Newbie with several ?s :)

[Shae]

I just found this site a couple of days ago and I LOVE it! I feel like I've entered a new world!
To make a VERY long story short I have short, layered hair. The hair at the back of my neck is maybe only 2 inches long and on top it's maybe 4-5 inches. When I first got it cut (6 months ago) I also colored it so the last half of it is also processed. Don't ask me why I colored it red when my natural color is auburn anyway! The difference isn't too bad so I'm going to start growing it out.
My questions are.......
1)I know that it is common knowledge that hair only grows about 1/2 inch per month. Have any of you all been able to speed up the process and how?
2)If I'm not useing a blowdryer how can I "style" my hair while growing out?
3)This is my BIGGEST concern....I have VERY oily skin and also hair. I have since the age of 13. I have always HAD to wash my hair daily. I mean if I don't I look(and smell,lol!) SO white trash! I tried the co wash this morning and to tell you the truth I'm not so sure about it. The hair around my scalp looks greasy. PLEASE--oily skinned people share your experiences!

TIA! I look forward to your responses!

[vanillaswirl]

Hi I am a newbie too. But I saw your post about extremely oily hair and well, I can relate. My roots get so oily it is scary! And I can not wear bangs or the bangs would soak up all the oil on my forehead and look grossy greasy. Ewww.
I wash every other day. Sometimes I can get by with washing on the third day. I have also tried the washing with conditioner only, it did NOT work for me either.

After washing with regular shampoo my hair looks fine the first day. The second day I wear it back in a claw clip because the greasies start. If the roots get too greasy looking I sprinkle baby powder on the roots around the front. It makes the greasy look go away. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with using shampoo. I lived in East Asia for 2 years and the girls there have that long silky beautiful hair like you see on the pantene commercials. They all use shamoo on their hair and their hair is still beautiful. They don't shampoo daily though. Every other day. They don't do any kind of hair processing either, no coloring or perming. I feel that is most damaging, is chemical processing.

Well, I don't have the answers for your questions 1 and 2. My hair looks like crap if I don't use a blow dryer too. Or a straightening iron. They say it is damaging, so I don't do it often. My friends in East Asia sit in front of a protable fan and let the fan dry their hair, so it gets only cool air, not the heat from a blow dryer.

HTH

Take care

[Igor]

Question 1:
Bargello's Famous Vitamin Routine

Biotin

And in general:
Articles & How To's

Question 2:
(Shamelessly throwing my own work at you)
Guide to those who are starting over from very short

Question 3:
I’ve had a very oily T-zone but my skin became “normal” after using the perfect product line for a few months, so I’m afraid I cant help you there…
But I do know that with patience and support from here I went from washing every other day to being able to go a few weeks with nice looking hair

[CurlyHedy]

1) For the month of November I got 3/4 inches of growth. During that month I had increased my excercise of walking and running. I think the circulation may have helped unless it's just that it grows faster in winter which I haven't documented yet. At any rate circulation is very good for your scalp and hair.

2) What's your hairtype?

3) CO washing didn't work for me either. I shampoo every other day with a sulfate shampoo and concentrate on the scalp. What type of shampoo do you use?

HTH

[seabear]

Welcome!

While I have no empirical evidence, just my own "feelings" on the matter, I think that regular aerobic exercise can make a difference in hair growth rate and also hair health. It makes sense to me - extra blood circulation means extra oxygen and nutrients to the scalp along with the rest of the body. Taking flax seed oil caps twice daily also make my skin glow and my hair happy - again, no scientific studies, just my own personal experience.

As for the shampooing, well, do what works for you. Especially during that awkward growing out phase, which I remember quite well, thank you! you will want to worry less about wear-and-tear and more about what makes you feel good about the way your hair looks. As it grows longer and you have more hair to wick away the oils, you may be able to stretch out your time between shampoos, but i also know there are plenty of beautiful longhairs here who still must wash their hair frequently, with no ill effects. There is also the "scalp only" wash which works for many oily-skinned longhairs to remove oils while limiting stress and wear on long tresses.

I'm a curly, the original "target" group for the CO technique, and it doesn't work for me. You might want to search for threads that my give you better advice, but remember, it's not for everyone, especially those who don't have curly, dry hair.

So, welcome again to you, HTH!

[Shae]

Thanks for the responses and the links!
I know this will be an awkward journey initially. Hopefully following the listed vitamin regimin I can grow it out more quickly.
For years I had shoulder/BS one length hair but I think I want some layers this time. I have a long angular face and think this would be a better choice. Do any of you have layered hair?
Thanks again for the great advice!

[CurlyBrunette]

Since most of your questions got great answers I can only say that I sped up the growth of my hair by getting pregnant! My hair grew at least 1'' a month when I was pregnant!! Also exercise makes it grow for me to, when I do it, that is!

[Teacherbear]

1)Have any of you all been able to speed up the process and how?
Some people have with hair supplements and/or massaging the scalp. I don't do either one.

2)If I'm not useing a blowdryer how can I "style" my hair while growing out?
Scrunching it with gel (even aloe vera gel) would help, I think.

3) I have always HAD to wash my hair daily.
Then keep doing that! By all means, we all have different routines because we have different needs and preferences. You might experiment with some of the conditioning or moisturizing treatments that are talked about, but you might stay with daily washing. Or, after a while, you might try spacing out your washes. Play with it. That's what we've all had to do, I think. It is a fun journey.

Welcome to LHC!

[Garnet66]

I don't know anything about having oily hair but I sypathize. My mom has a lot of oil too. But I am starting from very short hair (as you can see from my siggy pic). I really try to leave mine alone as far as styling is. Except for special occasions. I don't like clips because they wind up catching hair and I pull them out. But I still like headbands once in awhile. My hair is finally parting down the middle instead of being a mess on the top of my head and I'm afraid of ruining it by brushing it back. I'm usually a slow grower too. I've been taking some vitamins since I joined here. I only take two, a good multivitamin and GNC's Ultranourishair. If I hadn't cut 1/2 off this month I would've had 3/4 growth for the month. Which is rare and wonderful for me. So, I don't plan on adding any more since this one works. And Igor's guide for starting from very short was very helpful for me. Check it out. I try to read as many posts as I can. I'm addicted! Welcome and best of luck. Looking forward to seeing you around.

[Speedbump]

Originally Posted by Shae

Thanks for the responses and the links!
I know this will be an awkward journey initially. Hopefully following the listed vitamin regimin I can grow it out more quickly.
For years I had shoulder/BS one length hair but I think I want some layers this time. I have a long angular face and think this would be a better choice. Do any of you have layered hair?
Thanks again for the great advice!

I do! For years I had a "straight-across" cut and it gave me a bit of pyramid hair in the front if I wasn't careful. I finally had a hair crisis back in the fall. Damage and bad handling had done a number on it. I went to a hair salon for the first time in 16 years and John the Stylist recommended a few long layers just in the front area. They are actually not all that noticablle on first glance, but you do notice that the hair has movement and shape to it. It's not just hanging, like it used to. Layers don't work on some people, but on others it works really well. And when I say "layers," he didn't give me the shelf look at all. It's more a tapering when he cuts it, but it comes out as layers on me when my hair is dry because of the curls.