Getting to know your hair care needs for real challange

[s_terry]

I don't know about ya'll, but I am realizing that I have a tendency to pick up the latest pj scheme based on what is posted here.

My revelation: I really know my hair no better now than I did a year or two ago! So I ask myself, why am I just now figuring out, after all this time, that I am mostly 4b with some 4a in the nape? I really don't know if my hair at certain times need more moisture, protien, is better with straightening, or if my splits are due to bunning wet, the way I comb ?..I can go on.

I buy things because people say they work for them. Not because I know for a fact it works for me! Are you guilty?

So I propose a challenge. It's called operation

" I am uniquely me":

I am really going to find out what works for my hair.What my hair feels like when I need protein vs moisture and if a product is truly helping my hair.

I want you ladies to help me compile a series of test. Here are a couple I can think of.

I think the place to start is with freshly clarified hair with no product. Airdryed. Of course this only for a test. You can then do what you normally do once your test is complete.

1. Pick a quiet place where you can "feel" your hair. No outside distractions or mirrors. Almost like meditation.

What does it feel like? Rough? Brittle? Dry? Moist? Flyaway?
How smooth is your hair as you move your fingers over the strands.

How does the hair closest to your scalp feel vs your ends?
When you bend you hair in your hands does it fall back immediately or stay in the crunched position?

Now get a couple of strands to test and stretch it. What does it do? Does it snap? Does it stretch? How much force before a snap?

Do the water test. What happens. Does it float or does it sink?

The reason I say no product, is because I think that all the products we use may mask what is really going on. Maybe what you are doing seems to work for you, but can you make it even better by really knowing what your hair really needs at any given point? How do you know the difference? Does it take a catastrophe for you to respond? All of a sudden it's breaking and you try this and that until it stops? How far back is this setting you in your hair goals when you could have headed it off to the pass?

After these results. Maybe we can try the same processes after a moisturizing routine. Has any of the above test/conditions improved? Stayed the same? What about protien? Do the same? What about several products you use to accomplish the same thing. Does one seem to make it better more than the other?


Oils and conditioners make hair slick as they are supposed too, but are you doing all you can to optimize your growth goals?

What do you ladies think?

 

[FoxyCurls]

I'm definately going to do this. I'm washing my hair tomorrow. I'll have to go out and get a clarifying shampoo.

 

[TheNewFine]

I've often wondered along the same lines. If I baggy overnight, pre-poo, henna, poo, con, oil rinse, dc and and add leave-ins and seal, how do I know which step and which product is really working and which can be eliminated?

I am trying to scientifically determine what is giving me good results, great results, no results or just bad for my hair.

It would save me lots of time and money if I could isolate the best things for my hair and leave all the so-so and not so hot steps out.

One thing I'm starting to do is take notes in a journal. What steps did I take, what products did I use and what were the results. Sometimes I start off with a plan and then when I don't get just the right result, I start adding stuff until I don't know what I put on my hair and what is causing which effect.

Now if I use a product and I know I don't like it, I throw it away right away. If it doesn't work, it just doesn't work, no matter how much I spent on it or how long it stays in the back of my cabinet.

 

[s_terry]

Cool! I am have already started and am waiting for my hair to airdry. I am going to do the test tomorrow and will post my results here.


Foxy, please post what you find. I am curious if what we find might suprise us.

ValleyVal, you mentioned a "scientific" approach in determing what works for you. How are you planning to do this? Maybe we can incorporate some of you methodolgy to determine where we are?


I know it's more than the two of us that do this, but hey maybe it will help someone if they try it. It's ridiculous how many products I have. I have spent and continue to spend a lot of money.

Anyone else have any additional ideas please put it out there.

 

[TheNewFine]

By scientific, I mean trying to isolate the effects of each product. For example,
1. What is my hair like if I just wash with shampoo and condition? A+ B
2. Next time, shampoo, condition and oil rinse. A+B+C
3. Poo, con, oil rinse and leave-in A+B+C+D...and so on

I'll continue along this line until I determine at what point are there diminishing returns, meaning no additional benefit by adding more steps or products. Also by writing down what I used, how much and in what order I'll start to have some idea of what is working and in what combination. Otherwise, I'll never figure out what I'm doing!

 

[s_terry]

You go girl! I am going to start journaling too. This is an excellent idea. Don't forget to let us know what you come up with/results.

 

[missty1029]

I think this is so excellent!!

I too struggle to really understand my hair and both the wants and the needs. I never paid so much attention to how my hair reacts to something before. So I would jump on what works for someone else, what my stylist would tell me, or what I was comfortable with because it was what I always used.
Funny I Was talking to my sister and my niece. I am mixed but they are both white. We were talking about conditioners. I have gotten slack from my folks about using Pantene cause its not for "us". But when I talked to me sister and niece they gave me different perspectives. My sister said it was to heavy for her My niece likes it but has to use it sparingly cause it can make her hair greasy. I love it because my hair needs all the thickness I can get from a conditioner. I say this all to say that yea its about the product but its so much about how that products works for your individual needs.
People compliment my length which after coming here is not that long, but I want healthy shiny bouncy hair! So thats my focus. Yes I want it long but its not worth if its all dried up.

 

[choconillaprincess]

Ooh! I wanna join too!

this'll be my first challenge... seems like a good start...

Only problem is i just moved to a new city for college & we have hard water... so no matter what my hair is all dried out & gross... i dunno how to deal with it... i don't think i'll get true results

any suggestions?

Oh & that's an awesum idea to keep a journal! i think i'll try that too!

 

[s_terry]

choconilla, I am assuming you are in a dorm? If so, that's a tuff one. If not, you have to get a water filter for the shower. You can get a decent one for like 40.00.

I'm still a little wet in the middle of my head. Expect an update later tonight for my results of the test.

It's nice to see I am not the only one struggling with this.

 

[s_terry]

More experienced ladies, help us out. What are things we can do that might help us really determine what is helping our hair the most? What are the tell-tell signs for you?

 

[chichibean]

Ooh! I wanna join too!

this'll be my first challenge... seems like a good start...

Only problem is i just moved to a new city for college & we have hard water... so no matter what my hair is all dried out & gross... i dunno how to deal with it... i don't think i'll get true results

any suggestions?

Oh & that's an awesum idea to keep a journal! i think i'll try that too!

Hey Choconillaprincess... I had the exact same problems... I have really hard water where I am. I have started using a Chelating shampoo (Redken Hair Cleanser) and it removes all the mineral deposits from my hair. It has made an amazing difference.
And I think isolation and recording are great ways to get to know your hair. I am definately in!

 

[s_terry]

Ok ya'll here is what I got.


1. I realized that my recent texlax has straightened more at the root than the rest of my hair. Not by much but I am noticing.I am hoping this won't cause a problem.


2. My hair dried in a big poof.

3. I just cut about an inch off. My splits stood out like a red banner like "here I is"!!! It had to be done. It has offically put me just above brastrap

4. My hair was soft. Not silky of course, but soft. It did have a little crunch to it when pressing between my hands, but not too bad (dryness). I do have a sheen to my hair more so closer to the scalp then on the ends. The older texted hair seems to dry quicker and is not as sheeny.

5. The stretch test. I noticed if I pulled from both ends it didn't take long to snap at all. Then I started to think on my head, the stretch would come from one direction. I did get what I think should be a somewhat reasonable amount of stretch before the hair broke.

6. I have got to find out what in the heck is causing these splits. No more wet bunning. I am just soooo use to it and it's easy, but something is setting me back and it's not heat cause I seldom use it.

7. My hair floated. Good Sign. Almost seemed like it wouldn't take water at all. I had to use my finger to dunk it a couple of times before I thought the haor was actually wet. I wonder if that is bad or good?

8. Smoothness of strand. On dried hair, there was some squeak. Not sure what that means. It was a smoother glide on wet hair. I guess that is to be expected though.

9. I can certainly see where the splits start. The hair is thinner, almost as if the the hair was cut in half. Weaker too.

I have got to get a handle on the splits. It seems like I had been sitting at bra strap for a minute with no progress, even without all my work

I promise myself I am going to find out what the heck is causing them.



I have decided to rinse to wet, hot oil treatment and then DC with Salerm Deep Impact. It's supposed to be a very moisturizing conditioner. I will do this for the next couple of weeks and then do my test again to see if I notice any difference. Since I will test with no product, it should give me a better barometer of how well my DC is actually working.

 

[Leslie_C]

By scientific, I mean trying to isolate the effects of each product. For example,
1. What is my hair like if I just wash with shampoo and condition? A+ B
2. Next time, shampoo, condition and oil rinse. A+B+C
3. Poo, con, oil rinse and leave-in A+B+C+D...and so on

I'll continue along this line until I determine at what point are there diminishing returns, meaning no additional benefit by adding more steps or products. Also by writing down what I used, how much and in what order I'll start to have some idea of what is working and in what combination. Otherwise, I'll never figure out what I'm doing!

I reallly like this idea and Im going to do something similar. Will u be trying number one with various products each time or will u do one two and three with the same products, then repeat 1,2,3 with a different set? I have several poos and conditioners.

 

[TheNewFine]

I reallly like this idea and Im going to do something similar. Will u be trying number one with various products each time or will u do one two and three with the same products, then repeat 1,2,3 with a different set? I have several poos and conditioners.

I think for 3 washings, I will keep the products (brand names) exactly the same. Otherwise I won't know what is really working. Then once I've settled on a process, e.g. shampoo, con + dc, then I can fine tune the specific brands. There should only be one variable each time. If everything else remains the same, I can start to isolate what is really working for me.

My ultimate goal is to only use one poo (the best one for my hair), one con, one dc, one oil, one leave-in, one finishing product, etc. I'll consistently use these and then if I want to try a new product, I'll only change one category at a time. That way I will know the difference the new product is causing.

The journaling is helping already. I've been doing it for about a month. I keep a journal that I got a Michael's on my nightstand. Usually before I go to bed, I write down, in shorthand, what I did to my hair and the results. When I flip back, I can see what worked in the past that I may have gotten away from doing and start doing it again.