How should hair "feel like"?

[Hexana]

Hey guys, I just tried for the first time Shea Moisture products (weightless shampoo and almond Milk conditioner), and I am astonished at how my hair feels "light".
I've been using natural shampoos and cone free conditioners (Maui Moisture) for almost a year now, and my hair always feelt soft and stuff but also always had some weight to it. I thought that this meant that it retained water and that that was good. But after washing my hair today for the first time with Shea moisture products (yes I finaly found a distributer for EU, and luckily my brother lives in Austria where they deliver to), my hair feels soooo light and soft. Like a fluffy cloud! The last time it felt so weightless was when I was mistreating it by not using conditioner (but it was not soft back then, only "light").

And now I'm wondering is it good that my hair feels so weightless? I mean shouldn't hair have some weight if it's supposed to be moisturised?
What are your thoughts on how hair should "feel" like?

[lapushka]

It depends on your preference. Honestly it does, there is no good "feel". As long as it's healthy, it shouldn't matter that much. Just keep an eye on build-up and clarify regularly (especially if you are sulfate-mild or sulfate-free) and you should be fine.

I like my hair weighed down, because I have dry lengths (oilier/normal scalp). I need to really weigh those lengths down or my hair goes POOFY. :lol:

[Jo Ann]

I prefer my hair to feel soft. I use Shea Moisture and clarify every 4-6 washes.

[Hexana]

lapushka That is the thing, my hair is very soft (not crunchy as though when it is dry), but very light as though it doesn't have much water in it. How do I know if eather feeling is pointing towards healthy hair or not?

Jo Ann My hair feels soft eather way... That's what is weird to me.

[Ylva]

I think coating ingredients like oils and other film formers would be more inclined to weigh the hair down, rather than water. Not sure though. If your hair feels good to you, I think that's all that matters.

[lapushka]

lapushka That is the thing, my hair is very soft (not crunchy as though when it is dry), but very light as though it doesn't have much water in it. How do I know if eather feeling is pointing towards healthy hair or not?

Hexana, you can't "destroy" your hair or make it less healthy with the products that are on the market. You just have to be able to use them smartly, such as clarifying at least once a month when using sulfate-mild and sulfate-free products. Using sulfates if using silicones or heavy oils and butters / waxes. That kind of thing. Keeping the protein & moisture balanced. The rest is all up to preference.

But if you don't like the soft feeling, maybe switch between the one shampoo & the other?

[MusicalSpoons]

Is the issue that you're wondering if it's moisturising enough? I was thinking about my own hair and as I've tweaked my routine to become more moisturising it feels less fluffy, but for me it feels softer with the more moisturising as well.

I guess for you if it feels soft either way, just monitor it and if it starts to feel less soft over time then use something you know it's more moisturising for a bit, until it's back to its usual softness. It might turn out to be completely fine :)

I agree with Ylva, and that's been true in my experience. For me I do associate it with more moisturised hair - but that's *because* it feels softer as well, which is different from your experience.

[lapushka]

More moisture usually means your hair is more "weighed down". Some people don't like that.

I generally use very stripping shampoos, so they make my hair go POOF if I don't condition. And anything can be fixed by putting conditioner on the hair. And so I condition twice to get moisture aka weight back into it.

You might be able to tweak it by the conditioner you use. I just now thought about that!

[Simsy]

I don’t actually know if you can define what hair is supposedly to feel like. I’m not even sure you can define “healthy” beyond a broad range of the basics. One person will get soft, shiny, commercial-like hair; someone else will get dull, sturdy, unbreakable strands.

For example, my hair used to be fairly greasy at the roots and dry at the ends. It didn’t really curl so much as poof; and most people would have said it was reasonably healthy. Now it feels almost spiderweb fine; it’s not oily, even when loaded with oils and conditioner. It almost floats (still not sure how I feel about that). It still doesn’t curl after the first day or two; but that’s mostly due to styling. I would personally say it’s healthier now than it was; but I can’t really point to any single thing and say “that’s healthy” or “that’s good”.

[ExpectoPatronum]

This is an interesting question. I also use Shea Moisture (I use their shampoo bar and their JBCO deep conditioner every wash) and I would say that combination does not make my hair feel weighed down, but I do feel like it's moisturizing enough.

I think that's what it really comes down to - does your hair feel soft and properly moisturized? If so, the lightness of it is a non-issue.

[Arciela]

This is a good question! Mine feels like satin and it's really shiny. I dont use any leave in...I do WCC (wash, conditioner twice) I'll either clean with a cowash (or shampoo) and then use biolage conditioner.

If I use protein my hair will feel crunchy..ick.

[Hexana]

Simsy that's exactly my quest now, how to figure out if my hair is still healthy although it doesn't feel the same (heavy) anymore.

ExpectoPatronum That is what I was thinking, maybe the combination just seems to suit my hair type. Though I do have to figure out if my hair is still as moisturized as before, but for now it seem so.

[leayellena]

Hexana,
when I joined lhc 2 and a half years ago I had the exact same problem as you have now. I just didn't know how to describe it so I searched trough all the (what's left of) articles of lhc and all over the internet. silly me I thought I have wavy hair 2b/2c when my hair was short as yours (chin/shoulder as I see your photos). then when my hair reached bsl I thought I had 2a wavy hair so still wavy but... wavy? hmm. then my hair got much longer, I learned about weighed down hair tabu and I know now about layers and how they mess the "curl" pattern of hair. so if you have short layered hair you can say you have the texture you experience at the certain length, but my true, realistic way to test one's hair pattern is on terminal length.
last year when my hair reached waist length no voluminising shampoo or conditioner or any other product could poof my crown. hence my "I don't have volume on the crown because I'm not a queen". I mean what's the fuss on the crown when your short hair looks like a wig? anyway...
my what's-left-of-layers and taper is 2a. I'm sure my hair was artificially thinned "for volume" because it's feathered on one side and the the opposite side of the same chunk is straight and much much longer. (I watched hair cutting/dressing tutorials a lot to understand this fact). conditioning the lengths means curling my hair. it curls like that bed hair trendy stuff, like I didn't even bothered to comb my hair. now I have straight hair until bsl and poofy hair from bsl to classic. and no, not even oils can weigh my layers down. the only way my hair straightens is braiding it.
now I am asking myself if I am not a true 1b/1c? but I let it at the almost certain 1c.
so you see, a haircut can make your 1c hair curl like a 2b. 2 times "curlier" than it is in real life, because from 1c there's also 2a and then comes the 2b.

[aenigmatica8]

I've often wondered this as well- As others have said, some people like their hair more moisturized and weighed down, others like light and fluffy. The only time when you know something isn't right is when your hair feels unpleasant- Like sticky, dry, straw-like, waxy, etc.

[Hexana]

Hi all, I wanted to come back to you about my latest experience. Last night I used my old conditioner again and noticed how my hair was immediately heavier. This morning when I was getting ready for work I glided through it with my fingers and noticed that my fingers were "slippery" after that. I also noticed that my hair has like a waxy coting on it that apparently transferred to my fingers. My hair is still soft just heavy and I must confess that it doesn't feel as good as when I washed it with the Shea moisture conditioner. It is also a bit of a darker shade. Maybe I didn't notice how big of a difference it was before, because I just thought that it should feel like that. Well now I think I will try sticking to Shea moisture. Thanks for all the replies.

[lapushka]

Hi all, I wanted to come back to you about my latest experience. Last night I used my old conditioner again and noticed how my hair was immediately heavier. This morning when I was getting ready for work I glided through it with my fingers and noticed that my fingers were "slippery" after that. I also noticed that my hair has like a waxy coting on it that apparently transferred to my fingers. My hair is still soft just heavy and I must confess that it doesn't feel as good as when I washed it with the Shea moisture conditioner. It is also a bit of a darker shade. Maybe I didn't notice how big of a difference it was before, because I just thought that it should feel like that. Well now I think I will try sticking to Shea moisture. Thanks for all the replies.

How often do you clarify with a sulfate?
And, is it about that time?

[Hexana]

lapushka I usually clarify once a month before I use Henna. But I didn't clarify now as I used both of these and still saw a big difference.

[Dark40]

I agree with MusicalSpoons. My hair always feel moisturized and soft. I would be happy if my hair felt soft, moisturized, and light-weight!