Removing horrible products from hair!

[desert flower]

I was in a friend's wedding today and she had a "stylist" that did our hair. I was busy chatting and laughing with everyone and did not notice that she was putting a product in my hair before curling it.

When I realized it, I tried to not be upset, thinking it was just a silicone serum and that I would break down and use a sulfate shampoo tonight to remove it and just do an extra long SMT.

However, I was horrified when I looked at the container...the first two ingredients were petroleum and paraffin!!! I didn’t even want to keep looking…

Maybe these are the same in the annoying-to-remove category as silicones but my hair feels stiff and disgusting whereas with ‘cones, my hair usually feels light.

So, my obvious question is…how the heck do I get this stuff out of my hair. I did a quick search and all I found was that I should soak it in olive oil and then use dish detergent…is this really what I have to do???

[Carolyn]

I think if it was my hair, I'd do a heavy overnight oiling with an oil such as EVOO. Then in the morning I'd do a LONG co soak. Let the CO conditioner sit on your hair at least a couple of hours. CO's get heavy oilings out of my hair very well. If that didn't do the trick then I'd try a clarifying shampoo followed by a nice moisture rich SMT. DO NOT use dish soap :scared: You'll be fine. This is not a disaster. It will come out.

[Alia]

I think if it was my hair, I'd do a heavy overnight oiling with an oil such as EVOO. Then in the morning I'd do a LONG co soak. Let the CO conditioner sit on your hair at least a couple of hours. CO's get heavy oilings out of my hair very well. If that didn't do the trick then I'd try a clarifying shampoo followed by a nice moisture rich SMT. DO NOT use dish soap :scared: You'll be fine. This is not a disaster. It will come out.

Ditto this. Oil removes oil. Dawn or similar will fry your hair and should be considered a last resort.:agree:

[Kirin]

These ingredients aren't the devil and can be removed with any (and I mean absolutely any) clarifying shampoo. These ingredients are formulated in the particular products to be used, and eventually removed, from the hair. You'll be fine, just use a shampoo.

[renarok]

I don't think you will have much of a problem. Do a nice long SMT. Then cleanse in your regular manner. I bet it will be absolutely fine.

[Flynn]

That's sounds like just a lighter version of vaseline, essentially. It'll come out with, if not any shampoo, any clarifying shampoo as Kirin says. What nutcase told you to try dishwashing detergent?! Don't worry about it. They're likely to be easier to remove than silicones. (Er, speaking from lab experience, not hair experience, with "petrochemicals" versus silicones.)

[tsenglish@ns.sy]

Any regular old shampoo will remove those ingredients with no damage whatsoever to the hair. Dish detergent is ridiculous. Shampoo. Any shampoo. Nothing the stylist used or sells is going to damage your hair. they are professional styling products.

Just wash your hair.

Done.

[desert flower]

Could you all hear the sheer panic in my "voice?" I must have sounded like a paranoid lunatic! Haha! I think it wasn't so much the actual ingredients as the horrible way my hair felt...it moved in chunks...a whole fistful would move all together as opposed to freely.

Thanks so much! I now have olive oil in my hair and am preparing for a CO and possible clarifiying shampoo tomorrow!

[xsadiemamx]

I use apple cider vinegar I fill the bottom of a big bowl like less than a 1/4 in. and fill the rest with water. I guess your supposed to use this as a final rinse but i never do. I use it before shampooing or in between shampoo and conditioner. I squeeze all the water out of my hair and dip in the ends first then i splash it all over my scalp with my head up sidedown in the bowl and then pour it all over the underneath and flip over and pour it on the top. I let it sit wit my conditioner on for like 5 min and then rinse. I love this stuff it works the balls!

[Flynn]

Could you all hear the sheer panic in my "voice?" I must have sounded like a paranoid lunatic! Haha! I think it wasn't so much the actual ingredients as the horrible way my hair felt...it moved in chunks...a whole fistful would move all together as opposed to freely.

Thanks so much! I now have olive oil in my hair and am preparing for a CO and possible clarifiying shampoo tomorrow!

That's probably why the stylist used that product: so you'd have coherent, stuck-together wedding-photo shiny smooth curls. Feels weird, huh?

[Kirin]

Could you all hear the sheer panic in my "voice?" I must have sounded like a paranoid lunatic! Haha! I think it wasn't so much the actual ingredients as the horrible way my hair felt...it moved in chunks...a whole fistful would move all together as opposed to freely.

Thanks so much! I now have olive oil in my hair and am preparing for a CO and possible clarifiying shampoo tomorrow!

LoL um, just a tad :). I use products with these ingredients in it occassionally, and just shampoo gets them out. They are pretty typical "hair care" product ingredients commercially. The paraffin might require two days of washing (not all day long of course!) to get all residue out.

[Debra83]

Parafin? as in candle wax? and your hair is the wick? WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT????!!!!????

[Carina]

I just hate how styling products make my hair feel stiff.:run:.I am in love with oils and the good stuff for my hair:crush:.

[Flynn]

Parafin? as in candle wax? and your hair is the wick? WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT????!!!!????

There's a lot of different weights of paraffin, from candle wax solid, through vaseline goopy, to a thin oil. They'd do that for similar reasons we'd use oil, or oil+aloe vera to encourage curl coherence and definition.

[spidermom]

That's sounds like just a lighter version of vaseline, essentially. It'll come out with, if not any shampoo, any clarifying shampoo as Kirin says. What nutcase told you to try dishwashing detergent?! Don't worry about it. They're likely to be easier to remove than silicones. (Er, speaking from lab experience, not hair experience, with "petrochemicals" versus silicones.)

It took Dawn Dishwashing Liquid to get Vaseline out of my hair (part of a Halloween look). Shampoo was useless. I shampooed every morning, then walked around with hair stuck to my head for about a week before a coworker told me about the Dawn. It didn't trash my hair.

[enfys]

Loads of stuff has those ingredients in. My body scrub has them in and washes off straight away. I'd probably do two thorough washes; that get's everything out for me 95% of the time. You hair might not even feel bad; the 3rd ingredient may have been a nice oil.

Is Dawn a washing up liquid? Because my mum washed her hair with that loads of times back in day, because Fairy was better than shampoo in the 50s/60s. Never did her any harm.

[chickpea]

Loads of stuff has those ingredients in. My body scrub has them in and washes off straight away. I'd probably do two thorough washes; that get's everything out for me 95% of the time. You hair might not even feel bad; the 3rd ingredient may have been a nice oil.

Is Dawn a washing up liquid? Because my mum washed her hair with that loads of times back in day, because Fairy was better than shampoo in the 50s/60s. Never did her any harm.

yes, Dawn is a dish washing liquid. It's designed to remove grease.

desert flower, a clarifying shampoo will probably work fine. It's not like you have layers and layers of product build-up in your hair. :)

[desert flower]

I am happy to report that I think almost all the junk is out of my hair. I did a heavy overnight oiling, followed up with a 3 hour CO soak and then showered. My hair still felt a little weighed down so I used some of my husband's Trader Joe's Refresh shampoo. My hair was fine yesterday but looks just a little oily today for 2nd day hair - I can usually go 4-5 days in between washes - but at least it is moving normally and not in giant chunks.

My husband said he couldn't stop laughing at the wedding when the wind blew really hard and my hair did not budge! It is usually all over the place, especially in my mouth, at the slightest breeze.

So, I think one more heavy duty CO - and maybe a light shampoo - should do the trick...I hope!