It's SMT night, but need help first :)

[Trish in SC]

Hi there,

Hope you can help with a few quick questions before I SMT tonight.

1. I know to shampoo first, but I was wondering if it would be best to use a clarifying shampoo instead of a regular one. Would that enable the SMT to penetrate better?

2. Should I use the regular recipe*, or add oil to it (because of the winter & dry indoor heat)? Or, should I use oil after the SMT to seal in the moisture? (regular recipe=condish, aloe & honey)

3. And, a bit off subject, does plopping work for wavy hair?

THANKS so much, everyone! :flower: I LUV LHC (maybe we need a bumper sticker...ha)

[Zesty]

1. It depends. If you use cones frequently, or you feel like your hair has been less than fabulous lately (like it seems drier or crunchier, etc -- indicating buildup) it might be a good idea to clarify first. If you have build up, the SMT might not work as well as it could. I personally like to clarify to get that "fresh start" with the SMT.

2. I've tried using oil in the SMT and didn't see much of a difference, so I'd recommend doing a light oiling on damp hair after the SMT to seal in moisture, etc.

3. In my experience, yes. I can "pillow plop" my wet/damp hair overnight and get some nice waves even as a 1c, and I'm pretty sure there are other wavies who plop.

[Trish in SC]

Thanks, Zesty, for your answers. They make sense, so it's off to SMT I go....

[julliams]

Hey Trish - yes to clarifying shampoo if you have some. I find it works better for me. I have never added oil to my SMT so I can't help on that one. Plopping I think is where you plop your hair into the towel and then wrap it up in the towel and leave it for ages. Doesn't work for me - gives me frizzies and hair dries weird at the roots. I just put my hair up in my microfibre towel for about 5 mintues, take it down and use the towel to scrunch my waves in. Sometimes I use my hands too. Then I just leave it. At the end I sometimes run some Nightbooming Panacea once it has dried and this seems to define the waves a little and knock out the obvious frizz.