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View Full Version : Newbie needs a new routine



clarity
January 27th, 2009, 07:48 AM
While I've had long hair pretty much my whole life, I never learned any helpful ways to take care of it. It's relatively thick but stick straight. Now I have two girls also with long hair and we're flailing. I need a care routine that is most importantly, fast. I have been poking around here and getting more confused about the many options. Natural options are most appealing, but efficient is a higher priority. I also wouldn't mind combining chemical and natural. I probably don't want a super shiny/oily look.

Me: hair between bra and waist. Damage from ponytails. Highlights growing out from one year ago. Starting some gray. I weaned from long term nursing recently and had a big shed that has thinned out my hair a lot - I am finding that worrying. I'm going to see my acupunturist and regular doc to look at thyroid. Anyone with experience there? Also possibly related: for about 6 months I have experienced a scalp condition for the first time. Big scabby scales on the back on my head. Started small and spread. tar, salicylic, and pyrithione zinc shampoos no effect. Tried grapefruit seed extract. Vinegar rinse was much more successful and has it under better control. I am suspecting a fungal component? Would a dermatologist be at all helpful? I use generally Lush salt and SLS shampoo - Big, and sometimes a cone conditioner on the ends. Wash about 3x week.

Daughter 1: waist length, straight, moderately thick. Some ponytail damage but not much. Ends prone to tangle...she's been on cone shampoo and conditioner and I think we need a new conditioning strategy. When we try something else it's obvious how dry her hair is. We ended up going that way because all the kid oriented natural products I tried were not useful for kids who had long hair by the time they were a year old. Wash 1-2 times week


Daughter 2: Never cut off her baby hair. It's below her shoulderblades with some chunks she cut herself off the ends looking somewhat like layers. Wash her once a week with cone shampoo and conditioner but we're having a lot of nape hair tangling. She hates hair stuff. washing, brushing, having it up.

this week I implemented nighttime widetooth combout with detangling spray for each of us, with a braid for the night for the older child. Before I use a boar brush on dry hair in the morning. I was looking at getting a better comb...one of hairsense's on ebay? I saw that through a link here. Detangling product advice needed too. I've tried some I like and some I hated.

I know this is a lot, but any routine and product suggestions would be so helpful. I've gotten really desperate.

For non damaging hair styles, I have to do dance buns for Daughter 1 (her hair's getting awfully big for the ponytail and twist it around style...) and I can hold mine up with hairsticks and that's about it. Pointers to a thread with videos for the inept might also be in order.

Thanks!

Charli800
January 27th, 2009, 08:02 AM
This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=category&categoryid=1) Should take you to a list of different hairstyles in the articles section.

This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79) will tell you about damaged hair.

This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39) makes useful recommendations for a starting point, whether or not you agree with everything.

This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=65) is called "The beginner's primer to sorting through advice".

HTH

clarity
January 27th, 2009, 08:41 AM
thanks, I have been working my way through the damage article, and that's sort of why I posted - it was so overwhelming! It was the start of the some of the changes I am making, however.

Charli800
January 27th, 2009, 09:49 AM
Much as I respect Nightshade's knowledge and skill (an awful lot, actually), I think that there's more technical stuff in that article than the typical reader needs - but it's still very helpful.

My personal theory is that if you've been using cones for years, a month or two more won't make much difference, so I would start with a CWC type thing with what you're already using - basically what Ursula's article says.

I'm not sure how old your second daughter is, but could you not encourage her to wear it up with pretty hairtoys? Or just let her damage it and cut it - she can always grow it out when she's older.

That's my tuppeny wor' anyway, which is at any rate a tad more concise than the articles. ;)

clarity
January 27th, 2009, 10:31 AM
Ursula's is a nice basic...I only used CWC for special problems before.

The vinegar helped my own hair a lot, not just the scalp. Daughter 1, it burns her skin, so I'll have to apply more carefully and maybe dilute more than 1 to 1 for her. Daughter 2 is 3 years old, so I was sort of fine letting her just have it in her face, figuring I'd sneak in a cut to even it up at some point..maybe the back of the head baby hair's tendency to make dreadlocks will disappear when that part's cut off. But since I have no experience picking short hair cuts it's intimidating. I don't even have bangs...and from looking at the rest of us she thinks long hair is a "big girl" thing.

suicides_eve
January 28th, 2009, 01:34 PM
****i wouldn't apply vinegar to a child that young her scalp shouldn't be in need of all that***
i would stay away from shampoo as well just my 2 cents
if you feel like you must try a diluted mix and conditioning every other night or mist with water. her hair needs that slip factor in the tangle zone. being dryed out won't help matters none.

for cradle cap or dry scalp all you need is some conditioner or a small amount of baby oil and let it soak , then comb out gently with a infant comb as for tangling i would suggest a slick pillow cover- help with my dd hair