling to detangle, so I used some cheap conditioner for slip, then finger combed oil/hand cream through while soaking wet and put it in a turban for 15 minutes or so.

Results below. I'm loving the definition, and my hair feels soft and not greasy. (The lighter colour on top of my head is grey roots that need colouring.)

http://wordsabouteverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DSCF9169-shrunk-cropped.jpg

:thud: I love your hair so much Alibran. And it seems to me you're now doing LOC without the L! Or with the L if the L is "liquid", which would be the water.


I do the rinse-out oil, and then I still put a serum (oil) in in my LOC/LCO method. So, really, it's not too much, not when you're at my length it's not. ;)

Heh yeah I'll probably oil out of the shower at APL+ or so. But right now it's just too much!

[Corvana]

My experiment 1: Using Aussie 3MM moist as C#2 in my WCC
Duration: Honestly I get a pretty good idea after one try of any new thing since my hair very quickly tells me if it hates something. I've got a whole week to see how everything settles and whether or not I like it, since I wash weekly.

I'm debating adding a "wear my hair up more to see if I can condition my scalp to not give me headaches" experiment, but since I don't have many styles I can do at this length it's hard!

Experiment results: Hated it LOL. It's a nice conditioner, but I figured out what I don't like about it: it rinses out too clean. It leaves my hair with the same squeakiness (only a smaller amount) as shampoos do. That's always been something I've had an aversion to, texture-wise, so I always avoid conditioners like that. I could oil after, but I'd rather not right now because that's a recipe for grease!

So I'll use it as my first conditioner to get rid of it, and then when I can I'll get my HG deep conditioner. 3MM isn't horrible, but it takes a couple days for me to be able to feel the softness because it just rinses too much and leaves my hair a little squeaky shudder: When I go to put my hair up, instead of gliding through, there's a little bit of friction with my hand. Like if you were to run your fingers the wrong way on a shed? Like that, only going the right way. I haaaaate it.

It's Tuesday now, and I washed Sunday, so it's gone now! But the rest of Sunday, and all of Monday it wasn't very nice feeling.

[OhSuzi]

I usually like a nice hot steamy shower / bath & then when I rinse my hair at the end I’ll use colder water - but it’s prob still warmish & just cooler compared to the hot water I’ve been bathing in.

My Experiment cold showers only for a month .... or longer if I end up loving it...or less if it's terrible!.

- either just cold shower with water
or cold shower with usual no cone shampoo, rinse, conditioner, rinse.

Well I have tried this for 5 days now.

1. It wakes me up if I have it first thing in the morning.
2. But its difficult to face first thing in the morning.
3. It’s much much quicker than a usual shower because you Do Not want to hang around.
4. It took til about the third shower before I stopped sort of dancing around in & out trying to catch my breath and just have the balls to stay properly under it. Although it did bring back childhood memories of dancing in the sprinkler in the garden.
5. It is however a sweet relief if I chose to have a cold shower after exercise.
6. If I use shampoo & conditioner – I do wonder how well conditioner is working ‘cause usually your hair is warm & folllicles open when you stick the conditioner on.
7. I think the conditioner is rinsing off properly, but if there is a little residue that’s probably quite useful.
8. My hair takes longer to dry naturally
9. but it does dry with a nice wave and a shine and so far, after 5 days my hair does seem to be softer & my skin a little clearer.
10. I am longing for a hot shower / bath

[Corvana]

Oof I could never do a totally cold shower lol. I just shut off the hot water completely for my last rinse! Best of both worlds imo.

[Alibran]

You have beautiful curls! I'm glad your method is working for you. My hair has always been pretty low maintenance, but mostly because I know I have to pull it into a bun everyday. I may get to play with it more once I start my civilian job.

Thank you. I'm longing to be able to get mine into a bun, but that will probably have to wait until next summer.


:thud: I love your hair so much Alibran. And it seems to me you're now doing LOC without the L! Or with the L if the L is "liquid", which would be the water.

Thanks, I'm loving it at the moment as well, since it's behaving itself. I'm just experimenting with different ideas for now, but the oil and hand cream mixed together seems to be working, so I'm pleased with that.

[Shorty89]

I've been trying BBB every night, but I've been terrible about tracking results. My hair has also been battling a new location and hard water, so it was/is a terrible time to do it. I'm debating whether or not it's causing a bit more oil, or if that's film from the hard water.

[Redderly]

My experiement: daily scalp massage and deep conditioning treatment at least once a week.

I am eager to see the results after continuous use!

[Eastbound&Down]

I've been trying BBB every night, but I've been terrible about tracking results. My hair has also been battling a new location and hard water, so it was/is a terrible time to do it. I'm debating whether or not it's causing a bit more oil, or if that's film from the hard water.

BBB can cause more oil production, but with all the variables, you may need to wait until you have a clearer idea of how your hair handles the new location and water to know for sure.

[Eastbound&Down]

Update #3: My hair seems a little more waited down this time, I may not have washed out the conditioner well enough, but I was too tired to really mess with it. I won't really do much with it until my Saturday evening wash, so it'll just be a little oily till then.

[Dark40]

For a week I've been using my Queen Helene Deep Conditioning Cream on my hair after every wash on a daily basis, and it's been working my hair lots of wonders with it's health! Everyday I always wear my hair down.

[OhSuzi]

Cold SHower Experiment update
about 3 more showers in since last time

1. - totally over the ooh its too cold I know it's ocming & I can deal with the initial shock & just get on with it
2. - Skin is tighter & smoother but Not Clear!!
Getting break out of spots on chin & forhead for last couple of days. I rest my chin in my hand at work a lot whilst on computer - reckon I'm getting dirt stuck in pores but because I keep em tight & small with cold washes the dirt gets stuck - I 've had 3 painful spots, I tried but can't squeeze em! (sorry bit gross). So they're red n sorer & probably squashing all the bacteria further into skin. I expect they don't properly come to a head cause of small tight pores.

So new plan is one hot bath / shower a week to open evrything up & get a proper good clean & finish off with icey cool shower. And the rest of the time cold showers.

Hair is loving the cold water though!!

[lapushka]

I have a Hennaplus hot oil treatment left. (1 of 3). Comes like this:
https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WiaXQw3AL._SY300_QL70_.jpg

In small tubes. It is still too much for ROO for me, so I will use it as directed, which is hot or cold and leave it on for 1 min. prior to shampooing. I will do this this week, and use it cold (I'm not going to faff around with heating it) and then skip ROO for this. We'll see how my hair comes out.

Kind of... bit of an experiment, since it's been ages since last I tried these.

[Eastbound&Down]

I have a Hennaplus hot oil treatment left. (1 of 3). Comes like this:
https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WiaXQw3AL._SY300_QL70_.jpg

In small tubes. It is still too much for ROO for me, so I will use it as directed, which is hot or cold and leave it on for 1 min. prior to shampooing. I will do this this week, and use it cold (I'm not going to faff around with heating it) and then skip ROO for this. We'll see how my hair comes out.

Kind of... bit of an experiment, since it's been ages since last I tried these.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

[lapushka]

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

I will, thank you! :)

[lithostoic]

Tonight I'm going to shampoo all my hair, and not use conditioner. Just use the SM curling gel soufflé and put it into twin Dutch braids. Might have to settle for twin rope instead if my back pain doesn't subside.

[Corvana]

Experiment results: Hated it LOL. It's a nice conditioner, but I figured out what I don't like about it: it rinses out too clean. It leaves my hair with the same squeakiness (only a smaller amount) as shampoos do. That's always been something I've had an aversion to, texture-wise, so I always avoid conditioners like that. I could oil after, but I'd rather not right now because that's a recipe for grease!

So I'll use it as my first conditioner to get rid of it, and then when I can I'll get my HG deep conditioner. 3MM isn't horrible, but it takes a couple days for me to be able to feel the softness because it just rinses too much and leaves my hair a little squeaky shudder: When I go to put my hair up, instead of gliding through, there's a little bit of friction with my hand. Like if you were to run your fingers the wrong way on a shed? Like that, only going the right way. I haaaaate it.

It's Tuesday now, and I washed Sunday, so it's gone now! But the rest of Sunday, and all of Monday it wasn't very nice feeling.

Used it as my first conditioner, followed by ROO and then my second conditioner and now my hair is a little softer than it usually is! Nice!

I won't buy the 3MM again, but at least until it's gone I'm glad I can use it as the first C in my WCC with no problems.

[Eastbound&Down]

Corvana, im glad you found a solution. My hair loves 3MM, I use it in my DTs.
*************************
Alright, it been 2 weeks (4 washes) and my hair seems to really like the oiled ends. I'll keep it up, see if there are any adverse reactions or too much build up.

[Eastbound&Down]

Week 3 update: I'm going to keep this routine up, my hair seems to really like it and in conjunction with my stretched washes, my length seems to like the extra moisture. My winter hair care routine is about to kick off, so I'll be doing that more.

[lithostoic]

Tried sectioned washing. I like it sooo much better. Also tried conditioning all over. And I scrunched the excess water out of my hair with a cotton shirt. Now I'm leaving it to air dry.

[Alibran]

I'm almost daring to hope I've found my HG product ... yes I know hand cream is not a common choice!

[Salwety]

Alibran I am happy to hear about your result. Since you announced your trial I had a glycerin skin cream in mind that I want to try. It is wonderful on the skin. I tempted to follow your lead.

[Eastbound&Down]

Alibran I'm glad your new method is working for you!

[Alibran]

Alibran I am happy to hear about your result. Since you announced your trial I had a glycerin skin cream in mind that I want to try. It is wonderful on the skin. I tempted to follow your lead.

Well, the worst that's likely to happen is that it will make it greasy or weighed down and you'll have to wash again to get rid of it. Hopefully it won't, though.

Eastbound&Down, thank you. I'm so happy with it.

[Waveurly]

I have done something. I tried... BUTTER on my hair.
Normal butter yes.. but grassfed, that's much better cause of the higher vitamins and minerals in it.
I shampooed twice and wowie! My hair is still a bit wet at the moment but it's so soft!! And very shiny!
If you think I'm crazy well on youtube there are some people who did it like the next girl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHLAovleMA

Instead of any other oil, this actually didn't irritate my scalp, which was kind of special to me. Left it on for about 45 minutes and washed it out with double shampoo and then a bit of conditioner too and a vinegar rinse (most of the times I use vinegar because of my hard water).
I just used pure butter with nothing else and since it was grassfed butter i could just melt it between my hands. My hair also likes shea butter especially in winter times, but in smaller quantities, but this butter mask was very much absorbed into my hair!
I'm gonna do this more for sure, loved the results.

Edited to show results the day after. I have a really choppy cut so please ignore that ;) Also the lighting doesn't really show off the amount of shine, but well that's all I've got now!

https://imgur.com/Tc0V9r5

[leayellena]

I´ll Experiment (co-)washing in sections.

[Eastbound&Down]

I have done something. I tried... BUTTER on my hair.
Normal butter yes.. but grassfed, that's much better cause of the higher vitamins and minerals in it.
I shampooed twice and wowie! My hair is still a bit wet at the moment but it's so soft!! And very shiny!
If you think I'm crazy well on youtube there are some people who did it like the next girl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHLAovleMA

Instead of any other oil, this actually didn't irritate my scalp, which was kind of special to me. Left it on for about 45 minutes and washed it out with double shampoo and then a bit of conditioner too and a vinegar rinse (most of the times I use vinegar because of my hard water).
I just used pure butter with nothing else and since it was grassfed butter i could just melt it between my hands. My hair also likes shea butter especially in winter times, but in smaller quantities, but this butter mask was very much absorbed into my hair!
I'm gonna do this more for sure, loved the results.

Edited to show results the day after. I have a really choppy cut so please ignore that ;) Also the lighting doesn't really show off the amount of shine, but well that's all I've got now!

https://imgur.com/Tc0V9r5

Very interesting! Where did you get your butter from?

[Waveurly]

Very interesting! Where did you get your butter from?

Just from the supermarket :) A grassfed butter from a brand called campina, but I'm from the Netherlands though. I've searched a butter type for someone else and came up with kerrygold as a good brand in USA, it's also a grassfed butter type.

[riphair]

Current ongoing experiments:

- Substituting the honey in SMT with full fat cream, because even though honey makes my hair very soft, it also makes me look like a poodle whenever I leave the house. So far the cream has been working really great.

- Making different variations of Flaxseed gel.

- Sleeping with my hair in a top bun in stead of a loose braid. I prefer the waves I get from the bun, but it looks really weird if I don't get it right.

- Rinse out my conditioner with ice cold water with a couple of drops of lemon juice or ACV. I've had great success with this before, but I always quit after messing up the ratio of ACV to water and getting demotivated. Less is more, I guess.

I don't really have a time frame for my experiments, they're just some small adjustments I want to add to my routine. The one with the grassfed butter sounds interesting, though! It wouldn't be the weirdest or grossest thing I had put in my hair, tbh :rolleyes: Food is good for hair!

[Eastbound&Down]

Just from the supermarket :) A grassfed butter from a brand called campina, but I'm from the Netherlands though. I've searched a butter type for someone else and came up with kerrygold as a good brand in USA, it's also a grassfed butter type.

Sounds very moisturizing. It's hard to find those brands sometimes here.

[leayellena]

I wonder if cone-free oil-based conditioner is good for regular co-washing...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28667&d=1505302000
I am talking about Balea.

[leayellena]

I´ll Experiment (co-)washing in sections.

that last conditioner still feels like Shampoo. I doubt I´d ever buy it again,,, meh

[poli]

I'm experimenting with DIY leave-ins (not serums or oils) after washing.
So far:
- regular conditioner mixed with rose water = good (but stringy hair)
- flax seed gel = very good (but more work)
- flax seed gel mixed with conditioner - going to try this next wash

I had horrible experience with store bought leave-in spray (probably because of protein in it) so I was reluctant to try any, but so far I like added moisture.

[ReptilianFeline]

I'm making my own herbal shampoo. So far I have found that a base of chickpea flour works great. I've added a small amount of shikakai powder and cinnamon and some oregano EO and since I ran out of aloe vera gel, I added a glob of facial cleansing milk from Yves Rosher and it worked fine. My hair and scalp is dry, but I think it might be from a thyroid problem. I'm going to see a doctor about it, but getting an apointment is tricky at the moment since they are all bocked solid until christmas. I'll have to get an emergency slot and that's not easy.

Anyway... I follow the shampoo with a tea rinse - lemon green tea is a bit harsh, the nettle and linden worked better.
I'm stying away from amla, because I think it gives me a buildup, but I'll try again when my health is better to see if it works differently on a healthy head of hair.

[Siv]

Anyway... I follow the shampoo with a tea rinse - lemon green tea is a bit harsh, the nettle and linden worked better.


Have you tried birch leaves? It's off season now I guess, but they used to use it quite frequently in Sweden "back in the day". There are some saponins in there that cleans the hair, but also conditioning aspects. Shenet has a few good pages on birch leaf decoctions (http://www.shenet.se/ravaror/bjorklovsdekokt.html) as well as other extraction methods (linked on the page I linked). In Swedish, unfortunately, but what can I do :shrug:

[ReptilianFeline]

Have you tried birch leaves? It's off season now I guess, but they used to use it quite frequently in Sweden "back in the day". There are some saponins in there that cleans the hair, but also conditioning aspects. Shenet has a few good pages on birch leaf decoctions (http://www.shenet.se/ravaror/bjorklovsdekokt.html) as well as other extraction methods (linked on the page I linked). In Swedish, unfortunately, but what can I do :shrug:

I have thought of birch leaves, but they are best in spring, and I never got around to pick them and experiment with them. I Swedish blog spoke quite higly of the birch leaves for washing. Next spring maybe?

[poli]

I'm experimenting with DIY leave-ins (not serums or oils) after washing.
So far:
- regular conditioner mixed with rose water = good (but stringy hair)
- flax seed gel = very good (but more work)
- flax seed gel mixed with conditioner - going to try this next wash

I had horrible experience with store bought leave-in spray (probably because of protein in it) so I was reluctant to try any, but so far I like added moisture.

The flax seed mixed with conditioner also works fine, I was hoping the nice smell will last on hair, but it didn't.
Now I'm trying flax with glycerine. Hopeful :)

One thing - with all this leave-ins I need clarifying shampoo more often.

[proo]

I live around evergreens, mostly pines, from which I’ve made needle tea -
Lemony, very delicious.
So I’m wondering about using it as a hair rinse
Any thoughts?

[T0n1c]

Experimented last night with my "lazy take" on the SMT. I didn't have aloe but was beginning to feel the effects of the cold dry air, so decided to wing it.

My mix:
4pts conditioner (various flavors running around the bathroom)
1pt honey
1pt Mane Choice Scalp Nourishing Growth Oil (found at CVS when looking for aloe, full of all kinds of delicious hair food)
a wee dab (maybe 1/8 tsp) coconut oil
Warmed it in the microwave, slathered it on dry hair, put it in a plastic cap and wrapped it in a pair of sweatpants for warmth and let it sit about 45 minutes. Then I CWC'd, oiled ends, bunned, and went to bed.

Results: Sweet, mewing kittens, my hair is SOFT! And so shiny! I have always envied shiny hair, but never had it. Actually touched it to make sure I hadn't over-oiled.
Hair is soft, shiny, sooo easy to comb, and feels healthier and more moisturized after just one treatment.

Thoughts:
-It washed out easier than expected with just CWC (Hello Hydration and 3 MMM, Deva Curl lo-poo, and same conditioners again)
-I really want to try leaving it on over night or at least for a few hours next time.
-After reading a bit more about coconut oil, I think my hair may be protein sensitive, so I want to switch the CO out for a different oil. Considering argan, and jojoba.
-Once I get some aloe, I will add it in, just to see what it does.

[Siv]

I live around evergreens, mostly pines, from which I’ve made needle tea -
Lemony, very delicious.
So I’m wondering about using it as a hair rinse
Any thoughts?


I have thought of birch leaves, but they are best in spring, and I never got around to pick them and experiment with them. I Swedish blog spoke quite higly of the birch leaves for washing. Next spring maybe?

This got me curious and I did some impromptu research on the components of pine! It was surprisingly difficult, but then again, I'm more of a social scientist.. The main components that I could find that are also relevant for hair care, are also found in birch leaves: flavonoids, phenols, and tannins.

Flavonoids supposedly stimulates blood circulation in the scalp - which promotes hair growth, healthy skin shedding, etc.

Phenols are anti-bacterial and helps slough off dead skin.

For Pinus Sylvestris (Eurasian pine basically - "Scots pine" in English I think), I found a study that mentioned ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, which are both anti-oxidants and should slow down aging of the skin and hair. I think they are phenols, but I didn't quite understand. P. Sylvestris also has taxifolin glucoside, which isn't a saponin but a related substance (saponins are glycosides, I think?). Either way, it's a type of surfactant and therefore cleansing.

Tannins are astringents, which makes the skin's pores close up, so it helps regulating an oily scalp. Interestingly, henna is a type of tannin (an extreme kind!) so you can expect some similar effects - thicker/stronger hair, a slight colour change if you have very light hair, etc. Tannins bond with keratin (the protein that hair is made out of) so it prevents protein loss while washing, brushing, etc. Too much protein loss, and you may have to treat your hair with keratin/protein products, but these are only temporary fixes. Tannin should prevent this situation from happening in the first place. In regards of protein- and tannin-bonding I found this helpful quote - "Under some conditions an insoluble complex is formed, but soluble complexes may also form." My uneducated guess would be that the henna-tannin generally forms an insoluble complex with keratin- protein (since henna treatments are very permanent!), while most other tannins (such as those found in teas) form soluble bonds (since they always wash out).

Summa summarum, pine or birch tea should make your scalp balanced, stimulate hair growth, slow down aging, cleanse, thicken hair, and prevent protein loss.

I think I'll be brewing up some pine tea right away!! Here's to hoping it's conditioning as well... Couldn't find any info on that. But tea rinses have a reputation for softening hair so I'm hopeful!



ETA 1: if you're not in Eurasia, you can still probably be quite confident that your local type of pine will have similar components. I saw a reference that indicated that. I also skimmed a study on Chinese cedar, and it seemed similar enough.

ETA 2: Fun fact - pine has scientifically proven anti-cancer properties, so start chugging!!

[Eastbound&Down]

This got me curious and I did some impromptu research on the components of pine! It was surprisingly difficult, but then again, I'm more of a social scientist.. The main components that I could find that are also relevant for hair care, are also found in birch leaves: flavonoids, phenols, and tannins.

Flavonoids supposedly stimulates blood circulation in the scalp - which promotes hair growth, healthy skin shedding, etc.

Phenols are anti-bacterial and helps slough off dead skin.

For Pinus Sylvestris (Eurasian pine basically - "Scots pine" in English I think), I found a study that mentioned ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, which are both anti-oxidants and should slow down aging of the skin and hair. I think they are phenols, but I didn't quite understand. P. Sylvestris also has taxifolin glucoside, which isn't a saponin but a related substance (saponins are glycosides, I think?). Either way, it's a type of surfactant and therefore cleansing.

Tannins are astringents, which makes the skin's pores close up, so it helps regulating an oily scalp. Interestingly, henna is a type of tannin (an extreme kind!) so you can expect some similar effects - thicker/stronger hair, a slight colour change if you have very light hair, etc. Tannins bond with keratin (the protein that hair is made out of) so it prevents protein loss while washing, brushing, etc. Too much protein loss, and you may have to treat your hair with keratin/protein products, but these are only temporary fixes. Tannin should prevent this situation from happening in the first place. In regards of protein- and tannin-bonding I found this helpful quote - "Under some conditions an insoluble complex is formed, but soluble complexes may also form." My uneducated guess would be that the henna-tannin generally forms an insoluble complex with keratin- protein (since henna treatments are very permanent!), while most other tannins (such as those found in teas) form soluble bonds (since they always wash out).

Summa summarum, pine or birch tea should make your scalp balanced, stimulate hair growth, slow down aging, cleanse, thicken hair, and prevent protein loss.

I think I'll be brewing up some pine tea right away!! Here's to hoping it's conditioning as well... Couldn't find any info on that. But tea rinses have a reputation for softening hair so I'm hopeful!



ETA 1: if you're not in Eurasia, you can still probably be quite confident that your local type of pine will have similar components. I saw a reference that indicated that. I also skimmed a study on Chinese cedar, and it seemed similar enough.

ETA 2: Fun fact - pine has scientifically proven anti-cancer properties, so start chugging!!

Wow, well we have pines everywhere around where I am. Might have to investigate...

[proo]

Experiment:
Wash/rinsed with a few drops sls shampoo and 1/2 tsp epsom salt in a large bucket of water;
Rinsed thoroughly.
Rinsed with about the same amount of pine needle tea with a splash of white vinegar
And rinsed again with clear water.
Dried slowly wrapped in silky scarves.
Result: success! Very strong and smooth feeling with a lovely faint pine fragrance.

I’m mostly SO, so my hair is used to having no product on or in it
But it find an occasional rinse like this to be moisturizing, especially in the winter.
Usually I use catnip to rinse, but this pine tea rinse is wonderful
And it’s right outside my door

[Eastbound&Down]

Experiment:
Wash/rinsed with a few drops sls shampoo and 1/2 tsp epsom salt in a large bucket of water;
Rinsed thoroughly.
Rinsed with about the same amount of pine needle tea with a splash of white vinegar
And rinsed again with clear water.
Dried slowly wrapped in silky scarves.
Result: success! Very strong and smooth feeling with a lovely faint pine fragrance.

I’m mostly SO, so my hair is used to having no product on or in it
But it find an occasional rinse like this to be moisturizing, especially in the winter.
Usually I use catnip to rinse, but this pine tea rinse is wonderful
And it’s right outside my door

So how did you make the tea? Just pulled some pine needles off the tree and boiled it?

[proo]

My needles were long, I think they were red pine,
so I cut them up some, put about 1/4 c in my teapot diffuser and filled the pot with boiling water.
It’s the same way I prepare catnip rinse.
it steeped overnight.

[leayellena]

now I know why my hair loves my cien deep conditioning hair mask more than any other product: cien product has protein and silicones to lock moisture in my low porosity fine hair. was wondering why my hair is hard to deep condition: because it's straighter than the layers let my hair appear. (again, damn u layers).
thrilled for a straighter hair!

[ReptilianFeline]

I remember a pine needle soap from when I was little... it had a deep green colour and was sort of transparent... it was hard soap. I liked it, at least the smell.

*me go hunting for pine needles*

I use some pine needle EO in my "shampoo" at times.

My chickpea shampoo is working, but last time I forgot the cinnamon and it had less scrubbing particles in it. That made me thinking of trying rough ground black pepper as an exfoliant... I'll have to try that. I also applied some coconut oil to my damp hair and now the hair feels a bit as if there is a coating on it. That never happens when I apply coconut oil to dry hair.

[poli]

The flax seed mixed with conditioner also works fine, I was hoping the nice smell will last on hair, but it didn't.
Now I'm trying flax with glycerine. Hopeful :)


I overdid on glycerine, so back to watered down conditioner - just trying different ones I own.

[ReptilianFeline]

I couldn't find any pine needles, so I went for juniper instead. A couple of twigs, some with berries, cut up, twigs and all, put in a cast iron pot with lid, boil for 5 min, simmer for 20, stay on the warm stove until cool. Pour into old glass bottle and put in fridge.

I mixed some juniper water with chickpea flour to make my shampoo, added a bit of cinnamon, but ended up with not enough expholiating particles, so I have some dandryffy spots on my scalp. Other than that, very nice result. I felt I needed a conditioning rinse afterwards, so I poured some leftover lavender and amla "tea" over my hair and that felt just right. Then rinsed that as well to avoid buildup.

Result: Semi-success. Need better expholiant for my scalp, will try allspice.

[proo]

Thanks for the report RF- highly interesting.
I did my second pine rinse and LOVE it- highly moisturizing, zero residue.
I’m also wondering about cedar since there’s tons of it here, must investigate.
Some tree oils can be caustic.

[ReptilianFeline]

It seems that juniper was one of the plants people used for washing their hair when shampoo wasn't a thing yet. :)

[patches]

Thanks for the report RF- highly interesting.
I did my second pine rinse and LOVE it- highly moisturizing, zero residue.
I’m also wondering about cedar since there’s tons of it here, must investigate.
Some tree oils can be caustic.

I'm going to have to try out your pine tea rinse. Most of the trees around here (and there are a lot of them) are pines. I've made pine cookies before and even pine tea, but never even considered using it on my hair.

If you do try out the cedar please update us. I really love the smell and even know where a few cedar groves are nearby.

[Siv]

Thanks for the report RF- highly interesting.
I did my second pine rinse and LOVE it- highly moisturizing, zero residue.
I’m also wondering about cedar since there’s tons of it here, must investigate.
Some tree oils can be caustic.

Does the pine rinse provide any slip?

[proo]

My hair has become very slippery-
I think it’s somewhat due to the rinse but vinegar is highly effective for me in this regard.
Also I routinely doobie wrap it dry in a silky scarf which lays cuticle bigtime.

[Hiyotoris]

I do weekly hotoil scalp and hair treatments. My regular one consists of 1/2 tea spoon of castor oil, 2 tea spoons of jojoba, 1 tea spoon of argan oil and 2 tea spoons of macadamia nut oil. Recently since cutting out silicones/sulfates/mineral oil/drying alcohols my hair is so knotty after washing, so I'm going to mix up my oil treatment. I'm going to cut out castor oil completely as some have said that could be causing my tangles. I'm going to try to use 3 tea spoons of grapeseed oil, 2 tea spoons of avocado oil, 1 tea spoon of argan oil to see if that improves my hair. I normally leave it in around 20 hours in my hair, so I will try that and also try leaving it in for 2 hours before washing. My next wash is thursday night so I will check back to see how it went!

[T0n1c]

Finally got some cone-free conditioner and I think it really helps. After seeing lots of love for Suave here on LHC, I picked up a big bottle of their coconut (it was the first one I looked at that was cone-free, and it smells faboo!). It was cheap, smells great, and met my needs.

Tried it yesterday for the first time, multiple ways. I put it in my SMT, put some on my ends before doing a SLS wash (hair felt...off. Decided it needed a clarifying wash, and it seems to have ehlped) then conditioned with it, rinsed most of it out, conditioned with cone-y condish (Hello Hydration), and added a teensy bit of Suave just before I got out of the shower (on soaking wet hair, before I squeezed) as a leave-in. My hair feels lighter and softer than it had been, so I'm calling it a win!

Experimenting with using a bit of Suave, very watered down, as a leave-in, since I have yet to find a leave-in with no protein that I like. (Ok, "have yet to take time to look for" would be better than "yet to find" I are lazy.)

[Eastbound&Down]

After we get settled into our new house, I'm going to restock my oils and start doing my weekly DTs again. I really enjoyed doing them, even if they don't help growth, they definitely help the condition and I like the pampering.

[Hiyotoris]

I do weekly hotoil scalp and hair treatments. My regular one consists of 1/2 tea spoon of castor oil, 2 tea spoons of jojoba, 1 tea spoon of argan oil and 2 tea spoons of macadamia nut oil. Recently since cutting out silicones/sulfates/mineral oil/drying alcohols my hair is so knotty after washing, so I'm going to mix up my oil treatment. I'm going to cut out castor oil completely as some have said that could be causing my tangles. I'm going to try to use 3 tea spoons of grapeseed oil, 2 tea spoons of avocado oil, 1 tea spoon of argan oil to see if that improves my hair. I normally leave it in around 20 hours in my hair, so I will try that and also try leaving it in for 2 hours before washing. My next wash is thursday night so I will check back to see how it went!

I have good news! I did the oil treatment (avocado and grapeseed oil in a 1:1 ratio) I did leave out the argan as I apply that on damp hair as a leave in. My hair was way less knotty! I have also switched out my shampoo (shea moisture raw shea and cupuacu) to a natural red henna shampoo bar. My curls have bounced up today and I'm really loving that bar shampoo so far! Next wash is sunday night. I will also check in to see how things go!

[Hiyotoris]

I do weekly hotoil scalp and hair treatments. My regular one consists of 1/2 tea spoon of castor oil, 2 tea spoons of jojoba, 1 tea spoon of argan oil and 2 tea spoons of macadamia nut oil. Recently since cutting out silicones/sulfates/mineral oil/drying alcohols my hair is so knotty after washing, so I'm going to mix up my oil treatment. I'm going to cut out castor oil completely as some have said that could be causing my tangles. I'm going to try to use 3 tea spoons of grapeseed oil, 2 tea spoons of avocado oil, 1 tea spoon of argan oil to see if that improves my hair. I normally leave it in around 20 hours in my hair, so I will try that and also try leaving it in for 2 hours before washing. My next wash is thursday night so I will check back to see how it went!

I have good news! I did the oil treatment (avocado and grapeseed oil in a 1:1 ratio) I did leave out the argan as I apply that on damp hair as a leave in. My hair was way less knotty! I have also switched out my shampoo (shea moisture raw shea and cupuacu) to a natural red henna shampoo bar. My curls have bounced up today and I'm really loving that bar shampoo so far! Next wash is sunday night. I will also check in to see how things go!

[ReptilianFeline]

I tried using rice flour instead of chickpea flour in my homemade shampoo and it didn't go so well. Rice flour doesn't expand/become creamy when in cool water. It needs to be heated/cooked a bit. I ended up adding some guar gum flour to my juniper water and rice flour mix just to make it creamy. The ground pepper as an exfoliant didn't work very well either. It expanded and clogged up the shampoo bottle nozzle. And to top it all, my hair got a coating on it that I don't like and my scalp feels crusty. So, back to chickpea flour and juniper water for sunday wash. Hopefully that will clear away the coating.

[Eastbound&Down]

I will start back up with my JBCO/coconut/almond/oil and conditioner mix on sunday. I have plain coconut oil on and leaving it overnight right now, it's been a little dry.

[poli]

I finished the leave-ins experiment. It is cold outside and dry indoors, so my hair rejected all conditioners with humectants (most of what I own) especially left without rinsing. Tried just plain oil, but it's so easy to overdo and I have to bun it for two days till next wash. Winter = coney serums for me :)

[Corvana]

Just got in my curl cream and sulfate free shampoo, and now it's time to clarify, deep condition, and then start finding a new routine that works for me and brings out my waves!

Trying: SM Manuka Honey Shampoo, SM Manuka Honey Deep Conditioner, Suave Essentials Cherry Blossom, Cantu Coconut Curling Cream.

Routines to Try

Clarifying Routine
Suave Daily Clarifying on scalp and lengths
Deep condition
LOC with water as the L, current oil as the O, and CCCC as the C (heh)

Regular Washing Routine
Shampoo with MHS
Condition x2 with SECB
LOC with water as the L, current oil as the O, and CCCC as the C

I'll start with weekly like I've been doing, but will see if I need to wash more often while sulfate free like I needed to when I co-washed.

Things I'm Trying to Fix

Waves dropping so much. Partially due to length, as they seemed to stick around better at APL+ if old photos are anything to go by.
Scalp itchies. I've been co-washing this past week because I didn't have my shampoo yet, and while I needed to wash more often, my scalp was super pleased. I'm thinking the sulfates were too harsh, especially now that it's colder. But I've always had minor itchies with the sulfates, but they'd disappear in a day so I was rarely bothered.

I think that's about it!

[leayellena]

yesterday I washed my hair with cone free conditioner then I did a deep condition.
I think for me shampoo is dead. R.I.P. unless you want your folicles to oil your scalp in few hours...
yes, with cone free conditioner my hair looks and feels better than with mild shampoo :O (actually finding it great because the conditioner is waaaay cheaoer than the shampoo) :P

here's my hair dried completely 2 hours after washing
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29390&d=1512459300

[Corvana]

Just got in my curl cream and sulfate free shampoo, and now it's time to clarify, deep condition, and then start finding a new routine that works for me and brings out my waves!

Trying: SM Manuka Honey Shampoo, SM Manuka Honey Deep Conditioner, Suave Essentials Cherry Blossom, Cantu Coconut Curling Cream.

Routines to Try

Clarifying Routine
Suave Daily Clarifying on scalp and lengths
Deep condition
LOC with water as the L, current oil as the O, and CCCC as the C (heh)

Regular Washing Routine
Shampoo with MHS
Condition x2 with SECB
LOC with water as the L, current oil as the O, and CCCC as the C

I'll start with weekly like I've been doing, but will see if I need to wash more often while sulfate free like I needed to when I co-washed.

Things I'm Trying to Fix

Waves dropping so much. Partially due to length, as they seemed to stick around better at APL+ if old photos are anything to go by.
Scalp itchies. I've been co-washing this past week because I didn't have my shampoo yet, and while I needed to wash more often, my scalp was super pleased. I'm thinking the sulfates were too harsh, especially now that it's colder. But I've always had minor itchies with the sulfates, but they'd disappear in a day so I was rarely bothered.

I think that's about it!

Clarified tonight! Feels great, and WAVES happened!!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29401&d=1512632530

My signature is at about 80% dry? I was able to be patient tonight and got a photo at 100% dry! The curl cream definitely helped!

New thing to add: washing earlier in the day... I'm gonna lose all these waves when I go to bed here in a minute :wail: I'm just so used to washing at night...

Waves: undropped! Until sleep time, I'm sure.
Itchies: there while clarifying (sulfates) but gone now. Definitely think it's the sulfates, but I can definitely deal for clarifying. And maybe it'll be fine again in the summer.

[Hiyotoris]

I'm experimenting with myself to see how my skin and hair reacts to taking collagen.
I would have loved to try biotin however I'd read that it shouldn't be taken if you are type 1 diabetic, have thyroid issue or is acne prone- Luckily for me I am all three! Lol. I have taken photos before taking it and I have measured my hair to see if theres any improvement in a months time.

[Nox_Inber]

Whoa there's an experiment thread? Awesome! Now I can stop posting all my random mini experiments in the Random Thoughts Megathread :D

My most recent experiment was with a citric acid rinse. I used to do it as my final rinse out with shampoo bars but since switching to commercial shampoo it makes my hair feel odd in a bad way. So I decided to wet my hair with the citric acid first and my hair had a lot of volume that I've been missing since dealing with hard water. I want to keep trying this for a few weeks to see how my hair reacts to it over a long period of time.

[Tinyponies]

^^ Great idea to dissolve out the mineral deposits at the beginning of a wash!

[Nox_Inber]

^^ Great idea to dissolve out the mineral deposits at the beginning of a wash!

I remember reading posts from members who suggested saturating the hair with distilled water as preventative measure. My hope is that I'll have less mineral content soaked into my hair overall. Unfortunately I overdid it on conditioner today so I can't tell if repeating my experiment worked or not lol. I wash every other day though so I'll just again, correctly this time, in 2 days :D

[Nox_Inber]

I've tried this experiment a few more times and I have mixed feelings. My hair is great on the first day, lots of volume and very soft. My scalp and roots are less greasy which is awesome. On the downside, my second day hair isn't good. It's flat and dry on the ends but very clumpy and stiff on the whole length. I'm actually really surprised by this :confused: Maybe my mixture was too strong? I thought I was diluting it enough though :shrug: Or for some weird reason it's not strong enough?

I have hard water with lots of chlorine so scientifically this makes no sense, but my hair doesn't like anything logical apparently :rolleyes:. I can't figure out what's going wrong or why but it looks like I'm going back to my normal routine for now. My hair doesn't get the volume I want but at least it's softer and the ends stay happy. My scalp loved the rinse though so I might look at ways to incorporate that but I expected my hair to like this experiment a lot more. Talk about frustrating and overly complicated. That's the last time I use logic for my hair needs lol.

[leayellena]

this is the type of experiment I'm doing with my buns. right now my blog post is in drafts folder, but I'll post it whenever I have an experiment finished. there's nothing to say about hairstyling as I don't do it, there's not to much to say about hair products because my hair behaves the same no matter the conditioner. I guess I shouldn't put so much conditioner and oils on my hair because that's what makes my hair tangly after all. yay! for me and my hair for saving money because I don't need that much product I guess :) when my hair becomes extremely tangly and frizzy I have to S&D. usually those 30-50 split ends can be dusted in 15-30 min.

[CalystaStarr]

Lately after washing my hair, I've been putting in aloe Vera gel. Like clumps of it. In the ends and mid lengths and roots. My hair is fine and gets oily the next day, and this worked amazingly for me. It looks like a silky salon Brazilian blowout. Like straight out of a pantene commercial, except better.

[ETJ CURLS]

I think, in the new year, I want to go a month without shampooing my hair. I want to try WO and see what happens.

In the past, when I was very lazy with my routine, I only ever used a cowash like once a month, and proper shampoo like every 6 months, and my scalp was always fine. My curls always popped too, and I didn't struggle with detangling until the splits and knots got very bad at the ends.

My hair did get quite long in places (I did this method for probably 5 years or so), however, I think buildup as well as a LOT of other unhelpful haircare practices contributed to a LOT of breakage and other damage. This past year I've learned a tonne about haircare, and changed up my regimen a lot, and while incorporating a weekly moisturising shampoo has been fine, I'm ready for a change.

My plan is to just use hot water in the shower to thoroughly cleanse my scalp, and stick to products I know so I don't have to wash them out if they disagree with my hair. If I'm doing a treatment, I'll shampoo before and after as a reset, hopefully either at the beginning or the end of the month. If I feel that my hair doesn't feel right, I'll also wash it sooner, but otherwise I'm curious to see if this will aid in length retention.

[ArtOfNoot]

I started an experiment where I was oiling the baby hairs in the back of my head to see if I could grow them to reach the buns on the top of my head. It turns out they wont grow that long but they are much more happy and healthy now so I don't care if they slip out :p

[Wyldfae's Mane]

I started an experiment where I was oiling the baby hairs in the back of my head to see if I could grow them to reach the buns on the top of my head. It turns out they wont grow that long but they are much more happy and healthy now so I don't care if they slip out :p

Haha! That's wonderful. Just shows how trying something new can pay off in unexpected ways!

[Bat]

I think, in the new year, I want to go a month without shampooing my hair. I want to try WO and see what happens.

In the past, when I was very lazy with my routine, I only ever used a cowash like once a month, and proper shampoo like every 6 months, and my scalp was always fine. My curls always popped too, and I didn't struggle with detangling until the splits and knots got very bad at the ends.

My hair did get quite long in places (I did this method for probably 5 years or so), however, I think buildup as well as a LOT of other unhelpful haircare practices contributed to a LOT of breakage and other damage. This past year I've learned a tonne about haircare, and changed up my regimen a lot, and while incorporating a weekly moisturising shampoo has been fine, I'm ready for a change.

My plan is to just use hot water in the shower to thoroughly cleanse my scalp, and stick to products I know so I don't have to wash them out if they disagree with my hair. If I'm doing a treatment, I'll shampoo before and after as a reset, hopefully either at the beginning or the end of the month. If I feel that my hair doesn't feel right, I'll also wash it sooner, but otherwise I'm curious to see if this will aid in length retention.
Heat will open and expand the cuticle I highly recommend using cool water after to seal them afterwards

[ETJ CURLS]

Heat will open and expand the cuticle I highly recommend using cool water after to seal them afterwards

I know people say that, but I'm highly skeptical. I'm beginning to believe that most conventional hair science is completely incorrect.

[constancev18]

I'm ending the yr with an experiment on taking minerals and supps.

[cookies]

This place gets me curious about all sorts of hair experiments and I’ve been very bad at keeping track, so I’ll try to use this thread for it.
I’ll make a list to copy/paste with updates I think…

On my radar right now:
- Oil shampoo
- Wear hair up
- Flaxseed gel
- Boar bristle brush
- The 300s conditioner thing (thanks Priska for digging up all sorts of threads from the archives that I’d never come across otherwise :D)
- capillary schedule

Current experiment(s) & why:
- 300s conditioner massaging; my hair is quite frizzy and to be fair, I often just slap the conditioner on and just quickly squeeze it through, so I’m curious; also I’d be able to use up my conditioners before I start the oil shampoo experiment;

How I’ll do it:
- as described in this thread (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=67634).

Duration:
- until I use up my conditioners (I have three at the moment - garnier aloe hair food, Isana silver conditioner and Isana curl conditioner), I estimate about 10 washes, so about five weeks.

Updates:
(I’ll add them as I go, in this case after each wash)

Past experiments and outcomes:
none yet :P

[GrazierGirl]

I like to experiment with updos to fit under my work hat. Glad my hair is fine.

[Ylva]

Experiment:
Washing my hair without using any conditioner or leave-in.

How I will do it:
Although quite self-explanatory, I will wash my hair as usual (upside down, separate from body showers) but using only shampoo on the scalp, then proceeding to letting my hair dry as usual (first in a towel turban, then air-dry).

Duration:
1-2 weeks, after which I will proceed to experiment 2.


Experiment 2:
Washing my hair without using any conditioner or leave-in but with a pre-poo oiling.

How I will do it:
I will add pre-poo oiling to the previous experiment.

Duration:
???

---
I will not begin this just yet, but soon when the time is right.

[cookies]

Current experiment(s) & why:
- 300s conditioner massaging; my hair is quite frizzy and to be fair, I often just slap the conditioner on and just quickly squeeze it through, so I’m curious; also I’d be able to use up my conditioners before I start the oil shampoo experiment;

How I’ll do it:
- as described in this thread.

Duration:
- until I use up my conditioners (I have three at the moment - garnier aloe hair food, Isana silver conditioner and Isana curl conditioner), I estimate about 10 washes, so about five weeks.

Updates:
31/12/23: I didn’t count and I used an SMT instead of just conditioner. I squeezed it through small sections, then in the end combined then into bigger ones. It definitely felt better absorbed while wet. While drying, some frizz did come out, even though I’d smoothed the top with a tiny bit of gel. That did settle down once it was dry though and the next day I had what I’d call no frizz at all! My ends had good bounce too. It remained looking good even when it got a bit greasy by next wash at the salon on Jan 5th. My hairdresser noted it looked much straighter and smoother than usual (5 days post wash though).

Past experiments and outcomes:
none yet :P

[paulownia]

No styling / typing picture experiment.
Washing and conditioning, only detangle wet and let it air dry without gel/ mousse and scrunching.
I will do it today :D

[Für immer]

Shampoo experiment.

From January to apríl I will use an unscented shampoo during hair washes, instead of the CO method. Note that it's a "lowpoo" product.

Today (janúar 10) was the first time I used shampoo. Felt really nice. But if the feeling will stay that way remains to be seen. ;)

[ETJ CURLS]

I think, in the new year, I want to go a month without shampooing my hair. I want to try WO and see what happens.

In the past, when I was very lazy with my routine, I only ever used a cowash like once a month, and proper shampoo like every 6 months, and my scalp was always fine. My curls always popped too, and I didn't struggle with detangling until the splits and knots got very bad at the ends.

My hair did get quite long in places (I did this method for probably 5 years or so), however, I think buildup as well as a LOT of other unhelpful haircare practices contributed to a LOT of breakage and other damage. This past year I've learned a tonne about haircare, and changed up my regimen a lot, and while incorporating a weekly moisturising shampoo has been fine, I'm ready for a change.

My plan is to just use hot water in the shower to thoroughly cleanse my scalp, and stick to products I know so I don't have to wash them out if they disagree with my hair. If I'm doing a treatment, I'll shampoo before and after as a reset, hopefully either at the beginning or the end of the month. If I feel that my hair doesn't feel right, I'll also wash it sooner, but otherwise I'm curious to see if this will aid in length retention.

Week 1, Jan 7-14:

Rinsed my hair thoroughly on Sunday. I had used a bit of locking gel and some twisting butter to braid my hair the week prior, and it definitely felt tacky in my hair, but detangling was okay. I added RO conditioner, let it sit, then rinsed it out, before adding a small amount of leave-in.

It felt dry today but I decided to restyle, so I wet my hair again, no detangling this time, and gave myself a good scalp massage. I figure I already have product in my hair, so I only lightly sprayed on a leave-in, and now, fully dry, it's feeling quite soft. I'm definitely happier currently with my hair than I was yesterday, as I think I was able to rinse away more of the leftover gel.

The experiment continues.

Week 2, Jan 14-21:

I rinsed my hair thoroughly again on Sunday. My scalp feels totally great, especially as I've been rinsing midweek, but the product buildup on my hair is starting to become noticeable, even though I'm only using light products. My hair feels okay, but I'm concerned it's getting too dry. Perhaps winter was not the best time to test this method.

Week 3, Jan 22-28:

I wore a wash and go last week for a few days, and put a lot of gel in it (trying to use up my stash!). Then I experimented with a new dry detangling method, which worked, but required a TONNE of oil and leave-in. I opted to utilise a co-wash that I'm trying to use up to try and remove all the product buildup, and my hair felt . . . strange afterward. Better than before, but not really clean. I conditioned lightly and that seemed to help.

Fast-forward to today and wouldn't you know, my hair is incredibly soft even after several days in braids! I may have to incorporate pre-shampoo oiling sessions going forward. :hmm:

[SandyBottom]

I'm experimenting with changing up my wash routine. Until now I've done S/C but currently trying CO washing. Saturday was the first time and now Tuesday, hair is still super shiny and slippery. I was so excited to be trying something new that I forgot to use shea butter on the ends afterwards. They're still soft even without that and it's probably good that I forgot because I'll have a better idea of the results with CO.

[sarana]

I ordered a shower filter. I noticed a big (positive) difference in my hair when I was visiting my grandparents in a different part of the country, and I want to see if the water is the culprit.

I've also started to use a red light therapy panel. I've noticed slight improvements in my mood and skin, but whether it does anything for hair will take a longer time.

[cookies]

I don’t know why I thought I’d stick with reporting after each wash, that’s the kind of thing I always wish I’d do but never actually do :lol:
It’s also a bit tricky to start an experiment post trim, because my hair looks way better just from said trim. BUT I have to say that almost a month after it, it’s still looking and feeling amazing! I have been massaging my conditioner thoroughly in, even if not keeping track of time, and my hair does have more weight and swing and shine to it, all the way to the very ends. On wash days it is kinda frizzy, but after I sleep on it it all smooths out beautifully until next wash. I’m pretty happy with it!

[MoonRabbit]

I ordered a shower filter. I noticed a big (positive) difference in my hair when I was visiting my grandparents in a different part of the country, and I want to see if the water is the culprit.

I've also started to use a red light therapy panel. I've noticed slight improvements in my mood and skin, but whether it does anything for hair will take a longer time.

Would love to see updates on the shower filter. I moved to the middle east a year ago and the water here is damaging my hair so bad. I'll have to look into getting one.

[ETJ CURLS]

Week 1, Jan 7-14:

Rinsed my hair thoroughly on Sunday. I had used a bit of locking gel and some twisting butter to braid my hair the week prior, and it definitely felt tacky in my hair, but detangling was okay. I added RO conditioner, let it sit, then rinsed it out, before adding a small amount of leave-in.

It felt dry today but I decided to restyle, so I wet my hair again, no detangling this time, and gave myself a good scalp massage. I figure I already have product in my hair, so I only lightly sprayed on a leave-in, and now, fully dry, it's feeling quite soft. I'm definitely happier currently with my hair than I was yesterday, as I think I was able to rinse away more of the leftover gel.

The experiment continues.

Week 2, Jan 14-21:

I rinsed my hair thoroughly again on Sunday. My scalp feels totally great, especially as I've been rinsing midweek, but the product buildup on my hair is starting to become noticeable, even though I'm only using light products. My hair feels okay, but I'm concerned it's getting too dry. Perhaps winter was not the best time to test this method.

Week 3, Jan 22-28:

I wore a wash and go last week for a few days, and put a lot of gel in it (trying to use up my stash!). Then I experimented with a new dry detangling method, which worked, but required a TONNE of oil and leave-in. I opted to utilise a co-wash that I'm trying to use up to try and remove all the product buildup, and my hair felt . . . strange afterward. Better than before, but not really clean. I conditioned lightly and that seemed to help.

Fast-forward to today and wouldn't you know, my hair is incredibly soft even after several days in braids! I may have to incorporate pre-shampoo oiling sessions going forward. :hmm:


Week 4, Jan 29-Feb 4:

Finally used shampoo again, and I have concluded, that yes, washing once a week with a light shampoo is best.

My scalp has been totally fine this whole time, but my hair felt rather awful on more days than not during this experiment. The product buildup also drove me nuts. It made me feel unclean. I really don't think it was better for my hair, and therefore, length retention at all. That's not to say it was bad for my hair either, but I think I would have to test it for a longer than a month, and I'm not willing to do that at this time.

[SandyBottom]

It's still early but so far, I'm really liking CO washing! Hair was really shiny and slippery after the first time. So much so that even though it looked and felt great (for a week!), I was having a hard time keeping it in a bun. I found that if I use fresh aloe gel on my length, almost like a mask, it gives a bit of grip in addition to soaking up all that moisture. I'll be doing it for a 3rd time this weekend and think I'll be sticking with it for the time being.

[Ylva]

Experiment:
Washing my hair without using any conditioner or leave-in.

How I will do it:
Although quite self-explanatory, I will wash my hair as usual (upside down, separate from body showers) but using only shampoo on the scalp, then proceeding to letting my hair dry as usual (first in a towel turban, then air-dry).

Duration:
1-2 weeks, after which I will proceed to experiment 2.


Experiment 2:
Washing my hair without using any conditioner or leave-in but with a pre-poo oiling.

How I will do it:
I will add pre-poo oiling to the previous experiment.

Duration:
???

---
I will not begin this just yet, but soon when the time is right.

I have started experiment #1. I'm three washes in and haven't used any conditioner on my hair besides K18 after the initial clarifying wash. So far, my hair has felt basically the same as it does with conditioner, or perhaps even better. I've not noticed an increase in tangles, and I've not encountered any lint.

[Hairy-Fairy]

I'm thinking about trying a citric acid rinse after I wash my hair because I think the hard water in using now is effecting my hair. But it's a slippery slope..... I'm an experiment junkie. Today its a simple rinse, tomorrow I can't remember which oil is best for my hair because I have 15 and I'm using a different homemade cleanser every wash.

[Für immer]

Shampoo experiment.

From January to apríl I will use an unscented shampoo during hair washes, instead of the CO method. Note that it's a "lowpoo" product.

Today (janúar 10) was the first time I used shampoo. Felt really nice. But if the feeling will stay that way remains to be seen. ;)
Surprisingly enough, the need of washing it with shampoo is almost as frequent as my CO-washes was (once a month or so).
I think my hair like this brand of shampoo chosen, so quite possible I'll stick to it even after the experiement has ended.
We'll see. :)

[rudderbird]

I have recently stumbled upon Head & Shoulders Bare anti-dandruff shampoo which is made with only 9 ingredients (and no sulfates/silicones)! I am so elated, especially since I have been dealing with mild dandruff for a few months (which I did not pay much heed to but of course it affects my hair growth). So, this new product I serendipitously seem to come across has become my holy grail product! It leaves my hair feeling fresh, smooth and lightweight. Will update you again in a few months!