Hair Problems

My hair is always tangled and has a lot of fly-aways.  I used to keep it shoulder-length and shorter because of that. And for some strange reason bleach made my hair less fly-way. Now I am working on growing out my natural color and I want it long. I want some smexy braids. I want to be able to spin around and hit people in the face with them. Maybe even use little swords as hair-toys to keep up buns.

Angeletti  on Long Hair Forums

That means I must do something about the tangles and frizz. There is no way I am blowing and spraying my hair all the time. I do not like mornings and anything I don't have to do is the better option. I've figured out some things that work for me and they might work for you, too.

Here are my tips:

Satin Sleep Pillow
   This lets the hair slip and slide better 
   when you sleep. I no longer get those horrible,
   painful rats-nests that I used to.

Coconut Oil
   I think my hair is dry. I don't use a harsh 
   shampoo, but it's still dry. The oil works 
   like a detangler and adds an awesome shine. 
   And if you get the eatable grade, you can 
   cook with it, too. Double duty! 

Dimethicone
   It's a silicone that is in most of those 
   de-frizzing serums that are made for 
   curly-haired people. If my hair gets bad, 
   it gets all these tiny little knots in the 
   bottom and this stuff stops that. It keeps 
   down frizz like a magician. And it makes 
   your hair feel like silk.

Baking Soda
   After a while, especially living in the city, 
   all kinds of stuff builds up in my hair that 
   won't come out with a gentle shampoo. That's 
   when my hair starts sticking to stuff like 
   velcro. A scrub with this stuff every couple 
   of months keeps my hair squeaky clean. It does 
   get frizzy for a bit after, though.

And try to keep it up in the wind (yeah, right)

My attempt at trying to be as cool as Angeletti

Thanks to the women (and men) of the long hair community forums for most of these tips. If you're having problems with your long hair, I suggest you go there. They know their stuff.

3 Ingredient Lotion

There are so many weird ingredients in store-bought lotion. You don't want to be rubbing unknown synthetics into your body's largest organ, right? I tried to just get away with coconut oil for a while, but the winter makes my skin super itchy so I had to add a couple things.

2 parts Coconut oil

1 part Shea Butter

3 parts Vegetable Glycerin (try to get this ethically sourced to you don't end up vicariously killing orangutans)

You can fool with the ratio of the ingredients because everyone's skin is different. I like this one because for me it doesn't leave too much of a greasy residue and doesn't make me break out.

 Just mix up those three ingredients in whatever container you are using.  If you heat it, it will come together better, but it is entirely unnecessary. I just mixed mine with my fingers. 

The glycerin works better with some added water, so I put mine on after my shower. I wouldn't add water to the lotion or it might mold. I had a test batch sit in the open for months and it did not spoil one bit, so it is fairly shelf stable.

You can also add essential oils to make it smell nice. As is, it had a bit of a musty smell from the shea butter. 

It also works pretty well as a hair moisturizer, if you don't put too much in.