My Hair Rant

[LittleOrca]

:rant:I'm not to happy with what my hair is doing, even though it's soft to the touch, and dang it I need to vent! :rant:

I don't even know where to begin with my rant simply because I am both going :) and :mad: with the state my hair is in.

Since learning some of the tricks on this site about how to better care for my hair I have been in a battle with it. I no longer use a brush (unless it is to help gather a pony tail and I only use it after all the tangles are gone with me comb), I don't wash my hair as often, and the advice I got for my ends due to swimming damage was great! I also have picked up great new buns so I am more comfortable with putting my hair up and not having to show off my lengths when I am out and about all the time.

However, there is something going on in my hair I am just not a fan of. Since I have cut back on how often I wash my hair, I have noticed the amount of good oils in crease. Yay! and Grr! The natural oils definitely make the hair softer and shiny and pleasant when it is in bun or other updo, but when I want my hair down and just clipped back in my ponytail clip I miss how full it is when it's freshly cleaned. I am also losing my waves the more I let it go without washing. :brickwall

I am sure most of you have seen my comparison photo for my swimming hair post, but it also shows what I am talking about here. So, here is my clean hair on the left and my not-washed-in-three-days hair on the right.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2521&pictureid=31414..........http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2521&pictureid=31871

Yes there is, in general, less frizz and my ends are in more control, but my hair also seems to have less wave, less flow, and it makes me so mad! Part of me just wants to get into the shower and beat it, or rather wash it, back into its place! :patrol: I thought maybe it was at this point that I should do a Conditioner-Only wash to maybe help get some of the bounce back, but even then I am so tempted to whip out the shampoo. I didn't think my scalp was naturally so oily and I am not too sure where to go from here!:justy:

:soapbox:Alright, there is my rant. Thanks for letting me vent!

[neon-dream]

I think your hair looks great in both photos, I understand what you mean though.
The longer I go between washes, the less wave I seem to have. What I do is wear it down when it's freshly washed, and use updos on days closer to the wash.
Best of both worlds, really :)!
Hope this helped
:blossom:

[Darkhorse1]

Since you swim a lot, I would lean towards washing daily, but just your scalp to keep chlorine/oils down. I know for my sake, when I swam a lot, the chlorine or any water made my hair so greasy, I'd scratch my scalp until it bled.

I'd then start to really coat the ends before your wash--I've done oilings with just olive oil, let it sit, then washed with a clarifying shampoo. It made a HUGE difference for my ends! I work outdoors and am exposed to the elements (harsh winds/cold/sun etc). I find cone conditioners work very well at saving my length from breakage/damage while outdoors. I use Pantene's newest moisturizing conditioner and LOVE the results. It doesn't weigh the hair down.

I hope it works out for you! :)

[plainjanegirl]

Some people here do wash more often, even everyday.
So if that is what works for you and makes your hair look the best, then go for it.

[PseudoScot]

There is an adjustment period when not washing so frequently, your scalp will kinda go oil crazy for a bit.

I'm not a wavy or a curly so I can't offer help there but in terms of body and bounce, it will work out better if you wear it down after wash day and then up when it goes a bit flatter/straighter.

Whenever my hair annoys the crap out of me, I make sure it's shoved back - out of site, out of mind!

You could also consider switching to sulfate free shampoo and use the arguably harsher sulfate cleaners every so often.

Sometimes there is no 'one way' that works and involves tweaking but I'm sure you'll get some idea here. :)

By the way -the shine in the second pic is especially pretty!

[janeytilllie]

Maybe your hair needs to settle into the new routine of washing less?

Maybe you could wash with a more gentle shampoo that way you could wash your hair more? or if things don't work out with less washing, go back to the old routine and use more oils on hair?

I feel your pain I am too having one major bad bad hair day today :(
you are not alone ;)

[Carolyn]

However, there is something going on in my hair I am just not a fan of. Since I have cut back on how often I wash my hair, I have noticed the amount of good oils in crease. Yay! and Grr! The natural oils definitely make the hair softer and shiny and pleasant when it is in bun or other updo, but when I want my hair down and just clipped back in my ponytail clip I miss how full it is when it's freshly cleaned. I am also losing my waves the more I let it go without washing. :brickwall
What you describe above is just something that happens when you stretch out your washes. If you want to go longer between washings you are just going to have to learn to deal with it, as frustrating as that might be. You can't have it both ways. We'd like to but we can't :D I'd suggest trying to plan your days when you want to wear it down or in the ponytail clip and do that on the day you wash so you'll have the fullness you want. If you choose not to wash again for a day or two, you will probably have to wear it up in a bun or a braid. I try to plan my wash days as much as I can. If something comes up where I want freshly washed hair that day, I go ahead and wash it. My planned wash days are not set in stone.

[baobhan sith]

uhh... is it just me who thinks that it looks prettier in the second picture? And given how gorgeous the 1st is, that's saying something! I just think it looks neater and smoother... There's no way i'd be trying to find a way to put it back, but that's my personal opinion. If you love your curls, it's your choice :)

Btw - did you mean the non washed picture was on the RIGHT? you can't have two lefts! ;)

[Sunshine69]

I think you might be onto a good idea with the CO washing. I just recently started using conditioner to wash my hair, and I'm loving it. I have seborrheic dermatitis and really need to wash my scalp every day or it gets unbearably itchy and oily. I'm really liking how it makes my hair feel, and I also think my scalp is producing less oil. I also have wavy/curly-ish hair and after sleeping on it for a day or two, the waves flatten out. Washing daily does keep it looking wavier. Good luck!

[LittleOrca]

I use Pantene's newest moisturizing conditioner and LOVE the results. It doesn't weigh the hair down.

I hope it works out for you! :)

I use that stuff too, I think it is awesome!

[LittleOrca]

Btw - did you mean the non washed picture was on the RIGHT? you can't have two lefts! ;)

Lol when I rant I don't always pay attention to what I'm writing.;)

[rags]

I think both pics are beautiful! I have run into somewhat the same problem with stretching my washes, though I am not curly. Mine just gets weighed down and flat. And when it's flat to begin with, well.....
I do as the others have said. I wear it down (or usually in a half up) on wash day. The other day (I can usally only go every other day) I wear it up. If there is something I really want to have it down for, I just wash it.

[Sapphire'sWings]

I think that if you're having good results washing often, there's no reason to stop. :) Just use a good conditioner. I don't know if you do this, but using conditioner to coat your hair before swimming protects your hair.

[Pegasus Marsters]

If you prefer how your hair looks with regular washing then wash regularly! Loads of people avoid things like washing, sulfates and cones, even if their hair gets on with them because they're big "no-no's"... then they end up with sucky hair because they're being stubborn and refusing to do the things their hair is OK with.

[teela1978]

You might want to try spritzing a little water on your hair to dampen it just a bit, and scrunching when you start to loose wave. That should freshen it up a bit (assuming you don't want to wash).

[spidermom]

I think it looks terrific several days after washing. Mine does that, too - starts out bushy and wavy/curly, then gets smoother and straighter as the days go by. I actually prefer it that way; easier to detangle, shows off the length better.

You could probably rinse with warm (not hot) water to revive the curl without washing the daylights out of it.

[frizzinator]

Your hair is gorgeous! Even though I totally understand your rant, I still love the way your hair looks in the photo on the right.

[LittleOrca]

Your hair is gorgeous! Even though I totally understand your rant, I still love the way your hair looks in the photo on the right.

Thanks :D

I just miss the waves, but it is nice that it is easier to comb! Hehe

[Shandra]

You can always sleep with it in a french braid (or two) which will:

1: Keep the overnight tangles down to a minimum.
2: add in some extra wave when you take it down in the morning.

[Moiraine]

I think that whatever regime gives you the appearance of your hair that you like, that's the one for you. Every body's hair care ways are different and what work for others might not work for you eg I use regular poo and condish and air-dry but I am one of those people who prefer the straighter look 3a/b hair gets after it has been a few days since the last wash, and put in buns to straighten it out:)

If you like plenty of pretty, fresh-looking curls with lots of body, I'd wash everyday as you would normally do, which gives you the hair you like. I never did get into soap bars, henna, water only and no combs/brushes but many people here swear by these methods.

Plus in your position where you swim everyday, you also have to watch the chlorine, I used to wear a swimming cap back in the day, don't know what anybody does now!

I say do what works for your hair and leave the "different" methods to those who find they work on their hair! PS your hair is so long and beautiful and I love the colour!!!!:)

[Katze]

I think the "unwashed" hair looks beautiful!

For me, I can wear my hair down on days 1-3 after washing, then have to wear it up. So if I want it down, which I normally do, I plan around my washing (swimming!) days. My amount of wave changes dramatically throughout the wash cycle, but my hair generally either looks best freshly washed or "dirty" and brushed as flat as possible.

No matter what, your hair is gorgeous, and is a length and thickness and color that many people covet! :D Keep up the good work!

[Nightshade]

Ahh that sucks, I know the feeling.

Have you considered damp bunning? I use a mister with a bit of Sea Buckthorn Detangler and Curl Enhancer (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/30/cat/500)(diluted 1 part Buckthorn detangler in 6 parts water) and hit my hair with that, then bun it. When I take it down I have some wonderful wury waves going on :)

[embee]

If I had hair like yours I think I could die happy! ;)

[LittleOrca]

If I had hair like yours I think I could die happy! ;)

Awww, thanks! That made me smile and blush :inlove: I do love my hair, I just want to improve it and make it into my dream hair.

I think I will start planning around days I wand my hair down. It's just unfortunately those days come to me and I cannot prepare for them! It's as though I wake up and am like "Today the hair is down!" *Heroic Music.*

I am going to give the 3 days with no washing thing a little more time to see if it is worth it. If I don't like it by March, I will probably resort to washing every other day or some other pattern. Every other day is what I used to do, unless I swim then it's every day to make sure I get the chlorine out. Once it is, its back to the old regiment.

I don't get to swim everyday unfortunately, Moiraine. I have not even been able to swim for the past... I'm thinking week and a half or more. Being sick and other things have kept me from the pool as much as I want to be there :( I did get a swim cap, even though I cringe at how it looks on me, I know it's for the better. So, I decorated it with some sharpies. I know it will wash off in the pool, but I had to do something with it. :D

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2537&pictureid=31980

I appreciate all the advice and the tips and just have to find what works best for my hair.

[Kimberly]

That swim cap is so cute!