My Hair in the Shower To begin with, I wash my hair every morning using the CO (conditioner only) method. I have three reasons for doing so: washing every day keeps my hair moisturized, I find it easier to detangle wet hair, and damp updos look more polished & give better hold. My favorite conditioner scent is White Rain or VO5 Coconut (Pina Colada) but I like most of the White Rain and VO5 line. Suave, however, results in an itchy scalp. Once a week I use a shampoo to remove any buildup. First, I apply a liberal amount of VO5 or White Rain condish to my scalp hair only. A heavier conditioner is used on the length, often with a generous amount of honey mixed in (for added shine & moisture), then I wrap the length around one hand and place all of it into a showercap on my head. I switch a lot between 'cone and 'cone free conditioners; the 'cone free ones don't always provide enough slip to remove tangles without causing breakage. The best 'cone free conditioner I have used thus far is Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose; L'Oreal Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture is my tried-and-true favorite of the 'cone variety (a life saver when it comes to detangling!). At the end of my shower I remove the showercap and thorougly rinse the scalp area, taking about 2 minutes to ensure all the conditioner has been removed. I'm not as careful about rinsing the length, but it usually takes a couple minutes to detangle under the shower stream. At this point I may add a leave-in. Finally, I bring the length around to one side, squeeze the extra water from it, and put on a hair towel/turban. After about 30 minutes, I remove the towel and comb once more to help it dry. I give my hair a few more minutes to reach the right stage of dampness, then put it into an updo. My Hair Throughout the Day At home I often wear my hair down but when going out it is almost always in an updo of some sort. The only updo I bother with at home is a plain cinnamon bun using dymondwood sticks because it is the easiest and most comfortable. My Hair at Night At night I wear a sleep cap, which isn't very appealing, but it is easier than a braid and keeps me from having a mass of tangles in the morning. Occasionally, I will do a light oiling at night using Monoi Oil. My Hair - Maintenance Usually once a week I deep condition using a heat cap for 30 minutes. I try to do this either the day of or the day after shampooing so that my hair has the best chance of absorbing the treatment. I have lots of deep conditioners since my hair likes both protein and moisture deep treatments. My only real preference here is, again, L'Oreal Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture due to the extreme silkyness it provides. No other 'cone conditioner has ever given me near the results as I get with Mega Moisture. The 'cone free treatments, which are almost always protein, make my hair feel fuller but do little on the detangling front. I have, for the most part, given up seach and destroy (s&d) missions to trim damaged or split ends, for a multitude of reasons. While others have great success with it, s&d tends to strain my eyes, requires hours of time, and produces little result. With over 150,000 hairs on the human head, I find the idea of examining each one for damamge to be overwhelming. Instead, I do yearly trims of 1 to 3" on average in an attempt to thicken my ends. If you'd like to view my progress, please see the Photos of My Hair Down. As I reach new lengths it takes time for the thickness of my hair to catch up, and so I have to trim to keep the ends from appearing whispy.

Return to Site Index