I do not follow all the advice and I am worried about it at times.

[Venefica]

I must admit that at time when I go into this forum I am overwhelmed. People sleep on satin pillow cases, make sure they only dye the roots, if they dye anything at all, never use plastic brushes, always have the hair up, never uses elastics with metal pieces and so on and so on.

I mean I do take care of my hair, I am careful when I brush, I use conditioner and hair cures, and I try to braid it before bed so that I and swing the braid over my pillow to protect it. However my brush is plastic, some of my elastics have metal, I scratch my head when it need scratching, I dye my whole length as the dye even if it is supposed to be permanent fade into brown eventually, or just vanish, I have a normal pillowcase. In short I do not think I could baby my hair to the extent that many here do.

Sometimes I get a bit worried when I come in here. My hair is fine, it grow well, hardly ever split and is very thick and shiny, but I almost fear that it will all go to hell since I do not do all the things you guys do. I mean I do not abuse my hair, I never use heated tools, I never swim in chlorinated water without a hood, I do not use hairspray and I try to hold off between each time I dye my hair for as long as I can. However I do not baby it to the extent of many of the advice here suggest, and at times I am worried. I mean even my hairdresser said that while there was absolutely no damage to my hair, it was strange that so long hair which had been dyed so many times was so healthy and that I should stop dying the entire length. However if I want black hair I have no choice, for with me dye fade allot.

So I guess I am starting this tread to ask, am I right to worry, or do any of you guys not follow all the advice either?

[pinkbunny]

I don't do every single thing people suggest. My hair is healthy and growing. I think some people just get very interested in hair care as a hobby and it's easy to start obsessing about every detail. If your hair is happy, and you're happy, don't worry about it too much. ;)

[krissykins]

Though I follow much of the traditional LHC advice, I just wanted to pop in and say don't worry about it! You know you're doing something right. Do whatever makes you happy with your hair. Do what makes you comfortable.

[Alvrodul]

If you worry too much over your hair, you won't really be able to enjoy it! I have only "really" been taking care of my hair since I joined LHC, and I do just what I feel is practical, and don't really fret about the rest. A lot of it is just a matter of establishing good routines, and also perhaps having the right tools - I threw away all my old combs and brushes when I got some good seamless combs, for instance.
Taking baby steps is a good thing. Start with one or a couple of things you want to change about your regular hair care routine, and when that improvement is firmly established, do a couple of more changes.
For myself, I still tend to be less gentle with my hair when detangling than I "should" be. I am working on that, carefully retraining myself to take more care.
Whatever steps you choose to start with, I hope you will be able to see improvement reasonably soon. :flower:

[nazzooyzo]

i wouldn't worry. the only things i've changed since joining are oiling my hair every now and again and blow drying less. i'm pretty happy with the condition of my hair so don't feel the need to do other things such as going cone free or changing pillowcases!

[CarpeDM]

Oh my goodness! It sounds like the quest to be perfect which of course is impossible because no one is truly perfect, and the whole idea of what makes something or someone perfect is totally subjective anyhow so what might be perfect to me may not be perfect to you so how can there really be a true ideal of shared perfection?....but I digress LOL. I thought the main goal of LHC was to find what works for you? I think of LHC as a wonderful expansive buffet. You can pick and choose what you like and pass on the ones you don't :)

[spidermom]

I do most of the recommended care, and my ends split like crazy. I guess I'm going to have to change some things. As for you - all I can say is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[ericthegreat]

Okay, the first and most important thing that I want you to do is................................Relax!
Its okay if you don't happen to follow all the LHC haircare recommendations to the letter. I'd like to think of them more as good suggestions, not hard and strict rules that you have to follow or else all your hair will fall out.

If you don't happen to see any signs of damage like trashed split ends and dry, tangly unmaneagable hair, then your hair is very likely very healthy. And different people have very different hair, some of them will have very strong, resilient hair and other will have very delicate hair that requires very gentle care. If your hair is as in good a condition as you say it is, then your current routine is most probably working for you. :)

[Amraann]

I don't think that anyone can follow ALL of the advice.
Certain things work for certain people.

If your hair is growing and is healthy then your doing good! :)
If however your suffering from a lot of damage you may want to alter your routine.

I dye the length of mine sometimes because my red fades.

[Firefox7275]

If your current routine works for your hair then there is no need to change! It is impossible to follow ALL the advice on LHC, otherwise you would be no-pooing yet oil pooing, benign neglect yet daily oiling and nightly massaging, wet combing and dry brushing, Renegray yet Henna-head ... ;)

A lot of LHCers who are putting their all into their barnet do so because they want spectacularly long locks, or they have damaged their hair in the past and need to baby it or :scissors: My entire routine is 'up for discussion' simply because my old routine has wrecked my hair, I'm not willing to quit the dye so I have to be willing to make sacrifices elsewhere. For me it is not any more effort to sleep on a silk pillowcase than a cotton one or comb instead of brush. But your reasons for NOT doing those things are just as valid because you know your hair and your lifestyle better than anyone! :)

[Tomoyo]

Really, the moment haircare becomes overwhelming to you, that's the time to step back and decide whether or not you really want to obsess over every little thing. If your hair is strong and healthy as it is, keep doing what you're doing and you should be fine. I certainly don't follow every piece of advice; I still "finish off" my hair by blowdrying, I don't use special pillowcases, I don't have the extensive conditioning routines that some have... mostly because if I did all that, I'd become obsessed, and I don't want that.

Hair maintenance should be enjoyable, not a daunting chore. Do whatever feels right for you.

[CarpeDM]

"It is impossible to follow ALL the advice on LHC, otherwise you would be no-pooing yet oil pooing, benign neglect yet daily oiling and nightly massaging, wet combing and dry brushing, Renegray yet Henna-head ... "

GREAT POINT!

[Tressie]

I think you are blessed to have hair that is M/C and thick and healthy! It seems you are taking good care of the hair you have and it is responding well. So, as others have said, don't worry and carry on!

Some of us, have strands that are finer and more prone to split. Perhaps due to health issues, age, stress (emotional or mechanical) , or other factors...we have hair issues. In searching for ways to improve the health of our hair, we are glad to try many different suggestions!

Don't feel pressured to try anything different if you are happy with your hair now! (o:

[mellie89]

Oh my gosh, please don't worry about it! I don't follow many of the LHC "rules," either. Do what works for you, and don't feel as though you need to apologize to anyone. :)

[Mamakash]

I don't follow all the advice as I've not had many bad habits to undo and I have had healthy hair of various lengths from my early twenties onward. Most of what I have adopted from the board has made my hair come in much better . . . a concern I had since I'm in my late thirties. But now I am a bit worried about my constant use of my large "bobbie slides" as I think I see more broken ends in my hair's length. I'm wondering if the advice of varying hair pinning would have helped. I didn't listen!:(
I imagine you have to find what works, a little at a time and make changes accordingly.

[HintOfMint]

Relax, dear, most of us don't follow the rules and many who are extra EXTRA careful are those with delicate hair that is more prone to damage, that's just the way their hairtype is.

Heck, I have coarse hair that STILL gets damaged if I don't baby it.
But that's my hair and my length.

Also, I've gone back to cones indefinitely as my hair just tangles more at a longer length. Save for a brief stint of CO and sulfate-free, I use a sulfate shampoo. To top it all off, I like my products loaded with "chemicals," chockablock full of them. I am definitely not one to aim for an "all natural" routine, although I respect those who do.

My LHC-inspired routine involves limiting shampoo to my scalp, CWC, S&D, satin pillowcase, damp bunning, and fingercombing.

To each his/her own!

[Venefica]

Thank you all for the advice and replies. I was beginning to feel like I was horrible to my hair. Basically what I do is that I wash it once or twice a week, I use a good shampoo but still a store bought one I shampoo it twice. Then I use conditioner, still a good but store bought one. I can not afford the salon shampoos. I then finish of with some sort of hair treatment cure, I am not sure what they are called in English, things you have in your hair like conditioner but who are more like haircures. Anyway I use that, then I rise and finish up by rinsing with cold water. I get eczema in the scalp, it do not affect the hair but it itches so when I have an attack of that I also use a special shampoo against it.

I brush my hair once a day and braid it at night and I usually wear it either in a braid or in a bun. I try to give myself a scalp rub every day. I have my bangs trimmed once every two months or when they reach my eyes, and I have the rest of my hair trimmed once a year by a hairdresser. I dye my hair once every two months with store bought dye. I try to use some hair cures or whatever it is called like egg and oil mixes and the like from time to time. I am also Pagan so I use rituals for my hair. And that is about my haircare routine.

I try to be careful with my hair but I have to live to. However I will take your guys advice and not obsess over it and just have fun with my hair.

[Wheatland]

My boyfriend washes his hair every single day with shampoo, no conditioner. He then proceeds to murder his hair with a bath towel when he gets out of the shower. He wears frictions causing hats every single day and he doesn't even know what a satin pillowcase is. And yet he has the most beautiful hair I've ever seen on a person. Ridiculously shiny and unbelievably thick.

Point is, I think everybody's hair responds differently. Obviously the way your hair care routine is going works great for you! No need to be worried.

I don't follow all the LHC recommendations either. But that's just what they are, recommendations.

Enjoy your hair :D

[Lostsoule77]

As someone who has had long hair (between bsl & bcl) the majority of my life, I think you're doing fine. I had a pretty mild routine when I joined here and have modified some things to fit more into the LHC way of thinking. I only changed what made sense for me to change at the time, and will continue to change as I see fit for my lifestyle and my hair.
You say that even your hairdresser says you have minimal damage from how you are treating your hair, so why worry? Do what you need to in order to keep YOURSELF happy. :)

[pennyroyal]

I also have my own hair care routine that does not follow most of the rules people have on here but my hair does well with what i do so whatever. I think every single persons hair is unique & different & should be treated as so. Some have sensitive hair & others can do anything to theirs & it's fine. Just do what makes you & your hair happy.

[Venefica]

Thank you both for the advice. Doing what I need to do to keep myself happy is particularly good advice. :D And as long as my hair is healthy I guess I do not need to worry.

[MsBubbles]

My hair is fine, it grow well, hardly ever split and is very thick and shiny,

Sounds like whatever it is you're doing works just fine!

It probably looks like everybody here is doing everything to protect their hair. There are thousands of members here, and over a hundred of them talking about different ways to help their hair grow very long by normal standards.

So don't worry. Relax. We're not all a bunch of goody two shoes! :eyebrows:

[redwoman]

I don't have a satin pillowcase yet. Mines just cotton and yes, this winter I blew the dustbunnies off my blowfryer and dried my hair when I had to be outside before it could air dry. So your not the only one who doesn't follow every bit of advice on here. That said, I am toying with the idea of a satin pillowcase and I do LOVE coconut oil for the length of my hair. Just sample an idea here and there. If it works, keep it, if not, toss it out.

[chopandchange]

I think the results are what matters, not how you achieve them.

There are a couple of "rules" I break, because they don't seem to apply to me or my hair. My hair does much better with tailor-made rules. ;)

That said, I am immensely grateful for all the knowledge shared here.

[selderon]

I am also Pagan so I use rituals for my hair. And that is about my haircare routine.

I try to be careful with my hair but I have to live to. However I will take your guys advice and not obsess over it and just have fun with my hair.

Your hair sounds very much like mine. Like yours, my hair is reasonably resistant to damage. Other than wearing my hair up every day for the last four weeks, I have changed little. I use drugstore shampoo and conditioner. I do the occasional ACV rinse because of the hard water. I do pre-wash oilings and use metal-free hair elastics.

I don't use sunscreen on my hair. I occasionally blow dry. I color regularly. (Same as or darker than my natural color, so no double process... but still chemical color.) And my head has never seen a silk pillowcase. I think the idea is nice, but I can't afford one right now.

ETA: If you don't mind explaining, I am curious what Pagan hair rituals you use, what they involve and what influenced your choice to include them.
Maybe women with our hair type are just lucky. :cool:

[x0h_bother]

Sometimes being "wrong" feels "right"!! It sounds like, like me, you do some things LHC recommends and some things that work for others don't work for you. Not a bad thing! :)

[wavyR]

i blow dry my hair every so often, straighten it for special occasions, wear it down a lot and i think my hair is still in decent shape.

i say experiment, and do what feels good for your hair :)

[haibane]

I think it's about the combination of hair type and goal length really. Venefica: I definitely don't think your hair is going to go to hell all of a sudden, and M/C / iii sounds really strong, but at 60" even on hair that resilient the accumulated damage might be noticeable.
Maybe change some of the things that are relatively cheap and easy to do? Something like buying some new hair friendly elastics and avoiding elastics with metal as much as possible.

[Nae]

Don't let it get to you. You need to be able to enjoy your hair. So go out and enjoy it.

I have a longhaired dog and I take really good care of his coat. I brush him and I wash him and he is my little puffball but even after I have spent hours on his coat I let him go outside and I let him roll in the leaves and I let him get messy because he is a dog and he deserves to be as happy as possible! He is not a show piece.

Same goes for you. You are a person, allow yourself to enjoy your hair and go out and let the wind blow through it occasionally without worrying about damage if it feels good to wear it down, do it. And if you feel like sleeping on cotton instead of silk no one is going to beat you up over it. Enjoy your hair, why else do you have it?:flower:

[AnnaJamila]

If it ain't broke don't fix it! Lol, if you're concerned about damage from dye why don't you try using indigo of henna/indigo mixed together?

[Rocket22]

No one could follow all the advice given here, there is just too many different things that are work for different people. From your post sounds like you are following the advice that works for your hair and that is all that counts.

[Java]

To save damage from dye, because I have the same problem you do with color fading, I switched to pure henna and indigo. I am thrilled with them, maybe you would like to check them out for keeping your hair black and healthy. I don't think they fade near as much as conventional hair dye.

[gthlvrmx]

Relaxx!!! I mean, i got worried too, but then again...
small checklist

Is it growing? Check
Are there less splits? Not as much, Check
Is it tangly? Not like before, Check
:)
Sounds perfect to me with your hair :)

[Jenn of Pence]

Everyone has a unique head of hair, so everyone will have a different routine that will work for them. :) The great thing about LHC is that all the possibilities are described here for one's perusal. It's almost like a buffet where you can pick from the incredible menu to create a meal just right for you (ok, sorry for the food analogy, I must be hungry ;)). I also think that it's an evolving process; as our hair gets longer, its condition and even type might change, meaning we need to experiment some more. For instance, maybe now I don't need a satin pillowcase, but maybe I'll find as it gets longer that I have to use one or even contain it while I sleep. So then I can come back here and find exactly what I need. :D

[Karmi]

Venefica, I felt the same way when I first joined LHC. I thought I was doing everything wrong, I wanted to get rid of SLS shampoos, 'cones, and stop doing a whole lot of stuff I was used to doing because I somehow convinced myself I needed to. My hair is very healthy and shiny and I get lots of compliments doing what I've always done. And I haven't made an significant changes, besides clarifying once a month with v05 and using Africa's Best oil a few times a month for a few hours before showering. After so much toil and inner monologues about what I should or shouldn't do, even subjecting my husband to this, I decided... I don't have to follow all the rules. In fact, just follow my intuition. I have learned quite a bit here, and some things are there just to keep in mind.

Wish you the best!

Edit: I forgot to mention that, for the most part, I have also quit using a blow dryer and flat iron (the same month I purchased a $130 Sedu flat-iron that now sits in the closet for special occasions only, if even then) which has been hard and I hated it at first, but the longer I went the more I found my natural hair is so very pleasing and simple to manage. I enjoy my waves quite a bit.

[estelwen]

Venefica, it truly is your own hair, and you're the one who gets the make the rules for it! I felt just as you did for a while, until I realized that we all have unique hair types, textures, and necessary treatments, and thankfully most hair is resilient enough to take various experiments. For example, I do use a vinegar rinse for my scalp as it seems to help my dandruff issues, but I rarely if ever do a conditioning treatment. I do Scalp Only wash, but use shampoo with silicones.

That's what so exciting about it: it's your hair! Relax and enjoy the journey. It sounds like you've got some excellent practices already!