Natural // DIY Haircare?

[Hiyotoris]

Hi everyone!! I hope you all are enjoying the festivities this year! I know I am with my two cats;) I wasn't really sure where to put this thread as I have seen natural hair care in both the mane forum and the herbal one.
Since November of this year I have been sulphate/cone/ free but I noticed with this particular method, it wasn't very oil friendly, and I love my oils! So i've ditched that one and I am going down the more natural side of things. I currently have a shampoo bar that I do like, but I want more from it. Its from "Funky soap" on etsy and its the auburn henna one. I did notice that the first ingredient was " sodium cocoate" which is a waxy detergent! Yikes! I have been noticing my hair being a little more hassle than normal, so I've put it down to that. I have some Chagrin valley ones on the way, (the auburn henna, the butter bar and the coconut milk) which i hope to have better luck with! Have any of you used any of those shampoos?
I have very soft/soft water so I'm pretty sure thats okay, I have done a few AVC rinses but i've been finding that it's too harsh on my hair, so I have stopped using it. I've also been using a conditioner with water soluable silicones which seems to be okay on my hair, but i've only used it once so I can't say much more on it yet!
I also have an issue with going on holiday next year, it's not the actual holiday that I'm worried about, it's the water! Where I go (Kos, greece) it has very hard water! I'm wondering how my natural hair care will hold up with me being in the salty sea water, then in the hard water to wash, does anyone have any tips? I am thinking of going back to sulphates/cones for the two week period I'll be there, but will that undo my work with being natural?
I plan to take some leave in conditioner, castor oil, argan and some shea butter as I find that shea and castor can act like a good shield against water, and my hair loves to suck up sea water! (I do put my hair up in a tight bun and cover the bun with a swim cap to protect it) but is there anything else I should be thinking of? Thank you all for your help!

[lapushka]

Sulfates are just a temporary thing you are turning to, they can't "undo" something. It is a constant line of care, and sometimes you have to switch it up. Think of it that way. Clarifying once in a while (like every month or so) with a sulfate isn't a bad idea. So yeah.

Welcome to the forum, BTW!

[Hiyotoris]

Sulfates are just a temporary thing you are turning to, they can't "undo" something. It is a constant line of care, and sometimes you have to switch it up. Think of it that way. Clarifying once in a while (like every month or so) with a sulfate isn't a bad idea. So yeah.

Welcome to the forum, BTW!

That makes sense! Thank you very much! Plus, carrying 2-3 bottles of shampoo/conditioner is way easier than the bagillion things of natural DIY's amirite? haha.

[queenbee1]

I second Lapushka. Sulfates are not the enemy. Also, natural isn't always good. Baking soda is natural but it's wrecked a lot of hair. And scalp. I'd turn to shampoos (Sulfate-free if you prefer that) and a good conditioner. Best of luck ^-^

[Hiyotoris]

I second Lapushka. Sulfates are not the enemy. Also, natural isn't always good. Baking soda is natural but it's wrecked a lot of hair. And scalp. I'd turn to shampoos (Sulfate-free if you prefer that) and a good conditioner. Best of luck ^-^

Oh yeah! Defo, i've used them for the best part of 18 years ;) I'd also never use baking soda on my head, I can't stand the gritty feeling! I use natural handmade shampoo bars, or rather, i've been using them recently. I'm mainly after something to help lessen my hairfall and oily scalp, though I can't use oil stripping products because I have dry hair! Its very strange

[Katem]

You should try Calia Naturals. That stuff is absolutely amazing. My hair thrives with it and as soon as i stop using it, its back to a tangly, dull mess

[Lizabeth94]

Switching things up doesnt hurt! My hair personally is never happy with a set routine, regardless of diy/homemade concoctions, or store bought.

[lapushka]

Oh yeah! Defo, i've used them for the best part of 18 years ;) I'd also never use baking soda on my head, I can't stand the gritty feeling! I use natural handmade shampoo bars, or rather, i've been using them recently. I'm mainly after something to help lessen my hairfall and oily scalp, though I can't use oil stripping products because I have dry hair! Its very strange

By dry hair do you mean flakes? Because that *can* be a sign your hair is too oily, not necessarily dry.

I have something called SD, seborrheic dermatitis, and you get flakes, sometimes redness and itchiness with it, and it happens because the hair is very oily and there is fungal overgrowth, it is not because the hair is dry that the flakes are there. But it can be easily mistaken for such.

If that makes sense? :)

[Hiyotoris]

By dry hair do you mean flakes? Because that *can* be a sign your hair is too oily, not necessarily dry.

I have something called SD, seborrheic dermatitis, and you get flakes, sometimes redness and itchiness with it, and it happens because the hair is very oily and there is fungal overgrowth, it is not because the hair is dry that the flakes are there. But it can be easily mistaken for such.

If that makes sense? :)

Oh no! I don't get flakes, just the texture of my lengths is quite dry, coarse and brittle feeling. Granted I do have bleached hair towards the ends, but it feels the same as my natural virgin hair at my regrowth area, and even when I didn't colour my hair it still felt the same. I've tried every product on the market for all types of hair and it all feels the same so I'm thinking its just my hair type. My scalp gets oily around the 4-5 day mark, I am trying to stretch it out to 7 days, hopefully it'll be easier with more natural products as I am noticing less hairfall and my scalp doesn't have that greasy mouse smell as much when it's nearing wash day.

[lapushka]

Oh no! I don't get flakes, just the texture of my lengths is quite dry, coarse and brittle feeling. Granted I do have bleached hair towards the ends, but it feels the same as my natural virgin hair at my regrowth area, and even when I didn't colour my hair it still felt the same. I've tried every product on the market for all types of hair and it all feels the same so I'm thinking its just my hair type. My scalp gets oily around the 4-5 day mark, I am trying to stretch it out to 7 days, hopefully it'll be easier with more natural products as I am noticing less hairfall and my scalp doesn't have that greasy mouse smell as much when it's nearing wash day.

LOL @ greasy mouse smell! :lol:

I am a weekly washer too. My scalp gets oily (it has normalized somewhat after all these years) on day 5, but I can manage until day 7, which is wash day for me. My lengths are dry as well, and I find that conditioning twice after washing helps. The rinse-out oil method helps too (on lengths only) and also the LOC/LCO method for styling wavy/curly hair. Should you be interested in any of it, it's all linked in my signature. If you have questions, pose them in the thread itself if you can, because I'll notice faster when they pop up (I keep an eye on them quite well).

[Hiyotoris]

LOL @ greasy mouse smell! :lol:

I am a weekly washer too. My scalp gets oily (it has normalized somewhat after all these years) on day 5, but I can manage until day 7, which is wash day for me. My lengths are dry as well, and I find that conditioning twice after washing helps. The rinse-out oil method helps too (on lengths only) and also the LOC/LCO method for styling wavy/curly hair. Should you be interested in any of it, it's all linked in my signature. If you have questions, pose them in the thread itself if you can, because I'll notice faster when they pop up (I keep an eye on them quite well).

Yeah, i'll check them out! With the rinse out oil washing, could you use avocado oil? My hair seems to be really liking it recently along with argan oil. And ikr?! My mum is always saying to me "Lauren you smell like a greasy mouse, go wash your hair!!" It's not my fault I hate washing my hair and try to prolong it as much as possible, haha!

[lapushka]

Yeah, i'll check them out! With the rinse out oil washing, could you use avocado oil? My hair seems to be really liking it recently along with argan oil. And ikr?! My mum is always saying to me "Lauren you smell like a greasy mouse, go wash your hair!!" It's not my fault I hate washing my hair and try to prolong it as much as possible, haha!

Yes sure you can use avocado oil, why not. I use baby oil because it is a great sealant, but any natural oil will do too. I sometimes use a more natural baby oil (from Lidl), and it has sweet almond oil and camomile - works just as well. Just be sure not to overdo the oil. Start with about 10 drops (little puddle in the palm of your hand), and use it on the very ends, and go from there!

LOL! Moms! ;)

[Hiyotoris]

Yes sure you can use avocado oil, why not. I use baby oil because it is a great sealant, but any natural oil will do too. I sometimes use a more natural baby oil (from Lidl), and it has sweet almond oil and camomile - works just as well. Just be sure not to overdo the oil. Start with about 10 drops (little puddle in the palm of your hand), and use it on the very ends, and go from there!

LOL! Moms! ;)

Sweet! I'll give that a go! And ikr! My mum is always on about washing my hair, she washes it every day and I just couldn't deal with that!

[Hiyotoris]

Ooooookay, so i finally got round to washing my hair tonight, and my hair fall has drastically lessened. I'm jumping for joy!
My routine was: Wet hair, wash with auburn henna, rinse out and shampoo again, rinse and apply a small amount of sulfate and cone free conditioner, leave for about 5 mins a rinse. My hair feels great! Hopefully it lasts a good while too

[Cherriezzzzz]

Natural shampoo bars dried out my hair the moment I stopped being able to oil... I switched up for now. I think hair that is regularly trimmed can handle poo bars better then someone like me who is being hyper about not trimming. I started natural due to a severe allergic reaction to a new shampoo conditioner set. So unless that's an issue for you, go for a sulfate, especially if you're only washing once a week.

Haha just saw (read) your hair success! Hurrah! I bet it's pretty with auburn henna! :blossom:

[Chromis]

Natural shampoo bars dried out my hair the moment I stopped being able to oil... I switched up for now. I think hair that is regularly trimmed can handle poo bars better then someone like me who is being hyper about not trimming. I started natural due to a severe allergic reaction to a new shampoo conditioner set. So unless that's an issue for you, go for a sulfate, especially if you're only washing once a week.

Haha just saw (read) your hair success! Hurrah! I bet it's pretty with auburn henna! :blossom:

I don't trim regularly and mine does fine with shampoo bars! I also dip my lengths in the acidic rinse before I pour it over to prevent buildup. Sulphates were too harsh on my scalp even only washing once a week.

[Kitt3n]

Shampoo bars don't dry my hair out either and I don't trim often. As for an oily scalp and your hair fall, you should try some peppermint oil. I use homemade shampoo bars that my mom makes every 4-5 days. I also tried going a week without washing but my hair was just always getting too oily looking and water washes in-between with vinegar rinses made it look kinda gross and more greasy sometimes. Now I just use a silicone free conditioner and dump peppermint/water mix onto my hair when I see it's a little oily before I finally decide to use a shampoo bar. I always use a small amount of apple cider vinegar after the shampoo bar and only sometimes when I cowash.

Too much vinegar can definitely make your hair look oily though. It too me awhile to figure it out for my hair. Just experiment a little bit. I use a sulphate shampoo about once a month or two but only to clarify, if I think I have build-up.

[Hiyotoris]

Natural shampoo bars dried out my hair the moment I stopped being able to oil... I switched up for now. I think hair that is regularly trimmed can handle poo bars better then someone like me who is being hyper about not trimming. I started natural due to a severe allergic reaction to a new shampoo conditioner set. So unless that's an issue for you, go for a sulfate, especially if you're only washing once a week.

Haha just saw (read) your hair success! Hurrah! I bet it's pretty with auburn henna! :blossom:

I'm a natural redhead so it does add a little bit of dimention to my hair which looks really nice! I also rarely trim my hair because I'm super lazy but i will keep an eye out for dryness, so far i'm still in the waxy stage but i'm no way as bad as I was at the start, so maybe it'll be over soon! Recently i've been having skin reactions to products so I've decided to try out natural products to try and stop the itchy, red and blotchy skin! Sulfates and cones made my hair get dirtier looking and smelling a lot faster which is kind of a bummber because they smelt SO good, but I'm also digging the lack of smell from the natural shampoo! I do have more coming in so hopefully i''l have good luck with those too! If not i can always use them on my body ;)