Indecisive hair or product buildup?

[cmnt831]

After reading through the thread below about indecisive hair, I got to wondering how one would know if one's hair is healthy, but is just being less (or more) wavy or curly on a given day as opposed to having product build-up (cones, protein, etc.) that needs to be treated? Are there indicators one way or the other? I'm just so new at looking for clues that my hair might be giving me and I'm trying to treat it better than I had before - which was basically not treating it at all, except to wash it (no conditioner). I hope those questions made sense :p. Thanks!

[Svenja]

Some hair stylists are able to check your hair under some sort of microscope and make a build-up visible (if you have one). In general I can only talk of my experience: When I still had the silicon build-up my hair was straighter than it is now - must have been weightened down. Plus, when I pulled a single hair it would not stretch but snap instantly.

[cmnt831]

Wow, ok, so snapping hair would definitely be a sign that hair needs to be treated. Although, I would hope to avoid getting to that point. Thanks!

[Sabayon]

I think the only real way to tell is to eliminate the products and see how your hair looks. I would suggest trying to wash with a mild sls-free shampoo then use a mild vinegar rinse and see what your hair does. This is not to say I would suggest this as a new washing routine, you probably normally want conditioner and people have had success with alot of different washing methods. Try this once as a way to get rid of all the product that may have built up on your hair and this should tell you what your hair is like it it's most natural state.

[cmnt831]

Sabayon: I actually did this yesterday and my hair felt so soft, but I had to brush it out for taking pictures, so I didn't really get to see how it turned out texture-wise. Anyway, I CO'd this morning and my hair formed its usual long thin spirals. They've just been kind of limp lately. No spring or bounce like before. I only use all natural shampoo and the conditioner I've been using is Giovanni Deeper Moisture.

[xoxophelia]

I have the same problem. My hair sort of has a split personality. On rare days I have WAVES. Full body, S waves all over my head. Some days it is sorta wavy with a few little spirals. Most days it is half straight with waves on the bottom. A day or two after washing it is nearly always close to straight. Haha...

I don't use silicone products or hair styling products. The only thing I use is a little oil sometimes and I didn't do that before.

I think it might have something to do with humidity because I find my "wavy" days are much more frequent in the summer and here we get high humidity then.

Might be a good idea to clarify and cut out cones if you ever use them just to see what it does. But it is also sorta fun never knowing quite what you are going to get out of your hair texture :)

[cmnt831]

Yes, I'm beginning to think split personality, too. I've only been using natural stuff on my hair since 2005. Now I've added the Giovanni conditioner and a water filter to the shower. I was talking to my husband and we were thinking it might not be limp hair but hair that is moisturized properly for the first time. I'm so used to seeing the big poofy, frizz resulting from dry hair. We've also been having colder drier weather than my hair is used to, so we'll see what happens later this year.

Thanks everyone for your replies! :flowers: It gives me things to consider on my hair journey :).

[FrannyG]

It took me quite a while after joining here to really get a feel for when I had buildup that needed clarifying, when I needed a protein treatment, or a deep moisture treatment.

Also, I had never really paid much attention to how my hair changes through the seasons.

Since you're new here, you'll have a lot of different information thrown at you. Don't try too many new things at once, or you'll never really know what is working or what is not working.

It takes a while to really get the best routine for your hair going.

Your hair is lovely, by the way. :flowers:

[cmnt831]

Thanks for the advice FrannyG :). One of my problems is that I start reading all this new stuff and want to try it all out (within my own parameters, of course). I wish my hair looked like my sig. pic. right now. It's amazingly soft, silky and non-tangled and I *don't know why*. It also doesn't have a lot of curl to it right now either. I'm guessing it might be the water filter and the conditioner. It's acting like perfect hair, but now I miss my frizzy curls :(. I'm also thinking that I might have fine hair rather than fine/medium as I thought before. So what do I get out of all this? I guess that I'm going to have a fun time trying to figure out how to keep my hair happy :p.