Aveda, Weird Scalp, Dry Hair

[lovelylaura]

First off, went to a salon yesterday to buy a gift and noticed Aveda brand products. What do you guys think about this product? Read a bit on their website but I'm not quite convinced. Also, very expensive.

Also, my hair gets really "fuzzy" after I wash it (1 or 2 times/week)... I condition the ends, shampoo the top, then condition the whole thing. Why am I having this fuzz? Shampoo/conditioner? Still washing too frequently? Advice!!

Also the back of my head right above the nape of my neck up to the top of my ears (that whole area) is sometimes very itchy and the skin feels different (rough) there. Any idea what could be causing this? I wear disposeable labcoats at work which are coated with a waterproof coating, maybe I am allergic to this? Just wondering if anyone else had these problems!

Thanks for all your help, I love having like-minded, hair loving people to sound off of here!!! Merry Christmas all :)

[florenonite]

It sounds like the reason your hair is fuzzy is because your shampoo is too harsh. The itchiness sounds like eczema or another allergic reaction. Take a look at your shampoo ingredients. Does it contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate or something similar? If so, it may well be the cause of both your problems, so I suggest trying an SLS-free method or another washing method that doesn't involve liquid shampoo (shampoo bars, and conditioner-only washing are popular here).

[amaiaisabella]

I like Aveda Color Conserve, but I can't speak for the rest of their line. I use the shampoo, the conditioner isn't anything special.

[lovelylaura]

would anyone be able to recommend a new washing method for me? Check out my hair type and lets assume this is eczema on the scalp. I'm open to DIY or homemade shampoos and things as well, I have looked into it but am kind of overwhelmed by all the information.

[florenonite]

Seeing as your hair is straight and fine, CO's probably not a great option for you; generally (though not always) it works better on curly and/or coarse hair. If you've got a 'cone-free conditioner lying around, though, you might as well give it a shot. It could work, and you'll save yourself money this way.

Some people with itchy scalps have success with washing with water, but going from using shampoo to water only isn't likely to produce good results because your hair is used to the oils being stripped. If you're up for it, though, there's a big thread here somewhere on it that you can read and try it out.

Shampoo bars are good; my scalp itchies are much better with them. I use Chagrin Valley, but there are others. If you want to go this route, there's a Shampoo Bar thread kicking around on the Conventional Products and Hair Accessories board.

You could even just go for SLS-free shampoos, if you like.

[CavyQueen]

I once had an allergic reaction to an Aveda leave-in conditioner from its heavy perfume. I do love their Damage Remedy and Brillant lines. I find that people in salons do not always know about the products. They still try to sell them to you of course. If you want an all natural line ABBA and Deva have all natural (no cones, sulfates,etc.) lines. Deva is for curly hair and my hair is straight. I found Deva's products to mae my hair frizzy like Aveda did to you. I have not tried ABBA's natural line. I hope this helps :)

[GlassEyes]

Are you combing after washing?

Could be the frizz is related to you having more wave than you think, and the combing is forcing it out of it.

[lovelylaura]

Ok, reporting back. I tried not combing, which is working really well surprisingly. I used to have so many knots before LHC, but now that I dont' wash as much I have barely any knots!
I COed this morning as well with some delicious smelling orange Suave conditioner. My mom always uses Suave and she has such beautiful straight dark brown smooth shiny hair. So I kind of just poured it on my scalp and used it just as shampoo, rubbed it in a bit, then rinsed completely (also my new thing since LHC). I think this is what I read COing should be... lol. But anyways, went to the bathroom awhile ago at work, and my hair has since dried.... looks pretty good! I'm shocked! I was a bit skeptical because WO didn't really work for me. I definitely like NW a lot better, but when I do wash maybe CO is going to be a good option. I told my (open minded) work friend why I needed to go to the bathroom so badly to look at my hair and she was amazed that I had just washed my hair with conditioner and how it looked. We always make fun of my compulsive "hair blogging" while she is over there playing some MSN bubble game on her computer... lol
I am still interested in getting the shampoo bars you recommended, they looked awesome when I went on the site. A friend of mine who makes at-home beauty products seemed to think that shampoo bars are only good for short hairs and that I should try baby shampoo. But after my research I have decided against it. The shampoo bar is definitely going to be one of my purchases with my X-mas gift money! Thank you family! :D

[lovelylaura]

Update continued: At the end of the day I consulted my neighbor and she told me the back of the crown of my head was looking a bit greasy (it always gets greasier there than in the front even with extra rinsing... weird...) Later I told my sister about it and she seemed impressed but almost immediately upon touching my hair she said, "oh your hair is really rough and dry" (it really is, like straw right now) and told me she prefers when he hair is smooth and silky. Duh. Do we not all prefer that? lol. I think I need to start oiling nightly. Does oiling help improve the dry, straw type feeling to hair? I even researched "straw" type hair and couldn't really find any posts about it. I think I read something about how excess protein can contribute to a "crunchy" feeling hair. At this point the shampoo/conditioner that I use 2x weekly both include protein products. I found one (Herbal essences) at home which does not, so next time I shampoo I will use that.
I have also noticed split ends (I never had those when I was younger... boo.) Maybe I need to attempt and S&D?? Here I come!
It will be nice when I finally use up all the miscellaneous conditioner/shampoo at the house and I can really move onto something nice. But in the meantime maybe I can narrow down what my hair likes so I'm not spending a ton of money on all these different products. Maybe I'll even find a natural remedy like herbs or soapnuts. This is such an adventure :)

[Coriander]

I'm sorry if I missed this, but have you compared washing with cones vs. washing with cone-free products?

DBF and I like Aveda's stuff... the Rosemary and Mint products smelled great but my hair didn't like the cone-free, so I gave them to DBF and his hair loves them.

Right now I'm using Herbal Essences because I can't afford Aveda's line for damaged hair. :)

[lovelylaura]

I conditioned with cones today, and I will let you know what the results are as soon as I look in the mirror and then will hopefully update again to let you know how quickly it gets greasy, etc.

Also, is this information I should be posting in my blog? I haven't really ventured too much into the blog area of things...

[Anlbe]

I use Damage Remedy Treatment from Aveda and its the one hair luxury I don't think I'll ever give up. For the rest of their range I've never had any bad reactions to any of their shampoos and conditioners, but the damage remedy treatment is the only one I've found really worth the money. For shampoos I can generally use any super moisturizing shampoo.
Have your scalp issues cleared up with CO? My scalp is alergic to the most random things, but not to SLS strangely enough whilst the lush shampoo bar made my skin come out in hives!

[Pumpkin]

I tried Aveda awhile back. The Shampure line. I personally did not like them. Made my scalp itch and my hair seemed to become dry.

[lovelylaura]

I've been using a different shampoo every time I wash and I think one of them is making me itch, I just have to use process of elimination now...

[Sissy]

I just bought some Aveda Clove Conditioner and some Aveda Black Malva conditioner off Ebay for $14 off Ebay. I haven't tried it yet to know if it's good for me or not! Anyone looking to get Aveda for a bit less might try Ebay.