May ´12 Hair Update + Honey Rinse

  So I let my hairdresser cut several inches off my hair. I´m glad that he suggested it -- I got instantly more lift, volume and waves. Having almost waist-length hair is nice, but it does weight everything down. It was more than half a year since I had a hair cut, and this time I felt a bit guilty towards my hairdresser -- he had a lot of work! I resolved to get the next one in four months, like a normal human being.

   This is what my hair looked like after the cut:

    I love my hairdresser´s work, I got lots of texture, volume and movement. (Artistically messy is the look I asked for). But the shampoo did dry out my hair and make it frizz. Time to co-wash!

After one co-wash:

After a month:

after protein treatment and parsley n honey rinse

   Much better! I think I forgot to take off my root-lifting clips for the photo, that´s why the strange thing going on at the top. Also, I realise that the curls go only halfway up my hair -- I probably need to scrunch higher up as well?

   As for my routine, I am continuing with modified co-washing. It goes like this: conditioner on the length of the hair, and a little bit of sulfate-free shampoo on the roots. Rinse out, then condition again, this time scrunching. Dry with a microfibre towel, in scrunching motions. Turban wrap for a few minutes, then us a duck clip to lift the hair on my crown as it air-dries.

    I try to do a protein-treatment at least once a month, and at least once a week I do a herbal or beer rinse / oil conditioning / hair masque.

Honey rinse

   Honey for hair isn´t exactly new, but I though I´d write about it to motivate any of you who haven´t used it yet to try it out. Honey is a humectant so it´s a great moisturiser, and it also gives hold to the hair like hairspray. Except that unlike hairspray it is really easy to remove -- all you need is water. I like to add a spoonful of honey to a herbal rinse (basically a herb steeped in hot water) and use it as a last rinse. I feel that it gives "hold" to my waves and the occasional curl, and doesn´t allow the hair to droop. I used parsley in the photo, if you´d like detailed instructions and ideas there are many in this post on DIY herbal hair rinses.

    How often do you get your hair cut? Do you like your hairdresser? Any advice for hair that curls only on the bottom half?

Conditioner-Only Washing: March 2012 Hair Update

   It's been more than a year that I jumped onto the washing my hair with conditioner bandwagon! I am loving it and my hair is getting better and better. If you're curious, here is the Dec 2011 hair update and the April 2011 hair update. and the There have been a few ups and downs though, I have tweaked my routine and tried out stuff. Here is my routine from the past few months:

* Although I like to use a bit of gentle, SLS-free shampoo on my scalp every other co-washing, I didn't use almost any shampoo at all in the coldest weeks of the winter.

* I usually wash my hair two to three times a week.

* To bring out the wave patterns, I scrunch the conditioner into my hair, and then scrunch the hair again after rinsing out. Sometimes I also plop.

* I have microfibre towels, and I love them for my hair. I feel they are gentler and create less frizz.

* I am currently using Alterra's Pomengranate range for co-washing, mainly because I've been to lazy to make my own conditioner. I like it, but then I haven't much comparison with other products (it's hard to find a silicone and paraben-free conditioner!) I did mistakenly use the Alterra hair masque instead of the conditioner for a while, and wondered why the thing was so sticky...

* I finger-comb my hair when dry, using a natural-bristle brush just for my bangs (I find that bangs look better un-clumped).

* I try to alternate sugar scalp-scrubs, protein treatments, beer rinses, cider-vinegar rinses and oil conditioning. This means that around every second hair wash I'll be doing one of these treatments. The oils I have been using lately are grapeseed oil and extra-virgin olive oil.

* For volume, I clip my roots when my hair is drying after co-washing; and I sleep with my hair tied into a pineapple.


   So what now? I'll be sticking with co-washing, and hopefully soon I'll have fine-tuned my routine. Sometimes my hair acts up and I don't know what it wants, in such cases I usually try cider-vinegar rinses or protein treatments -- or wearing a crocheted beret. I'm hoping to get to the bottom of these hair-tantrums!
  I am trying out way to re-vitalise my waves on the second day, testing out DIY sprays and stuff like that.  So far I haven't found anything I'm crazy about.  If I find the perfect thing, I'll be a happy girl. Got any tips for me? I can't use the famous lavender curls revitaliser because I've got low blood pressure.


   How is your hair routine going? Have you made any recent discoveries? Do share!


PS  I did do a back-shot like in the past hair updates, but I underestimated how weird wet hair looks on photos.

Conditioner-Only Washing: Dec 2011 Hair Update

cucumber-seed oil treatment, modified co-wash, beer as last rinse

   It's been almost a year since I have started conditioner-only washing. Remember my April update? I am happy the changes in my hair: the curls are climbing higher up, the hair looks shinier and more moisturised and most important of all frizz is minimal. The photo is starting to look similar to those on naturallycurly I have been drooling at! It's hard to believe, because a couple of years back my hair was one of the features I disliked most about my body.

As a reminder, here is my "old" hair:

   Here is how my hair care routine has evolved since last spring:

Modified co-washing:

    After months of experimenting with pure conditioner-only washing, I switched to modified co-washing. Like most wavies I need a bit of gentle shampoo in my roots, once or twice a week. This keeps my roots fresh and creates more volume.
    Most of my hair doesn't get shampooed, ever. I even use shampoo on my roots while the rest of my hair is already covered with conditioner, so that the conditioner will keep the shampoo away from my ends when I rinse.

Conditioner:

     I still make my own conditioner but I completely skip the oil phase -- I leave out the part where you melt Cetyl Alcohol etc. Since I am not shampooing, an oil-free conditioner is much lighter. I still need to tweak the formula --- something in there is too sticky.
     Meanwhile I have been trying out the Granatapfel and Aloe Vera Haarkur from Alterra (Rossman). It's a masque treatment so it's richer than a regular conditioner, and my hair loves it.

Scrunching and Plopping:

     I scrunch the conditioner into my hair with my palms, and I also plop almost every time after washing. This makes the hair clump together and form curls. You can read about these techniques and more here.

Hair treatments:

     I love my newest discovery which is grape-seed oil --- I use it an hour before washing, and it conditions the hair really well. I try to remember to do a protein treatments once a month. I still use flax-seed gel as a leave-in, but I don't depend on it so heavily anymore: my hair is moisturised enough to look good without it.
 

     My hair plan for 2012? To try out other conditioners and masques. To be more consistent with oil and protein. Oh, and to actually do these updos. Umm.... I'm stuck for more ideas. Anything I should try? I'd love suggestions!

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Conditioner-Only Washing: April 2011 Hair Update

    I know it´s May, but I´ve been meaning to post this since a while.


   So I started co-washing because I´ve always wanted curls. My hair had wave-potential, depending on cut and weather:

Old hair, before co-washing

   

   After I started co-washing, my hair started curling from bottom up, bit by bit. It was also more moisturised and frizz was down. But after a while my hair was a strange combination of dry and oily.  It got limp. All the (affordable) silicone-free and paraben-free conditioners that I could find here in Germany had alcohol denat and oils (and often glycerin) at the top of the ingredient list. 

    Here is my hair, on a particularly bad hair day (co-washing with an Alverde conditioner, and flax-seed gel as leave-in):

Beginning of co-washing, over a month ago

    If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know what I do when I can´t find the cosmetic I want: I make it. Making a conditioner was not as brainy as it sounds:  I used ingredients and recipe from Hobbythek. (The recipe isn´t online, it´s from one of the books). (For readers not from Germany, try looking for an online "make your own cosmetics" store). 

     The conditioner has just a teeny amount of oil, and contains a very gentle surfactant. I added Panthenol and Aloe Vera for moisture, some silk protein and a bit of essential oils.

         This was my first wash with it (flax-seed gel as leave-in):

Co-washing with Hobbythek conditioner

      I love the way the hair is separating into "clumps", and every clump is developing its curl. Also: shininess ahoy ! What I´m not happy with is the flatness at the roots. I might go modified CG (shampooing just the roots every now & then) if things don´t improve there.

     Since then I am experimenting with scrunching, toweling with an old T-shirt and other techniques I picked up from the NaturallyCurly forums. I´ll share my results in my next update.

Photos by Eternal*Voyageur    

My notes on surviving the adjustment period of conditioner-only washing

I have been co-washing since a month. Right now the adjustment period is coming to an end. My hair stopped being lank and heavy, and is starting to curl, from the bottom up -- a little higher every week !

Anyway, during the adjustment period I spent ages searching for what I could be going wrong. I made these notes, and I thought to share them here:


* Scrub, scrub, really scrub the scalp while washing.

* Re-check all hair products for silicones.

* Clarify with baking soda + conditioner. Follow with apple cider vinegar rinse.

* Try alternating conditioner washes with water-only washes.

* Wavies may need to shampoo with a sulfate-free shampoo every now and then.

* Try a protein treatment, to give the hair strength to stay up.

* Regularly drool over this thread (note, you may have to register to see pics. But it's totally worth it.)

* Remember that the adjustment period is only temporary !

Source: Naturally Curly forum


   I must say that Inaeorf's comment helped my survive. I kept on telling myself: it's just 6 weeks, I can do this !

Image by  ~the-wild-rover on deviantART

Plopping for curls, using grips

This grip also works

Plopping is a way of enhancing waves and curls by drying the hair plopped on top of the head. The basic plopping method is described here, so I won't repeat it. What I would like to share with you guys is an alternative way to plop, without a cloth.

The advantages of using a hair grip over a towel / T-shirt is: it's easier, you have more control and you can leave it on till the hair is completely dry (it also dries faster than under a towel).

Grab your hair.

My hair looks weird because it's literally been dunked in flaxseed gel.

 Pile it on top of your head.

Piling it randomly rather than making an elaborate bun allows the hair to follow it's natural twists.

Secure with a grip:

And let dry !

No after photos, because my hair is going through a conditioner-washing hard adjustment phase, and it's rather heavy and limp at the moment. Let it suffice that the flaxseed gel together with plopping gives me lift, body and delicious waves.

I sometimes plop after scrunching flaxseed gel into dry hair. The gel feels a bit stiff when applied on dry hair, but then I discovered that showering with plopped, gelled hair makes softens it. 

    

How does Conditioner-Only Washing work ?

So if you co-wash, are you actually cleaning the hair, or just layering conditioning ingredients ? Conditioners contain no detergents, so how can they clean ?

Emuslifiers clean too:
  The emulsifiers in the conditioner help the water connect with oil-based dirt. The scalp massage helps with the process. So you can compare co-washing to washing with an extra gentle shampoo. Or to cleansing the skin with cosmetic milk instead of a gel.

Do you need detergents ?
   If you are not using hair products with sticky silicones you might not need detergents. If you have a dry scalp, it doesn´t produce much sebum, so a very gentle cleanser is enough. If you have an oily scalp or if you have dandruff, your scalp might actually calm down if you remove detergents from your hair-care routine. Sulphate based detergents (SLES, SLS etc) are often so aggressive that the skin responds by over-producing sebum.

Product build-up:
   Back to the silicones: if you co-wash, you need to avoid the more "sticky" silicons in your styling products, as well as oils, proteins and petroleum; since these will cause product build-up if not cleansed with strong detergents. These products form a nasty circle together with the harsh detergents.
  Before starting CO-washing you need to clarify your hair of old product build-up. More on that in the next post !


Read also:

• Choosing the right product for Conditioner-Only Washing
• Should you try Conditioner Only Washing ? 

Should you try Conditioner Only Washing ?

CO washing is especially recommended for these hair types:


* For curlies
           because detergents dry them out and create frizz. Very highly recommended for tight, kinky curls.

* For wannabe-curlies
           that´s people with wavy hair which can be almost straight or curly depending on the weather, the mood and factor x. Because detergents kill curls.

* For anyone with dry hair
              especially for those with dry ends. Because detergents dry it out even more.

* For oily hair 
             where the oilines is caused by harsh detergents. Ingredients like SLS irritate and dry out the skin, making it produce too much oil. Often switching to conditioner-only washing calms down the skin and brings the oil production to normal.

* For dandruff
                  if it´s the skin´s reaction to harsh detergents.


     Of course everyone´s hair is different and you won´t know if this method works for your hair until you try !

  
     Remember that you need at least 2 weeks for the hair and skin to adjust to this new washing method. Choosing the right conditioner is key ! More on this in tomorrow´s post.

    

Use conditioner as shampoo

To treat dandruff, oily or dry hair, try using a hair conditioner as shampoo. No, don't close this window yet. Just any conditioner won't do. To get it right, read on.

What kind of conditioner ? 

• Zero film formers (ingredients causing product buildup): silicon, polyquaternium, glycerin or liquid paraffin.
• A short & simple ingredient list
• Preferably with glyceryl cocoate, then it works like a gentle shampoo.
• Preferably cheap, since you need to use quite a bit each time.

This is very important, because if you choose the wrong type of conditioner then you'll just get heavy and oily hair.
Tip: a simple way to test your conditioner for "lightness" is dabbing a little on your fingertips, rubbing, placing them under water. If the conditioner washes of instantly, without slickness, then it's probably light enough to use instead of a shampoo !

How to ? 

  The author of this method recommends applying the conditioner on wet hair, and massaging it slowly into the scalp, for a long time. Then, leave it on the hair for a bit.

First time tips:

   Before doing this for the first time, clean your hair thoroughly of silicon and other buildup (unless you have been avoiding that). To do this, the author of the method recommends adding refined soda to the shampoo, and finally rinsing with a solution of vinegar or lemon juice in water. You can also add aspirin dissolved in water (it also nicely massages the scalp).

The first few times washing your hair with a conditioner will bring disappointment, because the scalp is used to harsher products. But after a few washes, the scalp should normalize itself and your dandruff should go away.

How does it work ? 

    Shampoos, especially those with SLS can often be too aggressive.
Dandruff is often just the reaction of very sensitive scalp skin to the chemicals in shampoos.
The harsh cleansing agents can further aggravate the dryness of a dry scalp.
When it comes to oily hair, harsh detergents stimulate the pores to produce more sebum !

Remember, to use this treatment you need to avoid the more "sticky" silicons in your styling products.


♥ More info at the long hair community !
Sources: motowngirl, Laboratorium Urody

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur