What is your washing routine?

[dawnss]

Just wondering what is your hair washing routine?

What do you like and what don't you like about your routine?

Do you think you can do anything to improve it?

I think that it will be fair if I answer first. I try to do a pre poo with aloe vera, flax seed oil, and olive or sweet almond oil. I try to shampoo my hair at least two times a week using a sulfate free shampoo (Shea Moisture Deep Cleansing Shampoo) and then I will use with BioINFUSION olive oil shampoo or Phytojoba Shampoo on my length, if I have used many hair products. Then I deep condition with a mixture of my regular conditioners with honey, coconut milk, and olive oil. While the conditioner is in I usally detangle my hair with my fingers and then I comb it. After that I rinse it out. If I am doing a cowash then I cowash with Vo5 and then add in a moisturizing conditioner and finger comb, if I have enough time lol.

I like that my scalp is always clean but I do not like how much time I spend on my hair, it is quite unfortunate.

I do not know what I can do to improve my routine, I just want to spend less time on my hair.

[myfrizzies]

before I toss my kids in the tub I put on some biolage conditioning balm on the ends, after they are washed, dressed abs settled in I get to wash up too ;)

This is what I've been trying so far, working well for me

Condition with the balm
Sls free organix cherry blossom shampoo
Sls free organix pomegranate conditioner
then after I towel dry a bit I add some of the pom conditioner or the biolage while it's damp, depends on whether I want to smell fruity or not lol

That's pretty much it.

[sweet*things]

I do the oil shampoo thing. I wash with about a teaspoon of Prell shampoo (in the bottle, not the tube), mixed with 1/3-1/2 teaspoon coconut oil. I put half on my scalp/canopy and half on the length. Rinse and let the tangles fall out (mostly). Done! I wash 2-4 times per week, depending. My hair doesn't need a lot of product, so ymmv on amounts needed.

Very, very simple and my hair is the best it's ever been. :D

[dawnss]

Those routines are not that bad hmm, nice and simple. When do you ladies detangle your hair?

[MychelleC]

I wash every other day. I make a sulfate-free shampoo and a conditioner with behentrimonium methosulfate, coconut oil, proteins, and a little bit of silicone. Detangle with a wide-toothed comb and do my shower routine while the conditioner sits on my hair. Rinse, anti-frizz serum, towel dry for a few minutes and finish up with a light leave-in (I make the serum and leave-in as well). Easy peasy. I air dry for about an hour, hit it with the blow dryer and twist it up in a clip for a few hours. When I let it down it's all smooth and happy. It only took ten years to get my routine down. :)

[spidermom]

1) Pre-oiling with coconut oil when I remember.
2) CWC with diluted shampoo (whatever I have on hand; me and my scalp are not picky).

What I don't like is wet hair hanging all over me, especially when it's chilly. I wish I could get by with once a week or less, but I can't get my frequency lower than about twice per week.

[myfrizzies]

I detangle when I have the conditioner on in the shower. My hair is just past shoulder so I don't really have any tangling issues.

[faithsdaisy421]

I CO 2-3 times a week. I hp in the tub, get my hair super wet, slather a TON of diluted Suave on my roots, some Giovanni 50/50 on my length, put on my shower cap, and do the rest of my shower duties. Before I get out, I rinse while singing The 12 Days of Christmas (so I know that I have rinsed long enough), dump some ACV over my head, get a blast of cold water on my hair for shine, and then I am done.

I untangle after my hair is dry.

[Fairlight63]

I shampoo 2 times a week - Sat. & Wed. afternoon.

(I hate to shampoo my hair - it is too involved - and I seem to always forget to bring something into the bathroom with me, so to help that problem I made a list to check off before going in.)

I detangle my hair before shampooing. Wet my hair & Put cond. on length & Nioxin shampoo on scalp. I vary the cond.- cones seem to work the best because Nioxin can be drying on my hair. Leave on 3 min. during that time I do my shaving or what not. Get back in shower & rinse off the shamp.
Then I put on the Nioxin cond. on my scalp (not sure if you are supposed to put on scalp or not, but that is what I have been doing. Put a cony cond. on length, pin up, put on shower cap & let set for 3 min. or however long it takes to shower. Take off shower cap & rinse off everything.
Get out of shower & put on Turbie towel. Get dressed, clean up the shower - put away shamp. & cond.
Leave turbie towel on for a few min. Then I bend over & pin my hair up & put on a snood type hair net & push the hair pin out so hair hangs loose in net - I like to use the snood for that it keeps my hair from hanging down my back while drying & the air can still get through & dry my hair. (My hair is fine & thin, might not work for someone with thick heavy hair though)
After a while I take the snood off & put a little oil on hair & detangle my hair.

This is an interesting topic to see what I can change.

[archel]

I am seriously cracking up picturing you rinsing your hair while singing the 12 Days of Christmas!

It's kind of like how I sing the Happy Birthday song when washing my hands...

[archel]

Right now I'm doing CWC with Giovanni 50/50 Balanced shampoo and conditioner. I had been using Smooth As Silk, but I am doing a heavy castor oiling on my scalp and length every other night and I find the 50/50 really gets it all out without stripping too much. I wash every other day.

[faithsdaisy421]

I am seriously cracking up picturing you rinsing your hair while singing the 12 Days of Christmas!

It's kind of like how I sing the Happy Birthday song when washing my hands...
It drives my husband CRAZY! I shower in the evening after our son is in bed, so DH is in the bedroom trying to watch TV and I am in the shower rocking out to Christmas music in my very (very) not good singing voice.

The backstory to this song is sweet though. When my son was little, I used to sing it to him all year because he would always be asleep by the 9th or 10th day... it never failed. He is 7 now, and was sick a few weeks ago. I was cuddled up next to him on the couch and began singing that out of habit, and he told me how sweet it was to hear me sing that again :love:... my heart melted!

[Ligeia_13]

I wash with conditioner once a week. That is all.


I gave up my castor oiling cause I was going through ridiculous amounts of conditioner to get it off and frankly, I can't afford it anymore.

[dawnss]

That is sweet faithdaisy421. Hmm, are there any other curlies who spend quite a bit of time washing their hair and detangling?

[dawnss]

I wash with conditioner once a week. That is all.


I gave up my castor oiling cause I was going through ridiculous amounts of conditioner to get it off and frankly, I can't afford it anymore.

Did you have to use shampoo, when you oiled with castor oil?

[dawnss]

I think that if I do more conditioner washes then my hair will not be so hard to detangle.

[kidari]

I wash daily. When I use shampoo and conditioner I will oil my hair with coconut oil or olive oil or both. Every other day I've been alternating with a CO wash and my hair is looking so much better. I just started doing oilings before a CO wash. I use cones so I clarify once a week followed by a moisture or protein treatment or both depending on my time. I always have 2-3 sets of shampoos and conditioners in my shower at all times and use what I think my hair needs that day. I really want to simplify, we shall see. I simplified my styling products and it's been working out great.

[Ligeia_13]

Did you have to use shampoo, when you oiled with castor oil?

Nah, shampoo didn't do anything at all to help remove it...I just had to put conditioner on twice, that's why it was getting expensive.

[spidergoat]

I wash every 2-3 days, any longer and it's too oily for my tastes. I oil the night before, and then CWC with diluted shampoo while doing a scalp massage (my favorite part, it's so relaxing!). As for detangling, I haven't really needed to do anything beyond the occasional finger combing since I started doing CWC. :D

[bluequeequeg]

I wash every two to three days with a tea tree oil based shampoo and then use a lavender based conditioner. Every once in a while (maybe once a week or once every two weeks) I shampoo/condition with blue based shampoo/conditioner in order to get rid of any brassiness my water deposits in my hair over time. I tried CWC but it left my lengths too greasy (running my fingers through my hair left my hands feeling like I'd just touched some fried foods) rather than soft and silky. I suspect it may have been because it was a coney conditioner, and I didn't shampoo the length itself which may have clarified out all those cones. Maybe once I use up all the junk I have I'll try it again.

[TheCaityCat]

I wash every morning because my hair gets oily overnight and I exercise when I wake up.

My routine, currently:
1) Shampoo using CV shampoo bar (currently Babassu Marshmallow, which my hair LOVES). I lather and rinse twice.

2) Condition with V05 cone-free conditioner

3) Monday and Thursday I rinse using two tbsp of ACV in two cups of water. It softens my hair and give it extra slip for no tangles. Clarifying this often might not be for everyone, but my hair's texture is silky and slippery and the ACV really brings this feature out.

[SwordWomanRiona]

I wash twice a week. My roots get oily too soon, so if I need to stretch washes I use some dry shampoo, and it takes most of the grease off my roots (yay for dry shampoos!!).

I'm experimenting, but my current routine is:

1) Shampoo (only to my roots, I let it slide down my length). I especially like the Klorane brand: I combine the sweet-almond oil (gives more boost and takes electricity off fine hair) and nettle-extract (for greasy roots) shampoos. I also use henna-based shampoos, but I'm 'Klorane-centered' at the moment.
2) After the shampooing, I apply pure aloe vera gel to my length and roots, to take care of split ends. Very sporadically, I use henna-based conditioner to my length. But I don't seem to need much conditioner...
3) Final black tea + hibiscus rinse once a week. No rinsing. Again, to treat greasy roots + add softness and shine.

I still have to try SMT's and egg washes and cassia treatments.

4) I use a towel and the palms of my hands to gently take the excess of water off my hair. I let it drip on the towel as I dress.
5) I blow-dry up to shoulder length because I get sore throats if I don't, invariably! I never blow-dry my length, though. I let it air-dry, and when it's still damp but not wet and dripping, I gently disentangle my hair with my fingers. Usually, I end with a brushing when my hair's completely dry.

[dawnss]

Man this is amazing, I really wish that I had a much looser curl pattern it is such a pain for me to wash my hair and then condition it. I really like oiling my hair before I wash it.

[dawnss]

I wash twice a week. My roots get oily too soon, so if I need to stretch washes I use some dry shampoo, and it takes most of the grease off my roots (yay for dry shampoos!!).

I'm experimenting, but my current routine is:

1) Shampoo (only to my roots, I let it slide down my length). I especially like the Klorane brand: I combine the sweet-almond oil (gives more boost and takes electricity off fine hair) and nettle-extract (for greasy roots) shampoos. I also use henna-based shampoos, but I'm 'Klorane-centered' at the moment.
2) After the shampooing, I apply pure aloe vera gel to my length and roots, to take care of split ends. Very sporadically, I use henna-based conditioner to my length. But I don't seem to need much conditioner...
3) Final black tea + hibiscus rinse once a week. No rinsing. Again, to treat greasy roots + add softness and shine.

I still have to try SMT's and egg washes and cassia treatments.

4) I use a towel and the palms of my hands to gently take the excess of water off my hair. I let it drip on the towel as I dress.
5) I blow-dry up to shoulder length because I get sore throats if I don't, invariably! I never blow-dry my length, though. I let it air-dry, and when it's still damp but not wet and dripping, I gently disentangle my hair with my fingers. Usually, I end with a brushing when my hair's completely dry.

I like dry shampoos, have you used the dry shampoo from Klorane yet?

[SwordWomanRiona]

I like dry shampoos, have you used the dry shampoo from Klorane yet?

Yes, it's the one I use! The nettle-extract dry shampoo from Klorane. It really saves my life when I need to stretch washes.
Do you use the one from Klorane too?

[Kelikea]

I was doing BS wash, ACV rinse for about 2 mos this summer, but my hair got dry.
So...on Sunday I
1. oiled my scalp and hair with 1/2castor, 1/2sweet almond oil.
2. CWC with Suave naturals coconut/Dr. Bronners lavender coconut skikakai soap
3. ACV rinse
Today I did #2 & 3, aloe/jojoba on scalp

I dry my hair by squeezing excess water out in the shower, then blotting it gently with towel, then wrapping in microfiber towel (from Walmart auto dept.) for as long as possible (even overnight.)

[dawnss]

Yes, it's the one I use! The nettle-extract dry shampoo from Klorane. It really saves my life when I need to stretch washes.
Do you use the one from Klorane too?

Nope I have never used Klorane products I have been wanting to get their oat dry shampoo though.

[Madora]

I shampoo once a month and have been using the same products for decades (the George Michael Pink Shampoo and his White Conditioner .. both diluted),

Since I loathe snarls, I've devised a method that keeps them to a minimum, which is a great help since shampooing is not a fun thing for me because I have Raynaud's disease and become cold quickly.

Pre-shampoo (before getting in the tub): brush hair thoroughly and detangle. Part my hair from the nape to forehead so that there are 2 sections. One section is placed so it lays on the right side of my chest and the other section lays on the left side.

I try to keep both sections separate throughout most of the processes.

The hair is shampooed first with a tablespoon of shampoo mixed with 10 oz of warm water. Then it is rinsed out with warm then cold water. This removes the surface dirt on the hair.

The scalp is washed next with another tablespoon of shampoo mixed with 10 oz of warm water. I use my fingerpads to rub in the shampoo -- in one direction at a time..i.e. top of head down to ears, then front of head back to crown, and from crown to nape. Going in one direction at a time cuts down on the tangles.
Then I rinse with warm then cold water.

I use a tablespoon of GM conditioner mixed with 10 oz of warm water and leave it on 3 minutes, and then gently detangle with a wide tooth comb while my hair is full of conditioner. I rinse with warm water, and then with a final rinse of water as cold as I can stand.

I gently squeeze the water out of my hair by pressing it between my palms..all the way down the length. Then I take a Egyptian cotton towel, and holding it vertically, wrap it around my hair, then wind the towelled hair in a turban around my head, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then I unpin it, detangle again, then use my "fanning" technique to dry it.

Whole process takes about 2 hours (I use a bath chair). The next day, I EVOO overnight and rinse out the day after that.

[boomtownrat]

I CO wash daily, with one conditioner to wash and another, thicker one for extra conditioning. Most of the time I spray diluted white vinegar as close to my scalp as possible, which I massage in and let sit for about a minute before I rinse again, or leave it in if I feel like it. Often I apply aloe vera gel, but I wait until it's dry (usually the next morning).

[sun-kissed]

Until two weeks ago I WO washed every day. Now I'm washing every four-five days, or whenever I feel like it. My goal is once evey week or two -- or as far apart as I can get them.

Most times I will flip my head over and massage the dirt away from my scalp, then wash for 15 minutes with cold water.

If my hair is feeling horridly waxy for some reason, I'll oil or condition my ends, and then dilute my all natural Young Living Lavender Oil shampoo with water in a 1:10 mixture and dump it over my scalp. But I try to avoid that, it strips like I-don't-know-what.

For combing/brushing, I've given up wet-combing, and simply comb it out with my wide-tooth comb once it dries. Then I'll BBB it and put it up into a bun or braid.

[Idjit]

I wash with Silkience conditioner ($1 for 20 oz. Dollar Tree), mostly just the roots, scrubbing well with my fingers. I leave this on while I do my other shower stuff. Then I follow up with Tresemme Naturals conditioner on all of it. The Tresemme makes my hair super silky and gives lots of slip. I never get tangles but that's mostly me, not the conditioner.

I rinse and wrap my hair in a flour sack towel (5 for $6 at walmart) while I get dressed. Then I take it down, comb and add some Shea Moisture Moisture Mist, and usually put back up in another towel for maybe half an hour or so. I do this about every 3-4 days.

[MemoryXIII]

Until today, the only thing I knew was washing my hair twice with shampoo and condition it. I'm interested in trying CWC and CO though.

[Ermine]

Until very recently I CO'd with Suave naturals. That worked great for the first 6 weeks, but now it leaves my hair greasy, so I don't think that's the thing for me. So now I'm experimenting with using gentler shampoos. Lately I've been trying baby shampoo. I've heard mixed reviews on it here, but thought I'd give it a try. It's working great for me so far. Baby shampoo for baby fine hair. My hair's never been shinier and softer. So now I'm shampooing every day with baby shampoo and conditioning with diluted Suave Naturals. It's looking and feeling great!

[Jayce]

Those routines are not that bad hmm, nice and simple. When do you ladies detangle your hair?

I do a seriously thorough detangle before I get in the shower, and it's been one of the best ideas I learned here :) In the shower it's shampoo once or twice and condition. After it's been in the towel for a bit, I smooth in argon oil down to the ends before a gentle comb out, and then leave it to dry a bit more. Maybe 10 minutes in total?

I also try to detangle daily, usually in the morning before I put it up, for some reason.

[Merewen]

I wash whenever I feel my hair is dirty, once a week-ish.

Lately I have been shampooing my scalp, squeezing the shampoo to the ends, rinsing, then soaking my hair in catnip tea for an hour. I then rinse that out and put on just a dab of conditioner to detangle and rinse. It's an experimental routine at the moment. I was doing CWC before. I liked CO but it doesn't work with the water here.

[Jayce]

Lately I've been trying baby shampoo. I've heard mixed reviews on it here, but thought I'd give it a try. It's working great for me so far. Baby shampoo for baby fine hair. My hair's never been shinier and softer. So now I'm shampooing every day with baby shampoo and conditioning with diluted Suave Naturals. It's looking and feeling great!

Ermine, I love baby shampoo! Few ingrediants, good price and very gentle.

[dawnss]

I shampoo once a month and have been using the same products for decades (the George Michael Pink Shampoo and his White Conditioner .. both diluted),

Since I loathe snarls, I've devised a method that keeps them to a minimum, which is a great help since shampooing is not a fun thing for me because I have Raynaud's disease and become cold quickly.

Pre-shampoo (before getting in the tub): brush hair thoroughly and detangle. Part my hair from the nape to forehead so that there are 2 sections. One section is placed so it lays on the right side of my chest and the other section lays on the left side.

I try to keep both sections separate throughout most of the processes.

The hair is shampooed first with a tablespoon of shampoo mixed with 10 oz of warm water. Then it is rinsed out with warm then cold water. This removes the surface dirt on the hair.

The scalp is washed next with another tablespoon of shampoo mixed with 10 oz of warm water. I use my fingerpads to rub in the shampoo -- in one direction at a time..i.e. top of head down to ears, then front of head back to crown, and from crown to nape. Going in one direction at a time cuts down on the tangles.
Then I rinse with warm then cold water.

I use a tablespoon of GM conditioner mixed with 10 oz of warm water and leave it on 3 minutes, and then gently detangle with a wide tooth comb while my hair is full of conditioner. I rinse with warm water, and then with a final rinse of water as cold as I can stand.

I gently squeeze the water out of my hair by pressing it between my palms..all the way down the length. Then I take a Egyptian cotton towel, and holding it vertically, wrap it around my hair, then wind the towelled hair in a turban around my head, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then I unpin it, detangle again, then use my "fanning" technique to dry it.

Whole process takes about 2 hours (I use a bath chair). The next day, I EVOO overnight and rinse out the day after that.

Glad to know that I am not the only one who takes two hours to do wash, condition, and detangle their hair.

[dawnss]

I wash with Silkience conditioner ($1 for 20 oz. Dollar Tree), mostly just the roots, scrubbing well with my fingers. I leave this on while I do my other shower stuff. Then I follow up with Tresemme Naturals conditioner on all of it. The Tresemme makes my hair super silky and gives lots of slip. I never get tangles but that's mostly me, not the conditioner.

I rinse and wrap my hair in a flour sack towel (5 for $6 at walmart) while I get dressed. Then I take it down, comb and add some Shea Moisture Moisture Mist, and usually put back up in another towel for maybe half an hour or so. I do this about every 3-4 days.

I love shea moisture products, how is the shea moisture moisture mist? Oh and I have wanted to try the Tresemme Naturals Conditioners, do they detangle yout hair well?

[dawnss]

Until today, the only thing I knew was washing my hair twice with shampoo and condition it. I'm interested in trying CWC and CO though.

Give CWC and CO a try! I am so glad that this thread gave you the chance to learn something new!

[Impulsive]

I wash my hair about once a week. I CO with Suave and detangle with a wide tooth comb while my hair is saturated with conditioner. After I rinse out the first conditioner I put an ACV rinse in my hair which I don't rinse out. I leave in Garnier Triple Nutrition. If I style my hair I do it while I'm still in the shower. I always air dry. The whole process takes about 1-2 hours depending on how tangled my hair is and how I style my hair.... of course, that doesn't include drying time, which takes several hours.
I'm still experimenting so a few things might change, but I'll probably always stay with CO washing, because I like the way it makes my hair feel. And there's no possible way I could go without detangling, so my routine will always be long, too.

[Loreley]

I wash every 2-3 days using sulfate-free baby shampoo, condition with GF Triple Nutrition or Garnier Natural with avocado (both of them are cone-free). Before washing I oil with almond oil, after washing with coconut oil. Then detangle with my wide-tooth comb and let it air-dry.

[Neneka]

I wash my hair once a week with anti fungal shampoo but I CO almost every day. I am still trying to find the right conditioner. I am now trying cones. After washing I wait for it to dry and then I do a light oiling with coconut oil if I need it. There is not any detangling since my hair doesn't tangle at this length.

I would like to strech washes but my hair is short and I am frustrated with it. Washing and conditioning it is the only thing I can do with it...

[lunalesca]

I wash every 5 to 7 days.
First I brush my hair, to get the sebum down. Then make it wet, shampoo the roots (currently lush squeaky green), rinse, apply conditioner to the lengths, soap my body, wash it all down.

Then wrap the hair into a towel, after a few minutes handbang it, towel again, handbanging again. :rockerdud ;)

Apply a small amount of coconut oil into the damp ends, and comb it a little bit, just enough that I can side-part it.

I do not blow-dry, just letting it dry.

[erialc]

I wash twice a week with conditioner. I massage A LOT of it thouroughly through my scalp, usually bent over, then I rinse it all out while massaging some more. Put another really creamy conditioner on the lenght and leave it for a couple of minutes. Rinse it out, but not completely, finish with a "cold" rinse and then pour some cold ACV over it. I don't touch it afterwards, let it drip until it's like dry. Sometimes I squeeze out the excess water by scrunching, the curls get a lot more defined then. I never need to detangle, my hair just doesn't tangle for some reason.

[NativeGirl]

I CO wash once a week - currently using Suave Professionals Humectant Moisture - detangle while I have the conditioner on my head...then I rinse my hair with cold water. After I'm out of the shower, I'll gently towel dry, then detangle, then loosely braid my hair. I'm not a fan of spending a large amount of time on my hair, so I try to keep my routine simple.

Every two weeks I do a deep condition which consists of a random mixture of Ion Repair Solutions Effective Care Treatment and Proclaim Natural 7 Oil. I'll wake up, slather it on my head and forget about it. I always do it on my wash day (Sunday's)...makes it easier to remember. Then that night, I wash it out.

[Jing]

I turn the shower on and stick my head in the right away, before the water gets warm. Then I get some warm water on my hair, shampoo, rinse, put conditioner on it, finish my showed, rinse, wring, do an ACV rinse with cold water, wring, wrap in a towel and let it sit while I moisturise, then I put some coconut or jojoba oil on the ends, detangle, blow half dry and air dry the rest of the way. It's not long enough to warrant CWC yet. I do a deep treatment every other time I wash (I was every four days).

[Mayflower]

I always give myself a head massage for about 10 minutes before I wash my hair (which is once every 2-3 days), sometimes I put a DT in my hair 2 hours beforehand.

I use Klorane shampoo for oily hair, I shampoo twice and rince with cold water. Once a week I finish with an ACV rince.
I never use conditioner in the shower, I just hop out, gently pat my hair with a towel to eliminate excess water and then put a leave-in protein conditioner in from Redken. After that I let it dry about 50%, after which I blow dry, and when my hair is dry and still 'warm' from the hairdryer, I put it in a loose, high bun on top of my head and go to bed.
The next day I comb it out and enjoy my waves and crazy amount of volume!

[scottigirl_01]

CWC, currently my shampoo is giovonni 50/50 and conditioner is white rain coconut. ACV rinse. I comb out before starting. Air dry, after a little towel time. Weleda Rosemary Oil to finish. I love reading everyone's routines. I want to start Snowys SMT. I have the ingredients, I just need to do it.

[Safira]

Usually I oil my hair night before washing. I co, use sulfate-free shampoo, or regular shampoo based on what my scalp needs. Sometimes I left conditioner stay for an hour or two, sometimes I just wash my hair quickly.

After my hair is dry, I oil it, sometimes I use leave-in and oil.

[headtrip_honey]

I'm one of the few who washes every day - I have a super oily scalp, and fine hair that just looks limp and gross the "day after".

I use a small amount of Desert Organics Fragrance Free shampoo, rinse well, squeeze water out, apply a small amount of V05 Volumizing conditioner (this is a new addition...I normally eschew conditioner, but I'm trying out non-coney to see how I like it. So far, so good!), gently detangle while condish is in, rinse well.

Do the rest of my body stuffs, get out of the shower, shake my head like a wet dog (seriously...) to separate the strands, then wrap my head in a towel.

Once my hair is 50/50 damp/dry, I gently comb it out with a wide tooth comb. Finger comb while it's upside down til dryish.

And thaaaaaaaaaat's it.

Edit: I also do an overnight jojoba oiling once every few weeks just to deep condition my ends, since I haven't been a daily conditioner user.

[Celtic Morla]

Coconut oil it the night before at least 2x a month. Wash 1x week with Dr B's Peppermint Castile soap diluted about 1:25. Rinse with ACV diluted. That's it I've tried CO washing but jad reactions to the fragrance oils in the Condish.

[Deborah]

I do my own method of CO once a week.

I put 1/4 cup conditioner in a bottle with 1/2 teaspoon citric acid powder and about 1/2 cup very warm water. Shake it up, CO, rinse very well, then pour over a quart of cold water to which I have added another teaspoon of citric acid powder. Done.

[Alias]

I used to oil my hair with olive oil before but since I ran out of it, my hair has been oil-free for more than a month. I need to buy some (I've been lazy xD). After keeping it on my hair for half an hour I wash it with Afrodita's shampoo (honey & vanilla, natural cosmetics) and then do the conditioning. Once I do the shampooing and conditioning one more time I put some silicone drops on the ends and let it dry.

[mallorykay13]

Mine just changed. Now I am doing A CO and then a WO. Alternating every day. Then I will do more WO instead of CO and then start stretching those out too.

[proo]

Minimalist here: micro-dusting trim followed by distilled water rinse once a week.

[ccmso12]

I CO everyother day . . .mabey every 3rd day if I mbeing lazy he he. I dont see the real point in 'stretching' washes with a CO routine as its moisture, moisure, and more moisture.

I CO with :VO5 kiwi lime
then post condition with pantene (my hair loves cones) and rinse

afterI get out I put a bit of Jajoba or Morocan oil (Heavy Cones) on my length.
Even with the amount of cones I use I find I only have to clarify mabey every 6wks or so. For this I use a sulfate free shampoo (green tea and acai berry) shampoo by organix.

[sarahbrownie]

My mother says I'm the product queen. But you know what I've fallen in love with? Suave Humectant poo & condish. Out of all the expensive products I've tried this one is AMAZING, especially for girls with more frizz than curls. Then once I have so damp hair I use some Moroccan Oil on the ends since they are my little babies now, so fragile and damage, it almost makes me weep, lol! That's it. I like SLS/Cones. I've tried not to but I just can't give them up!

[rena]

I wash every other day. I make a sulfate-free shampoo and a conditioner with behentrimonium methosulfate, coconut oil, proteins, and a little bit of silicone. Detangle with a wide-toothed comb and do my shower routine while the conditioner sits on my hair. Rinse, anti-frizz serum, towel dry for a few minutes and finish up with a light leave-in (I make the serum and leave-in as well). Easy peasy. I air dry for about an hour, hit it with the blow dryer and twist it up in a clip for a few hours. When I let it down it's all smooth and happy. It only took ten years to get my routine down. :)

Thats so cool how you make your own stuff!

[Idjit]

I love shea moisture products, how is the shea moisture moisture mist? Oh and I have wanted to try the Tresemme Naturals Conditioners, do they detangle yout hair well?

I mostly use the mist for the smell and to combat the poof a little bit. My hair tends to get really fluffy and cottony? looking when naked. This helps a bit but if it didn't smell so nice I probably wouldn't use it.

The Tresemme gives TONS of slip and makes any knots fall right out for me. I know others may have different results.

[beccababesx]

I try not to get into a routine, I just wash my hair when it's dirty and I need it to be clean. Depending on how I feel/how dirty it is, Ill either WO wash or CO wash it - when I WO, I have a bath and soak my hair for 20-30 minutes, then swoosh it about, scritching my scalp, then use the showerhead for 5 minutes ish. If I CO wash it I soak my hair, then use Asda's own conditioner all over my hair, loads and loads, then tie it up and put it in a showercap for 20 minutes, then scoop water onto my head and massage, then rinse it out and add a heavier conditioner on the length.

[beccababesx]

I mostly use the mist for the smell and to combat the poof a little bit. My hair tends to get really fluffy and cottony? looking when naked. This helps a bit but if it didn't smell so nice I probably wouldn't use it.

The Tresemme gives TONS of slip and makes any knots fall right out for me. I know others may have different results.

Just wanted to say I LOVE this as a length conditioner!!

[CurlyMopTop]

Maybe I need to try Tressemme naturals!! I don't really have a washing routine. When I do use shampoo, it's sulfate free and I don't use anything with silicones in it. I try not to use shampoo more than once or twice a week, sometimes cwc sometimes just s&c. The other days I just condition it. I've tried to skip and stretch out washes, but the need for detangling has finally won. The only way for me to stretch washes is to wear my hair up everyday, which I do during the winter months for the most part. This of course, disrupts my curl pattern. Right now I'm choosing curl over stretching washes, which unfortunatly has more tangling. I can't stand 2nd day ratsnest, then trying to detangle 2 days worth of curls. On the days that I don't wash, I still condition, use a leave-in conditioner with either: aloe gel, oil, or Shea Moisture Curling Smoothie depending on what I think my hair needs that day. maybe when my hair is a little longer, I'll get less tangles because the weight will pull some of the curl out. :) Oh yeah, I always air dry.

[InTheCity]

Silly me... don't have a specific "routine." Some days I'll use water only, some days conditioner only and some days CWC.

[slo2gro]

i cwc every 3 days

[AnnaJamila]

I alternate between a castor oil mix and kefir application before shampooing.

I shampoo whenever I feel like it needs it, or just before DH comes to visit.

I then condition from about the ears down, and when I get out while it's still wet I smooth about 3 drops of oil below my ears then wipe my hands on the canopy to smooth flyaways.

As soon as it dries I massage a bit of rosewater into the roots and massage a little more every day after that. Mmm, just thinking about the smell makes my mouth water! :)

I like my process, though I often forget to treat my hair before I wash! :o

[gthlvrmx]

im thinking of pushing my washes into CO wash once every 2 weeks because i have to rinse my scalp with water everytime i exercise...i hope i can do this, that way i waste less water, my hair wont get overmoisturized, and it can be up more often. hope my scalp likes it.

[SusanSt]

This thread is so interesting! For years I've washed my hair twice a week with inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. Then, I purchased some sulfate-free products (just 'cause they were on sale), and discovered that they made a huge difference in my hair. So, I continued my 2xweek washing, only now with sulfate-free products. Since joining LHC I've learned about CWC, and have been trying that, as well as doing my final rinse with as cold a water as I can stand. Oh, yes, I've also added oiling with coconut oil the night before a washing. I can't tell yet whether the CWC approach has made a significant difference, but am trying not to experiment with too many things at once so I can hopefully tell what's helping and what isn't!

[Keepitgrowing29]

I cwc every four days. I try to pre poo with coconut oil if I have time...and lately I've been oiling my hair and ends with a mixture of evoo, lavender and rosemary essential oil to finish. Put my hair in two braids and let dry.

[Keepitgrowing29]

I alternate between a castor oil mix and kefir application before shampooing.

I shampoo whenever I feel like it needs it, or just before DH comes to visit.

I then condition from about the ears down, and when I get out while it's still wet I smooth about 3 drops of oil below my ears then wipe my hands on the canopy to smooth flyaways.

As soon as it dries I massage a bit of rosewater into the roots and massage a little more every day after that. Mmm, just thinking about the smell makes my mouth water! :)

I like my process, though I often forget to treat my hair before I wash! :o

Hi AnnaJamila,

What does the rose water do?

[Kricket]

Sulfate-free shampoo 1x a week plus conditioner (from the ears down only) 2-3x a week plus using a good boar-bristle and nylon-quill brush to comb my hair between washings is really all I do. I only get about 5-10 minutes in the shower during the week -- I keep it simple; when I get to stand in the shower for more than 10 minutes I consider myself enjoying a luxury.

[nobeltonya]

Oil: concoction of 1/4 pure coconut oil, 1/4 amla oil [getting ready to try olive oil w/henna in place of this one, as it's finished] and 1/2 enriched coconut oil w/lemon, amla and henna
Shampoo: Sunsilk lusciously thick & long professionals collection <3 <3 <3
Conditioner: V05 Free Me Freesia [like how it works, not as much the smell.. next will be another V05, though]
Leave-in: Aussie hair insurance spray

The night before [I only oil at night], I heavily oil every other day [lightly oil in between], comb and brush with BBB. Generally, I then would English braid it to sleep. Sometimes, I'll bun it and secure with a small claw clip.

In the morning, I shampoo and leave on for 2 minutes. On heavy oil days, I shampoo the whole length; in between, only shampoo above the shoulders, squeeze and lightly rub the suds down the rest of the length. Rinse well, then condition nicely the bottom half of the length [from like BSL down]. In between days, all the way up to my shoulders. Comb with wide-tooth comb to detangle [mostly to remove all the loose hairs] and leave on while I wash/rinse everything else [generally 5-6 minutes]. Rinse well, squeeze excess water, wrap in towel for 5-7 minutes while I get dressed, put stuff away, etc. Flip hair over and spray leave-in, concentrating on scalp/nape [where it tangles the most] and moving down the length [stop a few inches before the very ends or they'll be sticky later]. Flip back over and comb again. Braid and done! Takes about 30 minutes. :happydance:

[KwaveT]

Those routines are not that bad hmm, nice and simple. When do you ladies detangle your hair?

You girls never learn:D. I am going to answer the question and topic anyway. I detangle my hair before I even get my hair wet with tangle teezer and wide tooth comb. After that I put conditioner all over my head with emphasis on the tips. I will usually use Burt's Bees conditioners and GPB Aubrey Organics conditioner when I want to use protein. I wait at least thirty minutes to rinse. I abide my time by shaving my legs and face. That eats up thirty minutes. Back in shower I rinse it off and reapply it this time with an emphasis on working it into the scalp. After washing myself and applying in shower moisturizer to my legs, I rinse the conditioner from second time and finish with a cold rinse on my hair. Out of the shower, I comb my hair how I want it to dry and let it air dry for about three plus hours.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Pre-oil scalp the night before a wash with castor oil. I CWC everyday, i tried alternating with CO and CWC but it didnt work with my fine hair. Condition with suave coconut on my scalp, wash scalp with H & S because I have dandruff, then condition my ends with a thicker or coney conditioner. Currently using Nexxus but i want to switch to something better with less cones. Rinse, throw up with towel for a few minutes then take down to air dry.

[misspurdy06]

I massage my scalp in cool water once or twice a week. My mom says my head smells like it did when I was a baby :)

[hototogisu]

Fairlight - how have you found Nioxin? Do you think it's helping with growth? I'm considering using it again.

[hototogisu]

I co-wash every second day (right now I'm trying Inecto coconut oil conditioner, but I experiment A LOT), then heavy oil with coconut and almond oil on Sunday, followed by Garnier Pure Shine shampoo and an SMT mixed up with Garnier Triple Nutrition. I do my roots every 2-3 weeks, so I obvs don't shampoo then. I love nothing better than clean, freshly-washed hair, and I enjoy washing my hair, especially the massaging that comes with co-washing, so I might be washing a little more than necessary!

Oh, I also detangle in the shower with a wide tooth comb.

[Ana Stargazer]

Here goes my twice a week routine :rolleyes::
massage scalp and brush thoroughly starting with the ends with EVO or cocoa and coconut butter the night before
braid into a bun or something and sleep on it
brush it again before I enter shower
wash with glycerin bar soap...btw, this has worked wonders on my scalp, I used to be a H&S addict due to dandruff for years (anyway, this soap is made by my uncle, it may sound weird but he uses bio-fuel for his car and one of the side results of this process, is this soap)
rinse with warm water, then cold water and organic ACV (ACV is like seriously the best thing ever, my hair used to tangle like crazy and now I can't believe it only takes my 10 minutes to detangle)
detangle with a shampooing brush (whilst still wet, I know it is a big no no in everyone's book, I am thinking to change this as my very fine hair is un-surprisingly showing signs of breakage)
leave it to dry but sometimes, especially, in winter I blow dry itBesides not brushing when wet, I understand that a leave in conditioner would do me some good to trap the moisture etc - but due to the fact that my hair has almost always been oily, fine and thin I don't know what condish to buy/use ....so I would love to hear what other fellow fine/thin hair LHC users have had success with.

[pepperminttea]

My full routine's here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=91676). It'll get updated more than this post will. :)

I've messed about with a lot of routines; shampoo bars, shampoil/oil shampoo, 'cones, 'cone-free, sulphates, sulphate-free, stretching washes, organic, no conditioner, CWC, SC, CO, WO, tea rinses, ACV rinses. The only thing I haven't tried that I can think of are NW/SO (I like the feeling of water on my scalp), and herb washes (difficult to source cheaply here). At the moment I'm CO once or twice a week, with just a tiny bit of 'cone, ACV rinses, occasional clarifying, and a whole lot of oiling. :D

[starlamelissa]

I wash with fragrance free baby shampoo, condition with either tresseme smooth and silky or biologe balm.

I clarify once a week or every two weeks with suave clarifying, shampoo the whole thing, and then put some olive oil on the length while in the shower. Then I add conditioner after the olive oil has had while to sit.

I always detangle in the shower, and I wash every other day.

[Zesty]

My routine is somewhat varied. I usually wash my hair every other day, but sometimes I go longer. If I remember, I heavy oil with EVOO the night before on the weekends. I detangle first, and finger comb in the shower. If my scalp is gunky or flaky, I shampoo with Head and Shoulders; if my hair is just a little oily and piecey at the roots, then I CO with Suave. I use my plastic wide tooth comb to scritch at my scalp a bit and really spread around my scalp cleanser of choice. If I'm wetting my hair down completely (sometimes I just shampoo the front in the sink) I always heavily condition my length with Tresemme Naturals conditioner (the moisture one). On the weekends I lounge around for 30 minutes to an hour with a shower cap on to let the conditioner really soak in. Then I rinse out and finish with a rinse in ice cold water. If my hair starts feeling bad (not soft, or very tangly) even post long soak, I clarify and SMT. This routine seems to be making my hair pretty happy so far.

[Orangerthanred]

I, um, use Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner. Tons of it. Like a handful, all over my head.

I leave it in for 5-7 minutes then wash out with lukewarm water because it seems to make my hair a little bit less poofy/volumized. :)

Usually I wash my hair on my work out days [Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday], but if it gets greasy on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday I'll wash it then.

[Superfine]

I've been shampooing 2x/week with diluted poo for some time now. Conditioner on length only or sometimes oil & no conditioner.This way uses about 3/4 gallon of water. However, due to severe drought & well going dry, I've discovered "washing" 2x/week with 6 cups of very hot water which has 1-2 T. of baking soda dissolved in it. No soap/shampoo at all. I lean over a big bowl & pour on the "soda water" rubbing scalp with fingers. Pour more of the 6 cups. I've rinsed with plain water or not. Beautiful, soft, clean hair & scalp with no perfume or suds.Air dry (LHC). I was shocked! I found this technique in a google search which led me to a Mother Earth News article - a guy in the Alaskan wilderness. The heat of the water may be a big part of it.

[ssjhotau2]

I wash my hair every 3 to 5 days.
I usually do a moisture treatment of some kind overnight and use coconut oil as a prewash.

I CWC- using Giovanni moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. I have Natures Gate aloe vera conditioner for conditioning treatments, and I also have V05 tea therapy conditioner for my moisture treatments and henna gloss :)

I comb with my tangle teezer before every normal wash to get out as many shed hairs and tangles as possible. Then I put conditioner on my hair first thing when I get in the shower. Then I do everything else in the shower before using a dime sized spot of shampoo on my roots, which I then smooth down the length and rinse out- then I apply conditioner and turn the hot water off and rinse the conditioner out with cold water.

A little bit of E oil smoothed on the ends after I ring out excess water and waiting around until my hair is dry enough to braid.

[FrozenBritannia]

I've been shampooing 2x/week with diluted poo for some time now. Conditioner on length only or sometimes oil & no conditioner.This way uses about 3/4 gallon of water. However, due to severe drought & well going dry, I've discovered "washing" 2x/week with 6 cups of very hot water which has 1-2 T. of baking soda dissolved in it. No soap/shampoo at all. I lean over a big bowl & pour on the "soda water" rubbing scalp with fingers. Pour more of the 6 cups. I've rinsed with plain water or not. Beautiful, soft, clean hair & scalp with no perfume or suds.Air dry (LHC). I was shocked! I found this technique in a google search which led me to a Mother Earth News article - a guy in the Alaskan wilderness. The heat of the water may be a big part of it.

I think I'm going to try this! When you say "I've rinsed with plain water or not" do you mean you sometimes don't rinse?
Also, do you use distilled water? or just tap water boiled?

[Superfine]

Hi FrozenBritannia- The 1st time I used water saved from the window air conditioner drip. It is almost like distilled. The guy in the article said use as soft a water as you can get. He used melted snow. The 1st time I didn't rinse with plain water. The 2nd time I used tap water (which is my well water & is hard - lots of calcium). This time I did rinse with plain, cool tap water. I really saw no difference in either way. On the web I found that alkaline water (baking soda) swells the hair shaft, & acid water (vinegar) shrinks it. Maybe that's why I liked the results since my hair is very fine & silky. Years ago haircolor gave me more body probably because the hair shaft was more swollen (damaged). I don't notice any damage or dryness with the baking soda though. Good luck!

[QMacrocarpa]

Once a week I wash my scalp with dilute shampoo, then condition the length. For now I follow that with a dilute vinegar rinse, but I probably won't keep that up after I use up my current small supply of hair-dedicated vinegar, since I don't notice a difference in my hair, and I like a simple routine. I tried CO but didn't get great results and I don't like the idea of needing to rinse and rinse and rinse ... and rinse.

[JessL]

I recently went no-poo about a month ago. I use 1 Tbs baking soda to a cup of water. I squirt some on my roots and rub in well. Then I leave it for a few minutes while doing other things, rinse and follow with a dilute apple cider vinegar (one capfull in maybe 4 cups water).

I was doing that daily but now I do it every other day and just rinse the alternate days. My hair is always a mess when I get up and its easier for me if I start out with it wet. It dries really fast though.

While I was transitioning to no-poo if I got a waxy buildup I would put yogurt in my hair and leave it in about 20 minutes. That made my hair feel great and got rid of the buildup.

[FrozenBritannia]

Hi FrozenBritannia- The 1st time I used water saved from the window air conditioner drip. It is almost like distilled. The guy in the article said use as soft a water as you can get. He used melted snow. The 1st time I didn't rinse with plain water. The 2nd time I used tap water (which is my well water & is hard - lots of calcium). This time I did rinse with plain, cool tap water. I really saw no difference in either way. On the web I found that alkaline water (baking soda) swells the hair shaft, & acid water (vinegar) shrinks it. Maybe that's why I liked the results since my hair is very fine & silky. Years ago haircolor gave me more body probably because the hair shaft was more swollen (damaged). I don't notice any damage or dryness with the baking soda though. Good luck!

I have hard water too. I suppose in a bit I'll have snow to melt though. :) I have very fine, thin hair, too. I'm hoping if it worked for yours it will work for mine too! I'm going to try it today, will let you know how it goes! Thanks!

[AlannaMaria]

I CO-wash with diluted Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner once a week. For a heavier conditioner, I've been using up my Tresseme on the length.

I just can't believe that not more than three months ago, I was washing my hair every day. 0.0

[Mrspuddinhead]

My routine is simple. I wash with V05 moisturizing milk shampoo and conditioner. Followed by ACV rinse. De-tangle gently with fingers, allow to air dry. That's it. See?? I said it was simple. :)

[ya-ya C]

(I hate to shampoo my hair - it is too involved - and I seem to always forget to bring something into the bathroom with me, so to help that problem I made a list to check off before going in.)

LOL!:joy: I can just see myself having to make up one of those in the next few months!!

I have been lurking here for last couple weeks and finally signed up and have been learning and experimenting a lot.

I used to just both shampoo and condition the entire length and for a while avoided conditioners because they would weigh my hair down.

For last coupe of weeks I've been doing the following

-Pre-shampoo I oil roots and ends with what I call "wild mixture" (Castor oil for growth thinned for easier application with argan oil, seabuckthorn and burdock oils, with added EOs of cedarwood, rosmary and mint. Actually today I made it with cinnamon-orange-clove EOs because I saw on LHC thread about clove oil stimulating the scalp)
-Wash ROOTS ONLY with Burt's Bee's shampoo
- Condition with Avalon Organics - soak the ends and slightly run fingers with cnd. over the length, not touching the roots at all (I have oily skin and hair, so in my case the roots take care of themselves in terms of staying conditioned :eyebrows:)
-Rinse with ACV (makes my hair sooooo silky smooth)
-After water is turned of, I ring the water out before stepping out of the shower.... I have been wondering if that is damaging in any way, does anybody know?
-Put a towel turban on, dress and take turban off. Comb ONCE if I can help it (some days I need to run over it with a comb mid-way through drying.)
- Air dry.

The last 3 steps are the only ones I haven't recently changed. I haven't owned or touched a blow-dryer for at least 5 years.

That's about it for routine (I wash every other day but will now try to stretch it to every 3rd day and am planning to try out BS/ACV no-poo method in Nov. or Dec.)

Also finally got time to try out egg wash tonight and so far it's AMASING - gave my hair body and texture, defined my curls. Hair is not limp at all, if anything it's even dryer at the roots than after shampoo. My schedule only allows me to do it once a week so far, because of all the prep-work, but I will keep it up to see how it works...