Switching hair care regimens as your needs change.

[nankipoo]

Hi,

I wondered if anyone strayed from their regular regimes as their hair care needs change – or whether their hair performed well on a single regime.

No-cone and conditioner-only washing worked for a while. Then I found that using a no-cone shampoo every once in a while improved the texture of my hair. Olive oil and coconut oil treatments were also beneficial.

Now I find myself using cones again, mainly to smooth the cuticle(?) of my hair for a smoother finish as the oil, aloe vera and conditioner I’m using doesn’t perform well any more and give as nice a finish. My shampoo is still cone free, as is one of my conditioners, but my hair benefits greatly from a serum after washing and as a daily leave-in. This prevents the tangles, snags and general roughness I’ve begun to experience. The product seems to wash out easily with one shampoo and my hair is much better for it – at least for now.

I might go back to a completely cone-free regime when and if it’s required, but for now, the only thing that manages my extremely coarse hair is the cones in my serum After a good moisture treatment and the use of a serum, I actually find I’m washing my hair less than when I was cone-free and using more oils – and I tried everything from oil treatments to putting a little oil on the ends. I believe I tried SMT at some point, but it never worked for me.

The texture of my hair has vastly improved and for now this is the way to go – cone free shampoo and conditioner and occasional oil treatments with a serum used daily to combat coarseness and tangles.

I’m just sharing what works for me and what changes I’ve made to accommodate the needs of my hair. My health and nutritional needs are being met so maybe the needs of ones hair naturally changes as a matter of course?

Interested in other people’s experiences. Thanks for any replies.

nankipoo

[Sana]

well I don't like to switch too much b/w routines as I have lot of shedding when I do. I used to CWC a yr ago due to my busy work schedule. Now I have switched to CO with one CWC a wk. I am trying to go longer b/w CO for time concerns. Also since I CO, I get to switch conditioners & expirement a little. I do use a cone based product for CWC & have no problems with it. But in general my hair doesn't like too drastic change in routines.

[missy60]

It seems I have to change my routine alot to. Just when I think something is working it starts not working, but since coming here I can usual see the signs and adjust my routine accordingly. I think alot of my hair problems seem to be seasonal so maybe I will figure it out and know what routine my hair likes for what season.

[Sceleste]

My hair doesn't need the change - I do!

My general routine is washing every other day with diluted shampoo followed by a conefree conditioner. My hair would be happy with this but I really need the change or I'll get bored. So, sometimes I CO, sometimes wash with egg. I use an ACV rinse when I feel like it. Often I brew some kind of herbal tea like chamomille or birch leaves to use as a final rinse. I use coconut oil on the ends but sometimes I want to put some commercial leave-in conditioner.

Sometimes I end up doing something that makes my hair sticky, greasy or otherwise bad but I don't mind, that's part of the fun.

[Curlsgirl]

I just posted this on the Wurly/curly thread and just copied an and pasted here. I found the same thing, that my hair was tangling and so I tried Dove conditioner with good success so far. I am getting much better at "listening" to what my hair needs. I used to wonder if I would EVER be able to do that! It just takes time I guess. Below is what I wrote on the other thread:

I have found a lot of stuff that does NOT work for me so that helps and stuff that USUALLY works for me too. I don't really have a reliable every time get great hair routine though. I guess my best is the KCKT and KCCC for now. It used to be AG re:coil but for some reason I don't get the same results as I used to. :rolleyes: I have found what leave-ins I like too as far as conditioners. BWC and Biolage conditioning balm always work well for me in that way. I only CWC about once a week now with a diluted Aveda color guard poo and usually rotate several different first and second conditioners the second one being Dove for now and the first just a cone-free moisturizing one..

[Kirin]

My hair seems temperamental, and requires different things on different days depending on a lot of factors. How long its been since a henna gloss (drier just after, best two weeks out, needs a gloss by week three). I'll CO a few days for dryness, then break out the shampoo when it starts getting coated/lanky...... then maybe a poo bar in between, and lots of conditioner.

I don't think I use the same thing for more than three days in a row or it just stops working. I do tend to stay with the same staples of products and not switch those around at all. So though the routine changes, the products used are the same in the arsenal.......... all the most gentle or kind to my hair that i've found.

[Katurday]

My hair is fairy simple. If it likes something, it likes it.
I can stand going no conditioner...But my hair feels rough, even though its shiny.
So I used this mostly natural yet with dimethicone contitioner...My hair is rather soft.
This makes me happy.

As for oils...Coconut failed.
EVOO only.

[Curlsgirl]

Threadjack: Katurday, LOVE the quote in your siggy. That was one of the things that a professor of mine taught our class in college that stuck. It's so true!!!

End of threadjack.

[rymorg2]

I CONSTANTLY change. I'm constantly tweaking to try to find something that works for me but doesn't make me break out or itch or flake. I've been CO'ing two days and pooing with a soap based poo on the third, but I realized today that I think I need to go back to CWC or C-COW-C on a daily basis.

I'm hoping that as I get out of the salon I work at and get my natural hair grown out that I'll be able to cut down on the number of days I wet my hair and CO or CWC or whatever I'm doing at the time. I do use shea butter a lot and other oils too, but the oils tend to weigh my hair down so I usually use them on the ends only as my hair gets longer and I start to wear it up more often. Right now since my hair isn't even at my shoulders I'm wearing it down constantly.

[nappywomyn]

I try to not change, too much/too frequently. Usually, it'll change with the seasons, if anything - summer = more moisture, winter = less manipulation, etc, etc...

Also, as my hair gets longer, I have to handle it - differently - which is very much a learning experience!

[redcelticcurls]

After spending many months protein free, I now am adding some back in sucessfully. So, I see that if my hairs needs change, I need to change my routine.

[chrissy-b]

I've just received some great advice from other long hairs on here that is making me change my routine a bit. Right now I'm very happy with my routine, but I want to change it for the sake of my hair once it's longer.

A lot of the changes seem a bit difficult when I think about it, but in the long run, I know they will be better for my hair and help me grow my hair longer with less damage.

[Delila]

At shorter lengths, I couldn't use anything too moisturizing, but nowadays, my length is fine with moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.