Newbie looking for hair care feedback :)

[Imaginaera]

Hello; it is I, a newbie.
Here's my current hair care routine--y'all seem to possess infinite hair care knowledge and I want to re-vamp my routine accordingly! I won't feel bad if you call me out on any bad hair choices.

I think I have oilyish hair, so I wash with shampoo and conditioner about twice per week, leaving 2 days between washes. On wash day I leave my hair down until it's damp and then put it in a French braid. On day 2 I leave my hair down (to enjoy the Braid Wave Floof) and on day 3 I use dry shampoo and put it up. I almost always sleep in a French braid and almost never blow-dry or heat-style my hair.

Other factors:
I'm a premier-level Scottish Highland dancer, so I work out or practice at least 4 times a week. When I work out I put my hair in a French braid or low ponytail.
I also eat a lot of eggs and yoghurt. Does that do anything?

Questions:
- Is dry shampoo Bad Hair Care? In all my lurking on this site I've never seen it mentioned.
- What shampoos and conditioners do you like over here? I'm looking for something that keeps grease at bay to help me stretch my time between washes longer.
- Any stick bun recommendations for people who have layers? When I cut my hair back in mid-January I ended up with shorter layers than I wanted (shortest layer is APL, ahhhh!!) and now my braids and buns are looking a little electrocuted-squirrel-y while I'm growing them out :/
- I'm going to be attending school in Minnesota in the fall, so I'm wondering how to handle the cold winters there. I know letting your wet hair freeze is pretty bad for it, but my hair takes a good 3 hours to dry so I probably won't be able to completely avoid going outside with wet or damp hair. Help! What do you long-hairs who live in particularly frigid climates do?

[Zesty]

Welcome! Wiser members than I will have better feedback for many of your points I'm sure, but:

I don't personally use dry shampoo because I don't like buildup on my scalp. I could never get it brushed out enough and my head just felt gross.

Re wet hair in cold temperatures, I just do a little strategic blow drying, mostly at the roots and focusing on the back of my head which dries slowest. I use low speed on cool or warm temperature and gently separate strands with my fingers as I move the air stream around (no brushing). My rule of thumb on heat, if it is uncomfortable on my skin I don't use it on my hair.

Your routine sounds fine to me. :) Everyone does things a little differently around here, and if it ain't broke...! :thumbsup:

[Jane99]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

I was just talking with my sister, who lived in Minnesota for a few years, about how pretty it is up there. Best of luck to you in your studies. I spent a summer working on a farm on the MN WI border and it was beautiful, but not very frigid as it was summer. Minneapolis seemed like a very fun city and Lake Superior had fantastic camping and hiking.

In my experience, few to no people here will insult another’s hair care practices so no need to worry there. Everyone has different things that work for their hair. Standard advice would be to check out the articles on growing long hair for newbies where some basic hair care strategies are outlined. Some here wash daily and some here avoid getting their hair wet ever. Some questions that seem relevant would be, what is your hair type, are you looking for a specific outcome from a routine change, and do you notice problems with your current routine?

It sounds like you’re pretty diligent about keeping your hair in protective styles. A lot of people on here, myself included, use oils in some part or various parts of our routines. A silk pillowcase is also amazing and it feels so nice on the face too.

As far as dealing with wet hair in the cold, if you can avoid it, you probably want to. I try to keep my outdoor time at a minimum when the hair is damp or cover it with a hood when it’s below freezing. If I had to spend extended time outside right after washing on a freezing cold day I probably would blow dry on low, but if I’m only going to be outside for a few minutes I’ll just use a hood to keep in body heat. It doesn’t get as cold here in upstate NY as it does in MN but most years we have some really cold sub zero weeks. During those really cold weeks, a silk scarf under a hat would be a safer bet, if possible.

I have a bunch of APL layers too and LWB works great for me with a stick. I wear it about every day. No problems!

Good luck in your hair care quest!

[KokoroDragon]

Welcome! It sounds like you take really good care of your hair, but I may be able to answer a few of your questions. Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and what works for me may not for you.

If you're looking for a shampoo that will allow you to go a little longer between washes, many people find that soap based shampoo bars have that effect. There's a big thread with a bunch of info here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74

Stick buns that are good for layered hair...my first thought is a disc bun, but I don't have experience with layers myself. You could look in the LHC Hairstyle Thesaurus for ideas (it's a sticky thread in the Mane forum).

As for caring for hair in freezing temperatures, I try to avoid getting my hair wet if I know I'm going to be going outside soon. I usually wash my hair in the afternoon/evenings to give it time to dry overnight. I sometimes blow dry on low heat, but usually just squeeze as much water out as I can with a cotton tshirt. If you're just going to be outside for a few minutes, hats are your friend! Tuck all your hair into the hat if you can, that way it won't have a chance to freeze. You could also get a long beanie, the kind made for holding dreadlocks.

Hope this helps somewhat!

[lapushka]

Welcome! :)

[Imaginaera]

Thank you guys so much! <3 <3

[apollosdrawer]

Hello!

I personally don't like dry shampoo. I tried using it to stretch washes once, and I found that I was going LESS time between washes, because I wanted to wash my dry shampoo out. I also didn't feel like it was actually decreasing the ammount if oil my scalp produces, but increasing it. I would reccomend just trying to go an additional day without washing, brushing your hair out on that day and/or gently massaging your scalp a bit. Do this for a few weeks. Your hair may feel or look a bit oily for a few weeks, but after it should adjust.

I used to think I couldn't avoid washing my hair every day, because it's very fine and gets weighed down and very obviously oily. But by not expecting my scalp to adjust overnight, I found I could eventually easily wash only once every 7 days, and my hair could be worn down the whole time since it didn't look greasy at all.

My experience is that with dry shampoo, you'll never reach your full wash stretching potential. However, everyone is different. Especially if you have a very physically active lifestyle and sweat a lot. That's different to me. So I would encourage you to experiment. But do give your scalp at least one month to adjust to a different washing frequency before you write it off completely, it's a bit of a commitment. I wear my hair in a loose braided topknot when it's greasy, it hides it perfectly and is very comfortable. If you have a lazy bun that doesn't tug on your scalp, that might help you deal with the transition.

[Dark40]

Welcome! :)

I think your routine is fine. Everybody on here do theirs differently than others. But personally, I don't like to use dry shampoo because of the build-up and my hair starts to look and feel gross after the 3rd day. So, that's why I wash my hair three times a week. Or, every other day. Sometimes I also co-wash as well instead of always using shampoos with sulfates in them. Because, sulfates tend to dry your hair and scalp out if used too often.

[Garnetgem]

Welcome! :)

[Kat]

I'm a premier-level Scottish Highland dancer

Hello, fellow dancer!