A mystery: my hair hates conditioners, loves shampoo.

Hi all.

I've been growing out my hair wearing micro-braids. I wash my hair every two to three weeks, once with the braids still in and once with my hair out of braids. Now for a while, I didn't shampoo my hair at all. I was new to taking care of my hair but from reading all the forum I quicky learned that shampooing was BAD, BAD, horribly bad. So from that day, I threw out all my old bottles of shampoo and started co-washing. Problem is, everytime I cowashed, I'd usually detangle and hair would come out. Broken pieces of hair. I figured that maybe it was shed hair from keeping my hair in braids for a month or so. But I was concerned. So the last two months, I've been shampoo-ing ONLY. And no hair at all in my comb. Like maybe one or two but not the huge amount that comes out when I condition my hair. So I washed and put in conditioner again today after that little experiment, comb was filled with hair!

What's this y'all?
Is my hair "conditioner-sensitive"?
Is it over moisturized, does it need protein?
Has anyone experienced something as weird as this?

Nope i've experienced quite the opposite but i'm so curious about this thread

creolebeauty1 wrote:Nope i've experienced quite the opposite but i'm so curious about this thread

Lol, it IS usually the opposite huh? Hopefully I can get some answers!

I don't know why conditioner does that to your hair. But I do know that everybody's hair is different and you have to go with what works for you.

Shampoos aren't bad for everyone, its just that a lot of us find it drying. I still use shampoo, just not as much as I used when I was relaxed. although when I was relaxed I used a lot of mineral oil based products, hair spray, setting lotion, etc. I needed to shampoo more. My reggie now consist of henna, shampoo, pre-poo conditioner, rinse out conditioner, deep condition conditioner, leave-in, water and my butter mix. Yeah I go through a lot of conditioner

BTW how does your hair feel with the shampoo only? If it feels good and is easy to take care of, I wouldn't worry too much. Only worry if the shampoo is damaging your hair. Check the ingredients lists of the conditioners, maybe there is some ingredient you are allergic to. If you still want to use conditioner, get sample sizes and keep a notebook so you can maybe narrow done the ingredient combo that is causing you problems.

Madeaj wrote:I don't know why conditioner does that to your hair. But I do know that everybody's hair is different and you have to go with what works for you.

Shampoos aren't bad for everyone, its just that a lot of us find it drying. I still use shampoo, just not as much as I used when I was relaxed. although when I was relaxed I used a lot of mineral oil based products, hair spray, setting lotion, etc. I needed to shampoo more. My reggie now consist of henna, shampoo, pre-poo conditioner, rinse out conditioner, deep condition conditioner, leave-in, water and my butter mix. Yeah I go through a lot of conditioner

You're right when you say I have to find what works best for me. But everyone that seems to know what they're talking about stresses the importance of conditioning hair. I mean, you obviously agree. I don't understand WHY it happens. It seems counterintuitive and I'm afraid that not using conditioners AT ALL, will not benefit my hair in the long run.

Madeaj wrote:BTW how does your hair feel with the shampoo only? If it feels good and is easy to take care of, I wouldn't worry too much. Only worry if the shampoo is damaging your hair. Check the ingredients lists of the conditioners, maybe there is some ingredient you are allergic to. If you still want to use conditioner, get sample sizes and keep a notebook so you can maybe narrow done the ingredient combo that is causing you problems.

After shampooing, it feels stripped and snatchy? But after putting in some Kinky Curly Knot Today, a moisturizer and a sealing oil, it feels okay. The next day it can be a matted mess though. I have a lot of unruly hair, lol. I don't think the shampoo is damaging my hair but by not using conditioner, I feel I might not be doing something essential for my hair.

I like your idea about keeping a hair-diary though. I'll be trying that!

What conditioners have you tried so far?

Madeaj wrote:What conditioners have you tried so far?

The ones that I can remember are..
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration
Herbal Essences It's a Curl Thing
Yes to Carrots
Kerastase Resistance
The body shop - Honey Moisturising Conditioner
L'Oréal Paris Elvive Re-Nutrition

Those are pretty good. Try a 2-1 gentle shampoo conditioner. Maybe it'll work better. Some good inexpensive conditioners are Suave professionals, Suave naturals, V05. Use the conditioner but don't comb it. Try gently squeezing the conditioner through your hair and rinse it completely out with body temp water. Or maybe you can use the conditioner before the shampoo. But I would definitely suggest a gentler shampoo if your hair is feeling stripped and snatchy after washing. Maybe one those no-more tears baby shampoos?

Someone else here will hopefully be able to help you better.

Madeaj wrote:Those are pretty good. Try a 2-1 gentle shampoo conditioner. Maybe it'll work better. Some good inexpensive conditioners are Suave professionals, Suave naturals, V05. Use the conditioner but don't comb it. Try gently squeezing the conditioner through your hair and rinse it completely out with body temp water. Or maybe you can use the conditioner before the shampoo. But I would definitely suggest a gentler shampoo if your hair is feeling stripped and snatchy after washing. Maybe one those no-more tears baby shampoos?

Someone else here will hopefully be able to help you better.

Unfortunately the brands you just mentioned aren't sold here. I'll see what I can find though and I'll definitely try out your suggestions. Thank you for your help!

Duh, I just noticed where you live. Sorry. Definitely check the ingredients. Each country has different cosmetic regulations so the formulas could be very different. That might be why the North American based curlies recommend a product that doesn't work at all for curlies in another country. You might have to go the natural route or make your own products.

if conditioners dont work you can try to condition with some oils, like hot oil treatments. If the hair feels somewhat dry after washing you can consider diliuting your shampoo

mmm not a too savy but isn't kinky curly knot today a conditioner ?

blkbeauty2010 wrote:if conditioners dont work you can try to condition with some oils, like hot oil treatments. If the hair feels somewhat dry after washing you can consider diliuting your shampoo

That's a good idea as well, thanks!

creolebeauty1 wrote:mmm not a too savy but isn't kinky curly knot today a conditioner ?

Just did a little search on their website and it is listed as a conditioner. My hair doesn't come out when using KCKT! It might have something to do with the fact that it can be used as a leave in as well, in contrast to the other conditioners I've used. All of them needed to be washed out. I'll be looking at the ingredients on the bottles when I get home.

Thanks ladies, I've figured out what to do. Use hot oil treatments and keep using the KCKT and hope my hair doesn't need anymore conditioners lol.

Wow, a very interesting thread. I never heard of this problem before, but I agree, every person's hair is different. It's funny, I actually stopped using shampoo and only use conditioner. I'll see how it works. And Suave Naturals is very good, I love combing with it, and even leaving some in as a leave-in.