Fine Hair Care
11:17 AM
After many weeks of trying out different washes for my hair, I have finally got it. There were a few days where I walked around with questionable locks, I even went to work reeking of apple cider vinegar (much to my coworkers delight). I wanted to make sure that I had it down completely before sharing, and after four weeks of success, a blog post was in order.
Because I have very, very fine hair that tends to get oily rather quickly, there is more than just washing it to get it manageable. So I thought I would just go ahead and include my entire routine, because why the hell not?
First off, let me start by saying that very fine hair is high-maintenance as hell. Every shampoo that I bought for oily hair did nothing. Most shampoos that you will find in stores for this hair type will tend to contain sulfates, which work to absorb the oils initially, but by the end of the day my hair would be limp, and my forehead covered in sebum. Why? Because your skin produces oil naturally ,and when you strip it all out, it will overwork to replenish all of the oil that should naturally be there. I was also often told to skip conditioner, as it tends to weigh fine hair down, and the result was boring flat hair that did nothing despite the amount of back-combing that I did. That and the ends would split like crazy, yay!
I was also told to not wash my hair every day, because my skin would stop producing as much oil, and it would be more manageable. Of course, this advice always came from individuals who had thick manes. Not washing it every day only really worked when my hair was long enough to put in a bun, and I still had to wash my bangs or they would slick to my face, despite the dry shampoo I used. I tell you, fine hair is SO MUCH WORK.
So where am I at now? I use only the items in the picture below. Baking soda will weigh your hair down, but the apple cider vinegar will bring the PH balance back and leave your hair looking nice and shiny without all of the oil. Bonus: It doesn't smell like anything.
There are different ways of going about this process, but this is the procedure in which I found best for my hair:
Baking soda + water as wash: I leave a small, air-tight plastic container in the shower full of baking soda. All I do is scoop small amounts out, get it a little wet, and gently scrub it into my scalp. I do this several times until all of my scalp is covered, you don't need to wash the middle, or ends of your hair, the baking soda will take care of it when it rinses out. Make sure to rinse it very well before moving on to the next step.
Apple Cider Vinegar + Water + Melaleuca (tea tree) oil as rinse: I decided that a spray bottle would work best here, and I was correct. I filled it up 1 part APC and 3 parts water. Here is where you can add essential oils if you want a scent (like lavender, or citrus). I added tea tree oil because it helps absorb oil, and i only added about 5-6 drops to my 5 oz bottle. Shake it up, and spray all over roots, and the rest of your hair, making sure to get all of it. It will really smell of vinegar at this point, but once you rinse and dry your hair, it won't smell. I usually wash my body at this point while leaving the rise in for a few minutes. Again, make sure that you rinse it all of the way out (otherwise you will smell).
Next I towel-dry my hair a little, then add a few more products as it is needed.
Argan Oil leave-in conditioner: I decided to bleach the ends of my hair a few weeks back, and because my hair is so fine, it tends to dry out really fast. Argan oil is a very light, unscented oil and it works great in moderation. I only use one squirt, rub it on my palms, and rub it into the very ends of my hair. Anymore and my hair won't dry because there is too much oil.
I usually let my hair air-dry about 80% of the way before I take the blow dryer to it. If I am washing my hair in the morning, this is all I have to do. But since I tend to wash it at night to save on time, there is one last step.
Corn starch dry-shampoo: Baby powder is also an alternative, but I don't like the scent unless it is on babies (go figure). All I do is take a little bit and dab it along my hair line, part, or anywhere else that might look like it will get oily by the end of the day. I do this in the morning, btw. It will be white, so I just let it sit for a few minutes, then comb it back out. It also give my hair a little lift, which is always nice.
*Tip: If you wash/dry your hair at night, you can move the part to the side in the morning to help it have more lift the next day.
That is about it! My hair has been loads better since I have switched to this routine, and I couldn't be happier. Oh, and it is CHEAP. Being economical, FTW!
18 Musings
I had no idea your hair was so fine - I love these tips, though my hair is super thick, these are all still good suggestions for healthy hair!
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who suffer from this. Your tips are really going to help them Sara. It's creating a system that works for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
Its awesome that you make your own hair products and that it works... GO TEAM SARA :P
ReplyDeleteGood for you!! I love that you make so many things! Oh btw... I have that same cornstarch sitting in my cabinet at home :)
ReplyDeletexo
Rachel
You have beautiful hair. I've always admired it. My hair is fine, too, so I know what you mean about maintenance. Sometimes, it's easier to just pop on a wig! You should try one -- it would freak out your family and friends.
ReplyDeleteSo I DON'T have fine hair, but I DO have super dry ends and oily roots. My current shampoo/conditioner is *sort of* doing the trick for the first time ever, but I want to try a route like this. In you research, did you come across any advice on how to adapt a routine like this for thicker, coarser hair?
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed you had fine hair. I am glad you finally figured out what works for you. My hair is not fine (I'm one of those that rarely washes my hair), but it comes with it's own set of problems! The grass is always greener.
ReplyDeleteGreat to learn about this. So glad you posted this. LOVE your hair!!
ReplyDeleteOh so lovely. I've used Tree oil for various things..but not this. Cool post!
ReplyDeleteBaking Soda + Water?! I need to try that. I had ridiculously thick, long hair {past my butt} all of my life; but 7 years ago I developed a severe eating disorder that absolutely ruined my hair, so now it's super fine. I can never find anything to make it look good. :/
ReplyDeletexx
My hair is quite light but I have a lot of it. I'm prone to getting greasy quite quick and when I'm extra stressed I get what I like to call my "grease spot" which is just a patch of grease at the top of my head. I wonder if something a bit more delicate like this might help that.
ReplyDeleteYour hair looks great and this style is so cute! I have really fine hair too but lots of it. That's one reason why I don't like to wear it long as it is really heavy. As I've gotten older my scalp isn't as oily as it used to be and so I can easily go for a few days without shampooing. I find it much more manageable the second day. I wet it and restyle but don't shampoo.
ReplyDeleteI can feel your pain...I also have very fine hair, but thankfully it's long. Dry shampoo is my saviour.
ReplyDeletehttp://bellapummarola.blogspot.it/
Your hair looks pretty actually :D
ReplyDeleteI love this! Maybe one day I'll try the DIY shampoo again. I could never stick it out long enough. In the meantime, I'm using Lush, which is overpriced natural shampoo ;) I also use their dry shampoo, which the main ingredient is corn starch. It seriously works so well on my fine hair!
ReplyDelete@Chelsea You can actually use the same ingredients for your hair type. They key is to figure out the water/baking soda, and water/APC ratio you need for your hair type. I came across one blogger who just added a few tablespoons of each to separate bottles and filled them with water. That did not work for me, but she had thicker hair. It takes a lot of playing around to get where you need to be. As for the oily roots, I swear by the cornstarch. For dry ends, I would also suggest coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil, as they are all lighter. I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI need to do this more... not only is it economical but it is environmental! It's bad all the things we wash down the drains. I should doo this so I can reuse my shower water to water the plants, cause you know drought... but if you use regular shampoos the contaminate the water enough so it's bad for an edible garden... poo poo
ReplyDeleteLauren
Sparrow & Urchin
Looks great!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of baking soda for hair too here and there!! "They" also suggested putting some scented oil drops in it for pretty smelling scents.
I actually started to use a shea butter type of wash for my hair. . .just this week (so no photos of it yet) but I like it. It has some honey in it too. . .so hopefully no one will try to eat me (and bees hopefully will not attack me). haha. Great post!!
+Victoria+
Talk nerdy to me.