slow improvement

[clematis]

could not post earlier due to posting problems.

would like to share what my doc. told me as i was having a lot of hair problems - shedding - dry damaged hair etc. finally i went to see a doc & it helped:

bhringraj oil - i'm now using bhringadi from Kama
Keo Karpin Hair Vitilizer - an indian product.

Lavender & Patchouli shampoo & conditioner - Kama
Virgin Coconut oil from Good Earth (indian) - this as a leave-in after hair wash
for the scalp i also add a few drops of lavender & rosemary with coconut after hair wash.

hair / nail tonic
brewers yeast - supposed to be very good
neurokind - vit B capsule
vit E
Calcium

recently i tried CO wash with VO5 - felt very good.

i think i need clarifying but i'm scared to use baking soda - sounds harsh for my dry damaged falling hair

can i mix a teaspoon with my shampoo instead of just water?

or can i mix a bit with the VO5 conditioner when i'm just condtioning? will it work?

or can i use brown sugar mixed with shampoo / condtioner?

bhringraj - is supposed to be the king of herbs for hair & it's pretty good. Maka's Mahabhringraj is also pretty good & cheaper but i find it greasier then Kama's.

please give me a few suggestions on very mild clarifying without further damaging my hair.

i still shed - but i think it's become less & my hair feels better.

[clematis]

would be very grateful if anyone can suggest the mildest form of clarifying - thank you!

[swetiepeti]

what are you trying to get out of your hair? Beer rinses will clarify some silicones and hard water deposits and are gentle on hair, but they won't strip off large amounts of silicone deposits.

[clematis]

i'm also wondering what i should get out of my hair! probably all my hair & start from bald!

my hair is all dyed - as i've been dying for 30 yrs or more - premature white - runs in the family

most times my hair does feel gunky even after washing - last few years i was using a lot of styling products with cones but ever since i stopped it is feeling better.

now if i want to style i use coconut oil - after a wash i just rub a little in the scalp - my scalp is very dry 'cos i stopped oiling - put a wee bit on the hair & put it in those roller sticks which you just twist - those simple plain plastic thingies. turns out ok - but this only on some occassions. my hair is naturally wavy - so now instead of putting hair serums or leave-ins which have a lot of cones - i use plain old oil & my hair does feel better.

i've also stopped using the salon hair dyes - the liquid ones with developer - but now i'm using powder dye - just mix with water. in india they've come up with a lot of diff varieties of powder hair dye - it does have PPD - but no ammonia & a lot of herbs etc. including mehendi.
my hair was naturally black so i'm sticking to one color only.

i'm wondering if clarifying is essential for dyed hair? maybe if i follow the natural routines like oiling etc. it might improve on its own. i'm just confused.

[Roscata]

You could:
- add some baking soda to your conditioner (one tea spoon to the amount you use in your CO wash, then follow it up with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse (one tea spoon to one 8 oz cup of water)
- dilute some clarifying shampoo with a bit of water
- buy some sulfate free clarifying shampoo for milder clarifying

I've never heard of anyone ever mixing baking soda with shampoo, but there are clarifying shampoos you can buy, V05 makes on actually called Vo5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Shampoo Kiwi Lime Squeeze.

Brow sugar is used for scalp exfoliation, not for clarifying, and yes you can mix it with your conditioner or some EVOO or light oil for a scalp scrub.

I hope that helps. :D

Thank you for sharing your routine, the oils you use seem really interesting, I think I might try a couple of them. :)

ETA: If you want to get "everything" out of your hair try chelating shampoo (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Keo+Karpin+Hair+Vitilizer#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=shop&source=hp&q=chelating+shampoo&pbx=1&oq=chelating+shampoo&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m2&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=170157l171357l5l171597l9l8l0l0l0l5l251l1340 l1.4.3l8l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=a5c7830d6919493f&biw=950&bih=934) and then follow it up with and SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128).
This might be a good read for you: Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79), Build-up and Clarifying (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194).

[clematis]

thanks a ton - roscata!

BS with condtioner sounds the mildest - & the ACV - I tried the acv once & it made my hair really dry & poky! as it is i have very dry hair.

you have neelbhringadi in your site - it's almost the same thing - the bhringadi oil.

in india oiling was a part of growing up - many of us prompty dropped it - as a lot of foreign styling products came into the market - all sounding very exotic & natural. i tried the sulfate free shampoo - body shop - rainforest - awful! an ordinary cheap shampoo is much better. there are local indian shampoos too & ayurvedic products - but again you have to chose right otherwise it can be drying.

all a question of trial & error!

coconut oil is the most popular in india. it's only recently that i've been applying bhringadi - due to hair fall.

a friend of mine makes it at home - when she told me the recepie - i was completely floored - it's so elaborate & painstaking! of course she has lovely hair! but she puts just about everything in it - no short cuts - she powders everything at home! doesn't trust the ready-made powders - and she puts all this in an iron vessel & leaves it for days & then strains everything! it's a bit much!

[Roscata]

You're very welcome. I wanted to add that Club soda (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=78125) might be a better option for chelation in your case and for hair damaged by chemical dye you could try a protein treatment with avocado or egg and always follow it up with an SMT or another deep moisture treatment. Also if I had trouble with my scalp as bad as you I'd patch test any product I want to try before using it on my whole hair. How scary. I'm glad you found things that helped you though. *big hugs*

Yeah neelbhringadi is amazing it did wonders for decreasing my shedding. :D

Franny G (http://www.frannyslonghairstyles.com/haircare.htm)'s blog has some cool hair care tips for damaged hair also.

[Golden Lady]

I don't think that baking soda is harsh on hair. I use it for every single wash (with rye bread) and it doesen't dry out the hair. I also have damaged week hair. And yes you can use baking soda with your shampoo or conditioner. If you use it with shampoo, make a mixture with water and add on your hair. Rinse with mixture of apple cider vinegar and water or a mixture of citric acid and water.

[clematis]

thanks roscata - that was really helpful!

both your blog & franny's.

after doing the powder hair-dye - just the CO wash doesn't work for me - have to shampoo
besides i've done CO - only once.
i want to try it after using my bhringadi oil & see if it works without leaving my hair greasy.

must try SMT. esp. after hair dye.

yes - my hair is very scary! it scares me to bits & nothing seems to really work!

in fact i just dyed my hair yesterday & did only CO - but it didn't feel right - had to wash with shampoo.

sometimes this hair-thing becomes highly stressful for which makes matters worse.
i'm still trying to figure out a good regular routine hair-care - i can stick to.

all the tips here have been really helpful

thanks for being so kind & the hug feels good!

[clematis]

thanks golden lady! that's good to know

how do you used it with rye bread?

[Roscata]

You're welcome. I CO and what helped make it more cleansing was diluting it with water. V05 didn't work for me only Suave. To remove oils I usually do a double CO, one full length with the diluted conditioner the second one diluted on scalp and regular on the length. CO requires some trouble shooting. Also people say that Suave made them shed more which I guess is true for me too, but I bough a $3 organic shampoo from Trader Joe's and it went back to normal. CWC (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=6582) is pretty cool too.

[clematis]

vo5 was ok for my hair - i bought 2 bottles - mango with passion fruit & tangerine or something...forgotten the name - haven't seen sauve in indian stores.

i was in CA recently my son lives there & i bought pureology anti fade - but it dries my hair - it's supposed to be all pure but in the ingredients it has everything - sulfates etc. not that i mind a bit of chemicals - but it has more of it than my indian shampoo - or any plain over the counter.

& i'm a great one for experimenting even tho i can hardly afford to! i went & bought a lot of ORS products - again a lot of chemicals - even got hair fertilizer etc - but it's just sitting - one whole shelf of products which i think are wrong & besides i'm too scared to use it.

then i went to see the doc & he prescribed some simple basic things like the bhringraj oil etc.

i think i'll just stick with:

bhringadi oil / coconut oil
my regular Kama shampoo & conditioner
vo5 for - for a few only CO washes when i want to stretch out my shampoo wash
SMT & once in a while protein treatment with EVOO & egg yolks

& just throw out all the other products! what a waste of money!

[Roscata]

Lol! Simple and cheap a routine after my own heart. :D

[spidermom]

Baking soda was very harsh and drying for my hair. I leave it in the kitchen now.

I usually CWC with diluted shampoo to scalp only, but when I feel I need to clarify, I use my regular shampoo full strength and massage the suds all the way down the length. Sometimes I have to do it twice before my hair returns to its usual silky, shiny self.

[clematis]

that's a very good idea - spidermom!

i think i'll just chuck aside the BS thing for the time being.

regular shampoos have their uses too!

i could also use mine maybe for body washes as well!

can the conditioners with cones be used for anything?

i mean expensive conditioners like pureology etc? can one do a CO wash with them? my purology condtioner says it can be applied to the scalp.

or is it best left alone? don't want to take any chances just 'cos i don't know what to do with them!

just a bit of info: i remember my grandmother using mustard oil regularly for her hair. she always had amazing hair - of course she never dyed.

in the north - (i'm from the north) people use a lot of mustard oil - cooking - hair - body everything. it is very tingly & burns the eyes a bit - but supposed to be very good.