I'm new, Please help

[Bagheera409]

I want HEALTHY hair down just passed my hips!! Right now the longest point is at my lower back, it's not all one length because my hair was layered in the past. It's not beautiful, but it isn't extremely awful looking either. I have very fine hair, oily roots and dry split ends. I'm new and just learning about the goods and bads, do's and don'ts of hair. I still haven't changed or made a routine because I feel I haven't yet figured out what is best for my hair. Help?!? I'm currently using Head and Shoulders moisture shampoo on roots. And use Rusk cleanse about once a week. On my ends I alternate using those tubes of conditioners that come in box colors and Pantene "long hair" conditioner. I don't think these are good for my hair but it's all I know for now and the seem to keep my hair ALRIGHT besides the dry, split ends. I do color my hair every fews months and I'm looking for better options for a healthier way but I need the right color. I read about soap and shampoo bars and I like the idea of not putting all that extra chemical crap in my hair but I'm afraid it would keep my roots from being excessively oily. I HAVE to wash my hair every day because when I wake up in the morning the top part of my hair is ridiculously greasy and I just can't go out in public like that :oops: I NEVER wash my ends with shampoo because they are pretty dry. But I do condition them every day. I also put Garnier Fructis Fortifying Leave-In Serum pretty often and it makes it LOOK nice, but I doubt it's good for your hair. I wouldn't know. I also just started trying BedHead ego boost split end mender. Who knows if it's working. Last night I put coconut oil in my hair and left it in over night and it felt oily while I was washing it out so I scrubbed with shampoo and I think it lost most of the benefit because of that. The top of my hair came out pretty nice but the bottom was just alright. I'm sorry this is really long and I'm sorry if I sound like a moron but please bare with me I just started researching all of this. I'm trying to salvage my ends and I think I might chop off only half the damage (I really don't want to but I need to be brave) and start dusting or micro trimming every few weeks. If you have ANY suggestion, input, I would be SOOO grateful!! Also I was thinking maybe the products I use are blocking moisture and if I should clarify, and then do I protein treat and the moisturize? Should I skip the protein and just moisturize? What's a good protein treatment, if I should do that? And then I guess what I'm asking is what should I do as a daily routine? What will keep the oil out of my roots and the moisture in my ends. Should I use a shampoo bar on my roots and a soap bar on my ends? Visa versa? :confused: Again I'm sorry this turned out so long and thank you!! Oh, and please don't say things like "CO" because I'm still learning what those mean although I can kind of guess haha!!

[Bagheera409]

Oh also I was thinking about using the MegaTek shampoo for horses. Besides the benefit of hair growth, is there anything in it that causes damage??

[Milui Elenath]

Welcome!
There's a lot of answers for some of your questions and unfortunately you and your hair will have to discover which ones are the right ones.

I suggest you have a look at this article Ursulas standard newbie advice
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39

Also PH is very important for your scalp and I notice that you are using different shampoo / conditioners. If you are going to stick with conventional shampoo/condition I would suggest using the same brand, IMO.

I think you would also be interested in the catnip thread for split ends.

When oiling it takes practice. I'm assuming what you are after is a light oil on the length only. Do not apply to your scalp. Start with a drop, apply to your ends and then a bit further up and down the length again. Only add more oil when your hair looks like it has absorbed it. Keep going until your hair feels supple.

What colour are you after? If its red I know someone will come along and help you -:eyebrows:

[Bagheera409]

Thanks so much for responding. I'm looking for a sort a light reddish brown, almost like a strawberry blonde but a little browner. It's hard to find anything with that color.

[CrisDee]

Hi Bagheera, and welcome :flower: What is your natural hair color? Have you ever considered coloring with henna or henna/cassia? There's a wealth of information on these in the Recipes, Henna and Herbal Haircare forum. There's a lot of info on this forum to absorb and process when you're new, and the standard advice is to do some research and then try one thing at a time - the natural inclination is to try everything at once to hurry things along, which makes it hard to know what's working and what isn't. Good luck with your quest! :)

[Bagheera409]

Hi, thank you for replying!! I'm a very light ash blonde with natural light blonde highlights. If I highlight my hair (which I do when all my reddish dye comes out) it looks like I dyed the whole thing blonde. My hair keeps blonde colors but doesn't hold darker color for very long.

[DragonLady]

When I came here my hair was as dry as the Sahara. I didn't know that, then. I knew it was dry, but not just how bad it was.

Once a week I mix a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of each of three different moisturizing conditioners, put it on my freshly washed hair, tie a plastic bag over it, then wrap it in a towel. I leave it on for at least an hour, then have a long rinse with cool (but not cold) water.

That has done wonders for making my hair -especially my ends- stay nice all week. And I don't get the greasie scalp that I used to get, either.

[brunette]

May I suggest that the daily shampooing is what causes the oily roots to recurr each day?
I realize you wash because of the greasiness but continuing to keep removing the oils would most likely be why you get oily again so soon, your skin pushes sebum through to moisturise when something harsh has been used. Maybe switch to a gentle shampoo suited to dry/normal hair to attempt to calm down overproduction of oils.
I'm not familiar with Head & Shoulders products nowadays but I do remember salons used to advise against medicated for dandruff type shampoos for constant use in the 'old days' but I might be out of touch now ;)
Some people would recommend Conditioner Only washing, it didn't do anything for me I'd say, but my scalp was very dry. I've had the best cleansing from Indian Herbs so maybe do some research on non-darkening ones like Aritha which can leave a tanlike stain but if you just wash it straight off after a few mins it should be fine.
Most importantly, do heed the advice to try one new thing at a time so that you can be sure if it works or not.
Best of luck!

[HairColoredHair]

Also PH is very important for your scalp and I notice that you are using different shampoo / conditioners. If you are going to stick with conventional shampoo/condition I would suggest using the same brand, IMO.


I've never had a problem mixing and matching. I think the insistence on matchy matchy poo/cond is bunk, but that's just my opinion. :)

[BrightEyes7]

Personally, when I used Head and Shoulders it made my roots really greasy! So try a different shampoo.

Also I would maybe try a different oil. Like EVOO, extra virgin olive oil.

Protective hairstyles as has been already said. Buns, braids, etc.

No one will be able to tell you what your daily routine should be. Unfortunately there is no routine that works for everyone. Each scalp and head of hair is different, so it is simply trial and error.

[MissMandyElizab]

HI
It looks like the others have taken very good care of you and i'm kinda new her my self they are very help full !!!! The cat nip works and if you do use the shampoo and conditioner the same brand does work with each other best.HENNA IS FUN ! BUT I LIKE TEA GLOSS! have fun and you would like a shampoo bar i bet ...i wasnt so sure when i got my first one.