Changing up your routine: new discoveries!

[lapushka]

Okay, I have been washing my hair with the WCC, wash double conditon, method for literally *ages*. Last Sunday, my mom and me figured, something's gotta give. She wasn't feeling up to "the extended version", and so we just washed and conditioned.

But my goodness. My hair feels: *a w e s o m e*. And I don't know why.

Maybe it's a queue for me to wake the heck up and change my routine once in a while, for the better.

Anyone else out there making a nice discovery after changing up your routine lately?

[Suortuva]

I recently added mousse to my styling routine, and I just feel so much better about my hair, it behaves so much better and looks nicer.

[Celtica]

I just cut off 2 1/2 inches of dry thin fairy tailing, my first trim in 3 and a half years, and revamped my routine entirely, adding mane n tail conditioner, after my previous conditioner was discontinued. I've also stopped drying my hair in front of the heater (I was somehow kidding myself that it wasn't heat-drying), and have started sleeping in a silk bandana, which has made my hair so much less frizzy. Trying to better about regularly oiling too. I've kind of done a huge revamp because although my account is about a decade old, I fell into benign neglect around 2015, and chronic ferritin deficiency led to massive thinning that is only now growing back.

[lapushka]

Suortuva, I love mousse, but the right kind. I discovered it recently as well. First tried volume mousse but... that wasn't it. But I still had a curl mousse as well and boy, that is niiiice!

Celtica, nice to hear back from you. Iron shortages in any way shape or form can do a trick on you! :( Are you feeling better now?

[Suortuva]

Suortuva, I love mousse, but the right kind. I discovered it recently as well. First tried volume mousse but... that wasn't it. But I still had a curl mousse as well and boy, that is niiiice!

Celtica, nice to hear back from you. Iron shortages in any way shape or form can do a trick on you! :( Are you feeling better now?

Mine is a curl mousse too, Wella deluxe Dream waves & curls. I purchased it on a whim from online pharmacy, there was some special offer, and I'm so pleased with it. I purchased a silicone oil from same brand and it's great too (and both were very affordable).

[Dark40]

Okay, I have been washing my hair with the WCC, wash double conditon, method for literally *ages*. Last Sunday, my mom and me figured, something's gotta give. She wasn't feeling up to "the extended version", and so we just washed and conditioned.

But my goodness. My hair feels: *a w e s o m e*. And I don't know why.

Maybe it's a queue for me to wake the heck up and change my routine once in a while, for the better.

Anyone else out there making a nice discovery after changing up your routine lately?

Yes, it's always so good to change up your routine every now and then. I've noticed as for a whole year I've been washing my hair 3 times a week now, and my hair isn't growing as fast as it was when I was shampooing and conditioning on a daily basis. So, today I've started going back to frequently washing it on a daily basis. My hair right now feels awesome after washing it this pass Saturday, and I washed it again today. Hopefully, this will give my hair growth a kick-start again.

[mermaid lullaby]

So before, I hated doing search and distroy, and I had to do it for almost a week if I wanted to cut all the split ends off.

I discovered a hair gadget on Amazon. I bit the bullet and bought "Split Ender 2" on Amazon Prine Day. It just cuts off the split ends but not the length.

I'm so happy somebody invented it and now I have it! :happydance:

[pisinoe]

Do you mean that you just washed and conditionished as usual, Lapuska? Might be that after years of the extra moisture your hair doesn't need it anymore, and there might have been some moisture overload going on.

[lapushka]

So before, I hated doing search and distroy, and I had to do it for almost a week if I wanted to cut all the split ends off.

I discovered a hair gadget on Amazon. I bit the bullet and bought "Split Ender 2" on Amazon Prine Day. It just cuts off the split ends but not the length.

I'm so happy somebody invented it and now I have it! :happydance:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there have been many a thread on this "thing" on TLHC and... it wasn't good. It cuts a tiny bit off of every strand of hair, that's all it does, split or no split, so actually you are giving yourself a trim every time.


Do you mean that you just washed and conditionished as usual, Lapuska? Might be that after years of the extra moisture your hair doesn't need it anymore, and there might have been some moisture overload going on.

That might be the case! My hair, day after washing, feels amazing. I am going to WC next week as well, just to see what it does, and plus I can do with the time it saves even though minimal, when actually having to wash the hair, it makes a difference.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I was silicone free for years because of my curls. Now that my hair is getting longer, it got snarled way more than it used to. I brought silicones back in and I've been happy with my hair ever since - it's so much more manageable! Sure, my curls don't "pop" as much but they don't anyway because my length stretches them out :lol:

[Celtica]

deleted because I forgot how to post...

[Celtica]

Suortuva, I love mousse, but the right kind. I discovered it recently as well. First tried volume mousse but... that wasn't it. But I still had a curl mousse as well and boy, that is niiiice!

Celtica, nice to hear back from you. Iron shortages in any way shape or form can do a trick on you! :( Are you feeling better now?

Heaps better. It was actually frightening how much I hair I lost. Every time I brushed, the brush would be full of a ball of strands the size of my fist :blueeek: I wish I was exaggerating. I'm not cold all the time either.
Where it's regrown, it's down just past my shoulders, so my hair is thick down to there, and it thins at that point to waist. It was watercolour paintbrush thin at hip. It HAD to go, it looked ridiculous.
I've just noticed I'm not a decade old...I joined in 2007. Yikes. Older, grayer... *shakes walking stick*

[lapushka]

Heaps better. It was actually frightening how much I hair I lost. Every time I brushed, the brush would be full of a ball of strands the size of my fist :blueeek: I wish I was exaggerating. I'm not cold all the time either.
Where it's regrown, it's down just past my shoulders, so my hair is thick down to there, and it thins at that point to waist. It was watercolour paintbrush thin at hip. It HAD to go, it looked ridiculous.
I've just noticed I'm not a decade old...I joined in 2007. Yikes. Older, grayer... *shakes walking stick*

That's good to hear! :)

[tuanyiji]

I went from heavily oiling my ends daily to baohuashui treatment daily, and it is probably the best decision I’ve made this year for my hair. I can easily stretch my shampoo days to two weeks without water rinse in between despite the fact that I have an hour of very sweaty cardio workout every day. Also, I shed fewer than 20 hairs a day now. What a game changer!

Here’s my braid waves after baohuashui treatment
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1001725273378668557/1003673233523998830/C0416AA4-DBFD-46DD-9248-54A1D9A950F3.jpg
I updated my daily experiment here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116012&page=185&p=3951211&viewfull=1#post3951211

[lapushka]

What is that treatment precisely? What is it used for? Is it like a perm?

[tuanyiji]

What is that treatment precisely? What is it used for? Is it like a perm?
It’s a traditional Chinese hair care treatment widely used in ancient times and is still very popular among retro-/vintage-lovers, opera performers and period drama actors. It’s very nurturing to hair and skin. It looks like a honey glue-like substance extracted from Chinese elm wood shavings. There’s a mature market for that type of material here, very affordable. It’s not a perm, I wet my hair with baohuashui and braided it to achieve the bouncy braid waves. My hair naturally returned to its straight structure afterwards. When you air dry, it doesn’t leave anything sticky or smelly, but a shinier, thicker, much healthier hair.

I explained every detail in the link I provided up there, including how I extracted the glue from raw material, different applying methods, the pros and cons, there are 7 separate journals there because of the image limits of the forum, I could be very verbose sometimes. I am still learning something new with it every day. The more I use it, the more I like it.

[lapushka]

That is *so* interesting. :) And it's the very first time I hear of this. Wow. I had no idea. Thank you for explaining it to me! :D

[shelomit]

It’s a traditional Chinese hair care treatment widely used in ancient times and is still very popular among retro-/vintage-lovers, opera performers and period drama actors. It’s very nurturing to hair and skin. It looks like a honey glue-like substance extracted from Chinese elm wood shavings. There’s a mature market for that type of material here, very affordable. It’s not a perm, I wet my hair with baohuashui and braided it to achieve the bouncy braid waves. My hair naturally returned to its straight structure afterwards. When you air dry, it doesn’t leave anything sticky or smelly, but a shinier, thicker, much healthier hair.

I explained every detail in the link I provided up there, including how I extracted the glue from raw material, different applying methods, the pros and cons, there are 7 separate journals there because of the image limits of the forum, I could be very verbose sometimes. I am still learning something new with it every day. The more I use it, the more I like it.

I vividly remember learning about this process while studying Jingju opera way back in undergrad core music history courses. We watched an excerpt from a documentary showing a performer readying their numerous hairpieces with the elm goop. I had no recollection of the name, if I had ever known it. Thanks for sharing!

[tuanyiji]

That is *so* interesting. :) And it's the very first time I hear of this. Wow. I had no idea. Thank you for explaining it to me! :D

Thank you, I enjoy this process and it grounds me to explore what’s in my roots, the way ancient people did certain things in a much under-developed condition and environment weren’t as “inferior” as we tend to think, they actually came up with some ingenious ways to deal with the hair style and care problem without having to wash it every day.


I vividly remember learning about this process while studying Jingju opera way back in undergrad core music history courses. We watched an excerpt from a documentary showing a performer readying their numerous hairpieces with the elm goop. I had no recollection of the name, if I had ever known it. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. I know exactly what you’re talking about lol. Here’s a link for people who are interested in seeing the hairpieces (the loops and the face-framing fringes), the way they are so easily manipulated and clung to the performer’s face is because they had been saturated in baohuashui, and if you use modern wig glue and hairspray all day, it might cause serious conditions and buildup, but with baohuashui, they can easily do hairstyle and keep it intact during those fierce dancing or fighting scenes. And these hair extensions can be recycled for decades if it’s well-kept and gloomed like this.

https://youtu.be/C1M10Qk4WHA

[MusicalSpoons]

I actually forgot how big a difference even a superficial scalp wash can make. I think they've been better with using sulphates rather than sulphate-free (though if I were doing them regularly, I would need to include sulphate-free). And I keep forgetting how useful a crochet braid is for keeping my length contained and out of the way while my roots are drying - it takes calf-length hair up to above APL!

So not a real shake-up, but rediscovering useful tools.

I have recently had cause to skip or contract steps in my wash routine but sadly no useful discoveries there, just confirmation that every step is still in there for a reason :rolleyes:

[pisinoe]

This is not a recent change, but before I used to do CWWCC to be able to have more moisturised hair and nowadays doing a shampoo followed up by a deep treatment mask or high quality conditioner is enough for me following my capillary schedule (so I always rotate between a set of different products).

Something else, I don't oil my hair anymore and never will again. I simply use a conditioner or mask high in oils to coat my dry length for at least 30min before washing, it's something I learned from Brazilian hair care enthusiasts whose hair game is next level. It's much easier to wash out, doesn't leave residue, the results are better and it's a more comfortable process too :)

[Suortuva]

This is a very new thing for me, I have tried it only twice, but I have added 1-2 drops castor oil for my shampoo and conditioner, and as far I'm very happy about the results, my hair feels very soft and bouncy and curls nicely. Maybe I should mention that I have very dry hair and scalp.

[KokoroDragon]

I just introduced a leave-in into my routine and I'm loving it so far! I'm still experimenting with the amount and method of application, but it's already helping with tangles so much.

[spidermom]

For years I have tried to go as long between washings as I could tolerate. However, in May my daughter was putting purple color in my hair and came across a weeping cyst on my scalp. I had been feeling little bumps on my scalp but hadn't paid much attention to them because they didn't itch or hurt. However, after that day I began washing my scalp every other day instead of every 4-5 days, and I'm already feeling far fewer bumps on my scalp. Bonus! I like how my hair looks and feels much more than I did before. I hate the idea of drying out my ends so I'm trying to oil them before washing. So far so good, but I'm resigned to trimming more often if the ends get dried out from frequent washing.

[rosenester]

For years I have tried to go as long between washings as I could tolerate. However, in May my daughter was putting purple color in my hair and came across a weeping cyst on my scalp. I had been feeling little bumps on my scalp but hadn't paid much attention to them because they didn't itch or hurt. However, after that day I began washing my scalp every other day instead of every 4-5 days, and I'm already feeling far fewer bumps on my scalp. Bonus! I like how my hair looks and feels much more than I did before. I hate the idea of drying out my ends so I'm trying to oil them before washing. So far so good, but I'm resigned to trimming more often if the ends get dried out from frequent washing.

OMG that’s a little scary that it didn’t feel sore or anything to warn you it was there, thank Goodness your daughter spotted it. Is it healing up OK? I get a very sore scalp if I wait 5 days to wash, so I average out to about 3x a week

[Pouncequick]

I'm trying to finish my dissertation in the next year so I have also not had time for my normal extended routine. I found that a normal WC works just fine. I do the mineral oil rinses when I have time. I also have found that scalp washes work perfectly well for me for awhile.

[lapushka]

I'm trying to finish my dissertation in the next year so I have also not had time for my normal extended routine. I found that a normal WC works just fine. I do the mineral oil rinses when I have time. I also have found that scalp washes work perfectly well for me for awhile.

I'm in a timecrunch myself but that is only because my mom fell (July 4) and still is not fully recovered, so can't help me that extensively with my wash day... At first she just tried and tried, but it got to be too overwhelming. Now I'm done with wash day in 5 minutes, when it took 15.

I also just WC at the moment. And my hair feels so airy and fluffy. I'm guessing the second conditioner did weigh down my hair, not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but I'm liking the fluffy feel right now.

I mean... such a pleasant discovery. :D

[thatsideoflife]

For years I have tried to go as long between washings as I could tolerate. However, in May my daughter was putting purple color in my hair and came across a weeping cyst on my scalp. I had been feeling little bumps on my scalp but hadn't paid much attention to them because they didn't itch or hurt. However, after that day I began washing my scalp every other day instead of every 4-5 days, and I'm already feeling far fewer bumps on my scalp. Bonus! I like how my hair looks and feels much more than I did before. I hate the idea of drying out my ends so I'm trying to oil them before washing. So far so good, but I'm resigned to trimming more often if the ends get dried out from frequent washing.

This reminds me of when I was 9 at summer camp, my friend and I both put our hair in two french braids for a 5 day no-shower trip. We both had crusted plasma on our scalps at the part after a couple days. I think we had gotten sunburned so badly it bled? Or there were cysts or something. But I thought it was caused by sun exposure rather than the lack of showering... interesting.

[tuanyiji]

I almost always do a hot oil treatment before my weekly washing. My scalp never reacts badly to heavy oil, and I rarely have any acne or pimples even in my teens, so I never have to worry about any skin condition or outburst caused by too much oil.

Yesterday, I water rinsed my dirty hair first after a week of sweat, dirt and garden compost, then I had an ACV rinse, used a towel to absorb 70% of the water,
then I applied oil to my scalp.

The oil had been infused with henna for about 4 days at this point, here's the recipe, https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=50811&p=3952340&viewfull=1#post3952340
Thanks to Nightshade who kindly pointed out that "The conditioning components work when adding water to the henna powder, and there's no scientific reason they'd work in oil."

I wouldn't want to waste the oil or miss the conditioning effect of henna, thus I placed a small bowl of this henna oil (about 100ml) on top of a mug full of hot water to warm it up, added some honey and aloe vera gel, I mixed them well, then I applied the oil to my damp/ACV rinsed hair, as I know the warmth and a little bit of acid would trigger the henna dye quicker.

The way I applied oil to my scalp was meticulous, I used a hair stick to divide my hair into two equal parts, I tied one half first, then I used my fingers to smear the oil onto the middle part line, I used all my oiled fingertips to press the scalp gently, making sure the hair roots were saturated, this way I would never mistakenly pull any hair out. Then I drew another line that was about 1cm next to the middle part, I repeated this process until half of my scalp was oiled, then I tied the oil part, and started with the other half. After that, I used my fingertips to massage my scalp in general, paying attention to my pressure points and praying for hair growth, so every inch of my scalp was covered.

Even though the oil is green-yellowish inside my glass jar, my fingers or nails were not colored, nor was my ceramic bowl.

I applied the rest of the oil to my length and ends, and nautilus bunned it. The whole oiling process (including the preparation) took about 30 minutes. I did shed over 50 hairs over this process, but it was my wash day, and that was to be expected.

I then covered my head with a freezer bag, then I put on an electric hot cap and turn it on. I sat there for two hours, then I took the cap off. Still with my freezer bag, I did my other chores, had dinner, put on a hat, and went out for an evening walk as usual.

In total, I had the oil on my scalp and hair for over 4 hours. I shampooed with TRESemme Deep Cleanse thrice, I did see the water turn a bit orange after my first rinse, but it cleared up very quickly. I used a silicone-free conditioner and rinsed well. It took me 30 minutes to finish the w/C job.

It only took me 45 minutes to dry my hair as I sat in front of my electric fan while doing my shed-hair sorting and hand-tie project. This was very quick. It usually needs 3-4 hours of air drying.

This is the amount of hair I shed, including the WO rinse, oil treatment, W/C: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=135840&page=4&p=3952731&viewfull=1#post3952731

And my hair has never felt this refreshing. I braided and put on my silk bonnet and went to sleep. My hair was so slippery that my bonnet fell off when I woke up this morning. And after I did my minoxidil scalp massage and usual finger combing, I didn't even see a shed. NOT A SINGLE ONE. Just WOW. Normally I would at least have 10 sheds on my day 1-2 hair.

I don't really see any color change on my hair, because I know that little amount of henna wouldn't do any decent dye job, and even if I used a more significant amount, it wouldn't change my naturally black hair drastically.

I think I will continue to use this henna oil and slowly build up the strength of my hair little by little. That 500g of Nupur henna powder could be stretched for years if I only did henna this way lol.

But next time, I will try the TRESemme Moisture Rich with Vitamin E shampoo instead of the deep cleanse one.

[lapushka]

I am keeping my routine to wash & condition for now. Yes, I still do LOC/LCO after my wash, so that's no different, but man my hair is lighter and fluffier, just the thing I hated about it, but it seems to be what I need for now, so I'm not messing with "a good thing" and leaving it at that!

[thatsideoflife]

Ah! Very nice thread! I have been consistent for a while now, but just discovered finger combing and detangling. I like it so far! And my hairbrush was getting too rough it seemed.

[Aurora Angel]

I just started rinsing and conditioning in a braid (simple, French, dutch) and completely submerging my head in a cold water shower. I rinse out the conditioner, and let my hair dry in a braid. It's a game changer for someone with frizz-prone fluffy hair like mine!

[tuanyiji]

I just started rinsing and conditioning in a braid (simple, French, dutch) and completely submerging my head in a cold water shower. I rinse out the conditioner, and let my hair dry in a braid. It's a game changer for someone with frizz-prone fluffy hair like mine!

Interesting, did you put on the conditioner first, then braid, and then rinse, or did you braid first, then condition and rinse?

[lapushka]

I just started rinsing and conditioning in a braid (simple, French, dutch) and completely submerging my head in a cold water shower. I rinse out the conditioner, and let my hair dry in a braid. It's a game changer for someone with frizz-prone fluffy hair like mine!

Just make sure to do your wash on at least lukewarm, and reserve the "cold rinse" for after all is gone from the hair. Cold water is not the greatest at washing product out of your hair.

[Aurora Angel]

Interesting, did you put on the conditioner first, then braid, and then rinse, or did you braid first, then condition and rinse?

I washed and conditioned my hair as normal a couple days prior, then I put it in a dutch braid. I've been taking cold showers lately for its various health benefits! When I was in the shower, I really wanted my head submerged but it was in a dutch braid. I'd heard about conditioning your hair in a braid before, so I thought I'd try it! Basically, with my hair braided, I submerged my head in the shower, then applied conditioner through the braid, and rinsed! My hair and head felt SO refreshed, not having to mess around with it after the shower and it was already done up. Once it was dried and I took out the braid, the waves were so much more defined and had no frizz! I've been experimenting with conditioning between washes, to add extra moisture to my hair! This seems to work well! Try it! :)))

[Aurora Angel]

Just make sure to do your wash on at least lukewarm, and reserve the "cold rinse" for after all is gone from the hair. Cold water is not the greatest at washing product out of your hair.


Yeah, you are absolutely right! I've been taking cold showers lately because I heard of health benefits (they're hard to get used to but feel AMAZING afterwards!) so my whole routine in this situation was cold water - I didn't realize until afterward that I need a bit warmer for the conditioner to actually rinse out! haha!

BTW, I ended up getting some mousse and gel, and I am SO excited to try this new routine. My hair is so unmanageable, but I feel like I just need to find my gold standard for what works for me and I will be set!

[lapushka]

Good luck figuring out what works best for you! :) That is *always* exciting!

[Aurora Angel]

Good luck figuring out what works best for you! :) That is *always* exciting!

Thanks, Lapushka!

[ETJ CURLS]

My most recent tweak has been to focus on just shampooing my scalp more, and only directly applying to the hair if there's too much product buildup. This makes detangling a breeze.

[Ylva]

Since my big chop (about 40 cm), I’ve switched from conditioning twice, then applying a cream leave-in and then a serum, to conditioning once and then a serum. It seems to work well for me right now.

[lapushka]

Ylva, same here. My hair is shorter, lighter (lost a loooot of thickness in the mid-lengths to ends from styling entirely the wrong way, too strict/tight). I seem to need to condition only once. Then I style a tad more. I apply more styling product, that has also changed. Plus the fact that I have switched the heavy creams for mousse and gel. Yep. It works right now!

[Greengable]

I've added detangling spray and styling cream to my minimalist routine. It's rare but for now I will do it during the cold seasons.

[Stray_mind]

I started using curl cream on soaking wet hair and my wurls are so much more defined. My hair even holds wave on day 3 of no washing.

[angel-baby]

I recently discovered Casey Voss on tiktok. She's a curly/wavy hair specialist, and posts a lot of videos about styling and refreshing wavy or curly hair. Recently I tried two versions of her curly hair refresher: the first, you spray your hair with water, then spray some leave-in conditioner into your palms and "milk" your hair in sections (literally sliding your hands down like you're milking a goat, rather than scrunching). The second is a waterless method, you mix leave-in and a small amount of mousse in your palms and "milk" your hair the same way, then diffuse just a little bit. I really like the first method for a quick reset, and the second one for dealing with frizz.

[Ylva]

Recently, I've discovered that my hair does very well with frequent clarifying, even though I condition only once these days. I don't think I changed my clarifying schedule (a very loose one at that, but it has always been something like approximately once a week) after my big chop that got rid of most of the bleached hair, but I feel like even once a week is too rarely now. My hair just gets more tangly and the ends feel meh, but clarifying makes everything so soft and easy-going! I will try and remember to clarify my hair every 3 or so washes, I think.

[fairy_hair]

I recently discovered how well my hair responds to being oiled before washing! It makes such a difference to how my hair looks and feels, and may have been helping to grow my baby hairs longer, however this part may also be from introducing marine collagen into my daily diet! Either way both of these seem to be thickening up my hair and improving the quality.

[Ylva]

I found out that even my natural hair benefits from a protein-containing conditioner/mask from time to time. I was wondering why it felt so tangly and spiderwebby until I thought to try a mask with protein. Back to normal again!

[RavennaNight]

I’ve changed a lot of things in my routine, I used to comb my wavy hair straight as it air dried. This is going to be rather long-winded, because I’ve basically changed everything.

It all started changing up as I started using distilled water to wash my hair (Florida had atrocious hard water) so I’ve been flipping my hair over and dunking it into a bucket to wash it. I’m still oiling my hair the night before, and washing once a week. I started scalp oiling with Mielle Rosemary scalp oil the night before and Rosemary water when I'm not washing my hair. All that wetting and massaging I think also brought out the waves inadvertently.

I’m now using nizoral on my scalp for shampoo. Then I’m using a conditioning mask for wavy/curly hair, leaving it in for as long as suggested, and rinsing with distilled water. I had been using the Rosemary mint mask from Mielle which was really also bringing waves and moisture until it ran out, now I got a 2 oz size mask from Curlsmith to try their stuff because they’re advertising to me with ferocity now. I used that three days ago and my hair really liked it. So that was a change within a change, I had been using that Mielle mask for almost two months.

I started using the Shea Moisture Meadowfoam and marshmallow root leave in spray that I had sitting around that did nothing for my hair when I wore it combed out straight, but has been great with waves. I added aloe Vera gel to the mix in lieu of an actual gel product because I am stubborn. It’s working well, I learned how to scrunch out the gel cast with oil, and usually use either jojoba oil or a Kerastase oil and then whooomp! I have big hair. :lol:

All the upside down hair action gives volume. I’m glad, I was feeling kinda flat and limp.

[ETJ CURLS]

I have been experimenting with adding olive oil based products back into my routine and so far, so very good.

[Bri-Chan]

In the last months I realized I dont need much. Shampoo, conditioner and leave in is everything I truly need.

[SandyBottom]

I thought my routine was pretty basic before, but since switching to CO washing, it's even easier and my hair is happier. That left me free to focus more on the dry ends which have been an ongoing battle. It's still very early stage experiment, but Fox's shea butter conditioning cream is doing the trick for now:thumbsup:

[mochichichi]

I tried the bowl method like the youtube curly girls use to really get leave-in evenly distributed, just for the heck of it. A little leave in and a little squirt of oil, and dipped into a tiny bit of water in my wash bucket. My hair has never been this smooth!! It's the slickest it's ever been. Will definitely be trying again.

[angel-baby]

I've started washing my hair 3 days/week again instead of 2, and changing up my nighttime routine. I still use mousse and gel for my wavy routine, but instead of sleeping with my hair plopped in a satin wrap, I just braid it. As long as I resist the urge to brush it in the morning, it lets me keep a good amount of definition. Plopping overnight or sleeping with loose hair in a bonnet was hit or miss. Sometimes my hair looked great in the morning, sometimes it just looked weird.

The washing 3 days a week is a personal preference, I think my hair looks better on that schedule.

[Kelp]

Last summer during the hot weather I would wear my hair in a nautilus or braided nautilus bun under a baseball cap. When the weather got cold I would wear a nautilus bun under a beanie, then when I started to get breakage I would wear milkmaid braids under a beanie.

The weather is starting to warm up again so I've been trying to find a gentler hairstyle that will work underneath my cap, and this morning I finally found a way to clip the braids in such a way that they fit snugly underneath it! At some point, I'd like to find a good head scarf to wrap up all of my hair so there's no risk of it getting dirty, but for now, I'm pleased that I can wear something cooler on my head and keep my hair protected.

[Greengable]

I have started to wash it a little less, I really like the feeling of the shower on my hair, but my hair is much better this way, and I wash my hair on my knees first and then I take a full shower, instead of at the same time because I like fairly hot water in winter. I started trying the LOC method and it was terrible ,a lot of curls, but the tangles multiplied by hundred, I prefer to brush my curly hair carefully and keep waves with braids, so on wash day I can untangle it in a minute. The last time I did the LOC it took 45 minutes. A nightmare.

[LauraLongLocks]

I’m trying to stretch my regular shampoo washes to fit an upcoming event without having to do any additional washes. I decided to try a water-only wash in the meantime, between my shampoos. It was… kind of useless for my scalp. Well, at least I can say I tried it. CO was also not for me. My scalp hated it. I broke out in pimples all over my scalp and the itching was horrible. I’m going to do my regular wash the day before my event and just deal with it in the meantime. The more I play with my routine, the more I recognize that my scalp begs me to keep it scrupulously clean and as oil-free as possible. :shrug:

[Fethenwen]

Last summer during the hot weather I would wear my hair in a nautilus or braided nautilus bun under a baseball cap. When the weather got cold I would wear a nautilus bun under a beanie, then when I started to get breakage I would wear milkmaid braids under a beanie.

The weather is starting to warm up again so I've been trying to find a gentler hairstyle that will work underneath my cap, and this morning I finally found a way to clip the braids in such a way that they fit snugly underneath it! At some point, I'd like to find a good head scarf to wrap up all of my hair so there's no risk of it getting dirty, but for now, I'm pleased that I can wear something cooler on my head and keep my hair protected.

That has been a problem for me during summer, how to get the hair in a protective style under a cap. I get a bit of sun damage every year. Could you perhaps elaborate a bit on how you clip your braids?

[ExpectoPatronum]

I see a lot of curly girls on instagram using TTs or Denman brushes to style their curls. I was so resistant to it for a while because, in the past, brushing my curls did not work at all but I may have figured out why. Most people seem to apply all their stylers then brush. If I do that, I end up with stringy waves. However, if I brush my hair first then scrunch in my stylers, I have some of the best curls I've ever had at this length! So, that's something that I changed that I'm really liking the results of.

[lithostoic]

I've been really liking to wash my hair in cool water since I colored it again. I barely have to use conditioner now! My scalp gets itchy if I don't wash with warm water periodically, though. Just gets it cleaner.