A few days back, I wrote about my plans to drastically cut down on how often I wash my hair, or even stop entirely until I could tie it back. Reasoning: Washing=Poofiness; Natural oils help keep hair in place. Well, I lasted about a week altogether. (Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time.)
LucksKind was the first one to point out that my idea was - uh - what's the word? - stupid? He also made the best point saying that the oil could start to irritate my scalp and cause itchiness. I'm not sure if it was psychosomatic, but it did start to get a little itchy.
Basically it's that I love the way my hair feels after I wash it (and it's still wet) but I hate the way the poofiness makes it look. And I like the way my hair looks after a few shampooless days, but I hate the way it feels, and the fact that I can't run my fingers through my hair without them feeling like I've been massaging a pizza. But I guess that's what the akward stage is all about. Fighting a lose-lose battle with your own hair.
I was washing with shampoo once a week, and water half way through the week. It was helping it stay down, which is why i did it but i also got frizzyness and it curled more. So now ive started washing every other day whch is great. I just make sure i dry my hair with a hairdryer whilst combing, and in the mornings i brush my hair, then put a wooly hat on for 15 mins which helps suck it in to my head more.
The thing thats starting to annoy me now is the upward curl i get on the bottom of my hair.
Yea I do the hat thing to, all night and then in the morning. Please tell me this is only in the awkward stage though, there is no way I'm wearing a hat to bed and then in the morning the rest of my life.
Im pretty sure it is, as i needed to mess with my hair a lot more to get it down a few months back, and is much better now.
Just gotta keep going through the bad times untill you get to the good!
it is VERY important to use a good conditioner (like Aussie Moist)
after you shampoo to get that NICE silky, tangle-free feeling.
Then (especially if you have thick or coarse hair, etc.) you will
need some kind of gel or something to "manage" your hair just a bit
at least until you are OUT of the AwkwardStage...
Good luck
You could try a leave in conditioner... My sister bought me a range of haircair things for xmas, including several leave in conditioners. I've only been using one so far, but i really like the results. For most of the day, my hair looks really good. All the ones i have are meant to be applied just after you've washed your hair, so you'd have to rely on the natural oil/greasiness to sort it out on days that you don't wash it.
My hair is shoulder length, but very frizzy, and puffs out to the point that i don't wear it down very much. The leave in conditioner tends to make it curl a bit more, however it doesn't puff out. I used to wash my hair every/most days, and since i always wore a ponytail the dryness didn't bother me. Now all i want is to be able to wear my hair down, so i've been washing it once a week for the past couple of months. Whilst it is more managable, i'm having dandruff problems, so i've decided i'm going to try twice a week now. The look the conditoner gives isn't too disimilar to what brill cream would do, however it's not greasy, and it seems to wear off by the end of the day :)
Genius idea, stop washing your hair. The ladies will love you.