Hair frustration... need to vent!

[ravenreed]

Alrighty. Everyone loves my hair and tells me it looks great. It is shiny and thick. I found a conditioner I am not allergic to for CO, and my hair LOVES the coconut oil I put on it regularly. The problem? I was playing with some hair that shed out after I brushed and I realized that my hair doesn't stretch at ALL before it breaks. It just snaps.

I knew my hair didn't like protein, but I was hoping it would go along with the coconut Suave, since I have been using it for years. I have been doing an acv rinse and then a catnip rinse. That with the coconut oil is too much protein, I guess. Back to the drawing board!!!! :wail:

I am having trouble finding conditioner with no protein and no cones. I tried the strawberry Suave conditioner and my scalp broke out in a reaction to it. The V05's didn't cleanse my hair well. I can switch to a different oil, but the others I tried didnt absorb as well the the coconut. I tried jojoba, olive and grapeseed. I am very , very frustrated.

[DragonLady]

My hair doesn't stretch at all, either. It never has. My DH can stretch his hair almost 6", but mine just snaps. I'm not so sure it's a problem, as I've never found anything, ever, that makes it 'stretchy'.

[Ndnlady]

That used to happen to me too. The problem was the acv, it was somehow making my hair really brittle, and my scalp was reacting badly to it no matter what different dilutions I used for the acv.
Maybe you could try taking the acv out of your routine and see if that helps?:hmm:

[ravenreed]

My hair used to have some stretch to it, which is why I am so concerned.


My hair doesn't stretch at all, either. It never has. My DH can stretch his hair almost 6", but mine just snaps. I'm not so sure it's a problem, as I've never found anything, ever, that makes it 'stretchy'.

[ravenreed]

Ouch... I love what that stuff is doing for my scalp and we have really hard water here so I have been using really strong dilutions. I will try a few times without and see if that helps. If so, I will add it back in at a much lower strength, or maybe try lemon juice. Thanks. :D


That used to happen to me too. The problem was the acv, it was somehow making my hair really brittle, and my scalp was reacting badly to it no matter what different dilutions I used for the acv.
Maybe you could try taking the acv out of your routine and see if that helps?:hmm:

[jera]

ACV is astrigent so it will be somewhat drying. Have you considered something like Argan oil for your oilings? It's just a thought, because you seem to have tried so many already. :)

[Natalia]

I have a problem with lack of strechability i always thought my breakage was just from having fine hair. Ive had the problem since before i colored years ago when i hardly touched heat once a month so i cant say for certain it was damage becasue i sort of had benign neglect going on :p. Is there any reason my hair just wont stretch? Ive tried taking the strands fresh from my comb several times and they do not stretch period and tension and it snaps clean :( it sort of flexes gets thinner looking but doesnt stretch as far as length is concerned. SOrry to hijack

[babybabycat]

What about Shea Butter?

[ChloeDharma]

What about focusing on some moisture treatments? Maybe try adding a drop of glycerine to a mister bottle and misting with that daily, or an SMT, or aloe as a leave in. I'm thinking that if you are happy with your hair and it's not breaking then you might not have to give up the conditioner you like so much, just add more moisture to the routine first and see if that does the trick.

[ravenreed]

Shea is a little heavy for my hair. Doesn't seem to absorb well.


What about Shea Butter?

[ravenreed]

I have tried the SMT several times, and didn't like it much. I think it is the honey, but for some reason my hair just didn't feel conditioned. I already am using aloe gel in my hair when I put braids in, and haven't noticed any benefit other than the hair stays nicely a little longer.

I might try Kimberlily's defrizzing spray and see how that goes. I live in a very dry area, so perhaps this will help. My hair was used to getting washed every day and now it goes every other day. Perhaps it needs more time wet?


What about focusing on some moisture treatments? Maybe try adding a drop of glycerine to a mister bottle and misting with that daily, or an SMT, or aloe as a leave in. I'm thinking that if you are happy with your hair and it's not breaking then you might not have to give up the conditioner you like so much, just add more moisture to the routine first and see if that does the trick.

[ravenreed]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I tried a diluted shampoo yesterday that contained sodium laureth sulfate and my hair is very oily today. I swear that stuff is evil for my skin! If I try shampoo again, I will use a shampoo bar, I think.

I found a Nature's Gate conditioner that had no protein listed, but it contains hops... not sure if that will add protein or not. I will try CO with that for a while and see what happens. It is much thicker than what I have been using, so perhaps I can dilute it, which would be great because it is a lot more expensive than the Suave I have been using!

[ravenreed]

I am not sure where I would find Argan oil locally, but I will keep an eye out. I just picked up some sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil on sale, so I will see if either works well. I would also like to try camilla oil. I think I would have to buy it over the internet though.


ACV is astrigent so it will be somewhat drying. Have you considered something like Argan oil for your oilings? It's just a thought, because you seem to have tried so many already. :)

[s_tresses]

Correct me if I am wrong, but coconut oil has no protein.

If you want to stop using it, I recommend avocado oil. If you have a sensitive scalp why not try natural shampoos/conditioners or herbal hair washing?

[Leabhar]

My hair doesn't like protein, either. I used to use QHMJ shampoo and now I use Trader Joe's sulfate-free shampoo, diluted.

Costco's house conditioner (Kirkland Signature) is cone-free. Not sure if it's protein-free, and I've never done CO with it. I like it better than NG conditioners, which I find about the same as no conditioner at all. Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner is pretty moisturizing, so I switch between that and Kiss My Face Kiwi Lime conditioner (more slip) for my conditioner, and an vinegar rinse every now and then.

Perhaps finding another oil will help, too? I use EVOO but emu or other oils might work better for you.

[Natalia]

I found a Nature's Gate conditioner that had no protein listed, but it contains hops... not sure if that will add protein or not

As far as i know Hops have zero protien. They are typically used in beer making for flavor and herbal medicines for sleep or increasing a new mothers breast milk.


I might try Kimberlily's defrizzing spray and see how that goes. I live in a very dry area, so perhaps this will help. My hair was used to getting washed every day and now it goes every other day. Perhaps it needs more time wet?

I look forward to hearing how kimberlily's spray works for you. I just got all my ingreedients and a sparay bottle but i havent made it yet.

[ravenreed]

I thought it did. Perhaps not. It is so hard to keep track of everything now!

I have been looking at "natural" products at the health food stores and it seems EVERYTHING has either cones or protein. I have been toying with the idea of trying soap nuts, but I was happy with my routine until just a few days ago.


Correct me if I am wrong, but coconut oil has no protein.

If you want to stop using it, I recommend avocado oil. If you have a sensitive scalp why not try natural shampoos/conditioners or herbal hair washing?

[ravenreed]

Glad to hear about the hops!

I tried the spray and my hair was sticky until it dried. However, I think it is the aloe vera gel I used. I used to only use the one from Trader Joes, but I bought a different one from another health food store here in town and it really is much stickier. I am not very happy with it. I was hoping that cutting it with the glycerine, water and oil would help.

I may go back to Trader Joes and get the aloe vera gel I like and try again.


As far as i know Hops have zero protien. They are typically used in beer making for flavor and herbal medicines for sleep or increasing a new mothers breast milk.



I look forward to hearing how kimberlily's spray works for you. I just got all my ingreedients and a sparay bottle but i havent made it yet.

[ravenreed]

BTW, just from one wash with diluted shampoo, my hair is shedding so much more than the months of CO. It is normal shedding compared to what it was before I switched to CO, it is just interesting that there would be such a difference!

[ravenreed]

My hair is much softer today than ever before, after using the defrizz spray. I am not sure if it will help the brittle problem, but I am loving how it makes my hair feel!

[Natalia]

My hair is much softer today than ever before, after using the defrizz spray. I am not sure if it will help the brittle problem, but I am loving how it makes my hair feel!

Ravenreed! Its great to hear your updates :D. I havent been on for a few days so im just starting to catch up. Thank you for updating me on the defrizz spray i cant wait to make it. Im glad your hair is feeling so silky i know mines not at the moment :(. Good luck with the rest of your experiments!

[ravenreed]

Update on the defrizzing spray... I have a lot of split ends since my last post. I am assuming that the spray is causing it because of the glycerin. I was worried about it, but thought I would give it a try. I live in such a dry area that I don't think there is enough moisture in the air for the humectant to work properly. I even added twice the water. I may try it again without the glycerin and see how that works.

Split ends make me itchy, so I am really annoyed and trying to resist the urge cut off more hair than I need to to fix things. Ugh.