Fairly new, any hair care advice would be appreciated

[healthystheway]

I'll try to make a long story short. I really want to grow out my hair so I can donate to 'locks of love'. My hairs virgin, fine but full density, a little above BSL. I get trims every 10 weeks but my current shampoo line just isn't adding any 'health' to it. I've tried natural shampoos but I'm realizing I do need minimal cones for slip or it's a tangled mess. I've also tried sls free but it doesn't really clean my scalp as well as I'd like it to. I shampoo, condition from the ears down & air dry - not really complicated. But finding a shampoo that's just right is lol. I don't want my hair to feel coated but I definitely need at least one cone for slip. Sorry for the long post, I'm sure everyone wants shampoo recs but I really want to grow healthy hair so when it's long enough I can give to locks of love. Thanks so much!

[Anje]

Personally, I don't feel that shampoo does much to benefit the health of hair. It cleans hair, yes, but it doesn't add lubrication or moisture or any of the other things that hair begins to need as it ages in the months and years that pass as it grows farther from the scalp. That's really much more the job of adding moisture, protein, and oil. Usually, those come from conditioner and oil (typically vegetable oils) applied to the hair based on how it feels and how it reacts to those products.

You'll find that Locks of Love is a bit of a contentious topic on this site. Some of that is backlash because people with long hair are so often bullied into cutting it and berated for not donating. It just seems wrong to badger people about what charities they chose to donate to or not. Finally, many object to the spectacle of mass-donations.

The other reason is because Locks of Love generally receives donations of hair many times in excess of the wigs they provide, and those wigs are often at reduced cost rather than free. The rest of the hair is sold or thrown away. The wigs rarely go to children with cancer, despite popular misconception, as their website explains. Read this before donating, so you know what you're getting into. (http://www.squidoo.com/locksoflove) Here's a New York Times article you may also find illuminating. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html)

Best of luck with finding hair products, and with any decision you make about what you do with your own hair.

[Roseate]

Have you tried diluting your shampoo? That works very well for me, and allows me to get the shampoo right on the scalp where it needs to be, and is gentle on the length. I dilute a dab of shampoo (less than a teaspoon) in an 8oz bottle of water, shake it up and squirt on the scalp.

As Anje said, the shampoo is just for cleaning; conditioner and oil do most of the work adding moisture and protection.

Welcome to LHC! I donated my hair right before joining here, and will probably do it again in a few years. I do enjoy being a charity hair farm. You might want to check out Pantene's Beautiful Lengths donation program; it has a slightly better reputation than Locks of Love.

[Mesmerise]

Have you looked into CO (conditioner only) methods of hair washing? They're usually much more gentle for the hair than shampoo. I'm not really sure what else to advise, because I find that you really need to do a bit of trial and error. What works for one person will not work for another, and there's really no way of predicting what will work for you!

I would also say that you should do a lot of research before donating to Locks of Love, because they throw out a lot of hair! I mean, I'm not fussed whether they donate wigs to kids with cancer or kids with alopecia - ALL those kids deserve to have hair (so yeah, if they're going to kids with any medical condition that doesn't bother me), but what does concern me is the amount of hair that is just tossed. It's a real pity to grow your hair for years in order to donate ONLY to have that hair wasted! (It may be not so bad if you've got long hair you're sick of and want short anyway... but to grow it for that purpose only to have it wasted... that's terrible!)

[Jenn of Pence]

I always suggest CWC as a place to start while experimenting with products and routines. When you wash, first coat the ends (ears down) in conditioner, then shampoo only the scalp. Rinse as usual; the shampoo gently sliding over the ends will clean them enough since they probably aren't greasy. Then condition as usual. And you can do this with any product as you're searching for what works, and it will protect your ends from drying as much. As far as recommendations for fine hair, I don't know, since mine is medium. But some folks have luck just using a coney serum after washing instead of full-on coney shampoos and conditioners.

Do you need a trim every ten weeks? I mean, if your ends are nice and healthy and not split, then you could easily consider going longer. Just a thought...I never made progress when I did the regular trim thing. :)

[rogue_psyche]

Something to note is that for the most part cones and SLS must go hand in hand. If you use products with cones you will need to use SLS or another sulfate to get your hair clean, at least every so often. Check out the article section for articles on clarifying, cones, and hair diagnostics to learn more about this.

If you want to try going SLS and cone free and if you have a Trader Joe's anywhere near you I would recommend the Nourish Spa shampoo that they carry. It has chemical surfactants low on the ingredients list and really gets my scalp clean. For a cone free condish I recommend Sally's GVP Conditioning Balm or Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition. These conditioners give me much more slip than any cone conditioner ever did.

[healthystheway]

Thank you all for the suggestions, I did research Locks of Love and was shocked at the negative feedback. I did look into the Pantene charity and thats a good one - Im still researching different charities. I did try Trader Joes Nourish Spa and Alba, I dont know if its my water (Im on well water) or if my scalp just needs sulfates and cones because my scalp just didnt feel clean and I had zero slip. I had a tangles galore and those tiny knots that are impossible to comb thru so you have to pull it apart. I do appreciate the advice so please dont think Im not listening, I am. The only thing I can say is my scalp and hair seem to do better with sulfates and cones. I know lots of you take a more natural approach so please dont take offense. I believe one person mentioned 'if you use cones you need sulfates' - so true! I just have no idea what a good shampoo like this would be. The drugstore brands are filled with so many sulfates - unnecessary ones and not to mention theres so many cones too. To be fair, I did try a Garnier one and it just left a waxy feel. I do know the differences between the sulfates - thank you google but I wondered if anyone of you lovely ladies with hair like Rapunzel :) could suggest a good shampoo with gentle sulfates and minimal cones? Thank you all so much, Im sure this forum gets asked for shampoo recs daily so I am sorry if this a repetitive question. Thanks again - you dont realize how much I appreciate you all taking the time to help me, a million thanks :)

[Firefox7275]

Another vote for Garnier Triple Nutrition, many LHCers find it has as much slip as a coney conditioner probably due to the palm oil. I use it as as leave-in which gives an added layer of protection to my poor abused hair! :p The remainder of the Fructis range rely on cones for slip and don't get the same love - it's worth acquainting yourself with the Reviews section (clicky at top of page) to see the difference.

Do you have a scalp problem that flared when you quit sulphates? Have you considered alternating between sulphate and sulphate free, or between sulphate and CO-washing? Or a periodic chelating shampoo to deal with any well water build up? Or Ktani's Movie Star Method (adding coconut oil to shampoo)? :shrug: Coconut oil is the best absorbed into hair, so it could be the 'added value' you are after.

[healthystheway]

Just updating. I decided on Kenra Color Maintenance shampoo and conditioner. It has one sulfate and one cone. I havent tried it yet but hopefully it'll be a winner. Im also considering Mane n Tails Herbal Gro leave in as a strengthener. Thanks again for all the replies, will keep you posted :)

Heres the ing's for the shampoo: Purified Water, Sodium Myreth Sulfate, Sodium C14-16 Olephin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Glycol Distearate, Hydrolized Silk Protein, Plant Extracts of Chamomile, Horse Chestnut, Sage, Nettle, Lemon Balm, Coltsfoot Leaf, Birch and Horsetail, Dimethicone, Acetamide MEA, Polyquaternium-10, Amido Benzoate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Natural Essential Oils (Orange, Geranium, Cedarwood and Others) Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid.