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Idjit
July 20th, 2011, 10:20 AM
I couldn't find anything about this but feel free to redirect me if I missed it.

I have a hard time distinguishing between shiny and greasy looking on my hair especially if I know I haven't washed my it recently or just put oil in it. A lot of the time I end up washing my hair even though I love the way it feels just because I'm afraid people will think I'm gross. :rolleyes:

So I guess my question is how much of a difference is there between shiny, healthy hair and dirty hair?

ElusiveMuse
July 20th, 2011, 10:22 AM
I consider my hair to need a wash when it's kind of lank and starting to clump together at my scalp. I wash about bi-weekly, so I get quite a while out of my washes.

When my hair is shiny in a good way, the entire length is shiny and it doesn't clump together. Each strand is very supple.

mellie
July 20th, 2011, 10:36 AM
There's a big difference for me. When my hair is oily/greasy, it just looks lank and well, greasy, and lays flat against my head. When it's shiny and clean, it's bouncy and has body.

vanillabones
July 20th, 2011, 10:51 AM
I think if it looks good and feels good to you you should continue to stretch your washes :D I'm jealous because my dirty greasy hair is stuck flat to my head and just disgusting. It's too obvious when I haven't washed it that day. If it's shiny from sebum and you still have volume and it's nice I would definitely stretch the washes if I were you, especially with updos the last days :)

JuliaDancer
July 20th, 2011, 10:53 AM
I get a different shine from my coconut oil than from just plain greasy hair. When my roots are lying limp and are clumpy with grease, but my ends are looking dry, it's definitely dirty. Do you oil your roots as well? I don't put oil on my roots or put enough oil so the strands will actually stick together (unless I'm going to sleep and then wash it out), so it looks soft instead of stringy. By day 3, my hair is more oily naturally and from the oil that's on my hair, so I do updos. As long as it's not dirty to the point where you see the trails left by the teeth of your comb, people will see the shine and think it's hairspray or gel. It's really the stringiness and limpness of dirty hair that makes it look different from properly oiled hair.

Idjit
July 20th, 2011, 11:13 AM
Maybe I'm confused because my mother always used to tell me my hair was greasy when I thought it looked really nice and I had just washed it that day. At the time I had really clumpy, shiny curls but she felt the need to tell me it was greasy. Of course, she was trying to help me but now I have a hard time knowing if it's ok or not.

Thanks for the replies. From what you all are saying, it's fine as long as the hair is not limp, right?

mellie
July 20th, 2011, 11:27 AM
Can you show us some pics? That might help. But basically, if it has body and bounce, then it's good!

Madora
July 20th, 2011, 11:37 AM
Shiny hair has a mirror like shine and each little hair is separate and not clinging to its neighbor.

Greasy hair looks dead, lank, sometimes clumps or hangs in thin strings, and often times, has an odor.

faithsdaisy421
July 20th, 2011, 11:49 AM
I think if it looks good and feels good to you you should continue to stretch your washes :D I'm jealous because my dirty greasy hair is stuck flat to my head and just disgusting. It's too obvious when I haven't washed it that day.
Ugghhh... me too. It just LOOKS nasty :(

Anje
July 20th, 2011, 11:57 AM
I think curly hair is allowed to be clumpy, since the alternative is a giant boofy frizz cloud. But there are straight-haired folks who equate clumpy with greasy, because hair does also get clumpy if it's oily enough, and for some straighties that's the only time their hair forms clumps. When my roots start clumping, I wash, but mine tend to stay fairly separate when my hair is clean, due to my texture.

Yozhik
July 20th, 2011, 12:03 PM
For me, there's a definite division between shiny and oily. My hair is shiny at day 2-3. By day 4-5, my hair gets oily.

Luckily, the cling-to-the-scalp part of oily doesn't show up as clearly if you have your hair in an updo. :D

littlenvy
July 20th, 2011, 01:16 PM
I think it depends on what type of hair you have. Mine is 1a sometimes maybe even 1b so to my hair greasy or dirty is when my hair clamps or strings together. Very bad looking.
For more curly or wavy hair, I'm sure its much harder to tell since you want that stringing together to form better wave/curl.
So, another indicator is whether your hair feels like its coated when you run your fingers over it or if it smells.

RitaCeleste
July 20th, 2011, 01:28 PM
Well, if my hair breaks into little oily strands, I know I've gone too far with the oil. It if I use too much oil, even a brush can't stop it from forming greasy strings. With finger combing, my strands separate into little strands sometimes but it looks stiffer and bouncier. My hair tends to look windblown if I just finger comb it. Windblown is a different texture from oil, it looks decidedly dryer, if that makes any sense?

sun-kissed
July 20th, 2011, 01:29 PM
Shiny hair has a good lay, healthy gleam, the scalp feels clean, and has a good/no smell.

Dirty hair kind of clumps together, and has a dull look to it because of the dust sticking to the oils. The scalp feels kind of icky, too, so that is a really easy way to tell it it's dirty. One way to avoid a sticky scalp is by flipping your head over and massaging with your fingers, so that you can get the dirt off your scalp and let the hair go another day.

But this is coming from someone with fine blonde hair, and very straight. I have no experience with curly hair.. [:

Wavelength
July 20th, 2011, 01:47 PM
...a giant boofy frizz cloud.

I'm just highlighting this phrase, cuz I think it's awesome. :D

PeaceTeaRules
November 27th, 2012, 10:34 PM
Reviving old thread, sorry for doing so. I was curious if anyone could post pictures please? Because I can't tell if my hair is greasy or clean... I'd found pics online somewhere but they didn't help that much...

Funny thing, the pics were of short haired people... Sorry for asking since this thread is long dead I think... :foot:

CurlyCap
November 27th, 2012, 10:41 PM
LOL.

I have neither shiny nor straight hair naturally. I am ALWAYS sticking my foot in my mouth by complimenting people with straight hair on how shiny their hair is. Usually, I'm just pointing to people's hair on days when it needs a wash and then they are self-conscious. It just looks shiny to me, and compared to a curly head that absolutely needs clumping to stay sane, a little lankiness isn't going to catch my eye.

So, from a complete outsiders point of view, I only object to oily, straight hair when it starts to smell of sebum. It's a very characteristic smell and smells as bad as BO to me.

PeaceTeaRules
November 28th, 2012, 02:12 AM
Would the hair in my signature pic count as lank and oily or shiny? I'm confused as to which one it is because my hair as of right now, feels nice and smooth but looks "wet" I suppose to some people. It looks fine to me though. But it was my father that said that but his hair is all dead looking and not shiny so... I don't know... :confused:

I think it looks nice... I'm also surprised that someone posted to this thread... :wow: Thankies!!

neko_kawaii
November 28th, 2012, 07:47 AM
Here is a picture of my hair when it is just starting to look greasy.
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg632/neko_kawaii_hair/DSC07096.jpg
It takes on a darker color (for me) and you can see right along the hairline where the darker hairs cling together and then look more spread out and smooth once they hit the lighter section.

For comparison here is a shiny picture.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396&d=1354050199
(This was washed the day before, lightly oiled, braided and left to dry overnight.)

AutumnLocks
November 28th, 2012, 09:43 AM
When my hair is greasy it clings to my scalp and looks about three shades darker than it is normally.

spidermom
November 28th, 2012, 10:04 AM
In the sig pic, PeaceTeaRules, very honestly, it looks oily to me because the hair seems to be clinging to the head, also it's darker near the scalp.

But of course it's hard to tell with a picture. Hair often looks darker at the scalp because of sun bleaching. Oily hair does seem to follow the shape of the head more than clean hair.

shutterpillar
November 28th, 2012, 11:11 AM
Yes, I would agree with Spidermom about the picture in your signature.
For me the difference between dirty and shiny, like most others have said, is that when my hair is actually clean and shiny, it is bouncy and moves easily. When it is shiny because it is dirty, then it is clumpy and feels heavy and limp.

I have fairly straight hair with some slight wave to it, so I imagine it would vary based upon wave/curl in your hair. I can imagine if I had very curly hair then I may be able to stretch washes a tad further because it might not be as noticeable. That could be complete BS though, as i've never been a curly.

I wish I had a picture to show you that would help you visualize a little better, but my hair is usually thrown up in a bun and forgotten about on dirty days.

LadyJennifer
November 28th, 2012, 11:32 AM
Well, not necessarily for those with curly/wavy hair. Mine clumps together in wurls when it's clean.

luxepiggy
November 28th, 2012, 01:51 PM
Reviving old thread, sorry for doing so. I was curious if anyone could post pictures please? Because I can't tell if my hair is greasy or clean... I'd found pics online somewhere but they didn't help that much...

Funny thing, the pics were of short haired people... Sorry for asking since this thread is long dead I think... :foot:

As requested! Oily on the left, clean on the right... see how oily hair doesn't look as smooth? That's because the excess oil is making the strands stick to one another. In contrast, the clean hairs are all able to slide past each other easily, imparting a smoother surface to the hair and sleeker overall look (^(oo)^)v
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair/oily-vs-shiny.jpg

melusine963
November 28th, 2012, 02:00 PM
I have a hard time telling the difference too, mainly because my hair is naturally very matte. Now that I know my scalp better, I have to remind myself that shine on days 1-3/4 is thanks to my conditioner, and shine from days 4-7 is oil.

Bedhead
November 28th, 2012, 08:37 PM
There's a difference between having excess sebum in your hair and having dirty hair. You can have clean hair and put some other oil in your hair and that could be equal to having excess sebum, as long as you've been cleaning it in some way, because sebum is essentially an oil. Dirty is when dust, dead skin cells, and grime is sitting in or on your hair; this will dull the natural shine of your hair and will greatly contribute to your hair sticking to your head.

So when dealing with shiny verses too much oil / sebum or product where it looks wet, the too much version is piecy or stringy, but not necessarily clinging to the head like dirty hair, lust more flattened (Luxepiggy's pics are a great example of this. But even with shampoo stripped hair, with my texture if I use just a comb, there will be lines in my hair, whereas a brush will create the smoother look. I think for someone with your hair colour, having any sort of excess oils in your hair would dramatically darken the colour too, which tend to highlight the excess, so even the slightest little bit more than people in this century are used to, would result in them noticing more than if you had say black hair. If you look at my siggy pic, my hair os completely coated in sebum, only it's not excess, because my hair is transitioned there. So, because it's not excess, and my hair is holding some moisture, my hair is shiny.

The thing is, didn't you just wash with BS and ACV? just before that picture was taken? So unless you didn't do a thorough job, then there shouldn't be excess anything in your hair. I'm suspecting sun bleaching is part of the culprit as far as the whole ombre affect is concerned. but I can't see your picture well enough on my 12" screen to be able to say anything beyond this as far as the "wetness" is concerned.

The other thing though is your hair looks like you have a lot more curl to your hair than you're presenting, as though you're brushing it out. Have you thought of letting your curls curl? Maybe that could help??? I wish I could be there to see exactly how you care for your hair. (brushing technique to washing technique).

I hope some of this made sense and/or helped TeaPeaceRules!

Oh! And Luxepiggy, great pic examples!

PeaceTeaRules
November 29th, 2012, 09:36 PM
I think I've either got (or thought I had/have) 2a-2b hair... but I'm not sure... It waves gently and curls greatly around the ends... I've been trying many different washing methods because for a while I used BS/ACV after that I went WO for a couple of months, I'm currently teetering on the edge of using castile soap and SO... That makes no sense...

My hair was a light brown with blonde hilights in it usually (when I used shampoo and conditioner before I found LHC... Believe it or not, after finding this site I jumped straight into SO, not a good idea then BS/ACV, then WO and now SO (or as stated before teetering on the edge...) Lately I've just combed with a wooden comb smp'ed and then threw it up into a ponytail. Kind of benign neglect... I comb from the bottom up... among other hair protection things... I still have no idea (or whether my hair is long enough to bun and I cannot braid to save my life...)

I hope this made sense... and before I did the BS/ACV thing I was hardcore SO for two to three months... I may have my hair type wrong... What was that about sun damage? THat part I didn't get and besides lately I hadn't been spending much time outside and if I do, my hair is under a hat. :D I hope I gave enough info to get at least a little more help and or helped someone else!!

HintOfMint
November 30th, 2012, 12:49 AM
It's a texture thing, I think for curlies, clumping is a good thing. For everyone else, though, clumping at the roots is a big tell-tale sign of greasiness. Also, really flat roots (possibly highlighted by dry ends which shows that the shine isn't from product or well-tended hair, but rather sebum) is another sign.

Shine by itself is fine though. Some hairtypes have this easier to achieve than others though. I have coarse-ish hair that's a mix of wavy, curly and straight and it's not the shiniest. That's just how it is, however, some people have hair like mirrors.

10000days
November 30th, 2012, 03:10 AM
I agree with Bedhead- we all know what dirty hair looks and feels like. And, unfortunately, if you use too much oil on freshly-washed hair (which it's craving!) your hair looks like it's dirty...So you wash it again because you feel self-conscious that people will think it's dirty... And it gets fluffy again... You oil again...and the vicious cycle repeats. My advice is to not worry about what other people say or might think about the cleanliness of your hair; the oils are good for it and are facilitating some gorgeous length in the future!

Bedhead
November 30th, 2012, 09:08 AM
Okay, well, given your answer here and what you wrote on the NW/SO thread

After I "washed" the top is still extremely sebumy but the length is all normal again.

I just have one question for you.... Before you started NW/SO or even WO, did you clarify your hair with a clarifying shampoo? If not, then it would explain quite a few of your struggles. I didn't know about clarifying, or thought it went against what I was trying to achieve, until some people helped me see the light. So many weeks into doing SO, I clarified, and it made all the difference.

In other words, it's hard for your scalp to do what it s meant to do naturally if it's trying to dealing with chemical/mineral coated hair from years gone by.

As for the "sun damage", I don't think anyone said you had sun damage, just that the ends have had more exposure to the sun and therefore are lighter, naturally, that's all.

PeaceTeaRules
November 30th, 2012, 09:33 AM
I thought that BS helped to clarify the hair.. I'd been using that method for quite a while and thought it as clarifying... :confused: It doesn't clarify? If not, then what is a good clarifying shampoo without cones and sulfates? Should I give in and use one after an entire year off cones and sulfates?

I'll take it I know a whole lot less than I thought I did... :( It could've been the case with the soap I used to wash last time... Because I had used the BS/ACV thing like normal, but I mixed some ivory soap in with the BS because I couldn't take much of the grease any longer... That might've been the culprit. maybe... :oops:

jacqueline101
November 30th, 2012, 09:57 AM
I agree with Madora and her reply.

Bedhead
November 30th, 2012, 10:11 AM
This, along with other comments in a thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=90549&p=2049217) when I was trying to figure out my hair, is what made me use a sulfate clarifier (in the States I believe Prell is considered a good one):

ACV nor vinegar nor lemon, and I don't think soda that was mentioned above, none of these "clarify" the hair.

Once something has dried on the hair, these things will not remove it. These things merely remove what is residually left on the hair in that specific hair wash. Such as if you rinse out shampoo or conditioner, these concoctions only remove the stuff not yet rinsed out, and hard water minerals. That's it. These things do NOT clarify the hair. That is an entire misunderstanding.

Once something has dried on the hair, once you're there you must "clarify" using a store-bought or home recipe concoction to get it off of the surface of the hair.

The above items can help with pH balancing the scalp skin on the head (to the best of my knowledge, not the hair itself per se), it can remove minerals deposited from hard water in that specific hair wash--and that's about the best it can do. Remove product. That's about it.

PeaceTeaRules
November 30th, 2012, 11:14 AM
I'm :confused: ... Does sebum leave build up after a while? I hadn't used products or anything sans BS/ACV in about a year. Of course that isn't counting a couple days ago when I used ivory soap to wash with BS. Could that've led to buildup? What would cause buildup? Every time I did WO I always rinsed with ACV and that gets rid of hard water buildup doesn't it?

I know nothing... :(

will the clarifying shampoo strip away all of the sebum? I don't want the sebum production rate to increase... Will it do that? Should I use ACV as a conditioner afterwards and what clarifying shampoo should I get? I'm sorry for all of the questions... I'm still a long hair novice compared to everyone here... :flowers:

spidermom
November 30th, 2012, 11:15 AM
I notice, as in Luxepiggy's pictures, that oily hair tends to separate more; you can see the scalp.

I've started a project to wash my hair only once per week because I don't like wet hair hanging all over me when it's cold weather. Right now is day 5, and all the hair at my scalp is so oily I almost can't stand it. Let's see if I can get a picture; brb.

OhioLisa
November 30th, 2012, 12:07 PM
I'm :confused: ... Does sebum leave build up after a while? I hadn't used products or anything sans BS/ACV in about a year. Of course that isn't counting a couple days ago when I used ivory soap to wash with BS. Could that've led to buildup? What would cause buildup? Every time I did WO I always rinsed with ACV and that gets rid of hard water buildup doesn't it?

I know nothing... :(

will the clarifying shampoo strip away all of the sebum? I don't want the sebum production rate to increase... Will it do that? Should I use ACV as a conditioner afterwards and what clarifying shampoo should I get? I'm sorry for all of the questions... I'm still a long hair novice compared to everyone here... :flowers:

ACV, lemon, and citric acid do not clarify hair. BS CAN be used as a clarifier, and a strong one at that. If you are using it regularly, you are most likely being far too harsh on your scalp, causing an overproduction of sebum. Hence, the oily/wet look. And Ivory soap is basic, rather than acidic, which can also mess with the pH balance of your scalp. I think you might consider trying some more gentle washing methods.

PeaceTeaRules
November 30th, 2012, 12:22 PM
Would it be a good idea to stay SO with a BS/ACV rinse once a month then? Or should I migrate back to WO? I want to try to wash my hair with minimal breakage and damage caused... Or perhaps I should go and get some Catile liquid soap and dilute it in water to use?

Thanks for knowledgeable replies from everyone!! I'm actually surprised I was able to revive a dead thread... :D

PeaceTeaRules
November 30th, 2012, 10:49 PM
Not to change the thread topic but if I mixed BS with a shampoo with SLS and others in it... Will that cause the sulphates to not cling to the hair? Will it prevent build up before it starts?

auburntressed
December 1st, 2012, 12:20 AM
10 thingy........

teela1978
December 1st, 2012, 12:43 AM
Not to change the thread topic but if I mixed BS with a shampoo with SLS and others in it... Will that cause the sulphates to not cling to the hair? Will it prevent build up before it starts?

SLS is very clean rinsing. Not sure why you'd need baking soda to rinse it away. ALS is actually easier to rinse off if that's what you're looking for.

BrownEyedBeauty
December 1st, 2012, 07:20 AM
Clean, shiny hair has a bouncy look to it and appears fuller in volume. Greasy, shiny hair tends to look lank and it can stick together.

Bedhead
December 1st, 2012, 07:53 AM
Okay, I remember now... I stayed away from the BS because it was considered harsh. So I went with Neutrogena (can't get Prell in Canada), because it was considered much more gentle, it stinks though. I also used just three drops as opposed to the amount they suggested. I totally understand you wanting to go all natural, I know I do, but "natural" can be debatable with BS too....

Anyway, you don't need to do both. In fact, using a full on clarifier every time you wash while doing NW/SO, might just be too much, unless it's a diluted version. I'd think BS would be too harsh. Since you wouldn't have chemical build-up from product, or mineral build up from water, all you're dealing with is pollution and wanting to tame the sebum at times (for me it's during the seasonal changes, as you know).

And I agree with this:

BS CAN be used as a clarifier, and a strong one at that. If you are using it regularly, you are most likely being far too harsh on your scalp, causing an overproduction of sebum. Hence, the oily/wet look.

If we're already having to deal with sebum doing NW/SO why make it more difficult than it needs to be?


BTW I should mention, it should take about 1 week - 10 days for your hair to balance out again after a wash of any kind. This is a big part of what you're dealing with, added to the harshness factor of your choice of washing methods. So, perhaps this is more about SMPing and having some patience for another week?

Lastly, if your cleansing your hair the NW/SO way, you're not going to get a lot of build-up, unless you're in a highly polluted area or aren't smping regularily, so you don't need to use a clarifier every time you wash (BS or otherwise). I washed my hair in the fall, and used a diluted version of a SLS free shampoo, and that was enough to cut down on the weight and calm my scalps sebum production (It increased due to the weather change). So I guess what I'm saying is, your idea to do SO with an occasional heavy clarifier would be too much. I was asking about whether you clarified, because it can make the transition difficult if you haven't before hand, that's all.

spidermom
December 1st, 2012, 09:09 AM
If you google how baking soda is made, you will see that it isn't "natural" at all. Castile soap is basic too. Unless you have allergy or other sensitivity, I think it's best to use a clarifying shampoo from time to time.

PeaceTeaRules
December 2nd, 2012, 10:19 AM
Thanks all!! Will it really take 10+ days for it to adjust? Why is that and will it speed up sebum production? Also, Bedhead; the link in the other thread, I had tried it and it led to a "server not found" thing... So, you might want to repost link... :D It happens to everyone once at least... :flowers:

I thought that my hair looked fine but I was swayed (because I second guess myself quite often...) by people who don't have a lick of sebum on their hair at all... I guess I should've clarified before I went on my hair journey. :oops:

Bedhead
December 2nd, 2012, 10:17 PM
More like 5+ days, because when you wash, you completely disturb your scalps balance i.e. your scalp is screaming at you for turning the lights on when it was already used to the dark. Even putting something on the very tips of your hair can affect the scalp. And yes, usually your sebum production will increase in direct correlation with the harshness level of whatever product you use.

I'll check on the link, thanks. :)

I find when it comes to the expectation of sebum, many people look to shampooed 1a hair as the example. I'm not sure why that is, but it doesn't allow people with other hair types to have a clear, realistic view of what to expect from their own hair type. Different hair has different needs.

Why is hair clumping a bit such a bad thing for straight haired people and not for curlies? And why is the scalp showing a bad thing, when it's not for other hair types? I've always found that strange.... Just thinking out loud here.

spidermom
December 3rd, 2012, 10:38 AM
By the way, when I said that castile soap is basic, what I meant was that it's alkaline, like baking soda. The skin and scalp maintains what is called an acid mantle to prevent infections, etc. In general, using alkaline products on your skin and scalp makes it more vulnerable to fungal infections, which most people counteract by following with a vinegar rinse. I look for products slightly on the acid side, which most shampoos are; that's why I favor them.

I can see that SO might be the ultimate in maintaining skin's natural balance, but A) I love a good sudsy clean-up, and B) I can't tolerate the itchies that come along with oily hair. I'm trying to limit washing my hair to once per week because I really hate having wet hair hanging all over me when it's cold, but so far I've only made it 5 days because of the itching and how awful my hair looks hanging there limply, separating like it does and allowing my scalp to show through. It's so much more beautiful to me when it is freshly washed.

luxepiggy
December 4th, 2012, 02:03 PM
Why is hair clumping a bit such a bad thing for straight haired people and not for curlies? And why is the scalp showing a bad thing, when it's not for other hair types? I've always found that strange.... Just thinking out loud here.

Because when straight hair clumps (as when overzealous little piggies OD on shine serum, like in the left photo below :p) it tends to go flat on top and scraggly at the ends, giving the illusion of thinning hair and epic taper.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair/clumped-vs-unclumped-hair-small.jpg

My understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong!) is that clumping improves curl definition by helping to align the individual hairs into the same general orientation as neighboring ones. 1a hair doesn't have any curl that needs to be defined, and the individual strands definitely don't need any help getting into alignment as they are all parallel. Unlike curlies, we straighties we don't get any benefits from clumping, but we do experience detrimental effects. Hence the inclination to take an anti-clumping stance when it comes to straight hair (^(oo)^)v

CurlyCurves
December 6th, 2012, 03:28 PM
(All old pics, so my hair is way longer now and I have lost weight :))

I have curls, but when I straighten my hair, it gets extremely greasy. For comparison;

Shiny;

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579281_4153726081872_1390360642_n.jpg

Greasy;

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/168542_4150830249478_1600880675_n.jpg

Oh, this is my hair when it's greasy while curly. I don't leave anything in my hair because of this;

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/533179_4151408063923_1310163975_n.jpg

Natural shine;

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526780_4198884810812_617363073_n.jpg

Natural shiny braidwaves;

http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/246547_4193803803790_1805041769_n.jpg

Greasy ones;

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270901_4180707996403_242837904_n.jpg

Greasy banding;

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428427_4260911001428_1619929319_n.jpg

Natural shine;

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/521994_4264157562590_1144526532_n.jpg

HTH!

PeaceTeaRules
December 11th, 2012, 10:13 PM
Thanks guys!! Again off the subject but I couldn't find a thread that answers another question that isn't related to this thread. I've always thought the cleaner the scalp, the healthier and faster your hair grows... Is that true? :confused:

truepeacenik
December 12th, 2012, 12:13 AM
Curly, which is your did nothing style?
amazing curls, btw.

CurlyCurves
December 16th, 2012, 01:19 AM
Curly, which is your did nothing style?
amazing curls, btw.

Which one? And thank you!

SleepyTangles
December 16th, 2012, 03:59 AM
Aside from the difference... the "shine" in greasy hair is waxy and heavy-feeling, while shiny hair has a clear, glassy way to reflect light IMHO.

.. but seriously, no one ever feels that there are some misunderstanding about shine in common mind??? Sometimes seems that if hair is not opaque and completely shine-free it isn't clean! I have this friend that every time I put a drop of oil (a quick absorbing or a very light oil, commonly), just tell me -Jeez, look how greasy it looks!-

Sometimes, in some wonderful hair day, when I feel like a diva (that doesn't happen often :rolling:)... she adress my hair in this way -This surely must be your shower day, it's all greasy!-
or worse -I'm sorry, your having a bad hair day? Have you exaggerated with your treatments?-
And my hair isn't greasy that moment, it just have a pleasing silky shine - nothing special. And damn me if I go wash my hair in its best days and ruin all the work!
Anyone can relate?

Iscoria
December 16th, 2012, 05:47 AM
Anyone can relate?

I just can't understand why your friend feel the need to comment negatively on your hair that often o: Though, I feel like people in general think that hair have to be washed every single day to be clean, but I can't say that I feel that there's a common misconception about shiny hair being greasy.

SleepyTangles
December 16th, 2012, 06:06 AM
Oh, she's usually nice! Our hair philosophy is pretty different... plus she love to tease me, because she mistreats her hair back and fort, and it still grows twice as mine and in pretty good shape :p!

Maybe her "loud statements" are her way to make me change my mind, on matters in which our opinion differs. But she often remark how split-end free and healthy are my hair, and how damaged are hers, so I think this compensate well her disdain for overly shiny hair..

Coolcombination
December 24th, 2012, 02:12 PM
When my hair is greasy, my side fringe gets stringy and lank, kind of when you haven washed shampoo out properly. It separates from the main hair. Then my roots start to separate from each other and this makes it way down the length until all the hair above my ears is stuck to my scalp and hangs in clumps, this happens to me really quickly that's why I wash every other day and condish at every other wash

silkreel
December 24th, 2012, 08:36 PM
It's in the roots. Shiny, clean hair will have slight lift for me at the scalp, visible where you part your hair. Dirty hair has hair clumping at the hair line roots and the hair falls limps in that area.

PeaceTeaRules
February 19th, 2013, 01:55 AM
Not to revive the thread once again, but my hair looks shiny but the roots are still lying against my head. I had washed recently though, when I was doing NW/SO (which I do off and on.) they didn't do that... Any particular reason as to why they're sticking to my head after a wash? Perhaps I need to clarify after all... I hadn't had the money to buy a clarifying shampoo...

Sorry for reviving the thread... New siggy pic now after two months. Does this siggy pic look as greasy as last times? I'm extremely self-conscious sometimes. Love to LHC!! even though all I've been doing is lurking... :D

silverthread
February 19th, 2013, 12:45 PM
Hi, Idjit. Your hair is similar to mine, except that yours is M instead of F. I know my hair needs a wash when my roots start to flatten against my head and my strands look lifeless or dull.

Naiadryade
February 19th, 2013, 10:30 PM
PeaceTeaRules, I think your hair looks shiny and healthy in that sig pic now. I don't see any oily-wet clumpiness. It's a small picture though.

This thread has been really interesting for me to read through. My hair is mostly 2a, with 2b in the under-layers, but most of my life I've thought of/treated my hair as "mostly straight." Since joining LHC, realizing my hair was really dry (even though in my S/C days it got greasy after a day of not washing), and making oils and moisturizing things almost my entire routine, I've been discovering my wave and loving it. But because it's wavy, not *curly* on its own, if I put a little too much oil on it looks "dirty"--you know, stringy, thin, wet.

Yesterday I did a hot oil treatment, and it didn't all wash out. I was working outside all day so I just put my oily hair in braids and didn't worry about it, but then I had a meeting to go to in the evening. I ended up putting it in a half-up bun to hide the greasy-looking 2a canopy, thinking the chunkiness doesn't look quite as weird on the 2b under layers, especially if I mist and scrunch them to make them a little wavier. For flair, I did 3 pin curls with the hair on each side of my face. The pin curls were fun--my hair holds form well if I don't touch it too much, especially when it's oily. I finger-combed them out in the car on the way home. When I looked in the mirror, I was surprised to see that the still-clumped wurls left over from the pin curls looked good being as oily as they were, not dirty! Kind of like some shiny 2c/3a hair of folks on here that I've admired. I'm really tempted to do pin or rag curls on my whole head while it's this oily.

I kind of really like the idea of being able to pull off 1c clean and smooth one day (freshly washed and BBB'd), and 3a clumped and shiny a few days later (oiled and curled). Is this what being a wavy-hair is all about?