Does your hair eat products?

[Eryka]

I don't know if its because my hair is thick but, whenever I use shampoo or conditioner it seems like it takes an unholy amount. Especially shampoo. It takes a decent amount to start lathering and it often disappears. Any way to make it stretch out and not over use stuff?

[Madora]

Do you thoroughly wet all your hair before you apply the product?

[einna]

Yes it does. Saturating my hair well before shampooing/CO (like Madora suggested) helps. Also I usually CO wash, or dilute my shampoo a lot.

ETA: I also pre wash oil, to protect my strands.

[spidermom]

I shake my shampoo up in warm water, so a little goes much further. Plus I mostly shampoo my scalp area and figure that the suds running through my hair in the rinse plus the conditioner I apply to my length (CWC) is enough washing. (I do have to wash from scalp to ends every couple of months or so.)

I do go through a lot of conditioner, though. I did figure out that I was over-using the conditioner a few months ago, so I've gone from 8-10 pumps of conditioner each application down to 4-5 and spend more time massaging it down my length. More isn't necessarily better.

[jacqueline101]

Mine seemed to drink cocoa nut oil this summer.

[LocustSpawning]

Mine does too. I wet my hair completely through before shampooing but it seems to take a lot to get a lather, even though it's a sulphatey one! Also, the title of this thread gave me an amusing mental image

[patienceneeded]

I dilute my shampoo in a full bottle of warm water, shake it up, and apply it to my scalp. I just let it run down my length when I rinse. I figure that's good enough to clean the length while being much less drying. I CWC wash my hair, so the length is coated in conditioner when I rinse the diluted shampoo down. I then use another round of conditioner after fully rising the first conditioner plus diluted shampoo completely out of my hair. I do use a rather unholy amount of conditioner... and my hair is quite thick. I use a full palms-worth of conditioner for each conditioning. Minimum. I do go through quite a lot of conditioner. I use much less shampoo now that I started diluting it first. Works very well!

Edit: I do make sure my hair is completely soaked through before starting to CWC.

[torrilin]

I don't know if its because my hair is thick but, whenever I use shampoo or conditioner it seems like it takes an unholy amount. Especially shampoo. It takes a decent amount to start lathering and it often disappears. Any way to make it stretch out and not over use stuff?

I use a dime sized drop of shampoo to wash my scalp. I apply to soaking wet hair, and I lather up that droplet very thoroughly BEFORE I smooth it into the hair that's right in contact with my scalp. If I've skipped a lot of washes, I might need a second drop's worth of lather to get my scalp clean.

If I apply the same dime sized droplet directly to my hair, it doesn't lather more than 1/3 of my scalp.

With conditioner, I comb it up into the body of my hair. I dip my ends in a small dollop of conditioner, and I start to fingercomb it upwards. When the tangles get to be a bit much, I dab on more and comb further. I keep doing that until I'm out of conditioner. If I've gotten all the hair that needs it, I'm done. Usually it takes more, but by going a small amount at a time and thoroughly combing it into my hair it takes much less conditioner to saturate my hair. No glops falling off my fingers.

If I plop the same total amount on top of my head and try to massage it down to the ends, it takes way way way way more.

I've also found that some shampoos seem to cause instant tangle hell in my scalp hair, and others mitigate tangles. If a shampoo causes tangle hell, I don't rebuy it. At the moment, my shampoo of choice is Desert Essences Fragrance Free shampoo, because it doesn't cause tangle hell and is gentle on my skin. Conditioners can cause similar issues. My favorite conditioner at the moment is Alba Botanica's Leave In conditioner, which I use as plain conditioner and as a leave in and as a styling aid. My hair also gets on with Nature's Gate Henna conditioner, and Alaffia's Everyday Shea conditioner.

For me, the CWC method (coat hair with conditioner from ears down, wash scalp, rinse, add more conditioner as needed) tends to work best at maintaining condition and using minimal product. A lot of the curl friendly techniques are also pretty helpful at conserving how much conditioner I need.

I still need a lot, make no mistake. But using products that really get on with my hair has meant I can cut the total amount by 75% or more. No more giant handfuls of conditioner!

[sparish2]

DB has this problem. Even soaking wet, shampoo just disappears when worked into his hair. I have to use at least half a handful to get lather going on him!

[HappyHair87]

:laugh: yes...my hair eats everything! I have to use large amounts of anything i put in it! I wash my hair in halves and the other nite i tried to use one palmfull of shampoo per section and...my hair just swallowed it...i had to pour some more directly from the bottle to make sure my scalp got clean!

I use TONS of conditioner! If i buy conditioner from the drugstore i have to get like 2 or more of the huge family size bottles...sometimes if i'm in a pinch i'll get the smaller sizes. I'm using up alot of stuff now and when i replace them i now know i need to buy liter sizes of everything.

I put like 5 large palm fulls of Garnier fructis in my hair yesterday....in both sections...to let it sit while i showered...by the time i went back to take the sections downs to rinse it was as if the conditioner had disappeared!!:laugh: So i completely understand about the hungry hair issue!

[HappyHair87]

:laugh: yes...my hair eats everything! I have to use large amounts of anything i put in it! I wash my hair in halves and the other nite i tried to use one palmfull of shampoo per section and...my hair just swallowed it...i had to pour some more directly from the bottle to make sure my scalp got clean!

I use TONS of conditioner! If i buy conditioner from the drugstore i have to get like 2 or more of the huge family size bottles...sometimes if i'm in a pinch i'll get the smaller sizes. I'm using up alot of stuff now and when i replace them i now know i need to buy liter sizes of everything.

I put like 5 large palm fulls of Garnier fructis in my hair yesterday....in both sections...to let it sit while i showered...by the time i went back to take the sections downs to rinse it was as if the conditioner had disappeared!!:laugh: So i completely understand about the hungry hair issue!:cheese:

[sfgirl]

I use an unholy amount of conditioner and shine serum, but as long as I don't use too much on my roots, my hair looks better for it. The more damaged the hair the more porous, so if you've bleached or used a lot of heat on it, that might be why.

[ericthegreat]

I don't know if its because my hair is thick but, whenever I use shampoo or conditioner it seems like it takes an unholy amount. Especially shampoo. It takes a decent amount to start lathering and it often disappears. Any way to make it stretch out and not over use stuff?

It depends on exactly what product you're talking about. Even just an extra drop of oil can make my hair look like greasy chow mein. My scalp is naturally oily, plus 1a hair naturally distributes sebum much faster since the natural hair oils can just flow straight down the strands. I absolutely can never use oils as a leave-in, they make me look like I got hit by a tanker truck carrying fuel oil. I only use coconut oil as an oil treatment that I immediately must wash out of my hair in the shower after 15 minutes.

As for shampoo, I only need to use a normal quarter sized amount. I only need to shampoo my scalp, the length of my hair from my neck down never gets oily anyway since I wash every day.

The only thing that I do use a lot of is conditioner. But that's only because I follow the CO method.

[Hollyfire3]

Yes, this is so my hair, i use quite a bit of shampoo and and conditioner to get it through my hair...

[simplysnuggle]

I don't know if its because my hair is thick but, whenever I use shampoo or conditioner it seems like it takes an unholy amount. Especially shampoo. It takes a decent amount to start lathering and it often disappears. Any way to make it stretch out and not over use stuff?

I add water to thin it out an make it stretch. It also makes it easier to apply. I thought about getting a squeeze bottle (like the ones for dying hair) to help me apply shampoo and conditioner.

[Amber_Maiden]

I dilute my shampoo with water- and don't mind it being a bit oily.
Conditioner it takes LOADS though. Usually a 1/4 to 1/3 of my 32oz. bottle.
And my hair eats oil and hair salves... I go through them very fast. I end up applying loads every day, and it eats it! Expensive hair...

[ttverdy]

Yep! My hair "eats" any and every product. Shampoo, conditioner, oils, leave-ins.... I can put something on and it disappears quickly. Although I have super coarse, thick hair.... my hair could eat a small child, so I guess shampoo and conditioner should be expected :)

[luxepiggy]

On the contrary, if we're sticking with the eating analogy, my hair is most definitely anorexic. Nothing ever soaks in or gets absorbed. It just sits there on the surface, making my hair look greasy until I break down and re-wash it shortly afterwards (>(oo)<)`

I suppose it does save me a bit of money, though . . . never thought of it from that angle. I think I've been using the same 2 conditioner bottles since August! Whoa ( ' (oo) ' )

[gthlvrmx]

:p yes it does! And im sure its because it needs slightly more moisture, but that's ok.

[Carissamarie08]

Yes product seems to disappear quickly into my hairs abyss.

[Safira]

Oh yes. I could use the whole bottle of shampoo/conditioner and my hair still wants more. I use especially conditioners a lot.

[ibleedlipstick]

My hair eats products in the same way Garfield eats lasagna: Ferociously and unapologetically. No matter how saturated with water it is, not matter how healthy and happy it is, it is always hungry. I think it might have a tapeworm.

[Nera]

My hair also eats up products. Especially oil and stuff. I could literally apply 4 tablespoons of almond oil on my hair without noticing.

What I do with shampoo and conditioner, is mixing it with water before using. This way it is easier to make it touch all of your hair. I hope this helps(:

[xoxophelia]

On the contrary, if we're sticking with the eating analogy, my hair is most definitely anorexic. Nothing ever soaks in or gets absorbed. It just sits there on the surface, making my hair look greasy until I break down and re-wash it shortly afterwards (>(oo)<)`

I suppose it does save me a bit of money, though . . . never thought of it from that angle. I think I've been using the same 2 conditioner bottles since August! Whoa ( ' (oo) ' )

Mine is also more towards this. I don't think I have ever seen oil "soak in" on my hair. It will always look just as oily a day after putting a small amount on. So like ericthegreat, I mostly only use it for prewash.

Even watery VO5 CO I can get away with about two quarter sizes. But then, my hair is also OK without conditioner as far as tangling goes.

Maybe, if you start to try and stretch how much product used, you could dilute it and put it in a spray bottle? That can give an even and thin coating :)

[xoxophelia]

My hair eats products in the same way Garfield eats lasagna: Ferociously and unapologetically. No matter how saturated with water it is, not matter how healthy and happy it is, it is always hungry. I think it might have a tapeworm.

:laugh: .......................

[Charybdis]

Yes, my hair is somewhat thick and somewhat curly, and I go through a fair amount of product. I always do a prewash oiling if I have time, and I use at least a quarter-teaspoon of coconut oil to get it all the way through my shoulder-length hair. When I wash, I use about 2 quarter-sized blobs of shampoo (one for top of head and over ears, one for back of the head), and I continue rewetting my hair as I work them through my scalp. I always focus the shampoo on my scalp and I don't specifically shampoo the length more than about once every 4-6 weeks; the suds running through usually clarifies enough. The amount of conditioner I need varies quite a bit with the brand, but I usually use a quarter-sized dollop of the kinds I like (very thick, lots of cones). For runnier conditioners that provide less slip, I can easily go through a couple of palmfuls, even with just shoulder-length hair. Unfortunately, CO and non-sulfate shampoos are not an option for my particular scalp.

[ladyshep]

Mine doesn't. It doesn't like too much of anything.

My scalp, on the other hand, seems like it takes more shampoo because of the oiliness. Like others, I have to prelather to get any lather on my head. I guess each head is different.

[lapushka]

Same here. I need a palmful of shampoo and it's perfectly fine with me. Doesn't dry out my hair or anything. It's just the way it is. Conditioner? Palmful. Twice (modified CWC (WCC)).

[nessa454]

I never noticed my hair was eating the shampoo, but when I put oil into my hair... just wait a moment and it looks like you've never used some :D

[BrightStarPoet]

I never noticed my hair was eating the shampoo, but when I put oil into my hair... just wait a moment and it looks like you've never used some :D

Mine is doing the same thing with jojoba oil! Well, the ends are anyways. I keep reapplying the oil to my ends, and an hour later it needs more! There may be such a thing as over oiling, but while my ends keep drinking it in and looking nicer, I am going to keep feeding the beast!

[BlazingHeart]

I used to think my hair used a ridiculous amount of product (and my father kvetched about it a lot when I was a teen), but when I got to LHC I found out just how much more hair than average I have...and suddenly my product usage looked normal. I remember reading somewhere the number of swipes people make with a shampoo bar against their hair to get enough shampoo, and I need 12-15...but my ponytail circumference is over 5" (used to be close to 6", but I had a shed), so I needed a lot more than people with less hair were recommending.

~Blaze