What's your shower routine?

[jenwexler]

I'm curious to see how people take care of their hair in the shower since wet hair is very fragile and vulnerable. my routine is posted in my tumblr account. Check out the link in my signature. What is your routine??

[aenflex]

On a full shower/hairwash day:
Get in. Wet and wash hair. Rinse and apply conditioner. Leave this on whilst shaving or just standing under stream getting warm. Rinse conditioner. Wash body, rinse body. Hop out wet, grab bottle of grape seed oil and slather body (allow 15 mins to dry). Apply leave in to hair.
Poo: Sauve Naturals Rosemary Mint / Lush Reincarnate / CV bars of various types
Condish: Suave Naturals Almond/Shea
Leave in: Emulsion of Smoothing Shine milk and Coconut oil.

[jenwexler]

My shampoo is Nature's Gate sulfate free shampoo for color treated hair [red bottle] with matching conditioner.

What are the benefits of grape seed oil?

[feralnature]

The most important thing I do in the shower is turn the water off while I am in there and not actively rinsing. No need to waste our precious resources by mindlessly standing there letting the water run and run and run. Please, save water people! I live in a region where we have experianced drought for some years now and we have just a little shallow well that runs dry maybe 5 times a week. RUNS DRY! No water to drink for us, the livestock, no water to do laundry. No water. This is a very sore subject with me, this wasting of water. Please, even if water seems plentiful to you, it is not. Too often, those who live in a city think that by just turning on a faucet, water "magically" appears. Well, water does not magically appear. Please turn the shower off it you are standing in there putting conditioner in your hair or shaving your legs or whatever.

Thanks for letting me rant. Appreciate it.

[jenwexler]

I save water by not showering every day. And taking bird baths in between. I will try to be more sensitive to water for my next shower though.

[luxepiggy]

Hm, my shower routine is quite boring & standard, I think, other than the fact that I've been CO washing:

Get in, wet hair thoroughly
Massage Fekkai Brilliant Glossing conditioner into scalp & roots
Apply Pantene Ice Shine to length & ends
Fingercomb until completely detangled
Wash & rinse body (I just leave my hair hanging down my back mostly; then I move it over one shoulder to wash my back)
Wash & rinse face
Massage scalp again
Rinse all conditioner from hair, gently separating in different places to make sure all conditioner is rinsed out
Flip water to cold - EEP! then turn water off
Bring hair over my shoulder, gently squeeze out excess water, and wrap in a hand towel
Wrap self in bath towel
Step out of shower, remove hair from drain cover, spray shower interior with Tilex
Apply face serum
Apply body lotion & cuticle cream
Wait for hair to dry partway; when damp, remove towel & fingercomb
Apply a few drops of Kiehl's Argan Oil to endsPhew . . . it seems so complicated when I type it all out, but it really doesn't take more than 15 minutes to do (^(oo)^)

[jenwexler]

My shower takes about 10 minutes

[little_cherry]

Night before I shower, I oil heavily. Right before I shower, I prepare my herbal wash and then pour it on my hair and scalp and cover it for 30 minutes...then I hop in the shower, rinse, do my final hibiscus tea rinse, take care of other showerly duties and rinse again. Then I wrap my hair in a microfiber towel and oil hair when it is just damp.

[BrightEyes7]

I'll take you through full shower days. Other days I just put my hair up wash body and face shave if need be and hop out. I never take hot showers. Only luke warm.

- Brush hair to get all tangles out.
-Get in shower, wash scalp/roots only with Loreal Sulfate Free Hydrate shampoo.
-Rinse out shampoo, flip head upside down and rinse underneath of hair.
- Squeeze out excess water and apply Aussie 3MM to length and ends.
- Finger comb to get all tangles out. (My hair tangles easy!)
- Plop hair on top of head. Do my normal routine, wash body/shave/sing/whatever.
- Rinse hair with luke warm water.
-Wash face (I read you should always wash your face after washing out all hair products to avoid acne or pore clogging)
- Turn water to ice cold and give my hair blast. I lean my head back so only my hair is getting hit by the water.
- Squeeze out excess water and wrap hair in towel. Dry off body.
- After letting hair dry in towel for about 5 minutes I take the towel off and let dry a bit more.
-Apply leave in (Sleek n' Smooth)
- Wait until hair is mostly dry(usually while doing make-up/getting dressed) and then detangle (yet again!) with my wide tooth.
- After hair is completely dry I brush with my wood quil paddle brush to smooth.

Bada-Bing! I'm done!

[Aredhel77]

I oil my hair lightly before a shower with coconut or avocado oil then I jump in the shower and apply conditioner, massage scalp well and then shampoo or herb wash depending on my mood (and if using at all - sometimes I just CO - wash) then I rinse and apply a deeper conditioner which I leave on while washing my face and body. Finally I detangle my hair carefully with a wide-toothed comb, rinse it well and occasionally follow with an ACV rinse. I'm a bit experimental and don't always wash my hair the same way LOL. I may also leave my hair to dry naturally or blow-dry it, using my leave-in of choice (usually aloe mixed with some oil).

[AnnaJamila]

Well, personally I take baths instead of showers so I don't know if you're interested in mine but here you go.
-Get a bucket or two of warm water to rinse before filling the tub.
-Get in warm tub with just a tiny bit of oil and swish hair back and forth until completely wet.
-Get a good palmfull of conditioner and rub it into the scalp, add some water and rub some more then clip to the top of my head.
-Sit back and soak for a bit with a book. (My favorite part!!!)
-Scrub down and dunk under the water swishing hair back and forth until I can't feel conditioner in my hair anymore.
-Once a week I take my bucket and add a generous sploosh of apple cider vinegar to warm water then hang my head over the bucket and use a cup to pour the mixture over my hair and scalp several times catching it in the bucket.
-Every day I rinse with cold water and the bucket.
-Apply body lotion or palmer's coacoa oil and oil the wet hair and off I go!

In case you were curious my bucket has SpongeBob and Patrick on it. :D

[daaisychains]

I've been trying to only CO my hair 2/3 times a week.
My routine is as follows:

Wet hair in luke warm water.
Apply Coconut conditioner to the roots and length, and aussie moisture conditioner to the ends. I then pop it all under a shower cap.
I do this straight away so it has time to work on my hair whilst i do my other shower-y duties.
Usually wash face/body/brush my teeth a few times/shave etc.
Then i take the cap off, run my fingers through my hair make sure there's no tangles and give myself a lovely head massage, then i'll rinse the conditioner out for a good two minutes to make sure it's all gone.
Then i'll turn the water to as cold as i can stand it and place my head only under to rinse my hair in that, i usually splash some on my face as it feels amazing.
Gently run the excess water off my hair.
Then after that i towel turban until it's damp apply some coconut oil to the very tips and just let it air dry.

It usually takes a couple of hours but i just sit with a towel on top of my sholders on top of my clothes at my desk and study.

That sounds so long, but it's not that time consuming.

[isbmlamloi]

Wet hair slightly (all is done with hot water)
Condition from ears down (Dove's Intense Damage Therapy conditioner)
Wet scalp directly in shower spray
Apply shampoo (Lush's Jumpin' Juniper shampoo bars) to scalp, from top of head around to the back and then up under the hair to reach all the scalp
Lather
Rinse all
Condition again from ears down (alternates between the Dove conditioner and Lush's Jungle conditioner)
Gather hair loosely so it's up off of my back and clip to top of head with a claw clip
Continue with rest of shower
At end of shower, remove claw clip and rinse hair
Wrap hair in my handmade turban towel
After about 20 minutes of drying while I get dressed and ready for work, unwrap hair
Comb out with wide-toothed comb

[jenwexler]

I use a wide tooth comb but it's plastic. Is that bad? Or should I try to look for a wooden comb instead?

[LocustSpawning]

1. Hot water = on :D
2. I wet my hair thoroughly
3. Condition the ears down with Herbal Essences - Beautiful Ends conditioner
4. Shampoo with product of the same make with conditioner still on ends
5. I wash it all off, then apply Lee Staffords hair growth protein treatment (I know I know.. supposedly no product makes your hair grow faster.. but seriously.. read some reviews if you have time, and I'm positive it's made a difference!)
6. I leave that on for 5 minutes, in this time I shave/wash/etc, then I condition again.
7. I leave my hair drip dry naturally and comb it when it's dry, sometimes apply olive oil to the ends.

I think it's a good idea to share our hair routines here, a good place for some inspiration to maybe change our own a bit :)

[longhairtobe]

i wanna join!? okay...

i hop in the shower, wet my hair
wash it with garnier length and strength shampoo (just foam up the roots and sort of squeeze it through to the ends, rinse)
sidenote: *i want to get the condish too but just havent yet as i have a ton of other conditioners :o
put V05 moisture milks condish on just my ends, leave in while i wash my body, rinse well
turn on the cold water and do a final rinse for extra shine
then i get all wrapped up in a towel along with my hair. i let it towel dry for 15 mins then i comb it with a wide tooth comb and put coconut oil on the ends (i also currently monistat and thats done after the combing)
then i let air dry

[Lianna]

I shower (always warm water) in the mornings and evenings everyday. Shampoo and condition in the morning, CO and oil at night. I have to shower so much due to the extreme weather where I live. I've tried almost everything I learned here just so I find what's best for me (except SO, I need water to cool my scalp), that was it.

[Gemma]

I don't even try and comb (finger or otherwise) in the shower since my wavy/wurly hair tangles like crazy when wet. My routine is pretty standard:

-get in, wet hair thoroughly, shampoo
-apply conditioner to length and a wee bit on roots; gently twist hair and clip up on my head
-wash my face, exfoliate, maybe shave, etc
-turn water to cool/cold temp, rinse out conditioner thoroughly; reclip hair
-wash body
-water off, gently squeeze out water from hair, and put up in a microfiber towel.

Simple! :)

Also, I second those who talked about saving water. In the colder seasons, I shower every other day, and I try to keep my showers as brief as possible. It helps, though, that I don't wash my hair more than twice a week.

[tinygirl]

I sometime have a deep conditioning treatment/deep oiling before I get in the shower, but that doesn't really change things.

- comb my hair carefully with a wide tooth comb before getting in the shower, getting rid of any knots/tangles
- get in the shower and wet my hair.
- shampoo my hair by gently massaging my scalp and then sliding the suds down my length - I usually bring it round the front to do this.
- I then rinse out the shampoo.
- I apply conditioner from root to tip and let it sit for a minute or two while I wash the rest of myself.
- Rinse out the conditioner and give my hair a blast of water as cold as I can stand it.
- Squeeze the excess very carefully from my hair then jump out and wrap myself in a towel.
- I then get changed into my pjs (as I always wash my hair in the evening) and just let my hair air dry, which takes hours.
- When it is dry, I take my comb and comb through it.

[lajsa]

My latest shower routine (always looking for improvements!) is as follows :p

1. I brush/comb/fingercomb my hair so that I know there are no tangles. If I'm going to use some sort of special mix that wash (like perhaps an SMT, or mixing honey or oil into my conditioner) I fix that before I move on to step two.
2. Get into the shower. I stand beneath it with my hair still parted, since the area of my crown always seems to stay greasy after a wash; I need to expose it to the water/condish, since otherwise it won't get clean :p I wash with lukewarm water, but when I hold my head upside-down I can go colder since I won't have to have that sort of icy drip running down my back... :p
3. I apply my conditioner, sort of gently massaging into the scalp and length. Scalp first, careful to get the crown covered.
4. I gather my hair into my shower cap and turn up the heat on the water. Then I spend a few minutes getting the rest of my shower duties done.
5. Get the hair out of the shower cap, turn down water heat (after using hotter than hot water for a while, I feel I can use almost cold water even when I'm standing upright letting it run down my body after rinsing my hair :p So it's all good. I shift between being right-side-up and upside down during rinsing, since it seems I can always get a boatload of bubbles out of the other side even when I thought I'd rinsed thoroughly on the first side :D
6. Rinse and massage.
7. Rinse and massage.
8. Finished rinsing? Good. Let's rinse some more.
9. Gently squeeze the water out of the length.
10. Gently wrap in towel. Note to self; get yourself a microfiber towel!
11. Finished! :D

[Vermelha]

I just recently changed my washing routine. I hadn't changed it in 4 years, so I'm hoping this helps (with my hair as well as the drain clog situation ^_^)

Outside the shower
1. I part my hair in four sections.
2. I wet each section and apply whatever cleanser to the roots.
3. Repeat for the other sections, then massage the whole head for a few minutes.

In the shower: Rinse shampoo with warm water.
Out the shower: Section hair, apply oil or product and detangle.

[Raventresses]

before my shower i brush it and get as many shed hairs out as i can..

in shower:
drench hair
condish #1, scrub and put a plastic cap over (no cones)
wash myself and shave
rinse hair
condish #2 from neck down only (cones)
wash face
rinse hair

out of shower:
squeeze hair and wrap up with towel
body lotions and potions
take down hair, finger comb, add a little oil to ends

DONE!

[Nera]

-Heavy, heavy oil treatment (oil tends to dissapear in my hair)
-Keep in braid
-Untie braid carefully
-Get in the shower, let medium temperature (how do you say that in english?) water run through my hair until it's completely wet
-Conefree conditioner
-Comb hair really gently with streaming water, also to rinse
-Apply a little bit of conefree shampoo on the calp and massage scalp. and some more conditioner on the ends
-shower to cold and rinse out
-let it drip and then wrap it in a towel
-some oil or leave in and untangle carefully while drying

Sessions like this I do twice a week, it takes 20 minutes. The other days I take 2 minute showers, with my hair covered.
I have to brush my hair in the shower because i can't do it when it's dry. I would damage it way more if I would try that.

[Vermelha]

-Heavy, heavy oil treatment (oil tends to dissapear in my hair)
-Keep in braid
-Untie braid carefully
-Get in the shower, let medium temperature (how do you say that in english?) water run through my hair until it's completely wet
-Conefree conditioner
-Comb hair really gently with streaming water, also to rinse
-Apply a little bit of conefree shampoo on the calp and massage scalp. and some more conditioner on the ends
-shower to cold and rinse out
-let it drip and then wrap it in a towel
-some oil or leave in and untangle carefully while drying

Sessions like this I do twice a week, it takes 20 minutes. The other days I take 2 minute showers, with my hair covered.
I have to brush my hair in the shower because i can't do it when it's dry. I would damage it way more if I would try that.

Tepid or warm works :)
And I'm just like you. I have to brush it when wet with a gentle brush. Brushes snag on curls and waves when dry :(

I like your routine. It's like CWC but the you do the conditioner first then you wash and condition at the same time. I may give that a try to help detangle my ends while shampooing.

[emmabovary]

It's really inspirational to read about other people's routines :) Mine looks like this at the moment:

1. Get hair fully saturated with water.
2. Condition - I slap several handfuls of conditioner all over it. My hair inhales conditioner. Currently, I'm using Suave Professionals Almond. It's coney, but works great, so I don't care.
3. Detangle - first, I fingercomb, then I *very carefully* use my Denman. It's okay, but I prefer using a wide toothed wooden comb. Just need to find one.
4. Shampoo - this is optional. My scalp rarely gets greasy, the only time I need to shampoo is when I've got build-up on my length.
4b. Rinse.
4c. Get a few more handfuls of conditioner on hair. If I didn't shampoo, I skip all of step 4.
5. Shave and wash body.
6. Rinse hair very well.
7. Wring out the excess water, then do a final ACV rinse.
8. Finally, I apply a squirt of the same conditioner as a leave-in.
9. Done!

Sounds a lot more complicated than it is!

[Angeletti]

Here is my typical routine.

-Before getting in the shower I dampen my hair and slather it with cheap conditioner, usually V05, and let it all soak in a shower cap for ten minutes.
-Using barely warm water I get in shower and shampoo just the scalp making sure the suds do not get on my length.
-I wring out my hair of most of the water and apply my conditioning mask all over the length and use a clip to keep it at the nape of my neck.
-This is when I usually turn the water to hot and do other shower activities while my hair is being conditioned.
- After having my hair soak long enough I will turn the water back down to barely warm and rinse off all of the conditioning mask.
-I flip my head upside down and let freezing cold water go all over the length.
-Next I get out of the shower and use a T-shirt to absorb most of the water.
-Then I'll spray on a leave in conditioner and then use a wide tooth comb to brush any remaining tangles.
-The last step is to let it air dry and either leave it in it's straight state or french braid while slightly damp if I want waves for the next day.

[svehex]

I know my routine could do with a lot of improvement, but here it is:

I get in, drench my hair, shampoo (any old kind), rinse thoroughly, squeeze out water, apply conditioner to lenghts, do the rest of my body, rinse the hair, squeeze out as much as I can, squeeze with the towel. I know I probably shouldn't, but I brush when I get back downstairs. Then I go to work and let it air dry.

I've always been blessed with hair that'll take the abuse, but now I'm starting to see the age taking its toll.

[girlcat36]

This has been very interesting reading everyone's routine!
Here's mine:

*Turn on my space heater(I freeze!)
*Make a rice bran/water paste and apply to face
*Prepare a pitcher or cold water with ACV or lemon for final hair rinse
*Prepare oil shampooo
*Detangle hair with Tangle Teezer
*Dry skin brush with natural bristle brush
*Get in shower and wet hair
*Apply oil shampoo to scalp and length, let sit
*Scrub body and face with sea salt
*Rinse everything off
*Shave
*Soak length of hair in pitcher of cold ACV rinse for a minute
*Pour remainder of ACV rinse over head
*Apply Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner, comb through and leave it in
*Turn off shower
*Apply body oil(olive/peanut blend) to wet skin
*Apply cocoa butter and shea butter to face
*Get dressed, hair drips dry--no product

[Henrietta]

If I have to wash my hair standing inside the shower, which I hate and I totally can't do it (:D), as I am a former bathtub-user and after 18 years I don't know what to do with my hair, then...

outside:
I brush it well with BBB, sometimes I do a scalp massage

inside: I make it wet with... warm water, I cannot stand cold, though I know it's bad for my hair. I put the first C on my length, then I am trying to put and spread shampoo. And I fail, but who cares. I rinse everything out and I put the second C. Then I do the rest. If I have to rinse out the second C I am trying to let it stay as long as possible. Then I rinse and make a turbie towel. If I can left it overnight I put on shower cap and a winter hat after jumping outside of the shower:)

But I really prefer to wash my hair upside down, standing next to the shower:)

[Capybara]

This is an interesting thread!

Here's mine:
Oiled braid the night before (I literally drench my hair in oil, my scalp as well as the length.)
I prepare my vinegar rinse in a large, clean shampoo bottle with cold water (1tsp to 3/4 liters of water.)

Get in shower, warm-ish water. I find hot water dried out my skin.

After hair is all wet, bring the length around to the front, turn off the water, squeeze out excess water from length and apply conditioner. Apply shampoo to the scalp, and let sit for a few minutes while I do other shower things.

When I'm ready, rinse the shampoo out. Apply more conditioner, rinse through my whole hair with the ACV solution and leave it in while I shave and bathe.

After I'm finished washing my body, I rinse out the condoner and ACV and dilute the leftover ACV mix with cold water, then pour it all over my hair. This doesn't get rinsed out.

Out of shower, pat hair with a towel, apply lotion, cleanse and tone face - done! :)

[luxepiggy]

Most intriguing! I had no idea so many people washed their hair upside down! May I ask why? Doesn't your hair get tangled with all the directional reversals? (^(oo)^)

[Carolyn]

I don't have a shower. I really enjoy it when I can take real showers when I'm staying in a motel or at someone else's house. It's baths for me. My products vary with each hair washing so I'm not going to list specific things.

I start filling the tub while I use my BBB to remove shed hair. I get in and sit down and wet my hair using a plastic cup. At this point it's either conditioner for a quickie CO wash, coating my length with conditioner for a CWC wash, or using shampoo. I continue through the washing part and apply my final conditioner. My hair is hanging down my back. Next I wash my face and body, and shave arms, pits, and legs. Then it's time to rinse out the last conditioner. I do this with my hand held shower thingie. I start out with the water fairly warm and then slowly make the water as cool as I can stand it. If I'm doing a white vinegar rinse that I don't rinse out, I do it at this point. My hair is down my back the whole time. I don't usually do any detangling or combing in the bath. I stand up and wrap my hair turban style in a thinnish bath towel. I like them because they aren't as heavy as one of my nice thick bath towels. I get them at K Mart. I dry off and apply body lotion or oil and antiperspirant. Underwear goes on next. Then I take the towel off my hair and detangle it with my Mebco detangling comb. I air dry while I finish getting dressed and put on make up.

[jenwexler]

I forgot who said we should cut down on water in the shower so I tried it. I shut it off after I wet myself for shaving. I got a little bit of razor burn from that but I guess that's because my body isn't used to it. I'll definitely try again.

[liagibba]

I'm late to the game but here's my shower routine:
wet hair and body, massage scalp
apply conditioner to scalp and ends, comb through, put in a shower cap
wash my body, shave if it's a shave day
gently scrub face with washcloth
remove cap, rinse hair, massage scalp some more
hop out of the shower, wrap hair in a towel while I apply lotion
take hair out of the towel, comb through, apply small amount of coconut oil, air dry.

[DuckyDot]

-Get In Shower
-Wet Hair
-Apply Cleanser and Massage
-Rinse, Rinse, Rinse!
-Rinse :)
-Apply CO, Comb, And apply more CO, let soak in.
-Wash Body/shave/whatever
-Apply MORE CO
-Rinse.
-Apply Leave-in
-Get out
-Dry Body
-Apply Mousse, Frizz Serum / Frizz Serum/Shine Serum
-Wrap hair Turban Style in Microfiber towel

[svehex]

Most intriguing! I had no idea so many people washed their hair upside down! May I ask why? Doesn't your hair get tangled with all the directional reversals? (^(oo)^)

When I had really long hair, I also washed and brushed it upside down. To me, it was a question of being able to reach comfortably. It didn't tangle any worse than it did otherwise, and it's a lot easier to wrap a towel around it that way.

[jenwexler]

I wash upsidedown for better scalp stimulation.

[DavidN]

I have a regular routine, on "full hair wash" days. (I also have a different, slightly shorter routine, on "CO only" days)

In shower, wet hair with warm water.
Add shampoo and lather, gently.
Rinse out shampoo with warm water, then after thoroughly removed, reduce water temp to fairly cool.
Add conditioner, gently distribute in hair, and leave for short time.
Rinse out with cool water.
Squeeze out as much water as possible.
Gently towel dry to damp stage
Apply small dab of leave in conditioner, and distribute through hair.
Neaten hair with towel, then let air dry. Try to avoid combing as much as possible until dry.

[hairobsessed1]

the night before: I use castor oil on my roots, and coconut oil on the length
In the shower: Wet my hair
apply shampoo and rinse
apply shampoo again and massage my scalp, rinse
apply some conditioner
comb with wide tooth comb
apply a little more conditioner
wash body and face
rise conditioner
towel dry for the first 2 or 3 minutes
apply leave in conditioner and moroccan oil

[jaine]

I don't like applying shampoo directly to my hair...if I apply the dime-sized amount that I need, it would never be distributed evenly to all of my hair. If I apply more, it gets too tangly and too dry. So here's my hair washing routine:

- wet hair
- saturate hair with cheap conditioner
- comb to distribute it (a fine-tooth comb)
- add a dime-sized amount of shampoo and lather it up; continue combing
- rinse
- apply expensive conditioner and let it sit
- rinse
- dry hair in a towel turban
- apply hair gel and damp-bun it

[Messyhair]

I wet down my hair and put conditioner on everything that would be in the 'tail' part of a ponytail. Then I lather in shampoo on the hair without conditioner and leave the shampoo and conditioner in while I wash my body. After washing up, I rinse everything and I'm ready to go!

I never actually wash the length and if conditioner gets near my scalp, it makes my hair incredibly oily and broken out. So I have to be careful what I do. :p

[Kristin]

I wet my hair in the sink (put the stopper in so hair does not go down the drain- OUCH!) and slather it in cone-free condish. I let that sit for 5-10 minutes. Get in the shower and rinse the ends a bit, then apply a heavier condish (usually GF Triple Nutrition). Comb out tangles. Leave hair to soak up condish while soaping up, shaving, etc...Rinse hair with warm, then cool water. Get out and wrap hair in a towel, dry body, apply lotion. Comb hair and part bangs, blow dry bangs only. I sometimes put a little oil and/or aloe in the length when it is almost dry, but I usually wait until it is dry (the following morning) to decide if I need it.

[jenwexler]

Your hair looks so beautiful and soft =]

[Pierre]

On full wash days:
*Take the Flexis out (I wear them to sleep, as well as all day)
*Turn water on and wait for it to get warm
*Clear hair off the wall and add to the rat, if I didn't do a skin-only wash
*Comb the left half of my hair. If I find a tangle at the ends, I snip it off. If it's farther up, I split the hair into two bundles and pull them apart, or pull hairs out of it until it's at the ends of all remaining hairs. If I find a knot, I snip it.
*Comb the right half with the left hand
*Put shed hairs on the wall
*Comb the back hair with the ipsilateral hand, using the contralateral hand to pull apart tangles
*Scrape dead skin off hands and feet using scissors as strigil
*Scrape other parts of skin using fingernails
*Turn water off
*Wrap towel around chest with hair hanging down my back
*Put the towel on the floor to dry escaped water.
On skin-only wash days I clear the hair off the wall, add it to the rat, and scrape the dead skin off. If I just need to rinse sweat off, I may wet my hair while it's still up, but that hasn't happened for months.

[jenwexler]

I don't really have knots anymore. I did a deep conditioner on Friday and washed it out without shampoo. My hair is extremely soft now but It looks oilier than it really is. I was originally thinking to do C/O every other full shower. Is that a bad idea?

[thatjengirl1]

Well.. I wet my hair first and shampoo. then rinse it out. the put conditioner on the length of it and leave that alone while i wash my face and body. then i rinse everything.
:)

[jaine]

here are my steps on the days that I wash my hair:
1. wet hair with lukewarm water
2. saturate all of my hair with inexpensive conditioner
3. add some more water and massage my scalp (basically co-washing)
4. add a nickel-sized amount of shampoo (otherwise my conditioner won't rinse out fully)
5. comb my hair with a fine-tooth comb (yes, I do this! with wet hair and shampoo in it!)
6. rinse with lukewarm water
7. add some heavier/expensive conditioner & comb it through my hair
8. do the rest of my shower with conditioner in my hair
9. rinse with lukewarm water
10. sometimes I add a chickpea-sized amount of the same heavier conditioner as a leave-in
11. add hard-hold gel and style it in the shape that I want it to dry (either scrunching to get curls, or combing to get loose waves, or an updo)
12. air dry

On the days that I don't wash my hair I usually wear a shower cap with terry cloth inside so my hair won't get wet or humid.

[jenwexler]

Also, if you want it to dry straight, jaine, you can try a doobie when it's still damp. I woke up with my hair unbelievably straight last time I did it.

[Madora]

Here's my method:

1) Detangle dry hair and brush thoroughly.
2) Part hair from forehead to nape. Both sides are kept separate throughout the shampooing/conditioning processs. I have a lot of hair, it's long, and keeping the sides separate gives me much more control over it..and keeps tangles to a minimum.
3) Add a tablespoon of George Michael Pink Shampoo to 8 oz warm water, stir thoroughly.
4) Pour all over scalp and hair. Massage in gently and along the length
5) Rinse and repeat steps 3/4/5
6) Dilute a tablespoon of GM conditioner in 8 oz warm water/stir/apply to hair, pressing gently into all the strands.
7) Wait about 4 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with mildly hot water. Finish with a cool rinse.
8) Using the palms of my hands, gently press out the water from my hair
9) Wrap hair in a thick towel (wrapped verticaly). Pin towel around head. Let sit for 10 minutes while I clean the shower, etc.
10) Unpin towel, and then take my widetooth comb and gently detangle the strands, starting from the ends and working slowly up the strands to my scalp.
11) Airdry using a "fanning method" which dries my hair quickly.
12) Style

[MandaMom2Three]

Well until last night, the night before showering I'd do a heavy coconut oiling. Then the next morning I'd wet my hair in the shower, slather a thin cheap conditioner like V05 on and leave it while I wash the bod. Then add a little water to my sloppy head and scrub gently. Then rinse that out and apply Suave Naturals conditioner (any scent but coconut, love the scent but my hair hates the protein) to the length. Let that sit for a few moments while I rinse off the rest of me, then rinse out that conditioner. Then squeeze out excess water, flip head over and turban it. Once I dried off the rest of me I'd let my hair down, detangle with my Body Shop wood comb and apply a scraping of coconut oil to the length before damp bunning for the day.

HOWEVER, I think my CO days are gone...for a while anyway! I tried the Movie Star Shampoo last night and I'm in LOVE! So now I'll skip the prewash oiling, get in the shower, wash the body, wash the hair with my coconut oil/shampoo mix then rinse all and turban as before. I'll probably still add a little coconut oil to my ends before bunning, they are a little fried from my brief return to heat styling :rolleyes:

[Bene]

- Before getting in the shower, I detangle
- Wet hair under shower
- Lather and rinse 2 or 3 times with shampoo bar
- Soak hair with ACV rinse and clip up
- Shower duties
- Rinse out ACV rinse
- Squeeze out excess water and put hair up in microfibre towel and dry off
- About 20 minutes after hair is in towel, take it down, lightly oil (currently using babassu oil) and detangle, then damp bun.

[jaine]

Here's my method:

1) Detangle dry hair and brush thoroughly.
2) Part hair from forehead to nape. Both sides are kept separate throughout the shampooing/conditioning processs. I have a lot of hair, it's long, and keeping the sides separate gives me much more control over it..and keeps tangles to a minimum.
3) Add a tablespoon of George Michael Pink Shampoo to 8 oz warm water, stir thoroughly.
4) Pour all over scalp and hair. Massage in gently and along the length
5) Rinse and repeat steps 3/4/5
6) Dilute a tablespoon of GM conditioner in 8 oz warm water/stir/apply to hair, pressing gently into all the strands.
7) Wait about 4 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with mildly hot water. Finish with a cool rinse.
8) Using the palms of my hands, gently press out the water from my hair
9) Wrap hair in a thick towel (wrapped verticaly). Pin towel around head. Let sit for 10 minutes while I clean the shower, etc.
10) Unpin towel, and then take my widetooth comb and gently detangle the strands, starting from the ends and working slowly up the strands to my scalp.
11) Airdry using a "fanning method" which dries my hair quickly.
12) Style

I am fascinated that you only use a tablespoon of conditioner for all your hair ... is that because you get undesirable results if you use more? Or because there's no difference if you use more?

[Madora]

Hi, Jaine! I only use one tablespoon because putting on more isn't really necessary (at least for me). Also, rinsing my hair is about the only thing I dislike about having long hair. It takes time and my blasted water pressure isn't the greatest, which makes it even more time consuming.

[Henrietta]

Ha, I do not wash my hair in a shower because I am not able to spread the shampoo well and, there we go, I am afraid that I would cause a lot of damage. I wash it standing near the shower instead. When I am in a shower I have it clipped up.
On the rare occasions when I do not have time for 2 separate washes (me and my hair:D ) I use lots of conditioner during CWC and keep it clipped up so the shower gel does not touch it.

[ScarlettAdelle]

- brush / wide tooth / fine tooth comb (my hair tangles like no other, I have to be SURE)
- wet hair thoroughly
-wide tooth comb
-(if a shampoo day) shampoo scalp & roots only
-massage for about 2 minutes
-rinse
-put conditioner in palm, rub hands together and finger comb conditioner through from about 4 inches to tips
- nautilus bun secured with a chopstick (I have nice ones.. not one of the ones out of the takeout container, so you may quit cringing)
- wash /rinse face
- wash / rinse body
- switch water to cold
- thank the forces that be for the invention of the hand-held showerhead.
- rinse hair while combing with wide toothed comb, and think warm thoughts while trying absolute best to keep the "freezing cold" water off of me
- wrap hair in hand towel #1, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze
- squeeze
- squeeze
- switch to hand towel #2, wrap hair around head
- dry body with bath towel
- pumice stone
- pumpkin spice latte lotion
- dress
- let hair down to dry for about 20 min
- spray 7 seconds throughout, apply setting lotion and curling cream, scrunch
- put hair in whatever style I'll be wearing
- go about day

[jenwexler]

Anyone find their shower routine change when showering in someone else's home or when traveling? I'm doing my best with my routine while at my mother's house but I can't do my deep conditioning here.

[kattygf]

i just brush my hair before showering

[LissaJane]

Every second or so hair-wash, I'll heavily oil my hair either a couple of hours or a day before the wash.
This is followed by:
If I want a hot shower, I'll tie my hair in a bun, so as to not damage it with the heat and do all my body washing before actually washing my hair. If not, I'll leave it down and do all my washing beforehand anyways.

I'll usually put a small plastic basin to collect water and put my bottle of rinse in it so that it's not cold when it goes on my head. I know that cold water is said to be better for the hair, but sometimes I'm just really not in the mood for a cold rinse. It'll never be hot, just kind of luke warm by the time it reaches my hair.

My hair is the last thing I pay attention to in the shower, I look at it as getting all the other things out of the way so that I can do the hair thing properly.

I wash it with my Organic Care shampoo, massaging the roots.

Finished off by pouring my rinse over my head and tying it in a bun in an attempt to lock as much of it in as possible. I have a towel on standby so I can immediately turbin-towel it so I don't end up staining my bathroom rug as I get out.

After: I keep my hair in the towel turbin for about half an hour (Unless I'm in a rush) air-dry the hair until slightly damp and oil it with olive+avocado oil.

Khalas!

[jaine]

Anyone find their shower routine change when showering in someone else's home or when traveling? I'm doing my best with my routine while at my mother's house but I can't do my deep conditioning here.

My parents don't have a shower filter and my skin and hair both hate the chlorine. shudder:
When I'm at their house I end up doing more "sponge baths" and fewer showers, and trying to avoid getting my hair wet, stretching washes longer than I normally would.

[Sinisiew]

I usually do a coconut oil soak with my hair in a sockbun during the night before (or the day if I'm working from home), If i haven't remembered to do a soak I do my own SMT (well sort of) with coffee, coconut oil, deep treatment masque, cocoabutter & 1 egg yolk for about 30 mins, but when I'm in the acutal shower I...

1) Detangle my hair carefully with my fingers
2) soak it with water
3) put conditioner on the lengths
4) shampoo the hair close to my scalp
5) let it sit for a while while I soap up
6) Rinse it all out
7) Put more conditioner on the lengths
8) soap up again, shave, pumice, scrub etc
9) Rinse it all out
10) gently squeese excess water out of it and then let it airdry hanging loose over my shoulders.

If it's a special day I might blowdry my bangs (maybe once a month) but usually I just do two french braids and clip them up.

[jenwexler]

My parents don't have a shower filter and my skin and hair both hate the chlorine. shudder:
When I'm at their house I end up doing more "sponge baths" and fewer showers, and trying to avoid getting my hair wet, stretching washes longer than I normally would.

I don't know what's in the water here but my mom's shower head barely gives enough water for a relaxing shower even if I didn't concentrate on my hair. She doesn't have a water filter like my Dad does...but I don't think my shower water is too filtered in college either. It actually feels weird to wash my hair in my dad's house because the water feel different.

[Madora]

Jenwexler...perhaps the tiny "pores" on the showerhead are clogged? CLR is supposed to be great fixing clogged showerheads (at least, so it seems on their tv advert).

[jenwexler]

Hmm definitely a thing to look into for my mom. The water temperature in general is pretty bad in her apartment. It's kind of weird that the cold knob in the shower is used for both warm and cold water. The other knob does nothing. I might urge her to just look into getting the shower redone all together. I don't know how she deals with it.

[Hiriel]

Most intriguing! I had no idea so many people washed their hair upside down! May I ask why? Doesn't your hair get tangled with all the directional reversals? (^(oo)^)

Unless I pile all of my hair on my head when I shampoo (and if I don't want to wash my length, I don't) it's hard for me to wash the scalp properly, as my hair is thick and gets heavy when wet. It's easier to get to the scalp upside down, as the hair falls away from it :)

I'm not going to post a routine now, because I'm at my father's for Christmas and right now just waiting to get back home to try a new one :p

[joiekimochi]

My routine goes:

1) Brush teeth
2) Hop into shower, wet hair
3) Apply conditioner to length
4) Shampoo scalp and then rinse everything
5) Apply conditioner to length and as close to the scalp without really touching the scalp
6) Bun conditioner-coated hair loosely and secure with a wide-toothed, plastic French twist comb
7) Wash body
8 ) Shave
9) Remove comb and use it as a detangling comb to detangle hair
10) Rinse conditioner out
11) Wash/exfoliate face
12) Get out of shower, pat dry, wrap hair in microfibre hair towel
13) Apply lotion to face and aloe vera gel to legs
14) Get dressed!
15) After 10 minutes, unwrap hair and damp oil with camellia oil

Everything is done in 15-20 minutes.

[GALISH]

· Finger comb a bit to dentagle (only if my hair is tangly)
· Get in shower, cold water (not 100% :))
· Condition ends, it also helps detangling a bit, then rinse it out after a min
· Wash scalp/roots and wash my upper body
· Rinse out shampoo (it takes about 2 min)
· Condition ends and lenght (from the ponytail down) and leave for 2 or 3 min. Wash the rest of my body
· Rinse out conditioner and comb a bit with a seamless wide tooth comb (it's easier to detangle when you rinse out conditioner)
· Turn water to ice cold and give my hair blast
· Squeeze out excess water and wrap hair in towel
· Towel dry for 10 to 15 min and finger comb
· 2 hours of air dry and comb it with a pin brush (hair's still a bit damp)

[GALISH]

· Finger comb a bit to dentagle (only if my hair is tangly)
· Get in shower, cold water (not 100% :))
· Condition ends, it also helps detangling a bit, then rinse it out after a min
· Wash scalp/roots and wash my upper body
· Rinse out shampoo (it takes about 2 min)
· Condition ends and lenght (from the ponytail down) and leave for 2 or 3 min. Wash the rest of my body
· Rinse out conditioner and comb a bit with a seamless wide tooth comb (it's easier to detangle when you rinse out conditioner)
· Turn water to ice cold and give my hair blast
· Squeeze out excess water and wrap hair in towel
· Towel dry for 10 to 15 min and finger comb
· 2 hours of air dry and comb it with a pin brush (hair's still a bit damp)

[jenwexler]

How does your shower routine change as the weather changes?

[Miss Catrina]

Shower:

- apply a layer of conditioner (Suave Tropical Coconut) to length.
- wash scalp (Burt's Bees Very Volumizing*)
- rinse
- apply more conditioner (Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize) mainly to the length, but higher up than the first conditioner (the "sides" of my hair are shorter and they are the parts most likely to need TLC, and those rest above my ears in the shower)
- rinse
- squeeze water out of length
- slide towel over hair ONLY in downward direction (no ruffling)

Post-shower:

- spray in leave in (Aussie Hair Insurance or Aveeno Nourish + Condition)
- comb with wide-toothed comb
- switch to a finer-toothed comb as tangles are no longer present and it's safe to do so
- MORE LEAVE IN!

[jenwexler]

I need to lock in moisture better for the Spring and Summer.

[dazeydayze]

I wet my hair as soon as I get in. Then I apply Suave Naturals Coconut Condish.

Let that sit while I soak in a bubble bath/shave.

Then of course I massage my scalp. And rinse.

this is where I either shampoo or apply more condish.

Then I wash my body.

Rinse.

Get out.

:)

[Annie Fulton]

Okay, here's mine for the days that I actually wash my hair. Other days I just wash my body and throw my hair in a bun.
-Get in and wet hair thoroughly
-CW (Condition ends, then apply shampoo to scalp)'
-Massage that for a couple minutes, then thoroughly wash out
-Re-apply conditioner to the ends
-Pile hair on my head (don't do this if you are tangle-prone) and let the conditioner soak while I finish my shower (wash my body, shave, ect...)
-Rinse thoroughly again, body and hair
-Get out, wrap up in my orange fluffy towel, choose a leave-in for the day and put it lightly on the ends (too much leave-in will weigh my hair down)
;D

[akuamoonmaui]

Get in.
Determine if I should 'poo or not. If so, determine which one. (Very mild (Biosilk), kinda mild (Dove Moisture Therapy, or Suave clarify).
If not, determine which conditioner to use. (Pantene, Organix, or Snowy Moon).
Flip head over and grab desired bottle.
Proceed to slather and finger comb through hair, thoroughly saturating every strand, especially the ends.
Twist and clip to top of my head.
Continue with washing the rest of me.
Flip head back over to rinse, flip head up rinse some more.
Squish excess water out of hair.
Exit.

[JadeTigress]

As of tomorrow, when I go buy more shampoo and conditioner since I ran out, my new routine will go something like this:

1. Heavy oiling the night before. I have to go buy the oil, too. :p I havn't decided what kind yet, but I'm thinking a mix of castor and coconut with a few drops of rosemary EO, and maybe lavender EO, too. If anyone has any ideas that would be better, please let me know so I can go buy the proper stuff. :p

2. Turn on the water, and make it HOT. For me, if the shower isn't turning my skin red, it's too cold.

3. Wet hair as much as possible.

4. Apply cone free conditioner to length.

5. Apply sulfate free shampoo to scalp, and massage well.

6. Rinse hair.

7. Apply cone free conditioner to all of my hair, and let it sit on top of my head while I finish my other shower stuff.

8. Rinse hair thoroughly.

9. Turn off water, dry myself and towel dry my hair.

10. Apply Wild Growth Hair Oil.

11. Brush hair to make sure the oil is distributed.

12. Go set the bottle of WG Light Oil Moisturizer on top of the heater until it's not solid anymore.

13. Apply WG Light Oil Moisturizer.

14. Brush hair.

The end. Honestly, it's really not all that different from what I already do, except I'm adding the oiling at night and trying out CWC.

It takes me awhile to do, but I don't mind. And I don't know that the Wild Growth products are making my hair grow at all, but they do make my hair feel really soft, thick, and healthy right after I use them, especially the Light Oil Moisturizer, so I've kept up with it.

[jenwexler]

I wash my hair once a week now...anyone have to do this because of birth control? It changed the amount of oil my body produces.

[bunzfan]

Here mine

On Wash days

Wash scalp with Holland and Barrett olive oil shampoo, put garnier fructis oil based conditioner on ends this is also cone free and leave on hair while i wash my body

Once i have finished washing i rinse off the conditioner and after a ACV rinse i do a final cool rinse before getting out of the shower, i put a Egyptian cotton towel on first to soak most of the moisture and then i use a turbie twist and then put coconut oil on damp hair.

On CO days

I put conditioner on before 30 minutes before Shower this really helps getting the scalp clean, once in shower rinse off conditioner and apply second lot and conditioner and condition the ends . Oil damp ends before putting up.

[mrs_coffee]

Ha, I do not wash my hair in a shower

I don't either. I pin it up and out of the way when I shower. I wash my hair bending over the kitchen sink. I slather conditioner, wrap my head in a towel for 10 minutes, and then rinse it out. I've always washed my hair either in the sink or bending over the bathtub.

[Mrspuddinhead]

1.) Gently brushes hair before jumping in the shower. I also take a wide tooth comb with me in the shower to help distribute conditioners seeing I only CO. I use my 1st conditioner VO5 Strawberries and cream slightly watered down and apply to ends, gently massaging and rubbing. I then use my hands to get out some tangles if any.
2.) Then I use my wide tooth comb to get out tangles and distribute CO, rinse throughly.
3.) I then use my ACV on my roots gently massaging in, rinse once more.
4.) Repeat with 2nd conditioner VO5 Tea Therapy. Followed by an ACVR which is left in.

Before I used to wash my hair every other day. Since I've started CO only I have to wash everyday. Hopefully after months of this routine my hair will a just and seem less oily.

[Elysium]

I usually oil heavily for a few hours/overnight before washing.
-Get in.
-Wet hair
-Apply Tresemme naturals cone-free cond to lengths and ends
-Wash scalp with Original Source white pear and avocado shampoo
-Rinse under cold water (I always shower in cold water, I can't stand being too warm. I'm a weirdo, I know ;))
-Apply more cond, let that sit while washing body, face, shaving (when I'm bothered :p)
-Rinse again with cold water
-Gently squeeze out most of the water with a towel
-Comb fringe forward (It dries sticking straight up otherwise)
-Wrap towel around shoulders and let hair airdry

[vlhxo]

Oooo I love these types of threads! Here's my input:

Brush hair while water warms up
jump in and wet hair
saturate hair with conditioner (currently it's Aussie Moist) and finger comb through, massaging the scalp as I go
twist up hair into a bun and secure with a claw clip
wash body
take down hair and use shower comb with conditioner still in hair
lower water temperature to cool to rinse hair
shut off water, squeeze out access water in hair, wrap in turbie towel
leave hair in towel while I dry my body and apply lotion and get dressed
take down hair, apply leave in/detangler (Aussie Hair Insurance)
comb with wide tooth comb
apply Aussie Catch the Wave mousse (are you sensing a trend?)
done!

As you may notice, my co-washing routine isn't done the typical way. I only use one conditioner and I just leave it in once I've massaged it through my hair. I have an oily scalp and if I co-wash the "right" way, I look like I took a swim in a vat of oil!

[Tiina]

1. Get wet.
2a. Use a shampoo bar. Rinse. Use shampoo bar again and leave it there until done with other shower duties. Rinse again.

OR

2b. Use SLS-free liquid shampoo. Rinse
3. Get out of the shower and apply light conditioner on the length and heavy conditioner on the ends.
4. Prepare vinegar rinse and pour it over my head while the conditioner is STILL THERE.
5. Rinse with cold water.
6. Allow to drip dry for a while.
7. Apply a few drops of oil.

In step 4 it is vital that the conditioner is still on. If I do the vinegar before, the conditioner won't stick. If I do the vinegar after, it will wash the conditioner away. As far as I know I'm the only one who has to do it like this. :p

[Intransigentia]

My fast shower routine:

1. Thoroughly detangle and de-shed. Do a bit of a scalp massage.
2. Hop into shower (med-warm)and soak myself down thoroughly
3. Turn off water.
4. Clearasil on the face, whatever soap on the body.
5. If my scalp is really greasy, I'll squirt some dilute (30%ish?) Neutrogena on the problem areas and massage.
6. Approx 50/50 neutrogena and coconut oil all over the hair, gently massage it through.
7. Water back on. Rinse everything thoroughly.
8. Fill up a gallon jug with water, add a splash of white vinegar (it has vanilla beans sitting in it for nicer scent). Water off.
9. Slowly pour the vinegar solution over my head, making sure I get it down tothe scalp and right to the ends.
10. Towel turban
11. Comb with wide-toothed comb
12. Air dry.

I have certainly been known to take longer and more luxurious showers, but this is the standard when there's nothing needs to be done except get clean.

[Venya]

Shampoo every other day, condish daily, combing hair throughout shower, and brushing hair while it dries naturally. ^_^

[Jean Stuart]

Non oiling days I comb then scalp massage step in wet hair rub scalp apply conditioner massage scalp spread to length clip up while washing/shaving rinse well.

[xcrunr2go]

I have a Sprite 6-month shower filter to make my hair even shinier & healthier! I also like to use conditioner on my dry hair for 10-60 minutes prior to showering. During the shower I rinse my hair & make sure to be extra careful not to manipulate it too much to avoid mechanical damage. I shampoo & condition if I'm going to work otherwise I get no volume & that greasy look. (short hair is weird!)

[ALYSSA]

@ feralnature
i have always been aware about wasteing water but you really opend up my mind. i think that was veery brave and courageous of you to say that, i have always been a tad bit shy to tell people to turn off their water when they waste soo much! i surely wont be shy any more

[TheMechaGinger]

Well first thing, I only wash my hair about once or twice a week at most. So on days when I'm not washing my hair I bun it on top of my head and put a shower cap on it.

But when I do wash I detangle with my tangle teezer and then put a pretty hefty amount of oil in it
I get in and soak my hair while I fill up this empty bottle about a fourth of the way with water and then add a couple squirts of sulfate free shampoo. I'm not particular which kind, I sorta cycle.
So I shake that up and mush it into my scalp really well and rinse it out and then put in conditioner. Currently I have a bottle tresemme naturals in the shower, sometimes it's garnier tn, as long as it's moisturizing and not coney I don't care. Then I clip that back and do my other junk and rinse it all out with cold water. I put my hair up in a turby long enough to get clothes and lotion on and then take it out and when it's almost dry I put a little oil in it. Tada!

[owlathena]

wet hair. Use a light cone free conditioner all over. Rinse. Put a heavier conditioner on my ends. Do other shower stuff. Rinse. squeeze the extra water out. put up in a towel until about 50% dry. Tangle tease. Add a couple drops on jojoba oil or leave-in. voilà!

[jenwexler]

I have a Sprite 6-month shower filter to make my hair even shinier & healthier! I also like to use conditioner on my dry hair for 10-60 minutes prior to showering. During the shower I rinse my hair & make sure to be extra careful not to manipulate it too much to avoid mechanical damage. I shampoo & condition if I'm going to work otherwise I get no volume & that greasy look. (short hair is weird!)

Sprite filter? What's that???