Thin, heavy hair??

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

I am having some hair (and life in general) issues.

Background- would love to go WO. Tried for months at a time, and my hair never seems to ease up on the oil production. When life threw a spanner in the works, WO experimenting ceased, and "organic" shampoo and condish returned to shower cubicle. At first, looooved the slip and silkiness, although I did miss the "thick" protected feeling from WO, and also the body that my hair developed with WO (waves down my back- who knew?).

Now, after about 6 weeks on regular shampoo and condish, washing every 2nd day on average (and that is a stretch, hair still produces lots of oil!!) my silky hair is flat and lifeless. It feels WONDERFUL, and even looks shiny, but also looks thin and just hangs there. I haven't noticed any excessive shedding, so I don't think the thinness is real, just perceived.

Could this be build-up? Is this "moisture overload"? If my hair is over-moisturised, what do I do about it? I have been washing with "Australian Organics" nourishing shampoo for everyday use, and the matching condish.

In addition to this, I haven't dyed my hair in over a year (with the exception of a couple of semi-permanents to blend the old bleached streaks to natural colour) so I estimate about 9 inches of virgin roots. Would these be "thinner" then my bleached ends? Should I be doing something different for virgin hair?

Sorry for babbling :p, any advice would be appreciated- but would really appreciate natural hair care advice to minimise chemical load.

[PrairieRose]

Your story is very similar to mine. I had almost the same issues with WO and I went back to organic shampoo and conditioner almost around the same time as you. I was also happy at first but not satisfied. Then I found Chagrin Valley Shampoo bars! I love, love, love them!:happydance: Here is the link if you want to check it out http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/
I also do not like my virgin hair, I feel it looks and lays better with henna:D
I hope you find something that works and makes you happy!:)

[caadam]

Those shampoo bars make my heart happy...

too bad I don't have the money to get one. *shakes fist* lol But they look fantastic!

[Madora]

Perhaps your hair would respond more positively if you diluted both your shampoo and conditioner?

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Thanks for the replies.
PrairieRose- I remember struggling through WO with you! I like the idea of henna, but I kinda like being a renegray, so the henna isn't really an option. I know that cassia is supposed to have heaps of benefits for hair with minimal colour change, but I want to keep my sparklies silver!
However, the shampoo bars might be an options... Haven't seen them locally, so might have to order some online... Thanks for the suggestion.

Madora- I had also thought that diluting would help. (Less damage from shampoo, even though it is sulfate free, and less heaviness from conditioner) but didn't find any significant difference when diluting. I was adding about a teaspoon (or 2, I haven't measured) of shampoo or condish to about a cup of water. I found when I do this, I need to shampoo twice, or else there are oily spots on my hair that don't get clean, but I found very little difference with diluting the conditioner. I've read on the Ozzie products page that this brand is cone free, but I wonder if they've had a formula change... Is this the approx. dilution that you would have recommended? At least with this method I can make my shampoo and condish last for ever (very frugal)... although that may not be a good thing if I'm not happy with the results.

Hmmm, off to find some shampoo bars...