Canopy Care

[ElusiveMuse]

I hope I'm using the lingo right, the canopy is basically the top layer of hair, right?

Well, mine is a mess. Tons of flyaways from my shedding (which I think is more than normal due to stress that isn't going away any time soon so I just have to deal as best I can) and way more dry than beneath that one top layer. It doesn't curl like the rest of my hair does, and I think the texture problem is because it's more damaged. Underneath, my hair is beautiful so I know it can't be entirely stress/diet related.

What do you do for your hair to keep all of it healthy?

Right now I wash and condition every two days or so with pretty gentle, moisturizing products, clarify once a week with an SLS free scalp shampoo from Trader Joe's (Tingle shampoo, look at the ingredients, tons of good stuff in there), and I oil once a day with either coconut oil or Panacea salve.

What gives? My hairstyles? (Buns, mostly.)

[Kathie]

I use a mister before and after I style- it contains sweet almond oil, aloe vera, and glycerin diluted in distilled water. The before spritz is on the ends to give them a little more moisture. The after style spritz is to protect my canopy and hair that will be exposed to the elements for the day. Also it stops any frizzies.

[ElusiveMuse]

Hmm...interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. I was using an Aveda leave-in conditioner with an SPF but I stopped because I suspect the chamomile was lightening my hair. I wonder if I need to work on an alternative method of element protection? I think aloe has sun blocking properties.

[RachelRain]

I have that too. a lot of mine, though, is because my snake likes to crawl up on top of my head and sit there. I should discourage him but I can't, he's too cute to get upset with.

I just squish a dot of conditioner and some aloe gel in my hands and smear it on. it doesn't stop the frizz down the length, but since I wear it down a lot, I'd have that anyways.

I did notice however, if I slap some leave in on my hair and put it up in a bun right after a shower, I don't get any frizz except right at my temples where the stuff never grows. I'm not a huge fan of buns but if I have to go somewhere and look nice, it's a good precautionary thing.

[spidermom]

I use more conditioner and more oil on my canopy. It's not too bad.

[loralie]

Yeah, I tend to pull up the section of hair around my part (so the very very top layer) and give it a little extra conditioning and it's own oil. Because my hair is layered, it doesn't always get enough when i'm smoothing the oil/conditioner through the rest of my ends.

[SilvraShadows]

My canopy is a child of its own... it's not silky and smooth like the rest of my hair. It's fuzzy and so much drier. So between washes I section it off and CO just that part for extra moisture. It helps a lot! Oils help too, but mostly after it has been moisturized first. I think mine is terminal, it won't grow past 20ish inches.