Hi username and congratulations on your new baby!
In reading this thread and another where you described your hair, it seems like you want a routine that:
1. thickens thinning temples
2. moisturizes dry hair
3. moisturizes dry scalp
4. decreases shrinkage
5. is not complicated
Some stuff I noticed about your current routine:
1. conditioner wash with Suave
2. use regular shampoo every couple of weeks
3. brush wet, conditioned hair
4. trim sporadically
5. use sweet almond or olive oil to combat drying effects of winter weather
6. style hair in two braids
Hmmmm....
Let me help you out with the dry hair and dry scalp.
I do conditioner washes too, about 3-5 times weekly with
Suave Tropical Coconut. My dry hair and scalp problems have improved immensely since giving up traditional shampooing in October!
My conditioner washes differ from yours in that I use a mixture of baking soda and water or I use diluted Johnsons Baby shampoo if I think I need a deep cleanse. Some other ladies prefer a mix of lemon juice and conditioner to cleanse their hair and/or scalp. The main point of these shampoo alternatives is that they are much less drying to your hair and scalp than full strength shampoo but clean just as well.
After "washing", I use
Elucence Moisture Balancing conditioner. I like it's ability to soften my hair and allow me to easily comb through my wet hair (this type of conditioning effect is sometimes called "slip"). I also like this conditioner because I can still feel it effects even after a couple of days without doing a conditioner wash. I'm searching for a cheap and readily available alternative though because I can only buy Elucence online. No salon in my area carries it.
I noticed you wrote that you
brush your conditioner through your hair. I don't think I could ever brush my wet hair no matter what brand of conditioner or type of brush I used. I'm scared too many strands would be ripped out of my head. Eeeeek! Instead, I use a wide tooth, seamless, plastic comb to work the Elucence through my hair. Have you tried using a similar comb on your wet hair? How does your hair feel after you brush it while wet? Have you noticed a lot of shedding while brushing?
My next step after combing/detangling with Elucence is to put a conditioning cap on and leave on overnight if I'm going to bed then squeeze out any excess in the morning and style. If I'm going some place, I go ahead and style my hair in the shower using the mirror and other tools I've positioned on the shelf of my shower caddy. I'm pitiful! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Notice I don't rinse any of my final conditioner out. This has been one of the changes I've made and I think leaving more of the conditioner in has helped. I towel blot and/or blow dry my finished style on cool to eliminate the drippies or excess conditioner residue.
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Hold on a sec...must...breathe...must...stretch...fingers (I'm not used to typing this many words. Long time hairboard surfers can testify to this.) /images/graemlins/grin.gif</font color>
You wrote that you like to use oils to help with dryness. Are you applying these oils on wet or dry hair? Sometimes, I smooth a little olive oil on my wet hair after applying my Elucence. It helps to hold the moisture in my hair and reduces my frizzies slightly. If I were to apply it to dry hair, the oil would act as a barrier to moisture and create the problem I'm trying to get rid of. Also, because I apply my olive oil to wet hair, my hair doesn't feel greasy. I like having touchable hair! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Okaaaay. I'm gonna let you marinate on what I've posted so far, username. There's more stuff I want to add and more questions I want to ask you but it's late and I don't want to write an incoherent post.
I'll come back to this thread tomorrow. In the meantime, check out out these other popular haircare sites:
Nappturality's Women on the Web
www.nappturality.com
MotownGrl
www.naturallycurly.com
