Hair Diagnostic assistance please - washed & air dried hair - now what?

[luxepiggy]

Hi everyone! My hair lost almost all of its shine over the last month, so I decided to try Kirin's Hair Diagnostic system to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it.

It's finished air drying now, but I realized . . . I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next! My hair is looking shinier than before the wash, so I'm guessing buildup was one of the issues. Still, at this point I do have quite a few more flyaways than normal, and it seems to be a little more prone to tangling than usual.

photos!
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair20100806.jpg

a more closeup pic of the ends
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair20100806b.jpg

you can see the flyaways pretty clearly here - top & side of the head
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair20100806c.jpg


So, what am I supposed to do now? Should I just get back in the shower and condition? Or something else? Thanks for your assistance! :o

[GlennaGirl]

Oh my God. Your hair type is...beautiful. (Is that one of the classifiers? :p ) Holy moley!

This is your hair without shine?

Sorry. Obviously, I'm not going to be much help here. :p Hopefully you'll get some good advice.

[luxepiggy]

Oh my God. Your hair type is...beautiful. (Is that one of the classifiers? :p ) Holy moley!

This is your hair without shine?

Sorry. Obviously, I'm not going to be much help here. :p Hopefully you'll get some good advice.

Thank you! Lovely compliments are always welcome, regardless of thread topic! (^(oo)~)

I'd say it's halfway back to shine (thanks to the clarifying wash) now, plus I think it got a big boost from the camera flash :p

[spidermom]

I agree with GG, your hair is GORGEOUS! It always takes good lighting to bring out the shine.

Everybody has fly-aways. It's the newer, shorter hairs (and probably some broken-off hairs as well). They don't have as much weight on them, so they tend to "float" above the longer hairs. I use product to control mine (styling gel, creme, pomade - whatever I have on hand). And conditioner is definitely a must to make combing easier. I'd definitely start with that - use some conditioner and your hair should look a lot smoother and not be so tangly.

[Synthemesc]

Great googly moogly, Your hair is FABBYTASTIC.

[luxepiggy]

Thank you Synthemesc! You're very kind (^(oo)^)v

[luxepiggy]

I agree with GG, your hair is GORGEOUS! It always takes good lighting to bring out the shine.

Everybody has fly-aways. It's the newer, shorter hairs (and probably some broken-off hairs as well). They don't have as much weight on them, so they tend to "float" above the longer hairs. I use product to control mine (styling gel, creme, pomade - whatever I have on hand). And conditioner is definitely a must to make combing easier. I'd definitely start with that - use some conditioner and your hair should look a lot smoother and not be so tangly.

thanks spidermom! Off to condition, hurrah! I'm so happy some of the shine has come back! :cheese:

[ChloeDharma]

Another here who thinks your hair looks stunning! If that is your hair with LESS shine then you really are lucky.

No helpfull tips here really, i just had to comment on how lovely your hair is.

[luxepiggy]

Another here who thinks your hair looks stunning! If that is your hair with LESS shine then you really are lucky.

No helpfull tips here really, i just had to comment on how lovely your hair is.

thanks ChloeDharma! I thank my mom every time I see her for passing on her excellent hair genes!:p Normally my hair looks more like it does in this photo; I guess I've been spoiled by my hitherto no-maintenance-required shine :o
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/10420100806.jpg

[ChloeDharma]

thanks ChloeDharma! I thank my mom every time I see her for passing on her excellent hair genes!:p Normally my hair looks more like it does in this photo; I guess I've been spoiled by my hitherto no-maintenance-required shine :o
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/10420100806.jpg

Lol so tell me, are you deliberately trying to make us all jealous?? :p

It is nice though to see thinner hair looking so good long, gives the rest of us hope ;)

[luxepiggy]

Lol so tell me, are you deliberately trying to make us all jealous?? :p

It is nice though to see thinner hair looking so good long, gives the rest of us hope ;)

hehe no way - there's so much amazing long hair on LHC already! piggy's already in the way towards the end of the long tail of diminishing marginal returns! :D

Besides, I'm right there with you . . . at the moment, I'm coveting that shiny hair myself!^ It seems to have run away from home :undecided

[Juneii]

It may just look like it in pictures. My hair is a bit more shiny than it looks in the photos I put up here.
However, for some odd reason my hair started to lose shine since I started LHC. I am doing some ACV rinses after my showers and my hair is slowly starting to regain its shine again :)

[luxepiggy]

If not for the recent shine loss, I never would have found LHC! So, on balance I think it was a pretty fair trade-off (^(oo)^)v

[Lassie]

i have no advice
just another :agape:
mere words cannot adequately describe the sheer beauty of your hairs shine!!!!

[ChloeDharma]

Ok, top of my head.....honey added to conditioner can really help give shine, as can diluted vinegar rinses. Jojoba oil used lightly after washing is the oil i use when i want shine. Brushing with a boar bristle brush temporarily makes my hair look shiny, though it can aggrivate static flyaways.

There are loads more but those are my staples.

[luxepiggy]

Ok, top of my head.....honey added to conditioner can really help give shine, as can diluted vinegar rinses. Jojoba oil used lightly after washing is the oil i use when i want shine. Brushing with a boar bristle brush temporarily makes my hair look shiny, though it can aggrivate static flyaways.

There are loads more but those are my staples.

Thanks for the tips! Do you have a preference between honey+conditioner vs. the diluted vinegar rinse? I'll try one of those first since I already have them at home. I never use brushes or combs, and my hair is pretty susceptible to static buildup, so BBB is probably not ideal for me :p

I hopped back in the shower and used my regular conditioner - definitely some additional improvement now vs. the photos in the first post. I was planning to carry on with my regular programme for a couple of weeks to see where the new equilibrium sets in before I attempt further experimentation. Do you think that's necessary, or should I move straight into your suggestions above?

Thank you again for providing so many suggestions!!
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/piggies/3heo131.gif

[ChloeDharma]

I think the honey added to conditioner tended to give more shine but i usually did both of them in a wash. I haven't used honey in ages though now but i prioritise the vinegar rinse because i use it to add essential oils to for scalp health.

My hair can be static prone too.....it actually will float if i use a BBB so i switched to a wooden comb and a bamboo brush.

I think your plan to assess where your hair is at now is probably quite sensible. I am rubbish at being that patient so i tend to do everything at once and not know which is doing what lol

[Anje]

Beautiful hair, and a little fly-away is normal after shampoo and no conditioner. Clarifying must be a major part of why you lost shine, because it's looking pretty good now.

Oh, and I seriously doubt you're a i thickness.... :D

[mariika]

wow, your hair was beautiful, what did you do to it? I mean, it's still great, but it was considerably better, it was perfect! you have to have used some new product on it or smth, what did you do over last month?

[luxepiggy]

wow, your hair was beautiful, what did you do to it? I mean, it's still great, but it was considerably better, it was perfect! you have to have used some new product on it or smth, what did you do over last month?

Unfortunately, it was out of my control - my regular line of shampoo & conditioner got discontinued! :(

Thus I tried & rejected at least 4 or 5 new products before settling on another line from the same company as my old stuff. I'm *hoping* that it was the trying of so many different products within a short period that caused the precipitous loss of shine! keep your fingers crossed for me! :o

[luxepiggy]

Beautiful hair, and a little fly-away is normal after shampoo and no conditioner. Clarifying must be a major part of why you lost shine, because it's looking pretty good now.

Oh, and I seriously doubt you're a i thickness.... :D

my hair is deceptive :p I'm right on the cusp of i and ii - my ponytail circumference is like 4.9cm, argh! :rolleyes:

[heidi w.]

Let's get this over with.

There's nothing "wrong" with your hair. Not a thing. You just seem to lack some basic information.

I recommend that you learn about the hair growth cycle. It might help to know about resting phases; loss & replacement phases; growth spurt phases.

Remember, all hair comes in from the root, and tends to stick out somehow from the mass. For super curlies, this can look like a halo effect until some weight is gained (from length) and lies thereby more in sync with the rest of the hair's form. Those supposed flyaways are not flyaways. THAT IS NEW GROWTH! <happy dance>. Until the new growth reaches the overall length of the majority of your hair, there will be a tendency for hairs to stick out from the mass.

You didn't state what kind of hair wash you did. Was it a clarifying hair wash -- that is using something to remove buildup? IF yes (I don't think so), then it's normal, if you did not condition the length as part of such a hair wash (depending on the product you used) -- then it's normal that hair will tend to fly away a bit, UNTIL there's some weight added as in product and/or sebum....SO if you want, think about conditioning more heavily (the length only, not scalp hair -- my opinion is that especially stick straight hair types probably don't need conditioner on scalp skin or scalp hair as this tends to weigh this zonage down and a kind of stringly look can arise faster -- til the next hair wash). In a CLARIFYING HAIR WASH scenario, if we don't condition as part of the process, then we have no replaced what's been removed.

I am looking at that photo of your ends, and I am willing to suggest that possibly you consider a trim to line up the hemline a bit, something between 1/2 - 1 full inch. BUT if someone else does it for you, be SURE they are clear on the measurement of hair to be trimmed off -- do not just say, "I want a trim" as then they will likely take off too much. State a specific measurement, and consider wearing a striped shirt, horizontal stripes (parallel to the floor) so they have a visual marker. And I suggest trimming dry, not wet.

Otherwise, your hair is in great condition. I think you should be very pleased with your hair.

heidi w.
PS I know nothing about this diagnostic system you are referencing.

[Vampire]

Piggy you are one of hair idols :D

[luxepiggy]

heidi w. - many thanks for your thorough and informative response!

I did in fact do a clarifying hair wash to remove buildup, so I think that's why there were more flyaways. After my initial post, I did as spidermom suggested and hopped back in the shower for some conditioner, after which the flyaways were mostly gone, hurrah! Per your explanation, it must have just been due to not putting back what was removed by the clarifying shampoo.

I'm way overdue for a trim, so I'll definitely be getting one as soon as my schedule allows (^(oo)^)v I've actually never thought about hair having a growth cycle; I'll definitely look into that as well - most interesting indeed!

Thank you again for your insights!

PS - I was following the steps listed in this article: Whats wrong with my hair? Hair Diagnostic Tips (http://http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44)

[luxepiggy]

Vampire - thank you!! http://forum.purseblog.com/images/smilies2/hugging.gif

[luxepiggy]

YAHOOO! This little piggy's hair came home! :cheese:

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair20100808.jpg

hopefully it doesn't run away again (^(oo)^)

[jacqueline101]

You're still lucky and blessed with great hair. Enjoy it.

[Angelica]

You have amazing hair, so thick and shiny. Gorgeous and it looks great loose. I don't see anything wrong with it. The ends are a bit uneven, but so what. I am envious. My poker straight hair can never look that great. You have so much body and shine to it. Well done :)

[ghost]

Your hair looks like silk! It's really beautiful :)

[faellen]

Zombie thread
back from the dead
to haunt your internets again!