My battle with conditioners

[OhS]

Conditioners: I and they have never been in good terms with each other, and I'm curious if it's just a matter of taste of I simply never found a good one. So here's how I could summarize it:

When I was young(er), I didn't like the way my hair looked soon after a shampoo. If I washed my hair in the morning, I'd like it at night, and if I washed at night, I'd like it the following day.

Why? Because I didn't like the excessively soft and 'wispy' look they had. This is true now too, but as years passed by and my hair got worse, I had to choose between a soft and wispy hair and a totally messed up hair. You'll understand why the first is still better.

So what's the role of conditioners in all this? Well, they basically have always prolonged that unpleasant feeling for longer than the average 1/2 day. That is, they make my hair way too soft. I understand softness is what people are normally looking for, but softness isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to hair. In this case softness is an enemy of hair body. Conditioners would always 'sat my hair down'.

So in the end I totally gave up and now I don't even remember when it was the last time I used one.

Now I ask myself: is that because I always chose the wrong one? Or maybe my hair is not compatible? Or is it just a matter of taste?

[Tom Hagerty]

I had to choose between a soft and wispy hair and a totally messed up hair.

I'm going to tell you what I do to keep my hair looking good. Of course I did some research and experimentation before I found a workable solution.

First, I use a clarifying shampoo once a week. This is a shampoo without all the well-advertised herbal extracts and the protein thickening agents. A clarifying shampoo has just detergent cleaning agents and perhaps some detangling agents too. (Detergents are made from synthetic chemicals.) I don't use any conditioner after the shampoo but I do use a do-it-yourself acid rinse. That's the item that you might find helpful for your hair.

Second, I apply this acid rinse to my hair and let it sit on my scalp for about a minute. Then I shower some more with warm water to wash the acid rinse off. Here is how I make the acid rinse and what this rinse does for the scalp and the hair.

The acid rinse: I put two tablespoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar into a cup of warm water and I pour this mixture on my head after I shampoo. (Add some dried rosemary to the bottle of vinegar to get rid of a smell you may find - or the sensitive Korean women may find - sickening.)☺

This rinse helps the cuticle scales of the hair to lie flat. When the scales of the cuticle lie flat they won't be torn off and they won't allow unwanted stuff (build up) to pass into the hair shaft. The acid rinse also gets rid of dandruff and any scalp itch you might have.

Healthy closed cuticle

Closed cuticle.png (65.6 KiB) Viewed 25356 times

Unhealthy open cuticle

Open cuticle.jpg (6.56 KiB) Viewed 25356 times

I think you will like the feel of your hair after this ritual. But South Korea where you live might be a wasteland for finding raw apple cider vinegar. But who knows. Some buccaneer might be smuggling in Bragg's famous product or an effective substitute.

A powerful ingredient

Apple Cider Vinegar.png (52.98 KiB) Viewed 25356 times

So then when my hair is dry I rub a few drops of macadamia oil in it. I like this better than emu oil or jojoba oil. This leaves my hair healthy looking and easy to manage. There is nothing time consuming about this ritual and it doesn't eat up a lot of cash.

[OhS]

Thank you Tom for the good infos.

I used to buy the very same bottle you posted from iHerb (but in order to eat it!), until when... they simply discontinued the item, along with others products I'd always bought until then, like wheat bran. I even emailed the company to find out whether they would ever be available again, but got no answer.

As for the conditioner per se, I'm still unsure I really need one or not. I have zero dandruff, and when I say zero, I mean ZERO. The skin of my scalp is in general clean and smooth (but not excessively dry), so I've never really felt the need to fix anything about it. But anyway, if I can find that awesome vinegar again somewhere, I'll definitely give it a try.

As for the shampoo, here's what I use: http://www.iherb.com/j-r-liggett-s

I admit I never really worried or thought too much about the shampoo...

[Tom Hagerty]

I just ordered four bars of J.R.Liggett's Old Fashioned Soap from i.Herb.com. I ordered four in order to get the free shipping. After I use it a few times I'll tell you what I think of it.

[mariobryant]

Thank you guys for the good infos. I will definitely use your experience and advice.

[Tom Hagerty]

I just ordered some more of the J.R. Liggett's shampoo. It comes in small square bars - kind of dumb-looking but it cleans the hair and scalp without any irritation. But, mariobryant, no shampoo or conditioner is going to work miracles. The bad shampoos can really dry out your scalp though. I shampoo once a week. That's plenty.