If you have thin/fine hair...

[ejpint]

...but otherwise normal, tell me about your hair care routine? Do you wash every day? Wash at night? Blow dry after every wash?Which products do you use? Also, is your hair long, short?

My hair is longer, below shoulder length, and it's fairly thin and fine. Mostly straight, some wave if it's humid or if I let it air dry. I recently tried going without shampoo, using baking soda/apple cider vinegar, and gave up after a week because it made my hair feel crusty and gross. I just bought some sulfate/paraben free stuff called Carol's Daughter, and it made my hair a total greasepit. I'd like to find something that will allow me to shampoo less often - right now I'm back to using my old TJ's shampoo, and washing every day/every other day until I find a better solution. I do use dry shampoo on days I don't wash - maybe my hair is just too fine to wash less, any oiliness shows up immediately.

[mrst2]

I have long, very fine hair that I color every 7-8 weeks. I use the flat iron or curling iron every day even if I don't wash. I'm sure coloring and using a curling/flat iron dry my hair out.

Up until a year ago I was washing my hair every day and always thought it was way too greasy to go any longer. Over the last year I've been able to go 3-4 days without washing.

I'm still trying to find the perfect hair products for my hair. I was using Redken Color Extend and it was fine, but I was hoping to find something better. Right now I'm using Oribe products (their color shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, foundation mist, supershine creme) and and I think they work really well at keeping my color fresh and not fading, but I think I may still try and find something else for styling. The foundation mist is a leave-in/heat protectant, but it's for wet hair and since I only wash twice a week it's not really the product I need.

I use dry shampoo too, but only on day 3 or so. Before that my hair doesn't really need it. I use heat styling on my hair every day even if I don't wash it and I know that is damaging, but my hair looks awful if I don't.

[eclaires]

I have long, fine hair, but there's a decent amount of it.

This is not the best pic but it shows the length...



Anyway, I wash my hair 1-2x per week. It took me a LONG time to get to this point. Up until 3 years ago, I washed my hair every day or sometimes 2x per day. It would get super greasy. I had read a bit about overwashing, and due to a recent move, we barely knew anyone. So I decided to just try out washing less, and my hair adjusted. First I did every other day, and it took a week or two for the grease to be less noticeable. Then I did every two days, and finally every 3-4. Occasionally, I can push it longer, but it varies. Usually it's every 3-4 days, so 2x per week. It was gross at times, and I used dry shampoo here and there to help get me through, but now I rarely use dry shampoo at all, even on 4th day hair. The pic above is 4th day hair, and it's kind of scraggly in my opinion. I had planned on washing it before the event, but we had to be there an hour earlier than we were told initially so I didn't have time.

Products I use:
Living Proof Full Shampoo - www.sephora.com/full-shampoo-P270706?skuId=1292101
Kerastase Cristalliste Conditioner - www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us/shop_products/cristalliste/index-long_hair.htm (I also have the shampoo, but I prefer my LP)
Aquage Uplifting foam - aquage.com/AquageProducts/Styling/UpliftingFoam.aspx
Kerastase Cristalliste serum on the ends - www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us/shop_products/cristalliste/index-long_hair.htm

Occasionally I use other products or try out things depending on what I'm doing with my hair, but those are the basics. I also only use conditioner on my ends - I never put it on the top of my head.

[Deleted]

My hair is blonde and fine with zero natural wave. I've tried everything under the sun and have just decided that I have to shampoo daily. I alternate between washing at night or morning depending on my exercise schedule, but going one day without washing isn't an option unless a hat is involved.

[mrs.spunky]

I have straight, fine, shoulder length hair that is layered.
I wash every other day at most. Usually I try to wash every 3rd day. I washed my hair on Saturday and wore it down both Saturday and yesterday and spritzed some dry shampoo on it today to absorb some oil and clipped the sides back. I try to go 4 days if I wash on a Thursday and don't have weekend plans. I just wear my hair up on Saturday/Sunday.

I have to dry my hair fully (or at least 90% dry) b/c if I don't it gets oily by the beginning of the 2nd day vs. the end of the 2nd/beginning of the 3rd. This means on days I need to wash my hair, I have to do so in the morning instead of showering the night before. For some reason, washing my hair, drying and going to bed results in bad hair days to follow.

I use Burt's Bees Sugar Beet & Grapefruit shampoo & conditioner. I don't use mousse, gel, or hairspray, just the occasional spritz of dry shampoo. I rarely need to straighten my hair, and I can't curl it worth shit so the only real "damage" it gets is from the blowdryer.

[anonymess]

Jun 4, 2012 14:09:39 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

My hair is blonde and fine with zero natural wave. I've tried everything under the sun and have just decided that I have to shampoo daily. I alternate between washing at night or morning depending on my exercise schedule, but going one day without washing isn't an option unless a hat is involved.

I could have written this post. On workdays that I just put my hair up in a ponytail, I still have to wash my bangs with shampoo or they will separate and look greasy in no time. :N:

[Laura Palmer]

I have medium length hair that's really fine and really oily.

I wash daily and really should blowdry fully after each wash...but I'm lazy and only half blowdry before I put in a topknot.

[ejpint]

Maybe I just need to be resigned to washing more often...

[Lissa]

I have fine, thin, long (past shoulders) blonde hair. I have to wash it every day or it is just gross.

I've spent my lifetime looking for ways to make it look better. Now that it is thinning more on one side, the situation has become more dire. Just a year ago, I'd never imagine that I'd give in and start using pricier products.

I'm not sure if it's the holy grail for me, but this is what I'm currently using and has worked out the best for me so far:

Ultra Chi dryer - made a big difference
Living Proof Full shampoo & conditioner - I've been using them for about 2 weeks and like the results. My hair feels softer with fewer tangles and fly-aways. It has a nice clean scent too.
Tresseme heat protectant

Bumble & Bumble Thickening S&C was ok, but I like LP better. I hated the Loreal Everpure volumizing products.

I don't use any serums, etc. because they always seem to make my hair more limp and I haven't tried any in a while. I might try the LP full one though.

[mrs.spunky]

The key to making your hair less oily, as counterproductive as this sounds, is washing as little as possible and using sulfate-free products. "Cleaning" aka stripping the oils means more oil production, period. After a few weeks of occasional bad hair days, your hair balances itself out.

[ejpint]

I get the reasoning behind that, but I've tried a lot of options. I went for months of only washing every 3-4 days, and my hair always looked horrendous (except for the days I washed). The most recent sulfate free/paraben free shampoo I bought left my hair looking sooooo greasy after one day of not washing.
I really want to cut back on shampooing, but I don't know what else to try. As of now, it looks best washing almost every weekday, and giving it a rest on weekends.

[Deleted]

Mine is fine, thin, blonde, and short. I wash, blow dry and straighten daily. I have to or it's a hot mess.

[Laura Palmer]

Jun 5, 2012 11:26:02 GMT -5 mrs.spunky said:

The key to making your hair less oily, as counterproductive as this sounds, is washing as little as possible and using sulfate-free products. "Cleaning" aka stripping the oils means more oil production, period. After a few weeks of occasional bad hair days, your hair balances itself out.

False.

At dr.'s orders (post brain surgeries) I could not wash my hair more than once a week (and only with baby shampoo) for MONTHS and it never "balanced itself out". Even when I could use real shampoo, I couldn't wash more than 2x/week...still not "normal" hair.

Some people have different hair.

[salbert79]

Jun 4, 2012 21:03:45 GMT -5 anonymess said:

Jun 4, 2012 14:09:39 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

My hair is blonde and fine with zero natural wave. I've tried everything under the sun and have just decided that I have to shampoo daily. I alternate between washing at night or morning depending on my exercise schedule, but going one day without washing isn't an option unless a hat is involved.

I could have written this post. On workdays that I just put my hair up in a ponytail, I still have to wash my bangs with shampoo or they will separate and look greasy in no time.

This is exactly my hair too.