Dry, Dry Hair- Need some Relief!

[amaiaisabella]

Yay two threads in one day! I am trying to figure out how to post pictures.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z20/amaiai64/hair.jpg

I hope this works. My hair is so dry, though lately I've been using jojoba oil on my ends. I am afraid of using too much though, since my hair is so fine and I don't want to weigh it down. I use it on dry ends.

Is there anything anyone could recommend as maybe a deep conditioner for some relief? I was using a reconstructor because I thought it was a conditioner but it just made my hair dryer.

[Rzilynt]

Reconstructers are good after a chemical service to repair hair that would be damaged .

However a good Moisturizer will help replace needed moisture.
Not sure if you are a cone user or not, but a wonderful conditioner without cones is Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose. You can find it at Whole Foods or Wild Oats.

Redkin makes a line called All Soft and that is exactly how your hair feels after using. But it does have cones. I like this one too.

Just a suggestion. I am sure other will chime in too!

HHG'S

RZ~

[filiadeluna]

If you have CVS pharmacy nearby, you ought to try Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum. It is organic, and contains coconut milk, wipped egg white proteins, vitamin e, shea butter, and coconut oil. It's very light-weight, smells AMAZING, and your hair will totally soak it up if it's dry like you say.

I just bought this stuff last night to try it out, and I love it so far. I've been putting just a tiny dab of it in my palms, rubbing them together, and putting it on my length & ends. You probably won't need as much as I do since your length is shorter, though, so it should last you a long time. I used to use jojoba oil too, and it never felt like it was soaking in quite enough, and also weighed my hair down a bit.

This stuff is only $6.99 a bottle, and the one I bought had a mail-in-rebate to make it totally FREE (minus tax). The same company also has shampoo & conditioner with coconut products in them, but I've not tried those.

[Curlsgirl]

Some people have a problem putting oil on dry hair. You might try using a good moisturizing leave-in when you wash and then putting a little oil over that to help seal the moisture in. Also you might try an SMT. Mix some aloe gel, honey and conditioner together (recipe is on the recipe board), heat it up a bit and put it on the hair, cover it with a heat cap and leave it as long as you can stand it. If you don't do anything else though, find a good leave-in for your type of hair. BWC makes a really good one or you can find other fine haired peeps on here that can recommend one to try.

[Kanden]

I find washing it less often (once a week) gives adequate moisture...

[lora410]

I am surprised nobody mentioned a heavy oiling! To do this dampen your hair, apply oil to where it is heavily coated, put a shower cap on and a heated towel over it for at least 30mins and CO or wash out. I find just a co left on for a few mins with a nice scalp rub gets all the oil out. I usually do mine on a weekend and just heavily oil, pin up and wear that for the day (it just looks like you have wet hair). It will help tons and I do this about once every few weeks, but you can do it as often as you wish.

[Anje]

I find a treatment like an SMT does much more for moisture for me than a heavy oiling, when my hair feels dry. In any case, I'd avoid the Organix stuff for now; it's probably good stuff, but its ingredient list has a lot of protein in it, which could just lead to dryer hair for you. I'm not sure what's in the reconstructor, but my gut instinct is that it's got lots of protein in it as well, and that you're starting to get overloaded with it.

[amaiaisabella]

I tried CO once but I don't think I did it properly as my hair was greasier than before I washed it.

I am definitely going to try to wash it less, but I have to think of other ways to keep it up besides a ponytail. After two days or so, my hair gets this weird bump right at the root and it doesn't lay right, so that's when I wash it. But after washing it feels even drier!

I will try the leave in, and the oil on top of that. I used Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner today but it didn't seem to work. I also have one by Rusk that is supposed to be moisturizing (the conditioner is orange, if anyone knows the exact name) but I haven't used it in so long I forgot if it works or not.

I'm going to ask my hairstylist when I go to get my hair colored on Saturday. She is very nice and never forces products on me or cuts off too much, so she is a prize! I'll ask her what I can do to moisturize, too!

Thank you guys so much for all your help! You have given me such a warm welcome.

[Sidani]

What helps me without weighing my hair down is just plain old coconut oil. I put it on the entire length then braid it up and sleep on it. You can see (in my gallery) the crown looking braid I wear if I need to go out with oil on it. The next day I just use a clarifying shampoo mostly on my scalp and lightly down the length. It comes out feeling like satin. :)

Let us know what you try and how it works.

ETA: I finish off with a V05 conditioner.

[amaiaisabella]

I tried CO tonight! I used the Vo5 PassionFruit Smoothie. I really put a ton on and scrubbed my scalp. It kinda got thick and foamy a bit and then I covered it with a plastic cap while I showered. I took off the cap, added a bit of water, and then scrubbed a bit more before rinsing out in cold water. I hope I did it properly! :)

Then I put just a bit of jojoba oil mostly focused on my ends but patted my palms at the top of my head. It's still a bit damp, but I hope it dries well! I'm so excited :)

[girlcat36]

Honestly---your hair looks great in the pic, doesn't seem dry at all, very pretty.
SMT would be great for your hair.

[amaiaisabella]

Thank you! That pic is from the last time I blowdried though :( Without blowdrying, it's a bit puffier and a little bit wavy at the ends.

I just tried the CO for the second time (this time following instructions) and I'm going to see how it works! The top is already dry and feels a LOT softer so I'm excited.

[mommy2one05]

so how did your second co do? you should post a pic without blowdry?

[Anlbe]

I have very dry hair too, and also use very small quantities of jojoba oil most days.

I'd suggest heavy oiling before you wash. Olive, avocado or coconut oil, put masses on from the bottom of the ears down, put on a shower cap or plastic bag and leave for a bit - I often clean the bathroom or wax my legs, glamorous! Then wash out with normal routine. It's an easy and cheap way of dealing with dry hair.

If you're going to spend money on new products I'm a big fan of phytonecter shampoo for very dry hair and aveda damage remedy treatment.

[fluffer]

During the time I experimented with oils, my hair was extremely dry. My hair just doesnt like oils -or protein. 2nd what Anje wrote.

[FrannyG]

COing totally changed my life for the better, as far as dryness is concerned. I also use a pea-sized amount of conditioner on my ends as a leave-in and I apply a couple of drops of jojoba oil from the ears down once my hair dries.

I swear by weekly deep treatments. I usually use Snowy's Moisture Treatment. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128&highlight=snowymoon%27s)

I usually only do protein treatments about once a month.

Good luck! :flowers:

[ChloeDharma]

I (predictably) would also recommend oiling....proper long heavily oiled soaking sessions.....overnight or longer if possible. One thing i did notice is that when my hair was super-frazzled Jojoba didn't really seem to do much.....it was once it started to improve that Jojoba seemed to really benefit my hair.
Oils like Coconut, Avocado (unrefined cold pressed), Sweet Almond, Macadamia Nut....these as heavy oilings really did wonders along with making every wash a DT....usually with honey.
Also natural yogurt i find always gives my hair a shine boost and turns my ends from even their driest to nice and shiney with no crunch. Obviously only good if your hair likes protein though, which mine does.
The other thing i find helps is to mix some oil (usually Jojoba) with some Aloe gel in my palm and use that as a leave in. It seems to give the best of both worlds.....the moisture from the aloe without that sticky hardness that it can give by itself......and the smoothing lubrication of jojoba but without being as easy to look greasy.

[brok3nwings]

Rzilynt Woww you told what i would tell exactly! Those are the most favourites to me! I stoped using cones so i dont use All Soft but i know...it is great!! And Aubrey Organics HoneySuckle rose is what i use right now... :)

[amaiaisabella]

So I woke up this morning and my hair is a lot softer! :) It's shinier too. I'm a little worried that since it's so fine, it might get greasier quicker, but oh well.

The jojoba oil is all I have right now, which is why I'm falling back on it. I don't know if it made a really big difference, though. I don't think my hair is that damaged.

What I have noticed is that while my hair is soft, it's not the slippery soft I used to get when I used the cone shampoo and blowdried. Does that make sense?

I just took a picture of it airdried, overnight:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z20/amaiai64/cohair.jpg

I hope it's not too big!

[amaiaisabella]

What do you guys think? :)

[Emme76]

It does look nice and soft! But the pic is a bit dark...:) I do think we have similar hair when it comes to the dry part. I used to blowdry my hair, almost every day cause if I didn´t it would look puffy, frizzy and a bit damaged....
But once I started to use the deep oilings, it has changed for me. I noticed that my hair needs proteins...
I use oliveoil and an egg...mix them together and put in my hair, a showercap over for about 30-60 min. It helpes my hair ALOT! And also coconutoil, SMT (have only done this one once , still new to this), I also did a cassia treatment...I think it also helped me. Now I don´t use the blowdryer...maybe once/week - from using it every day (I think that is a big change for me :D)!!! I also got a boar bristle brush and a wide comb. My other brushes are now in the garbage....And I try to put my hair up more often.

My only problem is that I love to wash my hair cause it gets very flat. Now I wash every other day....I will try to stretch it to every third day...But I do alot of horsebackriding....the smell :) and the helmet doesn´t help...heheheh

Here are so many that will give you great advice. Lissen to them...they know what they are talking about :D! Helped me alot....
Take care
/Emme

[amaiaisabella]

I don't think my hair responds well to protein! I had mixed egg, honey, and olive oil together, and used it as a mask. But when I washed it out, it was more stiff and dry. And I made sure to wash really well!

I did try the Henna and Placenta treatment one time, but I was confused as to whether to use it as a conditioner, or a treatment where I wash out and apply conditioner after.

I tried to lighten up the picture a bit more:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z20/amaiai64/cohair.jpg

[ChloeDharma]

I think it looks lovely :)

Your comment about it feeling different to when you used cones makes total sense.....it's a different kind of softness, but you'll get used to it :)

[rymorg2]

Hello amaiaisabella! I'm a stylist.....I've done proteins, no proteins, cones, no cones.....so I can give you some recs. Everyone here gave some really good ones. Deep oilings do well, as well as CO. CWC works well for some too (including me). As for products to use if you want a deep treatment that's not necessarily an oil, Joico has a product called KPAC that's a cone free deep treatment that works WONDERS.......I've also used a shea butter mix for hair that did well. I have really dry hair too....always adding moisture LOL......HTH some!

[amaiaisabella]

Thanks rymorg2! I was using Ion's reconstructing treatment, which I think is similar to Kpak. I was using it as a deep conditioner though, which I don't think you should. My hair is very dry and brittle as a result of a few weeks of that routine.

I am liking CO so far but I have to see how long my hair will last looking fresh! Any recipes would be welcome :)