As a product reviewer, there have been a few times where Izzy has straight up cussed me out and protested to what I’ve put on her. Well, this past Friday was one of those times. I used a product (which will remain nameless at the moment), that made her feel funny from the jump. I should have stopped right then, but I was trying to follow the instructions that were given to me. However, my hair felt rough and weird, tangled easily, and it seemed like products were just sitting on top of my head. It was like she was limp and poofy at the same time. I didn’t know what was wrong, and I almost began to cry because my hair very rarely acts like this. To be totally honest, I even considered giving it up and relaxing my hair, because I don’t remember my relaxed hair having such a strong reaction to a shift in products. I have my holy grails, and I know how to care for my hair. We have an understanding, so I became upset when I rinsed my hair and applied an HG, and my hair was still looking like shit. I think she is still stabilizing, but I wanted to share with you all how I “fixed” her, in case you find yourself in this position.
Read On for Tips!>>>
1. Go over your routine and most recent products used before your hair started acting up. What did you change? If you added more than one new product to your routine, like I did, go over all of the ingredients, and think back to the step where your hair started to go awry. I pH tested all of the new products I used and I think I found the culprit. For me, I thought my hair started to feel a bit weird when I conditioned my hair. Lo and behold, the pH of this conditioner is around 3! I looked at my pH strip in disbelief, and did two more tests to make sure I was being accurate. I got the same result every time. Admittedly, I am not a chemist, but I feel as if a pH of 3 is too low to use on the hair, especially if your hair is not damaged and you have not recently used a very basic solution. Like a high base product, a product that is too acidic can lift your cuticle and make your hair feel rough and more prone to tangles (ding ding).
2. GENTLY clarify your hair. Since it seems (honestly, I can’t say 100%, but this step is when I was like hmmmm when I was doing my hair) that an acidic product made Izzy mad, I clarified in the shower using Curl Junkie Daily Fix, because I did not want to use a shampoo, to potentially tangle her even more, but I did want to ensure she was getting cleaned and the products I had used were being removed – the conditioner also contained silicones, so I needed the coco betaine. P.S. I love that damn conditioner.
3. Depending on your issue, do the proper treatment to normalize your hair. With my situation, I used a strong acid on my hair, so I needed to do a treatment with a higher pH in order to stabilize my hair. I decided on a bentonite clay treatment, as the pH of the clay is around 9, and it further clarifies your hair. I added ACV to my mix (as well as honey and oils), but the pH was still around 7. I left it on for about 40 minutes, and after that, my hair already felt better – Izzy was shinier and smoother.
4. Deep condition your hair. I usually DC after a bentonite clay treatment anyway, so I broke out my trusty Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and DC’ed for 20 minutes. My hair still felt better, but I really wanted to DC for longer, but I didn’t want to spend the day doing my hair.
5. Use products you are FAMILIAR with to do your hair. This is not the time to experiment!! I used one of my HG combos to do my hair. Izzy felt and looked a lot better, but I still am very paranoid about my love!
6. Do a Protein Treatment. However, be careful if you are doing a protein treatment that makes your hair hard, like Aphogee. It’s better to do a treatment that is also nourishing. I used my favorite protein treatment, Curl Junkie Repair Me! Also, because my hair was tangly yesterday, I detangled with the Repair Me! in, and my brush went through my hair like buttah. Yes, it also detangles. I love this treatment.
My hair feels better (and looks better), but now that I’ve done all these treatments on my hair (clarify, DC, protein…), I need a break, Which brings me to my final point…7. Leave Your Hair Alone. After I rinsed the Repair Me! I was scared to do anything that might make my hair tangle, and of course, after detangling my curl pattern was messed up. So, Izzy is back in twists, and I’m going to moisturize with my refresher sprays while she is twisted up. I just don’t feel like being scared or dealing with it right now. Sigh.
What caused your hair travesty and how did you overcome?
I was here about two months ago! I straightened me n my daughters hair, cut off like 4 inches and really entertained relaxing. Then something I swore id never do happened, I lightened my hair! Ps Benjamin and color don't mix.anyway, I shampoo my hair with goldwell color care shampoo n conditioner and my curls were POPPING ! So now Istick to goldwell shampoo n conditioners .mizani true textures shampoo and their curl stretch as a daily moisturizer. This product detangles like a dream n leaves my hair soft n shiny! Ps I mean henna not Benjamin but I can't type backwards on my phone
okay….im not sure part of this article spoke to me but then i still am confused. I normally cowash weekly with HEHH and deep condition with shea moisture deep penetrating mask and steam. i apply kimmaytube's leave in conditioner and style with flaxseed gel and a lil bit of castor oil. i henna'd two weeks ago and my hair was soft and a bit stretched out. somewhere in the past two weeks i discovered that my hair was porous? and still would be dry cause of that. so then, this past weekend my i did an amla/bahrami for a treatment; thinking that that would be better than aphoge. Anyway, the last thing i did was an ACV rinse. My hair is sooo dry and crunchy. Im not sure how to bring it back. More basic solution in my wash this week? Please help.
Love the info in the article but really…speaking about hair as if a person–a little too weird for me!
Thank you Elle! That helps a lot. I've been DCing like crazy with my Aubrey Organics but it hasn't normalized. I've learned my lesson. I think Im going to try those moisturizing conditioners you listed in your post. I'm willing to try anything!!! I'm hoping for a miracle!
@Stephanie – Elle here! *waves* If I were you, I would not henna again. Some people have really bad reactions to henna and it causes breakage. Remember, henna can dry your hair out, so DC the mess outta it, and use moisturizing products until your hair normalizes. Since henna mimics protein, I don't think a PT is the way to go this time. I hope that helps some.
@Sue – Same with me! I got my hair back to normal but because it was so tangled I lost WAY more hair detangling. I was rather annoyed. Luckily, I have a lot of hair, lol!
Hi Elle! Would you believe that this happen to me within days after reading this post on your blog? I decided to clarify my hair with a cleanser containing apple cider vinegar. Girl, my hair was a matted, tangled mess. If it hadn't been for your blog, I would have freaked out. Luckily, I re-read the instructions from your blog. I clarified with curl junkie daily fix, used rhassoul clay with some oils to deep condition and I followed up with curl junkie's Repair Me. My hair felt looked and felt better immediately. These products saved my hair. However, I did loose a bit more hair than I would have normally. Never Again!
Oh my. I just had an experience just like this. Sadly my beautiful mane seems to still be breaking and is seriously upset with me. I jumped on the henna bandwagon and used Supreme henna with Ama added in. Well,.I left it on for 50 minutes with heat and my hair has been a disaster ever since. I used tea and conditioner in my mix but for some reason, my hair HATED it. I just ordered some Jamila henna but now I'm too afraid to try it. I don't want my hair to get any more red and I'm afraid that doing it Again will make it even worse. HELP! Should I do it again? I'm in serious need of advice 🙁
I enjoy Elle, she is entertaining. I admire her vlog style. I stalk her channel waiting for the latest dish on products, BTW Izzy (I love that name)looks fantastic! Keep the rants and raves coming Elle
This article is on point! As my hair is going through that now it is really dry! 🙁 I am planning of whipping it into shape by doing a overnight pre-poo but i think the real culprit is products change.I have been claryfung more than usal and im in search of a better sealant.I hope my plan works.
OMG Elle! I can't believe how much your hair has grown. I'm jealous, lol! Glad Izzy is back on track. Great hair tips!
Glad Izzy is doing better. A similar incident happened to me when I used Nature's Gate Biotin condish a week ago. My hair was a hard, tangly mess and I actually thought about cutting it off. My remedy? Lily of the Desert aloe vera gel straight up out of the bottle saved the day.