Really long! Sorry! First post here...
I used to have stick straight hair up until college when it started going crazy. Now I have sort of wavy 2a (??) hair and I don't know what to do about it. I'm not even sure if I have curly hair tbh. I used to think for years that my hair is like this because it's so damaged. It's super dry on the ends, breaks off when I brush, and brittle. It never crossed my mind that I had curly hair until someone asked me where I got my perm...-_- so I started looking for this sub to help me control my frizz.
History: I've been dying my hair since I was 10 at least once a year. In high school, my hair went through a lot of bleach bathes. In college, I stuck to box dyes. I know.. Horrible. I still dye my hair once or twice a year. I've done every color in the rainbow. It grows really slow and has major breakage probably due to the dying. I found this sub a couple days ago and read everything on the side bar. I just started a new routine today. I want to make sure I have all my bases covered. Got new products yesterday.
Pictures: [HERE]() I included many colors... I dye my hair a lot. Mostly stick to red hues but sometimes venture to purple and blue. On good days, it's sorta wavy. On bad days, it's a fluffy, frizzy mess (see purple hair picture)
Old routine: I used to use whatever shampoo or conditioner I had at home, mostly dove, herbal essence, or shimmer lights purple when I dyed my hair purple or ash. I wash my hair every other day. I put my hair up most days because of work. I let my hair air dry except on special occasions I will blow dry and curl my hair maybe 2-4 times a month.
New routine: Shea Moisture Shea Butter moisture retention shampoo and Suave Naturals conditioner. I picked these from the HG thread. I shampoo and condition every other day. In between washes I use Batiste dry shampoo if my scalp/roots are oily.
Onto my questions:
Do I have curly enough hair to be considered curly hair? Its straighter some days and curlier other days. I don't know why...
I want to start taking care of my "curls", am I on the right track?
I want to start co-washing only and stop using shampoo but my hair gets so oily after one day. I know it takes a while for your hair to adjust but I went from washing everyday to twice a day and that took half a year for my hair not to get super oily. :( From what I read, you want to co-wash more and then shampoo once a week?
I can't give up my shampoo, I have so much build up. The wiki says it's okay to use sulfate free shampoo for now. When will I know it's okay to stop the shampoo? Should I try going a few washes between each shampoo and work to once a week?
side note: I tried plopping this morning and it fell right off my head. Haha... Guess I need more practice.
Sorry for all the noobie questions! Any help is appreciated!