Grumble... grumble...

IzzyTheTerrible · 08-07-2009, 09:55 PM

I've been CG for 2 weeks now.... I have fine hair, hard water, and am using Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut... for co-wash and conditioner. (Protein, protein, protein, per struttswife's suggestion)

So...

Day 1-4: First 4 days started great, my hair was just SO perfect, so soft, silky, no more tangles... it was a perfect CG honeymoon.

Day 5: Started feeling a little build uppy, or something. Used low-poo.

Day 6: Icky - icky. Weird and greasy.

Day 7: Back to pre-low-pooing.

Day 8: Did a mayo/egg/coconut oil treatment cause I was feeling dry (first time turned my hair silky, figured I'd try again). After that... ugh. My hair got MAAAAAADDDD. Stiff and yuckyish and feels drier.

Since then my hair has just felt so gunky. It's so much harder to co-wash. I cut back on the protein thinking that might be it, but nothing's changed. I've tried low-pooing and it didn't help. Tried sticking to my routine but using a lower protein conditioner... still just yucky.

I dunno if I'm going through a transition, if I'm product gunky, protein gunky, hard water gunky... if I should just stick it out and stay gunky and weird, or if there's something I can do.

StruttsWife · 08-07-2009, 10:00 PM

For the first few weeks, your hair does go through a transition of sorts as it learns how to manage all the new good things you are putting in it.

Maybe you can try a baking soda scrub followed by an ACV rinse to see if that helps the "gunky" issue.

IzzyTheTerrible · 08-07-2009, 10:20 PM

Lol I didn't want to message you and bug you for the trillionth time, and yet I get a resonse anyway! You so rock. Will try it!

likethegum · 08-08-2009, 05:17 PM

That sounds like my hair when I had hard water. It looked greasy and dull, lots of frizz. I used AO Swimmer's shampoo to remove the buildup about once a week

sexyspirals · 08-08-2009, 07:16 PM

I had the same problem -- it's definitely the hard water. My hair was dry and gunky and basically stopped curling. There are special shampoos you can buy (I think they're called celates? I didn't end up buying one because I moved) but I relied on the ACV rinses for the last few weeks I was home. I used about a cup of ACV diluted with at least a cup and a half to two cups of water. I ended up doing it two times a week -- but I wouldn't recommend this until you see how it affects your hair, mine is pretty tolerant. After an ACV rinse you'll feel amazing! Oh, and a few tips that I figured out after doing it a few times: ACV rinse right side up and upside down, and comb through with a wide-toothed comb or a denman, then rinse. This really helped me distribute it and get a lot of the mineral build-up out.

Good luck!

rudeechick · 08-09-2009, 06:50 AM

IMO The Suave as a co wash is heavy and can leave me with a build-uppy feeling. Try the VO5 Clarifying conditioner as your co wash. Made ALL the diff for me when I went CG.

Why dont you clarify and start again? And maybe get a ready made DT; something emollient but not heavy? And you can try an ACV or baking soda rinse for build up.

aerohead · 08-09-2009, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StruttsWife

Maybe you can try a baking soda scrub followed by an ACV rinse to see if that helps the "gunky" issue.

Izzy, i just wanted to tell you that i have just done a bicarb followed by an acv rinse and my hair has REALLY perked up and feeling so clean!!!

I have just posted new photos in my fotki album that shows you what i did, the curls/waves have reached the top of my head, give this combo a go and you will feel so much better.

What i did was wash my hair in condish first to get the snags out and then mixed bicarb with a bit of condish massaged this into my hair, left it for a few minutes to really get into the hair, rinsed out with water and then i diluted some acv with filtered water and added this to my hair, i didnt rinse it out and then scrunched excess water out, added a tiny bit of coconut condish to my hair with some get and plopped for about 30 minutes, already my hair and scalp feels great, im still waiting for it to airdry so i can take a couple more pictures, but already can notice a difference!!!

crazilycurly77 · 08-09-2009, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudeechick

IMO The Suave as a co wash is heavy and can leave me with a build-uppy feeling. Try the VO5 Clarifying conditioner as your co wash. Made ALL the diff for me when I went CG.

Wait, so can the vo5 clarifying condish remove mineral build up too? Because I started CG with this and it was awesome, but then switched to Burts Bees for co washes, but my hair has been a bit "heavy" I guess.

I might have to start using it again at least once a week. My water's hard too.

IzzyTheTerrible · 08-09-2009, 09:21 AM

Alright, just did my baking soda, ACV rinse.

I knew from experience how difficult it is to distribute baking soda, so I lathered up with my low-poo first. The ends of my hair felt so gunky, so I washed them to the tips with the low-poo and baking soda. As I rinsed it out, my hair finally detangled again... didn't even need to comb it. Used my condish and my hair soaked it right up (figured I'd do it pre ACV rinse), did my rinse and my hair is as happy as can be now.

Thanks everyone.

rudeechick · 08-09-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IzzyTheTerrible

Alright, just did my baking soda, ACV rinse.

I knew from experience how difficult it is to distribute baking soda, so I lathered up with my low-poo first. The ends of my hair felt so gunky, so I washed them to the tips with the low-poo and baking soda. As I rinsed it out, my hair finally detangled again... didn't even need to comb it. Used my condish and my hair soaked it right up (figured I'd do it pre ACV rinse), did my rinse and my hair is as happy as can be now.

Thanks everyone.

Success!!

whatsercurl · 08-09-2009, 09:56 AM

Glad the baking soda worked.

As Tiff said, there is an adjustment period.

Like rudee, I don't like the Sauve as a co-wash either. But my choice doesn't work for many others so I won't bother mentioning it.

What I will mention is that I found when I was going thru my transition, that lemon juice mixed with my co-wash condish worked wonders for build up and overall grossness. Just in case, you find you don't like the baking soda.

aerohead · 08-10-2009, 10:54 AM

I mixed the bicarb in some condish, just so that i could distribute it more..hope that helps

goobernut · 08-10-2009, 01:45 PM

whatsercurl, how much lemon juice to conditioner did you use? I'm using the Kenra to co-wash with now. That stuff is fab.