Is dry hair really that bad?

[TawnyRoots]

Hi,

I am a new poster, trying to grow out hair from a grown out pixie, taking forever, *sigh*, anyway, I have been doing moisturising treatments and my hair looks better for it, BUT I am finding it much harder to stretch washes as my hair is getting greasier faster, my very dry hair could last for up to 5 days.... Has anyone else found this? Could well moisturised hair not really be a blessing after all?

Pics soon... x

[GoddesJourney]

The greasiness is not about the hair, it's about sebum (natural hair oil) from the scalp. That said, it is possible to have dry hair that is brittle and still greasy roots and scalp. The whole idea about stretching washes and using milder shampoos is not just about doing less stripping and damage to the actual hair, it's about not stripping the oil from the scalp. When you strip the scalp with detergents regularly, it causes the scalp to overproduce sebum and you get the greasiness. People experience greasiness when stretching washes but most people find it subsides after a week to a couple of months, depending on the person. Nothing to worry about.

If stretching washes in not working for you, I would suggest daily washing with a milder shampoo, one that does not contain sodium laurel/laureth sulfate as an ingredient. This will be less stripping to your hair and scalp but you can still get your daily wash. By the way, moisturizing your hair should not make your scalp greasier unless you're not rinsing it out well. However, some people find that products containing silicones (things ending in -cone, like dimenthicone) can leave their hair and scalp feeling coated. Most products labeled "moisturizing" or "extra moisture" or what-have-you just contain more silicones. They coat your hair and make it feel more slippery and hide damage. Everyone's hair and scalp are different. Some people have great success with "coney" products and some people do not. If you're doing deep moisture treatment with popular products, check the label. This may or may not be your culprit.

I also suggest really scrubbing your scalp (not rubbing your hair, just the scalp) with your fingertips when you wash to make sure you're getting your scalp really clean. Healthy scalp=healthy hair.

Good luck.

[Capybara]

First off, Welcome! :flower:

Secondly, your question..I have very dry hair, and a very dry scalp, and while it is easy for my to stretch washes, I do find that I have to use a lot of oil and cones if I want my hair to stay healthy.

It could be a budget issue :P

[Dreams_in_Pink]

before you decide what to do, i insist you make sure your hair is "dry". i see you have medium/coarse hair. Coarse hair isn't soft and shiny like fine hair, and that is often misinterpreted as "dry hair". Coarse hair is coarse and unfortunately nothing you'll do will change that (except for bleach, LOL)

For example, conditioner doesn't do anything good for my hair even if i leave it on overnight. As soon as i rinse it all away, the feeling is gone :D you need to see how your hair reacts to popular treatments here like snowymoon's moisture treatment (SMT) coconut oil, various washing methods and cone-free conditioners.

[TawnyRoots]

Thanks so much for the responses! My hair is dry as there HAS been a definite improvement in the feel of my hair since taking a bit more care with conditioning. You may well be right though and my hair my be medium which is currently disguised as coarse, only time will tell!

Cabybara, I miss dry scalp! I think GoddesJourney is correct and I have been confusing hair and scalp issues, doh, so eventually I am looking forward to dry scalp and moisturised hair, (is such a thing possible???) now that truelly is DREAM HAIR!

Good luck everyone with your hair journeys x

[BelleBot]

Some people find that using conditioners and moisture treatments on their scalp doesn't work well for them, so perhaps try just conditioning and putting moisture treatments on you hair from the ears down, avoiding your scalp. Might be worth a try.
Good luck, it takes a while to find a routine that agrees with both your hair and your scalp.

[ravenreed]

I have a horribly oily scalp and very dry ends. I would love to swap them! For me, dry ends means more splits. At your length, this might not be as much of a worry.

I have not successfully stretched washes. I like my scalp hair to look fresh and that means not going more than 3 days without a cleansing and even that is pushing it. I suggest you try not doing so much moisturizing, but focusing more on gentle cleansing and see how your hair likes it.

[cmnt831]

Thanks so much for the responses! My hair is dry as there HAS been a definite improvement in the feel of my hair since taking a bit more care with conditioning. You may well be right though and my hair my be medium which is currently disguised as coarse, only time will tell!

Cabybara, I miss dry scalp! I think GoddesJourney is correct and I have been confusing hair and scalp issues, doh, so eventually I am looking forward to dry scalp and moisturised hair, (is such a thing possible???) now that truelly is DREAM HAIR!

Good luck everyone with your hair journeys x

I thought my hair was Medium until joined here and started getting my hair properly moisturized. Now I realize it's Fine. So, you could be right and have Medium hair in disguise. :p

[Laylah]

Welcome! :flowers:

Well first off, YES, dry hair is really that bad... It gets broken and frizzy, snaps and the bottom, gives you a "halo", and worst of all it /always/ breaks when you comb it!

With regard to having a dry scalp, that's not very good either, because it gets flaky and irritated. The best thing is to have a balance of "just right"- and it's not always easy to achieve, especially with the scalp!

A common tip is to only condition the length of the hair, and to only shampoo the scalp and roots. This keeps the scalp from getting to oily and the length from getting too dry. But you've got to find out what works exactly for you :) good luck!

[mintyhot]

you could try distributing the oil throughout your hair (i hear boar bristles are helpful) ,and after a while of not washing your hair a lot and with harsh detergents, you wont produce as much sebum. From experience, dry hair is not good! When i have dry hair it breaks easily and feels terrible! like others said, try moisturizing only from the ears down.