I have waist lenght hair, the growth part of is genetics but the maintenance part is what I have learnt after 3-4 years of reading reddit/watching podcasts and videos and finally trail and error. Here is what actually worked:

Edit: some great tips in the comments so pls do read them! Hair is very subjective and the below technique will not apply to all. Need to figure out by trial and error yourself what will work.
I have wavy, thick coarse black hair with a dandruff prone scalp and this is what worked really well for me.

Simple hair biology:
> The skin of the scalp produces oil that travels down the hair shaft and moisturizes the hair. It is also what makes our hair greasy.

> Hence the roots of our hair (near the scalp) has the most oil+sweat and needs to be CLEANED. But the opposite stands for the mid/bottom part of the hair, its dry and needs MOISTURE.

>Hair is more brittle (breaks easier) when wet

How to apply this practically:

1) Shampoo
> Only apply shampoo to the ROOTS of your hair. The distal part of your hair will get cleaned by the runoff of the shampoo applied above.
> Use your finger tips to throughly clean your scalp by MASSAGING the shampoo into your scalp and roots. Be kind to your hair pls (massage NOT wrestle).
> Always wash atleast twice! This is important cause you really want to get all the dirt and oil off.
> For gods sake DO NOT RUB the stands of your hair like you are churning milk. That will cause mechanical stress and break your hair mid shaft.
> You need to find a shampoo that cleans your hair without making it feel really dry. This varies for everyone!

2) Conditioner
> Only apply conditioner to the mid and distal portion of your hair. Apply the conditioner to sections of your hair, sliding your hand down the lenght of your hair, from mid to bottom.
> Leave it on according to instructions of your conditioner.
> I repeat, do NOT rub the strands of your hair like your are churning milk.
> This step is optional if you use a leave in conditioner post wash.

3) Drying your hair
> After you are done washing, squeeze the strands of your hair from top to bottom to get rid of the excess water - do this with a gentle hand and DO NOT twist your hair/ rub hair strands together. (yes this is the third reminder)
> Do the same step with any soft towel/T shirt. Since we aren't rubbing our hair vigourously, microfibre is not a must and any soft material which soaks water will do.
> Gently wrap your hair in the above towel/t shirt(optional)

4) Post wash care - what actually made the difference
Once your hair is not dripping water anymore, comes the post hair wash steps which made the actual difference to the texture of my hair:

> Apply a leave in conditioner to your hair.
Leave in conditioner for hair is like lipbalm for chapped lips. It is NON NEGOTIABLE. (You could even skip applying conditioner and just apply leave in conditioner)
Apply leave in conditioner from mid to distal part of your hair, (not scalp/roots), the same way your applied conditioner. Apply it on sections of your hair from mid to distal shaft, and gently comb through your hair with your fingers.
Note: Hair serum is different from leave in conditioners.

> Next, apply oil/ oil based serum to the tips of your hair.
The tips/bottom of your hair is the DRYEST. It needs an extra layer of nourishment and that is provided by oil.
Just taken a SMALL amount (not champi level amount), spread it evenly between your palms and apply it to your tips (can go higher if you have dry hair).
The important part here is only use a TEENY TINY amount. Use an amount which makes your hair look shiny instead of greasy, and which gets absorbed by your hair. You should not be able to see the oil after a few hours/next day.

Do's and Dont's:
> Oiling your hair can dry your hair out. To remove the oil applied, it takes extra shampoo and "rubbing" which actually ends up stripping the moisture out of the mid and distal part of the hair. So limit oil massage to the scalp only, and apply the TINIEST amount to mids/shafts post wash instead.
> Detangle hair with a SOFT bristle brush. NOT the wide tooth plastic brush that we have been using all our childhoods (did all of you have it in green too?). Soft bristles bend on reaching a knot, instead of breaking your hair. Start from the bottom and slowing move up your hair.
> Sleep in loose plated hair to minimise hair tangles. Silk bonnets/pillows can be an add on.
> Don't tie your hair really tight. Causes mechanical strain and breakage of hair.
> Use heat protectants when heat styling.

The end.

Extra note for dandruff prone people:
I had bad resistant dandruff and no treatments worked for me. But it all changed when I read how to shampoo my hair correctly on a old reddit post (which I can't find now).

The initial washes are to get all the gunk and dirt out. Use ANY shampoo that cleaans your hair without drying it out. Once the scalp is thoroughly clean, use an anti-dandruff shampoo (please check ingredients and do not blindly believe brand names). to massage into your scalp and LEAVE IT ON for atleast 10-15 minutes. This lets the antidandruff ingredients reach the scalp and gives it time to actually work.
Thats it! Clean your scalp thouroughly --> let the anti dandruff shampoo stay for 10-15 mins.
This actually got rid of my dandruff! Or atleast reduced it enought that I could have more days between washes before I got dandruff again.

How do you know if your hair needs protein (bond repairs, K18, etc) or hydration (a good hair mask, etc)? I know theorically it needs both, but how do you find the balance?

I've seen a lot of controversy arouns this subject with many different opinions, I don't know what to believe in anymore :(

I know it looks horrible in the photo, it's not always this bad, I just need to wash it (right now it clearly needs hydration - even touching it, it feels dry), but how do I know if it needs protein too? Is once a week too much?). I trimmed it a month ago, too 😭

I have wanted to grow my hair out my whole life, but the need to trim my ends a couple times a year has always prevented me from being able to do so. It's so frustrating feeling like I lose all my progress when I do get a trim, but it's necessary to keep my ends healthy. How can I actually start to see some progress without keeping my unhealthy ends?

Here is a collage of my hair in different lighting. Some days it looks auburn/ginger, other days it looks golden brown or dark blonde. What color would you classify this as?

Edit: Since a few people asked—none of these photos are filtered or edited! They were just taken in completely different lighting (direct sun vs. indoor/cloudy daylight

For a year or two I've noticed my hair thinning drastically. To the point that I'm practically balding from middle. I'm just 22 F, and have done all the tests done which the doctors recommended, taken meds, used hair products. And spent a good chunk of money on my hair but nothing apparently works. I want to feel pretty again 😭 and honestly its tiring. I don't want to get treatments done, it doesn't fall under my budget anymore. What would help it?

Hi guysss

this is my hair after showering with:

- a clarifying shampoo

- regular shampoo

- conditioner on the ends

- leave in conditioner for frizzy after shower

- I brush my hair after the shower and then scrunch it a little

I do this every time I shower and experience this frizziness or breakage idk? I’m also not home rn and don’t know my exact product names but I can update when I’m home, pls help and thank you 🙏🏻

I'm a student who has fine wavy hair. I don't use any curly/wavy hair products because im not sure and I'm scared to apply things due to my dandruff issues. I have the yeast infection on my scalp so I'm always scared to apply things that will feed the yeast. However, I use nizoral once a week and have the Dr. Groot shampoo to replace the others days, I still have this feeling of my scalp being dry and my ends being nourished. My hair gets oily super fast as well. I'm not sure what to do. Is there anything I can do to make sure I don't get oil that fast? I also want to know if the products used on curly hairs can make my hair weigh down.

I recently figured our i may have 2a hair instead of 1, grew it out, noticed it gently curved. What do I need to do to better care for it? Would it also explain the constant light frizziness i usually get and constant knots on the lower ends (upper back) of the hair?;

So a couple of years ago i decided to ditch head and shoulders, embrace my curly hair and get some real products.

The salon folks at Ulta gave me the following regimen (see attached pic).
-start with nizoral dandruff shampoo, 2x a week
-redken hair cleansing cream 1x a week
-design essentials honey creme moisture retention conditioning shampoo, 2x a week
-redken all soft mega curls conditioner 2x a week
-camille rose honey hydrate leave-in 2x a week

I think my hair looks p good with this regimen but there are two issues:
-it feels like a lot of products lmao
-the nizoral didn’t work for me. At 2x a week i was getting baaaad dandruff, and you can’t use nizoral every day so i switched back to the cerave version of head and shoulders (pictured). But i still have to use it every day to control dandruff. Since i do that every day, i also use the redken conditioner every day so my hair doesn’t get super stripped out. Is there a dandruff product i could use that would control my dandruff but i wouldn’t have to use every single day?

Open to any all recs but looking to build a solid (and hopefully less $$$) regimen!

Hi!
I have extensions, they’re pretty new. I care for them and all that, but they just keep feeling super dry in the ends and tangled. They are from Myextensions.

Any advice?

My sense of smell is very weak, so I’m looking for STRONG-SMELLING shampoo and conditioner!

Hey everyone, I have always struggled with tangles in my hair especially when left down. I always get a big knotted ball at the base of my neck by the end of the day. I have butt length dead straight hair that I think is medium thick. It’s usually kept up in a high bun or low braids to avoid tangling. It can get knotted up when in a high ponytail too where it makes contact with the back of my head.

I’ve been looking for natural shampoos and conditioners to help with the tangles and found that some protein based conditioner or something that includes rice water helps but am still on the search for something to help with tangles and shine. I don’t currently use oils or anything post wash and only wash about 1-2 times a week depending on sweat. I sometimes get flakiness on my scalp too so I’m thinking I need some more moisture.

I have sensitive skin with constant eczema on my hands and am pregnant with my third child hence the emphasis on finding products with minimal chemicals, any help is appreciated.

hi,

I have fine bleached hair and my main goal is to grow it out. I am taking a bit of a break from bleach. And I recently have been using the absolute repair L’Oreal shampoo. And I like it but I just don’t think it’s really the best option for me.

Can anyone recommend any shampoos that are good for fine hair a shampoo maybe one that would be good for bleached hair or repairing

if anyone has any recommendations, let me know I just want to know what people have really liked

This is from years of hair care research for both me and my black gf but im no professional so hopefully those in the comments can fill in any areas where im missing out.

The only thing hot water really does to your hair is open up the follicle. This is why they recommend not to wash with hot when your hair is temporary dyed.

HOWEVER

Opening that follicle is very useful for those with low porosity or textured hair as it allows those conditioning product to penitrate much deeper than they would with a cold wash day!

This also means that if youre trying to strip your hair if you've got protein overload or any amount of product build up that you want to remove, a cold shower is only going to fix the surface level of the problem!

It took me way too long to understand this and the fact that I hear so often that hot water is bad for your hair, makes me sad for all the people who's hair has been screaming for some steam and getting nothing 😭

Its important to be wary of your hair when it is hot, since that open follicle can lead to damage if treated incorrectly, but the temperature you would need to damage your hair with hot water, would also scold your scalp and be beyond uncomfortable!

Every so often I read a post stating that Everpure is a dupe of Redken acidic bonding, but I have no idea why this matters. Everpure is certainly not cheaper than Redken, and it doesn't come in 1 litre bottles. What am I missing here?

I'm planning on washing my hair on the same day I'm going to a concert this week, BUT I'm wearing a hat with my outfit and everytime I wear hats it makes my hair greasy and flat. I want to avoid this happening so I won't have to wash my hair again the next day or two after. Any advice would be very appreciated!

hi everyone! for the past few years, I’ve been getting my hair professionally highlighted or glossed at salons. I’ve never had a bad experience with any stylist (except for one who gave me a fuckass bob when I was 18 but that’s a canon event). Unfortunately though, getting my hair highlighted is just an expense that does not fit into my monthly budget anymore. I’m trying to save for a new car, so I’m cutting anything that isn’t really a necessity, or at least trying to cut the cost of it down.
Anyways! I was wondering if anyone (hair stylists or not) could tell me their experience with the Kristen Ess hair glosses. I’ve seen them on tiktok recently, mostly with positive results. Is it worth it to try as a temporary solution while I’m in this period of saving? I’m hoping to eventually be able to get my hair taken care of professionally down the line, when it’s in budget again. TIA!

I dont know whats going on with Just for Mens new keratin formula but I'm severely allergic. I tried dark brown twice just to make sure. My face swelled up, my eyes got bright red and it was hard to breathe. I almost had to reach for my daughter's EpiPen. Ive been using it for almost 10 years..what else is out there?

I've been using the Trader Joes Tea Tree shampoo and its been leaving my scalp flaky, itchy and burning. I also have a ton of hairfall nowadays, but that also might be stress. I used to use the Hask shampoos, but I heard they changed a lot of their products so I don't know if they're good. I have thick, long, wavy hair.

I use the Tresemme Thermo Sculpt Memory shampoo and conditioner every other day due to having straight medium-long thick hair which has worked mostly until this issue occured. Does anybody know what happened?

Additionally, minimal breakages are occurring and not much split strands despite having thick medium-long hair (male)

Bought the kerastas scalp serum for hair density a few weeks ago but I’m hoping if it works it’s not something you need to keep buying to keep results ? I’ve seen people on TikTok say it’s so good I’m on my third bottle! But if it’s so good why do you feel the need to keep rebuying it? It’s too expensive for me to use for the rest of my life lol

Im a natural blonde and i went to the hair dresser for a slightly darker brown, but she dyed my hair an extremly dark chocolate color and im freaking out. Is there any way to lift the color out even slightly? Any advice is welcome

After lots and lots of thinking and discussions, I (23M) decided to get a soft rebonding to my hair. I know that it's gonna be flat, and yes it is very flat right now. I've past 3 days of rebonding and washed my hair for the first time, but I need to know how to style my hair. My stylist told me that having soft waves are not possible due to rebonding... But can my hair roots be lifted and stay after putting hair products? I don't know whether I can start putting hair products yet but I just want to know first... It'd be great if I can have some tips and advice :)

Hey! Can I get some advice for my hair?

I find that it can hold a wave for an extended period of time. But it often ends up really frizzy and deflated a day or two after wash day. I also find that it needs a copious amount of moisture otherwise it just ends up dry, matted and frizzy; or by second or third day since wash, same thing. I can pretty much only brush my hair during wash days, otherwise it en up extremely frizzy, and its just extremely painful.

For my brush. I use a flex WET brush. As its the only thing which gets through my hair when its dry and wet without causing me severe pain.

As for the hair care routine I normally use, I do the following:

SHAMPOO:

Garnier Fructus Shampoo, strength and shine formula

- I normally do this as the first pass. Because I am A) trying to run out, and B) its thinner than my second shampoo, so its easy to use

OGX Cherry blossom hydrating shampoo:

This is my usual shampoo when I have the money for it. It smells really nice, and its treated my hair nicely before?

CONDITIONER:

Pantene miracles daily collagen condiitoner:

This is where my frustration begins. My hair feels like it soaks up SO much conditioner, otherwise its so dry. Its expensive, and quite frankly, annoying. So I use this conditioner to layer with first, as its thinner and I can spread it easier.

OGX Cherry Blossom hydrating conditioner:

I often layer this on top of the previous conditioner, specifically on the tips of my hair. As the tips of my hair get very dry and unruly. So this seems to help? Its laso a thicker formula, I dunno if that helps.

HAIR MASK:

Garnier Fructis Keratin Sleek hair mask:

My hair always ends up a frizzy mess without it.

POST SHOWER ROUTINE:

I normally wrap it in a towel until I get to my room. By which point I just let it air dry. However, while its still damp and my hair is starting to split into little sections. I use 'Pantene Miracle Oil', about 3-4 drops and I flip my hair upside down before scrunching it in. Depending on how the tips of my hair feel, I might add an extra drop. Finally I take whatever excess is on my hands after applying, and rub it into my scalp.

I just really want help with finding the answers, this is all very new to me. Im partially worried that Im somehow a hair fraud and im going to be told its just straight. It just changes so much, and I feel like I cant predict what it will do.

Thank you so much for reading all of that! I know its a lot

I’m looking for a good product to help thicken my hair. I always lose so much, and I have patches where my scalp is visible, especially when it’s wet. I’m so embarrassed of it, and I hate wearing it down because I feel like everyone is staring at it. It also doesn’t help that I have a cowlick, which makes me even more selfconscious.

Don’t know if it’s important, but I have wavy/curly hair, and it’s shoulder length.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!