How Do You Tell?

[ElvenArchess]

One thing I've always wondered about is how you guys make decisions on which products/haircare methods you favor. I know it's kindof silly but it's crucial as I'm nearing the end of my first month officially changing to CWC and am getting ready to start experimenting with different methods! I'm excited but the second I started looking into things, I realized I have no clue how I'll even be able to tell what I like. I just assume it's the "feel" of the hair after you've washed it, and how shiny, dry, or frizzy it is, right? At least, that's the only conclusion I can really draw. So if I am right, about the feel of it, what am I looking for?...

If you use shampoo then conditioner, what should the feel of it be after you shampoo and just before you condition? Is it a bad sign if your hair feels dried, stringy, and impossible to comb through with your fingers post-shampoo or is that normal and just something shampoo usually does for everyone? Is it also a bad sign if the shampoo lathers or gets sudsy (I heard somewhere that sudsy shampoos are bad for your hair)?

When you get done conditioning, should your hair feel soft and detangled? I mean after you've rinsed it but before you've actually gotten out of the shower and started drying it.

And lastly, when you get out of the shower and dry your hair, your hair should feel silky right? If it's still dull and frizzy after you've tested something for a while (which my hair pretty much always is), that means it's the wrong hair care method for you?

I know it's redundant but I'm trying to figure out what your hair says by behaving or looking a certain way and how I can listen to what it's telling me without misinterpreting it. When it comes to my hair being dull, I've always just thought it was the color, because it's always dull! When my hair is black it's very shiny but it's a sort of waxy, frayed sort of shine from the unhealthy box color, so I think it's trying to fool me... :P

[krissykins]

Keep in mind that some hair care routines will need time to adjust.

With that being said, I prefer hair care routines that leaves my hair feeling soft when it has dried. My hair varies on the amount of shine/frizz, but as long as it feels like it has moisture, I'm good.

After shampooing my hair, but before conditioner, my hair has that "squeaky clean" feeling that I hate.

My hair usually feels soft after it's dried. Not necessarily silky because frizz doesn't lie down like silk :p if your hair is dull, then you should probably try a new routine.

The most important thing is, you'll just know if something's not quite right with your hair. Come back and ask more questions if you're confused about something you know isn't right :flower:

[Kherome]

I'd recommend trying CO. Look at it this way, it can't hurt and if you hate it you've lost nothing except a rewashing. I'm betting you won't hate it though.

Pick a conditioner with no cones and go for it.

And P.S., sudsy shampoo is bad yes. It's harsh and drying detergents that make the suds.

[ElvenArchess]

Come back and ask more questions if you're confused about something you know isn't right :flower:
Can-do! ^.^


I'd recommend trying CO. Look at it this way, it can't hurt and if you hate it you've lost nothing except a rewashing. I'm betting you won't hate it though.

Pick a conditioner with no cones and go for it.

And P.S., sudsy shampoo is bad yes. It's harsh and drying detergents that make the suds.
Duly noted. Thanks! I'll read up on CO while I wait for other responses. :3

[HintOfMint]

One thing I've always wondered about is how you guys make decisions on which products/haircare methods you favor. I know it's kindof silly but it's crucial as I'm nearing the end of my first month officially changing to CWC and am getting ready to start experimenting with different methods! I'm excited but the second I started looking into things, I realized I have no clue how I'll even be able to tell what I like. I just assume it's the "feel" of the hair after you've washed it, and how shiny, dry, or frizzy it is, right? At least, that's the only conclusion I can really draw. So if I am right, about the feel of it, what am I looking for?...

If you use shampoo then conditioner, what should the feel of it be after you shampoo and just before you condition? Is it a bad sign if your hair feels dried, stringy, and impossible to comb through with your fingers post-shampoo or is that normal and just something shampoo usually does for everyone? Is it also a bad sign if the shampoo lathers or gets sudsy (I heard somewhere that sudsy shampoos are bad for your hair)?

When you get done conditioning, should your hair feel soft and detangled? I mean after you've rinsed it but before you've actually gotten out of the shower and started drying it.

And lastly, when you get out of the shower and dry your hair, your hair should feel silky right? If it's still dull and frizzy after you've tested something for a while (which my hair pretty much always is), that means it's the wrong hair care method for you?

I know it's redundant but I'm trying to figure out what your hair says by behaving or looking a certain way and how I can listen to what it's telling me without misinterpreting it. When it comes to my hair being dull, I've always just thought it was the color, because it's always dull! When my hair is black it's very shiny but it's a sort of waxy, frayed sort of shine from the unhealthy box color, so I think it's trying to fool me... :P

Whew, a lot of questions! Here we go:)
As for your post-shampoo, pre-conditioner question, my hair is never silky or soft after a shampoo, tangles are pretty much expected for that part. Hopefully nothing too bad that conditioner can't take care of, but yeah, that's normal and not a bad sign.

As for getting out of the shower and drying your hair, having frizz can mean many things. My hair is silky when wet, but I personally can't let my hair air-dry without some sort of product, be it serum, oil or cream. When hair dries, the moisture escapes the cuticle and can lift it, causing frizz. That's a normal part of evaporation, and product definitely helps. So does damp bunning. It doesn't necessarily mean that your washing method or shampoo/conditioner are not working for you.
However, if your hair feels rough, crunchy, or extra tangly it could mean many things. It could mean a protein overload, silicone buildup, using glycerin in a dry climate (humectants like glycerin are not good to use in dry weather because then it will draw moisture out of your hair and into the air instead of the reverse), past damage that you haven't cut away... many things.

Take the time to read up, experiment, and observe. Good luck!

[HintOfMint]

I'd recommend trying CO. Look at it this way, it can't hurt and if you hate it you've lost nothing except a rewashing. I'm betting you won't hate it though.

Pick a conditioner with no cones and go for it.

And P.S., sudsy shampoo is bad yes. It's harsh and drying detergents that make the suds.

Just a note, CO works for some people but not for others. I, and many other members, have had serious shedding with CO. It stopped as soon as I stopped the method, so no serious harm was done, but don't stick with a method if it's not working for you.

And not all shampoos are stripping. Some are gentle and many members dilute it to get it to clean just as well. They still get a lather but no extra damage done to their hair. Lather =/= bad.

[krissykins]

And P.S., sudsy shampoo is bad yes. It's harsh and drying detergents that make the suds.

Now now, sulfates aren't evil. Neither are cones. There are many reasons for not using either, but some people's hair prefer one or both. :)

[ElvenArchess]

Teehee, only five or so responses later and it's already gotten complicated with conflicting opinions. :pinktongue: It's no wonder all of this healthy hair stuff is so complicated.



Just a note, CO works for some people but not for others. I, and many other members, have had serious shedding with CO. It stopped as soon as I stopped the method, so no serious harm was done, but don't stick with a method if it's not working for you.
This honestly terrifies me; my hair isn't thin but it isn't horribly thick since having it thinned out (big mistake) by my former hairdresser last year. I shed like crazy all over everything and losing more hair seems like something that may not only cause issues with my shower drain but will make me have a panic attack of sorts. D: But will trying it for only a week or so have many adverse affects? I mean it still must be worth a shot, right?

[krissykins]

The shedding usually appears to be hairs that needed to be shed but hadn't loosened their grip on other hairs/scalp. With the increased shedding, you may notice less hair in your comb (or whatever you use to detangle) when detangling. Also, you may just shed a lot in the shower and not so much all over everything else ;) there's no way of predicting the actual outcome, though.

It shouldn't noticeably decrease the thickness of your hair. If it does, it might be a product of something else because your wash method shouldn't have any internal effects on your hair.

[spidermom]

What you're looking for may be different than what I'm looking for, which is clean and shiny hair that isn't hard to comb/detangle.

One thing I did when I was new was looked at the pictures of people who had a hair type similar to mine. If I liked how their hair looked, I tried their routine. Eventually I arrived at generous coconut oiling followed several hours later with CWC using diluted shampoo.

Now my goal is to reduce the amount of split-ending I get, for which catnip tea is recommended. I have a hard time remembering to brew some, though.

[HintOfMint]

Teehee, only five or so responses later and it's already gotten complicated with conflicting opinions. :pinktongue: It's no wonder all of this healthy hair stuff is so complicated.



This honestly terrifies me; my hair isn't thin but it isn't horribly thick since having it thinned out (big mistake) by my former hairdresser last year. I shed like crazy all over everything and losing more hair seems like something that may not only cause issues with my shower drain but will make me have a panic attack of sorts. D: But will trying it for only a week or so have many adverse affects? I mean it still must be worth a shot, right?

Of course it's worth a shot! My hair loved CO and it was very soft and really made my ends feel lovely. My scalp just didn't like it, and while it felt clean and seemed clean, I guess my follicles didn't agree with whatever the conditioner was leaving behind. You may have absolutely no problem with it. I started off with CO and when I had shedding, I switched to CWC because I realized that my ends simply didn't like shampoo.


The shedding usually appears to be hairs that needed to be shed but hadn't loosened their grip on other hairs/scalp. With the increased shedding, you may notice less hair in your comb (or whatever you use to detangle) when detangling. Also, you may just shed a lot in the shower and not so much all over everything else ;) there's no way of predicting the actual outcome, though.

It shouldn't noticeably decrease the thickness of your hair. If it does, it might be a product of something else because your wash method shouldn't have any internal effects on your hair.

Trust me on this, the shedding was very real and very much increased. There should be no difference between a shampoo and condition routine and CO in terms of shed hair since both methods require manipulation of the scalp and running fingers through one's hair to distribute conditioner and pull loose the normally shedding hairs. I'm not saying she shouldn't try CO, but she shouldn't ignore increased shedding as a non-problem. Cheers!

[ElvenArchess]

What you're looking for may be different than what I'm looking for, which is clean and shiny hair that isn't hard to comb/detangle.

One thing I did when I was new was looked at the pictures of people who had a hair type similar to mine. If I liked how their hair looked, I tried their routine. Eventually I arrived at generous coconut oiling followed several hours later with CWC using diluted shampoo.

Now my goal is to reduce the amount of split-ending I get, for which catnip tea is recommended. I have a hard time remembering to brew some, though.
This is lovely advice, thank you!

[Artsy]

This is really an example of how everyone's hair is different, since most of replies came from M/C hair type, and still so many opinions;)
Since my hair is mostly coarse, I am obsessed with the softness and the shine, and I am always after a look of a silky curtain (I have been only exposed to fine haired people in the real life)
I have tried my sisters sls-free shampoo with the matching conditioner, which makes her fine hair super shiny and soft. Mine was a big mess full of tangles:D
I tried CWC years years ago, and I found that this routine was leaving way too much residue on my hair leaving it dull. My ends were like velcro, and scalp was itchy.
Just over a year ago I have tried CO, which worked pretty good for about 6 month to fight the damage, but eventually became too heavy for my hair. The hair was pretty shiny, but it could be better. The softness was ok as well.
Once there was an experiment with oil shampoo, which involves no conditioner, I have signed up for that for a few month, and I was surprised at how much shine and softness I had. My hair felt more like M than C which was nice. Eventually winter came and I had so much static with this method, that I have returned back to SC washing.
However, oil shampoo experiment taught me that to get shiny hair I had to stick to basic shampoos, to get soft hair I have to skip on silicones, have to do a vinegar rinse once in a while and club soda soaks, to fight static and get shine in winter I have to use coney products and oils that do not solidify.

[wavyR]

The only way to tell is by trial and error really. My advice is to have some patience, as your hair might take a while to adjust to a new routine.

[Firefox7275]

One thing I've always wondered about is how you guys make decisions on which products/haircare methods you favor. I know it's kindof silly but it's crucial as I'm nearing the end of my first month officially changing to CWC and am getting ready to start experimenting with different methods!

If you use shampoo then conditioner, what should the feel of it be after you shampoo and just before you condition? Is it a bad sign if your hair feels dried, stringy, and impossible to comb through with your fingers post-shampoo or is that normal and just something shampoo usually does for everyone? Is it also a bad sign if the shampoo lathers or gets sudsy (I heard somewhere that sudsy shampoos are bad for your hair)?

When you get done conditioning, should your hair feel soft and detangled? I mean after you've rinsed it but before you've actually gotten out of the shower and started drying it.

And lastly, when you get out of the shower and dry your hair, your hair should feel silky right? If it's still dull and frizzy after you've tested something for a while (which my hair pretty much always is), that means it's the wrong hair care method for you?

I know it's redundant but I'm trying to figure out what your hair says by behaving or looking a certain way and how I can listen to what it's telling me without misinterpreting it. When it comes to my hair being dull, I've always just thought it was the color, because it's always dull! When my hair is black it's very shiny but it's a sort of waxy, frayed sort of shine from the unhealthy box color, so I think it's trying to fool me... :P

I don't think they are silly questions at all, it's really interesting to read what others expect from a product. :) I mostly use leave-in conditioner rather than wash-off as it's quicker and I can control how much conditioner goes where. My hair has never been longer than BSL and is wavy/ curly, it's also mechanically and colour damaged.

I expect my everyday shampoo to leave my hair feeling soft and able to be finger combed, like a light conditioner would. This means it is easy to apply my leave-in conditioner. A 'bad' shampoo for me is one that leaves it literally squeaky clean, like you've clarified it or tangled. Although I've been using an SLS shampoo with cones (Gliss) for several years, I have recently ordered a sulphate-free shampoo.

I don't think SLS is evil, but I don't like shampoo running down my arm aggravating my eczema. :( Nor that my gentle SLS face wash makes my skin oily within a short period - I wonder if it's doing the same to my scalp? I expect my new shampoo to do everything my current shampoo does - that is not leave any grease or dirt just soft hair. In an ideal world I'd also retain more colour and it not irritate my skin at all.

From my conditioner I expect plenty of slip even after it's rinsed out - so easy to brush. When my hair is dry some shine, no stringy bits, softness. Personally I don't like conditioners that go sticky whilst my hair is air drying, but that seems difficult to avoid. Obviously my expectations changes from time to time; I'm not going to blame the conditioner if I know the ends need cutting! :p

[aurorabridge]

We have similar hair types (2a/m/ii) and length (short of APL), so I'll share what I do. I CO with Suave conditioner, what ends up being 1.5 palm-fulls root to tip. I only wash once. When I'm done, I lightly squeeze out the excess. Then I use extra virgin olive oil, less than half a cap, and smooth it along my hair to define my waves and keep down some of the frizzies. Then I air dry down, in a bun, in a braid, whatever.

To answer your questions: I expect my hair to be smooth and without tangles after conditioning, but not after shampooing and to be significantly silkier with cones than without. I expect my hair to be soft for the rest of the day on wash day. I also really like diluting my shampoo with water, if it feels too harsh (half and half).

You mentioned that your hair looked waxy and still felt dull after a wash. This article gives suggestions on how to fix it up: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194

Sorry so long!

[jaine]

I hate the post-shampoo, pre-conditioner tangly feeling..I avoid that by saturating my entire hair and scalp with conditioner and then add just a small drop of shampoo, so I can avoid that feeling. The mixture lathers a tiny bit when I add water to it ... if it lathers too much then I know I added too much shampoo and my hair will feel too dry and poofy after it dries. If I use too much shampoo and my hair ends up dry, I just wait a few days for it to get oily again so I can try again.

Right after rinsing the conditioner out in the shower (my favorite conditioner) my hair feels smooth and lightweight and there's no resistance at all when I run my hand through it, no gummy feeling, no oil, no weight to it, no tangles.

After washing and styling and drying my hair with the right products, it feels very slippery and soft and it looks shiny. I have to put it up when it's wet so that it'll stay up in this state ... too slippery when it's dry. The wrong products might make my hair feel too gummy, waxy, dry, not slippery, or not shiny. I usually dry it in a bun with hard-hold gel and then comb out the crunch. I don't use silicones but I still look for a lot of shine and slippery feeling to tell me that I got it right.

But I imagine other people's hair might feel different ... and it has to be related to hair texture too ... maybe every hair texture has its own feeling to look for.

[Signe]

find a whole load of hair twins by doing a member search and then look at their routines. chances are there will be a trend in whose hair likes what. happy hunting!

[Mesmerise]

Personally, I'm looking for a routine that makes my hair look nice without much additional effort! So I want to be able to wash may hair (however), get out of the shower, dry it off a bit, comb it out and BINGO my hair is happy!!

Some combinations leave my hair feeling GREAT while it's wet, but it dries into a foofy mess... So I want to find something that makes it look as well as feel good.

I haven't found it yet but I'm still searching :D.

To me it's the overall appearance which counts for a lot, as I don't want to have to play around with it for hours making it look nice after I've washed it.