Something odd happened

[Tiina]

Yesterday morning I washed my hair. SLS-free shampoo, light conefree conditioner for length and thick conefree condish for the ends. Topped it all with a little jojoba oil while it was still damp. Same as I have done with good results for over a month. I then braided my hair (still damp) and went on with the day.

This morning when I took my hair down (why undo a braid just to make a new nightbraid?) it felt HORRIBLY dry. I dampened my hair and put in a little bit of coconut oil and it helped but I wonder what on earth went wrong yesterday. The only thing I can think of that may have done this was that I worked in a greenhouse which wasn't hot due to the bad weather but very humid. It was the first time I had spent a long time in a greenhouse since I started paying attention to my hair. Do you think it may have been the cause? If it could be then I desperately need some tips to prevent this from happening again as I am going to be in greenhouses a lot in the future and I am expected to take over my MIL's plant nursery/flowershop eventually.

The only other thing I can think of causing this is that my light conditioner contains aloe vera which I have read can be bad for some people's hair. The heavy conditioner has grapeseed oil and olive oil. The latter I have tried and not liked on it's own but I love this condish. However, I do not think the conditioners are the likely cause as I have used them for over a month together with no problems and used both separately before with no problems.

Any help and opinions are very welcome.

[racrane]

Hmn, I hope your hair gets back to normal. I only know sometimes I have off hair days. It just decides to be weird and there's not much I can do about it except put it up and forget about it. It sounds like you're doing the right things, so I wouldn't worry about it. :)

[KatiSasha]

Even if your conditioner is cone-free doesn't mean it's build-up free, oils can build up over time as well. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I'd clarify with a diluted SLS shampoo, concentrate on your ends, but don't leave it on, just long enough for it to lather. Then deep condition your ends with your thick cone-free CO, rinse out and put a little more on as a leave-in. I'm cone free and the build-up still happens on me, especially if I oil frequently.

[spidermom]

It sounds like buildup to me. If the greenhouse was humid, aloe vera shouldn't have caused a problem, but if it was dry, it probably did. Glycerin will dry out hair in a dry environment, too.

Try a clarifying wash first.

[Tiina]

Thank you all. :) I will try clarifying before I go to the greenhouses next time this week and see how that goes. I don't remember exactly when I clarified last but it couldn't have been very long ago... I hope it will work.

Spidermom - It was very humid, but not as hot as they usually are.

[BrightEyes7]

Do your conditioners have protein? I always get dry brittle hair from a protein overload. My hair loves protein, but if I use my protein conditioner too often my hair becomes dry. So I'll switch to a protein-free conditioner for a few washes then switch back. I go back and forth between two conditioners, switching about every 2 weeks.

If your conditioners already are protein-free, I suggest clarifying. Build up may be the issue.