The Benign Neglect Thread

[Laurenji]

This is definitely the place for me. Maybe I'm just lazy, but I don't want to bother with all the stuff to buy and the hours it takes to do all the special treatments. I only found the LHC a couple weeks ago, and before I did I would just shampoo it everyday and stick it in a ponytail. Now I've switched to C-W-C every other day, but that's about it. It's finally getting long enough to braid again though, which I'm happy about.

[GlennaGirl]

I may be crazy, but I like doing stuff for my hair. It's my one real self-pampering activity.

My hair doesn't thrive as well on benign neglect. If I put it up in a bun and sleep in that and wear it the next day because it still looks neat, when I do finally take it down, ugh...it's bend-y and crunchy and weird. I don't know why...there's nothing unnatural on my hair (just henna and some henndigo), I don't blow-dry it, flat iron it, etc.

ETA: I CO every couple/few days, and I think of that as a pampering ritual, too. I leave diluted conditioner on my hair for 30 minutes (wrapped in a towel). After four years of doing this, I'm still not tired of it yet. I do use a hairbrush...I love the way it feels on my scalp.

I love the idea of benign neglect, putting one's hair "away" and suddenly noticing it every few months or so and realizing how much growth there's been...but my hair does best with some pampering and I'm kind of glad for that.

Sorry...carry on!

[ungratefulgirl]

Because I'm starting short and I'm in "hair hell", I have to just forget about it, look in the mirror less, and NO styling. Before, when I had long hair, I used to wear it back all the time during the growing process form shoulders to bsl. I think that's the best thing. Fussing too much might make you go crazy and do something damaging...like blow styling or cutting).

[rapunzhell13]

Benign neglect is the best routine for my hair and I. All I do is wash it twice a week using cheap shampoo and conditioner, comb it, put it up. That's it!

Wash it, comb it, put it up! WCP.

[misspriss]

I love this thread already. I kinda feel weird sometimes, like I'm not contributing too much hair stuff to the hair board, cuz I don't do much!

I CO when I wash, I damp bun. That is it. I don't even brush. It's pony bun (halfway pulled through ponytail) or cinnabun every day. Except the occasional pigtail when it's greasy, because it shows less.

And that's it.

[freznow]

What counts as benign neglect? I wash it once a week, sometimes wet it more often if I feel like it, comb it and put it up; occasionally I try to figure out a new braid or something. I'm not sure what more I could do, besides wash it more often, and that'd probably count as benign neglect too!

[Paliele]

I just condish and shampoo it (in that order, 'poo on scalp only ). If it's shower day and my hair doesn't look greasy yet, I'll do a CO wash, and sometimes I'll do a treatment that sounds fun.

[Chanterelle]

I wash it every 5 days, comb, blowdry and wear it down all the time. Occasionally, i.e. once a month, I oil it with peach kernel oil before washing.
Does it count as a benign neglect?

[Misha]

I've recently discovered that Benign Neglect is amazing. I just wash 2-3 times per week, light oil it, and put it in a simple cinnabun every day (overnight heavy oil when I feel like it), and forget about it.

That's it.

And further in the spirit of Benign Neglect, I don't trim/cut either (just SD sometimes).


[On the other hand, we should just do what works best for our hair. Sometimes extra pampering or treatment helps out or works better - do what works]

[shrimp]

Ah benign neglect how I love thee.

I stick with simple one step CO-ing (5 mins-ish) once or twice a week, no experimenting with various products, just a plain cold water rinse. Only comb when washing (even when I braid striaghten my hair) and either bun first thing and leave that all day if I'm out of the house or braid (or leave my night braid in ).

I do henna though which is a bit of a faff.