Anyone else radically changed their hair routine?

[Finda]

Before, I used to wash every other day with shampoo and conditioner. I never used color or heat, but still had horrible breakage, matting, as well as a "sticky" patch of hair close to my scalp I couldn't get rid of for years. So I tried a lot. I went back and forth between all natural/organic to silicones/sulphates. Right before joining LHC I washed my hair with clarifying shampoo only. It was the only thing that got rid of the sticky patch.

What finally helped me were
- using an applicator bottle to foam up shampoo and apply it directly to the scalp. I have relatively thick hair and I think the main reason for the sticky part was that not enough shampoo reached it.

Concerning brakage
- night braids
- daily buns
- tangle teezer
- washing without moving the hair too much (possible because of the appilcator bottle)
- pre poo oil and CWCC as a washing method 2 times a week

Since I've been doing all of this, the products don't seem as important anymore. If I want more silky hair I use silicones and if I want my hair to hold up better in an updo I leave them be.

[Arciela]

Yeah, my hair routine has changed a lot When I first joined in 2011, I was confused as to why my hair wasn't growing. Turns out bleaching wavy hair, then ironing it daily and brushing it while we is bad...haha. So I finally gave up the bleach, heat etc. That was a huge change for me. I was used to having ironed blonde hair, and had to learn to accept my wavy/wurly auburn hair. Of course, growing it out was a long process and I felt ugly with it for a long time. While posting and lurking these forums I was told to put hair oil on my scalp, do pre oiling before washing, cowash, sulfate free, and so forth.

For the longest time my scalp always felt extremely itchy but I never figured out why. I also had bad breakouts on my jaw line my whole life..little did I know the two were connected. My skin hates malassezia apparently..so all that oil on my scalp, using various shampoos containing ingredients that promote the growth of malassezia were contributing to the breakouts and itchness. When I finally started using head and shoulders on my scalp only, conditioning from the neck down and oil on my ends only, my scalp finally stopped itching and when I learned to use makeup products that don't have those specific ingredients, and using ACV on my face/scalp, my acne cleared up finaaaalllly...and my head never itches

So over the years I had a ton of trial and error, and now finally come to my boring routine. Head and shoulders or pantene volume shampoo, and then a conditioner with malassezia safe ingredients from the neck down, hurray

[sipnsun]

I have made radical changes since joining... In 2007 I never wore my hair up, shampooed everyday with cheap/harsh shampoos, blow dried pulling a round brush from scalp to ends and then flat ironed or hot rolled depending on my mood. I also highlighted from scalp to ends every 6 weeks and occasionally got a spiral perm. Whew, reading all of that it's amazing I had any hair and no wonder I couldn't reach any of my goals! It took me years to change all of those bad habits and now I am gentle with my hair. My current routine is simple; I shampoo once per week (silicone and sulfate free) with CO washes in-between as needed. No heat or chemicals of any kind and I wear it up pretty much all the time unless a very special occasion. I loosely follow a capillary schedule for my hair type and try to remember to practice the inversion method once every few months.

[Zesty]

Many moons ago before I joined the LHC, I washed my hair every day and wore it down 24/7. I think the biggest change from then to now is that I wash twice a week and wear it up almost 24/7. I also added silky pillowcases and I use leave-in oils (I never understood ADDING oil to one's hair because I've always had a pretty oily scalp). But pre-LHC I didn't have the trouble of "my hair isn't growing," it was actually growing at a good clip and I found the LHC because I didn't know how to deal with it anymore! I didn't know how to French braid or do any kind of bun, even a basic cinnamon bun. So I guess if you count hairstyles as a part of one's routine then that's a radical difference.

I had some definitely radical changes in between, I've tried so many different things -- egg washes and vinegar rinses come to mind as some of the less mainstream experiments. But I think my products weren't so bad pre-LHC, I always used Head & Shoulders shampoo and Tresemme conditioner, as well as a leave-in conditioner (don't remember the brand), and that's not terribly different from what I'm using now.

[Nox_Inber]

My washing frequency hasn't changed my products and techniques have. I use a conditioner with humectants, I use leave ins, I CWC and I know how to do some updos. My hair has never been wavier! I also dye with henna and indigo now, no chemical dyes are ever going to touch my hair again.

[C_Bookworm]

My washing frequency hasn’t changed - I’ve always been a daily washer and have no plans to change that. I am more aware of adding oil and leave-ins on a regular basis. I’m also more careful to keep my hair braided and/or sleeved when I’m sleeping. And I’ve changed my dyeing practices - I dropped PPD hair color after developing an allergy, then went to henna, and now I’m on the henndigo train.

[fdyorhruzz]

I guess the most drastic change was not washing it every day.

[Für immer]

Well, to start with, I actually use conditioner every time I wash my hair.
Reason I didn't before was that I felt it weighted down my hair and made it feel "uncleaned".
Also, I regularly use detangling spray and oils.
And hairshowering every second to third day? Now it's 1-2 times a month, if even that.
Think my record is 6 weeks between hairwash days, and my hair not feeling too greasy either.
Rarely wore my hair up either. Often it was loose, or just put in a ponytail.
Now? Rarely put in anything but a bun or other protective hairstyles.
I also refuse to use chemical hairdyes.

[lapis_lazuli]

Considering "pre-LHC" for me was nearly a decade and 40 inches ago, my routine definitely looks a lot different now. I used to wash my entire hair every other day, brushed it, and always wore it down or braided. Now I get by with stretching washes every 1-2 weeks (usually just the scalp), I only finger-detangle, and always wear it up in the same bun, even at night. Despite the length difference between then and now, I made those changes within a year of being on LHC.

[QueenLapis]

I have pretty drastically changed my routine, but reading all the other replies in the thread, it's amazing how similar all our routines are!

I used to bleach and straighten my once healthy, waist length brunette hair. After a few years of this, it stopped growing past my bra strap. After joining LHC earlier this year I now:
- Wash hair once a week
- Quit bleach, colour, and hot tools (blow drying/straightening)
- Chopped off all the bad ends (I had to remove about 4-6 inches)
- Removed most of the layers in my hair
- Have used trial and error to find a shampoo and conditioner that works for me (have settled on the cheap but good Herbal Essences Rosehip range)
- Used moroccan oil as a leave-in when my hair needs a bit extra detangling, and I try to use rosemary and castor oil a few hours before washing it.
- Mostly wear my hair in a bun, whether sleeping or awake.

Since I cut off so much of my hair two months ago, I haven't seen a huge amount of growth BUT it has all been worth it since my hair is so soft and thick now! It hasn't been this thick since I was in primary school. I couldn't even run my fingers through my hair last year– the back was so fragile, damaged, and tangled, that my fingers would get caught and a lot of hair would break off. Now, my hair feels so smooth

I can't wait to see how my hair will grow over the next year! So grateful to all the people on LHC who have provided all their advice and experience to people like me who really irritated their hair