I’ve been cursed with naturally thick, coarse, dry curly hair. I hate it. I also fried the hell out of it with repeated dyeing. I’ve stopped washing it so much, because I read several different articles that said Americans wash their hair more than any Western country and all it does is dry it out, people with dry curly hair can go up to a week without washing it, and that sort of thing. So I stopped washing it every day (now I do it about once a week) and it looks much better. But the first couple of days after I wash it, the ends don’t curl (they just get kinky and frizzy) and it generally looks bad until the oils from my scalp work their way through my hair. At the end of the week, though, my scalp’s real itchy. So…
Should I wash my hair less/more?
Are those products out there that claim to repair damaged hair telling the truth?
It sounds like you don’t use conditioner, and it sounds like you need it. Try shampooing twice a week, either with 2-in-1 shampoo or following shampoo with conditioner. You might want to try a leave-in conditioner, if you don’t get good results from rinse-out stuff. And, obviously, avoid shampoo for dry or fine hair.
I condition so much that I will use a family-sized bottle up in about 2 weeks. I condition between shampooing, and I usually leave the conditioner in for a few minutes, wash it out, and put some more in. I use shampoo and conditioner that is especially made more dry damaged hair, but if I shampoo, it seems like it strips my hair of all moisture.
seaworthy, I have a similar problem. My hair is straight, relatively thin but very dense, and it’s dry and stringy.
The best cure I’ve found so far is olive oil, extra virgin. Make sure your hair is completely dry, then apply a small blob (about half an inch in diameter, less/more depending on hair length) amount evenly. This softens the hair and gives it a nice, healthy shiny that does not look oily (unless you used way too much olive oil).
I wash my hair only about once a week, using a cleansing shampoo (I use Tigi Deep Cleansing Shampoo, cheap and effective) and an oil-based conditioner (I use Redken’s All Soft, contains avocado oil; expensive but good).
For stringy hair, I recommend air-drying, not towel-drying. After washing, pat the hair firmly with a towel to soak up as much water as possible, then cover up with a cloth or a cap until dry.
Check out this New York Times article. (you may have to register but it’s free and I"ve never gotten spam from them.) It’s all about the “guru” of curly hair in NYC. She’s absolutely convinced that shampooing is bad for curly hair and has some tips. I don’t have curly hair (wish I did!) but the aricle was interesting…
You might want to try a leave-in conditioner. If you dilute regular conditioner with water, it can be used as a leave-in. I had good results with a 1/3 dilution (two parts water to one part conditioner). You could also get a conditioner specifically for leave-in. I use a Suave knock-off of Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner that works really well. It also lasts forever, since I only use a nickel-sized dollop.