Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Does anyone else have problems with dry hair?  And what do you do about it?

My hair used to be really oily but now it dries out, seemingly overnight.  What I have done so far is stopped using shampoo, 21 days now.  I do use conditioner a couple of times a week.  I also started using oil treatments one or twice a week this week.  Once with coconut oil and once with olive oil.  I've been using Argan oil in it for a few months daily.  I have also turned the hair dryer to med heat.

I haven't cut it in 13 months so right now it's about jaw length on the sides and longer in the back. 

Am I on the right track here with hair care?  Is there anything else to do to keep it from being so dry?


Sapere Aude

A few month ago, I ordered a bunch of hair treatment contained in a small vial, and applied it after shampooing, leaving it on my hair for about 5 min, then rinsing. My hair became noticeably neat just after the first day. The product is available only in my country (S. Korea), but you may find similar products in your country. For example: http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/best-hair-treatments

I have not tried homemade DIY methods, but you may try these too:
http://helloglow.co/homemade-hair-treatments/

barbie~~

Conditioners are not all the same. I have extremely oily hair and I need to shampoo often with a conditioning shampoo for oily hair. I would suggest you visit a beauty supply store and ask for a product that will solve your problem. It's worth the few extra dollars you will pay for a product that works for you.

About 2 months ago, I went to a nearby hair salon to get new hair style with hair treatment. I paid a total of ca. US$ 300, which was quite expensive at the standard here. And the hair dresser tried to show that I did not waste my money by saying some tips for hair care. One of them was applying hair treatment after shampooing.

Yes. He was right. I do not need to visit that hair salon again. I could purchase hair treatments for 1 month at just US$ 7 from the internet store.

barbie~~

 Use a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner the detergent action is a lot milder and does not strip your hair of as much of its oils. It doesn't foam up or lather like shampoos with sulfates, unless your hair is super dirty or greasy there is no need for the harsh detergents in shampoo with sulfates. Its also is gentler on hair that is colored or treated.

-look for organic products which nourish the hair
-do not use a hot blow dryer directly on your hair. Best way imo is to dry it with a towel, wrap it in a towel and wait some time.
Second best is to always have a hand where the dryer blows so too hot temperatures are recognized immediately.

-imo its not necessary to use shampoo every time. Only rinsing for times might be a good idea.

-try brewers yeast supplement for hair care (cereful if you use meds against depression ... ask a doc then). There are other supplements which contain biotin. I'd also suggest organic.

-healthy food might also help, avoiding fast foods and high sugar drinks, eating enough fruit and vegetables . Maybe adding avocado oil to diet, its supposed to be healthy.


hugs

Quote from: Stevie on January 31, 2016, 01:15:42 PM
Use a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner the detergent action is a lot milder and does not strip your hair of as much of its oils. It doesn't foam up or lather like shampoos with sulfates, unless your hair is super dirty or greasy there is no need for the harsh detergents in shampoo with sulfates. Its also is gentler on hair that is colored or treated.

My hairstylist recommends using sulfate free products, going 2-3 days between shampoos, using a leave in conditioner, using thermal protectant products for blow drying and hot tools, and having my hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks to keep the ends healthy and neat even if I am growing it out.

Try coconut oil. I have a friend that uses it on her hair, and swears by it.

Quote from: Deborah on January 31, 2016, 11:31:02 AM
Does anyone else have problems with dry hair?  And what do you do about it?

My hair used to be really oily but now it dries out, seemingly overnight.  What I have done so far is stopped using shampoo, 21 days now.  I do use conditioner a couple of times a week.  I also started using oil treatments one or twice a week this week.  Once with coconut oil and once with olive oil.  I've been using Argan oil in it for a few months daily.  I have also turned the hair dryer to med heat.

I haven't cut it in 13 months so right now it's about jaw length on the sides and longer in the back. 

Am I on the right track here with hair care?  Is there anything else to do to keep it from being so dry?


Sapere Aude

It's always healthier if you let someone cut it. I let mine get really long, but it was raggedy and felt like straw. With a trim every month or two it's much smoother now. I shampoo and condition twice a week.

Hugs, Devlyn

Quote from: FTMax on January 31, 2016, 01:48:42 PM
Try coconut oil. I have a friend that uses it on her hair, and swears by it.

Second that. Unlike most oils, coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft to some degree. It's the best treatment I've found for my hair when it gets really dry...

Quote from: FTMax on January 31, 2016, 01:48:42 PM
Try coconut oil.

Find the liquid one, not the solid. It's easier to use and less gritty.

My girlfriend also likes to use Almond oil.

Another big vote for coconut oil. You can warm the solid stuff as it is cheaper if you want.

not only did my skin dry out with HRT but hair did as well and this was the key. Now i get compliments on my hair.

Back in the '90s when I had elbow-length hair the ends tended to get pretty dry so did frequent oil treatments, but I think what helped the most was using Infusium 23 spray-on leave-in condition after shampooing.

Currently, though, my hair is well below shoulder length and looks amazingly good, I think, by doing as little as possible to it. While our skin needs a bit of cleansing now and then, hair itself doesn't need to be greatly washed unless it's seriously dirty. For the most part hair can be cleaned quite well by a good brushing. I only use a light shampoo about once a month. A couple of times a week in the shower I rub my scalp with baking soda, followed by an apple cider rinse. When I first tried this "no wash" thing I had my doubts, but it works once your skin and hair get used to it.

I believe our society has been thoroughly brainwashed to believe they need to constantly pour pricey potions on their hair to make it look good, when nature does a pretty good job on it's own. I think the biggest cause of hair dryness and other problem are the hair products themselves.

Do you know why most wig makers prefer to use human hair from third world countries? It's not because the hair is cheaper. It's because the people there haven't been ruining their hair with chemical filled shampoos, conditioners and styling products.

A hair dresser recommended me to shampoo everyday, even twice per day, because my hair is so much oily. I tend to follow her advice.

barbie~~

Well, today is 25 days since soap last touched my hair.  Even oiling it every evening does not leave it greasy the next day after a water rinse.  And, no critters have yet taken up residence on my head.  LOL


Sapere Aude

I use suave shampoo and conditioner and my hair is fine..as you can see in my profile pic

Using oil on your hair seems to be popular but a word of warning. If you are going to have a perm or color your hair, oiling your hair isn't a good idea. If you have done it, warn the person doing your hair because without proper cleaning, the treatment may not take.

Thank you for that warning.  I have been coloring it myself every few months so the next time I'll watch out for that.


Sapere Aude

Dry hair has been my bane. Well, one of them at least :p I just can't find a leave-in conditioner that works well with my hair. It's either so light it doesn't do anything, or it makes my hair sticky and weird.

So far I went from shampooing daily when I had short hair, to every other day, and now I'm down to once a week. And of course as soon as I wash it it takes like 2 days for it to get half way decent again. I might just avoid shampooing completely, I was just worried it might start smelling bad and I'd not notice. I know having long hair captures and lets you disperse a lot of pheremones on demand, but that's another story I guess.

I've been going for like 6+ months between trims too, and over the last two weeks the ends were getting tangled so bad I did a LOT of damage. I just had a trim yesterday and now I can actually run a comb or brush through my hair with ease. It seems counter-intuitive, but I've read over and over again you'll get more length by getting it trimmed regularly, and I guess I had to learn that one the hard way.

I think coconut oil is the next thing I'll try. Good tips in this thread :)

One thing I have noticed the past few weeks after having stopped using shampoo four weeks ago is that I'm having much much less hair breakage than before.  I used to get a fair amount when brushing it.  Now there is virtually none.

I've started washing it once a week with baking soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar and then rinsing it all out with cold water.  The rest of the week it's just a water rinse in the shower.

I'm not really getting tangles although my hair curls at the bottom of the back.  I wish it was straight.


Sapere Aude

I have curly hair that's also dry  I had tried using the no shampoo and using baking soda and apple cider vinegar and while it did eliminate the dandruff that I was always getting, my hair got extremely dry. 
So then I  added a conditioner. I just washed it with water  and condition every time.  Thus worked pretty well,  but I had to use frizz ease to tame it. 
This lead to silicon buildup though and made me worried about what I was doing to my hair.
So the latest experiment is with deva curl products.  I still need to purchase a styling gel or spray to control the frizz.  I'm just using a little conditioner right now as a leave in to tame frizz in the meantime.   
Now if I could just get a decent cut.

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I had the exact same problem. Blow drying would remove the inner moisture of the hair weather any temperature used unless used with a diffuser. Applying coconut/argan oil AFTER blow drying it will help restore moisture into the hair and roots. I love organix's aragn penetrating oil not once has my hair dried after a use with that gem ;D. Try to towel dry when able to, to lock in more moisture. 

Try heating the olive oil and using a damp heated towel to wrap it. The moist heat helps it infiltrate the hair shaft

So, I've gone 74 days without shampoo now and don't really have a dryness problem anymore.  I do have to spend a few extra minutes each morning combing out the lice though.  LOL

Just kidding about the lice.  The no shampoo trick seems to work with me and I don't think I'll ever use it again.


Sapere Aude

Is the it amazing how not using a the products for your hair makes your hair better.
I had dandruff that was pretty bad and I used head and shoulders all the time.  Since I stopped using normal shampoo, I haven't had a problem.

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If I go without shampoo or conditioners my hair gets so oily you can wring the oil out and it gets so nappy you can't so a thing with it.

I use a conditioner and a vinegar rinse two or three times a week and rinse it with water every day.  I wash with baking soda once a week and use an after shower hair cream on the ends.  It never gets oily and doesn't really dry out either so it's all working pretty well.


Sapere Aude

I always use argon oil if my hairs looking dry, though not sure how it goes with curly hair

I have unbelievably dry curly hair. My hair could look perfectly fine and healthy and within seconds of touching humidity, I turn into a Chia pet. Pony tails and headbands are the only thing that saves me in humidity. While I haven't tried going for extended periods of time without shampoo, I do only use it on Sundays. I use conditioner every day. I also only "brush" with a pick and only when my hair is damp. I also always have to use an extra strength product to keep it in place and even then, it won't hold all day.

Perhaps try the deva curl no poo shampoo. You can still clean your hair but it doesn't strip away your natural oils.
For those of us with curly hair, I recommend checking out the curly girl method. I haven't read the book, but I've just used the basics I've found on line.
My hair has been much better since I gave up normal shampoo.
Now I just have to work up the courage to give myself a haircut. Or find someone that can actually cut curly hair well.
Good luck
Stevie

If you use any amount of hairspray, use a handfull of baking soda to get it out of your hair. Leaves your hair soft too.

My hair was getting really try and frizzy. I wet it and saturated it with conditioner and baby oil, then wrapped a plastic bag around my head and went to bed. When I got up I washed it. It's looked great ever since.

I also use the Garnier Fructis antifrizz shampoo and a good conditioner.


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Be careful about DIY hair treatments. One time my beautician was doing a chemical treatment on a clients hair and it wasn't taking like it should. After a little discussion she found her client was depressed and didn't have any money so to treat herself, she treated her hair with Olive Oil. Had my beautician been aware of this, she could have stripped the oil before treatment but at that point, it was a bit late.

If you wash your hair it removes the oil. It's not rocket science. Most conditioners are just oil and fat. Just keep your hair moisturized and make sure you drink enough water. 


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This will be helpful?

http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/best-hair-treatments

barbie~~