[Basic haircare guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1km6dx/basic_haircare_guide/)
Basic goal of haircare is cleansing, conditioning, drying, and then styling

**Cleansing:**
- Use **sulfate-free** shampoo and conditioner
- Do not wash hair everyday
	- On off-days you can either keep it dry, wet and massage, or wash with conditioner
	- If this is still too harsh, use [co-washing](http://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1m0g7c/conditioner_only_method_cowashing/), a method of washing with only conditioner for people with very fragile/dry hair
**Conditioning:**
Protects your hair by reducing the chance for damage and makes your hair softer. Can be applied in the shower, after washing, or as a concentrated amount as a deep conditioner before washing
- **In-shower conditioners are generally formulated as part of a pair with shampoo**
- **Leave-in conditioner** is helpful if you are styling. Thin hair should use something light, like a thin liquid or spray, while thick hair may require a cream or thicker liquid
- **Deep conditioners** have strongest effects. Apply **once every one-to-two weeks**. Depending on the amount of conditioning you're looking for and what ingredients you use, you can put it on for a few minutes in the shower or **apply it all over your head a couple hours before a wash**. Warming before application makes it penetrate more if you have low-porosity hair.
**Drying:**
The most common source of hair damage is heat styling.
- Soak up excess water by using a cotton tee shirt or satin/silk, rough fabric can damage hair.
- **Air-drying is best for smoothness and shine, but should be done alongside protein treatment or penetrative deep conditioner to avoid damaging hair**
- **Blow-drying on a low-heat setting after applying a heat protectant with non-volatile silicones, PVP/DMAPA acrylates copolymer, Quaternium 70, and/or hydrolyzed wheat protein as one of the top ingredients.**
**Styling:**
- Avoid products with short-chain alcohols which will dry out hair
- Be careful with silicones—they help condition but are more difficult to wash out and can build up over time
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[How to determine your hair type](https://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1l4xox/how_to_determine_your_hair_type/)
**Your hair's current state can be much different than what it is naturally if your hair is not at its most healthy**. Scalp oiliness may be a symptom of over washing rather than your head's natural tendency and dry hair may be more straight and frizzy than your texture actually is.

**Curly hair is more prone to damage and moisture loss than straight hair so it requires individualized treatment**

**Curl Type: 2A**
Wavy/Thin

**Porosity: Likely low**
Healthy hair tends to be less porous than damaged and unhealthy hair
How smooth a single strand feels, how shiny it is, and how well penetrative oils absorb into your hair are indications of your porosity.
Thicker oils, heavy conditioners, proteins, and silicones will be more likely to have a weighing-down effect on low porous hair than high.

**Oiliness: Likely low?**
Over-washing can increase the amount of oil your scalp produces. A dry scalp may indicate you are washing too much or you are naturally dry.

**Shine: Likely low, though possible due to damage**

**Shaft Thickness: Likely thick**
The width of an individual strand of hair.

**Density: Unsure, likely high?**
Denser hair needs more product and sweatier scalp.

My hair is **wavy, low-porosity, dry, matte, thick, and dense**.

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[Troubleshooting common problems](https://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1km6ui/troubleshooting_common_problems/)
#### Frizz
Frizz is primarily attributed to **cuticle uplift**, which causes breakage, moisture loss, and friction.
Smoothing products that include fatty alcohols and silicones can help smooth the cuticle and make it look less frayed. Avoiding sources of damage, especially heat and sulfates, is also very helpful. Other causes of uplift are hard water, shampoos that are more basic than a pH of 6.5, and our hair's natural structure (porosity).
- Use smoothing products that include **fatty alcohols and silicones**
- **Avoid sulfates**
- **Avoid hard water**
- **Avoid basic shampoo** >6.5pH
#### No shine
Encourage the cuticle to lay flat
Heat makes the cuticle rise, which is helpful when you want oil and water to penetrate, but **frequent blow-drying, showering in hot water, and excessive brushing** can leave them standing up all day. **Conditioning products and silicone improve shine.**
#### Rough/Brittle feel
Also due to raised cuticles

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[Growing healthy hair](https://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1km6la/growing_healthy_hair/)
Basic health practices cause you to grow healthy hair which will make it easier to maintain
**Vitamin D3+Calcium, Folic Acid/B12, Vitamin C, Estrogen**

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[Hair Damage - Sources and How to Prevent It](https://www.reddit.com/r/HaircareScience/comments/1km6fx/hair_damage_sources_and_how_to_prevent_it/)

Sources of damage include:
Environmental:
- **Sunlight/UV exposure**
- **Wind**
- **Hard water**
- Rain/Snow
Mechanical:
- Style manipulation such as braiding and ponytails
- **Combing and brushing**
- Scrubbing during shampooing
- **Towel drying**
- **Wet hair/high humidity**. Can be mitigated by **protein treatments or penetrative oils**, which limit swelling.
Chemical:
- **Surfactants** in shampoos (Includes sulfates and sunfonates)
- Heat
- Chlorine
- Curl/straightening treatments

**Conditioners are the most common product for protecting the hair**. Using various ingredients, they smooth down the cuticles and/or coat them, **limiting how much damaging agents and everyday friction can erode the scales**.

**Protein treatments help rebuild the cuticle and/or restore strength to the inner protein bonds temporarily.**

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[Hard water is bad for hair](https://www.reddit.com/r/longhair/comments/127bg8d/hard_water_is_literally_killing_your_hair_and/)
**We have hard water, ~70mg/L**
How to fix:
- Apple cider vinegar rinse
- **Chelating shampoos**
- Shower filter/Installing a water softener
- Washing your hair with distilled water

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## Regimen:
Shampoo: [Jason Natural Cosmetics Restorative Biotin Shampoo](http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Cosmetics-Restorative-Biotin-Shampoo/dp/B000FGC99Y) (Recommended for damaged, thick, wavy hair)
Leave-In Conditioner: [Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave In Treatment](http://www.drugstore.com/redken-extreme-anti-snap-leave-in-treatment/qxp43551) (silicone) or [Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique](http://www.drugstore.com/kerastase-resistance-ciment-thermique-heat-activated-reconstructor-milk-for-weakened-hair/qxp189341) (silicone)