Winter issues

[Nyrak]

Noob here. Have been lurking and drooling over all the gorgeous hair photos and reading tons. But still not sure what to try for my hair.

Currently it is passing armpit. Fine hair medium thickness. No heat ever. Shampoo with the cheap sulfate/cone conditioner that was on sale. Used to water only wash. Will switch over to sulfate free soon. That’s the background.

The issues I’d like to troubleshoot are these:

Oil: right now I only have olive and canola in the house. Need something lighter and afraid to try coconut

Winter: my hair is insanely staticky all winter long. I am prone to eczema on my hands due to cold air in winter and my scalp is itchy and dry probably but I have no flakes.

Cones: they make my hair super soft but weigh it down and I loose a lot of volume and waviness. Does anyone have any recommendations for cone free conditioners?

CO wash: I am up for trying this but I don’t know what product to start with?

All of this aside my hair is relatively healthy and I am growing it out from chin length. Only trimmed once last year and will go no trim for 2018.

I know this is a long post. Thanks for reading this far!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Welcome here and happy growing! :D

[Groovy Granny]

Welcome :waving:

My hair is fine and wispy and the oils you mentioned are too heavy for me.

Mineral (baby) oil is a cheap/easily accessible oil to use (on damp or dry air); it is light and just a couple of drops will do ya' ;)

Lucky Vitamin has some lovely rose oil mixtures from that I use for hair and body.

Biosilk Lite Serum is great for taming static, humidity frizz/poof, and defining my wurls.

I tried CO washing but my scalp needs sulfates and my hair needs cones; Joico is my preferred brand of S&C.

Leave ins also help; forme it is a dab of conditioner, followed by a couple drops of oil, and then a couple drops of serum on damp hair/post shampoo.

Good luck finding your 'holy grail' routine/products....and happy growing :cheer:

[MidnightMoon]

I also have fine hair and couldn't do without cones. Hair being sticky might be that you have some product buildup.
The best solution I've found for hair (be it winter or summer, I don't have to change my routine) is to put a tiny bit of conditioner on my wet/damp hair after I get excess water out with my hands.
But again, it could also be other things... like your water, or climate. I'm in Moscow and don't feel my hair gets any dryer in winter.
Avoid getting it wet with snow also.

Some shampoos and conditioners that work for me are Organix (specially liked the argan oil one), and Garnier (the olive one).
Just avoid conditioner on your scalp.
I must add I don't really mind losing waviness, that happens on its own after my first brushing or bun... but I definitely have no volume loss. I make sure to use enough shampoo, and rinse any products out well.
No cones on my very fine hair is awful, a mess of tangles.

[Dark40]

Welcome and happy growing! The best co wash conditioner I love to use is Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Conditioner. I really love to co wash my hair with that product!!! It leaves my hair feeling so nice, soft, and healthy!!! Even though my hair is healthy already.

[lapushka]

Welcome. Looks like you've got some things figured out for yourself, to try, so experiment away. Just take it one thing at a time, so you still know what works for you and what doesn't. Good luck! :)

[Corvana]

Hello and welcome! You've got some great advice here, and one thing I'll add is maybe try ROO or rinse out oil. You basically oil your hair in the shower, then rinse it out! Pretty straightforward, really :laugh:. When I'd do it was between conditioners (I wash, condition, condition), but that's really up to you.

[Anje]

Cones aren't my thing -- for whatever reason I find many of them drying. But my hair doesn't need much conditioning either, so I tended to be happy with Suave Naturals for conditioner. (Note that the coconut variety has protein. My hair didn't like that. Others find that that makes it the best option for them.) SMTs when I needed more moisture than ordinary rinse-out conditioning could provide. Suave Naturals and Alberto VO5 conditioners are typically popular for CO washing.

Coconut oil isn't the devil, but it's hit-or-miss. You might want to look at jojoba or camellia oil if you want something light. I also liked sesame consistently over the years (the light-colored stuff; the dark flavoring oil smells pretty strong); it's heavier than jojoba and camellia, but a lot lighter than olive.

A lot of people find it helps to increase the humidity in the winter, at least in the bedroom, so a humidifier might be worth trying. The super low-tech trick is to spritz your hair with a little water a few times a day, just to add a little back. Also, if you're a homeowner, I've noticed I've had less trouble with eczema cropping up in the winter since I moved to a home with a humidifier attached to the furnace. Given my experience, I would probably get one installed if I moved somewhere else that didn't have one.

[lithostoic]

Try almond oil! And I use a coney serum (amodimethicone) to seal in the moisture from coconut oil and deep conditioning. My scalp gets dry and flaky this time of year.

[Nyrak]

Thanks so much, everyone. My husband is allergic to almond oil. :(. Also apples so the fructise is usually out.

I loved the Aussie leave in on my ends but the perfume triggered an allergy attack in me so I have to be careful and have been really interested in oiling and other natural ingredients.

Also we have wicked hard water and a water softener is not on the table at this time.

Before this forum I didn’t know you could do a scalp only wash, that you could oil your hair, sleep with satin pillow cases and so much more. I read the forums every single day.

:)

[Jo Ann]

Welcome aboard, Nyrak! Glad to have you here!

If you want to try coconut oil, try it while your hair is wet. Just a little bit from the ears down should help you out. It's too heavy for mine when it's dry, but a little bit on my wet hair helps tremendously to help control my frizz and dryness!

If you want to check out non-SLS shampoos, the OGX line might do you well. The Shea Moisture line is good, too, but the initial outlay can be expensive.

Like Corvana, I also WCC--I use a cone-free conditioner as my first conditioner and Clairol's Hello Hydration (HH) as my second. HH does have cones, but my hair loves it--and what ever the Beastie wants, Beastie gets :) I use my first conditioner from the roots down, ROO (I'm using up an ancient bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil) from the ears down, then HH from the ears down. That doesn't wreak havoc with my scalp, helps control the itchies and moisturizes my uppermost hairs and the stuff I use from the ears down takes care of the rest of my hair. Maybe this will work for you?

If you want to CO wash, maybe try with what you are using now, if your hair seems to like it. You have many to choose from and your hair will let you know if it likes what your using on it. You can also check out the CO thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898) here for some tips and ideas.

You might also try a leave-in conditioner. One good one is Shea Moisture's Strengthen and Grow Leave-in (affectionately know as JBCO, because it contains Jamaican Black Castor Oil and JBCO is much easier to type :p ). That also does a nice job of controlling static.

[Natashap]

Hi Nyrak,
I have eczema too and right now flaring up.I rely on coconut oil,almond oil or avocado oil .Coconut oil is also antifungal so great for eczema.Mineral oil also helps me in winter.I do not like Co washing as my hair feels greasy.Organix is ok brand but shampoos with high values of sulfates give me flareups too.I use head and shoulders year round .
Hope its helps .
Welcome to the forum!!!

[lapushka]

Links to the WCC method of washing, and the rinse-out oil, as well as the LOC/LCO moisture should you be wavy curly - all those links are kept neatly in my signature. If you have questions on the methods, ask them in the appropriate thread (I keep an eye on those when they pop up).

There's also the CO-washing method, the CWC method, SO, so plenty of things to try.

[MlleMC]

As has been said before, mineral oil (baby oil) is a good one to try. So far, it's the one that works best for me.

My best tip for removing static is to put a little hand lotion on your hands, and then pass your hands in your hair. It works for clothes too, but in either case it's just a bit of lotion, not enough that it will leave residue in your hair. And as a bonus, it should help with the hand eczema (mine is triggered but warmth instead of cold, but keeping the skin hydrated is always good).

[Groovy Granny]

As has been said before, mineral oil (baby oil) is a good one to try. So far, it's the one that works best for me.

My best tip for removing static is to put a little hand lotion on your hands, and then pass your hands in your hair. It works for clothes too, but in either case it's just a bit of lotion, not enough that it will leave residue in your hair. And as a bonus, it should help with the hand eczema (mine is triggered but warmth instead of cold, but keeping the skin hydrated is always good).

I forgot about that (it works well when I remember lol).....thanks for the reminder :thumbsup:

[vpatt]

Welcome!

You might try fingercombing.....it might help with static, I'm not sure. Sometimes I dampen the ends of my hair and then apply either the oil or conditioner of your choice. Sometimes I do this with more oil a while before a wash. CO, I would start with Suave, it seems to work for many people. Good luck with growing!

[T0n1c]

Welcome!

If you want to try a cone-free conditioner, I am enjoying the Tropical Coconut by Suave. It's super cheap, smells good, and makes my hair feel really nice.
I use it to co-wash, and as my first conditioner for CWC or WCC (condition-wash-condition or wash-condition-condition).

[enting]

Some people here seem to like jojoba for a light oil. I haven't tried it myself, but I tend to like heavier oils. It might be nice on your skin, too.

[vpatt]

Welcome!

You might try fingercombing.....it might help with static, I'm not sure. Sometimes I dampen the ends of my hair and then apply either the oil or conditioner of your choice. Sometimes I do this with more oil a while before a wash. CO, I would start with Suave, it seems to work for many people. Good luck with growing!

[Nyrak]

Thanks so much for all the tips and advice, everyone! you Guys are the best.