Unable to find satisfying routine

[Tangles]

My hair has every possible problem:
-frizzes when its rainy
-looks lank and flat 1-2 days after washing
-always very very dry and crunchy, even if oily at the top

Basically, the only times when my hair seems soft is right after I CO, but a day after I CO it just feels dry again. I can't slather my hair with conditioner every day!

I realize these are common problems, but CO seems to exacerbate it. I also feel I absolutely must wash every other day if I want to wear my hair down. I clarify fairly often, but I don't use lots of shampoo on a regular basis. Does it sound like I should start oiling? Is it okay to oil shoulder length hair? I am shedding so much too!

[Kirin]

The "crunchy" makes me think you may be having a protein issue. I experience exceptional dryness/crunchiness on my shoulder length hair if i use anything with protien in it.

I am a daily wash and conditioner, and have much softer hair if i kick out protein entirely, and now can often skip conditioner (which helps the oilies) now that its back to better shape.

[Riot Crrl]

Basically, the only times when my hair seems soft is right after I CO, but a day after I CO it just feels dry again.

Mine too.


I can't slather my hair with conditioner every day!

That's what I do.

[mommy2one05]

I would not see why the oil couldn't be used on your length of hair, and it will probably help cut down on frizzys some. Have you used a deep conditioner to help with the dryness or maybe an smt?

[chrissy-b]

My ends were very damaged and dry from repeated chemical treatments. I had to cut a lot off (I'm NOT suggesting you do that too :)) but I still had very dry ends. My hair is also very oily at the roots.

What has helped me is CO daily, CWC 2x a week, a leave-in every day and daily oiling of the ends with coconut or jojoba oil. Coconut oil has helped the most as it softens the ends, soaks in and doesn't make my hair look oily, and it rinses out easily if you use too much with CO.

Also, if you are using cones on your hair, you could try not using them for a while to see if that helps. I stopped a while ago and my hair did go through a period of adjustment, but it feels great now. It's the softest it's ever been.

Good luck and search the boards for new things to try. There's a lot of great info here!

[maskedrose]

I had to be the bringer of bad news, but some of us simply can't wear our hair down past wash day (or the day after, if you wash at night). I CO now, but I have done SC and CWC and I still had to wear by hair up if I was going to stretch washes out longer than every other day.

My hair also feels best right after COing and starts to feel crunchy the day after. My solution? Mist generously and apply more oil (I alternate between jojoba, coconut and olive) and then wear it up.

Oh and finally - 2 hair will almost always frizz when its rainy. Unless you have an extremely slow shed and regrowth cycle, as long as you have baby hairs along your length, they will curl up like mad when humidity strikes.

Sounds to me like you are trying to go against your hairtype, willing it to be what it is not. I suggest finding something that truly does work with your hairtype (not what you wish it to be) and then enjoying those lovely waves. I promise, once you stop fighting and accept it, wavy hair is a glorious thing!!

[BlndeInDisguise]

The "crunchy" makes me think you may be having a protein issue. I experience exceptional dryness/crunchiness on my shoulder length hair if i use anything with protien in it.

You might have something there. Tangles: what kind of conditioner do you use?

Something that I do once in a while (especially if I'm in a hurry) is when I'm in the shower, I hold the length of my hair out of the water so it stays relatively dry, and put conditioner or shampoo on the scalp part of my hair. And then rinse it out. All while trying to keep the length of my hair as dry as possible.

I don't bother putting conditioner on the length because it's usually fairly dry. When I get out, and the water runs down more, the length gets some damp, but it helps moisturize my hair as well. And it doesn't take so long to dry. ;)

[Islandgrrl]

I think maybe looking at the ingredients in the products you are using to see what's causing the problem. Is it too much protein? You mention that you clarify farily often - does that change things temporarily? Perhaps your hair is really not protein-loving at all. What about cones? Are you getting buildup?

Consider lightly oiling your length when it's fairly damp, and bunning it to protect the ends. It might make a difference. Also a deep conditioning treatment on the ends?

You may just be one of those people who has to wash more often, or if you don't want to do that, wear your hair up on the "dirty days."

FWIW, I used to experience very dry crispy ends and discovered that my hair does not like protein (out the window with my cherished GPB conditioner, thankyouverymuch) and my hair does not like cones either. I stick with mostly CO, but the occasional SC and my hair is MUCH better.

I do hope you get it figured out and that your hair gets happier!

[Stephanie]

Damp bunning (or twist if hair's not long enough) always gets me through these phases. I shampoo, condition, towel dry, apply a drop or two of oil, and wrap up in a bun or twist. I leave it until the next washing. I'll take it down briefly to smooth, mist and rebun if needed.

Anyway, just a thought.

[jojo]

sounds just like mine when i first joined, I shampoo just once a week and CO wash inbetween. Try bunning it when its wet, makes it so much smoother. Also AVG is great for the frizzes, just wet hands and 1-2 pumps is enough, just grab the ends of your hair with it, then gently smooth the top bit, helps me loads!

eta-camillia oil is excellent too in making my hair super soft and shinny!

[soleluna]

we seem to have a similar hairtype.. CO didn't work for me at all. I go much better with my new routine (in my blog, if you care) and with oiling.. shea butter on damp ends works wonders, as do deep oilings once every two weeks (or more often, when my hair feels dry.. I have oily scalp but dry ends)

With CO, I lost LOADS of hair.

[Tangles]

Soleluna, judging from your siggy pic, your hair is the closest to mine I've found on this board. I'm going to try shea butter. I find that ours is the hardest hairtype to work with, because it has qualities of both straight and curly hair and sometimes one routine might work at a given time yet will fail the next time. *grr*

[jojo]

>>>>>>>>>off to read your blog!

I just ordered some herbs to do weekly rinses in, will let you know how they act with our type hair!

[jojo]

Soleluna, judging from your siggy pic, your hair is the closest to mine I've found on this board. I'm going to try shea butter. I find that ours is the hardest hairtype to work with, because it has qualities of both straight and curly hair and sometimes one routine might work at a given time yet will fail the next time. *grr*

i find this too, my hair is seasonal summer loves CO washes only, yet winter like the odd drop of shampoo, diluted conditioner and poo are good for our type hair too.

[Tangles]

BTW, my hair likes the occasional dose of protein. I've been using the V05 fake hot oil treatments, and they make my hair feel a lot thicker and stronger. Doesn't seem to make me crunchy. I'd say my hair does NOT like cones, but it's really hard to stop using them altogether, especially as my hair is currently too short to weigh down my waves.

[Cinnamon Hair]

Thread Title: Unable to find satisfying routine
You joined last month. Don't expect a miracle. It can take time to find the right routine, certainly more than a month.


Basically, the only times when my hair seems soft is right after I CO, but a day after I CO it just feels dry again. I can't slather my hair with conditioner every day!
At shoulder length it may be necessary to CO or CWC every day. Your scalp is producing more oil than your short length can handle. You need to either gradually lengthen your washing routine and accept the greasies in the meantime, or wash daily.


I realize these are common problems, but CO seems to exacerbate it.
CO doesn't work for everyone. Even for people who like it, CO may take a few months for the scalp to adjust from your previous routine. I have been doing CO daily for over 5 years but it wasn't great from the start... I spent a long time experimenting with different methods of CO before finding one that worked for me, and even then, it took time for my scalp to adjust.


I also feel I absolutely must wash every other day if I want to wear my hair down.
Sounds like a plan.



I clarify fairly often, but I don't use lots of shampoo on a regular basis. Does it sound like I should start oiling? Is it okay to oil shoulder length hair? I am shedding so much too!
Oiling might exascerbate the problem. Try not to switch too many things at once.

[Tangles]

Thanks everyone. I am a little depressed about my hair today. I washed it with cones and blew dry it on cool for 5 minutes, then put it in a claw clip and am going to bed like that. It looks good.

I think I need to stop stressing so much, but it's hard not to as I specifically cut my hair to shoulders to get rid of damage and now I am getting all dried out again before I even have any visible signs of growth. :(

[soleluna]

BTW, my hair likes the occasional dose of protein. I've been using the V05 fake hot oil treatments, and they make my hair feel a lot thicker and stronger. Doesn't seem to make me crunchy. I'd say my hair does NOT like cones, but it's really hard to stop using them altogether, especially as my hair is currently too short to weigh down my waves.


I do egg masks once in a while for the protein :)

Anyway, I switched from cones to no cones too... a little at a time. If you need any help with that, I'd be glad.
Embrace the waves :)

I do my own oil treatments.. now I prefer natural haircare and found out my hair responds much better.

When I switched to no cones no sulphate poo, but was still using a commercial conditioner (no cones, but not even nearly natural.. full of crappy ingredients) teh conditioner left my hair so slimy! with cone/sulphate poo I didn't notice.

This is to say, it's all about experimenting!

For summer I might t ry a different routine, but this works for me wuite well now!

[soleluna]

>>>>>>>>>off to read your blog!

I just ordered some herbs to do weekly rinses in, will let you know how they act with our type hair!

oh please let us know!!

[Katze]

Great advice here.

I just wanted to add that finding a "routine" can take a LONG time - in my case, as a fellow frizzy, about a year. :) Some of us never stick with one set routine, either, but have a "repertoire" of different things we can use depending on what our hair wants.

It may take you a while to find out what your hair wants. As others have mentioned, trying lots of different things at once can be overwhelming, and prevent you from trying one thing at a time. We've all done it, so don't worry. :)

CO may be the reason you have to wash so frequently. Maybe your hair isn't getting as clean as it should.

hth!

Katze

[florenonite]

I've got similar hair to you, and I've been here nearly a year and still haven't got a good routine.

[soleluna]

I joined one year before you, florenonite, and have found my routine only NOW.

[florenonite]

This feels like it may turn into a 'I took longer than you!' competition, so I'm just going to clarify by saying that I meant that the OP shouldn't despair at not having found a working routine already as it does take time.

[soleluna]

This feels like it may turn into a 'I took longer than you!' competition, so I'm just going to clarify by saying that I meant that the OP shouldn't despair at not having found a working routine already as it does take time.

Oh no, not at all! My post meant exactly the same: that you shouldn't despair if you haven't found the perfect routine after two years :)

ETA: I'm not the competitive type, BTW. Competition is usually toward myself only: what I can PERSONALLY improve, and do better than before.

[florenonite]

Oh no, not at all! My post meant exactly the same: that you shouldn't despair if you haven't found the perfect routine after two years :)

ETA: I'm not the competitive type, BTW. Competition is usually toward myself only: what I can PERSONALLY improve, and do better than before.

Ok, good. I just wasn't sure if you'd interpreted mine as being a complaint and you trying to prove yours was 'worse' or if you'd interpreted it as in that I just meant it takes time. Glad to see we agree!

[soleluna]

Ok, good. I just wasn't sure if you'd interpreted mine as being a complaint and you trying to prove yours was 'worse' or if you'd interpreted it as in that I just meant it takes time. Glad to see we agree!

:flowers::grouphug::beercheer:

[icydove]

My hair has every possible problem:
-frizzes when its rainy
I think most people's hair does this! You've mentioned shea butter, which is a great tamer of rainy day frizzies.


-looks lank and flat 1-2 days after washing
As people have mentioned in this thread, some people need to wash their hair frequently. I took me a *long* time to stretch out my washes so my hair didn't do this. I'm talking many, many months. It takes a while to retrain your scalp to calm the oil production.


-always very very dry and crunchy, even if oily at the top
I'm guessing one of two things (or both) are going on here. Either your hair is damaged or your conditioner(possibly your routine) is not working for you. If your hair is damaged, there may not be anything you can do to change this until the damage is removed. If your hair is otherwise healthy, then you need to look at changing conditioners or changing your routine. You might need to use two different conditioners for COing, for instance; one for washing and a heavier one for conditioning.


Basically, the only times when my hair seems soft is right after I CO, but a day after I CO it just feels dry again. I can't slather my hair with conditioner every day!
There are several people at LHC who CO wash daily. The whole "Curly Girl" method encourages it. I understand if you don't *want* to CO wash everyday, but it is a valid routine. You might try misting your hair on the non-wash days to give it an extra boost.


Does it sound like I should start oiling? Is it okay to oil shoulder length hair? I am shedding so much too!
It is fine to oil shoulder length hair. I don't read your post and automatically think, "Oh, she needs to oil her hair." If you know your hair is damaged, then oiling it could make it feel nicer. If it isn't damaged, you may want to work on tweaking your routine some more before adding oiling into the mix.

[mommy2one05]

just be patient and hang in there
you will find a routine that works for you

[Sana]

I guess it's too many things being tried too often. Just give some time for each routine before you try a new thing. I follow a 2 week rule. If something doesn't still look good after 2 weeks, I decide it doesn't work for me. Try to be a minimalist on days you stay at home. I just put my hair in a updo & let it be on days I don't work. As everyone else said patience is the keyword:)

[savi]

First of all.. No matter how frustrating it is, it takes time to find out what's best for you. No need to stress.

Personally I'd recommend finding hair twins or cousins. People with the same hair type/problems/what ever you want to solve with and lurk them. See what works for them. Reading blogs or other posts from them seems usefull imho.

And last. Even if you have a good routine going on some days just aren't as good as others. Life's unpredictable.
And I second Cinnamon Hair & icydove. They know what they're talking about.

Edit. Found this article (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=16571) from the old board.
HTH.