Haircare advice?

[lupo pazzesco]

Since there have been so many helpful suggestions in AdminAssistants thread on skincare (many of which I took notes on and plan on going shopping my next payday, thankyouverymuch... ) I thought I'd pose this query regarding hair care.

My hair is terribly dry. I mean, to the point that it ALWAYS looks like I fried it badly in bleach on a daily basis. Even after I get a haircut, the ends still look frayed. It's not curly, so much as it's thick and wavy. (So thick, I break combs at the hairdresser, mind you. ) It goes poofy so badly, and so much. No matter what I do.

I used to use Giovanni organic conditioner and shampoo, but it's way, way too expensive, and even that didn't really condition as well as I'd hoped.

So, inexpensive, GOOD brands I could try. Right now, I'm using a Suave version of nexxus humectant, and I'm so very not happy with it. I'd list everything else I've tried, but that would take hours to do so. Suffice it to say, I've tried a lot of various products, and nothing really conditions as well as I'd hoped. My hair practically drinks conditioner, but is still always dry.

Halp...?

[AdminAssistant]

Not a product, but a technique. I shampoo first thing in the shower, and condition right before I get out. So, I shampoo, and then try to keep my hair from getting wet during body washing/shaving/etc. Then, slather on conditioner, and leave it there for a few minutes. Rinse with lukewarm or cool water.

[BethB]

Many moons ago I decided to get a perm(why...I'll never know) and the hairdresser left the chemicals in too long and my hair was breaking at the ends and perma-fried. I used the hot oil treatments which worked well to bring some life back. Leave in conditioners helped and so did hair masks used not too often.
You're hair could be affected by climate like mine is. In Indiana my hair was a big ol' ball o' puff and even straigtening irons couldn't tame it but here in the dry square state it goes flat which i prefer but does dry it out so I use moisturizing shampoos/conditioners. i love aussie.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I was going to start this very same thread. I don't have advice for you, though. I kind of have the opposite problem. My hair isn't super oily, really, but it is pretty fine and straight, so it shows the oilies quicker than most. I can't use creamy shampoos or heavy conditioners cuz they just weigh down my hair. Right now I'm using Aussie Cleanse and Mend shampoo and Real Volume conditioner. Before that I was using Charles Worthington Balancing shampoo and conditioner, but there's only one place that I know of that carries it, and it's $6 a bottle (not terribly expensive in the grand scheme of things, I realize, but still). Once or twice a week I use Neutrogena shampoo to get rid of any buildup. Other than that I don't use much in the way of products cuz I don't like to make my hair all gunky (I use something called Frizz Proof or something like that but that's about it). But I tend to switch up my shampoo/conditioner on a never-ending search for the perfect product

[blas]

The last time I got my hair cut and colored, the stylist told me that it's actually counter productive to slather on gobs and gobs of conditioner, which I was guilty of doing for years and years, because all that conditioner made my hair feel really nice, but it was actually weighing my hair down.

Even for longer hair, you don't need an entire handfull of shampoo or conditioner.

And also, even though naturally stylists will push salon products, I do find them to be better. I really like Back To Basics in Lavender for colored hair. They are quite pricey, about $20 per bottle, but the bottles are just as big as the huge bottles you get at Sam's Club, so they'll definetly last. And cutting back on the shampoo and conditioner will help the product last longer, and keep your hair from being weighed down and full of build up.

Back to Basics products come in multiple scents and are formulated for all hair types.....clarifying, moisturizing, color treated, etc etc. You can find them most prevalent at Pro Cuts salons.

[lupo pazzesco]

They are quite pricey, about $20 per bottle, but the bottles are just as big as the huge bottles you get at Sam's Club, so they'll definetly last. And cutting back on the shampoo and conditioner will help the product last longer, and keep your hair from being weighed down and full of build up.

<Faints!>

Ahem, sorry, the number nearly made me choke before I read about the size of the bottle.

Big bottles are good. Can't afford $20 right now, though.

I just like to be able to get a comb through my hair when wet, and brush it when dry without looking like a poodle when I'm done... >.>

[blas]

I couldn't afford it at the time, either. They were buy one, get one half off....but over a month later and the bottles are still almost plum full....I've been taking the stylist's advice and using way less, and my hair still stays clean and manageable without using gobs of it.

I'm kind of biased, because after I heard about what they do in beauty school with store brand shampoos, I'll never buy non salon product again. They take a spoonfull of say, Pantene Pro-V and then use a match or lighter under it to get it to evaporate and see how much wax remains. Pantene Pro-V is almost all wax. I will never believe the hype about how great that stuff is....it breaks and destroys hair over longtime use.

It's a pain in the wallet, but I can't afford anymore hair breakage or damage. I had enough of it when I got my hair cut....the stylist showed me where hair had been breaking off....and I'd been using Dove and Garnier products for a long time. Even those aren't safe. They don't have any protein in them, like salon products do. Your hair needs protein to stay strong and avoid breakage.

But since money is hard these days, and trust me, I know....I would say that L'oreal shampoos and conditioners are pretty safe. The stylist said that if I wanted to keep going the store brand route, to use L'oreal for colored hair (or whatever hair type you may have). They are pretty inexpensive for being L'oreal, no more than say $5 per bottle.

[freeatlast]

I color my own hair and I have had more than one stylist tell me to only use L'Oreal hair color. They also told me never to use Clairol. I have very thick wavy hair and I recently found a John Freida anti-frizz lotion that works well on my hair. Even after having it cut, it would tend to look very frizzy. I use a small amount of the lotion on my wet hair and then pull my fingers through it while drying it and it makes it look fairly straight and not frizzy. And that is really saying something with the humidity you get in Indiana in the summer. It doesn't seem to weigh my hair down either. It's fairly inexpensive - I think I paid about $6 for the tube at Kroger. It's probably less expensive at Wal Mart, but at the time I didn't have time to go to another store for just one item.

[MaggieTheCat]

I don't really know much about name-brand products. I use Paul Mitchell's tea tree shampoo, which works great to cleanse the scalp, and some kind of color stay conditioner...I can't remember the brand name offhand. But, some inexpensive things to try with your hair:

Hot oil. This is supposed to help moisturize and condition your hair. Take about a tablespoon or two of some kind of oil (I've heard olive is the best, but that others work), stick it in a mug or other microwave safe vessel, and nuke it until just warm. 20 seconds maybe. Then rub it into your scalp and, if you have a comb or brush you don't mind getting oily, comb through your hair. Put on a shower cap, and if you have a hair dryer, blow dry your hair for a couple minutes, to heat up the oil some more. Wrap it in a towel to keep it warm. Leave it on for about a half an hour, then proceed to wash/condition your hair as normal. I've only tried it once, and didn't notice much difference, but I don't have problems with dry hair anyway.

Baking soda. Use this as a pre-wash before you wash/condition your hair, and it will help loosen any buildup that's formed on your scalp, which can be left by shampoo, conditioner, and product, even if you wash and rinse your hair really well. While you're in the shower, mix a little baking soda with water to form a paste, and rub it into your scalp. Let it sit for a minute or two, then massage gently. This will loosen anything that's dried to your scalp. Rinse the baking soda out briefly, then shampoo your hair like normal. I only do this once every 2-3 weeks and I can really tell the difference when I shampoo after doing the baking soda pre-wash; my scalp feels extremely clean and fresh and tingles when I shampoo and rinse my hair. It's great. I've heard that doing it too often will dry your scalp out, which is why I only do it every few weeks.

Lemon juice and water. This will help "brighten" your hair, both in volume and in color. It can help lighten hair, especially light brown or dark blond hair, to a lighter blond, especially if you sit out in the sun with it. It also makes your scalp and hair smell nice (I once had a beautician tell me that my scalp smelled "funny" and she recommended this treatment. She never commented on it again aside to say that the smell was gone the next time I saw her, so I guess it worked.) Take 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts water and put it in a small spray bottle, if you have one. After you're completely done washing/conditioning your hair, spray this mixture on. Don't rinse it out. Also make sure not to use straight lemon juice, which will dry your hair out, or too much of the diluted mixture at once. A few spritzes should do it.

[iradney]

Something I've used with pretty good success is the following:

Olive oil
Honey
Yoghurt (plain yoghurt! no flavoured stuff)
Lavender oil

Mix em all together so they make a lovely, icky looking goopy mix. Smear onto your hair, and massage your scalp for about 10 seconds. Put a shower cap on, and sit somewhere warm. I like to leave it in for about 10 - 15 minutes. Rinse out and then shampoo and condition. Might not work for you, though..

[Kheldarson]

I have really thick, really fine, curly hair. So have gotten a ton load of conflicting advice. What I do now is shampoo and condition first thing in the shower. Don't use a lot of conditioner, just a small amount. Leave it in the rest of your shower and rinse right before you get out. The Frieda line works well, but is expensive, and I don't have a real income right now. But they do have an overnight anti-frizz/conditioner bottle out that I want to try.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

To deal with frizz and tangles I highly recommend any kind of "shine spray" or "gloss serum" type of stuff, they usually contain silicone to coat the hair shaft and make it super shiny and sleek. The instructions on them say to use on dry hair, but I have found these products are wonderful to use right out of the shower as a detangler (I too, have hair that breaks combs regularly!)

The kind I have in my bathroom right now says John Frieda Collection, 'frizz-ease' 100 % shine glossing mist. I got it at Fred Meyer (Target type of place). It's a small bottle and it's like 8 bucks, but using this kind of product on my hair, just out of the shower, works so well that I've found it is the most important part of my haircare regimen. I spray my very long hair lightly and then I can run a comb through it easy as pie---which I was never able to do while wet before. I use it after or instead of conditioner.

It makes your hair look super shiny and healthy and eliminates all frizz, and makes it very easy to comb and style.

[Cat]

I use Burt's Bees or this brand I picked up in Trader Joes ( I can't recall the name)

Its not too expensive, and while my hair isn't a soft and fluffy as when I was using other chemical-heavy brands....my hair feels so much cleaner

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I don't know what kind of hair you have, so it's hard to say. What texture is your hair? Curly, kinky, fine, straight?

You don't wash it every day, do you?

When my hair was about waist legnth, I would rub olive oil into the "fall" of it, braid it, slip a sock over that, and then sleep like that about once a week. Never use mayonaise, you'll never get the smell out.

But my hair is not particularly problem hair. I get it cut about every 6-8 weeks, and never have any split ends because the ends never get old.

I use a boar bristle brush and wash my hair roughly 2x a week. I also wear a hat when outside. I also eat a much higher fat diet than is "recommended".

I notice if I don't have enough fat in my diet, my hair loses its' luster and resiliency, so it might be your diet. Too low fat in the diet causes all kinds of problems.

[lupo pazzesco]

I don't know what kind of hair you have, so it's hard to say. What texture is your hair? Curly, kinky, fine, straight?

You don't wash it every day, do you?

My hair is very thick, kind of coarse. Alternates between wavy/curly and very very prone to frizzing. I don't wash it everyday, no, but I was told I should try to condition it every day, however.