On short hair, Moisture less important?

[kwaniesiam]

My hair has not been short in a very long time, and it's lank, flat, and rather lifeless since I've been washing it. I use Burt's Bees raspberry and brasil nut S&C every day, with suave clarifying shampoo diluted every few days and a lighter Nature's Gate volumizing conditioner to mix it up, yet still my hair is very dull. Soft, healthy feeling, yet dull. It just doesn't look good, and isn't really long enough to put up yet. Should I experiment in finding something less moisturizing to keep my hair light and not so weighted down? I think I was over compensating from what it had been through the past few months, and now that it has normalized, I'm over conditioning. Not good for one with thin, fine, straight hair like me.

It doesn't so much feel over conditioned as it looks it. When I over condition, my hair gets sticky and greasy looking, this doesn't, it's just stringy and flat. Any input? I don't use any form of heat styling or blow frying and don't plan to. TIA :flowers:

[teela1978]

I think it might be time to clarify. Maybe do a full on wash with your suave? That's what tends to make my hair dull.

[kwaniesiam]

I washed with the clarifying shampoo earlier, and it still feels icky and flat. Are there any other methods of clarifying I could try, like baking soda? I don't want to totally strip it and dry it out, but since the ends aren't far from the scalp the oils are being distributed well.

[Tangles]

Actually, my shoulder length hair needs more moisturizing than it did when it was long, if only because dryness SHOWS more on short hair. But that's just me. (When can I say "APL hair?" PLEEEASE)

[SarieQ]

You mentioned that your hair hadn't been this short in a while. Could it be that it's not used to being short yet? I know that sounds strange, but my hair always goes through a phase of adjusting to a new cut, just as I have to get used to the new cut! Also, when you had it that short before, were you practicing gentle haircare or were you still treating it as we all pretty much did before LHC? There's a difference between healthy shorter hair or dryer fuller abused hair.

[Emme76]

Hey!
I know your feeling. I have the same hair type...thin, fine and often flat. I bet clarifying is very good, but after trying myself...I find that my thin, fine hair doesn´t need clarifying very often since I don´t use heavy products and lots of it. My hair tends to get dry and flat from clarifying every week. Maybe you should try not to do it so often, depending ofcause if you use a lot of heavy products or not.
When my hair is stringy and flat it also neeeds some protein. I often do a protein treatment (egg and olive oil) and then a moisturizing treatment. But my hair also likes cones (don´t use cones every wash), but completely without it - it gets stringy after a while and just flat, shapeless....

My hair also loves jojobaoil and coconut oil.
And I know it sounds a bit strange...lol..but my hair also reacts to what brush I use. When it airdries I just comb with a very wide comb...but then I have to brush it with my Boar bristle brush....otherwise it will stay flat and stringy on my head :)!

Hope you find out what helps your hair!
Take care
/Emme

[rhosyn_du]

You say "since I've been washing it;" does that mean you've been doing things differently since you cut your hair? If it's a substantial difference in routine, you might want to try going back to what you were doing for your long hair and making minor adjustments from there until you hit the right routine.

[Kuchen]

FWIW I found that most LHC treatments like CO and SMT and oiling didn't start to feel 'relevant' to my hair till it got quite a distance below shoulderlength. Now I understand it, but I don't think I needed it earlier.

[Emme76]

My short hair likes SMT.:D...but I don´t need to only CO as much. I do use less schampoo and not every time I wash (only on my scalp).

I think it might depend on what hair type you have and if it has some damage or not. My hair has gotten alot better from all the treatments - like oiling, protein when needed, SMT!

I just have to be careful not to dry it out to much( mine gets dry from clarifying), or use way to much heavy conditioners so I make it heavy. I also use cassia - but it also makes it dry so I have to mix in some CO :)!

I think every hair is a bit different. For some the treatments work wonders on shorter hair and others probably don´t need it!!!!!:)...

But keep in mind what rhosyn_du mentioned...have you changed your routine a lot after cutting it?
Hope it will work out....:)

/Emme

[Tap Dancer]

When my hair was short, I didn't need much conditioner. I find that the longer my hair gets, the more conditioner I need but the roots get greasy faster (even though I don't condition them after shampooing). Of course my hair was thinned out quite a bit when it was short and it's thick again now. That was probably the difference. Sorry; I don't think my post is helpful at all. :shrug: LOL

[Anje]

I'm wondering if part of the problem is mechanical damage from removing the locs, kwaniesiam. Still, if it feels limp and over-conditioned, you could skip the conditioner for a day and see if that helps.

[lora410]

Are you using a cone condish? My hair gets limp, stringy and jsut blah with cone condish.

[spidermom]

You might try washing it with diluted shampoo whenever you need to and skipping the conditioner for now or using no more than a pea-sized amount. You could also try applying the conditioner first, then washing.

[talullah]

My hair definitely needed less moisture when it was short (shoulder-length and above). For a while, I didn't even use conditioner. Shampoo only. :shrug:

[Kirin]

I say skip the conditioner all together, or use it BEFORE you shampoo, and not after. Weird I know, but i don't condition too often or i get limp lifelessness as well, and i find if i condition my hair before the shampoo ( and let it hang out while i do other showerly duties first), I get really good results.

A touch of a light leave in on ends only is usually all my hair needs.

[Pegasus Marsters]

I have to use more shampoo and less conditioner with my hair short. Mostly I think I conditioned out of habit when it was very short.

[missy60]

If you shampoo every day and are not using any products you shouldnt need to clarify every week. Has your hair been colored? If it has I would continue to use some kind of light conditioner a pea sized amount even diluted down maybe. Does your hair look better on the days you use the Suave shampoo? My hair is so much more shiney with a sulfate shampoo diluted way down then when I use a non sulfate. I also would try an SMT with honey and a vinegar rinse afterward, those always work excellant to bring out the shine. My hair is funny I guess but SMT cleans my hair better then just regular CO. I do it just as a one step process just apply SMT leave it on and hop in the shower and rinse.

If your hair has been damaged sometimes it just takes a while for the shine to come back.

[jojo]

or how about diluting your conditioner and skipping the poo bit out, apart from just once a week with a diluted poo?

ETA- sorry i have just literally repeated what SM said!! * must read all the post first!*

[kwaniesiam]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I think I'm just using way too much conditioner for the amount of hair I have. I'll try using a lot less, and maybe before the 'poo to see if that helps. My hair does look better when I use the clarifying shampoo, normally my burt's bees works great but after about the 3rd/4th day it starts to feel icky. I don't use cones, but since my S&C is are so rich I think it leaves some buildup. All the old chemically damaged hair has been trimmed away, so now it's just virgin roots and henna/ cassia.

[chrissy-b]

My hair is fine and thin also and I find that when I clarify my hair is flatter than when it's a bit dirty. Also, when I S&C every day my hair was pretty lifeless too.

The best thing I've found so far is to CO daily with a cone-free conditioner that I've added a little tea tree oil to. There will be a period of adjustment from S&C daily and you hair will probably look greasier for a while, but it will get better. Jojoba oil on the length and a little sebum oil gives my hair body and makes it seem thicker.

[FrannyG]

Shorter hair still needs moisture, especially if you plan to grow it long again. The difficult thing is to adjust the amounts of moisturizing products that you use for your shorter length. You need very little to do the trick. I wish you luck in perfecting your new routine. :flowers:

[Pegasus Marsters]

I'd also say shorter hair gets greasier faster... normally you can brush the oils through your hair but because your hair is shorter there's less places for it to go! I can't go nearly as long without washing as i used to.

[kwaniesiam]

I noticed that too, before with the dreads I went a week between washings, now I can hardly go a day with it short, even though my scalp had time to adjust to the less frequent washings for 3 months. Nope, still a grease pit. I just washed my hair, did a modified CWC with a very light conditioner after the shampooing, and it seems a lot better :) I'll give it a week as a test run to see if this is a good new routine until I get some longer length.