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Lisa Marie
January 18th, 2009, 01:08 PM
My main hair issue is frizz. Hair is very fine and very thick with some wave to it. I have a little dryness from highlighting, but not much damage (no split ends). I am maybe about 20% gray or less (on crown, not noticeable elsewhere), but it's mostly my darker color that frizzes.

I did not really notice the frizz much when I was blowdrying, but now it is very noticeable since I've stopped.

I have used natural products for many years and after checking them there are no cones, so I don't have any build up I don't think. Just to be sure I did a clarifying shampoo before I started the CO only washing (to help with frizz). But I'm really unable to tolerate the cheap conditioners--broke out in hives after using Suave. Even the natural products bother me--I think it's the fragrance.

Also, after CO'ing hair is pretty limp, but frizz is no better. It's only been a few washes, so maybe that will improve. But I'm discouraged.

I am only washing two days a week which seemed perfect until switching to CO. Now my hair looks limp and like it needs washed all the time to me.

I have been oiling my hair, first with coconut oil, now with jojoba which it likes better. It helps a little with frizz though not hugely. Also have done occasional SMT which my hair loves! The SMT treatment is what made me realize my hair was somewhat dry on the ends, because it felt so much better afterwards. Still, not much effect on frizz.

I think my hair typing is pretty accurate, although I may be curlier than I think (beginning to suspect with all this frizz).

Thanks for any suggestions. Is COing the best way to deal with frizz?

Isblå
January 18th, 2009, 01:15 PM
About bad reactions to the conditioners. Could you try something meant for sensitive/allergic people? Maybe the pharmacy has something nice? Could it help with the problem if you used an vinegar rince after washing, so that there would be less product left and the ph would be lower? I found that CO helped a lot with frizz, but then I tried using a natural soap bar and for me that is even better. Best of luck!

girlcat36
January 18th, 2009, 01:22 PM
Trya filter on your shower head. Chlorine can cause frizz..
I couldn't put a filter on mine, so I usually make my final rinse either distilled water or water that has been fitered in a Brita water pitcher.

pariate
January 18th, 2009, 01:36 PM
I have a few ideas and I'm not sure how helpful they'll be but I'll put them out there and let you make up your own mind!

Your frizz could be down to either damage or dryness. I imagine it's likely to be the latter, in which case oiling or AGO could help. There is an article on oiling here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71) which is very thorough and should get you started. I use coconut oil and it seems to be one of the favourite oils around here, but you'll find what works for you.

You could also try the AGO (Aloe, Glycerin, Oil) mix. Take about 1 tablespoon aloe gel, half a teaspoon of glycerin and a few drops of oil (I find jojoba works well). Work some of this through wet hair after washing and it will really help lock some moisture it. I have found it to be the best thing for combating frizz on my hair. It's fantastic!

As far as CO is concerned, it might be worth your while checking out the Conditioner Only Washing thread. You'll finds heaps of suggestions for different conditioners, techniques and modified CO routines. CO has also been a great help to me in my bid for frizz-free hair. :D If you're having problems with scented products I suggest you find somewhere that sells product bases, i.e. basic formula products that can be bought, adjusted (by the addition of colours, fragrances, conditioning agents etc.) and sold on as a "finished" product. These bases are perfectly safe to use as they are and I use one from a company here in the UK (https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/cgi-bin/bb000000.pl?PRODUCTPAGE=Paraben_and_or_Sulphate-Free.html&ACTINIC_REFERRER=https%3a%2f%2fwww.soapkitchenonli ne.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fbb000000.pl%3fPRODUCTPAGE%3dToiletry_Bases_a nd_Concentrates%252ehtml (https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/cgi-bin/bb000000.pl?PRODUCTPAGE=Paraben_and_or_Sulphate-Free.html&ACTINIC_REFERRER=https%3a%2f%2fwww.soapkitchenonli ne.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fbb000000.pl%3fPRODUCTPAGE%3dToiletry_Bases_a nd_Concentrates%252ehtml)) and I love it!

Is any of this at all helpful?!

pariate
January 18th, 2009, 01:37 PM
CO Washing thread - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898

Lisa Marie
January 18th, 2009, 02:56 PM
Thanks, guys I've also done ACV washes and have a filter on the shower head. ACV rinse makes hair feel nice, doesn't help with frizz for me.

wintersun99
January 18th, 2009, 02:59 PM
Is the frizz from past damage from color?

Lisa Marie
January 18th, 2009, 03:02 PM
I have a few ideas and I'm not sure how helpful they'll be but I'll put them out there and let you make up your own mind!

Your frizz could be down to either damage or dryness. I imagine it's likely to be the latter, in which case oiling or AGO could help. There is an article on oiling here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71) which is very thorough and should get you started. I use coconut oil and it seems to be one of the favourite oils around here, but you'll find what works for you.

You could also try the AGO (Aloe, Glycerin, Oil) mix. Take about 1 tablespoon aloe gel, half a teaspoon of glycerin and a few drops of oil (I find jojoba works well). Work some of this through wet hair after washing and it will really help lock some moisture it. I have found it to be the best thing for combating frizz on my hair. It's fantastic!

As far as CO is concerned, it might be worth your while checking out the Conditioner Only Washing thread. You'll finds heaps of suggestions for different conditioners, techniques and modified CO routines. CO has also been a great help to me in my bid for frizz-free hair. :D If you're having problems with scented products I suggest you find somewhere that sells product bases, i.e. basic formula products that can be bought, adjusted (by the addition of colours, fragrances, conditioning agents etc.) and sold on as a "finished" product. These bases are perfectly safe to use as they are and I use one from a company here in the UK (https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/cgi-bin/bb000000.pl?PRODUCTPAGE=Paraben_and_or_Sulphate-Free.html&ACTINIC_REFERRER=https%3a%2f%2fwww.soapkitchenonli ne.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fbb000000.pl%3fPRODUCTPAGE%3dToiletry_Bases_a nd_Concentrates%252ehtml) and I love it!

Is any of this at all helpful?!

Thanks, Pariate, that's very helpful. I have read the whole CO thread before starting doing the CO. I know your hair can look kind of funky when first starting, so I'm willing to keep doing it. But my hair does look pretty bad so far. It was one thing to be frizzy, but now I'm looking limp, oily and frizzy! The AGO mix sounds interesting-- I will give it a try! And thanks for the tips on where to find fragrance-free products. I appreciate it!

Lisa Marie
January 18th, 2009, 03:05 PM
Is the frizz from past damage from color?

I don't think so. I had a highlighting on virgin hair in September. The highlighted hair is not frizzing, it's actually straighter--it's the dark hair that's frizzing.

pariate
January 18th, 2009, 03:12 PM
No problem, I'm happy to help. :) If CO really doesn't work out for you, you could try using a gently shampoo and doing a heavy oiling the night before you wash. That might help to buffer your hair against the shampoo and hopefully reduce shampoo-induced frizz!

After writing my last post I remembered that after a cassia treatment my hair looked smoother too. There's another looooong thread on cassia if you're interested. I found (and I'm not alone with this!) that for a few days after cassia my hair looked quite dry and dull, but after the next couple of washes it suddenly looked glossier, felt softer and was much calmer all round. I know, it sounds odd, but I think it's something to do with cassia being a mud - it needs a lot of rinsing and conditioning to really slough off the mud to reveal the deeper benefits. I'm not making it sound very appealing, am I?! :laugh: Really, it's pretty great stuff. I don't do it any more because I'm extremely lazy and I've got my hair to the stage where I don't need to worry about it too much any more, but I highly recommend cassia too. I can't remember where US LHCers were buying it (I think it was Henna 4 Hair, but I could be very wrong) but that will be on the thread somewhere.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Frizz used to be my worst enemy and I battled with my hair daily. It took a while to grow out the damage and find a routine that delivered enough moisture to my hair, but I'm happy now. My hair isn't perfect, but it's good enough! :wink: I'm confident that you'll find something that works for you, especially now that you're here!