advice for 2a/2b hair?

tave

My hair is bra-length, rather thin, wavy with the occasional ringlet. My scalp tends to get oily, so it has to be washed every day. I have tried just using dove conditioner, but that didn't cut it. When I used baking soda, I noticed that I lost more hair. I'm currently using Jason 84% aloe vera shampoo, but my hair is looking pretty lifeless (even in the parts I didn't intentionally wash with shampoo). Any suggestions for natural washes that will cut out the oiliness without ruining the curls?

ewenique

Believe it or not, your daily shampooing with sulphate shampoo may be causing the oiliness. Sulphates strip the hair of its natural oils, so your scalp frantically produces more oil. So you shampoo more frequently, and the oiliness increases. Try using a sulphate-free shampoo instead, like Giovanni, or try to cut back to only 1 or 2 shampoos a week. It may take your scalp a month to adjust, but the oiliness should decrease, and your hair may perk up since it won't be so dried out.

tave

that makes sense, but this one is specifically sulfate free

GivenIn

Others may disagree with me but I have the same hair type as you and have cured my excessively oily scalp and other issues by using a handmade high quality goats milk soap....gasp! Oridinarily soap is highly alkaline and very bad for skin and hair. But soap made with fresh goats milk and quality natural nut oils is almost pH neutral and won't strip the acid mantal from your skin.

It's effective enough to leave your scalp and roots very clean and gentle enough not to totally strip your hair and leave it crispy. I had very oily roots and very dry ends. I now have neither problem after about 4-6 months of continuous use. I also had scalp acne as a result of the excess oil and dandruff. All of which are now non-existent.

After you lather and rinse your hair put a tblsp worth of apple cider vinegar into a cup of water and use that as a final rinse to remove any residue. I then towel dry my hair, apply aloe vera gel onto damp hair finger combing, and then my hair pomade\hair butter. My hair dries beautifully silky, frizz free and curlier than it's been in a long while. I'm very happy with the results.

My hairdresser tried to convince me I had oily hair and needed to buy their super-expensive oily hair stripping poo. No thanks!

shell

To address the oily scalp issue you need to ditch daily washing. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but frequent washing (even without SLS) causes excess sebum production. Use a mild shampoo, or dilute one, just on your scalp. To protect your length/ends, you could coat with conditioner, or just draw it over your shoulder (I didn't notice how long your hair was). You first go to washing every other day, then every three days (probably will take a week or so for each day added). You can always braid or updo, or wear a scarf to hide unsightly hair. Honestly, most people won't even notice!

Conditioner only is also a technique that you could try. You use conditioner to cleanse your scalp. It takes a few weeks for your scalp to get used to this, but it really makes your hair soft and hydrated.

You can also do what I do. I use No Poo by Deva Curl about once a week, and then another time a week I use a homemade soapnut shampoo. On other days when I want to "do" my hair, I just thoroughly wet it in the shower, and condition my length. Sometimes, I don't even want to shampoo or wet, so I wear it up, or just dampen it and dress it.

Once a few years ago, I went 10 days without washing or wetting. I had transitioned to once a week washing, but could have probably gone more. That took about a month (my hair is not oily, so it may take you longer to go to once a week). My hair and scalp were fine--no bad smells or greasies or anything unpleasant.

All of these methods have an adjustment period, but when you get out of the daily wash grind, your hair will really appreciate it.

Best of luck.

hennared

Givenin, I love the idea of using s hampoo bar, especially one made with goat's milk, for my hair. But one's I've tried are just to alkaline for my poor thinning delicate hair. What exactly are you using? Does your goat milk bar have castor oil?

Thanks,
Hennared