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GlennaGirl
August 7th, 2009, 08:08 PM
Ugh! I haven't had a dry hair problem in years. Now all of a sudden, it feels dry and whisper-y when I run my hands through it and it's tangling and all sorts of hideous stuff.

It could be the excessive heat...maybe? It was up over 100 for a week or two and then in the high 90s for several weeks and just today and yesterday we had a cold front come in or something... :D 88!

It's pretty dry out here (southern California) but supposedly, the humidity today is at least 50%, which is WAY high for here.

Yet my hair is dry and scratchy and awful!

I just put a bit of coconut oil on it and wrapped it all up in a tiny bun. (My hair is pretty thin and I usually do very "loose" style buns to make it look like I have more of it, but right now I'm trying to do a treatment so it's serious business.)

I have started to wear it down for the past month or two...maybe this is the problem?

Anybody got an awesome home remedy for dry hair?

RancheroTheBee
August 7th, 2009, 09:13 PM
Summer usually does bad, awful things to my hair. I stick to SMTs, the occasional CO, moisturizing shampoo and always, always a leave-in conditioner. Avoid a lot of product. Do super babying, basically.

Leaving it down in intense heat might have contributed to the dryness, I'm guessing.

redcelticcurls
August 7th, 2009, 09:30 PM
Although your relative humidity may be high, you still may not have a very high dew point. Dew point is a more accurate indication of actual moisture in the air. A dew point in the 30s and below can be drying on hair for folks. Also, just extreme high or low temps can be hard on hair. A DT of choice can be quite nice.

Well, I did check the weather channel site and SoCal is having decent dew points as far as hair goes.

irishcurls
August 7th, 2009, 09:46 PM
I live in west texas where it is almost a 100 every day. I have to take extra good care of my hair. I would buy some jojoba oil. Then do a hot oil treatment. Jojoba oil is very much like sebum which is the oil that naturally comes from your scalp. I read that if you do an oil treatment and leave it on for at least 20 min that is helps greatly. Then you wash like regular and move on. I would also check into a leave in conditioner. I have found that mane and tail works wonders for keeping my curls soft. I have never had soft curly hair until this shampoo and conditioner. I know you dont have curly hair but i used to have problems just like yours. Anyways I just bought the oil to try and I will let you know if it actually works. We have no humidity and I doubt our dew point is very high. Its hot and dry here. My hair is alot like redcelticcurls. I envy your hair!! It is really close to my goal length in your picture. Its beautiful.

redcelticcurls
August 7th, 2009, 10:00 PM
sorry to guano...

Irishcurls,

Welcome to the boards, and be sure to stop by the curly thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=369&page=48)!

Heidi_234
August 7th, 2009, 11:21 PM
GlennaGirl, what you describe with your ends are the usual state of mine. You can imagine my surprise when I finally got soft manageable ends of a sudden, and it wasn't by a trim. I was about to wash (wet and put conditioner on the length, that is) when I did the following: I started slathering straight conditioner on dry hair. After a while of adding more and more and working it into the hair with fingercombing it turned 'wet' with conditioner, and at that point I bunned it and left for an hour. Then I hopped into the shower and rinsed it out. Result - no dry ends at all.
HTH :flower:

jera
August 8th, 2009, 01:28 AM
As long as there's no medical reason for the sudden dryness, I'd like to ask what do you eat for your hair? My chronically y hair and scalp have been responding well to the raw foods diet I've been eating more of this summer. Maybe eating some fresh fruit will help you? It couldn't hurt anyway. :)

serious
August 8th, 2009, 01:29 AM
GlennaGirl, what you describe with your ends are the usual state of mine. You can imagine my surprise when I finally got soft manageable ends of a sudden, and it wasn't by a trim. I was about to wash (wet and put conditioner on the length, that is) when I did the following: I started slathering straight conditioner on dry hair. After a while of adding more and more and working it into the hair with fingercombing it turned 'wet' with conditioner, and at that point I bunned it and left for an hour. Then I hopped into the shower and rinsed it out. Result - no dry ends at all.
HTH :flower:

This is exactly what I did at the beginning of this summer, and it really helped!

I still wonder why this happens- the more humidity in the air, the dryer my ends are!?!

Heidi_234
August 8th, 2009, 01:44 AM
This is exactly what I did at the beginning of this summer, and it really helped!

I still wonder why this happens- the more humidity in the air, the dryer my ends are!?!
I don't know, maybe the hair loses moisture more easily? I know my hair generally tends to be drier then other poeple's hair here, maybe it loses moisture much faster or something.

FallenAngel
August 8th, 2009, 02:16 AM
GlennaGirl, what you describe with your ends are the usual state of mine. You can imagine my surprise when I finally got soft manageable ends of a sudden, and it wasn't by a trim. I was about to wash (wet and put conditioner on the length, that is) when I did the following: I started slathering straight conditioner on dry hair. After a while of adding more and more and working it into the hair with fingercombing it turned 'wet' with conditioner, and at that point I bunned it and left for an hour. Then I hopped into the shower and rinsed it out. Result - no dry ends at all.
HTH :flower:

THAT is something I'm going to try next time I wash! I CO, but I put my C in wet hair in the shower and it really has very little time to "work" om my hair. Thanks for sharing!!

Heidi_234
August 8th, 2009, 06:27 AM
THAT is something I'm going to try next time I wash! I CO, but I put my C in wet hair in the shower and it really has very little time to "work" om my hair. Thanks for sharing!!
Good luck! I hope it works for as well as it worked for me. :)

melikai
August 8th, 2009, 08:32 AM
Also make sure you try to clarify, in case it's a matter of too much protein.

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 08:50 AM
I wanted to mention clarifying also. It seems to me that sometimes the "stuff" we've been putting on our hair (oil, conditioning leave-ins) dries out; wash that off and your hair itself may be fine. That has happened to me time and time again, dry-feeling, tangly hair that was o.k. again after a clarifying wash.

I've had amazing results from Joico K-Pak reconstructing deep treatment also. I've been getting a deep treatment from my stylist about once a year. She follows it up with Sebastian clear glaze, which only stylists can buy, but the K-Pak is available over the counter.

redcelticcurls
August 8th, 2009, 08:55 AM
This is exactly what I did at the beginning of this summer, and it really helped!

I still wonder why this happens- the more humidity in the air, the dryer my ends are!?!

Ends tend to be more porous than roots. High humidity can get into the raised cuticles of porous hair, which can be seen as frizz on some. But, if it raises the cuticles more, there is room for more moisture loss too.

redcelticcurls
August 8th, 2009, 08:56 AM
I wanted to mention clarifying also. It seems to me that sometimes the "stuff" we've been putting on our hair (oil, conditioning leave-ins) dries out; wash that off and your hair itself may be fine. That has happened to me time and time again, dry-feeling, tangly hair that was o.k. again after a clarifying wash.

I've had amazing results from Joico K-Pak reconstructing deep treatment also. I've been getting a deep treatment from my stylist about once a year. She follows it up with Sebastian clear glaze, which only stylists can buy, but the K-Pak is available over the counter.

Also, if you have a Sally's, you can get the generic version of the K-pak for about $5.

serious
August 8th, 2009, 09:12 AM
Ends tend to be more porous than roots. High humidity can get into the raised cuticles of porous hair, which can be seen as frizz on some. But, if it raises the cuticles more, there is room for more moisture loss too.

Thanks for the explanation, it sounds reasonable.

Sissy
August 8th, 2009, 10:28 AM
I think deep conditioning treatments with Biolage Conditioning Balm would be good. I get the generic conditioning balm at Sally Beauty Supply.


Also, if you have a Sally's, you can get the generic version of the K-pak for about $5.

Hey, thanks for this bit of info. I go to Sally's and get my generic Biolage Conditioning Balm there but I didn't realize they had a generic for the Joico Reconstruct which I LOVE!

Shufro
August 8th, 2009, 10:32 AM
Hey glennagirl i have kinda frizzy hair and i've found a way to keep my hair soft.

I only shampoo my roots and then I use deep conditioner and regular conditioner on the lenghts.

I also use oil (Almond and olive oil) on my ends every day it really helps.

And i never let my hair down when i sleep i usually have it in a braid or in a ponytail or something =)

Thanks to these routines I only had to cut a little more than an inch after the summer, and i regulary cut about 4 inches. :cool:

GlennaGirl
August 8th, 2009, 10:43 AM
Thank you so much for these suggestions. I'm trying them ALL. One at a time to see if one "hits it" just right...but I'll try them all.

I also wonder whether my hair will be less dry once it's no longer so hot, so I'll be watching to see.

ipickee
August 8th, 2009, 11:07 AM
So not to sound dumb, but I have the same issue with dryness. I just purchased some Coconut Oil. Do you guys put your oils on dry or wet?

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 11:50 AM
So not to sound dumb, but I have the same issue with dryness. I just purchased some Coconut Oil. Do you guys put your oils on dry or wet?

I would try it both ways and continue the method that suited me best. With dry hair, I would expect oil on damp hair to give the best results. Start with a tiny amount. It's easier to add more than to subtract any.

Dementia1013
August 8th, 2009, 11:53 AM
I've been oiling my hair like crazy trying to protect it from the drying heat of summer. That's my only real recommendation. Do exactly as you're doing. Oil the ends heavily, a little on the length then bun it and forget it. :D

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 12:02 PM
So not to sound dumb, but I have the same issue with dryness. I just purchased some Coconut Oil. Do you guys put your oils on dry or wet?

Coconut oil doesn't mix well by itself in my hair if it's damp. I either mix it with another conditioner or put it on my dry hair. Dry hair for me is hair that is over or under conditioned. I add more conditoner and sometimes it's great or sometimes it gets drier. I clarify when it's drier after adding more condish. This usually works to fix it.

prettigurl
August 8th, 2009, 12:56 PM
I have dry hair too, so I never go a day without my leave in conditioner. I use herbal essences long term relationship (it has cones), but it leaves my hair feeling soft, hydrated and it smells yummy!

GlennaGirl
August 8th, 2009, 08:18 PM
We do have a Sally's in my town, so I may look for that protein treatment. My hair doesn't normally like protein but you never know. I am also definitely going to do a clarifying (before the DT, of course).

Thanks!

Medievalmaniac
August 8th, 2009, 08:29 PM
Coconut oil doesn't mix well by itself in my hair if it's damp.
Ditto here... Coconut oil only seems to work for me when my hair is dry. But it does seem to work better for me than conditioner in terms of keeping my ends from getting crunchy. Iguess that's the protein thing again? I have to be honest, I am sooooo confused with the science of hair care - so many people are big-time conditioner advocates, while other sclaim that too much protein in conditioner is damaging; some say protein is absolutely essential, others say stay far, far away from additional proteins n your hair....my head hurts! lol I wish I weren't so lacking in knowledge on the subject - I do want to do what is best for my hair, but is that slathering on conditioner when it's wet, or oiling it when it is dry??? I honestly don't know the answer to that question, and what's more, I'm terrified to experiment to find out because what if my hair breaks off after everything I'm going through to grow it? Ack. lol

redcelticcurls
August 8th, 2009, 10:21 PM
I have dry hair too, so I never go a day without my leave in conditioner. I use herbal essences long term relationship (it has cones), but it leaves my hair feeling soft, hydrated and it smells yummy!

I'm a big leave-in conditioner fan too. My hair HATES oil on dry hair do I don't bother. I can take a little bit over my leave-in as a sealant though.

Sissy
August 9th, 2009, 04:45 PM
We do have a Sally's in my town, so I may look for that protein treatment. My hair doesn't normally like protein but you never know. I am also definitely going to do a clarifying (before the DT, of course).

Thanks!

Great, great. I think you'll be very happy with Sally's and you can purchase a card a Sally's card for like $5 which will allow you to purchase items at the discounted ticket price in the upper right corner of the ticket. They have several options for protein treatments there as well as good moisturizing treatments for dry hair.

The proteins I've purchased and liked from Sally's are:
Queen Helene's Cholesterol Treatment (in a jar)
Ion Repair Solutions Hair Reconstructor
Hask Henna N Placenta
* also, this weekend I purchased the Generic Value Products Reconstructing Conditioner which is comparable to Joico K-Pak and I have not tried it yet but I do love JOICO K-Pak and from what I know the GVP products seem to work very much like the name brands so we'll see :)

Conditioners I've purchased from Sally's that I feel make good conditioning treatments for Dry hair are:
Generic Value Products Conditioning Balm (exactly the same in my opinion to the brand name Biolage Conditioning Balm). This is my conditioner of choice for treatments such as SMT and deep conditioning treatments. Really, I cannot say enough good things about this conditioner and it helps smooth my frizzy slightly wavy hair.
Generic Value Products Moisturizing Conditioner (compare to Nexxus Humectress). This one smells lovely and does condition nicely.
Loreal Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture Creme

I just purchased but have not tried yet:

Naturelle Aura Cherry Almond Bark Conditioner (I purchased this because it was given positive reviews here and seems to have some healthy ingredients like Aloe Leaf Juice, several root extracts, rice bran oil, and jojoba seed oil).

Hair One Olive Oil Hair Cleanser and Conditioner for Dry Hair (I decided to see what all the fuss is about, it's supposed to be really good and comparable to WEN which I have never tried. I do have dry hair so hope to try this one soon). It's basically a CO, you wouldn't use shampoo with this.

Lustrasilk Moisture Max Mega-Moist Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion this product is supposed to restore vital moisture, body and sheen to dry, damaged hair. I am not too sure about the ingredients although it says it will not cause heavy build-up and contains sunscreen and thermal heat protection (it was in the ethnic section at Sally's and I have to be careful there because sometimes those products can be too heavy on my hair). I heard some LHCers recommending Lustrasilk and went to see what products were available and unfortunately my Sally's did not have the Olive Oil Cholesterol that others were talking about but I did find this hair lotion and decided to pick some up. It might be too heavy on my hair though, will have to try it.

Oh, one great thing about Sally Beauty Supply is that if you try something and it doesn't work for you, you can return it for cash or store exchange so long as you have your receipt. They have great customer service and this is their policy. I have returned several products there in the past. Isn't buying a huge bottle of product only to find out it doesn't work for your after the first try a terrible feeling? When you buy from Sally's you don't have to feel like a wastrel with tons of unused product sitting in your cabinet, you simply return it to the store. No questions asked. That is what I plan to do with the Lustrasilk Moisture Max if it ends up being to heavy for my hair. This way, we can all try new products and not feel afraid that we're wasting money. Sally's also carries a nice selection lotions, cosmetics, hair scissors, rollers, and shower caps. They also have some really lovely massage oils. My husband and I use the lavender one all the time.

The only cons to Sally's is that they don't really have a fantastic selection of seamless combs or healthy hair brushes and toys. Plus, they don't carry a ton of organic haircare choices (though the Nature's Gate line there is organic from what I've seen).

Aside from the Sally recommendations I gave above, I would also recommend the Aubrey Organic line for your hair, especially their Honeysuckle Rose conditioner. It is my favorite conditioner, hands down. It would be sold in co-ops and such locally but I ordered mine off Iherb.com. They do offer free shipping for orders $60 or higher. Also, if you've never ordered from Iherb.com before, you can use this code ZIF713 for $5 Off your first order. In addition to the honeysuckle rose, I also own AO White Camellia Ultra-Smoothing Conditioner (if I do a deep treatment with this one I have to rinse really well or it leaves me oily - that's how rich it is!), Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner, and GPB Balancing Conditioner (will balance the amount of protein in your hair). I also have a couple of their shampoos Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Shampoo and Rosa Mosqueta Nourishing Shampoo. I highly recommend Aubrey Organics line.

The only other line I'm kinda nuts about as it has given my dry, frizzy, slightly wavy hair smooth, silky results is Giovanni (I know others here have mentioned using Giovanni Direct Leave-In. I also use Giovanni's Vita-Pro leave in and their 50/50 balancing, Tea Tree Triple Treat, and Smooth as Silk Conditioners). I think they're organic, or mostly organic at least. However, I have recently gone back to using cone products to seal in the moisture of the organic products, even if it's just using cones as my leave in. I did this because of the concern I have about how fragile my hair is and how easily it breaks and forms split ends!

Sorry for prattling on... I hope at least some of this is useful on your trip to Sally's Beauty Supply, which I hope will be a good experience for you :)
Sissy