Hair won't clump anymore.

in Hair Type 2
What is happening when my hair stops clumping well? I clarify regularly once every couple weeks. I cowash some, I low-poo some. I always use leave in and I apply styling products on wet hair. I scrunch gently, I use a t-shirt to dry.
But for some reason my hair splits into tiny tiny stringy clumps which is kind of a new thing. Is my hair getting too low density? I've tried to venture off to new products but always end up coming back to tried and true favorites. But now these holy grails aren't doing much to clump anymore. Any ideas?
But for some reason my hair splits into tiny tiny stringy clumps which is kind of a new thing. Is my hair getting too low density? I've tried to venture off to new products but always end up coming back to tried and true favorites. But now these holy grails aren't doing much to clump anymore. Any ideas?
CG since 11/2014
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
0
Comments
Moisture, moisture, moisture.
High Porosity - Very Fine Hair
Low Poo: Living Proof Restore Shampoo
Rinse Out: Living Proof Restore Conditioner
Leave In: Living Proof Curl Leave-In or Garnier 1 Minute Mask - Papaya
Treatments: Restore Repair Leave-In,
Styling: Living Proof In-Shower Styler with Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel Stronger Hold
2B/2C, fine hair, low density, mixed porosity, protein loving hair
Current products:
I have the most unresponsive hair of anyone I've seen on this forum in 3.5 years, so knowing if I'm getting any moisture is pretty much impossible. I'll switch to cowash only for awhile in order to get the moisturization whether it shows or not.
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
http://rockyncurls.blogspot.com/search/label/Protein and Overconditioning
Here is one for hard water
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/hard-water-and-your-hair.html
I would suggest reading all of the science-y hair blog, it is very informative and helped me a bunch.
Also if you search around NC there is a love/hate relationship with Shea Moisture products, some find it to be to heavy for their hair. That may be the case in your situation. And others complain about Maui Moisture.
Also do you know your hair's porosity? That could help you find the right products.
High Porosity - Very Fine Hair
Low Poo: Living Proof Restore Shampoo
Rinse Out: Living Proof Restore Conditioner
Leave In: Living Proof Curl Leave-In or Garnier 1 Minute Mask - Papaya
Treatments: Restore Repair Leave-In,
Styling: Living Proof In-Shower Styler with Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel Stronger Hold
Ya product choices are hard to diagnose, that's true. Again, my hair won't reveal if anything worked or didn't work, it never has, so I just have to pick something and go with it. The products I keep coming back to are the ones that have generally worked to at least clump and get rid of frizz. But something recent has changed with my results. I've never had super fat clumpd but all of a sudden all I've got are tiny strings and my products are pretty much what have always provided clumps at the very least. 8
Oh and porosity, ya I'm sure it's high since it's getting longer.
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
After you do that then you can wet your hair and add leave in and styling products. Then take another serious look at how the products affected your hair. When you re-wet your hair note how quickly it absorbs the water to help you determine the porosity.
When you examine your hair you need to look and feel your hair. Don't look at the style as much as how your hair is acting
High Porosity - Very Fine Hair
Low Poo: Living Proof Restore Shampoo
Rinse Out: Living Proof Restore Conditioner
Leave In: Living Proof Curl Leave-In or Garnier 1 Minute Mask - Papaya
Treatments: Restore Repair Leave-In,
Styling: Living Proof In-Shower Styler with Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel Stronger Hold
I would suggest clarifying (if you haven't recently) and then doing a deep conditioning treatment with a conditioner that has no protein or grain extracts in it. I would leave the DT on for at least 30 minutes. If you need a product rec, I use the Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment, and that hasn't ever caused me any problems (my hair is highly protein sensitive).
I would do a DT to get moisture rather than switching to co-washing, because if your recent problems are due to lowering porosity, the co-washing will probably just coat your hair shaft and weigh your hair down.
Along the lines of what @WavyKfromNJ was saying, for determining porosity, I saw a video on nc.com (I think) where they showed that you are likely to be low porosity if you spritz your hair with water and the water just beads up on top of the hair and you have to work it in with your hands to get it to penetrate. High porosity: the water absorbs almost immediately. Normal: the water initially beads but then sinks in.
I spritzed my hair, and the water beaded up. I waited over ten seconds, and it did not absorb in. That to me supports that my hair is indeed low porosity.
RO: IN Harmonic
LI: CJ Beauticurls; Jessicurl (JC) Gelebration Spray
DC: JC Deep Conditioning Treatment; Weleda Rosemary Conditioning Oil
Stylers: JC Confident Coils; IN Volumizing Spray; IN Perfect Hold Hairspray; John Masters Sea Mist; Bumble Bb. Gel; Kenra Firm-Hold Gel; Sevi Blue Yarrow Sea Salt Spray
Low-porosity 2a/b baby-fine hair
Mostly 2B, but ranges A-C front to back and root to tip
Low density, very coarse, high porosity
Collarbone length, gray dyed brown, dry and rough
Typical LEG routine could be any combination of:
Lo poo: Shea Moisture brand shampoo, Ion Hard Water Shampoo
Cowash: As I Am Coc Cowash
RO: GVP CB, Aussie Mega Moist, Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Leave In: As I Am LI, KCKT, or Not Your Mothers Gardenia
Enhancer: Camille Rose Curl Maker
Deep condition: SM Deep Treat Mask
Protein: Hask Keratin
Styler: Curl Keeper Original, Ouidad Climate Control gel, LA Looks gel
Second would be tilting your head back (looking up at the ceiling) the scrunching your hair up and pumping your fists (I think this is called pump and scrunch... I did it before I knew it was a thing). I find that scrunching upside down caused stringiness in my hair and scrunching too much caused the same.
If you had clumps before, you just have to figure out what changed. Products, protein as others suggested, or buildup. Best of luck!