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View Full Version : A lot of questions from me too.



wissles
April 19th, 2009, 12:54 AM
Hi! I've seen a few threads with many questions at once and I thought that might be a good idea for me, since I do have a lot of questions I'm walking around thinking about and it feels smart to collect them all in one thread. :)

1. My hair is NEVER greasy, sometimes I go without washing it for over 10 days, and it still doesn't feel greasy, but I feel I have to wash it anyway to get it clean and to be able to use my products, but why is this?

2. Some of my hair shafts are REALLY weird. They look like.. god, how do I explain this.. think about one hair shaft, and it looks almost like the wave in this picture, but smaller waves
ofcourse. And those hairs feels really coarse, why is this?
http://www.skolor.nacka.se/samskolan/eaae/summerschools/Spec05_01.gif

3. Someone here wrote that scalp massages can have a negative impact if you do it too often, is this true? I usually do scalp massages twice a day. 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 in the evening.

4. Will scalp massages do you good even though you don't use oil while doing them?

5. Does the sun really harm your hair that bad? I've never noticed any difference before, except it grows faster in the summer. But before, I didn't have damaged hair. So maybe my damaged hair will get even worse?

6. Is it okay to just use UV protection for the hair in the sun, or should I wear hat and scarfs? Because I'd rather not.

7. Has anyone noticed a growth improvement by taking vitamins (like silica, biotin, hair skin and nails or whatever) and doing scalp massages? How long did it take before you noticed some kind of effect?

8. I've never EVER suffered from split ends or even damaged hair at all before I started dying and bleeching, when I've trimmed off all the damage from that, do you think my hair will get as many splits anyway? Because I tend to get them very fast now when it is dry and damaged in the ends.

9. How fast should you trim off a split when you get one? I know they start to climb up the shaft, but will that take days or weeks or months?

10. My hairdresser told me to just forget about my hair until my next trim (8-10 weeks) but I'm having such a hard time. I'm totally obsessed searching through my hair looking for splits and white dots. Is it really a good idea to not trim splits off when you notice them, should I try to forget about it?

11. Split ends usually pops up in dry areas of the hair. I use protein treatmentsto build my hair up again, my favorite is the leave-in treatment that's supposed to prevent split ends and breakage. But since my ends gets even dryer, is it possible that it's actually HELPING the split ends instead of protecting my hair from them? (The leave in is redken anti snap.)

12. Do I have to use a clarifying schampoo to clarify my hair, or do I have another option?

13. If I use a leave-in treatment, and then put a little bit of oil in my ends, will my hair "suck up" the oil or will the leave-in not let it?

14. Can I use a pair of nail scissors to trim split ends off, if I only use the scissors for my hair? I know people recommend a pair of hair scissors though.

jera
April 19th, 2009, 01:17 AM
I don't know why your hair never feels oily, but it's a good idea to wash because there's pollution out there and that could effect the health of your scalp as well as the sebum buldup which, although you may not see it is there.

It's normal to have different textures of hair on the same head. Hence, the coarse wavies. :)

Scalp massage hasn't impacted my hair one way or the other. I thnk the important thing is to keep the blood flowing which helps your follicles to produce healthy hair and more of it.

Sun can definitely dry out your hair. Wear a hat in the sun for sure. :o

Biotin is an excellent hair vitamin, as is brewer's yeast, B complex, and ferrous sulfate ie. (iron) as well as zinc and vitamin D and E. Fish and flax oils can help keep hair and scalp hydrated and healthy.

I think trimming splits is a matter of personal preference. They will split higher if ignored, but search and destroy can be time consuming on a long hair. It's up to you really to decide. ;)

Cinnamon Hair
April 19th, 2009, 02:24 AM
Hi! I've seen a few threads with many questions at once and I thought that might be a good idea for me, since I do have a lot of questions I'm walking around thinking about and it feels smart to collect them all in one thread. :)I find these threads fun and sometimes challenging, so no problem at all. Happy to help. Do know though that often with lots of questions all in one post you will get more basic/easy answers than you would in a thread dedicated to one topic. It is a good starting point however. Doing a search might help to find more detailed threads (or just post again with one topic in the title if you can't find what you need). Some of the people who know a lot about one topic may not click on a thread about tons of other stuff too.


1. My hair is NEVER greasy, sometimes I go without washing it for over 10 days, and it still doesn't feel greasy, but I feel I have to wash it anyway to get it clean and to be able to use my products, but why is this?My first reaction was, "this is fantastic.. you are blessed!" Then it occured to me that your hair might be dry and not getting enough oil. You should probably try oiling at least the ends, if not all your hair. You can do it the day before shampooing if you want to do a heavy oil job. Or just use a drop or two spread over the length every day or so if you don't want to look greasy. That must be nice to be able to go so long between washes without it looking bad. Oils to try...Sunflower oil can be found at grocery stores in the cooking oil section, so it's an easy one to try. Jojoba oil is found in health food stores and is closest to your hair's natural sebum so works for almost everyone. Then there is Monoi oil :google: which is scented coconut oil (vanilla is my favorite) which you'd probably have to buy online. There's also camilla oil, which is quite popular around here (check out the Recipes, Henna, Herbal Care board for a thread on it). Plus tons of other oils. You can even use olive oil, but it is a bit heavy.


2. Some of my hair shafts are REALLY weird. They look like.. god, how do I explain this.. think about one hair shaft, and it looks almost like the wave in this picture, but smaller waves
ofcourse. And those hairs feels really coarse, why is this?
http://www.skolor.nacka.se/samskolan/eaae/summerschools/Spec05_01.gifIt could be damage from a hair that was pulled apart after being stretched past its limit. Sometimes they will go wavy like that. Or it could be your natural hair texture; a lot of us have a mix of textures thrown in. Ex: my hair is mostly medium in texture but I have some coarse hair that feel wiry and some fine hair that are almost invisible they're so thin. Again, with a wavy coarse hair, it is possible you have a lack of moisture if that's not your normal texture. You could try some deep conditioning treatments, damp buns, or using a mister bottle (filled with a tbsp or 2 of conditioner and the rest with water, distilled water preferably) to spray your hair daily so it gets moisture.


3. Someone here wrote that scalp massages can have a negative impact if you do it too often, is this true? I usually do scalp massages twice a day. 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 in the evening.That is a lot but the only reason I can think of it being problematic is if you are scraping at your scalp with fingernails or being too rough. If you're doing it right, using the pads of your fingers and moving the scalp in circles, not your fingers in circles over the scalp, but actually moving the scalp around..then I think it would be ok. Mechanical damage is an issue any time you touch your hair, wear it down, wash it, comb or brush, style it ...any time you mess with your hair at all. But scalp massage seems gentle to me. I'm not saying don't touch your hair, just that it should be treated like old lace (that's an LHC term from waaay back) if you expect it to last for enough years to grow long. I'm not at all against scalp massage, just to be clear.


4. Will scalp massages do you good even though you don't use oil while doing them?The point of scalp massage is to increase the blood supply to your hair roots, which in turn should make then grow better and possibly faster if they weren't getting enough blood supply before. Oiling is probably a good idea for you since your hair is dry, but not absolutely necessary for scalp massage.


5. Does the sun really harm your hair that bad? I've never noticed any difference before, except it grows faster in the summer. But before, I didn't have damaged hair. So maybe my damaged hair will get even worse?The sun's UV rays will bleach your hair and zap moisture. It's the moisture part that I would guess is most damaging, if you can maintain that then the natural sun bleach I doubt would cause much harm. If you get a chance, check out DancingBareFoot's photo album (not sure if it is public or not). She has a demarcation line from when her has was totally blond from living in Hawaii back when she didn't protect it from the sun. The hair that grew out post-hawaii is dark blonde/light brown so it's a significant difference. Again, I'm not saying the lightening is damage (she has super impressive hair!) just that the sun has an effect.


6. Is it okay to just use UV protection for the hair in the sun, or should I wear hat and scarfs? Because I'd rather not.I don't do either. If you would rather not wear a covering, than a UV protection product is better than nothing. I do nothing, but I don't spend a ton of time in the sun. If I was on the beach/in the ocean then I would wear a bun and have a ton of conditioner or oil in my hair to protect it but for just going outside I don't bother.


7. Has anyone noticed a growth improvement by taking vitamins (like silica, biotin, hair skin and nails or whatever) and doing scalp massages? How long did it take before you noticed some kind of effect?Pass. I don't take vitamins or do regular scalp massage so...


8. I've never EVER suffered from split ends or even damaged hair at all before I started dying and bleeching, when I've trimmed off all the damage from that, do you think my hair will get as many splits anyway? Because I tend to get them very fast now when it is dry and damaged in the ends.No, I'm sure it is the bleach. Once that grows out you should be back to normal, assuming you take good care of your hair and don't do anything naughty that would cause splits.


9. How fast should you trim off a split when you get one? I know they start to climb up the shaft, but will that take days or weeks or months?I don't know. I don't trim splits and instead just let them do their thing. But with bleached hair that might not be a good idea.


10. My hairdresser told me to just forget about my hair until my next trim (8-10 weeks) but I'm having such a hard time. I'm totally obsessed searching through my hair looking for splits and white dots. Is it really a good idea to not trim splits off when you notice them, should I try to forget about it?It's up to you. Splits are at all levels of the length, not just the ends so trimming the ends won't get them all. If they are causing a lot of tangles for you, then it's good to trim them individually. If not, then let them be. Once your damage grows out 8-10 weeks is way too often to trim. Every 4 months, 6 months, or once a year is better, or if your ends are thick enough for your liking, then never is ok too.


11. Split ends usually pops up in dry areas of the hair. I use protein treatmentsto build my hair up again, my favorite is the leave-in treatment that's supposed to prevent split ends and breakage. But since my ends gets even dryer, is it possible that it's actually HELPING the split ends instead of protecting my hair from them? (The leave in is redken anti snap.)You should try using moisturing treatments in addition to the protein ones. A lot of us have trouble detangling after a protein treatment with no follow-up. I like to do a deep conditioning protein treatment, rinse that out, then follow with either another 30 min. deep conditioning moisture treatment under a heat cap (I do the same with the protein treatment..using a heat cap for 30 min.), or at least put a rinse out moisturizing conditioning on my hair in the shower after rinsing out a protein treatment. Otherwise my hair can be like velcro or a brillo pad when I try to detangle later.


12. Do I have to use a clarifying schampoo to clarify my hair, or do I have another option? A regular shampoo should be enough most of the time. Hair only needs to be clarified when it has buildup that can't be removed with regular shampoo ---so once a month or even much less often. On bleached hair I would stay far away from any shampoo, particularly a harsh one meant to clarify. eek! Have you tried CO (using Conditioner Only method)?

wissles
April 19th, 2009, 02:41 AM
That is a lot but the only reason I can think of it being problematic is if you are scraping at your scalp with fingernails or being too rough. If you're doing it right, using the pads of your fingers and moving the scalp in circles, not your fingers in circles over the scalp, but actually moving the scalp around..then I think it would be ok.

A regular shampoo should be enough most of the time. Hair only needs to be clarified when it has buildup that can't be removed with regular shampoo ---so once a month or even much less often. On bleached hair I would stay far away from any shampoo, particularly a harsh one meant to clarify. eek! Have you tried CO (using Conditioner Only method)?

Oh, I thought you were supposed to move your fingers in circles over the scalp, I have to change that.

I'm actually doing the CO method, but I feel that everytime I moisturize/deep condition my hair, my ends are still as dry as before. So I'm thinking clarifying may be good.. But I'll try my regular schampoo and see if it works.

Arctic
April 19th, 2009, 04:05 AM
11. Split ends usually pops up in dry areas of the hair. I use protein treatmentsto build my hair up again, my favorite is the leave-in treatment that's supposed to prevent split ends and breakage. But since my ends gets even dryer, is it possible that it's actually HELPING the split ends instead of protecting my hair from them? (The leave in is redken anti snap.)

Yes indeed too much protein can make your ends dry and prone to breakage. There is a very special balance in the hair between water (moisture) and protein, too much of other will make the other one too little. Here is a fantastic article (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_protein_and_moisture.html?cat=69), it's long but best I have seen so far!

In general since your hair is damaged it needs more protein than virgin (non-processed) hair, but how much? It's very individual. Like the article says, err on the side of the moisture if unsure.

wissles
April 19th, 2009, 08:23 AM
I think I will continue with my protein products for a while at least, I think I need them since my hair gets white dots a lot even though I'm not doing anything to my hair. Maybe I need some protein for my hair.
I always do a moisturizing treatment everytime I do a protein treatment too.

mira-chan
April 19th, 2009, 11:49 AM
Hi! I've seen a few threads with many questions at once and I thought that might be a good idea for me, since I do have a lot of questions I'm walking around thinking about and it feels smart to collect them all in one thread. :)

1. My hair is NEVER greasy, sometimes I go without washing it for over 10 days, and it still doesn't feel greasy, but I feel I have to wash it anyway to get it clean and to be able to use my products, but why is this?

I'm suspecting we have similar hair types. My hair is the same. I have what we call as "dry sebum." The oil my scalp produces solidifies at scalp level and doesn't move down the hair shaft. It after a while builds up on the scalp for me. For some this is due to an Omega oil deficiency but I think this is genetic. Just like dry vs. sticky ear wax.
Wash when you feel like you need to as long as it doesn't both you.



2. Some of my hair shafts are REALLY weird. They look like.. god, how do I explain this.. think about one hair shaft, and it looks almost like the wave in this picture, but smaller waves
of course. And those hairs feels really coarse, why is this?
http://www.skolor.nacka.se/samskolan/eaae/summerschools/Spec05_01.gif
Most of my hairs are like this. They straighten out a bit with length but they ripple. I'm not sure why either but this is not damage for me and the coarse the hair the more likely it is to ripple. It may be a type of curliness as my hair half the time acts more like a curly though does not form curls, just waves. More moisture or protein does not make these go away for me. For now I'm going to go with genetics unless someone has a different explanation.



3. Someone here wrote that scalp massages can have a negative impact if you do it too often, is this true? I usually do scalp massages twice a day. 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 in the evening.
I do scalp massages a lot. I've not gotten any problems from it. Going too vigorously could cause damage and pull hairs. But gently is not a problem. Some people's scalps are more sensitive so react negatively. If you start having problems, then stop. If it work then why stop?



4. Will scalp massages do you good even though you don't use oil while doing them?
Yes, though I would suggest doing them more gently than with oil as oil gives more lubrication thus protection from friction on the hair shaft.



5. Does the sun really harm your hair that bad? I've never noticed any difference before, except it grows faster in the summer. But before, I didn't have damaged hair. So maybe my damaged hair will get even worse?
Yes, it does. Sun bleaching is weathering of the hair. Wind weathers the hair too. Similar to what happens to flags that are set outside after a while.



6. Is it okay to just use UV protection for the hair in the sun, or should I wear hat and scarfs? Because I'd rather not.
I don't have experience with the UV protective products for hair bur if that works fine for you, why not?



7. Has anyone noticed a growth improvement by taking vitamins (like silica, biotin, hair skin and nails or whatever) and doing scalp massages? How long did it take before you noticed some kind of effect?
I can't say vitamins did much though I think MSM gave my hair some more strength. I get side effects from biotin so can't help there.



8. I've never EVER suffered from split ends or even damaged hair at all before I started dying and bleaching, when I've trimmed off all the damage from that, do you think my hair will get as many splits anyway? Because I tend to get them very fast now when it is dry and damaged in the ends.
My hair doesn't get splits till about tailbone length. So if you have never had splits up to a certain length, once you remove the damaged hair you should be ok till that length.



9. How fast should you trim off a split when you get one? I know they start to climb up the shaft, but will that take days or weeks or months?
I've not had a split travel more than a centimeter or so. And usually it's because it splits in a loop end travels to the end of the strand, down not up. S&Ding (search and destroy, cutting splits off myself) takes care of this just fine. I do this once every couple of months maybe.



10. My hairdresser told me to just forget about my hair until my next trim (8-10 weeks) but I'm having such a hard time. I'm totally obsessed searching through my hair looking for splits and white dots. Is it really a good idea to not trim splits off when you notice them, should I try to forget about it?
Forget about it. Put it up (if it's long enough) and ignore it. I ignore for months at a time trim/ split wise and it's fine. (My hemline is fairytale (natural taper) not blunt due to growth pattern not splits.)



11. Split ends usually pops up in dry areas of the hair. I use protein treatments to build my hair up again, my favorite is the leave-in treatment that's supposed to prevent split ends and breakage. But since my ends gets even dryer, is it possible that it's actually HELPING the split ends instead of protecting my hair from them? (The leave in is redken anti snap.)
In addition to what Cinnamon Hair said.
My hair feels drier from silicones, so this may be a cause for you to as many leave in are filled with silicones. Silicones coat the hair and don't let moisture in or out.



12. Do I have to use a clarifying schampoo to clarify my hair, or do I have another option?
Depends on how many product you are using. I don't use silicones and am sensitive to sulfates so I don't use clarifying shampoo at all.



13. If I use a leave-in treatment, and then put a little bit of oil in my ends, will my hair "suck up" the oil or will the leave-in not let it?
Depends on the leave in. My silicone free leave-ins don't give me a probelm with oils. From what I read here, silicones and oils don't always work together well.



14. Can I use a pair of nail scissors to trim split ends off, if I only use the scissors for my hair? I know people recommend a pair of hair scissors though.
It's best to get the hair shears. Fabric scissors are likely the second best.

JamieLeigh
April 20th, 2009, 09:42 AM
I tried to answer the ones I felt I could be somewhat helpful on. Lol. I hope I have helped a bit.

3. Someone here wrote that scalp massages can have a negative impact if you do it too often, is this true? I usually do scalp massages twice a day. 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 in the evening.
Over-stimulation of your scalp can cause irritation and increased hairfall

4. Will scalp massages do you good even though you don't use oil while doing them?
I never use oil to massage. I use my BBB and brush my scalp gently, first under the bottom layer, from the middle of my head to my neck, from back to front about one minute, then each side from temple to middle of head, front to back one minute apiece, then from forehead to crown, front to back one minute. It has worked well for me. :)

6. Is it okay to just use UV protection for the hair in the sun, or should I wear hat and scarfs? Because I'd rather not.
The best protection is complete coverage, unfortunately. But do whatever you're comfortable with. :)

8. I've never EVER suffered from split ends or even damaged hair at all before I started dying and bleeching, when I've trimmed off all the damage from that, do you think my hair will get as many splits anyway? Because I tend to get them very fast now when it is dry and damaged in the ends.
Once your damage is gone and if you continue to protect the ends of your hair, you should notice less splits over time. However, none of us are perfect and I would tend to wonder about someone who says they NEVER get split ends. (more likely they are using -cones, which hide splits but do not take care of the problem)

9. How fast should you trim off a split when you get one? I know they start to climb up the shaft, but will that take days or weeks or months?
I trim when I notice them, and during my S&D sessions. I'd rather not risk the further splitting!

12. Do I have to use a clarifying schampoo to clarify my hair, or do I have another option?
Any clear, non-lotion, non-conditioning shampoo should be fine, it doesn't necessarily have to read "clarifying" on the bottle. :)

13. If I use a leave-in treatment, and then put a little bit of oil in my ends, will my hair "suck up" the oil or will the leave-in not let it?
It depends on whether your leave-in contains -cones. Silicone is designed to lock out moisture, so chemically there is a chance that they could cancel one another out.

14. Can I use a pair of nail scissors to trim split ends off, if I only use the scissors for my hair? I know people recommend a pair of hair scissors though.
No!! People are right to recommend scissors, and make sure they are very sharp, with no kinks or marks on the blades.

wissles
April 20th, 2009, 11:11 AM
Thank you so much everybody!
But about this answer from JamieLeigh

13. If I use a leave-in treatment, and then put a little bit of oil in my ends, will my hair "suck up" the oil or will the leave-in not let it?
It depends on whether your leave-in contains -cones. Silicone is designed to lock out moisture, so chemically there is a chance that they could cancel one another out.

I tried to oil my ends with olive oil and it feels like my hair just sucked it up! When I touch my ends, they feel smooth. Not crunchy, not oily. You could never tell I put oil on them. Does that mean the oil can penetrate my silicone product and actually do some good?

mira-chan
April 20th, 2009, 03:47 PM
Thank you so much everybody!
But about this answer from JamieLeigh

13. If I use a leave-in treatment, and then put a little bit of oil in my ends, will my hair "suck up" the oil or will the leave-in not let it?
It depends on whether your leave-in contains -cones. Silicone is designed to lock out moisture, so chemically there is a chance that they could cancel one another out.

I tried to oil my ends with olive oil and it feels like my hair just sucked it up! When I touch my ends, they feel smooth. Not crunchy, not oily. You could never tell I put oil on them. Does that mean the oil can penetrate my silicone product and actually do some good?

Whether it penetrates or not depends on the silicone you are using. If it seems like it's being absorbed then it either is or it spreads out evenly enough that you can't tell. Either one is good as long as you are not getting crunchy feeling hair. Oils are not only used for absorption into the hair shaft, they also reduce friction by coating the surface, same as silicones do. So it's doing good for you it seems. :flower: