Newbie has a bit of a problem!

[~Lady Stardust~]

First off, I just wanted to say hello to everyone and that I’m so glad that I found this site! There is so much info and so many hair-savvy people! I’m hoping someone can help me!! :cheese:

I have fine hair and I have a problem with an oily scalp and dry length and ends. For a few months now I’ve been using Queen helene mint shampoo followed by the whole foods 365 mint conditioner. Even with this though, my hair seems dry..

Yesterday I decided to do a conditioning treatment with 1/3 cup suave condish, 2 vitamin 3 capsules, and 1 fish oil capsule. I mixed it all up, put it in the microwave, then glopped it on my length and ends. I covered it with a shower cap then a hot towel, and let it sit for a couple of hours.

I then hopped in the shower, rinsed it out, applied more suave shampoo and then covered it with a shower cap and did my other shower things. Then I rinsed it a bit, shampooed my scalp with the mint shampoo, rinsed that, then put the 365 conditioner on it and covered it with another shower cap and waited about 5 minutes. I then rinsed it a little with cold water and did a final rinse of 2 cups chilled chamomile tea with 2 tablespoons of red whine vinegar.

I noticed I didn’t have any tangles, but I never have tangles, so no difference there. I then let it air dry.

My hair was frizzier than and just as dry as ever! My scalp is still oily, like I didn’t even shampoo.

I’m thinking maybe I’m one of those people who need cones? Or maybe it’s the olive oil? I really have no idea! :confused:

Thanks for reading through all of that and any advice is greatly appreciated!! :D

[Gothic Lolita]

Hi and Welcom to LHC!

I have really thick hair so I don't know much about fine hair as yours, but I have an idea about your oily scalp problem (because mine is too): Did you pour the red whine vinegar mixture over your scalp? Vinegar is conditioning but sometimes causes an oily scalp for some people.
Also it might be an overconditioning problem. If you apply conditioner not only to your length but overall this might cause this problem too.

I don't have a real advice for the frizz. But you're right about the olive oil, it causes frizzines for me too. Try sciping that and see if your hair gets better.

I don't see why you should need cones, I have experienced that fine hair often gets better with cone free shampoos. Unfortunately I don't know the shampoo you're using but maybe it is too harsh for your scalp and it overreacts by producing far more sebum than necessary. Reducing your washing frequency might help here.

I know you really like to get rid of your problem at once, but please be patient and don't try everything at the same time. If you change your routine give it about 2 weeks minimum to see wether your hair gets along with it.

Hope I could help a little :)

[~Lady Stardust~]

Thank you, Gothick Lolita, for the kind reply!

I got the idea for the shampoo actually here, and I don't think it would be too harsh, but I guess it could be! And I never condition my scalp because that's just begging for an oily mess :)

I guess I did get a little over zealous with the conditioning treatment! I was hoping that it would get my hair in pretty good condition and if it was too oily I could just wear it up for a couple of days before I shampooed again.

And I think I'm going to try coconut oil for my hair instead of olive oil. I read that this works wonders for some people. Although, I think I also read that it's pretty heavy, so it may be too much for my fine hair.

[Nightshade]

One thing to keep in mind is that oil does not moisturize your hair, it simply helps keep moisture IN your hair.

Perhaps for the length do a deep treatment like a SMT (honey, aloe and conditioner) then rinse it out and when damp do a very light coconut oiling?

For your scalp, try diluting your shampoo and keeping it on the scalp only. I use a very gentle sulphate-free shampoo and I still dilute mine 1 part shampoo to 3 parts water.

HTH!

[suicides_eve]

i would do a bit of clarifying to remove all the oils an what not that you have on your hair now, and then find one good conditioner of your choice ( i prefer Nexuss Humcantress $13 at any store it is a cone free -moisture based conditioner ) after clarifying get your hair damp, not dripping then slop on some conditioners and then get a plastic grocery bag and wrap it around your head( not face!) followed by a warm towel (i uses a winter hat) and let it sit as long as you can stand it the longer the better over night if you can, then rinse in cool water and leave it alone, don't put anything eles on it and see what happend from there. i've been through this and its worked for my hair. just my 2cents

[~Lady Stardust~]

O! I didn't know that oil didn't help with the moisturizing :) Ha, I guess I should try reading up on these things a lot more before getting so excited and randomly try something! And thank you for the treatment idea, I will definitely give that a try!

[Curlsgirl]

My hair was like this until I started using a leave-in conditioner. I use that and then sometimes add a bit of oil to my damp hair. It helps the frizz and also moisturizes. If your hair is fine just adjust the amount as needed. You can always add more. I also love CWC. I wet my hair, put conditioner on my length and then pour a diluted sulfate shampoo on my scalp, rubbing just a bit not much. Then I rinse and use another conditioner and rinse. After I blot dry I use a moisturizing leave-in. You can either comb it through or scrunch it in as thoroughly as possible.

Also your hair may not like Suave or that particular "flavor" of Suave.

[~Lady Stardust~]

I thought of using a leave in before. I went to the salon about 3 months ago to cut off all of the damage on my hair, and she recommended a leave in conditioner called healthySexyHair Pumpkin Potion. The main ingredient is water, followed by safflower oil, jojoba oil, and ginger root oil. It doesn't have cones, but it does have something called parabens? I'm not sure what they are but I remember reading that they aren't good for your hair.

On the plus side though, it smell AMAZING! :D Just like (or even better than) pumpkin pie! Has anyone used this?

[akurah]

I thought of using a leave in before. I went to the salon about 3 months ago to cut off all of the damage on my hair, and she recommended a leave in conditioner called healthySexyHair Pumpkin Potion. The main ingredient is water, followed by safflower oil, jojoba oil, and ginger root oil. It doesn't have cones, but it does have something called parabens? I'm not sure what they are but I remember reading that they aren't good for your hair.

On the plus side though, it smell AMAZING! :D Just like (or even better than) pumpkin pie! Has anyone used this?

Parabens are preservatives. They won't hurt you, and are assuredly safer for you than a product without preservatives. I've (yet) to see an actual scientific study (unbiased, without an agenda either way) that proves parabens cause cancer or any other number of icky bad things.

[Kirin]

Though I love the Queen Helene Mint Juelip, I have to rotate it out. I have the same hair you do, and i found through researching that the Mint juelip shampoo does indeed contain protein. Protein in any product will eventually make my ends dry, and "snappy" with a very haylike texture even though my hair near my scalp is fine.

Try switching to a shampoo and condish that has no protein, and I bet you'll see improvement in 48 hours :). Over proteined hair tends to need LOTS of moisture. I recommend to shampoo, condition, then condition again with a protein free product.

[lora410]

Well with two shampoos is prob why it didn't make a difference. Usually with oil moisture treatments you want to CO it out or do a light shampoo and then a light oiling after your wash (this seals in the moisture). Now since you do have an oily scalp I suggest CWC. You cal also add a drop of tea tree oil to your shampoo. It could also be the regimen of oils, and your vinegar rinse. I generally just use plain olive oil for deep treatments with nothing mixed.

step 1 apply condish to length only
step 2 wash scalp only with shampoo while conditioner is on the length
step 3 rinse well
step 4 condition length again only and rinse

[Irishred]

Welcome to LHC! :cheese:

Wow! You did a lot in one shot. :bigeyes: The biggest thing about trying new things is doing it one at a time. Keep your routine very simple. Try one thing at a time like changing shampoo and nothing else, then try one oil. Slowly build up an inventory of what your hair likes and a list of what it doesn't (so you don't buy it again). This can take a LONG time.

How often do you wash your hair? Are you sure the Queene Helen agrees with your scalp? Mint can be very strong. I would try a milder shampoo or watering it down for a little while and see if that helps with the oily scalp.

The vinegar may not agree with your hair either, some report dryness after use and won't touch it again. Then again it could be the olive oil. Not all oils are for every one and some of them can moisturize but only for some people.

I agree with a good clarifying, build up can cause a lot of issues including dryness and it doesn't just have to be -cones it can be just normal things in your water or most anything in any product. Follow that by a good SMT could do wonders.

Just a few things to help I hope. I know there are some around that have oily scalp issues. They will chime in here too :)

[florenonite]

I have fine hair that's oily at the roots and dryish at the ends (though that's improving) and one thing I found that helps is to shampoo only the roots and condition only the length and ends. Ursula has a great article about tips for newbies, including the suggestion that you should only try one thing at a time, etc. I'll see if I can find it for you.

ETA: Here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39) it is!

[~Lady Stardust~]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of y'alls wonderful advice! I guess what it's mostly about it trying to find out what is right for your own hair- that may take awhile, but I think it'll be worth it!

:cheese::luke::magic::hollie:

(I couldn't resist putting these smilies down!)