How to prepare for Hair Typing?

[Fairlight63]

I want to recheck my hair typing, I am thinking that it may be curlier than a 2a, it gets tangled & fuzzy so easy.

I found the article on how to hair type, but I was wondering what do you do to your hair before?
Do you shampoo it with a shampoo without SLS & leave off putting on a conditioner & just let it air dry without combing it? seems like I read that some where before but could not find it any where on how or what to use on it before or after shampooing to type it.

Thanks!

[SpinDance]

Instructions are here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=164).

I did my usual detangling/removal of shed hairs before getting into the shower, then used my usual cleaning method, in this case I happen to be on an oil shampoo experiment, so I used that. I always finger comb and remove shed hairs while working shampoo or conditioner into my hair, removing any shed hairs I find. (I put them onto the wall for removal after I'm done so they don't gunk up in my drains.) Rinse as usual. When done I gently squeeze excess water out, then put a thin slightly damp towel under my hair, folding it around loosely to catch drips, then put another one under it, over my shoulders, to catch the drips out the end of the first towel. After a couple of minutes (after I brush my teeth) when the worst drips are done I take off the towel folded around my hair, leaning backwards to let it swing free. I then let it hang against the shoulder towel to finish dripping/drying.

I do not turn my head upside down as is mentioned in the instructions, because this ties it into knots. Last time I did a typing I didn't do anything to unplaster the wet hair from my head, trying not to touch it at all. I was surprised but pleased that it did fluff up away from my head as it dried.

Hope that helps!

[Mesmerise]

Okay, so here's my issue ;) The other day I tried to prep my hair for typing, but was a bit errm unsure how I was supposed to get dressed without messing with my hair too much! I usually put my hair in a turban thing when getting dressed so I don't have all this wet hair down my back...

So how do I let my hair hang down my back while getting dressed too?? I'm sure that wrapping my hair up, even if I'm careful, is going to have some effect on it if I want it to basically come straight from the shower and dry with no more than a touch of blotting. I wonder how other people handled this!

[CarpeDM]

I have a question, when you have two different types of hair, how do you decide which one to go with? For example, I have thick wirey wavey hairs and fine straight hair...?

[SpinDance]

Mesmerise I slipped a caftan on while my hair was inside the folded towels, put another towel around my shoulders hanging down my back over the caftan, then took off the towels folded around my hair.

CarpeDM unless someone expert chimes in with better instructions, I say just go with an average. I have mostly medium hairs, but some really thick, coarse hairs, and some baby fine ones. From what I've gathered many people have a mix.

[CarpeDM]

Ok so basically majority rules, great!

[podo]

(I put them onto the wall for removal after I'm done so they don't gunk up in my drains.)

I'm so happy to see that someone else does this too!! :cheese: I'll even pull the hair out of my drain (well, from on top of it where it's collecting) and pop it up on the wall. Then when I'm about half-done rinsing conditioner, I'll run my finger in circles through all the hair on the wall, which collects it into one big(ger) ball that I can then toss in the trash just outside the shower.

For prep for typing... I used a Clarifying shampoo (twice actually) and no conditioner, but other than that showered as normal. Then got out and dried as normal - which for me is gently squeezing water out of hair, drying body, then wrapping hair in towel for a couple minutes while I put up my shower stuff. I took my hair out of the towel and just let it hang without touching it from that point on - which is sometimes difficult while it dries because it means you have to be careful how you sit.

Right after the typing I get back in the shower and load up on conditioner and do a comb-through with conditioner still in, then rinse, get out (with regular drying routine), gently detangle, and add some leave-in conditioning of some kind. My hair doesn't handle shampoo-only very well, and it likes clarifying shampoo even less!

Hope this helps!