Still learning about my hair...

[heatherbelle]

As most of you know, I am still new to this forum...and still new to better hair care. :o It has been a week and a half without the hairfryer, 6 weeks of no chemical hair dye and it has been two weeks of trying different hair care things that I have learned from this site. ;) One of them being these oil treatments everyone does (in their own recipes). I made a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, shea butter and eo's of rosemary, peppermint, lavender, cedarwood, ylang yland and a tiny bit of geranium. Once a week I do this treatment and my hair LOVES it! :joy: Now, about the shampooing. I confess I have gone 3 days without washing my hair so far, that is the max I can go and then my hair starts to get greasy. So, here is my question for all you pro's out there...is it better to do CO only? Or should I try a gentle herbal shampoo and the do a conditioner rinse? What I have been doing so far in between shampoos is CO at night when I take my showers. But by day 3 I feel like a grease ball :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the help and info!

[jujube]

It's OK, I have a hard time stretching washes too. I started like this as well, alternating shampoo washes and conditioner-only. I now mostly CO, but I'd like to stretch washes more.

As to whether CO might be better, it really depends on your hair. Curlies generally love it, but some fine-haired folks don't. You'll have to experiment.

[Annibelle]

I'm fine-haired and CO has done well for me so far-- better than shampoo, but not much. But I'm still experimenting, so I think my results will improve in the near future!

[tigr]

heatherbelle - It's hard to say. What doesn't work for someone else may work wonderfully for your hair. The only way to find out which one is better is to try each of them and see! If whatever it is doesn't work for you, you will know, and you never have to do it again. And if something does work, you can always go back to it later. :)

You might want to record the results of the experiments so you can refer to them later.

[NouvelleNymphe2]

I'm fine haired and I am always working to stretch my washes. I find it hard because I become oily rather quickly. I think the longest I've gone is 4 days without washing. Being creative with second, third, and fourth day (of no washing) hair styling helps me. Usually some kind of updo (half updo for shorties like me) will keep the oily hair out of my face so I can keep stretching. Also, if I have to wash I use something SLS free. It's less damaging for me, and certain shampoos leave me very shiny (Avalon Organics Lavender Shampoo -- for more oily hair). I try to CO first, but if that doesn't work I know it's time to wash. Also, sometimes I will shower and avoid getting my hair wet and it seems to be less oily. Although bangs are always oily (a huge negative to bangs), which is why I'm growing mine out.

[Ashenputtel]

I can't strecht the washes or co either. I CWC and do a pre-poo coco oiling most of the time.

I don't use harsh ingredients. That could be a good start if you are not already doing it.

[PianoPlaye]

You're in good company! We've all been new here, and I suspect if we were to be brutally honest we're all still learning - hair changes over time, so care needs to.
Have you read the advice to us newbies about not trying too much too new at once? and keeping a log, so you can see what did what?

I got a waterproof notebook from a camping shop & pencil in what I've done. Keeps hands out of msichief as I wait for the conditioner to sink in! :)

[heatherbelle]

Thanks for all the info so far :). I like the idea of keeping a log to see what does and does not work, will be doing that starting tonight. I also am wondering if the fact that I do not yet have a boar bristle brush to distribute the oils evenly has a lot to do with the feeling of being really greasy around the scalp :confused:. Right now all I have is a wide tooth and my fingers...I no longer use the conair plastic brush (that seems to pull a lot of my hair out! :mad:).

[Alvrodul]

I have tried COwashing, but that is a bit meh for me - it works OK for a bit, but my hair doesn't care for it as a steady diet. what my hair does love, though, is oil, variously applied. I often do a heavy oiling before washing, and post-wash I oil when my hair is almost dry.
I use CV poo bars, and do a vinegar rinse after washing. I also usually wash my hair only twice a week.

[einna]

I have a reasonably oily scalp, but have been stretching washes for many years due to just lazyness ;) CO is helping me stretch my washes even further =) But this is very individual. Good luck experimenting =)

[Roscata]

Stretching washes is a long process... It took me 7 months to go from every other day to twice a week.
Some things that worked for me: gentle sls-free shampoo, no conditioner on the roots, washing with luke-warm or cold water, keeping my hair up to go another day without washing and hiding the greasies and ACV rinses.

ETA: Some interesting links:
The Wavy and Wurly thread! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=31563)
Live curly live free (http://www.livecurlylivefree.com/curly%20hair%20basics.htm)
Wavy hair on naturallycurly.com (http://www.naturallycurly.com/topics/view/wavy-hair-type-2)

Good luck! :)

[AshNight1214]

Personally (and, mind you, I have really picky hair) CO hasn't worked for me. If you get greasy really fast, you're going to have to wear it up a lot until your hair gets used to it, but it'll probably take a couple months. I couldn't take it, so I stopped. >.<

[Joribear]

As others have said, you're definitely not alone when it comes to the struggle of stretching out your washes! I figure I'm doing really well if I can make it to three days, because my scalp is an oil slick!

While a BBB is nice for distributing oils, I found it tended to make my hair oilier (scalp and the ends, not just the ends), so I only use it on wash day.

I did, however, notice your hair type is 2c. That's getting to the curly stage, if I'm not mistaken. From what I understand, a lot of curlies don't stretch out their washing (whether it's SC, CWC, or CO, etc), because of how much their hair needs the moisture. Maybe you actually have curly hair than what you think! :)

[Mairéad]

My hair loves CO, and it's fine even! Really, the only way to find out is to try a couple things.

I tried many things when I first came here, which wasn't THAT long ago, and I always put CO off because I thought my hair was too thin for that to possibly work. But I tried it and my hair immediately loved it.

With SLS-free and even shampoo bars I felt like I had to wash every other day but with CO it takes about a week for my hair to exhibit signs of yuckiness.