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has anyone ever seen girls (or other guys) with really long, shiny, almost perfect looking hair and wondered why you can;t get yours to be like that? well I'm the guy left wondering
my hair has gotten about 2" long at the moment, longer than it's ever been, normally I almost never pay attention to it,I pretty much neglected it because it would always be cut within a few weeks however it's very unruly at the moment. I'm a little clueless and I want it to look the best it can so what shampoos and conditioners, oils etc. and routine would you recommend? (I plan on straightening it and dying it black if that makes a difference) and is there anything I should avoid? I'm quite worried I'll spend 2 years and end up with a damaged mess on my head that will have to be cut off.
I also have a bad habit of scratching my head quite a bit, I'm wondering if this damages the hair?
First of all, welcome to the board! (I think, I don't remember your picture being here before)
You'll get a wide range of what to do from people around here, but I'll give you the basics and then give you my not-so-basic routine.
First off, the basics:
You'll need shampoo and conditioner (obviously).
Tres'emme, Garnier Fructis, and Aussie are my brands of choice, but really anything from the very expensive to very cheap will work. Over time, just try different brands whenever you run out of a bottle. you'll find one that works wonders on your hair eventually.
Another very good habit to get into early is to not shampoo your hair everyday. Basically, the more often you shampoo you hair, the more oil your head will produce, and so you'll need to use shampoo more to get rid of it. The vicious cycle. Do it right and stick to it and you can go months without shampoo (Andrew W. K. hasn't used shampoo in like 15 years).
Brush
Again, this goes down to everyone is different. For your curly hair, I'll let someone else provide you with information. My hair is naturally stick straight. However, since you plan on straightening it, I'll add my 2 cents. A big paddle brush with the air bubble/blister head (that you can push down on, see below) is great. I can barely feel it pull any tangles in my hair. Also, you'll want a boar bristle brush (see below). They leave your hair looking shiny and feeling really smooth.
Itching
Yes, that will be detrimental to your hair. You'll want to nip that in the bud (or make yourself run your fingers through your hair instead. Because that is actually helpful to your hair).
My routine
Keep in mind, this is after 7 years of experimentation on what works on my hair
Shampoo and conditioner
I currently use two of each. For shampoo, I use Aussie Moist and Head & Shoulders Extra Volume. The Aussie is my main shampoo, the H&S was a recent addition because I started to get extremely bad dandruff (itchy, not flaky). Right now I'm using shampoo about once a week, using the Aussie whenever i can, and using the H&S whenever my scalp is starting to itch again. I'm slowly phasing the H&S out as the dandruff goes away.
My conditioners are Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition and Tresemme Naturals Radiant Volume. Both of these make my hair feel fantastic. I use the Garnier first to make my hair feel smooth and shiny, and then I follow up with the Tresemme because it is silicone free and washes off the silicone of the Garnier Fructis while giving my hair a second conditioning. Most conditioners have silicone. They can make your hair feel like it's coated in something (mostly because they actually do coat your hair). The silicone free is just a preference that not everyone shares or cares about.
Brush
First off, I only use brushes. Again, take someone else's advice for your curly hair, but combs just break in my hair and pull more of it out than I would like. I use a conair paddle brush. It's maybe 3"x5". IT works really well with my hair. I don't feel it pulling any hair out and it covers a large part of my hair all at once.
Oil
I currently deep condition my hair once every few weeks with coconut oil. It helps better than I can put into words at 6:30am. This really isn't something that will do any noticeable difference for you for atleast another few inches, though. But you'll see us talking about oil on here plenty often. There are a wide range of oils that you can use, and it's all a matter of preference.
As for straightening and dying your hair, you'll have a lot of people on here tell you the dangers of both dying and straightening hair. And they're right. But I dyed my hair black every few months for about 3 years (I'm now about a year into letting my hair get back to natural) and I had minimal issues with it. My hair stayed just as healthy and just the same as it was before. It just changed color. And I was using the cheapest dye that I could find. The only problem I ever had was when I bleached the ends to dye them purple and red. Bleach will kill your hair.
I've also curled my hair a few times (basically just for shits and giggles) which is the same basic process as straightening, just a different result. It didn't hurt my hair. Now, this has happened like 5 times over the course of 4 years. This is in no way relatable to heat-altering your hair every day for an extended period of time. But I do know plenty of people who do straighten their hair almost every day. You can tell that there is damage and that the hair isn't as healthy, but it really isn't THAT bad. I'd still advise against it, but it's your hair and your free to do what you wish with it. If I didn't do the things people advised me against... well I'd have a much less interesting life. XP
Cheers,
Jarvis
Thank you all for your responses I really cannot express his much I appreciate the in depth advice.
Ted I take it as a compliment that I look like Abraham Lincoln :) an amazing man if you ask me. I've also been told twice by people that I look like wolverine and one of them told me I would look like Loki with long hair haha
Jarvis I have posted here a few times before a while ago when I first decided to grow it long
Most of you asked me what I would use to straighten my hair I only thought there was flat irons and no other way. What are the other methods? I want it to be permanent as possible and not too damaging. I'll probably leave straightening until it's a bit longer
Welcome to the board, buddy! I will try to answer your questions.
- Routine:
Your hair routine is going to depend on the type of hair you have but in general I would suggest not to shampoo every single day . Shampoos contain harsh ingredients that will eventually dry your hair if you use them too often.
So try to shampoo less and condition more often. Also try getting oils. There is a wide variety of oils you can use to condition your hair.
- Straightening:
What kind of straightening procedure are you thinking of?
Many people will tell you that flat irons can damage your hair. This is true and false.
It will damage your hair if you do it every single day, do not protect your hair, etc.
It will NOT damage your hair if you do it once in a while (probably once a week) and if you take all the precautions to avoid damage (such as using heat protectant when you flat iron).
Also, the kind of flat iron and the amount of heat you apply into your hair is important. Try not to get the cheapest one and go for the most expensive ones (they are made of better materials and you can choose the right temperature according to your hair).
My brother is a hair stylist and he works with models all the time. Models get their hair straighten, blow dried, etc ALL the time and they get no damage. Believe me.
The bad reputation of flat irons came out from women who flat ironed their hair every single day and did not even put one minute of effort to take the precautions they needed to avoid heat damage (Women tend to do so).
- Dyeing:
I also dyed my hair throughout my teen years . Now my hair is dyed black. I never had any damage at all. I always tried to use non-ammonia dyes and of course, is not something that I usually do.
I'll echo the guys below. Shampoo less often than you did, make sure to use conditioner every time, and as you transition to shampooing less, try experimenting with conditioner-only for those times when you feel you have to do something but have recently shampooed. Conditioner even by itself has a cleaning effect. By following this I've gone from daily shampooing to once a week (sometimes with conditioner only in between) with excellent results.
For straightening, you don't specify what method you're thinking of. For 2" hair, I think that pretty much means a flat iron. I've used it too, and it's been a great tool to reduce frustration during the awkward stage. My hair is wavy in the back and I can get spiral curls along the hairline in the front. Being able to keep these from sticking out at weird angles has helped a lot. Just don't go nuts with the flat iron (Raul could weigh in on this). Dave AR has some excellent advice on judicious use of the flat iron in a post down below.
For color, I think your hair looks nice as-is, but it's your hair, not mine. Most of the damage from coloring happens when you lighten rather than darken, so you should be fine.
Hope that helps,
Chris
Hi Stickeelion,
First of all, let me say you kind of remind me of a young Abraham Lincoln. I must say I think you look great now! And with long hair I know you will look awesome my friend!
Oh yes. I have seen many people with beautiful long hair and was jealous big time! As far as things to avoid, a lot of that will depend on your hair. Some people have to wash their hair more often because of oily scalp etc. You will probably have to experiment with various products to find suitable ones for your hair.
But, when it comes to straightening, I would probably let your hair grow at least to your shoulders. Maybe by that time your hair will be straighter than you think. Of course, this will depend on your goal length. If your hair doesn't lay down at your goal length, then you could straighten. Or you could choose a goal length where the hair appears straighter. Your hair really doesn't appear what I would call "curly".
I think scratching your head hurts the scalp more than anything if done too much. I have read that some people do something called "scritching". You could google that word and see.
But for now, just let your hair grow and show you what it will look like! I believe you will be pleasantly surprised!
Ted