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Blane posted a question about how you keep your hair from looking dry, straw-like. For some people this comes easily, naturally straight sleek hair like Travis' is easy to look after, because the structure of straight hair is stronger and less prone to damage. Wavy or curly hair can be more of a challenge because its inherently weaker and as such more susceptible to damage. Its even more of challenge if your hair is thick like mine.
But I noticed girls were far better at caring for their longhair than guys, so with all due to respect to the learned opinions of my fellow longhairs, I decided to take my cue from the ladies.
Here's what I do (and I learned from the girls):
(1) I wash my hair twice a week using a salon-brand shampoo and a separate conditioner. I avoid super-hot water when washing my hair, but I'm not puritanical in insisting that we wash in cold water.
(2) I towel dry my hair until it stops dripping then I use a detangler (a light-leave-in conditioner) before gentle combing my hair with a wide-toothed comb from the ends of my hair up to the roots.
(3) When my hair is about 80% dry, I spray lightly with a heat-protect serum and comb through, then I use a flat-nozzle hair-dryer to blow dry it straight. This takes about 15-20 minutes.
(4) Once a month I'll use a leave-in or deep conditioner, which I apply after getting out of the shower.
(5) Generally I brush my hair when its dry and comb it when its wet. You should never brush wet hair.
(6) When I start to notice my hair snagging more and more when I'm combing it, I have my ends trimmed. <1 inch cut every 4 months. Obviously if you are still growing out and haven't reach a length you want to maintain, you may wish to trim less or less often or not at all.
However, once your hair gets to mid back, if you want to go for butt length or beyond, and you have thick wavy hair, my advice is to trim a little 3 times a year. It makes the journey a little longer but you'll get there with better hair.
NB: This advice will apply best to people who have a similar hair type to me. I'm sure others will have their own opinions and share below:
{Please}
Wow, thanks for starting this thread! I figured the best way to learn about long hair care was from the people who (usually) have the most experience with it, girls. It's really off-putting to me when I see guy with unkempt long hair. I think it gives all of us a bad name.
Ah, so does the salon brand really make a difference? I mostly thought you were just paying for the brand name.
The detangler is put in after the is pat-dried? I thought the detangler was put in after the shampoo while you where still washing your hair. Your method makes more sense, though. Just goes to show how much I don't know. :P
Hmm. I've brushed my hair many times while it was wet. Darn. Luckily my hair isn't too long yet (it's 4-5in), so I shouldn't have done too much damage.
Well, I guess that's all for now, thanks again for the insightful post! Hopefully others will follow suite.
Well its more about the composition of the shampoo than the brand name. As a rule of thumb supermarket brands are made with cheaper ingredients which are more likely to dry out your hair, whereas salon brands generally tend to be composed to restructure (resurface) hair to protect from heat damage.
If there's one brand you can buy in the supermarket that ticks the boxes its Aussie, but personally I use REDKEN.
Still its worth noting that all Shampoos and conditioner can cause a 'build-up' (too much of a protective coating) which will eventually leave your hair dull and lifeless. Using a 'clarifying' shampoo once every 6-8 weeks can reverse this. Though I've found, if you restrict your hair washing/conditioning routine to twice a week, then the build up is less likely to occur. I've not used a clarifying shampoo for about a year.
Obviously a product 'build-up' depends on the amount, frequency and composition of the shampoo/conditioner you use to begin with and the type of water in your area. A shampoo or conditioner designed for "Dry/damaged" hair will create more of 'build up' than a product designed for "normal" hair, but will offer greater protection against heat-styling. Its about striking a balance.
Essentially a "clarifying" shampoo is a harsh shampoo which strips of the protective layer of conditioner off your hair once it has gotten too thick. The trick is maintaining the right balance. That said you don't have to get it right every time, no mistakes are irreversible.
That's the conditioner, you massage that in after you shampoo then you rinse it out as part of your hair wash. The detangler is a separate "light" leave-in conditioner which you use after you have pat-dried your hair.
I wouldn't worry. You can't really begin to do damage until your hair is shoulder length. Hair's natural life cycle is durable enough to survive a year's worth of growth. After that you have to be more careful.
A quick follow up on Aussie brand protects, which I said "Ticks the boxes" - A lot of people swear by this brand especiallys "Aussie Moist".
However, I can't use "Aussie Moist", only their "normal" product, because the Moist causes a build-up in my hair after just a couple of washes.
Its important to stress that this is an example of one persons hair type reacting differently to another's. Thousands of people swear by Aussie Moist, but I can't use it, their "normal" line works better for me.
The lesson... there is no GOD-PRODUCT, you have to find one that works for you.
You should never brush wet hair.
I only brush my hair when it's wet right from the shower. It usually still has a tiny bit of conditioner in it and is still slippery. I think that's the only time to brush hair, because it's slippery enough to do it without the hair getting all snagged together. I never understood people saying not to brush wet hair. Sure it's more fragile when wet, but you aren't going crazy brushing like you're trying to sand a piece of wood. You just have to be gentle and pick out any tangle gently with your hand.
I agree with Garth here. I always brush my hair right after the shower and I just don't have the damage that others say would surely happen. I don't like to brush my hair when it's more likely to break then.
Like you if I don't get the tangels out of my hair before it dries then its so much harder when its dry, but the advice is against brushing wet hair not combing it. I'm guessing because combing forces you to take a gentler approach.
Wash about once per week. Water only most times, very dilute shampoo every 3rd to 5th wash.
Finger detangle and comb out prior to washing (get rid of the sheds, etc).
Use a strong spray at moderate temps with the grain of the detangled hair...mostly to clean the scalp. Move on to other shower tasks, repeat spray.
If shampoo, instead, wet scalp area with watery shampoo, manipulate briefly and gently, rinse off. Do second power rinse as above.
At the end of the shower, rinse with dilute vinegar (to keep scalp happy and prevent itching and buildup).
Squeeze loose water out gently, wrap in microfiber towel and turban for 15-30 minutes.
Allow to air dry.
Once dry, finger detangle and comb out.
My hair? Somewhat wavy, coarse, thick (part-)Asian type. Mid-thigh length.
My hair care routine is al about my hair looking good with the least input from me. What I came up with after a lot of experimenting is the following:
-Wash once a week
-Only wash with water (takes about 2 months for your scalp is ajusted to this)
-Put a lot of conditioner in and finger comb out all the tangles and remove the shed hairs. I put conditioner only in lower half of my hair.
-Rinse with cold water
-Gently squeeze some of the water out with my hands
-Wrap it in a towel and gently squeeze some more water out of my hair
-Let it air dry, this can take a lot of time but my hair looks best this way.
-The most important step, do nothing with it until the next shower a week later!
I've got wavy (waist lenght) hair, so it tangles easy but once it's tangled it doesn't seem to tangle more. When I do nothing with my hair it forms nice spirals instead of being more frizzy. I love longhair but I don't want to spend a lot of time maintaining it. It takes me 45min per week and looks very good this way.
It's not picture perfect like some girls have it, but my hair is a lot healthier than most of the girls who use way to much product and heat on their hair.
My hair's fine and fairly wavy, not to mention blond, but I've managed to get it to grow to tailbone length.
I usually wash and condition it twice a week, brushing before washing to get rid of any shed hair. The first thing I do after washing is brush it gently. I've tried the whole combing thing and gave up on it because I end up with even more tangles whether I use a wooden, nylon or plastic comb. Note, my hair is still soaking wet at this point. I wouldn't brush damp hair, but because it's wet, it's lubricated and the brush slides through easily. If I do end up with any knots or snarls, I work them out with my fingers or a pick.
The next thing I do is to rub a few drops of jojoba oil between my palms and smooth that over the hair from about ear length down.
After that, I leave it to air dry, which takes hours.
I normally wear my hair in a single braid, or occasionally, a bun, and yes, I do braid it when it's wet, but so far, I haven't noticed any problems.
Hi Sorted,
This is a great thread, and my routine is rather simple.
1. Every second day is a "do nothing with hair" day.
2. On the days I "do something", I alternate between full shampoo/condition, along with "conditioner only" on the other "do something" day. (That means an actual shampoo is roughly twice a week)
3. Since my conditioner has "cones", I need to use a clarifying shampoo every second shampoo.
4. When I shampoo, I use warm water for rinsing, then reduce the temp to "cool", before squeezing out water and applying conditioner. I then rinse out the conditioner with cool to mildly warm water before drying.
5. I sqeeze out as much water as I can, and towel dry to "damp" stage, then apply small an=mout of leave in conditioner.
6. I towel dry a little more, neaten hair, and comb gently with wide tooth comb. Any drying after that is air drying, and I never use heat of any kind.
7. Any brushing or further combing is only after hair is thoroughly dry.
8. As for trims, I know my ends could use some "neatening up" right now. (I was thinking of trying the "Feye's self trim" method.
David
Hi David
Most conditioners contain silicones, but they shouldn't cause a build up after 4 uses. If they do you switch brands because using a clarifying shampoo so frequently is just stressing your hair unnecessarily.
Check your conditioner, if you never use heat styling then you should steer clear of any formulated for dry or damaged hair, as you simply won't need so much protection and they'll just cause a build up sooner.
Hi again, Sorted,
Thank you again, for the tips about the conditioner. Actually, my routine of using a clarifying shampoo as often as I do is a habit I have gotten into. I used to use Aussie "Moist" conditioner, and although my hair looked great right after using it, I found that residues seemed to build up quickly (hair felt a little sticky or crispy after a few uses), hence the clarifying shampoo in my routine. (My hair is fine and delicate, and not that thick) Recently, I switched to "TRESemme" conditioner, and the residues are much less, and my hair feels decent after even several washes (no sticky feel). Your idea of not deep cleansing as ofetn as I am is a good thought, and I will try it.
David
I found the same thing with Aussie Moist.
This is my current routine:
Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), I shampoo and condition with Organix Pomegranate and Green Tea shampoo and V05 Pomegranate and Grapeseed conditioner. This makes a sulfate and cone-free combination.
I comb my hair with a bohn comb (black palm pic from Hairsense) when wet, and before brushing.
I brush with a round boar bristle brush at night before putting my hair in a low, loose ponytail for sleeping (no metal tie, of course).
And that's it. Although, I'm currently interested in finding a deep conditioner to use once a month. If anyone knows of something similar to Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle without silicones, please let me know!
--Dmitri
My hair is very fine and often very dry and length wise is just past my shoulders. My current regimen is to rinse and condition daily and to shampoo once a week.
My current shampoo of choice is J/A/S/O/N Natural Jojoba Shampoo (no Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates).
For conditioners I tend to rotate amongst three: J/A/S/O/N Natural Jojoba Condioner (usually only after the shampoo), Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition (w/ Olive/Avacado/Shea oils) and White Rain Tropical Coconut.
Afterward I apply a mixture of Coconut, Almond and Walnut oil by placing a small amount in my hands and working it through my wet hair. I usually do this while in the shower and let the warm water help distribute the oil more evenly.
Finally I gently towel dry my hair and allow it to air dry unless I'm in a rush. On those occasions I'll blow dry on low heat until it's just slightly damp.
While I'd love to say I get consistent results, every day is just a little different. For me, hair care is more an art than a science.
--Dale
My Flickr Page
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Mine is really simple. I wash once every week, sometimes a little more often, sometimes less. I use Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner. I blow dry, from a distance on low setting, to protect against damage. (see photo) In warm weather I just let it air dry. I put multiple hair ties on my hair once it is dry to protect against tangling.
Scott
Looks very dangerous!
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This is aimed to the outside of the shower stall. I am standing on a carpeted floor, not in the bath tub.
Scott
Hi Sorted,
Here's my edited version of answering your question:
1) I usually shampoo my hair only twice a week -- once a week very thoroughly (as in, what the average shampoo bottles advice: "Apply shampoo to wet hair; lather, rinse, repeat..."), but the other time using only a light application of shampoo. When I do my thorough version, I go all-out, though -- meaning, I turn my head upside-down and vigorously lather my scalp using the pads of my finger tips to massage the lather in; then I rinse rinse rinse and rinse again!
2) Regardless of whether I'm doing a thorough shampooing or a light one, after rinsing, I follow up with using TONS of conditioner!!!
3) as a follow-up to my once-a-week thorough shampooing days, I take the time to apply a small amount of olive oil into my hair ends and lower portion of my mane... It does wonders for helping me cut down on the # of split ends, and just plasin feels AWESOME afterward!
4) In-between shampooing days I do a variety of things, dry-brushing my hair being my favorite way to stimulate my scalp without getting it wet; but I also do water-washes only and occasionally conditioner-only washes.
That's it in a nutshell... And believe it or not, that's an example of me being "brief!" (I'm usually quite long-winded - LOL)
- Ken in San Francisco
Hi again Sorted,
I forgot to mention two things:
1) My favorite shampoo and conditioner is made by an all-natural company called, "EO" (which stands for "Essential Oil". I've also used & enjoyed trying out several others, including: "Avalon Organics", "Mane & Tail", Nexxus products, and years ago, "Redken";
2) I agree with your statement about using a comb on wet hair, and brushing hair when dry. I learned about that issue a long long time ago from a woman friend of mine who had very long hair (hip-length) that looked GREAT, because she took such good care of it.
Thanks again for posting this thread!
- Ken
I wash my hair on monday, wednesday and friday. On sundays i only rinse it in warm water, or just leave it alone. The remaining days, i do NOTHING with my hair.
I wash in warm water, and rinse the conditioner out in lukewam/cool water. Cold water isn't very pleasant when it's freezing and snowstorms outside. I rotate between 2 really cheap and simple shampoos, and between like 4 conditioners.