Hair Care in Russia - Advice

[Yozhik]

Hello! I am moving to a provincial city in Russia next Tuesday for the next 10 months, and I would like to get some advice regarding what types of products I should bring to take care of my hair while abroad. I would also appreciate some advice on some ways in which I might have to change my haircare routine.

I will be living in a fairly large city of ~600,000 people, but I doubt the same hair products will be available to me there.

My hair care routine is as follows: wash twice a week with shampoo bars, followed by a heavy conditioner and optional coconut/aloe leave-in. I either plop or comb/brush out with my horn comb or tangle teezer after my hair is partially dried. Between washes I alternate between wearing my hair up and having it down. Occasionally I do deep conditions with SMTs or just conditioner/coconut/aloe mixes.

I was thinking of definitely bringing coconut oil and some shampoo bars, but what about conditioner? Should I count on being able to find no-cone conditioners? I try to use products that are as natural as possible. I guess I'll count on getting honey, and possibly aloe vera gel there, too.

On slightly another topic, I also have some concerns regarding my routine: the place I will be staying is considerably colder than I am used to, and I am worried that I may need to blowdry my hair, especially in the winter, as temperatures range from -25 to -45 Celsius! A little of blowfrying is better than frozen hair, though, right? :bigeyes:

I apologize for the slightly rambling post . . . I guess I'm just a little apprehensive about moving, and it's making me want to over-analyze every aspect of my packing :o

Thanks in advance for any advice and support you all can give me in my move! :flower:

ETA: Update in post #56

[christine1989]

Due to the high mineral content of Russian soil and groundwater I have heard that in most of Russia they have very hard water so you should try to bring a charcoal shower filter and buy a good clairifying shampoo when you get there to prevent buildup. I doubt your hair will actually freeze but the cold tempatures and wind will probobly cause frizz and dryness so definatly look for a deep conditioner and oil when you arrive.

[Yozhik]

Thanks, christine! Good to know about the water mineral content.
I guess I'll have to get used to reading ingredients labels in other languages :)

[naereid]

If all else fails, there are Lush stores in Russia, so that's one source for poo bars and conefree conditioners. The Body Shop might also be of some use.

They've also got Garnier for sure, so there might be Triple Nutrition. And some of these are conefree (http://www.garnier.com.ru/_ru/_ru/our_products/range-struct.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS%5EPRD_HAIRCARE%5EN ATURE_CARE%5ENATURE_CARE_HOME), too. I've tried the avocado one and the cranberry one.

It's not going to be like it is at home, but I'm sure that with a little bit of searching everything's going to be fine. :)

[Night_Kitten]

I lived in Russia (Siberia) when I was a child, I don't remember much about what products there were (and I think it's irrelevant anyway - we left 19 years ago...), but as for the weather - when temperatures go below the freezing point, I advise wearing a hat and put your hair either up and in the hat or under your coat (if it's a braid) when you go outside even if it's not damp, because as the hair itself does not freeze, even the smallest ammount of moisture on the surfice of it can freeze, and you could have breakage from that... If your hair is damp putting it up and in your hat is a good solution, but not if it's wet (the hat will soak the water and your head will get really cold - that's a real health risk in very low temperatures...)
And not related to hair - when it's really cold a good pair of warm waterproof boots, a warm hat and a good pair of gloves are a must (fingers and ears really suffer in extreme cold - trust me on this :))

[Dacia]

A nice organic and pretty cheap Russian brand is Natura Siberica. I found some of their hair products on a Romanian page (ingredients are in English, for more use Google Translate): http://beautymagazin.blogspot.com/search/label/Ingrijirea%20Parului

[bumblebums]

I don't know how things stand in Northern and Eastern Russia, but in large western cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, etc) you can indeed find Indian groceries, and they carry coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and so on. An average-size bottle should last you 10 months.

[ETA: link to the Indian stores in Moscow. http://www.indianspices.ru/ --maybe stop there on the way to your final destination]

No-cone conditioners are pretty common over there. Russians are big on natural ingredients, so those will be listed on shampoo and conditioner bottles. Whether they accurately reflect the contents of the bottles is a different and unknowable question.

I find that when I live in very cold climates, as long as I wash my hat frequently, I don't have to wash my hair nearly as often as in warmer weather.

And +1 on the warm shoes. In fact, get some валенки! Nothing beats them for Siberian cold, except maybe унты/пимы :)

[sarahbrownie]

You'll be fine. I stayed in Kurgan, around 3 hours from Ekaterinaburg years ago. Depending on where you're staying (like a nice modern apartment) the water is fine except that you can't drink it (but you probably know that). I never stayed long enough to know the products they have there. One thing is if you're living in a rather outdated soviet-built apartment the water pressure could be a small as a dribble and probably the hottest is around luke-warm. People survive off of bottled water and plenty of it. And you might want to bring a mattress protector, when I went years ago the bed bugs were atrocious (again, you might be a nice modern apartment--as far as modern goes in Russia). My hairdryer didn't work there, the converter wouldn't support it - unless you know that your converter will. I was in Siberia for winter and one thing I can advise you to get is snow boots with good textured soles. There is a lot of ice in the winter time, you can hear the men chopping at it all through the night just for another layer to be develop in the morning. I went with no textured shoes and slipped every two feet. Some grocers everything is behind a counter where you must ask for it by the cashier. They're should be plenty of outdoor markets. For the cold months just buy one of the fur hats at the market, they're somewhat cheap if you bargain and last you a life time and keep your ears very warm (I'm against wearing fur as fashion, but don't mind it when it's actually useful in -20 below temps!)

That's really cool you'll be staying 10 months, I planned on getting my higher education at Moscow University but left after a few days because I couldn't handle the homesickness and the culture shock. Hopefully you'll be going with others or have some type of support system there? It's hard doing it alone, I wish I thought a bit more into it before I left.

[Yozhik]

Thank you for all of the replies, and for allaying some of my apprehensions :)

naereid and Dacia, thanks for the links to Garnier and Natura Siberica. I should have remembered that I've gotten Garnier there before -- I'll just have to pay close attention to the ingredients labels.

Night Kitten, thanks for the advice regarding damp hair and the outdoors, and also for cold weather gear. I won't be in Siberia, so hopefully it won't be too cold, but after having consulted with my university contacts, I decided to purchase a good pair of boots, gloves, and a hat there, where they will be weather-appropriate and possibly cheaper.

Bubblebums, I am indeed going through Moscow to my final destination. On the way there I'm only spending as long as it takes to transfer from the Domodedovo airport to the train station, but I'm returning in October, so I could probably check out the Indian store then.

sarahbrownie, it's so cool that you attended MSU, even for a short amount of time. I don't think I would have been capable of such a huge change from the typical American college experience.

At my university, I'll be staying in the foreign student dorms, which are reputed to be nicer than regular ones. My predecessor kindly left me a Russian hairdryer, so I won't have to worry about that, and I am looking forward to getting my own шапка-ушанка. I'm also a little worried about homesickness, but I have an in-country orientation in Moscow and another mid-winter conference there, too. There will also be the other foreign students and teachers, so hopefully I can make friends with them.

[Othala]

I have nothing useful to add but just wanted to mention that I have a long-haired Russian friend who is short of cash. She washes her hair with olive oil soap and conditions it with fabric conditioner. I remember her using Febreze diluted with water in a bucket and not rinsing it out afterward. This is so conditioning that she does not have to wash her hair more than twice a month. She has glorious hair. Lives in Belarus. Oh, and she washes her hair in the evening, going to bed with damp hair so that it does not give her a cold in the morning.

ETA: I recommend wearing two hats in Russia. Firstly, a light fleece one and then a fur-type one on top. Also, I found hand-muffs really useful despite wearing gloves /mittens. Depending on where you are in Russia, smearing your face with a thick, emollient cream before you go outdoors is a good idea. In Mongolia, another extreme place, they use Vaseline.

[Yozhik]

Othala, wow -- fabric softener! I would have never imagined . . .

I have noticed a larger than average (at least by American standards) number of Russian women with beautiful long hair, though.

Thanks for the advice on preventing face-chapping and on wearing double-hats :)

[sibiryachka]

Oooh, so excited for you! I wish I'd known about LHC before my exchange-student year in Moscow in the mid-90s; I'd probably have left far less hair on the salon floor when I got back, if I had known what I know now.
Yes, be prepared for hard water. If using bottled water to wash is prohibitively expensive, consider melting snow/collecting rainwater - I know, could be tricky living in a dorm (as could finding clean snow in an urban area), but you will be amazed at the resourcefulness you discover in yourself and your dormmates! Ask me about how to make a toilet paper dispenser from wire and duct tape...
Actually, that's some of the best advice I have - bring plenty of duct tape. 3 big rolls is not excessive for a 10-month stay. Also, flashlights.
Vinegar rinses should help with the hard water issues; strongly recommend adding them to your routine if they're not already part of it. Vinegar will be easy to find.
Yes, you will probably end up blowdrying more than you'd like - I'm sure there's plenty of good advice here about how to minimize damage from that, and I wish I'd found it in time to save my own hair! That was the only time in my life that I've ever done it regularly, and in combination with the hard water - oy. I recommend timing your washes so that you can air-dry at home as much as possible. I can just about guarantee that the dorm will be kept toasty warm at *all* times once the weather starts to cool, so it should dry fairly quickly inside.
I wouldn't worry about products too much. A city of 600k residents should have plenty of decent shopping options available. Russians respect long hair, and in general use lots of home/folk remedies, many of which are widely available in pharmacies and such. I think you might be pleasantly surprised at the array of "natural" products available. This is a great opportunity to pick up some specialized vocab, and maybe to solicit advice/help from the locals.
What else, what else...
Oh, if you have access to a banya, even a public one, use it as often as possible! Your skin will thank you.
If you have any interest in experimenting with head covering, here's your chance to rock a scarf with absolutely no qualms about whether people are looking at you funny. I never even wore a big hat my whole year there, just a double-folded wool shawl - a black one with bright flowers, of course - wrapped around my head got me through the whole winter, with a beret under it on the very coldest days. My teachers called me "kolkhoznitsa" ;)
Fact: A bottle of vodka, hung outside the window in a grocery bag on a freezing day, will chill to drinkability faster than a comparable bottle placed in a refrigerator freezer at the same time. Just sayin'.
Bread. Bread. Wonderful bread every day. And Red October chocolates. And the smell of kasha permeating the cafeteria. *sigh* If there was one year of my life I wouldn't mind reliving, that's the one. I hope your exchange year will be equally memorable and wonderful.:toast:
Please do keep us up to date, and post lots of pics!!

[silverjen]

I grew up in an area with comparably harsh winters, and the best trick I know is to wear layers! My usual winter uniform was a tshirt under a cotton turtleneck under a wool sweater. Silk long johns under jeans, sometimes. Knee socks! And only then the outerwear.

I see you're living in Virginia, as am I, and I don't mean to make any assumptions about you in the least. But people who were born and raised here generally don't have the hang of layering, and so that's why I mention it to you.

Good for you for going! it's going to be a great adventure.

[Yozhik]

sibiryachka, thank you so much for all of the helpful advice!
I'm definitely looking forward to banya, as often as I can get it! The availability of public banyas was actually one of the first questions I asked my contact at my host institution ;)
As for the tip on the refrigeration properties of the great outdoors, thanks -- I'm sure this will come in handy. ;)
I'm really looking forward to the food -- especially pastries -- or basically anything that involves something being stuffed with dough! Manti, pelmeni, piroshki . . . this list goes on and on :yumm:

silverjen, thank you for your advice on layering. I'm bringing knee socks, wool socks, long underwear, thick stockings, and even fleece stockings -- I want to make sure I stay warm :) The guy who was there before me said that actually part of the problem would be how horrendously hot they keep the buildings compared to how cold it is outside -- which means layering is a huge must. I'll definitely have to get back in the habit of looking like a little stuffed marshmallow under all of my layers -- I experienced some cold ones when I was younger and living abroad, but not since then :)

[akrasia]

Yozhik, how exciting!

I lived in Murmansk in the early '90s. I bet there is more variety in the stores now in re: conditioner, but I agree with the suggestion of stocking up on shampoo bars and maybe solid conditioners from Lush... And then things like olive oil, coconut oil, honey, etc., you could find there.

I had long hair then and I never used a hair-dryer, I just washed my hair at night.

And if I went back, I would break down and buy or borrow a fur coat, hopefully a used one. You can wear all the down and fleece in the world but in that sub-arctic cold nothing keeps you warm like a fur coat.

[melikai]

They've also got Garnier for sure, so there might be Triple Nutrition. And some of these are conefree (http://www.garnier.com.ru/_ru/_ru/our_products/range-struct.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS%5EPRD_HAIRCARE%5EN ATURE_CARE%5ENATURE_CARE_HOME), too. I've tried the avocado one and the cranberry one.


They probably have the Garnier Triple Nutrition there, if we have it here, but here it's called "Shine and Repair"- essentially the exact same ingredients though. It says Shine and Repair in English, and has the ingredients in English, Serbian, and I think something else.

Also, I don't know if they have them in Russia, but if there are the German DM (Drogerie Markt) stores, they carry Alverde products, and sometimes Lavera and Logona products.

[Othala]

Yozhik, if you come across anything interesting in terms of long hair practices/sightings/beliefs in Russia, please do share them with us.

In the banya (aahh, I love the banya) make sure you wear the pointy felted wool hat. Otherwise you risk the hair shaft exploding and consequent damage and split ends. Also, make sure you eat well after the banya and go easy on the vodka beforehand (could be dangerous)!

The Russian deep treatment for hair that I know of is egg yolk, olive oil and honey mixed together and applied on un-washed hair for an hour or longer before being washed off.

[bumblebums]

Yozhik, if you come across anything interesting in terms of long hair practices/sightings/beliefs in Russia, please do share them with us.

In the banya (aahh, I love the banya) make sure you wear the pointy felted wool hat. Otherwise you risk the hair shaft exploding and consequent damage and split ends. Also, make sure you eat well after the banya and go easy on the vodka beforehand (could be dangerous)!

The Russian deep treatment for hair that I know of is egg yolk, olive oil and honey mixed together and applied on un-washed hair for an hour or longer before being washed off.

Here's a link for anyone interested (in Russian):

http://haircare.narod.ru/uhod_za_volosami/bab.html

Summary: sour milk (essentially, buttermilk), egg yolk (just by itself), rye bread (not the Jewish rye with caraway you find in delis, but 100% rye bread), and mustard seed are the most popular methods. Nettle and other herbs are also used.

[naereid]

They probably have the Garnier Triple Nutrition there, if we have it here, but here it's called "Shine and Repair"- essentially the exact same ingredients though. It says Shine and Repair in English, and has the ingredients in English, Serbian, and I think something else.

Also, I don't know if they have them in Russia, but if there are the German DM (Drogerie Markt) stores, they carry Alverde products, and sometimes Lavera and Logona products.
I bought Shine and Repair once and from what I remember the ingredients were different. Oil Repair does have the same ingredients, though. Oddly enough, Oil Repair isn't available in dm.

I don't think there are dms in Russia.

Greetings from Croatia. ;)

[sibiryachka]

Moscow in the mid-90s was where I first saw Garnier products in stores. When I started seeing them in the US a few years later I was all "Oooh, the fancy European stuff is here now!" :D

[wvgemini]

What an experience! I have nothing to offer, but if you learn any new tips, tricks, etc., please pass them on :)


Moscow in the mid-90s was where I first saw Garnier products in stores. When I started seeing them in the US a few years later I was all "Oooh, the fancy European stuff is here now!" :D

Funny! The first time I saw them was when I was stationed in Kuwait in 2002. Then I came home and started seeing more and more Garnier stuff and thought "cool! the good smelling stuff is here now!"

[Yozhik]

Thanks for all of the great and helpful advice! I'll definitely scour the stores for natural products and ask my acquaintances about hair care and home-made hair concoctions.

The only hair-related superstition/practice that I've encountered is more of a general one -- that going outdoors with wet hair will make you catch a cold. No matter if it's in the middle of the summer, people will give you dirty looks for going outdoors with wet hair :shrug:

I'm hoping to learn more, though, and I'll definitely relay it to you all here!


Yozhik, if you come across anything interesting in terms of long hair practices/sightings/beliefs in Russia, please do share them with us.

In the banya (aahh, I love the banya) make sure you wear the pointy felted wool hat. Otherwise you risk the hair shaft exploding and consequent damage and split ends. Also, make sure you eat well after the banya and go easy on the vodka beforehand (could be dangerous)!

The Russian deep treatment for hair that I know of is egg yolk, olive oil and honey mixed together and applied on un-washed hair for an hour or longer before being washed off.

As for banya, maybe you all could answer some questions about different banya practices or techniques for protecting the hair. These are some lingering questions I have about them:
1) Do the cotton handkerchiefs you wear on your head likewise protect the hair shaft from damage (just as felt hats do)? Do they do so even when your hair is wet?
2) Would getting your hair wet protect your hair more in the banya? What about putting deep conditioning treatments in it?
3) And, slightly off-topic -- what does beating yourself with birch or oak branches do? I've heard various accounts about the hot water releasing tannins which are good for the skin, but I'm not sure what that would actually do :confused:

Oh, also, one home-remedy I've seen in the banya is women using granulated honey for exfoliation :)

And don't worry -- I won't be drinking any vodka before going into banya -- I think I may have slightly low blood pressure because banya and even hot showers get my heart pounding really fast. I definitely don't want to add alcohol to that mix!

[bumblebums]

The only hair-related superstition/practice that I've encountered is more of a general one -- that going outdoors with wet hair will make you catch a cold. No matter if it's in the middle of the summer, people will give you dirty looks for going outdoors with wet hair :shrug:

Yep. There are lots of others, like the old 100 brushstrokes a day, for example, and various more obscure ones. You're not likely to encounter this unless you go really deep into the so-called glubinka, though, because most urban Russians have succumbed to the power of Western advertisements. Nowadays many people follow the same shampoo-and-conditioner routine as in the US.


As for banya, maybe you all could answer some questions about different banya practices or techniques for protecting the hair. These are some lingering questions I have about them:
1) Do the cotton handkerchiefs you wear on your head likewise protect the hair shaft from damage (just as felt hats do)? Do they do so even when your hair is wet?
2) Would getting your hair wet protect your hair more in the banya? What about putting deep conditioning treatments in it?
3) And, slightly off-topic -- what does beating yourself with birch or oak branches do? I've heard various accounts about the hot water releasing tannins which are good for the skin, but I'm not sure what that would actually do :confused:

My knowledge of this is based on the Manhattan Russian/Turkish banya, but I have no reason to think it's not authentic :)

The worst thing about the banya experience for me was that the heat burns your ears. That's why I would wear the hat or handkerchief. It's far hotter than any Finnish-style sauna I've ever been to.

I don't wear a hat, but I do pour ice-cold water on my head periodically (which you kind of have to do to stay alive). My hair seems to like the banya fine. No exploding cuticles. The last time I went, my hair hadn't been washed for about a week. By the time I was finished, it felt completely clean. It's like the mother of all WO washes.

The birch/oak branches do a number of things. For one thing, they exfoliate the skin. I quote:

"The oak leaves contain a natural astringent, which will open your pours, remove toxins, and actually take off layers of dead skin." [ETA: I am pretty sure they mean "pores" :)]

[sibiryachka]

My understanding about the branch-flailing is that it's good for exfoliation, also that birch leaves have medicinal properties that are a generally-good-for-whatever-might-ail-you tonic; the beneficial chemicals are absorbed through the skin. Other kinds of plants are also used to treat specific ailments. The banya is the first place I ever really was aware of my skin as a functioning organ, so hey, it's plausible as far as I'm concerned...
I didn't have a felt hat to wear, just a plain knitted wool beanie which served me fine. I foolishly went in at first with just a towel on my head, but the Russian ladies got me sorted out in no time! They were so excited to have Americans there, they acted really anxious to make sure we had a "proper" experience. I can't report on how it affected my hair, which was in such turmoil the whole time I was there anyway - impossible to extract that one factor. I do think that might be an excellent time for a nice deep oiling, letting the moist heat do its work.
*off to search for public banya in my area - not optimistic, but jonesing too hard...*

[Othala]

1) Do the cotton handkerchiefs you wear on your head likewise protect the hair shaft from damage (just as felt hats do)? Do they do so even when your hair is wet?
No, the cotton kerchiefs aren't nearly as protective as the felt hats. They let heat and water penetrate. Wet hair in the banya is not good as the water carries excessive heat. Steam cabin or hammam steam is soft, unlike banya heat in my experience. I would advise you to wear the felt hat and ensure that every little bit of hair is under it.

2) Would getting your hair wet protect your hair more in the banya? What about putting deep conditioning treatments in it?
No, for reasons mentioned above, I would advise you to keep your hair dry in the banya. The problem with DTs in the banya is that they will melt and run down your face, neck and body. Maybe even onto the floor, making it slipperly. Maybe you could apply a DT on dry hair and then wrap it in a cotton cloth so that the fabric absorbs the DT and prevents run off.

3) And, slightly off-topic -- what does beating yourself with birch or oak branches do? I've heard various accounts about the hot water releasing tannins which are good for the skin, but I'm not sure what that would actually do
Oh the veynik! Not just birch and oak, but branches of rosemary stewed in warm water mmmmmm. And soaking pine needles in a pillowcase in a bucket of hot water and dousing yourself with this water...lovely.
The benefits are that after a few sessions in the parilka, your body is softened and opened by the heat and moisture and the sebum is likewise softened and released. Your body has ingested steam, released poisons and is ready to absorb good things. The herbs are both medicinal and aromatic. I don't think the exfoliation value is very great, personally. The veynik thrashing brings blood to the surface of your skin and if you douse it in cool or cold water first, it is enlivening to your nervous system. Banya and veynik give you a great sense of peace and well being like you have sweated out the whole world and it's problems and you have rinsed yourself in holy herbs and are pure and pristine as if you had just been birthed by the universe.
Ummm...sorry, I get a bit carried away. I LOVE the banya.

[Yozhik]

Thank you all for demystifying banya vennik beating and your input on protective headgear :)

...and, for some added levity, I include a link to the closest google image search I could get to a banya lolcat (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/funny-pictures-cat-prepares-oven-for-geese.jpg&imgrefurl=http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/11/02/funny-pictures-oven/&usg=__CQ6m9xz47iWsXVWGBMtROU8pORY=&h=374&w=500&sz=36&hl=en&start=17&sig2=xZK8J2FGZglN0CqeOFlsyw&zoom=1&tbnid=cvyk0-AhFCcjKM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=167&ei=cyl3TMHBA8H6lwf2jZXsCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsauna%2Bcat%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26clie nt%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D572%26tbs%3Disch: 10%2C456&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=723&vpy=238&dur=2735&hovh=194&hovw=260&tx=183&ty=135&oei=sCd3TMW9EsH58AaN1piGBg&esq=3&page=2&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:17&biw=1024&bih=572).

[buzzlegum]

First of all, congratulations! You must be very excited! If you're gonna stay in a city with 600k people, you should have no problems shopping for cosmetics. If you want cone-free shampoos and conditioners, you should generally take a look at the cheapest products :D. Also, Schauma and Nivea shampoos have no cones and you should be able to find them in Russia (with conditioners it's true only for select few). Of course, formulas may still vary. Good luck!

[Vampire]

Good luck in Russia
I dont live in russia but in finland and it gets pretty cold in here at winter too
i never use a hairdryer but can't go out with wet hair, so wash it in the evenings :) or when i know i dont have to go outside for few hours

[melikai]

I bought Shine and Repair once and from what I remember the ingredients were different. Oil Repair does have the same ingredients, though. Oddly enough, Oil Repair isn't available in dm.

I don't think there are dms in Russia.

Greetings from Croatia. ;)

:bottomsup: Cheers!

For comparison, here are the ingredients of Triple Nutrition:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCI, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Linalool, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, CI 19140/Yellow 5, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, CI 15985/Yellow 6, F.I.L. D35637/3

And here are the ingredients of Repair and Shine:

Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, CI 19140/Yellow 5, CI 15985/Yellow 6, Niacinamide, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Pyridoxine HCI, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance.


So, the exact same ingredients, slightly different formulation, which would make it our version of the Triple Nutrition. :)

[naereid]

:bottomsup: Cheers!

For comparison, here are the ingredients of Triple Nutrition:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCI, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Linalool, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, CI 19140/Yellow 5, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, CI 15985/Yellow 6, F.I.L. D35637/3

And here are the ingredients of Repair and Shine:

Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, CI 19140/Yellow 5, CI 15985/Yellow 6, Niacinamide, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Pyridoxine HCI, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance.


So, the exact same ingredients, slightly different formulation, which would make it our version of the Triple Nutrition. :)
Huh, so it is the same. I don't get why they complicate these things so much. You'd think that it would be easier just to make one product and sell it all over the world instead of spending time and money on creating different names/commercials/bottles. :confused:

[buzzlegum]

:bottomsup: Cheers!

For comparison, here are the ingredients of Triple Nutrition:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCI, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Linalool, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, CI 19140/Yellow 5, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, CI 15985/Yellow 6, F.I.L. D35637/3

And here are the ingredients of Repair and Shine:

Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, CI 19140/Yellow 5, CI 15985/Yellow 6, Niacinamide, Ribes Nigrum Oil / Black Currant Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Extract / Sugar Cane Extract, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Olea Europaea Oil / Olive Fruit Oil, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Camellia Sinensis Extract / Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Pyrus Malus Extract / Apple Fruit Extract, Pyridoxine HCI, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract / Lemon Peel Extract, Glycerin, Fragrance.


So, the exact same ingredients, slightly different formulation, which would make it our version of the Triple Nutrition. :)

Wow! I really didn't know about that! Makes me wanna try it out. But I have so much other stuff...*sigh*

[Henrietta]

I don't know how does the situation looks in Russia but in Poland aloe vera gel is... hm... I may as well looking for a mechanical saw in grocer's;) So you'd better take aloe vera gel with you. Condishes... If you can take them, I mean if your carrier allows you to take such things, you can take them too if you are afraid of experimenting;) We don't have all the brands in Europe. We have Pantene, but not all lines, for example the one for long hair doesn't exist, we have Garnier, Sunsilk (cones, I know:( )... But no VO5, Suave, White Rain... At least in Poland;) About the coldness... coconut oil will do. You'd better get ready for a strong wind too. Have some stable updos in reserve;)

[sibiryachka]

Henrietta makes a good point about bringing AVG etc, which reminds me of one other thing I forgot to mention earlier: If there's *any* kind of personal care product you're particularly attached to - feminine hygiene products, lip balm, whatever - it can't hurt to bring as big a stock of it as possible with you. They looked at me funny at customs when they searched my luggage and found tampons tucked into every crevice, but I did not care, especially when it turned out that I had calculated correctly and did indeed have enough to last me through the whole school year.
Of course you're totally packed by now anyway, right? ;)

[growingmyhair]

My hair care routine is as follows: wash twice a week with shampoo bars, followed by a heavy conditioner and optional coconut/aloe leave-in.
honey, you need to name the exact products you use for us to be of any help. I can assure you they have Pantene, Head'n'Shoulders, Nivea, Garnier, GlissKur, Dove, Schwarzkopf, Elseve, ermm, all the mainstream


I am worried that I may need to blowdry my hair, especially in the winter, as temperatures range from -25 to -45 Celsius! A little of blowfrying is better than frozen hair, though, right? :bigeyes:
it's not about frozen hair for godsakes!! it's about avoiding friggin pulmonitis!!!!


Good luck in Russia
I dont live in russia but in finland and it gets pretty cold in here at winter too
i never use a hairdryer but can't go out with wet hair, so wash it in the evenings :) or when i know i dont have to go outside for few hours

thank god! finally someone who thinks going out with wet hair is a really bad idea...

[Yozhik]

Buzzlegum and Vampire, thanks for wishing me good luck! I'll look for the cheapest products in search of cones, and I'm going to try to avoid blowdrying unless I need to go out right after I've showered.

Thanks, Melikai, for the breakdown of Garnier ingredients. I'll definitely check out the conditioner when I get there.

Henrietta and Sibiryachka, thanks for the input on aloe. I'll probably try to stuff my overstuffed checked bag with it, just in case. Even if they do have it, I bet the price may be a little outrageous ;) As for "feminine items," I am bringing some to tide me over. Although I will admit that it was pretty fun having my good Russian friend tear up old cotton sheets into cloth pads for me and show me how she used to handle periods growing up in the '50's in the Soviet Union :)

growingmyhair, I didn't mention my products because they're pretty generic :shrug: -- -I use non-SLS shampoo bars from Sweet Creek Herbs (there are a couple that I switch between),
-a no-cone conditioner (Sally's generic Matrix Biolage) -- but since I'm not going to bring it, I was looking for advice for a no-cone replacement available in Russia,
-optionally some coconut oil (cooking grade) and aloe vera gel (pure and mostly organic) which I mix together in my palms before smoothing on my ends.

Also, I'm certainly going to avoid going outside with wet hair, which is why I'm considering blowdrying (in addition to showering in the evenings) even though I've never regularly blowdried my hair in my life.

[growingmyhair]

Yozhik, better wash your hair when you have time to dry it naturally blowdrying is way too bad for hair, it's SO damaging. ONE blow dry session is enough to damage my hair considerably - of course, most hair is not like that but mine can't be THAT alien, blow drying must be damaging all the hair badly.

you will also have some difficulty with non-SLS because here in Ukraine I had trouble with that before I found Alloton (which is Ukrainian product and I'm not sure they export it to Russia but there is a chance, it looks like this: http://alloton.com/content/view/151/127/)

Sweet Creek Herbs (which reminds me of Herbal Essenses - this will be in those stores), Sally's generic Matrix Biolage - I guess you'll have to substitute these
coconut oil - expensive and not so popular. you are more likely to find products with it than the actual oil itself. what are you using that for? jojoba oil or burdock will more likely be available. as for aloe vera gel... hmm, not sure. everyone has aloe growing on their sill but gel... I don't know if they have it in stores

but there are lots of Russian cosmetics which are fine. I think you will be able to find Russian cone-free conditioners as they started using cones very recently and they have some nice herbal lines - camomile, nettle based stuff.

[bumblebums]

Okay, I must weigh in again. I get the impression that many people who commented in this thread have not been to Russia since the early 1990's. It's not really the same country anymore. It is wealthy, there are lots of western and domestically made beauty products, and there is no shortage of imports such as coconut, sesame, and jojoba oils. Russians are quite clued in to that kind of stuff. And I assure you they do have tampons, menstrual cups, and so on. You won't have to make pads out of old sheets, unless you want to. I realize that much of the US still lives under the impression that Russia is a country of black-kerchief-wearing babushkas, due in no small part to the kind of news coverage that CNN and other news outlets deliver, but it is not exactly a third-world country.

[mira-chan]

Commenting as I read.

Having recently returned from St. Petersburg, where I was to visit family and where I'm originally from, I can tell you cone-free things are hard to find. They don't announce it. Oh and hope all the ingredients are listed, this is not regulated in Russia so they don't have to list everything.

There are Indian stores but outside of Moscow they are Very hard to find. Honey is available in large variety, aloe is a bit harder to find you'd have to really try. Most people grow aloe plants instead. I think I found only one cone free conditioner there, and I was looking for these things. Sulfate free is hard to find too.

The water rangers from hard to absurdly hard. My sulfate free shampoo that works fine here, just did not foam or do anything there. Garnier, Gliss Kur, Pantene, L'Oreal, Schauma and Nivea are the most common brands in stores that I saw.

While Russians respect long hair, keep it close to you in public, especially in transport. There are hair "harvesters" around that will cut it to sell.

Hair oils and essential oils are in every pharmacy and pretty cheap too. Burdock oil (Repeinoe maslo) is considered the best for hair in Russia.

Going out with wet hair is considered rude. It's like you wanking outside in a night gown, undressed.

The Banya "beating" should be more like swishing as it brings the steam with the essential oils from the venik to the skin, which is medicinal. Any physical contact is for exfoliation.

Kerchiefs are becuase hair is usually not washed every day and also to keep from shedding hairs all over.

As for superstitions:
One Russian hair superstition is that hair should be disposed of in a way that no one else can get their hands on it as it is thought that you can get cursed by some unsavory person.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me, If I don't know the answer myself, I'll ask my relatives that live there. :flower:

ETA: Be aware that clothing is especially expensive there now.

[buzzlegum]

Oh, and if you want shampoos that are SLS free, it might indeed be veeery difficult. But if all else fails, you can try CO. And somebody makes a very good point that you might find better products in pharmacies although they'll also be more expensive.

[Yozhik]

bumblebums, sorry -- I definitely didn't want to give you the impression that I think Russia is a 3rd world country untouched by the cosmetics industry! :flower:

I was in St. Petersburg in 2008, but have lived in Kazakhstan on and off for the past 15 years, so probably my perceptions of what's available in Russia have been skewed. Plus, I can't say that I paid all that much attention to my hair or hair-friendly products then :silly: And I definitely made cloth menstrual pads because I thought they were awesome, not because there weren't other means available :)

Mira-chan, thanks for weighing in on the latest availabilities, on the extreme hardness of the water, and on burdock oil! I'll definitely have to research that.

ETA: I'll have to try CO again and see if it works for me -- last time I utterly failed to get it to work.

[bumblebums]

bumblebums, sorry -- I definitely didn't want to give you the impression that I think Russia is a 3rd world country untouched by the cosmetics industry! :flower:

I was in St. Petersburg in 2008, but have lived in Kazakhstan on and off for the past 15 years, so probably my perceptions of what's available in Russia have been skewed. Plus, I can't say that I paid all that much attention to my hair or hair-friendly products then :silly: And I definitely made cloth menstrual pads because I thought they were awesome, not because there weren't other means available :)

Don't worry about it--it's just that Russia is really a different place every time... Sort of like TJ Maxx :)

BTW, regarding water hardness: the last time I went, I was actually amazed at how much my hair liked the water. Yes, it is hard, but for some reason, it made my hair smooth and shiny. All I did was wash with Indian herbs (1 tsp each of amla, shikakai, aritha and hibiscus, diluted with about 1.5 cups of cold tap water). Then five days later, I did a WO wash with a white vinegar rinse. My hair looked totally clean and smooth. I never get results like this here.

I took a look at a Russian-made conditioner while there, just out of curiosity. The ingredients were mostly extracts of good herbs and a few very innocuous synthetic things (not 'cones) as a base. Like I said, you can't necessarily trust the label 100%, but if it's accurate, then the conditioner I saw there is about the quality of Giovanni and the like. I don't use commercial products on my hair anymore, so I didn't try it on my hair.

[Carena]

Hello! I am moving to a provincial city in Russia next Tuesday for the next 10 months, and I would like to get some advice regarding what types of products I should bring to take care of my hair while abroad. I would also appreciate some advice on some ways in which I might have to change my haircare routine.

I will be living in a fairly large city of ~600,000 people, but I doubt the same hair products will be available to me there.

My hair care routine is as follows: wash twice a week with shampoo bars, followed by a heavy conditioner and optional coconut/aloe leave-in. I either plop or comb/brush out with my horn comb or tangle teezer after my hair is partially dried. Between washes I alternate between wearing my hair up and having it down. Occasionally I do deep conditions with SMTs or just conditioner/coconut/aloe mixes.

I was thinking of definitely bringing coconut oil and some shampoo bars, but what about conditioner? Should I count on being able to find no-cone conditioners? I try to use products that are as natural as possible. I guess I'll count on getting honey, and possibly aloe vera gel there, too.

On slightly another topic, I also have some concerns regarding my routine: the place I will be staying is considerably colder than I am used to, and I am worried that I may need to blowdry my hair, especially in the winter, as temperatures range from -25 to -45 Celsius! A little of blowfrying is better than frozen hair, though, right? :bigeyes:

I apologize for the slightly rambling post . . . I guess I'm just a little apprehensive about moving, and it's making me want to over-analyze every aspect of my packing :o

Thanks in advance for any advice and support you all can give me in my move! :flower:


Hello Yozhik,

I am in St. Petersburg, Russia right now. I came over here few months ago after living in SE Asia for 5 and a half years.

I have bleached hair that are severely damaged and I brought a whole bag of Kerastase and L'oreal hair care products (about a year supply) with me from Asia.

Thing is, I don't know if its true but a lot of people living in Russia seem to believe that a lot of products on the market are fake. This especially applies to perfume and make up. I heard a story about a store bust that was selling fake Chanel and other good make up brands that were being manufactured in somebody's garage.
One girl told me that most of the perfume on the market is either just fake or diluted. The bottle looks exactly like the original bottle- you wont tell the difference, and going to a Department store does not guarantee that it will be any less fake than some place else. Many people even seem to believe that the mineral water sold in stores is fake too.

Again, I do not know how true this is but I decided to not try and find out. So I brought everything with me- make up, hair products, perfumes to last me for as long as I plan to be here.


I did have to buy some things here that I couldnt find in Asia. Like the silver shampoo. I was trying to find ShineBlonde by L'oreal everywhere in Asia but of no success. So I went to a what seemed a nice store in the mall and brought it. I can't say if its fake or not.

What I find strange about it is that according to the online reviews about this Shampoo, everyone says it smells great and some people said the smell stays in their hair for a long time and is noticeable. Maybe its my nose but I can't say that the Shine Blonde shampoo I brought has much smell at all. I can't say it smells anything special either...not that it smells bad, it smells alright but thats about it....but I definitely cant say its noticeable and that it stays in my hair. Other than that however it seems to do what it promises. But then again, I never brought this shampoo before so I have nothing to compare it to. I guess I'll never know until I buy it again in another country.

I cant believe I forgot to bring the coconut oil with me. They have very good coconut oil in Asia and I planned on bringing loads with me but I forgot. I managed to come across coconut oil here, in the pharmacy, and again I can't say if its real or not....or diluted. The oil has no smell at all, the bottle actually says "Coconut oil- non smelling"....and the oil that I was getting in Asia smelled great. I just don't understand how can a coconut oil not have a smell....what exactly did they do with it? These are the things I personally dont understand and find suspicions.

I don't know what to make of this. I wonder if anyone else here knows why or brought a coconut oil without a smell. It seems to work fine on my hair but I think the one I used in Asia was better.


I don't know if anyone else here already mentioned what I mentioned, I found this post late and I didnt have the time to go through all the replies but I hope this info helps.


As for cheaper hair products like Garnier and Nivea, you can find them anywhere and they are probably real since I doubt there's any profit in manufacturing fake products that are already cheap. There are also nice "local" brands shampoos and other products that are pretty nice.

When I lived here before I really liked the brand called "Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи" which translates as "Recipes of the grandma Agafiya". I used their shampoos, conditioners, gel scrubs, bath foams and I really loved them...and they were cheaper than Garnier and other mass production brands too. But now I cannot use these products since I need something specifically for bleached her. And I also noticed they are not so easy to come by anymore. I also can't say if the quality has changed over time.


In any case, I hope this helped. Good luck in Russia. They say the winter is going to be really harsh this year so make sure you have a lot of warm clothes. Feel free to send me a message if there's anything else you need to know.

[iris]

I managed to come across coconut oil here, in the pharmacy, and again I can't say if its real or not....or diluted. The oil has no smell at all, the bottle actually says "Coconut oil- non smelling"....and the oil that I was getting in Asia smelled great. I just don't understand how can a coconut oil not have a smell....what exactly did they do with it? These are the things I personally dont understand and find suspicions.

I don't know what to make of this. I wonder if anyone else here knows why or brought a coconut oil without a smell.
It could be fractionated (refined) coconut oil? That has no smell. It also doesn't solidify like unrefined coconut oil does. It's just a clear colorless liquid at room temperature.

[Carena]

Hmm...I dont know...then that means they lied when they said "cold-pressed". I would never buy non- cold-pressed oil. Its just plain weird to me.

I mean there is no way an oil can be refined and yet cold pressed, righrt?

[mira-chan]

*snip*
When I lived here before I really liked the brand called "Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи" which translates as "Recipes of the grandma Agafiya". I used their shampoos, conditioners, gel scrubs, bath foams and I really loved them...and they were cheaper than Garnier and other mass production brands too. But now I cannot use these products since I need something specifically for bleached her. And I also noticed they are not so easy to come by anymore. I also can't say if the quality has changed over time.

"Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи", the shampoo has sulfates and the conditioning treatments tend to have mineral oil I found. :(


Hmm...I dont know...then that means they lied when they said "cold-pressed". I would never buy non- cold-pressed oil. Its just plain weird to me.

I mean there is no way an oil can be refined and yet cold pressed, righrt?
Yes, It's not cold pressed then. The only place I can think of where you might be able to find the cold pressed coconut oil is the Homeopathic pharmacy on Nevsky Prospekt, It not far from Gostinnovo Dvora, but across the street, right after the underground crossing when going away from Moyakovskaya station. It's on the second floor the entrance is under the building overhang. I saw the most variety of oils there, the prices a bit steep though.

Ingredient translations for travelers:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - лаурисулфат натрия
Mineral oil - минеральное масло, парафин
Dimethicone - диметикон ( or variations there of)

Maybe others can add to the list... and check my spelling. :o

[bumblebums]

Ingredient translations for travelers:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - лаурисулфат натрия
Mineral oil - минеральное масло, парафин
Dimethicone - диметикон ( or variations there of)

Maybe others can add to the list... and check my spelling. :o

Since you asked! :) лаурилсульфат, or додецилсульфат натрия.

ETA: more often than not, synthetic ingredients will be listed in a fairly straightforward transliteration from Latin. For the few words that differ between English and other European languages (potassium=калий, sodium=натрий), English is the odd one out. Just look at the chemical elements table--potassium is K, and sodium is Na.

[growingmyhair]

I don't know if its true but a lot of people living in Russia seem to believe that a lot of products on the market are fake.

<...>I managed to come across coconut oil here, in the pharmacy, and again I can't say if its real or not....or diluted.
true about lots of fakes but unlikely fake coconut oil


Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - лаурисулфат натрия
AND lots of other ways - натрий лаурилсульфат for example, I can't remember all now but there are many beginning with сульфат and then smth

[Carena]

"Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи", the shampoo has sulfates and the conditioning treatments tend to have mineral oil I found. :(


Yes, It's not cold pressed then. The only place I can think of where you might be able to find the cold pressed coconut oil is the Homeopathic pharmacy on Nevsky Prospekt, It not far from Gostinnovo Dvora, but across the street, right after the underground crossing when going away from Moyakovskaya station. It's on the second floor the entrance is under the building overhang. I saw the most variety of oils there, the prices a bit steep though.
g. :o


Thanks for the info. I swear the bottle states "cold-pressed"...I'm amazed at how they can say whatever.

Are you in Russia too? Do you remember how much the oils there were? The coconut oil I found was only 75 roubles....I was quite surprised. But the Jojoba oil was 450 roubles...I hope its not refined as I bought it in the same pharmacy and its so much more expensive.

As for "Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи" it was 5 and a half years ago last time I used their shampoos and my hair weren't damaged back then. I thought it was a pretty good shampoo for a cheap shampoo....I dont know if the quality changed since.
Don't all cheaper shampoo brands contain things like sulfates and mineral oil though?

[Carena]

It also doesn't solidify like unrefined coconut oil does.e.

No mine does solidify actually...if you put it in a cooler place in the apartment it becomes solid and milky in color....does that mean it's cold-pressed then? :confused:

[mira-chan]

Thanks for the info. I swear the bottle states "cold-pressed"...I'm amazed at how they can say whatever.

Are you in Russia too? Do you remember how much the oils there were? The coconut oil I found was only 75 roubles....I was quite surprised. But the Jojoba oil was 450 roubles...I hope its not refined as I bought it in the same pharmacy and its so much more expensive.

As for "Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи" it was 5 and a half years ago last time I used their shampoos and my hair weren't damaged back then. I thought it was a pretty good shampoo for a cheap shampoo....I dont know if the quality changed since.
Don't all cheaper shampoo brands contain things like sulfates and mineral oil though?

I'm not in Russia now but I visit family there on a regular basis. I just came back from St. Petersburg under a month ago.

The price for the oils is more in the Jojoba range that's for sure.

Generally the cheaper brands so contain sulfates and mineral oil but not all. I've been surprised by some really cheap but really nice natural ones. I just habitually read the ingredients to check. I'm sensitive to sulfates, they make my scalp itch, flake and hair fall out, so I check for those carefully. "Рецепты Бабушки Агафьи" may work just fine for those without my problem.


No mine does solidify actually...if you put it in a cooler place in the apartment it becomes solid and milky in color....does that mean it's cold-pressed then? :confused:
Then it is cold pressed but is treated to "deodorize" it so that it has no scent. Not as good as Extra virgin cold pressed type oils you get in Asia but it's not the refined kind at least.

[Petite Simone]

I don't really have advice but i do have some words of reassurance. My sister was there for a while and something in the water was really great for her hair. She could style it however she wanted or do nothing at all and it looked amazing. Not something she's ever been able to accomplish here in the states.

As for product availability I'm not quite sure

[Yozhik]

Thanks for the clue-in that Russian water (hard or not) may be the secret ingredient that my hair needs :) I think this is the second vote for Russian water being good for the hair!

In respects to the possibility of product adulteration or fakes, I'll be sure to read the product labels carefully.

Thanks also to all those who contributed to giving me the Russian names of some ingredients :flower:

I'm flying tomorrow, so please wish me luck everyone!
Thank you for all of your insight :)

[masa_inn]

I lived in Moscow before I moved in with DH. My hair was awesome; absolutely awesome with minimum maintenance. I "blame" it on water.

My friends (who mostly live in Moscow as well) say there is a problem to find SLS-free products there.

Удачи! :)

[RitaPG]

Whatever you do do NOT use coconut oil as a leave in, coconut oil goes solid on cool temperatures, it WILL freeze on your hair. I met a girl who freaked out when it happened to her, and it wasn't even "snow" cold weather.
As someone before me mentioned, boots, gloves and headwear will save your life.

[Carena]

Then it is cold pressed but is treated to "deodorize" it so that it has no scent. Not as good as Extra virgin cold pressed type oils you get in Asia but it's not the refined kind at least.

I see....never came across this kind of oil before, but its good to know that at least its not refined. Thanks




In respects to the possibility of product adulteration or fakes, I'll be sure to read the product labels carefully.


Thats not gonna help with identifying the fake though as they will look exactly the same and so the ingredient list will say exactly what the real product would say.

On a positive note, I must say Russia seems to have become more "civilized" than what I remember it to be last time I was here- 5 and a half years ago. So maybe this problem with fakes is not so widespread anymore? Again, I cant tell you from my personal experience, it's just the things I hear from people that live in Russia.
I think it might also depend on what city you are going to be living in. I suppose that you are more likely to encounter this problem with fakes in bigger cities like Moscow....but then again may be not.

In any case, good luck and I hope you had a good flight. I personally am going to leave Russia in about a month and head for Latin America :D

[Yozhik]

Hi again! :waving:

I just wanted to post a quickish note to let all those interested know that I arrived safely in-country two weeks ago, and have just now begun to settle in.

Unfortunately, the travel saga was unbelievably long and frustrating, due to the airlines first overselling my airplane (so that I didn't actually have a seat on it, even though I had bought one), which meant that they put me instead on another flight with a layover in Frankfurt rather than my direct flight to Moscow. This consequently meant I missed my train from Moscow to my home-city. And furthermore, when I arrived in Moscow, I found out that somehow my luggage had been left in the US!! So five hours of arguing and cajoling customs, plus one sleepless night in the airport later, I finally got my luggage, took the shuttle to the metro to the train, and departed!

My teaching is going well (or as well as can be expected for my second week ever of teaching English to university students), and I simply adore my colleagues and most of my students.

As for my haircare routine, when I arrived in the city I discovered that the water here is not merely non-potable, but it is, in fact, filled with heavy metals, and everyone is discouraged from drinking it, and even boiling noodles or dumplings in it. So who knows what it's doing to my hair. Despite that, my hair is feeling pretty great here, especially after I got a tub of conditioner.

My best from Russia!

[swivelhop]

Glad you are safe! I'd love to spend some time in Russia.

[bumblebums]

Hi again! :waving:

Unfortunately, the travel saga was unbelievably long and frustrating, due to the airlines first overselling my airplane (so that I didn't actually have a seat on it, even though I had bought one), which meant that they put me instead on another flight with a layover in Frankfurt rather than my direct flight to Moscow. This consequently meant I missed my train from Moscow to my home-city. And furthermore, when I arrived in Moscow, I found out that somehow my luggage had been left in the US!! So five hours of arguing and cajoling customs, plus one sleepless night in the airport later, I finally got my luggage, took the shuttle to the metro to the train, and departed!


Minus missing the train, that same thing happened to me once! I make a special point of avoiding layovers now, because they are almost guaranteed to lose your luggage in the process...

Glad to hear the hair is good. The heavy metal stuff in the water might be exaggerated. Russians are known to be both pessimists and very distrustful of their government, so they tend to badmouth their facilities even though they frankly often work better than the US analogues. Just console yourself with the thought that the water you were using in the US could be Erin-Brokovich-bad and you'd never know it. At least in Russia, you know to take special precautions.

I know people who boil all water before drinking it, and many also use charcoal filter pitchers. Another method is to freeze it before you use it, and then use the melt water. Good luck! Keep us updated.

[Yozhik]

Arg, yes, I will try my best on the way back to fly direct as to avoid luggage problems!

As for the water, unfortunately I'm pretty certain that the reports are not exaggerated, as there is a special water kiosk with federally deemed "clean water" in my neighborhood for people to refill their water jugs. Over the summer when it was hellishly hot, apparently some people went swimming in the polluted pond and ended up pretty sick. :(

I completely agree with your comment on Erin Brokovich water in the US. At least here people have a healthy sense of paranoia :)

And in general I would say the people I see are healthy and I have seen many very nice heads of long hair, so I doubt a year here will do any irreparable damage. As I mentioned in the long hair siting thread, there are so many women with BSL-TBL hair, and not only loose, but very intricately and beautifully braided! My next goal will be to convince one of my students to teach me how to do some of these updos ;)

[melikai]

That's a bit scary about the water...are you able to pick up extra water from the kiosk to wash your hair with? Remember that your skin can absorb things, and you wouldn't want to get that water in your eyes, ears, mouth, or nose.

[sibiryachka]

When I lived in Moscow, we used to joke (very darkly) about how the true consequences of bathing in the water wouldn't really be evident until everyone started reproducing after finishing college. The advice we were given by the locals was that you could safely drink the water during the winter; something about the frozen ground supposedly made it safer. :confused: Once it thawed, though, back to boiling it before drinking it! I never did really understand, but I did follow their advice.

[Yozhik]

Melikai and sibiryachka, thanks for the concern! :)
I will definitely try the freezing method, as it is already dipping below 0 degrees Centigrade (and we had snow flurries in September!!!). It's difficult to get a straight story on how bad the water actually is, as some of my friends who are studying to be engineers have been to the water plant and say there are all sorts of regulations problems, while others say that the tapwater is actually clean, it just tastes weird. In any case, I'm playing it safe, with my 5 liter bottles of water that I travel to the water kiosk to refill twice a week :)


Here's a little update on the life and times of Yozhik:
I just wanted to report that I had my first conversation about SLS in Russian! I went into a cleaning products store and spent about 15-20 minutes perusing their shampoos (nothing much to report, I'm afraid -- Pantene, Timotei, Babushka Agafya, and some other brands, all with SLS -- and for some reason only Sunsilk styling products and only Garnier Fructis conditioner :confused:), until the saleswoman came over to me to ask me if I needed any help. I asked her if she knew if any of their shampoos came without SLS, and she asked me "what does it answer for." I'm unclear if she meant what SLS's purpose in shampoo was or why it was bad, but I answered both, albeit with a rather unscientific answer (I guess I'll have to brush up on more technical hair terms in Russian!).

So yay for that! Although I'm a little discouraged about my prospects of finding SLS-free products now. Added to that, I thought I'd brought enough shampoo bars to last the year, but with DBF using them too (something I hadn't counted on) and washing about twice as often as I do, they're going pretty quickly. If worse comes to worse, I'll just get an SLS shampoo and dilute it :agree: