Hopping Off The Bandwagon

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you that I had discovered a new love for sulfate-free shampoo, but would continue to alternate with co-washing?

Yeah, that didn't happen. Oops.

I started a full on love affair with my shampoo. And while it is true love for my scalp and shampoo, my hair is starting to feel like the third wheel.

I went to a job fair yesterday. My hair looked great in the front. Flat and a little scraggily in the back. Not exactly impressive to potential future-employers.

Co-washing will commence immediately!

Products I'm Loving (Twilight Zone Edition)

Just a quick update on some of the products my hair has been (weirdly) loving recently:

Organix Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo: I mentioned this in my last post, but here's the low-poo I've been using for the past month. Not only is it a shampoo, but it also contains protein. It gets my scalp clean and can perk up curls. It also doesn't take much to clean my scalp, so this should last a long time.

Nexxus Emergencee PT: This is weird simply because I don't do PTs. Or at least I didn't until January. I did one at the end of that month, followed by another at the end of February. I think I've done two more since then. My hair just seems to need it. I'm not sure if it's because I mis-diagnosed and my hair is actually more of a medium texture than coarse texture (because honestly it doesn't feel as coarse as it used to - and I know that's really not possible...). It might also be that maybe I'm so used to using more product (conditioner) from when my hair was longer and I'm overconditioning. I don't know. But lately it hasn't been as curly as it was when it was cut, and protein seems to be helping. I guess I'll continue to use it until I overdose.

I like this treatment because it doesn't take a lot to be effective. I smooth on maybe a nickel-sized amount to clean hair after co-washing. Let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. Follow it up with my rinse-out conditioner. It has kind of a weird texture - more like a shampoo than a conditioner, but it doesn't really have suds. I can't remember if it has a fragrance; if it does, it's not strong and doesn't linger at all. I bought this a LONG time ago, back when I first started CG and right before I figured out I was protein-sensitive, so I guess for me it was cost-effective.

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard & Kinky-Curly Knot Today: Ok, nothing weird about these. They're still a staple in my routine and work really well together. But lately I've been using the two together to refresh second-day hair. I spritz first with water. Then I use a pea- to dime-sized amount of KCKT, mixed with the same amount of KCCC. Scrunch/smooth that in and I'm good to go.

A Confession

I have a confession to make.

I've slowly become addicted to a low-poo.

I know, I'm ashamed.

It started out pretty innocently. I had some issue with an ingredient in January - maybe oils? I needed to remove it. My brother was visiting and his newly-acquired low-poo was the only one in the house. It felt nice on my scalp, and it removed everything. My hair wasn't that dry afterward. In fact, my curls perked up some.

Fast forward to February. The weather went CRAZY and was wreaking havoc on my hair. I needed to remove some build-up, and what do you know? The same shampoo was on sale that week. Huh. So I picked up a bottle of Organix Pomegranate Green Tea. At this point I decided to try that root-lift trick Lorraine Massey talked about in the 2nd edition of the CG Handbook. I added some Ecostyler gel to the shampoo and carefully massaged it into my scalp. Not only did it remove build-up, but it really gave my roots some lift!

The next wash, I added the Ecostyler to my V05 conditioner. No bueno.

I went back to my usual routine with V05 conditioner. I started getting build-up on my scalp again. Not serious build-up, but it just didn't seem clean.

So I tried the Organix/Ecostyler combination again. Et voila! Clean scalp and root lift! I was sold.

And I feel like I've sold out.

Don't get me wrong. I know that lots of curlies have been using low-poo regularly for years. And that Massey even re-defined the CG label to include sulfate-free cleansers. So technically, I'm still CG.

But being shampoo-free was something special for me. It was almost like a bragging right. I'm the curl "expert" in my family and when asked, I could say "I don't use shampoo!" "I now only use a sulfate-free cleanser!" doesn't have the same ring.

When I started CG almost three years ago, going shampoo-free was something to be proud of. I remember being in awe of a member on NC who had gone a whole year without shampoo. Even before this little addiction, I still had to clarify every now and then, so I never achieved this. But it was something to aspire to.

I'm at the point where I low-poo about once a week. And my scalp doesn't feel very clean on the days I co-wash. It's not oily or anything; it just feels like I didn't get all the conditioner off, even though I scrub pretty well. Meh.

I really do love the root lift I'm getting from the added Ecostyler though. I'm not sure why it doesn't work with the conditioner on co-wash days. Just the low-poo. It's gotten even better since my hair-cut. I haven't tried another gel.

Anyway, I thought it was time to come clean (ha). I'm not sure if this will be a permanent fixture in my routine, or if I'll switch it up when summer rolls around. I had a really good summer last year with co-washing, so it may be a weather thing. I guess we'll see.

Shampoo Day

Well, I made it two months! But the time has come to shampoo again. The oils from the Lustrasilk are just too much - I want my curls back! And you know there is something wrong when you use protein multiple washes in a row and nothing happens...

I'm going to look around my stashes (and sister's stash) for a decent low-poo, but I will probably just use Suave Clarifying Shampoo again.

I put in some coconut oil about ten minutes ago and will immediately DT with GVP Conditioning Balm after shampooing. Hopefully that will cut down on the damage. I'm pretty sure I did this last time with limited damage.

I couldn't update on the wet hair results due to a freak snowstorm in my area. It usually snows an inch or two once a year, but this time we got more than nine inches. Things got ridiculous and we lost phone, internet, and tv for over a day. Anyway, it turned out just as I thought it would. My hair feels so thin when it dries like this. But I also only used a leave-in, so that could be why.

Will update in a few days with the results!

Today's Hair

A wavy day. After two shampoos (yes, you read correctly), I guess that's all I can expect. I do wish it would HURRY UP AND GROW, though.

I also tried a new clipping method (the one used by misfitcurls). There was a little lift on the upper sides/crown area, but overall my hair is pretty flat. I'll chalk that up to shampoo too!

It's in a double-modified pineapple right now. I'd take a picture, but somehow I lost all but two of my mini-jaw clips, so it's not pretty. Seriously, my clips only travel between two places: my room and the bathroom. Not sure how they keep disappearing. I think they're running away!

Shampooing Tonight

So due to circumstances beyond my control, I've come to the point where I am forced to shampoo. I've been trying to clear up my problems with brown sugar scrubs, but I don't think that will work. Which is ok. Even though I'm CG, there are going to be times when I need to shampoo.

The problem is that I can't use a low-poo. The only ones I have are Giovanni low-poos and they have oils in them. So I will be using Suave's Clarifying shampoo.

I haven't shampooed since late June/early July. Usually it takes a few weeks for my curls to bounce back, but I think last time I did a pre-poo treatment with coconut oil and that helped immensely. So I have coconut oil in my hair right now and hopefully that will help!

This is my last week of school. I'm making up four days of classroom observation at the middle school. So no real work, but I do have to be out of the house pretty early. Looking forward to next week when I can wash during the day! I have had some product samples sitting around for a few months that I need to try!

Changing Up My Routine

So I think in my first post I went over the problems I've been having since fall/winter set in.

Basically:

• Figured out I was protein-sensitive
• Figured out FOTE wasn't helping
• Started using a leave-in, which I'm now thinking wasn't a good idea (it would be nice if I could figure out my texture/porosity...)
  
• Stopped co-washing altogether when shampoo bars arrived
• Ended up with frizzy/undefined curls with the addition of KCCC during the lowest of dewpoints this season
• The protein in LVPNG (practically the last ingredient of the bottle) got to me, so it's now in my stash for rare protein treatments
  
• Used a low-poo and went back to co-washing
• Clarified a week or two after with a sulfate shampoo and went back to the routine of Suave co-wash/rinse-out, FOTE, and Aussie Sculpting Gel
• Stopped experimenting with the Sedusa (need to find a good, consistent routine first)
  
• Added Pink Boots for about a week and a half with inconsistent results

Right now my hair hates me. It's frizzy, undefined, and stringy. And it's been flaking for a good month now, no matter how many brown sugar scrubs or ACV rinses I do. The itching has been worse recently, with nothing helping.

So I'm done trying to go back to the simple routine that worked in the summer. Obviously the weather has changed, so I'm not sure why I thought it would work now. I don't know anymore.

KBB stopped working for me around the time of the KCCC incident - or rather, I realized it had stopped working for me. My hair was getting tangled (it still is, which is a royal pain) and actually hard while wet. It was also frizzy, even when using Super Silky. I'm thinking it might be the panthenol, but I have no idea.

So starting tonight, my new routine will have a shampoo included for the first time since early June. I'm adding Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat as a weekly low-poo. I'll continue with co-washing the rest of the week. I'm thinking about adding the GVP Biolage Conditioning Balm and Lustrasilk after reading Katrina's blog. We'll see.

Well, I'm off to go wash. School starts tomorrow (suck!), so it's back to night-washing for me.