Hair Care Help

[All Natural Mom]

I have knee length hair and no real hair care, I wash every other day and brush about once a week. My hair is untrimmed with minimal damage, but the ends are VERY dry.

I would like to improve the quality of my hair (kinda shoulda started a long time ago, but anyhow).

What is the number one thing you could not live without for your hair? I want to start with one thing at a time so what are your suggestions to do first?

[Loreley]

Coconut oil is my miracle thing for dry hair. It works best for me when I put it on wet hair.

[*Rose Red*]

For me: coconut oil and the lush R&B conditioning cream

[caiti42]

My latest love is leave in conditioner. I have just diluted a heavy conditioner about 1:4 water and spray that on the ends. :)

[All Natural Mom]

Thanks! I will pick some up in the morning. So do ya'll just use it as a leave-in or do you wash it out after a certian amount of time.

[Annibelle]

I, too, have been using coconut oil, but for me, it only helps when I use it on the ends, and when they're dry. Using it on more than the ends left me with heavy buildup and I had to clarify.

I've also been using jojoba oil, which is much lighter. It's not gonna coat the hair as well, but it's harder to go overboard on it and tames flyaways. It's supposed to be a lot like the skin's natural oils.

[celebriangel]

Have you read the newbie article?

The first thing most people are directed to try is 1) using the least amount of shampoo possible, and only using it on the scalp, and 2) trying the CWC washing method. Leave-ins are normally the second; these mean that any conditioning you do will stay conditioned :)

My third recommendation would be to try doing deep conditioning treatments, say every week. With very long hair, you could just do the bottom bit - braid the top half, get the remaining bit wet, put deep treatment on wet bit, braid remaining wet hair, fold up the wet bit, cover with cling then a woolly hat or something. Then you don't have to get all your hair wet.

For deep treatment ideas, try an SMT (recipe on SMT thread - do a google search on LHC, or use the search function), or really any coneless condish; many LHCers swear by garnier fructis triple nutrition.

I would say, trying these three things with different ingredients and combinations will keep you busy for a while. Then you can move on to other things. Good luck!

[shikara]

I think celebriangel had a very good response! Regarding SMT's though, honey and other humectants can have a damaging effect on your hair if the air where you live is dry (I'm sure hair porosity and other factors also play a role). Google 'colorado curly' for some more info on dew points and recognizing what type of moisture your hair might need. This happened to me - my hair was horrible after one. Keeping your hair secured in buns/braids is also a really good idea as may be microtrims. There's certainly a lot of info to sort through. I went through a couple small periods of not having very nice hair as I was trying a few different things and was almost ready to throw my hands in the air - if this happens to you, hopefully you can persevere and do what works for you!!

Good luck, and welcome to LHC!!

[All Natural Mom]

Thank you all for the suggestions, I do use the silicone free products and have for some time, but I just started the CWC method and it seems to help! I will definately start on the deep treatment path. I am here in Louisiana so as far as the SMT goes we are generally at about 100% humidity, hehe!