Tailbone and longer - please share your hair care routine

[bunzfan]

This thread is absolutely fascinating thanks for posting your routines ladies, madora how do you not use conditioner with such thick wavy hair??

[neko_kawaii]

What is your current length? -- Past TBL

How do you wash your hair? (shampoo, CWC, CO, WO, other?) -- Oil, diluted conditioner mixture, shampoo and conditioner

How often do you wash your hair? -- 1-2 times a week

What are your favourite products? -- nothing favorite, just practical

What shampoo are you currently using (if you use shampoo)? -- Trader Joes Tea Tree (keeps occasional itchy scalp issues in check), Suave Naturals daily clarifying (for occasional clarifying, chosen because it has a less offensive odor than Neutrogena)

What conditioner are you currently using? -- Trader Joes Spa

Do you oil your hair? If yes, which oil/s do you use? -- coconut for overnight/pre wash, jojoba for post wash. I have other oils, but I mostly use those two.

Do you use oil as a pre-poo treatment? -- yes, coconut infused with herbs (I have no idea what I used last time, just whatever "might" be good for hair and I had on hand).

Do you deep condition your hair? If yes, what do you use? -- TJs Spa diluted with honey and aloe added.

How do you wear your hair on most days? -- bunned or braided

Do you only air-dry your hair? -- yes. My hair drys very quickly if left down.

Do you use sulphates? -- no idea

Do you use cones? -- no idea

Comb or brush? -- comb

Your top tip for growing to tailbone or longer? -- patience, protection, and genes. (Patience applies to everyone. My mom's hair appeared terminal at waist length but after she switched from wearing it primarily loose to braided it is now past classic. My aunt is genuinely terminal at about shoulder length.)

[Amapola]

I don't believe this... I still feel like a newbie, but according to your criteria I qualify to answer. How did that happen??

What is your current length?

Just slightly past tailbone.

How do you wash your hair? (shampoo, CWC, CO, WO, other?)

Shampoo the scalp, conditioner from the ears down.

How often do you wash your hair?

About every 4 days or so.

What are your favourite products?

I like EO products.

What shampoo are you currently using (if you use shampoo)?

EO Rose and Chamomile shampoo.

What conditioner are you currently using?

EO Rose and Chamomile conditioner.

Do you oil your hair? If yes, which oil/s do you use?

Yes. I have some coconut oil which I use relatively often, and EO Smooth Conditioning Serum. (It's really just a blend of oils.)

Do you use oil as a pre-poo treatment?

The "serum" I put in the night before a wash.

Do you deep condition your hair? If yes, what do you use?

Nope.

How do you wear your hair on most days?

Bun, or braided bun. I try and mix it up and not use the same bun every day.

Do you only air-dry your hair?

I've got bangs and blow dry them... and very cautiously, from a distance, blow dry the length for just a minute, just to get it started. It takes forever for my hair to dry because it's so fine.

Do you use sulphates?

No.

Do you use cones?

This winter I'm experimenting with a spray, leave-in coney conditioner called "Ion".

Comb or brush?

A TT, actually... that and a very soft BBB.

Your top tip for growing to tailbone or longer?

Cut down on the mechanical damage done by chairs, pillowcases, seat belts etc. I use a sleep cap AND a satin pillowcase to cut down on damage to my hair. But the main thing I did to get to this length was start protecting my ends, instead of leaving them out there to the whims of the wiles of the world.

[AspenSong]

What is your current length? I'm a smidgen past Fingertip length.

How do you wash your hair? (shampoo, CWC, CO, WO, other?) Sulfate free shampoo

How often do you wash your hair? Twice a week, if it needs a rinse out or "wash" more than that, I CO wash.

What are your favourite products? I love Natures Gate Shampoos and Conditioners. Also LOVE all the L'Oreal EverSleek, etc, Conditioners. Though I use those along with V05 conditioners to stretch them and conserve money.

What shampoo are you currently using (if you use shampoo)? Natures Gate Herbal Shampoo (I love this scent and the Awapuhi)

What conditioner are you currently using? V05 Clarifying conditioner and L'Oreal EverSleek Reconstructive

Do you oil your hair? If yes, which oil/s do you use? Jojoba, Coconut, Olive oil....Also use Nightblooming Panacea

Do you use oil as a pre-poo treatment? Yes, Coconut or Olive Oil.

Do you deep condition your hair? If yes, what do you use? I mix various Oil concoctions up with a creamy conditioner or a bit of honey, sometimes aloe.

How do you wear your hair on most days? In a bun of some sort. Double wrap nautilus or Bee butt bun, 98% of the time.

Do you only air-dry your hair? Yes.

Do you use sulphates? No

Do you use cones? Not in my conditioners, but I recently started using a coney serum to see how that did on my hair and I'm liking it a lot. I'm more diligent to clarify, but right now it's really helping with my tangles without giving me stickies or crunchies. My hair is finicky with cones.

Comb or brush? Tangle Teezer

Your top tip for growing to tailbone or longer? Patience. Patience not just for waiting for the length to come in, but patience in trying to find what your hair reacts well to if you haven't already to keep it as healthy as it can be, and patience if your hair changes and you have to change your routine. Patience to S&D and keep your ends nice. There can be a lot of waiting involved depending on how much you trim, getting rid of damage or just slow growing hair. Stick to it and you can get there.

[Marbid]

Oh i love this thread. I know many of these guyz have been asked before by us admiring commoners what their routine is like. But its good to just group all their personal advice into one thread. That way, other admiring commoners like us can be directed here for tips from the pros. Great idea.

[Gumball]

What is your current length?
Mid-thigh, maybe a bit past, creeping up on knee.

How do you wash your hair? (shampoo, CWC, CO, WO, other?)
In the shower. Usually S&C.

How often do you wash your hair?
Once or twice a week, depending on how my hair and scalp are feeling.

What are your favourite products?
I don't really have any favorite brand products specifically.

What shampoo are you currently using (if you use shampoo)?
A scalp shampoo by Biolage. My scalp is never happy.

What conditioner are you currently using?
It varies, but right now another one by Biolage because I got it at a great price.

Do you oil your hair? If yes, which oil/s do you use?
Oh goodness yes, all the time. I use coconut oil, and every now and then a mixture of avocado and coconut oils. Oiling my hair has been so useful.

Do you use oil as a pre-poo treatment?
Nope. I use it as a "Hair, you behave and don't get fussy!" treatment.

Do you deep condition your hair? If yes, what do you use?
Nope.

How do you wear your hair on most days?
I go between a nautilus bun or a braided cinnabun. Nautilus is fast, but a braided cinnabun, while taking a bit longer, saves time in the end as I take it down, replace the loose tie at the end with a scrunchie, and I'm suddenly ready for bed!

Do you only air-dry your hair?
Yep.

Do you use sulphates?
The shampoo I have right now contains them, but not a whole lot changes if I don't.

Do you use cones?
Not particularly.

Comb or brush?
Comb all the way. My horn comb is awesome.

Your top tip for growing to tailbone or longer?
It's been said, but put it up and don't think about it. The less you think about it growing, the more you'll be surprised when you finally notice. That's why I don't measure. Ever now and then I simply notice it may have hit a new body marker.

If you have any questions about my routine/hair, just let me know.

[lazuliblue]

Thank you so much to all who have answered the questions....it's wonderful to read about your hair care (and also confirms to me that my new plan of wearing my hair in a bun/braid most of the time is a good idea!)

[Misschilly]

Love to read this! So far, at wl, I can only agree to "keep it up and forget about it"=)

[Madora]

This thread is absolutely fascinating thanks for posting your routines ladies, madora how do you not use conditioner with such thick wavy hair??

Well, it isn't as thick as it once was!

I switched from my GM conditioner to using mineral oil at Ktani's suggestion. I use 4 drops and it really works. Maybe not as thoroughly as when my hair was slathered with conditioner but I have a foot problem that limits how much time I can spend in the shower. By the time I'm finished shampooing and rinsing (even though I'm seated through most of it) my foot has had it...the pain is bad. So I stopped using conditioner to save my foot and switched to MO. Great thing about it is that you don't need to rinse it out. Leaves my hair soft and shiny and no scent either. I'm paranoid about putting anything on my hair except my GM shampoo, so this was quite a leap of faith for me.

Also, I shampoo and rinse my hair in a specific manner: I detangle and brush, then center part my hair as if I were going to braid it. One side stays loose, the other is loosely braided. I shampoo one side at a time, and also work in one direction at a time: top to nape, then front to back.

I try and keep each side separate as possible through all this, but do a final cold rinse in the bent at the waist position (or as close as I can approximate it as most of the shampooing/rinsing is done while I'm seated in my bath chair).

[Panth]

What is your current length? Knee / an inch or two before knee (depending if measured wet, dry or in its usual braidwaved state).

How do you wash your hair? (shampoo, CWC, CO, WO, other?) S&C. Currently experimenting with no sulphates but retaining 'cones (I use cocoamidopropyl betaine-containing shampoo as that removed 'cones despite being sulphate-free). That's for eczema, not hair benefits, though.

How often do you wash your hair? Every 3-4 days.

What are your favourite products? I don't really have 'favourites'. More like lazy default choices. That would be any clear shampoo by Pantene and its associated conditioner. However, as I said, I'm currently looking into other options.

What shampoo are you currently using (if you use shampoo)? Boots' Naked shampoo - whichever one has cocoamidopropyl betaine as the primary ingredient.

What conditioner are you currently using? L'Oreal Elvive Full Restore 5 Repairing conditioner (I'm currently experimenting with protein and other patching ingredients in my conditioner and this is a cheap one with lots of those in).

Do you oil your hair? If yes, which oil/s do you use? Occasionally, with coconut oil, but only very occasionally as I'm not sure it does much on my hair and, being blonde and finding it difficult to do light oiling, it just looks awful.

Do you use oil as a pre-poo treatment? Nope.

Do you deep condition your hair? If yes, what do you use? Nope.

How do you wear your hair on most days? Low braided cinnabun every day except for special occasions when I generally do a coronet braid (aka faux crown braid).

Do you only air-dry your hair? Yup. First twist up in a regular terry towel for a while, then air dry either loose or in my sleep cap.

Do you use sulphates? Yes, but currently seeing what sulphate-free does for my scalp eczema.

Do you use cones? Most definitely YES!

Comb or brush? Wide-toothed wooden comb.

Your top tip for growing to tailbone or longer? Updos. At least for me, I can't physically grow my hair past TBL without daily updos (it wears away off the bottom as fast as it grows in as soon as it's long enough to get near being able to be sat upon). Otherwise: patience.