# Healthy Hair



## Laney (Feb 20, 2012)

This is such a complicated topic, I'm not sure where to begin!

I have curly hair and have spent most of my life ruining it with dyes, hot irons and chemical relaxers. But now I'm at a place where I really want to embrace the curl and help to undo all those years of damage. 

So my question to you is, how do you care for your hair? Are there any special routines, oils, or diets to get long, strong hair?


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

Don't wash it every day, and take 'hair skin and nails' vitamins. Helped mine a ton, well, after I stopped treating it with dyes and stuff. Dye kills it.


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## Powder monkey (Jun 1, 2012)

Make your scalp happy. Once your scalp is happy, your hair will start out healthy as it grows.


I actually use this for my hair. COWBOY MAGIC® Detangler & Shine I live in a very dry area, so my hair was just fried. It's improved a lot, now I use it once a week or so. It's nearly identical to that John Freida frizz ease stuff, only without the mineral oil as a filler. You also get a lot more for the same price, and since you only need a tiny bit it lasts a long time. 
You could try their rosewater conditioner too. COWBOY MAGIC® Rosewater Conditioner | Cowboy Magic Skin Care


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## OregonPoppy (Jul 3, 2012)

Hi Laney! I also have curly hair, and was about where you are now about 4 years ago - I quit dying it, straightening it, etc, and started working on making it healthier.

My advice
- wash your hair as rarely as possible. How rarely depends on a bunch of factors - how long your hair is, how curly it is, your climate, etc. When I have my hair down to my shoulders, it gets washed about once a week, and the rest of the time, it gets rinsed out and combed, but no shampoo.
- avoid sulfate-based shampoo if you can - it's a harsher chemical and will strip the good oils out of your hair with the bad ones. The only reason to use sulfate-based shampoo is if your conditioner or hair products contain silicone. Silicone will build up in your hair unless you strip it out with sulfate cleansers.
- use a good salon-quality conditioner
- pick hair products that don't build up or weigh your hair down. See above  I use a mousse most days, or a light gel, either of which work well for me, but YMMV. Keeping my hair hydrated by limiting shampoo and using a good conditioner keeps my hair from frizzing unless the weather is really bad, but the product brings the curls out.

Good luck!


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## Alima (Mar 28, 2010)

I have very curly hair. I used to get it chemically relaxed year after year, and I've dyed it multiple times. My hair is currently down to my mid-back when flat-ironed. I only flat-iron it maybe once or twice a month now. I use Simply U shampoo from Walmart, and I don't use a conditioner. What I use instead is coconut oil. I just run it through my hair, put some at the roots and ends, and it doesn't make my hair crunchy or flat at the top. I've literally battled my curls pretty much my whole life because I couldn't find a product to help my curls stay together and not just be a frizzy lion's mane, and I would spend so much money at salons or online trying to find the "perfect" product when really all I needed was coconut oil.


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## Laney (Feb 20, 2012)

I should really start paying attention to the ingredients in my hair products lol. I *never* shampoo but usually condition once a day. Yesterday I bought an Argon oil wrap lotion but so far my hair feels almost straw like and my curls aren't defined but 'poofy'.


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

Stop using shampoos containing sulfates (SLS, ALS, etc). I would say go without shampoo entirely but that doesn't work for everyone. My hair is naturally very oily and I had to wash it every other day while using regular shampoo. Since switching to natural shampoos (hemp oil, yay!), it's softer, lighter, and MUCH LESS OILY. I only need to wash it every 5 or so days. For less oily hair even once a week works.

*Edit*: Just read your last post. Oops ^_^ Well, my post still applies to others.


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## Noctis (Apr 4, 2012)

Eat fruits and veggies, and vitamins, minerals, use conditioner, let your hair air dry and comb it, when it is dry, use a brush that is not a boar bristle type, as boar bristles will damage your hair.


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## Persephone (Nov 14, 2009)

Sleep. I've been operating on 3-5 hours of sleep this week. Massive hair falling out... All my long hair as well, that I've spent a year trying to grow. I'm getting a little worried.


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## Curiously (Nov 7, 2011)

To add as other posters have provided helpful tips: seaweed. Not sure if you're keen on actually ingesting it, but the edible seaweed that's used in many Korean, Japanese, and Chinese dishes helps with providing healthy hair. My mom makes a seaweed soup - it's delicious and part of my ancestral culture's cuisine, so I grew up eating this like others grew up eating chicken noodle soup - and it's amazing, not just for hair but for the waistline; another factoid: women who've just given birth eat this soup as the seaweed replenishes much of the nutrients they've lost from the birthing process. Maybe you'll be able to find supplements with seaweed extract? It's worth a shot.


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## Laney (Feb 20, 2012)

I've found Argon oil products and other mixes with essential oils in them, and then a knock off leave in conditioner of mixed chicks. 

Seaweed is delicioso ^^


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## SFactor123 (Jul 26, 2012)

I use Lemon and Egg for my hair, Lemon has Vitamin C in it which is very good for hair,and Egg provides essential protein to hair which helps them in growth and makes them healthy and strong. I also use yogurt and Olive oil some times.


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## SnnyYellow (Jun 18, 2010)

Healthy eating+water is the easiest way to have better hair. Foods rich in vitamins, like fruits and veggies, really nourish hair, especially with water. After I actually started drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water per day, I hair already was becoming healthier.
I limit shampoo/conditioner to only twice a weak on Wednesday and Sunday. I find limiting shampoo use is really good for hair as your hair isn't stripped of its natural oils quite as much. Of course, shampooing's really important in cleaning hair so one can't remove it from hair care completely! Also, the amount of time one should shampoo probably depends on the individual's hair. My hair doesn't get oily too quickly, so I can suffice with shampooing twice, but friends of mine shampoo every other day but still aren't over-exposing their hair.
Using hair oil is INCREDIBLY important to good hair. Natural oils return lost nutrients to your hair and can make it stronger, longer, thicker, remove dandruff, and remove split ends. I use Vatika coconut oil, which also contains henna, lemon, etc. which is like a magic potion for good hair! It does all of the previously mentioned functions and is natural! I put it on my hair at night and wash it out the day after. My hair is replenished, shinier, and looks healthier--giving me compliments all day!  (I've also heard that plain yogurt+olive oil on your hair has similar effects!)


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## quadrivium (Nov 6, 2011)

Laney said:


> I've found Argon oil products and other mixes with essential oils in them, and then a knock off leave in conditioner of mixed chicks.
> 
> Seaweed is delicioso ^^


Argan oil has worked miracles for me. It's expensive but it gets the job done.


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## Laney (Feb 20, 2012)

corgiflatmate said:


> Argan oil has worked miracles for me. It's expensive but it gets the job done.


I've noticed my curls have a tighter coil and more definition now.


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## quadrivium (Nov 6, 2011)

Laney said:


> I've noticed my curls have a tighter coil and more definition now.


I have curly hair too. My hair just soaks it up.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

+1 for minimize washing.

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I use jojoba oil on my beard. It keeps it really soft and smooth to a point where I feel wrong _not _using it. It's supposed to be excellent for skin and hair and I have confirmed it. I found it at my local grocery store, maybe it will work for you?


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## Garee (May 2, 2012)

I wash my hair like once every 3 days. However my hair has been very whorish, I used to get it dyed, highlighted often. I stop blow drying and let it towel dried, which helps. I also find how you sleep can affect your hair, I used to tie it up in at night, but since I toss and turn when I sleep, the hair tie actually pulls on my hair and it comes loose when I wake up. So I just sleep with my untied and let it down or whatever.


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## dpt727 (Jul 16, 2012)

I agree, non-sulfate shampoo every 2-3 days and conditioner. I have tried the conditioning cleanser too such as Wen. I always use an oil on my hair, such as argan oil or coconut oil whenever I use the straigher. The heat from the iorn seems to help the oil penetrate into the hair shaft. The oil doesn't just sit on top of my hair. 
Take a good skin-nail-hair vitamin supplement.


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## Mind Swirl (Sep 7, 2011)

I've been testing this method which involves an apple cider vinegar rinse. It's very diluted (a few spoonfuls in water). My hair seems a lot more smooth on the ends and easier to brush. I was so surprised at how it worked. 

You could always try apple cider vinegar every once in a while and see how it works for shine/smoothness (there are some methods online). It is also said it's a mild anti-fungal, that it helps get your scalp's pH level near balanced, and supposed to clarify and reduce buildup from hair products. Another plus: It's cheap.


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## qwertygirl432 (Sep 5, 2012)

I workout alot, and switched to a more natural shampoo because I do have to wash it(I'd like to skip, but dripping wet hair is not possible to live with). I think the only thing I do differently, though, is always rinse in the coldest water possible at the end of the shower to close. I've read it closes up the hair follicles, and protects them from the damage of the hot water. My hair dresser certainly told me last time I had healthy hair.


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## icecream (Nov 22, 2011)

-udos choice oil / flax-linseed oil (the kind made for eating, not for painting) (beauty begins inside  )

-leave in conditioner/hair mask/ oils over night.I learned this at another forum. I used olive oil and sesame seed oil, not much though. The Body Shop had a an really good hair mask, that went out of production :/.


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## fihe (Aug 30, 2012)

I wash my hair each day or else it gets flat and greasy. however, I hardly ever heat style my hair, and it probably wouldn't look bad after not washing it for a day if I had blowdried it after washing it. so although I guess I could heat style my hair in order to prevent more frequent washing, I think that's too much work  I used to put coconut oil in my hair sometimes, then wash it out with shampoo and conditioner. lately I haven't remembered to, but it really does leave my hair feeling very soft.

my current hair routine is just to use shampoo and conditioner, combing the conditioner through my hair in the shower. then afterwards, I use a detangling spray, which I also comb through. then I let my hair air-dry after rubbing it a little with a towel.

some curly-haired women like to do conditioner-only washing (a type of "no-poo" washing). maybe you would like to read into that.


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