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airmid
October 18th, 2011, 07:29 AM
Hello, folks! I'm a newbie here and I don't have much experience with forums, so I hope I'm doing everything correctly by posting this. :)
My hair is very newly long, and because I had short hair so long, I don't really understand how to take care of it well. I'm pretty sure I did some minor things wrong while growing it out, like almost never getting it trimmed (I never wanted to sacrifice the length I was getting, because I was so thrilled with it!)
What I need to know is how to take proper care of it, so that it is healthy, strong, and lush. :) My hair is a fine texture, the kind of straight hair that can get messy and tangled easily. I henna it for colour, strength, and thickness, which really helps.
Recently, I've notices that the ends are super dry while the roots are oily, and it falls out a lot and breaks easier than it did when it was short. I like to use all natural, inexpensive things, in general, as I'm on a tight budget and a bit of a chemical-phobe. And I'm thinking my shampoo/conditioner is maybe not the best for my hair... are there alternatives to shampooing that would be healthier?
So basically, I need your collective wisdom, your experience, on how to make my terrific instead of just nice. :) Thank you! Any ideas are welcome!

letterstodes
October 18th, 2011, 07:35 AM
I credit long hair community with completely turning my hair care routine around. I started lurking here when I was at about shoulder length and now I`m at waist. My routine has changed a lot. First off I stopped blowdrying. I have no used a blowdryer in ten months and I don`t think I`ll EVER go back. I`ve learned how to properly comb my hair (bottoms up, ya'll!). I`ve quit washing every day which has been magical for my hair. I`ve just recently started experimenting with CO washing, ACV rinses, and clarifying with baking soda. ACV rinses have made my hair shiny, clean, and soft. I am constantly trying new things I read about here hoping they will work better for my hair. Sleep with your hair contained at night. La di da.... there is so much to learn from this forum and all these lovely people. Have fun on your journey!

letterstodes
October 18th, 2011, 07:37 AM
Excuse any typos or missing letters. Trying to quickly write at work :)

I credit long hair community with completely turning my hair care routine around. I started lurking here when I was at about shoulder length and now I`m at waist. My routine has changed a lot. First off I stopped blowdrying. I have no used a blowdryer in ten months and I don`t think I`ll EVER go back. I`ve learned how to properly comb my hair (bottoms up, ya'll!). I`ve quit washing every day which has been magical for my hair. I`ve just recently started experimenting with CO washing, ACV rinses, and clarifying with baking soda. ACV rinses have made my hair shiny, clean, and soft. I am constantly trying new things I read about here hoping they will work better for my hair. Sleep with your hair contained at night. La di da.... there is so much to learn from this forum and all these lovely people. Have fun on your journey!

Madora
October 18th, 2011, 08:32 AM
Avoid heat (hot curlers/straightening irons, blow fryers)

If you can confine your hair in a braid then that lessens your hair's chances of tangling.

Unless your hair is oily, shampoo once a week. Too much washing eventually strips your hair of natural oils.

Use a silk pillowcase to protect delicate ends.

Trim every 3 months (use sharp shears).

S and D (Search and Destroy) any damaged ends you find

Eat a healthy diet and drink lots of water

Use a wide tooth comb to detangle, and always start at the ends of your hair and work up the strands, bit by bit, when detangling.

As your hair grows longer, start to learn how to braid and create new hairstyles.

Lastly, have tons of patience! Good luck!

airmid
October 18th, 2011, 08:46 AM
Thanks for the advice! Keep 'em coming! Hehehehe!
With the split ends... I know I've got them, but if I cut them off right now, I'll have to sacrifice my length and I don't want to do it till it grows out a little more. It only just hit a length I'm happy with! But at the same time, I don't understand how split ends work and I suppose that will just make them worse. Can I wait a month or two to let it get a little longer before I trim, or is it best to just get it over with now and deal with the shorter hair? I was thinking on trimming it myself, I don't want anything fancy and I used to cut my own hair all the time when I was younger.
With the wide-toothed comb, does it matter if it's plastic, or should it always be wooden? The one I have right now is plastic.
It seems I am doing some things right! :D Especially since I came to this site and lurked for a while, reading everything I could. And looking at pictures of everybody's awesome hair!

letterstodes
October 18th, 2011, 08:52 AM
Thanks for the advice! Keep 'em coming! Hehehehe!
With the split ends... I know I've got them, but if I cut them off right now, I'll have to sacrifice my length and I don't want to do it till it grows out a little more. It only just hit a length I'm happy with! But at the same time, I don't understand how split ends work and I suppose that will just make them worse. Can I wait a month or two to let it get a little longer before I trim, or is it best to just get it over with now and deal with the shorter hair? I was thinking on trimming it myself, I don't want anything fancy and I used to cut my own hair all the time when I was younger.
With the wide-toothed comb, does it matter if it's plastic, or should it always be wooden? The one I have right now is plastic.
It seems I am doing some things right! :D Especially since I came to this site and lurked for a while, reading everything I could. And looking at pictures of everybody's awesome hair!
I personally use plastic wide tooth combs. I have several ...somewhere. lol.

I was noticing a lot of split ends and since I hadn't trimmed my hair in a while I took off 3 inches yesterday to cut out all the split ends and even up my hemline. My hair looks and FEELS amazing. For me- the choice to sacrifice a little length was tough but neccesary to improve the overall look and feel of my hair. If you're hair isn`t splitting badly you can always do S&D missions on your splits and wait to trim. I trim my own hair so that option is always one that is readily available.

Alaia
October 18th, 2011, 09:00 AM
airmid, in case you don't know what S&D means:

You go through the ends of your hair in little sections with a pair of hair scissors (ie very sharp scissors!) and cut off the individual split ends (about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch above the split).

You don't lose length, because you're only cutting off the ends of the hairs that have split. :D

heidi w.
October 18th, 2011, 09:02 AM
Avoid heat (hot curlers/straightening irons, blow fryers)

If you can confine your hair in a braid then that lessens your hair's chances of tangling.

Unless your hair is oily, shampoo once a week. Too much washing eventually strips your hair of natural oils.

Use a silk pillowcase to protect delicate ends.

Trim every 3 months (use sharp shears).

S and D (Search and Destroy) any damaged ends you find

Eat a healthy diet and drink lots of water

Use a wide tooth comb to detangle, and always start at the ends of your hair and work up the strands, bit by bit, when detangling.

As your hair grows longer, start to learn how to braid and create new hairstyles.

Lastly, have tons of patience! Good luck!

Ditto what she said. Wear hair up or otherwise contained, most of the time during the day. My hair continues to be in good shape because of this.

OP: You did not share what you current routine is, what products you use or how you use them. That will help us figure out how to guide you, actually. And WELCOME to LHC! It's a fun crowd.

heidi w.

airmid
October 18th, 2011, 09:51 AM
Ahhhhhh, The S and D sounds like a good option! (You're right, I didn't know what it meant, but now I do, I wish I'd been doing it all along!)
Okay, here's my routine: wash every second to third day with whatever "natural" shampoo is on sale at the grocery store (usually just for environmental/chemical reasons, I stay away from the mainstream stuff). So right now I'm using Avalon Organics Rosemary shampoo, and Kiss My face conditioner (the conditioner is way better than AO shampoo, I don't like the shampoo at all, it strips the oil from my hair). I give it a good rinse and then if I'm patient and have nowhere to go I let it air dry, then braid it, and if I'm impatient, I gently de-tangle with a wide-toothed comb, braid it damp and go on my way. I've started using a dollop of olive oil on it when it's wet, it makes it shiny and soft (but sometimes a little greasy if I use too much). When the braids have set, I let it go loose and wavy.
And that's all I really do to it, other than my monthly henna treatments...
it really seems to me like there is something missing, like I could be doing more for it. Or even something completely different, I'm open to experimentation. My routine was great when I had sort hair, and it's not too bad now, I suppose, but it definitely needs some extra TLC recently. :)

Madora
October 18th, 2011, 12:49 PM
@airmid..

I know it is hard to give up length but if you don't address those split ends (which come in a variety of splits), the hair that is split will continue to split, ruining previously undamaged hair.

You may want to just leave it grow a little bit longer, but if the damaged hair isn't trimmed away, it continues to split. It would seem at cross purposes to let your hair continue to grow, hoping for length, only to discover when you reach that length, the hair has become even more damaged and looks unhealthy. Whereas, if you had trimmed away the damage THEN continued to grow, you'd have healthier looking hair.

Even an inch trim of the ends is better than no trim atall, if the ends look damaged.

airmid
October 19th, 2011, 07:40 AM
Thanks! Looks like an inch is going to have to come off, whether I like it or not. I think I've got something set up in my head that taking an inch off will make it not so pretty anymore, but that's silly, and in the long run it'll look prettier. An inch is not much to sacrifice.
I'm experimenting with washing my hair much less this week, too, to see how it feels. I have an ear infection so it's the perfect time anyway, hahahaha! I also tried combing it properly for once and was amazed at how much hair didn't fall out!
I'm dividing the time wearing it up and down. I love the look of it when it's down, but I'm only letting it out when I go out somewhere, otherwise I'm keeping it in my braids.
Thank you again! These are all things I need to know. I think I'm on my way to fabulous hair!

Sarahmoon
October 19th, 2011, 09:02 AM
Hi Airmid, I also have fine, straight hair so maaaaybe I can add something that's not been said already (sorry if I missed it and am still repeating other people. Well... repeating makes it stick better right? ;)).

-It's true it's better to trim the split ends, because if you don't, the hair can continue to split. However for me that didn't happen very quickly, so for a while I preferred quantity over quality. I set myself a goal length and let it grow that far before trimming back. However, during this time I almost always wore my hair up or in a braid to hide the "ugly ends". If you want to wear it down you'll want to keep the ends look healthy.
-I completely discarded the brush. I read you detangle with a wide tooth comb now, but do you still use a brush too? I found the brush was the main cause of my split ends and the ends looking dry and brittle.
-I wash my hair once or twice a week with a regular shampoo (unfortunately I didn't have any success yet with more natural shampoos, they leave greasy patches in my hair). I only use shampoo on the scalp, not on the length. I condition the length first (with a more natural conditioner, this leaves my hair slightly more wavy), then I use shampoo, then I condition again. Last I do a diluted vinegar rinse, rinse out with cooler water and then I just let it dry. Never rub it dry with a towel.
-I always braid my hair before bed. Works great against tangles.
-Jojoba oil is quite expensive, but I bought a €10,- bottle a couple of years ago and am still using it. So considering that, it's not that expensive.