Combatting My Hair Problems (UPDATE)

UPDATE: After all the talk about limiting my hair products, I am back to admit to trying something new. In addition to the products I mentioned previously, I will be trying out some Ojon (or Batana) oil. Apparently, it's hot among the TikTik squad but I found it by looking at lists of herbal remedies for hair loss. I will, of course, follow up with results when I've had time to let this work. I have an oil version (that I will use for my scalp daily) and a solid version (that I will use as a pre-poo rinse-out).

I'd like to be able to say that, with maturity, I have become less vain. I'd like to say that, but I prefer being honest. It's my hair, folks. I'm only vain about my hair but that's because I've lost my once beautiful smile and Lord knows, this body is not in its best shape. Even my skin color has started to dull with the years.

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However, I'm not a tenth as vain and silly as I was in my younger days, and I do love growing older. Still, the medications I am on have been like a wrecking crew. One issue is bone loss - which includes the jaw. I am going to have to have all my teeth replaced. I don't mind that. I always had a pretty smile but now I just want to be able to eat and to talk to people in public without looking like a meth addict. In the meantime, I wish masks were still mandatory.

So, while I am fine about getting my teeth replaced (when I can find a dentist who will treat me and not charge me like I'm wealthy), and having to be careful not to fall and break any bones, I have had trouble dealing with the hair situation. I can't comb my hair without running a vacuum for the next 2 days. So much of it comes out that I wonder how I still have so much on my head. And when I say it comes out, I don't mean just when combing it. Every time I walk into the bathroom, I have to sweep the floor. Anytime I look into the mirror, I find not just strands but tufts that are hanging loose. I no longer go into the kitchen or near food without either wearing one of my scarves or checking to make sure no hairs are falling loose...

And this is all because of the fact that one of my meds (the same one that messes with my bones) hates my hair. For years, I have had to work hard to keep my tresses healthy. With age, that started to get more difficult. Yay. However, I think I have found a care routine that is working very well. I'm not recommending this because I am not a professional. I will just tell you what's working for me.

• The first step is to not over-wash and dry out my hair. I was never bad about this but I did sometimes wash my hair three or four times in a month. That was to get rid of product buildup. Now I try to limit the products I use so that I don't have to wash as often - maybe twice a month.
• I have started using 100% cotton flour sack towels for drying my hair. (At least I never use a hair dryer but my towels probably weren't the best for my hair.)
• Next, as I said, I have stopped using so many products. At one point, I was using a leave-in conditioner, a curl cream, a secondary moisturizer, and some kind of glossing product. That's a lot. These days, I am down to the 3 products I will talk about in a moment.
• For months, I had been wearing a protective style a lot of the time, but I do so now almost 90% of the time. I really only leave my hair loose when I'm in the mood to girl it up. (I will tell you why I want to keep my hair if I don't wear it down!)
• I am more careful these days about what I eat and drink. You might know from the blog that I am limiting or avoiding certain ingredients. 

Now, as to why I care about saving hair that I don't wear down. One reason is that I see my hair as a sign of my femininity. I love being a woman and I do see my hair as a "crown". That's no shade on women who have lost their hair or like to wear it short. For me, it's just a very personal thing. If I lose it, I lose it, but I want whatever is left of it to be healthy.

One good thing about changing my haircare routine is that I am saving money. This is a box of just some of the products I am giving to someone else in the family. I won't be buying these anymore.

And this is not the only box...

And when I say that it is only some of the products, I am not kidding. Remember, I am doing the Great Cabinet Cleanup...

Here are the 3 products I am down to these days - 4 if I include water:

They have Dax & Murray's beeswax products in clear. Kocatah is always black

Actually, I lied. I do sometimes use Blue Magic for my scalp if I am out of the Kocatah. And I still use shea butter for additional moisture.  Also, I really only use the Murray's when I am wearing my hair down since it's great for controlling the edges and loose hair.

So I use the Kocatah on my scalp, the Dax beeswax on my hair, and the Murray's for taming and controlling. Murray's is very stiff and can be used to "wave" the hair.

The 4th ingredient - water - is the base for everything else. I always apply the Dax beeswax to damp hair. This has replaced the leave-in conditioners I once used because the Dax not only seals the moisture in but also softens my hair. If I am wearing a protective style (usually twists), I don't need to worry about my hair drying out in between washes. If I am wearing my hair down, the moisture lasts for at least 4 days.

(By the way, Dax products are varied and not just for "afro" hair types. Murray's is too thick for use on fine hair - except as an edge hold. Though all are black in color, they are not opaque enough to notice on darker hair colors. The Murrays and the Dax beeswax products do come in lighter/clear shades.)

Of course, neither Dax nor Murray's are pure beeswax. The first ingredient in both products is petrolatum and the second is beeswax (cera alba). Here are the labels for all the products in my routine:

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Dax magnified

Kokatah

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Kocatah magnified

You can see how similar the ingredients are (for all three) but the Murray's has a thicker and a really stiff texture. That's why I say it works best as an edge cream or for the very ends of twists to lock them in.

Once I wash my hair and moisturize it, then twist it for protection, I'm pretty much done. 

As for the flour sack towels, I started out using one from my kitchen that had gotten lightly stained. I heard about using the towels from women back in the day but was recently reminded when reading something in a hair forum. Then Walmart had a sale on some of the large-sized Aunt Martha's towels (I love the towels from Aunt Martha or Utopia).  It's not often you see good towels at such a deep discount (I paid $6.22 instead of $15.28 for a set of 2).  It's so much larger than my old kitchen towel.

I do suggest doing a wash and dry on the towels before the first use. They will soften up a bit and who knows what chemicals are on them fresh out of the wrapping...

When I've been on this routine for a while, I hope to remember to do an update post. I have plenty of pics of my hair in all stages of damage and health to compare to.

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMER - I was not compensated in any way for this post. I wish...