Rhassoul/Ghassoul vs my hair

[Saeth]

Truly, this is what it feels like right now, some sort of epic battle!

I bought Rhassoul clay and have used it to wash my hair once, which is freshly hennaed (I done it last Thursday, 'clayed' yesterday). I applied it as a watery mud to the roots, massaged it in just to ensure it covered the skin, then left it as I washed. Rinsed out. I didn't let it dry as I knew this wasn't recommended. The roots felt so soft and wonderful as I did so that I thought, "Wow, I'm hooked." Sadly it's not this way any more.

I let it dry and omg, it was a terrible tangled mess! But I put it down to not using condish (I wanted to see how it affected my hair without it). Wet, damp, dry, I just cannot get my wooden comb through it. This was yesterday. I thought maybe I didn't rinse it properly. So I got in the shower again today and rinsed it and condish'ed it to death. No shampoo or clay. My hair is still drying and it's clear nothing has changed. I've read a bit on it using search here but I still have some questions:

How does Rhassoul react with silicones? My condish is a silicone one, Tresemme Replenishing. I wondered if perhaps this may have something to do with it as I don't put condish on my roots, just my lengths and this is where the problem is I think.

I've heard that switching to natural things can leave some peoples hair with a wire wool like hair for a while as it takes time for the hair to adjust. Mine feels rough, tangly, sorta waxy or something. Horrid.

I'll try an ACV rinse to see if this helps but was hoping for some advice in case if that doesn't.

Actually I think my scalp is itching too /sigh. Maybe I'll try soapnuts next in my quest for reducing oiliness and such like.

[cmg]

Hi Saeth! My best guess would be that your hair got clean. Mine can react the same way after clarifying. The wash left you without the build up from the hair products you have been using. Now you are down to your own hair quality, as it is on its own. For people with fine hair this makes a huge difference sometimes! You have the chance to take a good look and evaluate what you want to do with your hair. Rhassoul should be used with an ACV afterwards to minimize the tangling. This may not be sufficcient, you might also need some additional conditioner or perhaps some deep treatments. Some people like to mix the rhassoul with a small amount of honey for washing.

[Saeth]

Hello cmg,

If this is clarified hair, I'm shocked! It feels coated somehow too. My mum says my hair doesn't look bad, it looks like it's not so weighted down now but my god, the feeling of it! If this is my 'natural' hair I'm at a loss of where to start because it seems so unhealthy now, I thought it was healthy. I could understand if I used loads of hairstyling products and heat things but I don't. I use an oil shampoo, EVVO/coconut here and there and the condish. That's it.

I'll wash it again and rinse with ACV tonight and see what happens. I hope I can fix it, already I can see it's made a huge impact on the greasies which is miraculous xD I slathered it with condish last night but as far as knots n tangles go it might as well have not bothered.

I'll commence drawing up a further battle plan lol

[Aredhel77]

I have used clays on my hair a couple of times and experienced similar results to you. Don't panic, I doubt it has ruined your hair, just treat your hair gently for a bit and condition it well, it should be back to normal after a few washes. This was my experience. Hopefully some others who use clays regularly can chime in here and offer advice.

[ktani]

Clays are alkaline, so you would need an acidic rinse.

You do not need to rewash your hair.

Try diluted vinegar, apple cider or white or diluted lemon juice. You can also use undiluted club soda. All will help remove the minerals that may be coating your hair from the clay too.

If you still need more conditioning, a light conditioner should help. Most conditioners are not as acidic as the above rinses.

[Isabel]

Seconding the acidic rinse. I used to wash my hair with Rhassoul clay for a while, and I always followed with an apple cider vinegar rinse. (Or sometimes with a small amount of ACV in a tea rinse to keep the rinse a bit milder.) Using an acidic rinse will also close the cuticles of hair, so it should make the hair smoother.

[Lilmissdirty]

I found I had to wash my hair with the clay about 3 times before it adjusted and normalized. I don’t ACV rinse but I do Cold rinse after I rinse all the clay out and then apply a small amount of oil (Emu & Macadamia in my case) to my hair while still damp/wet. this seems to work best for my hair :)

[Saeth]

I followed with an acidic rinse and it does seem a good bit better, though dry as before. However I think this is because I have my hair in its 'raw' state. I've learnt I have loose-almost spirals on the ends hence why it's 'ratty.' That's a useful bit of info so I'll be off to retype my hair! So I'll continue with washes and see what happens, however I do need to solve the dryness problem and give it more slip as at the moment it has none at all. I'll see how the Tresemme handles conditioning my hair after the adjustment period is done.

Stupid question but should condish then ACV or the other way around?

Thanks for the advice.

[ktani]

I followed with an acidic rinse and it does seem a good bit better, though dry as before. However I think this is because I have my hair in its 'raw' state. I've learnt I have loose-almost spirals on the ends hence why it's 'ratty.' That's a useful bit of info so I'll be off to retype my hair! So I'll continue with washes and see what happens, however I do need to solve the dryness problem and give it more slip as at the moment it has none at all. I'll see how the Tresemme handles conditioning my hair after the adjustment period is done.

Stupid question but should condish then ACV or the other way around?

Thanks for the advice.

You are very welcome.

Clays can be drying. That is why oils are often added to a mix.

Use the vinegar first to close the cuticles of your hair then the conditioner to help with slip and moisture retention.

And no question is stupid.

ETA: Some people like to use conditioner followed by a vinegar rinse. However, with the cuticles being more raised by the alkaline clay, closing them down first will allow the conditioner to adhere more evenly on your hair and tangling should be much less.

[cmg]

I've learnt I have loose-almost spirals on the ends hence why it's 'ratty.' That's a useful bit of info so I'll be off to retype my hair!
Wow. You have entered an interesting journey! Let the battle commence. :)


Stupid question but should condish then ACV or the other way around?
Thanks for the advice.If your condish contains protein then I would use it before the ACV or in a deep treatment, if it contains oils, silicones or other coating ingredients (for example Behentrimonium chloride or Amodimeticone) I would use it afterwards. In any case, keep the rinse acidic, even if you choose a mild concentration. You would have to figure out what dilution works for you, not every hair can take strong acidic rinses for a long period.

Opening up and closing the cuticle every time you wash your hair is not optimal for all hair types. I believe it holds greater risks for fine hair (in the long run, not for a couple of uses). Baking Soda wash has the same effect, except maybe for the crystals scrubbing the hair being harsher than the clay. Cant really tell which is the better. May depend on the washing method. I use BS mostly, but not every wash.

[Saeth]

Way-hey my condish has protein and cones, go me!

cmg: atm I'm applying the clay pretty watery and letting it go through the roots, then I massage it in just to ensure my scalp is covered, leave it while I finish the rest of my shower then wash off. Today I used the ACV and actually rinsed that out, merely because it rained once and I smelt like a chip shop! But it's made a nice difference, still not enough for me to be happy with it as a long term solution but I'll give it time to adjust. It's not as shiny now however the greasies are much better so if only to get my skin more balanced for a bit before venturing onto a new path, I'll stick with it.

[Saeth]

Having been looking at shampoo bars and learning they don't react too well with hard water because of mineral content, I was wondering if it's the same for this clay? I'm getting that "waxy but dry" feeling that seems to be popping up under the funky hair syndrome that new users of poo bars sometimes get. And yes we have hard water too, to the point it's trashed our shower filter after a few months even though it says it can last for a year!

[ktani]

And here is the "why" of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_scum
"Although soap scum is generally considered a nuisance, its components, calcium stearate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_stearate) and magnesium stearate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_stearate) ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_stearate
"Calcium stearate is carboxylate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboxylate) of calcium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium) that is found in some lubricants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubricant) and surfactants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant). It is a white waxy powder.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_stearate#cite_note-0)"

Both calcium stearate and magnesium stearate are waxy.

Vinegar or lemon juice diluted, and club soda undiluted dissolve soap scum. I use diluted vinegar to clean my sink of calcium water deposits.

[ktani]

In addition to your hard water, the clay is adding more calcium and magnesium.

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/rhassoul.php
"Rhassoul contains higher percentages of silica and magnesium along with potassium and calcium, than other clays ..."

[Saeth]

Ah tyvm Ktani. I had heard of this build up here and there but didn't really understand it properly in its particulars. This has been more useful to me. It confirms what I think is happening. It seems the clay isn't a long term solution but I'll use it for a while longer to rebalance the oil production and move into something else which will work better with my local environment as well as my very moody/fussy hair. I don't know what I'd do without this forum, really.

[ktani]

Ah tyvm Ktani. I had heard of this build up here and there but didn't really understand it properly in its particulars. This has been more useful to me. It confirms what I think is happening. It seems the clay isn't a long term solution but I'll use it for a while longer to rebalance the oil production and move into something else which will work better with my local environment as well as my very moody/fussy hair. I don't know what I'd do without this forum, really.

You are very welcome.

A short term solution may be to use use one of the acidic rinse choices (club soda is acidic), rinse, follow with conditioner if needed and if you like, rinse it out with distilled water.

Most proteins in conditioners will not penetrate hair (they are molecularly too big) and are designed to coat the hair. Coatings take better and more evenly on hair cuticles that are shut down with acidic solutions like the above.