new thread
In light of the new post regarding whether conditioners makes hair greasy, I thought I would start a thread where people can share their experiences with conditioners. To me, it is a good thing, because shampoos strips all the natural oils out of the head and hair, which you need conditioners to bring back what it has stripped.
There are many ways to add conditioners to your hair if you opt to use a conventional brand conditioners right after shampooing. You can conditioning agents classified as "leave in conditioner" (for when you are not in the shower). I usually like to use extra virgin coconut oil for my ends or any dry parts I may have. A friend of mine likes to use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)as a leave in conditioner. There are the "essential oils," and that list is too big for me to list here. Some essential oils are jojoba, grape seed, almond oil, etc...
If you are the type that still thinks that conditioners make your hair greasy, then I would suggest using apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse after you shampoo. You can rinse off the ACV or you can leave it in your hair to dry. I personally don't like to rinse it because I don't want he water to wash away the benefits it has on hair. The vinegar scent will go away when your hair dries, but it will give your hair a more natural conditioner since ACV is almost he same PH level of your hair. Plus, ACV will seal in the cuticles of your hair, making it more smoother and shiny. You can google "ACV rinse" and you will find many recipes , and benefits with this method. I would advise doing this once or twice a month depending on the recipe you use. The standard recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of ACV to 1 cup of water, but you'll have to research your ratios depending on your length of hair.
I know that the issues within conditioners is big. Like what other fellow longhairs have told me before, "experiment with hair care routines until you find one that works for you." So I wanted to end this post with one of the videos Justine has made on his hair care routine. This was one of the first film I've seen on long hair care for men when I decided to grow my hair out. It is absolutely hilarious. Thanks Justine for this video!
cheers,
rowie
Oops I spelled Justin into "Justine," moderators can you please correct this if it is possible?
many thanks! For some reason I was thinking of "Justine" from a book I read called Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom" by Marquis De Sade. hahahah.
Peace out!
rowie
Hey rowie-
I wouldn't worry about it at all, in fact, because I am so famous for my typos, I have even spelled it that way myself. No problem. People can call me whatever they want.
Now, as for that video, little did I know when I started that I would have a "Laugh Attack." All of my videos are done off-the- cuff and no re-takes needed. What you see is just how it went. Exception: In this one (the days before a movie editor) and using the camera, I was able to delete the REAL ending. When I went to the floor in stiches I just about broke my elbow and knocked the whole camera and tripod over with a mighty crash to the floor. The laugh suddenly turned into some (let us say) very stern language. LOL :-)
Justin~
ps: To have the ability to laugh at oneself is very healthy I think.
Hey Rowie, thanks for posting this and the link to Justin's video, it was pretty funny. He cracks himself up just like I do! I've read Justin's posts here, but it was great to see him being so funny on the video.
I have very fine hair, so some conditioners really weigh my hair down, and it loses it's natural curl too. I've been using a sulphate free one made by Trader Joe's (a popular food store chain here in Nyc) that has been working well for me. It's very inexpensive and smells good. It seems to be made out of mostly natural plants & herbs. I think it's silicone free also, as I don't see anything that looks like silicone in the ingredients. I only apply it to the lower part of my hair, not the top of my head, or my hair looks really flat. I have a small section that always tangles like crazy, so I always condition and finger comb that part a second time in the shower.
I use the Trader Joe's tea tree oil shampoo also, which has no sulphates, and I'm pretty happy with it. they make another shampoo which I'll get next time. I don't like the way the tea tree oil tingles on my face as I wash. It's ok on the scalp, but otherwise I rather not have the oil in my eyes!
I'm going to try the vinegar treatment sometime. I bought a bottle, but haven't gotten around to it yet!
Cheers : )
Joey
Hi Joey! You are so right about how conditioners can loosen the curl pattern for some people. I think some people are more prone to loose their curl pattern if they use a silicone base conditioner. Dimethicone, and anything with a -cone suffix pretty much is a big give away. Wish I could re-edit my post, btw, I wrote it while I was on the toilet with my iphone, a kind of spare of the moment sloppy writing. hahaa
I have multi textured coarse hairs. I have a mixture of very straight coarse hairs to wavy hairs around the crown of my head. It's weird, maybe because i'm bi racial, who knows. Yes, tea trea is annoyingly tingly, but I can tell you how it helps cure dandruff or dry skin. I would just rub pure tea tree oil when I get itchies in certain areas of my scalp and it sure helps! Tea tree is a life saver for me.
For now, virgin coconut oil is what works for my hair type. I just use it sparingly (dime size) and I can cover my shoulder+ length hair. Coconut oil does not make my hair look greasy, because if used right, it can make hair more shiny and thick. My curly haired friends like that it accentuates their curls. You might have to experiment with EVOO, it seems that some people cannot tolerate too much protein. I wash my hair every other day and I've learned that my routine is complex because of my multi textured hairs. Thanks for sharing your input. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.
cheers,
rowie
Hey there Rowie, thanks for taking your time to address my post with a lengthy detailed response.
The thing is that my hair is usually very oily. If I shampoo in the morning, my hair will be oily by the next morning. The question I asked really pertained more to me, but maybe I didn't ask it properly.
Also regarding ACV, I've used it before but I hated it bec the smell absolutely repulsed me.
Hey all, just gonna share my former and newer routines.
About 3 years ago I started to actually research how to better care for my hair (this is also how I found out about the board). I was shampooing every time I showered (every day usually) but read about how using shampoo constantly makes your scalp produce more oil to make up for it constantly being stripped away. I also read up on the purpose of conditioner to help by putting back a synthetic hair oil.
I decided that I would test it and started only using shampoo once a week while using conditioner roughly 3-4 times a week. I would (and still do) use conditioner every day and day after a shampoo. My hair would be greasy within a day and be terribly greasy by the end if the week, but I kept going at it. Eventually I noticed that, slowly but surely, this worked and is 100% true!
I gradually started using shampoo less and less but kept about the same conditioning routine. Now I'm to the point where I get my hair wet maybe once a week, if that. I use conditioner every time I do and my last two shampooings were 12/31/11 and 3/6/12. I went over 2 months without shampoo nd barely and conditioner and my hair is healthier than ever.
The best thing I can compare it to is growing your hair for the first time. There is an awkward stage where your hair will be extra greasy, but if you musclethrough it, its much better to st4ray away from the wrld of hair products in general.
In short, conditioner isn't "good" but isn't "bad" either. Shampoo should be avoided if at all possible. But conditioner is defnately much much better fr your hair.
Peace, love, and long hair
Jarvis :)
Apparently, according to a documentary I watched a few months ago, the most important component of a hair conditioner is the cationic surfactants, which neutralise the electrical charge of wet hair, and make it easier to comb/brush after washing and also leave it feeling soft and sleek.
Most of the rest is water, colourants, glycerine, perfume etc.
I use conditioner every time I wash my hair, but I also add jojoba oil. I can't help thinking that my hair would be healthier if I went for a no-shampoo routine and also cut out the conditioner, but I've been a bit lazy about that. One of these days, I'll give it a try and see if that works for me.
I have dry blonde hair so conditioner is a must. Even with hair as short my picture.