My Hair Rant

**LittleOrca** · February 15th, 2009, 04:00 PM

I'm not to happy with what my hair is doing, even though it's soft to the touch, and dang it I need to vent!

I don't even know where to begin with my rant simply because I am both going

and

with the state my hair is in.

Since learning some of the tricks on this site about how to better care for my hair I have been in a battle with it. I no longer use a brush (unless it is to help gather a pony tail and I only use it after all the tangles are gone with me comb), I don't wash my hair as often, and the advice I got for my ends due to swimming damage was great! I also have picked up great new buns so I am more comfortable with putting my hair up and not having to show off my lengths when I am out and about all the time.

However, there is something going on in my hair I am just not a fan of. Since I have cut back on how often I wash my hair, I have noticed the amount of good oils in crease. Yay! and Grr! The natural oils definitely make the hair softer and shiny and pleasant when it is in bun or other updo, but when I want my hair down and just clipped back in my ponytail clip I miss how full it is when it's freshly cleaned. I am also losing my waves the more I let it go without washing.

I am sure most of you have seen my comparison photo for my swimming hair post, but it also shows what I am talking about here. So, here is my clean hair on the left and my not-washed-in-three-days hair on the right.

..........

Yes there is, in general, less frizz and my ends are in more control, but my hair also seems to have less wave, less flow, and it makes me so mad! Part of me just wants to get into the shower and beat it, or rather wash it, back into its place!

I thought maybe it was at this point that I should do a Conditioner-Only wash to maybe help get some of the bounce back, but even then I am so tempted to whip out the shampoo. I didn't think my scalp was naturally so oily and I am not too sure where to go from here!

Alright, there is my rant. Thanks for letting me vent!

**neon-dream** · February 15th, 2009, 04:04 PM

I think your hair looks great in both photos, I understand what you mean though.
The longer I go between washes, the less wave I seem to have. What I do is wear it down when it's freshly washed, and use updos on days closer to the wash.
Best of both worlds, really

!
Hope this helped

**Darkhorse1** · February 15th, 2009, 04:05 PM

Since you swim a lot, I would lean towards washing daily, but just your scalp to keep chlorine/oils down. I know for my sake, when I swam a lot, the chlorine or any water made my hair so greasy, I'd scratch my scalp until it bled.

I'd then start to really coat the ends before your wash--I've done oilings with just olive oil, let it sit, then washed with a clarifying shampoo. It made a HUGE difference for my ends! I work outdoors and am exposed to the elements (harsh winds/cold/sun etc). I find cone conditioners work very well at saving my length from breakage/damage while outdoors. I use Pantene's newest moisturizing conditioner and LOVE the results. It doesn't weigh the hair down.

I hope it works out for you!

**plainjanegirl** · February 15th, 2009, 04:05 PM

Some people here do wash more often, even everyday.
So if that is what works for you and makes your hair look the best, then go for it.

**PseudoScot** · February 15th, 2009, 04:12 PM

There is an adjustment period when not washing so frequently, your scalp will kinda go oil crazy for a bit.

I'm not a wavy or a curly so I can't offer help there but in terms of body and bounce, it will work out better if you wear it down after wash day and then up when it goes a bit flatter/straighter.

Whenever my hair annoys the crap out of me, I make sure it's shoved back - out of site, out of mind!

You could also consider switching to sulfate free shampoo and use the arguably harsher sulfate cleaners every so often.

Sometimes there is no 'one way' that works and involves tweaking but I'm sure you'll get some idea here.

By the way -the shine in the second pic is especially pretty!

**janeytilllie** · February 15th, 2009, 04:12 PM

Maybe your hair needs to settle into the new routine of washing less?

Maybe you could wash with a more gentle shampoo that way you could wash your hair more? or if things don't work out with less washing, go back to the old routine and use more oils on hair?

I feel your pain I am too having one major bad bad hair day today

you are not alone

**Carolyn** · February 15th, 2009, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by LittleOrca

However, there is something going on in my hair I am just not a fan of. Since I have cut back on how often I wash my hair, I have noticed the amount of good oils in crease. Yay! and Grr! The natural oils definitely make the hair softer and shiny and pleasant when it is in bun or other updo, but when I want my hair down and just clipped back in my ponytail clip I miss how full it is when it's freshly cleaned. I am also losing my waves the more I let it go without washing.

What you describe above is just something that happens when you stretch out your washes. If you want to go longer between washings you are just going to have to learn to deal with it, as frustrating as that might be. You can't have it both ways. We'd like to but we can't

I'd suggest trying to plan your days when you want to wear it down or in the ponytail clip and do that on the day you wash so you'll have the fullness you want. If you choose not to wash again for a day or two, you will probably have to wear it up in a bun or a braid. I try to plan my wash days as much as I can. If something comes up where I want freshly washed hair that day, I go ahead and wash it. My planned wash days are not set in stone.

**baobhan sith** · February 15th, 2009, 04:34 PM

uhh... is it just me who thinks that it looks prettier in the second picture? And given how gorgeous the 1st is, that's saying something! I just think it looks neater and smoother... There's no way i'd be trying to find a way to put it back, but that's my personal opinion. If you love your curls, it's your choice

Btw - did you mean the non washed picture was on the RIGHT? you can't have two lefts!

**Sunshine69** · February 15th, 2009, 04:49 PM

I think you might be onto a good idea with the CO washing. I just recently started using conditioner to wash my hair, and I'm loving it. I have seborrheic dermatitis and really need to wash my scalp every day or it gets unbearably itchy and oily. I'm really liking how it makes my hair feel, and I also think my scalp is producing less oil. I also have wavy/curly-ish hair and after sleeping on it for a day or two, the waves flatten out. Washing daily does keep it looking wavier. Good luck!