Wash and gos and length retention

AlmaPetra

Is anybody here actively growing their hair out? Do you wear wash and gos? Do you find that they are compatible with length retention?

I am hoping to grow my hair out to BSL and beyond, but I love to wear wash and gos all the time, and I cowash every other day and sometimes on a daily basis. I am afraid that the frequent manipulation plus keeping my ends out all the time will not allow me to retain length, but at the same time, I would not enjoy keeping my hair in protective styles, and I wouldn't want to do that unless I really really have to

What do you guys think?

Curlista93

Some people have grown their hair long with wash n goes (BSL+) but I think you would have to pay careful attention to how your hair reacts to what you're doing. Do you get a lot of tangles and SSK that lead to breakage?

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AlmaPetra

I think that the only way to find out is to watch my hair as months pass by and see if I retain any length and how much. I usually grow about 1 cm per month of new hair, so I can compare this with the retention.

I do not get any visible breakage after my hair dries; the breakage and shedding happens during washing and styling mainly. But maybe very tiny pieces get broken without me noticing them. This is what I'm worried about most.
I don't get tangles and knots neither because I wash frequently but if I go longer before washing, my hair tends to get tangles. It's a tough balance between manipulation and tangles.

MorrisonFan91

hey, .

I have a blend of type 2 curls & some ringlet type 3s if have length enough. right now i am having to grow back completely.

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do you think if omitted mineral oil & grease, that would reduce breakage? i was reading and learned that can block other ingredients from working right.

also, your hair is pretty in avatar pic

AlmaPetra

Awww thank you

I have been thinking of cutting down on the sealing, because I wash more frequently now, and I think that my moisture retention is better, plus I fear that more frequent sealing may give me build up. I'll have to experiment with this cautiously though because my hair is so porous that it takes a lot to seal the moisture in.

Do you have high porosity as well? Why did you have to big chop?

P.S. I love your signature!

MorrisonFan91

AlmaPetra wrote: »

Awww thank you

I have been thinking of cutting down on the sealing, because I wash more frequently now, and I think that my moisture retention is better, plus I fear that more frequent sealing may give me build up. I'll have to experiment with this cautiously though because my hair is so porous that it takes a lot to seal the moisture in.

Do you have high porosity as well? Why did you have to big chop?

P.S. I love your signature!

hey!! .

the reason am currently having to grow back is cause my dad spent past year telling me i was ugly for trying to embrace curls and waves had. so i caved and lost all progress had made . . was almost to shoulder-blades length

i think my porosity level is very low because any products with butters or nut oils do not work well for me, lol.

AlmaPetra

MorrisonFan91 wrote: »

hey!! .

the reason am currently having to grow back is cause my dad spent past year telling me i was ugly for trying to embrace curls and waves had. so i caved and lost all progress had made . . was almost to shoulder-blades length

i think my porosity level is very low because any products with butters or nut oils do not work well for me, lol.

Oops! I can't understand why some people are so opposed to curly hair. It's like one of the most beautiful things that nature has ever created! I hope that you will grow back to where you had been as quickly as can be

Have you ever tried the single strand test or the drying time test to determine your porosity? Though it may not be necessary if you have already found the products that are holy grails to you.

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Addee

For me the answer is yes it hurts length retention. Wash and go causes my hair to form more ssk's. It doesn't matter if I wash more often because I do it every three days year round and even more in the summer. W and G is cute but for me not worth the aftermath. Plus it takes a lot of product for me and I get buildup easily so I would have to shampoo more. I find that sealing my ends with a cream moisturizer reduces my ssk's too. Maybe because my hair is longer and having ends rub up against certain clothing materials is damaging. I'm trying to wear my hair pulled up off my shoulders more.

AlmaPetra

So single strand knots are like one strand knotted onto itself? What happens next? Do you end up cutting it off? If it weren't for the SSKs would you think that a WnG should be harmless? I don't get SSKs thankfully. I'm mostly worried that the end may just disappear gradually without me noticing anything happening.

Curlista93

Yes, SSKs are knots found on a single strand. They are nearly impossible to undo, so it's best to just cut them. They usually appear on the ends but can also appear up midshaft and when that happens of course you'll have to cut more length.

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Addee

Wow. You are fortunate not to get them. A lot of curlies do although it seems like tighter patterns are prone to get more of them. II really only get them bad in the front of my hair which is a little finer. The rest of my hair I get a few but not as bad. It helps keep them at bay to keep your hair moisturized at all times. Mine turn into split ends or midshaft split so I cut them but some people ignore them and don't have a problem.

AlmaPetra

Thanks girls!

Yes I think I must be thankful that I don't get SSKs. I do get multiple strand knots though and thankfully most of them can be untangled using my fingers on conditioned hair. I think that more frequent cowashing has been crucial to reducing the amount of tangling and the degree of tangling that I get. Tangling does have a cumulative nature.

Addee

I fortunately don't get a lot of multistrand tangles UNLESS it's because of protein overload or me not getting rid of shed hair like I should. Shed hair tangles in my hair. I hear about people regularly having 2 hour detangling sessions but that's not the case for me. Goes to show every head is different and we all have our own issues. Love mine anyway though.

AlmaPetra

Addee wrote: »

I fortunately don't get a lot of multistrand tangles UNLESS it's because of protein overload or me not getting rid of shed hair like I should. Shed hair tangles in my hair. I hear about people regularly having 2 hour detangling sessions but that's not the case for me. Goes to show every head is different and we all have our own issues. Love mine anyway though.

Wow your hair seems to be similar to mine when it comes to what causes multistrand knots. Mine are always due to shed hairs unless I have protein overload (or have used a tacky product. I had this with one oil moisturizer and it was ridiculously awful)
Protein overload makes my strands rough and more tangle-prone. Now these ones take long to be untangled unlike those caused by shed hair.

I rarely use a comb nowadays. I use my fingers and it takes no more than maybe 5 minutes to detangle but this is new to me because now I'm washing more frequently. Still I don't think that too much manipulation and styling is good for my hair. I'm trying to find a balance between tangled shed hairs and manipulation. I'm thinking of decreasing wash days to 2 per week only.

Addee

AlmaPetra wrote: »

Addee wrote: »

I fortunately don't get a lot of multistrand tangles UNLESS it's because of protein overload or me not getting rid of shed hair like I should. Shed hair tangles in my hair. I hear about people regularly having 2 hour detangling sessions but that's not the case for me. Goes to show every head is different and we all have our own issues. Love mine anyway though.

Wow your hair seems to be similar to mine when it comes to what causes multistrand knots. Mine are always due to shed hairs unless I have protein overload (or have used a tacky product. I had this with one oil moisturizer and it was ridiculously awful)
Protein overload makes my strands rough and more tangle-prone. Now these ones take long to be untangled unlike those caused by shed hair.

I rarely use a comb nowadays. I use my fingers and it takes no more than maybe 5 minutes to detangle but this is new to me because now I'm washing more frequently. Still I don't think that too much manipulation and styling is good for my hair. I'm trying to find a balance between tangled shed hairs and manipulation. I'm thinking of decreasing wash days to 2 per week only.

Some years back protein overload tangled my hair so badly I had no choice but to cut off a few inches. I generally wash twice a week except in the summer because my hair gets dry faster. However, this summer hasn't been as bad because my new job doesn't require me to be outdoors as much. The heat just kills the moisture in my hair.