new thread
Hi Gylfi
I have read below of your (to myself at least) most unusual very long time in getting your hair to dry. If I have some facts, perhaps I can help you out as I have never heard of something such as this happening to anyone in taking that long for hair to dry.
So, for now if possible:
1.How often do you wash your hair.
2.What Shampoo are you using.
3. Conditioner?
4.How do you dry your hair after washing?
5.Any other products you are using in your hair?
With this info as a start, perhaps I can try and figure-out just what the problem is here.
Justin
Thanks for the interest!
I wash my hair every fourth day with Aveda Sap Moss shampoo - I just wash on the scalp and let it get the rest of my hair's length as it washes out. Afterwards I finish it off with Aveda Black Cherry Conditioner (rinsed with cold water.) Aside from that, I don't use any products in my hair.
Like I said in the post first detailing the problem, I wash it in the morning and it's not dry by the time I sleep, so I braid it for the night and take it out once I wake up.
Oh, almost forgot the drying. I just use a comb right after I get out of the shower and then push a towel onto it just to pickup the excess water, and from there I let it air dry.
And thanks again for trying to help out!
No problem Gylfi. That is what this Hyperboard is all about.
This has to be one of the most unusual things I have ever heard of in all the years I have been on this board, and of course I want to help you in solving this problem. Other guys who read this please give opinions also. All of us have had to experiment with what works best for us. Sometimes it takes a long time. Sometimes not so long. But eventually the problem IS solved! (The problem is in finding it.) Well here goes a "shot in the dark" at the problem:
It is VERY possible that this Shampoo as well as conditioner is NOT the right combination for you. Perhaps change right away to something guys here have had lots of success with available in most every Super Market.............that being Aussie Products. To begin with I would suggest "trying" the Aussie shampoo geared for your particular hair-type not only on your scalp, but the rest of the hair as well so as to strip as best possible what you have been using entirely off. Do the shampoo two times as it lathers-up the best the 2nd time. Wash all out.........and use water of about room or body temperature at least. (Forget the cold for now.) Follow with Aussie Conditioner getting again all of the hair and rinse just about completely out. When through, use your hands starting at the top of your head and moving downwards to help get alot of water out. Tilt the head to one side so that all of the hair falls in that direction and squeeze a bit firmly as you gradually work your way to the ends. (You may have to do this several times.)No need to pull, just squeeze. Next,not only press the towel firmly into the hair, but don't be afraid to move it around some as you do it. Tilt your head again so that all of your hair hangs in the same direction and use the towel to surround the hair and squeeze to get the most moisture out as you can and into the towel. At this point try "Finger-combing" your hair to make sure of no severe knots or tangles. Then to a wide-toothed comb. In less than 5 minutes the very bottom tips of the hair should already be dry, if not, dry them again using the towel. The most difficult place that dries last is the area in back of your head at the base. (This goes for all of us.) Try shaking your head to loosen the hair.........even upside down! Use a Blow-Dryer (at the lowest setting possible) or better yet, get a fan going and find a way to set up things so that you can lay on your back and let your hair dangle free as the fan provides plenty of air circulation and will blow it all over the place. But, not off of your head! LOL (I believe EdG does this, and he has the longest hair of anybody I know of!) With the amount of hair you have at present from what I can judge from the photo, all should be quite dry in an hour or less. Even with the length I have attained to waist level, I can have my hair "completely dry" in 1-1/2 hours.........sometimes less.
I hope at least trying the above suggestions that this will no longer be the case for you. Hair shouldn't ever be that much of a pain.
The process I suggested should work far for the better than what you are presently doing.
You are entirely welcome. What I have mentioned is only one possibility. Whatever, don't give up trying all sorts of things.
Also, I would strongly encourage you to go to a Salon for a "consultation" if you are still having no success. They know all kinds of tricks and most likely could help you alot in figuring all of this out. Just be careful that they don't say you need a trim to solve the problem as it is evident that in your case this is NOT the solution at all.
Let us all know if possible how the Aussie route goes for you Gylfi.
I DO think your routine of washing 2 times a week is not out of line in the slighest. You may very well have some sort of a build-up of the products you have been using that for whatever reason are preventing the hair from drying, and some form of chemical reaction is taking place because of it?
My best to you and good luck.
Justin
I'm impressed with how helpful you're being! You've said a lot, so I'll try my best to address everything you've mentioned.
It could be that the shampoo and conditioner aren't working! I actually switched to this conditioner in July after my hair was damaged from water in Iceland. Luckily that worked itself out over a few weeks, but I suppose that switch could have lead to this decline!
I've heard a lot of good things about Aussie products, so I'll give that a shot next time I wash my hair (In a couple of days, I'm still on day 2 now!)
For the washing routine, I didn't actually mean cold-cold water for rinsing the conditioner out, but just slightly below body temperature as I thought that warm water would completely strip the effects of the conditioner from my hair? I'll give that a try next time as well.
As for finger-combing after the shower, I find that my fingers pull my hair out when it's wet! I actually get no breakage with a wide-toothed comb while I'll get small handfuls of broken/shed(?) hair stuck between my fingers under the same circumstances. Maybe that has something to do with my hair strand diameter? Don't get me wrong though - I also swear by finger combing, but only when my hair is dry! I've only been using a comb immediately after showering.
Usually my ends are not dry after the first 5 minutes, so I end up going back to the towel and wiping off the excess water again. I guess one of my problems is that I've been too gentle out of paranoia, I always thought flipping hair around while it's wet and rubbing the hair down would cause a lot of breakage. I'll give that a try next time as well! And actually, the most difficult place to dry for me, presently, is everywhere BUT the back of my head! This is why I placed my response in the thread concerning seasonal cooling, because I figured that the cold was making it harder and harder for my hair to dry, and the reason that the back of my head dried quicker was because of the heat from my body. And for that same reason I don't think a fan would be in my best interests; It's hard to imagine the chill I'd get from blowing a fan on my wet hair in a 58 degree environment! I imagine that's a very good idea for the summer though, because even then it takes a monstrous amount of time for my hair to dry.
If this problem persists any longer I'll do that salon consultation. I do think that you have a very good theory going about the build-up though, as the amount of time it takes to dry is only increasing. But again, it could just be because it's getting colder and colder. Regardless, I guess I do have a problem. Silly me, I thought this was kind of a common thing for longhairs.
I'll be sure not only to let you know how the Aussie products work out, but how everything concerning this goes. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help! I'm extremely grateful that you've given this any time at all, I didn't expect it. This really is a great place, I can never say that enough.
Well, it is only a shot in the dark on my part to get you out of this hair drying trouble. I am the type that likes to address a problem pronto and get it out of the way to make life more enjoyable. :-) And, there is nothing more enjoyable than having no-problem long hair. It is like Heaven!!!!!!!!
I do not know for sure, but this could very well be part of the answer to figuring all of this out.
Aussie is a very good "Beginning place" to start. I have seen through the years many a guy go from short to very long hair entirely using Aussie products. At present, I myself don't as I have found what works for me (and only recently) much better! But it does cost! Nevertheless, in my particular case it was Aussie for at least the 1st 3 years. The experiments almost never seem to end. I gave you my time with Aussie products as the drying time. What I am doing now cuts this time much lower.
Perhaps, (only a suggestion) you might consider the very 1st time using Aussie to use much warmer water than you have ever used before including the conditioner and see how it goes. The warmer water (if indeed there is a negative build-up of what you have been using)will help better in removing built-up residue that cold is unable to "melt-off."
Exactly my case also. Everyone is so different and I was just trying to help in giving you a generalized starting point.
Most likely I think. It is normal however to shed around 100 hairs daily for everbody. Shed........not break. All part of the growth cycle of ea. individual hair.
The same with myself.
If I were to do that I would loose so much hair you wouldn't believe! And yet other guys can start right away with a brush with their hair soaking wet without a problem. WE all have to find our own individual way. So much of this seems to be trial and error. Think not for a moment that you are the only one to have experienced difficulities. No Way! It is really normal in finding YOUR way of what works for YOU! Actually, the only way. You WILL find it.
Same here sometimes also.
Actually, Absalom a while back brought it to my attention that the longer the hair is the stronger it becomes from being dislodged from the scalp. I believe his theory to be correct. I sure hear you about the "paranoia" thing. Those that really want long hair (and eventually end up with the best) I believe feel the same way when growing-out their hair. It is because they treasure it.
Sure. One time will hardly be the end of the world for your hair.
Interesting about the 1st place where your hair dries. As far as a fan in the Winter? Forget it.............I can't stand it either. But when it is warm it is great! :-)
Actually, my 1st posting to you was one of a most cautious approach. Knowing what I know now,I myself would head for a Salon right away to really get that hair stripped of all residue that might be on it. Certainly at least a consultation as soon as you are able wouldn't hurt a single bit.
Silly you? Hardly! You are concerned about something that means alot to you........your hair. But being as it is getting colder and your problem isn't getting any better (in my mind anyway as a novice) tends to make me lean towards excess amounts of the product you have been using just about glued to your hair shafts and for whatever reason (which you will eventually find) is making the drying process a big pain. If you sweat alot I would say that this is why your hair won't dry............but I have discounted this. Nobody sweats for these many hours unless the temp. around you is very high which it is not.
I have always thought the world of this special place. There is nowhere else quite like it for guys desiring to have long hair and not be ridiculed and scoffed at. We all come from different directions, and along the way we all find little secrets which we can pass along to ea. other. Your very kind remarks about myself are very much appreciated. Thank you. I have my fingers crossed that soon this particular problem you are facing will be history!
With all good wishes to you Gylfi.
Justin
The smell of the Aussie shampoo makes me want to gag. There are lots of other good ones out there too if you can't stand the smell. You might want to try a basic clarifying shampoo as well that will remove build-up as you two have been discussing. Good luck with it! I have always liked Suave and Redken products.
Yes! A Clarifying shampoo such as Matrix Essentials. "Clenses deeply to lift away dulling buildup "without" stripping natural oils."
Thanks Bragi :-)
Actually that's why I used sap moss in the first place, because the smell is very faint and not 'sweet'. I'll look into Suave and Redken products if Aussie turns out to be a little too strong.
Clarifying...I was wondering what that was about. I've heard the term mentioned in peoples' monthly or bi-monthly routines, guess that's something I should be doing that I've neglected to.
Thanks a lot for contributing a solution to this, Bragi!
And to Justin's reply: I'll look for that one when I'm at the store too.
The particular clarifying product mentioned below is for sale only to professional salons.
Here is its claim, and it has worked fantastic for myself:
MATRIX ESSENTIALS alternate action clarifing shampoo. "Clenses deeply to lift away dulling buildup without stripping natural oils."
As someone who has waist length hair that drys pretty fast i'll
start with the obvious question: do you live in a very humid
region of the world? (i.e. Dew point of 75+ for much of the time?)
****A dew point over 63 is uncomfortable, a dew point over
70 is oppresive. If the dew point is over 70 it would
explain why your hair never dries.
Thanks a lot for the reply Nick! Actually, the dew point is only 40 degrees presently. It's getting cooler and cooler here, and the dew point is only decreasing. I think Justin's ideas and theories are more likely to be the cause. I don't think the dew point even gets that high in the peak of the summer, so humidity wouldn't be what's affecting the amount of time it takes to dry in the summer either.
I appreciate your input into this, thanks again!
Did you ever try towel-twisting? Take a large bath towel and slide it over your head. Then wrap it around the whole length of you hair. Next, twist the it (with your hair inside) as if you were
trying the wring the water out of the towel. Then leave it that way (tightly twisted) for about ten minutes.
There is no need to wait: you can immediately put your hair into a tail or segmented tail and your hair will still dry!
Good Luck.
Just tried this on my hair dry hair as a coordination experiment. Either my hair is too short, or my towel is too thick. I've managed to come up with a slight variation for the next time it's wet though, so thanks very much for the input Luckskind!
Hi:
One pollible thing to note. If you use a conditioner or shampoo that promotes "volumnizing" or "more volume" you may be trapping moisture in your hair. These products utilize polymers or plasticizers to coat the hair strand to make it seem thicker. You may have a type of hair where the moisture gets trapped and cannot get out with these polymer coatings in place.
Big George
Thanks for the input, George! Neither my shampoo nor my conditioner promote volumizing. I'm wondering though, would that be the "cone-free" versus "cone" that some people take strict sides on? Does cone stand for silicone?
I'm wondering though, would that be the "cone-free" versus "cone" that some people take strict sides on? Does cone stand for silicone?
Cone does stand for silicone related chemicals. The ones I have often seen in hair products are cyclomethicone and dimethicone. Cones are used in shine enhancing and frizz reducing hair care products. They can eventually build up on your hair.
Absalom
Big brother has installed a ceiling fan in my office, behind my computer desk, so that while I work central intelligence agencies can watch me from behind, but I have determined if I do not talk while I write, that the angle of the camera prevents detection of the specific symbols I type. What you read is not what I type. I type in code which is translated back into English by an agent who lives on the third planet from Alpha Centuri, assisted by canismajor.
Since I encrypt, utilizing a similar technique of the native Americans who broadcast in their own language, I am using local residents of Appalachia and Scots, both of whom communicate in languages understood only among themselves, and a few secret initiates.
Since I do not think Big Brother is out to get you, I suggest the ceiling fan method, or even a fan on a floor stand gently blowing atmospheric molecules less saturated with water than those on your head. If you want to speed this up, you may need to wear a net, clip down your hair, or for you guys who think your hair is too curly, the best way to straighten it is to have your sister set it on rollers at least one inch in diameter.
We have an old hood drier in one of our attics, but I feel confined when I use it, but do in the winter time when I do not want to lose body heat by using an ordinary fan. Bottom line, I am a fan of fans, and I think you would discover that it would take no more than two weeks to dry your hair this way.
C.
Haha, thanks for the reply. Your encryption system works wonderfully, I hope Big Brother doesn't crack down on it. I'd like to be a fan fan now, knowing that it would drastically speed up the drying process...but it's cooling down a lot here and I don't think I'm ready to blow air at my wet hair until it's above 60 degrees again! And I think a hood dryer is too expensive of an investment at this point, so I'll be sticking with the basics (I mean relative basics) that Justin outlined in his post.
Thanks again!
I just got out of the shower no more than 5 minutes ago, and..
Sorry to say it, but in addition to not having enough time to browse salon's looking for the clarifying shampoo, I also didn't make it to the store to even try the Aussie yet. I feel a little bad now, was hoping to give it a go for this experiment. Just couldn't go another day without washing my hair though, I got rained on for a couple of hours today and my hair wasn't feeling good at all.
So, I washed first with the same shampoo I've been using (which, incidentally, contains no silicones. Rather, it contains no silicones that I've seen mentioned by Absalom or on the LHC) and then I followed that shampoo with..another shampoo, rinsing both times with warm water. Followed it up with some Olive Paste conditioner by L'Occitane, which was the only thing in the house besides what I have normally been using.
I did my consolidated version of Luckskind's towel drying technique, and.....
The tips of my hair are already dry :) I can't say how it's going for sure, but it's certainly drying a little quicker than it has been before. I'm confident that it will improve even more after I experiment with some more shampoos. I'll post another little followup after this one once it's completely dried. This first one will follow as a starting timestamp.
Bad thing though, I shed about 3x as much hair in the shower today than I normally do.
No bid deal Gylfi. You only posted a couple of days ago and most likely haven't had the time yet to try out other products. And really, every one on this board who gets "rained-on" gets their hair wet without exception.
So, considering all is about the same, hence the followup doesn't really tell what a different approach will reveal with the exception of the one thing below.
If ANYTHING ELSE, by following the advice of Luckskind you have already noticed an improvement! This is a first victory for you in itself. Great! Every little step will all add-up to the elimination of the problems you have been having. ( I just tried Towel-Twisting for the 1st time myself and it did wonders for me in cutting-down the drying time. All was dry in less than an hour. Just amazing!) And my hair is waist length and I had not ever heard of this. This Hyperboard produces amazing tips for sure.
Well, the average is around 100 hairs a day. I went through myself once a very cautious period where I was a bit too gentle on the scalp with my fingers and the shampoo. (Most probably hairs that were ready to fall out were not as I was too timid in massaging my head with the shampoo?) Anyway, I finally used a "little more pressure" and it took several washings for the old hairs to become dislodged from where they grow under the skin. Yikes! There was enough hair lost to have made a "Birds Nest" out of! But, now all of that has stopped and the shedding seems to be over. Also, I shed more in the Summer which is normal for myself. It seems to be over earlier this year than it has been others. But despite, when my hair is dry a difference of loss isn't even noticed. Still, unless my hair is almost dry or is dry, it has to be treated with caution. Even "Finger-Combing" when wet will cause snaps. Of ALL hair problems, a "snapped hair" is dreaded the most by myself.
My opinion only for what it is worth now that I have had enough time to think about your problem as well as have read what other guys have posted to you: I myself would be inclined if at all possible to head right for the Salon, get some opinions and have THEM give you the 1st Shampoo and whatever else to get you off to the best start. They can do it better than you can yourself. "If" they use a Blow-Dryer, TELL THEM that you don't want it on full hot blast. NO WAY! I can guarantee you that you WILL walk out of the Salon with DRY HAIR! (IN the process you may loose a whole lot of hair, and I wouldn't worry about it.) After that you probably will see less hair loss than ever before and your hair will still look great and appear full as ever. At that point I would try the Aussie route to see how it works in your case. Just cross one bridge at a time and I would guess in less than a month you will have all of this solved for good. :-)
Justin~
Thanks for the reply Justin! Just as helpful as ever :)
It wasn't all the same though! Normally I would only use the shampoo once, and I wouldn't lather it on the whole length of my hair either. Plus I did the cold rinsing thing before, but rinsed with warm water this time in an attempt to better strip any non-shampoo-related entities from my hair. My hair is almost completely dry now! So it's managed to cut the time by..hmm..8? Either way, it's still been a few hours, which is under your waist-length one hour (Which is something that I'm in complete awe over. That's a short amount of time for all of that hair...) So I've obviously got some work left to do! I guess a lot of my problem was from being too gentle and not working hard enough to get whatever build up was in my hair out of it.
Yes! THANK YOU SO MUCH LUCKSKIND!
That makes a lot of sense, I didn't think of it that way. But now, looking back, I remember that I hadn't shed a lot at all these past few times that I've showered. I guess it's just reinforcing the thoughts that I've been "too" gentle lately.
And the opinion is worth a lot. I'm happy with how it's turned out tonight, I haven't had hair dry this quickly on me in a while. Like I said, it's been 3 hours so I've still got to work on getting that time down. I'll make it to the salon before the end of the month, and then I'll try out the Aussie products. To be honest though, I'm very satisfied with how Aveda leaves my hair feeling, so I may end up reverting if I'm not very satisfied with them. Given, I'll definitely check out more brands first! But I'm not so sure after tonight that it was entirely the shampoo that was giving me these problems. Regardless, I still have a lot of experimenting to do!
I can't emphasize enough how valuable all of this input has been, thank you so much!
Happy to do so.
Good news! :-) I noted all of that. Sorry I didn't get into it more as I should have. And of Luckskind, what can I say? The most amazing person I have ever known of in my entire life!
Ha ha ha............I really hear you on that one. You would NEVER believe how timid I used to be about my hair in more recent years. But, I love long hair and hated to see any loss. Glad I am over that one. Funny, but when I was somewhere around your age guys all over the place had long hair...........and we didn't "pamper it either!" Nonetheless, it grew fine for us (at least we perceived it as such) despite abuse which we were completly unaware of. Mine was much of the time mid-back length then.............and I was only using "Pert!" Another thing, ever notice the women with very long hair? They torture it! Seem to do all the wrong things, and yet, for the most part it still looks ok. As for too much heat being bad for the hair? What of the Native American Indians with fabulous long hair that live in the desert with the hot sun blasting away at it on a daily basis. I think hair is a little tougher then we give it credit for. But I will have to say that guys on the Hyperboard that make it to very long hair out-do what I remember years ago. It looks more refined now and has a special something about it that was unknown years ago. Now raising Long Hair for men as especially superb!
Good! Aveda might (in the end) be just the right thing for you. You may be interested to know that when my hair was as long as yours it took about 3 hours to dry also. As for the "experiments," this is the ONLY WAY to learn what works best for your own hair type. Many a guy would have quit with the problem you are facing. (But they are unwilling to put in the time to solve their problems and are probably not Long-Hairs at heart anyway.)
You are very welcome and your character bespeaks one of great intelligence as well as refinement. "Please" and "Thank you" are not words heard so often these days. But when heard are still very powerful and command absolute respect for that person.
Wishing you a great weekend Gylfi.
All the best-
Justin~