Help needed! Weird, dry hair :-(

[papera]

I'm in the need for hair advice ...

Basically, my hair feels kind of dry, crunchy, strawy and hard, especially after one or two days after the hair wash and I'm a bit puzzled why.
I have fine, wavy hair with a tendency to be dry, but somehow this dryness feels different from the normal dryness. This hardness and crunchy-ness is weird ...
Usually, when I have issues with dry hair I do a deep moisturizing treatment and my hair is fine, but since a while it doesn't work anymore the way it used to, it still feels crunchy and dry :(
Could I be in the need of clarifying? I've never done it before because of my dry hair.
( I read some articles about clarifying, but I'm still not sure if it would be the right thing to do for me ...)

Here are some more information regarding my hair care routine:
- I wash every 3-4 days with cone-free, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and sometimes I do a tea rinse after the wash with fennel or camomile. Usually my shampoos are mild, but I don't pay particular attention to SLS as I never had an issue with them.
-I use a leave-in every day for my ends, which consists of aloe vera gel, coconut oil and wheat germ oil
-I do a deep moisturizing deep treatment every week because of my generally dry hair. Sometimes I put the pulp of a fresh aloe vera leaf in the hair mask which used to make my hair really moist
-I keep my hair mostly in an updo, sometimes in a braid and down after I washed it
-I use dry-shampoo when my hair gets greasy (I really don't like the look of greasy hair), but I use it sparsely
-I do a bit of blow drying but on a cool level, but mostly in the winter and not in the summer (so not right now)

Please let me know if you need more information re my hair care routine.

Thanks a lot for your help! :flowers:

[FrannyG]

It sounds as though you treat your hair very well.

My first thought was that it's time for you to clarify your hair. Even when we don't use cones, we still do get build-up, just not as often.

I am cone-free, and every so often, my hair starts to feel exactly as you describe. It almost feels like someone else's hair! When that happens, I do a good clarifying wash, then a deep treatment, and usually my hair is as right as rain afterwards.

I hope that helps. :blossom:

[Amanah]

I'd say switch out the coconut oil and replace with olive oil for the first thing to test. Coconut oil gives my hair velcro ends, even when i just use a little. My hair will look great, shiny even. But the next morning, alas, crunchy velcro ends.

[caadam]

It does sound like you need to clarify. Even if you're not using anything with silicone, oils and other hair products will eventually build up for most people.

I suggest you use a clarifying shampoo of your choice; just make sure it's one that doesn't have very many (or any) added botanicals/silicone/fatty alcohols (fatty alcohols are cetyl, stearyl, and cetearyl alcohol). Neutrogena anti-residue is good, for example. You can also try a diluted BS/water mixture, but make sure to chase it with a vinegar rinse. After clarifying, you can be able to diagnose exactly what your hair needs.

Here's a good article to read about clarifying and diagnosing: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44

Here's another on what kind of clarifying products to choose: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=224

Hope that helps you out. :D

[Wildcat Diva]

I think clarifying is the first step. It's not harmful once in a while.

After clarifying, you can see what's wrong.

I had another thought:

Would doing a few SMT's work to moisturize the ends? I love SMTs. Have you ever tried it?

I modify mine with aloe very juice instead of the gel and add glycerin.

[Wildcat Diva]

Caadam's links seem very helpful. Thank you for that good information on clarifying. I am going to clarify in July before trying some washes with shampoo bars and catnip rinses. Hope it will help my ends be protected from splits as they grow.

[hototogisu]

Are you in a hard water area? I have to use a chelating, clarifying shampoo every few weeks or else my hair becomes crunchy and hard, as you've described.

[EtherealDoll]

I agree that you might need clarifying.
Also, maybe your hair got used to deep moisturizing treatment because you do it every week, so it's not helping anymore. You can try to change the produts you use for deep moisturizing treatment, so that it becomes effective again.

[goldloli]

I'd say switch out the coconut oil and replace with olive oil for the first thing to test. Coconut oil gives my hair velcro ends, even when i just use a little. My hair will look great, shiny even. But the next morning, alas, crunchy velcro ends.
i agree with this

also aloe vera does contain protein, which is usually fine, but if you're applying that regularly then you could be tipping the moisture balance. especially since coconut oil helps retain protein.


if the drying of the hair is a porosity issue that was happening before your current regime, then i would suggest refreshing with a dilute leave in co between washes. put this under any oils you apply to seal it in.

[spidermom]

I agree; clarifying. I would recommend a clarifying shampoo, and only use it once in awhile. I think I clarify about every 2 or 3 months.

[Annibelle]

This is what happened to my hair recently; turns out I was using all aloe products, which make my hair fab when the air is moist but remove my hair's moisture in dry weather! I clarified and went back to shea-based conditioners and now my hair is fine. :)

[Wildcat Diva]

Are you in a hard water area? I have to use a chelating, clarifying shampoo every few weeks or else my hair becomes crunchy and hard, as you've described.

I had this problem with crunchy ends in March this year, and suspected minerals in the water. I made many changes (inlcuding a couple of inches trim before I had any goals for long hair!), one included using only filtered/ distilled water in sports bottles to wash. I think this has made a difference in my hair, and usually do follow this routine in my washes which happen 3 times a week right now. At that same time, I also did a whole month of baking soda/ apple cider vinegar washes when I switched to "no poo" before I found LHC. So my hair was really clarified, and I transitioned out of SLS shampoos during that time. Now I use shampoo bars, and my ends are not crunchy at all.

[quote=goldloli;2187466]i agree with this

also aloe vera does contain protein, which is usually fine, but if you're applying that regularly then you could be tipping the moisture balance. especially since coconut oil helps retain protein.


I didn't know Aloe has protein! I think my moisture balance is good, and this routine for a Deep Treatment has worked out for me. One thing I have done is use coconut oil, then coconut MILK, shampoo with bar, THEN add SMT. You can read about it on Vanilla's thread about her version of prewash routine.

[catamonica]

My hair is dry to. I add two capfuls of olive oil to conditioner to shampoo and conditioner. And
Aloe Vera get to my conditioner. I use a spray bottle with four capfuls of olive oil and water. Leave on four eight minutes, then shampoo. It helps. My hair feels a lot softer.

[papera]

First of all, thanks for all the replies and suggestions and my apologies for not replying earlier, I was quite busy and no regular internet access :blossom:


I'd say switch out the coconut oil and replace with olive oil for the first thing to test. Coconut oil gives my hair velcro ends, even when i just use a little. My hair will look great, shiny even. But the next morning, alas, crunchy velcro ends.

You see, I've used coconut oil for quite a bit, so I don't think this is the reason for my dry hair. I also put i t only in the ends, but my hair feels crunchy overall :(


It does sound like you need to clarify. Even if you're not using anything with silicone, oils and other hair products will eventually build up for most people.

I suggest you use a clarifying shampoo of your choice; just make sure it's one that doesn't have very many (or any) added botanicals/silicone/fatty alcohols (fatty alcohols are cetyl, stearyl, and cetearyl alcohol). Neutrogena anti-residue is good, for example. You can also try a diluted BS/water mixture, but make sure to chase it with a vinegar rinse. After clarifying, you can be able to diagnose exactly what your hair needs.

Here's a good article to read about clarifying and diagnosing: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44

Here's another on what kind of clarifying products to choose: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=224

Hope that helps you out. :D

Thanks so much Caadam for the information re the ingredients of clarifying shampoo. I got one now from Avalon, a lemon clarifying shampoo and I will try it tomorrow when it's hair wash day.


I think clarifying is the first step. It's not harmful once in a while.

After clarifying, you can see what's wrong.

I had another thought:

Would doing a few SMT's work to moisturize the ends? I love SMTs. Have you ever tried it?

I modify mine with aloe very juice instead of the gel and add glycerin.

I've tried the SMT already, but it didn't have a particular good effect n my hair, and neither a particular negative one - so, my hair seems to be indifferent to it :D


I agree that you might need clarifying.
Also, maybe your hair got used to deep moisturizing treatment because you do it every week, so it's not helping anymore. You can try to change the produts you use for deep moisturizing treatment, so that it becomes effective again.

I usually switch between 2 or 3 deep treatments, just because I need to use up some of them ...

Anyway, I'll definitely try the clarifying and I hope that it helps!

Thanks again for all the suggestions! :)