Can hair become confused?

[CavyQueen]

Hi! I am a hair treatment/deep conditioner junkie. All natural, not natural, cheap, or expensive, I love them all! I was in a hair product store today and the hair stylist told me I am "confusing" my hair by using both all natural and not natural deep treatments. He recommended an all natural line called Deva. I used the deep treatment twice and it made my hair frizzy and rough. The stylist told me it is because I did not use the product for a long enough time period. What is everyone's opinion/advice on this? Can I benefit from using both natural and not natural deep treatments? Can someone's hair become "confused?" Thank you :)

[Dars]

I don't know about confused hair but hair can have transition periods between products and method types.

[meowmeow]

Hair cannot be confused because it doesn't have the ability to think. :)

I think it's more likely that either:

a) you have some conditioner or buildup already in your hair which is effecting how the new product works

b) like Dars said, you may be going through a transitional period

or

c) the formulation is just not working for you

[ericthegreat]

I think what he meant by "confused" is that you have been using all these different products on your hair within a relatively short period of time. Hair likes a routine like everything else, so it often takes time for it to get used to a particular product and also, whatever other products you use in your hair like shampoos, leave-in conditioners, maybe a silicone spray or whatever will affect the total overall quality of your hair. Just keep using one particular product continuously for a good deal of time say 2 weeks at least. If within that time you find that the product is working for you, its the right one. And if its not, well nothing ventured nothing gained.

If you really like Deva, then simply keep using it. I'm assuming its the same DevaCurl that all the curlies rave about right? I've actually heard quite the opposite, that Devacurl products actually help smooth hair and take out all the frizz. Maybe you need to leave it in longer like your stylist suggested. Only your own trial and error will tell you if this product gives you the kind of results that you are looking for.

[Ally<3]

In order for your hair to be confused it would need to have a brain. So, no, it can not be confused.

My goodness stylists can spout some crap. You do not have to use all one line or type.

[Aditi]

The word "confused" does not exists in the hair's dictionary :D
I do deep conditioning treatment every month in a salon, my stylist uses different pack everytime but they all give the same result to me whether its all natural or not natural, etc.
Give that deep conditioner pack of your a few more go, if its not giving you any result than its not worth for your hair :)

[manderly]

Not confused per se, but it does usually take a bit of time to respond to a change. That's why noobs here are usually reminded to slow down and change 1 thing at a time, since the excitement to try a whole bunch of new things can get the best of all of us.

When you are using silicone-based products, it does tend to cause you to have a transition period where your hair can do what you describe while you use natural products. It's all new to your hair, and you probably have cone buildup that needs to be removed.

If you want to try natural, I would suggest you go all natural. Cut out everything else and give your hair several weeks to a month to fully transition, then see how you like it. If, after a time, you still have crummy hair, you can always go right back to your cones. The forum is pretty split between natural and coneheads, so there is no right answer, just right for you, and allowing a new product and routine enough time to see how it works.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

what i found out is that herbal oils don't work at all on cone-covered hair. So it could be cone vs. oil battle going on :D they both coat the hair blocking hair shaft from receiving moisture, which results in frizz.

before trying anything new, i suggest clarifying first.

[Buddaphlyy]

The stylists is full of crap IMO. I too use a combo of products (as a matter of fact, I add honey to my very unnatural Lustrasilk and Nexxus conditioner) and my hair is not at all suffering. Build up from various products at one time is very real though.

I would recommend clarifying before trying a new treatment though. And unless it immediately starts giving you problems, I would use it for a week or two exclusively to make sure it was working.

[Anje]

Count me among the skeptics that say that hair is not intelligent and therefore cannot become confused. It can take a while for the results of a routine to become apparent, but a regular rotation of products can become a routine as well, and if your hair is in good condition with what you're doing, you should go with it.

I'm curious what's in this Deva deep treatment you tried. The rough, frizzy feeling you describe sounds like how my hair behaves after it's gotten too much protein. Lots of people have hair that loves protein, other people have hair that rebels against it. If your hair doesn't like a product after one or two uses, it's hard to believe that it'll get better with increased use. (An exception might be shampoo bars, though.)

[Carolyn]

I sounds to me like the stylist wanted you to switch over to the Deva line which he carried in his salon, equaling more $$ for him :rolleyes:

If we follow his line of reasoning, then my hair must love confusion :silly: I rotate my products with each wash. I do cones, no cones, el cheapo products, expensive products, health food store products. You get the idea. My hair looks like crap if I use the same line and same products wash after wash. And yes a clarifying wash is often the best first step in correcting misbehaving hair.

[JamieLeigh]

I definitely agree that you should try new things one step at a time, and for longer periods of time, say a couple to three weeks. And try to clarify before you try something new, to make sure all the buildup from the previous product routine is out and gone. Sometimes it's ok to mix and match, but it's difficult to find that perfect ratio until after you've tried and tested a lot of things. In today's world, we have become so accustomed to instant gratification - if it doesn't work NOW, then I'm doing something else. Beautiful hair is always a work-in-progress and takes some patience! :D