new thread
So I keep coming across stories from this site and others of longhairs with a similar story.
"i just discovered (random haircare technique) the other day, i cant believe i never did this before, think of the years of damage its caused!"
It seems guys tend to ask for a lot less instruction with growing their hair out and miss a lot of the basics. So I'm gonna throw out in the open what I've learned and I'd like some input, to either verify or dispute. Because I love my hair :)
1. Wash it infrequently as your scalps natural oils protect your hair much better than constant shampoo and conditioner.
my comment: I've noticed as I am currently in the 6inch/15cm length, the daily washing thing isn't really needed, I of course still shower daily but i leave my head for every 3rd day at the moment.
2. Wash it with cold water, Now I was told that hot water opens up our hair, allowing the moisture to leave faster and so we end up with dryer hair that splits more commonly. Where as the cold water shuts our hair more, locking in the pigments and the moisture. so it preserves color too?
My comment: I have trouble with cold showers, I'm all about the steamy hot shower, So I've been showering it warm, but at the end rinsing it with super cold water. I can notice a measurable difference in the overly softness of my hair when i cold wash it as oppose to when i always warm washed it.
3. Never Brush it wet, Yeah this one was a no brainer, I asked myself why then i laid the brush on my freshly combed wet head and attempted to move it 1cm, wouldn't budge. I've yet to brush it wet but it sure sounds like a dangerous path
4. Shampoo the scalp (also because shampoo is designed to lift oil, we want less focus on the hair with it) and condition the hair, as conditioner is just softer, has something to do with moisturizing.
5. boars bristle brushes are a treat, the scalp massage I get from one is heavenly, apparently that scalp stimulation also promotes the production of our natural oils, as well as since the brush is made of hair too, it does a great job of spreading the oils evenly from root to tip. Some arguments I've found state that it cleans your hair better than shampooing and conditioning, to the point where some people intentionally don't wash it
comments: ok, makes sense stiffer hair guiding softer hair into place and distributing oils easier because it is the same hair that normally has the oils anyways. But what I'm confused on is how damaging it is, some people have told me it can cause a ton of split ends with overuse. I tend to do my brushing once when I wake up to put things in place, and once before bed to make sure everything is free and clean.
6. combing, use this for removing tangles (comb strokes should be root to tip, however short strokes, and start from the tip and work your way to the roots to de-tangle without ripping
comments: does it do anything for spreading oils like the boars brush?
7. restraints: never ever ever ever use rubber bands, they break hair, use common sense and the stuff you'd find at the hair section of a department store, surprisingly enough there arent that many feminine things in that aisle, sure theres some pinks and purples and bright colors, but the majority of clips, bands, and everything else are all hair color shades.
So this is the collection of advice i've been given since I started my journey. sources are people like friends wives, my sister, my mom, surprisingly enough even my father who I never guessed because he started balding in his 30s (being native american apparently all the men in my family have been proud of their long braids at one point or another).
If you have any input Please share! I want to know the long terms of these kinds of hair care tips, and I want new suggestions, and maybe a few stories along the way :)
Hi John,
Rather than me give you too long-winded of an answer (which I'm well known for doing sometimes - LOL), let me start by saying this: finding your perfect hair care routine is an INDIVIDUAL thing -- in other words, what works well for one guy will not always work well for another.
An example of the above statement is whenever I've read about some guys doing Water-washes Only (AKA "WWO"). Since I occasionally do some gardening and landscaping jobs (although my regular job is cooking in a hot & sweaty kitchen), the fact that I get fertilizer dust, chicken or steer manure, and even pieces of plant parts or occasionally small bugs all in my hair, WWO definitely does NOT work for me... When I want to shampoo, I want a REAL shampoo! And yes, I too want to shampoo my hair under warm water!!! (Although I always try to rinse out the conditioner in cool.)
OK, other than that (even though I could say more on this topic), just stay tuned here and keep reading... You'll have a lot of great (and varied) information thrown at you. Just keep whatever works well for you, and toss away the rest.
- Ken in San Francisco
Thanks for all the responses everyone, I thought of the oil thing when I was first researching this but didn't really hear of any guys who did it. Glad to hear a lot of you have found success with the oil idea. I'm gonna get me some coconut oil and finger in a couple drops worth a week and see how that helps out.
Oh yeah, about the don't sleep on your hair comment. Its too short to worry right now, but I have been wondering when it gets that length where my rolling in my sleep could be bad whats a good way to restrain it without driving me nuts for trying to sleep?
Excellent list. (I do admire a good list.)
The boars hair brush don't seem to do much for mine and the "don't comb when wet" rule... I don't know, mine don't seem to tangle when it's wet. Weird hair maybe? I don't know.
Everything else seems dead on. I don't even like that idea about cold water, don't think I'll be trying that one anytime soon.
Good luck,
Paul
I wash my hair about once a week these days, unless I've been doing something which gets me hot and sweaty, like playing sports. I brush it in the morning and again at night, and most of the rest of the time it's in a braid. If I leave it loose or in a tail, I end up with a knot at the nape of my neck where it's been catching in my clothes.
The only other thing I'd recommend doing is oiling your hair with jojoba, coconut or sweet almond oil, especially when it's still wet after washing. Don't use too much or it will look greasy. A couple of drops is all it takes.
As for not brushing when wet, I can't really agree with that, because I've been brushing when wet for the last five years or so and my hair just reaches the base of my tailbone. I think it's more about how you brush than how wet your hair is. Start with a few locks of hair and brush in four to six inch sections starting from the ends and working up towards the scalp once each section brushes through easily. My hair's wavy, so I get occasional snarls and kinks in it. When I find one of those, I stop brushing and detangle with my fingers, then go back to brushing.
The main thing to bear in mind if you're going for length is protection, protection, protection. If you wear your hair loose, it snags in things and breaks off or it dries up and splits. Keep it well conditioned and oiled to retain moisture and wear it in a braid, multi-tie or bun to stop it drying out or getting tangled, caught in doors, shoelaces, tree branches etc.
Keep it well conditioned and oiled to retain moisture and wear it in a braid, multi-tie or bun to stop it drying out or getting tangled, caught in doors, shoelaces, tree branches etc.
Lol shoelaces? A little bit of wishful thinking there or have you actually had that problem when you tie yours?
I've done that once. It was pretty painful and very embarrassing as I wasn't alone at the time. I've learnt my lesson, and now tie my hair before my shoes!
1. Don't wear your hair open as often
2. Don't sleep on your hair
3. Don't wash when it starts to get oily
4. Don't wash the length
5. Just condition the length
6. Thin your shampoo with water
7. Watch for the ingredients of your shampoo - no ammonium laureth sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, better sugar tensids
8. Use combs, if possible
9. Comb from your ends and don't pull down the tangles from the scalp
10. Oil your hair after washing with coconut oil instead of using conditioner all the time
11. No iron brushes
12. Learn to braid
My hair seems to get really greasy unless I shampoo every day! I attempted to curtail the amount of days I shampoo but alas, I am too weak. Do I just have to wait it out a few weeks until my body readjusts given that I am using shampoo less, or?