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I apologize for the newbie question, but now that I'm going to be growing my hair out, which shampoos and conditioners do you all recommend? I'm sure that at some point I'll have to use gel to help through the awkward stage....any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Brian
I'm looking forward to some responses here also. There are so many to choose from. Oils etc...
Mine's about shoulder-length now and I'm currently using Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioner, it's a horse shampoo but according to the label can be used on humans too with no detrimental effects (found it in pet supplies at the local Wal-Mart), seems to work pretty well for my thick hair. I also sometimes rub a small amount of olive oil into my hair if it's feeling too dry for my liking.
Then every once in awhile I use mix baking soda and water into a paste and use that to *really* clean my hair out (also known as clarifying). Need a good conditioning and some oil after doing that though because it really strips everything away and leaves the hair entirely too dry (but also extremely clean). We have very hard water where I live (without a working water softener) so the minerals from the shower water build up in my hair over time and need to be stripped away on occasion, otherwise my hair gets very heavy, flat, and stiff, not appealing to look at or even touch, almost feels matted when that happens, so the occasional clarifying wash is a must for me.
I never noticed or thought about these things with short hair because it was never an issue, but once it gets longer and all the hairs are interacting with one another you learn fast! :P
I'm not sure there's any one product that you should be using, but if you shampoo frequently you need to use something gentle. I have at my disposal about 6 different shampoos and about twice that many conditioners. As my hair has gotten longer I'm finding I need to shampoo less often (currently about once a week) and condition every time I rinse it. I can't say any one product is the best, each works a bit differently, so sometimes I'll mix them to get the quality I want. What I can say that I've seen no real difference between the products I've paid about $1 for and those costing 5x as much. And if you go the condition only route you're going go through a lot of conditioner as your hair gets longer, so cheaper is better!
As for hair gels, I mostly stayed away from them, instead relying on headbands and hats during the worst of the awkward stage. (Of course the peak of my awkward stage was during the winter where wearing a hat all the time was more practical.)
--Dale
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Brian,
I recommended two specific gels in my previous reply to you. I don't know how you would feel about wearing halftails but they will be an option long before a full ponytail would work.
When I was at this length:
I wore it as a halftail like this:
As the first picture shows, I cut the back for a while to allow the top to catch up and avoid any mulletlike appearance. A lot of it comes down to what would be allowed in your work environment. My office would frown on hats or bandannas so I was forced to use gel.
Hey Brian
How about sticking for a while with the very basic Aussie Shampoo and Aussie Conditioner. After that, and seeing how well it works, then you may want to explore all kinds of the exotic things.
Oh yes, Gel is not really needed. Only if you want. Several of us made the whole trip without a drop of Gel.
Best of luck to you.
Justin~
Yeah I went without any gel. It was a little frustrating at times with the bangs falling in my eyes but that was my biggest complaint. Granted I wasn't working so had no one to complain about it looking goofy during that period.
I also forgot to mention in my previous post (can't edit), but what works for one person may not work for another. So if something isn't working after awhile feel free to experiment.
Hi Brian,
My favorite shampoo & conditioner is made by a company called, "EO" (which apparently stands for essential oils). You can get it at any health food type nof store, including at Whole Foods.
Another favorite is "Avalon Organics" -- similar to the EO products, my hair & scalp feel very clean & refreshed without a harsh drying result afterwards (but of course that is also due to me using a hell of a lot of conditioner in my hair, regardless of the company - LOL)....
I've used other shampoos & conditioners, being reasonably also happy with them, too: Nexxus, RedKen, & Ojon, to name just a few.
It's also an issue of HOW you shampoo & condition your hair...
The best advise I can give you is to not over-do the frequency of shampooing -- the longer my own hair got over the years, the less I found it necessary to shampoo as often as I used to when my hair was shorter. Now that my own hair is currently at belt-length, for example, I usually only shampoo once a week, twice per week at the most -- with clear water rinses in-between, if needed... Also it's helpful to end your final rinsing out of the conditioner with COOL water (which closes the hair shaft cuticles).
Hope these comments have been helpful!
Oh, by the way.... that's a hands-down AWESOME beard you have there (and sorry I'm so late at chiming in about this; but I've been absent from the board here for a couple of weeks or so)...
"Onward & Downward!"
- Ken in Sn Francisco