I have been trying MM off and on, but can't ever stick with it for the full 30 days, as my hair feels so dry and awful and it is so much work to get the tangles out, I feel like I'm ripping all my hair out. So, then I go back to using a non-conditioning shampoo with a cone conditioner and my hair feels good again.

Would it be all right to use AO conditioners with the MM shampoos?

Could I use Monoi, which I love and which makes my hair feel like I've used silicone, instead of the MM oil which leaves me greasy feeling?

I want to go all natural, but frankly, the MM smells just don't thrill me like the AO conditioners, coconut or vanilla monoi, Phyto Systeme Jojoba & cornflower (I am now using it for handwashing at all my sinks it smells so good!), Infusium 23 conditioner...

I have been reading everyone's comments about MM and it sounds like it might be wonderful if I could just hold out for the 30 days, but if I can't, do you think it would work with the AO conditioners and Monoi? I would really like to see the benefits of less shedding. Also, on the other side, I really liked Sweet Peach's comments about how silicone really protects and helps detangle, and I'm thinking how could this be bad and if my hair feels good, then why not? I am so torn about what to do!

Thanks for any suggestions! :?

Hi Nancy! I feel the same way you do about using MM. I love the shampoos, but feel like I need more than the sprays for conditioning. I just can't comb out my hair with their conditioners and my hair seems kind of 'fly away'. :(

I'm out of the shampoos at the moment, but, I think I'm going to order more. I've only used 2 of the shampoos so far. I'm just going to use my own conditioners tho. ;)

It's difficult for me to stick with the same line of shampoos for too long. Then I get the feeling I'm leaving build up in my hair..
:rolleyes:

Howdy Nancy!

I have tried AO conditioners with MM shampoos and let me tell you- they hated each other! It was bad. I tried it several times, with different AO conditioners, and the results were pitiful each time. Greasy, lank, dull hair. Dunno why that is, but you can try it yourself....

I don't see why you can't use Monoi. I use a bunch of different oils with my MM. Olive, jojoba, the MM Euro and others...

If you want to try nothing but MM for 30 days, then you could *hide* your other products from yourself. Put them in another room where you can't just grab them on a whim. I think that everytime you use a silicone product with the MM you are just setting yourself back.

Doing an ACV rinse might help too. I use one, and also I wait until my hair is dry to detangle it. MM and wet detangling wouldn't work for me, and I rarely attempt it.

I don't think that silicones are *wrong* or anything. So if you decide to go that route, then fine. Your hair might just prefere silicones. BUT, I don't think you'll have any luck at all mixing silicones and MM. Just keep that in mind if you wish to continue with Morrocco Method.

I agree with Val.

Have you been using the Euro oil with the MM shampoos?

I think if you could stick with the MM long enough you would see results. I had the ickies for a few days when I first started but I wasn't using cones before I began. Maybe cone users will have a longer detox time?

If the commercial silicone products worked well for your hair, I don't see why not just stay with them. They're a lot cheaper too. I tried some organic shampoos and conditioners last month...Hated them..went back to my good old drugstore silcone-rich brand. Hair is shiny and detangled.
If the new expensive stuff isn't detangling adequately, my suggestion is to go back to what worked (that's what I did).

Tudor Rose, I feel I can truly empathize with your desire to follow a natural haircare approach.

My experience involved using Aubrey Organics products, oils, herbal and vinegar rinses for 2 years exclusively. During that period my hair didn't improve, in fact it's condition deteriorated. It took me a very long time to identify the reasons why.

What my hair needed was soft water but my water is moderately hard. I live in an apartment and can't put in a water softener, so that's not a solution. What the AO shampoos were doing were precipitating minerals into my hair. Herbal and vinegar rinses didn't do a good enough job of removing the AO shampoo soap residue so my hair held onto minerals and chlorine. This made it generally unmanageable and tangly. Tangly hair lead to frustration and frustration to being less gentle more often than I should and this resulted in more split ends (something I'd never had before in my life), and breakage and hair loss. I knew I was loosing an abnormal amount of hair but wasn't sure quite what to do so I continued on with my natural approach. I believe this is the reason I've lost over a half inch of hair thickness measured by ponytail circumference.

In addition to needing soft water, what my hair needed was something more substantial to properly smooth the surface of my highlighted hair. Oils, glycerin, natural waxes such as cocoa butter or shea, helped a bit but could also make hair greasy. And I only recently discovered the conditioning and detangling benefits of lavender essential oil.

I've since found some tricks to using Aubrey Organics that would have helped me when I was using this line exclusively in 2001 and 2002. This includes a pre-wash oiling, beginning the wash with a vinegar rinse, always using conditioner on the scalp, using AO gel or AO mousse on the length to seal hair and add body, and remoisturizing daily using AO hand lotions mixed with AO gel or mousse, or lavender EO. Lavender essential oil is an exceptional detangler.

Perhaps you could improve the results you're getting with MM by doing a number of things and still maintain a completely natural approach. You could incorporate one or more of the following:
*** getting a water softener
*** using distilled water as a final rinse
*** pre-wash oiling (with heat or just a light application immediately before washing which is what works best for me)
*** using oils or natural waxes/pomades as a leave-in on either damp & freshly washed hair or freshly dried hair

Or perhaps you need to use the CWC method and shampoo only the scalp and use the MM sprays on the length or combine with vinegar/herbal rinses, oils or pomades for the length. That would still be a natural approach.

My experience is that my hair in it's wet state gives me the best indication what the results will be once hair is dry. If it's silky, strong feeling and easy to handle while I'm still in the shower I know it will be that way when it's dry too. I can tell from the very first use of a product. If the results are poor the first time, they just don't get any better for me with continued use. My hair loves non-conditioning shampoos (but not drying ones either) and heavy/waxy/silicone conditioners. I use the CWC method. Shampoos with water-softening and chelating ingredients prevent minerals from attaching to hair and scalp while conditioners that are acidic seal the cuticle and silicones and waxes make the surface smooth and tangle-free.

Currently I'm experimenting with some of my old products and my favorites are:

Shampoos
Nature's Gate Jojoba Shampoo (SLES)
JASON's Naturals Jojoba Shampoo (decyl polyglucose)
JASON's Aloe Vera Shampoo (decyl polyglucose)
Nexxus Therappe Shampoo (SLES)

Conditioners
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle (the most awesome product!)
Aussie Real Volume Conditioner
Aussie Moist

Success is just as much in the methods used and not only in the products selected. Tweeking your haircare routine could make all the difference if you have reasons to prefer a completely natural approach.
I really hope you can find a solution that will help you continue with a natural haircare approach if that's what you decide on.

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