[Hair Journal] 2023

 

Hair type, concerns, history: late-30s, 1c, low porosity, waist-length and undyed* hair. Focus on anti-aging: hair loss and white hair prevention. With the absolute worst hard water. I’m mostly feeling my way around trying to understand my hair and hair in general (similar to how I approached skincare).

I’ve been putting this off because there's a lot to it and it’s been a frustrating journey since the last journal entry. As much as there is a real low and frustrating point of trying and being let down by products, I hate putting anything out there without some sort of set direction. Which I think I have now...maybe.

My Hair Currently

After I started growing out my undercut yearss ago, I decided I'd want to see how long I could grow my hair out – with trims every so often - before I got sick of it. I’m really, really close to it.

This is the longest my hair has ever been, and just learning how to just with this fur-monster has been its own ordeal. I’ve dropped food in it, it’s fallen into food, it snags onto things, it caught on fire when I was cooking, I open the fridge and there's a strand just hanging there, mocking me. So yeah, I kind of expect my hair to be shorter by the next journal entry. I have no idea how much though, because I'm waffling between hair lengths and styles.

Win: I suck at hair styling, but I’ve come across a hair style that’s easy and looks good with this long hair! 

*I haven’t dyed it but I’ve been using a shampoo (more below) that’s supposed to change my hair color to “olive ash”. It kind of works but it also seems to damage it a bit, so I don’t use it often (maybe once every 3-4 weeks?). Is it dye? 🤷🏻‍♀I honestly have no idea how it works - does it deposit color to hair? Does it bleach? 🤷🏻‍♀ It does seem to work a little, but I see more brown than "olive ash" in person.

The first two pictures (before and 1st use) from the left are from the same day (~1 hour apart).

3rd & 4th (2nd use and ~6th use) from the same location but different days (so lighting is different).

Journey Since the Last Entry

I thought I was on the right track after my last entry, but from mid-late fall to March I noticed my hair started falling out more; the last entry I remarked I lost about a third of my hair, I think my hair is about half of what it used to be right now (It’s gone from too much to just right to enough). I freaked out when I saw a few split ends two months after cutting my hair (much different than where I was with my hair vs. the last entry), so to go from thinking I got a handle of things and then everything falling apart is a complete heartbreaker.

“Low porosity hair has fewer negative charges to adsorb conditioners and cationic ingredients. It is also more likely for the owner of low-porosity hair to notice / experience "product build-up." – Science-y Hair Blog (thanks Commercial Poem Ferments!)

In addition to just general aging, hair naturally falling out more in the fall (seriously, wtf), bad water quality, I think it’s possible that my two beloved Skylake products were reformulated. Things started going awry roughly when I started using newly ordered restocks. I didn’t think about it at the time because reformulations (in skincare) usually don’t affect me greatly, but it likely wasn’t cutting it anymore.

The Dr.Groot Scalp Tonic has been the north star in this year's journey (more on that below too). I still shed quite a bit, but I don't know if I've just given into a life with less hair now or am banking on greater returns on the scalp tonic in the future, but I just kind of think "hm that's interesting" when I pick my hairball out of the drain now. It's definitely better than it was last fall, but as we're coming into fall soon, I'll see how I'll feel about it in a few months...

Lessons Learned & Things that Worked  

WATER QUALITY IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT

"For low-porosity hair, hard water can exacerbate the low porosity behavior and make hair even more intolerant of conditioners and oils. Even low-porosity hair can have chipped cuticle edges where minerals can bond." – Science-y Hair Blog

This is the main lessons learned since the last entry. I think I was just skating by with what I was using, but (a possible) reformulated Skylake shampoo that was being used as my “stripping shampoo” was not removing what it used to, hence more buildup and more hairfall. And (a possible) reformulated Skylake tonic just wasn't enough at holding back oily roots anymore.

It’s so effing obvious now and I don’t know why I didn’t make the connection earlier. Probably because I thought I was doing fine not caring too much about water quality for my face skincare. But since the hard water minerals where I am is just the absolute worst, possibly exacerbated during droughts, I need to…

Pay better attention to how my scalp feels when build up happens.

I mitigated this issue for a while by “pre-washing” with an oil cleanser every time I washed my hair (same idea as double cleansing for skincare). But then I started feeling like it may have possibly been removing any oils I had in my strands, so I broke and got a scalp scaling shampoo (that I believe is the same as a chelating shampoo) and I love it to the point I don’t even need to oil cleanse my scalp any more. 

I get why people say to switch shampoos, but I don't think that waiting to pan a bottle then switch is the right idea. Based on my experience this past year, I think it's better to switch between them as needed, since each shampoo if formulated differently with certain sulfates that are capable of removing certain (but not all) buildup.

My hair needs oil.

I don’t love handling oils in skincare, so I tried different essences and sprays, but my hair, especially the ends, just needs oils. Without silicones and only when wet. This is especially true as my hair gets longer because I think the amount of sebum making it down the length of my long hair is not cutting it.

I should probably not throw the term HG around so casually as I’m still trying to figure stuff out.

I’ve been thinking about this in skincare now too.It's likely stemming from my eagerness to find “the answer” and just be done with it rather than holding out to see how I feel about it in a year or two. Especially if I haven’t given it more than a few months.

I’m just going to stick with AB.

Again, also true in skincare. I keep trying western brands that have a bigger name and bigger price tag and I end up disappointed. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself.

Those jokes in 90s TV shows about "I need to wash my hair" as an excuse is no joke.

While I still braid then air-dry my hair most of the time to get nice waves the next day, I've been blow drying my hair a little more often out of eagerness to see if the color shampoo is working. And O M G it is such an ordeal🙄 My hair dryer is great too and it takes soooo long to dry.

Current Routine

I still mostly wash my hair every other day.

I had been oil cleansing before every wash, but once I got my scalp scaling shampoo, I didn't feel like I needed it as regularly. Rarely even. It's a nice option if I had used the scalp scaler the time before, but my scalp is still feeling a little extra oily/clogged up.

Since I have an embarrassing amount of shampoos right now, I hop between them based on what I think my scalp needs. The Ryo is my normal wash, Kerastase if my scalp can handle something more gentle, Skylake if my scalp needs a little more cleansing but not as deep as the Dr.Groot Scalp Scaler, and the Kyogoku from the middle to my ends only if I think my strands can handle it (when I use the Kyogoku, I will either use the Ryo or Kerastase on my scalp). Dr.Groot Scalp Scaler gets used somewhere between every 10-14 days. Most washes, including when using the Dr. Groot, I still use my shampoo brush.

For the conditioner/treatment step...I think I'm set. I was looking for a more mositurizing conditioner but then I realized if I get any more moisturizing (ie: my strands get more coated), I don't think my after wash routine would be able to penetrate...possibly? Either way I decided the La'dor treatment most days is enough, if the strands and scalp need extra TLC, I'll include the fill up under the treatment. Once in a while I'll use the Kyogoku Diamond Clear Serum, but it's not great.

My after-wash hair care has grown quite a bit. Mostly because I've been aimless about what I want/try/need...but I have direction now! After washing and when my hair is still wet, I use the Dr. Groot Scalp Tonic on my scalp. I use either the Moist Diane Essence, Taila Oil, or Thelasso spray from the middle to end of my hair. Then either brush, braid and air dry (if I want wavy hair) or use my hair dryer (if I want straight har). I aim to use the Skylake Tonic every AM and PM on non-washing days but honestly I forget. It's mainly to use it up and to see if my hair would like a more regular routine like my face, but I don't think I've been able to keep it up enough to really learn anything about that😂

Reviews

Picture of the cleansing products I'm currently using. In order of left to right, the red brush is last.

Cleansers/Shampoos

• Sekkisei Treatment Cleansing Oil – Mainly got it because it's been the only oil cleanser I've come across that moves my stubborn SFs in any way. I used to only like cleansing balms, but since I like to have the option of using it for my hair, I'm now dropping buying any balms. The spout for this is also a little longer than necessary, which is perfect for direct application onto the scalp (~6 pumps). 
• Dr. Groot Microbiome Genethick7 Hair Loss Care Scalp Scaling Shampoo – I love this and already have a backup (the reason it's not HG is the above reason, I'm trying to be more conservative about that coveted title). Heard about the Microbiome line and its popularity from Odile. As evidenced by the picture, I already have too many shampoos, but I was starting to think I needed a scalp scaler, so I ended up getting this. From the first wash, made my scalp clean and my hair soft. It has a minty smell.
• Ryo Cheonsamhwa Women’s Hair Loss Relief Volume Shampoo – Ended up not being HG because it's fine, but it's just not worth the hassle of getting through KoreaDepart. I'm also a little confused because there used to be two listings for it (one was root nutrition and I think the other volume), and my old one used to be a matte container but this one is a clear red container that I thought was the volume version. When I emailed KoreaDepart about it, they said it's the same product just that the clear container was the newer one 🤷🏻‍♀️ It does still smell like ginger candy, though.
  
• Skylake Herbal Cool Shampoo – Welp, I finished that old bottle of Skylake in the last journal entry and went into my backup stock aaand...I think the formula changed because it no longer feels super stripping. Sill hangbangy in scent but it's lost it's purpose for me. It is still nice to have a slightly more stripping shampoo before a scalp scaler, but I think I'm going to explore other options after I finish this bottle and the other one I have in backup (which will be a while).
• Kerastase Chronologiste Bain Regenerant Shampoo – smells like a generic luxe cologne which I love, but I hate everything else about it. It does almost nothing for me and when my buildup was bad in fall/winter, it was always this shampoo that caused buildup to come back more quickly. So if you need something gentle I guess this is an option. It's pretty pricey though.
• Kyogoku Professional Olive Ash Color Shampoo – I came on it randomly on PR Times and clicked around their website and kind of loved the kitsch advertising (you take a short quiz to figure out what color works best for your skin tone) and it happened to be available on Amazon Japan. It smells like a warm mix of mint, herbs and clean which I really enjoy. The shampoo is brown and suds up to a creamy latte color that you leave on for 1-2 minutes, but it doesn't stain on the skin or shower. It works okay but after I finish this bottle I wont buy anymore as I don't think the color payoff vs. hair damage is worth it. It doesn't color white hair if you're thinking about getting this for coverage. Also, I told marcelavy about getting it, she found some questionable advertising on @cosme (both for and against it).
  
• Tsubaki Hair Shampoo Massage Brush – Still the same one from the last journal entry. Still using it with every oil cleanse and shampoo, including Dr. Groot. I've been less tied to it for traveling purposes though.
• Not pictured, but also panned:
  
• ORIBE Hair Alchemy Resilience Shampoo – it's okay, better than the Kerastase in terms of performance, but it's still not worth the price. It smells very sophisticated - a gentle floral - but it was overall forgetful. 

Moving Forward: I really only want two shampoos in addition to the Scalp Scaler, so I can't wait to pan a lot of these. For a replacement for the Ryo, I've been considering Dr.ForHair but I think I want to give Sansim's shampoo I try. No one talks about them in skincare and I really love what the toner is doing for my face, so why not. If Sansim doesn't work, I wouldn't mind trying the Dr.Groot Microbiome shampoo, it sounds lovely. Dream of dreams is the Cha Tzu Tang Mulberry Shampoo (and conditioner and oil tbh), but Taiwanese products continue to be a pain in the ass to acquire.

Picture of the conditioner/treatment products I'm using. In order of left to right.

Conditioner/Treatment

• La’dor Hydro LPP Treatment – still HG for general conditioner. Still simple, does its job, still makes my hair feel light.
• La’dor Perferct Hair Fill-up – still HG. Still don’t follow the directions, but I love using it for the days my strands needs extra loving. I'm using it more now since I decided to drop my hunt for a more moisturizing conditioner since the result I get from the combo of La'dor products is pretty close to what I need. So why waste more money/time?
• Kyogoku Professional Color Serum Diamond Clear – I got this the same time as I got the color shampoo because I was thinking you know how amazing your hair feels after you use an at-home dying conditioner? I thought it was going to be that (the Diamond Clear is colorless and is just supposed to help brighten your hair color). It's not. It wants you to leave it on for 10 minutes and I don't know what the payoff is supposed to be but it's nothing that's worth sitting in the cold for 10 minutes for.
  
• Not pictured, but also panned:
  
• ORIBE Hair Alchemy Resilience Conditioner – it's okay, I prefer this over the shampoo (and smells similar to it). If it was cheaper I would probably be more willing to recommend it. It is slightly more moisturizing than the La'dor Treatment, but it didn't wow me enough over the La'dor to make it worth my while.
• Ryo Cheonsamhwa Women’s Hair Loss Relief Volume Treatment – I hated this thing. It smelled like oats and looked like crushed oats with some oaty grainy bits in it. It is really moisturizing but it felt like it was coating my strands rather than actually penetrating anything (does this make sense in hair? I dunno, it's like that feeling you get when you get a really moisturizing product that leaves a film on top of your skin). If the treatment was better, I probably would have been more willing to reorder it with the shampoo, but since the treatment failed so spectacularly for me, the line overall is just not worth pursuing for me.

Picture of the hair care products I'm using. In order of left to right.

Hair Care

• Dr.Groot Anti Hair Loss Scalp Tonic – I've only used about a third of the bottle so far, but from early on (not quite first use) I thought it might be HG. It smells hanbangy and it makes my scalp minty and tingly. As for how it works...I think it is? My hair was looking...aged, even at the roots. It didn't look happy, it looked flat...it looked like a dying plant. With this it feels like my hair has perked up a bit and feels more sturdy at the roots. The hair about four inches from my scalp also feels the way I wish the rest of my hair would feel too (the way young hair should feel). So I'm aiming to buy like 10 of these and also spray my hair, not just scalp. Fingers crossed.
  
• Skylake Oriental Herb Houttuynia Cordata Hair Tonic – It was HG of HGs and then my backups came in a different bottle and I'm pretty sure a formulation change. I should have realized something was amiss when I got a larger bottle for cheaper. I have like...5 of these in backup so it'll be a while. It's fallen out of favor when compared to the Dr.Groot Scalp Tonic, but I've been using this as a daily AM & PM "toner for my scalp" when I remember. It's nice that way, but alas not particularly useful.
• Taila Face Oil (note: my friend works for Taila, formerly Arya Essentials) – I'm using this for my hair after my Taila Hair Oil ran out because I hate oils on my face and well...why not? I apply it to wet hair from middle to tips and frankly the results of this is what made me think I should just use pure oils for my hair strands because my split ends started happening when I stopped using the Taila Hair Oil. So this is a WNRP for the Face Oil, the Hair Oil is a MRP.
  
• Diane Perfect Beauty Perfect Moist Essence – it's okay, it's just not doing enough for me. I don't know what else to add to that to be honest. I'm probably more let down that it wasn't "the answer" for me because texture-wise, it was exactly what I was looking for. It works better for me on wet hair vs dry, but it just isn't giving me quite the moisturizing and silky hair feeling I want. 
• 8 The Thalasso CBD Dual Layer Hybrid Oil Mist – I am a lover of biphase serums so I thought this would be perfect for my hair. It's not 😂 It's fine. I shared this with my friend because whaaat? Japanese products with CBD?! Anyways this was the product that finally convinced me to just stick with a full on oil for my hair. 
• Verb Ghost Oil – Fell out of favor as the HG of HGs because once I finished my Taila Hair Oil, I thought this could replace it and NOPE. I think my hair is not happy with the silicones in it. It's still lovely when I want my hair to be tamed, just that once I realized my hair my hair likely can't tolerate too much silicones, it got relegated to "special occasions".
• Tangle Teazer Detangling Brush – Same brush from the last entry and I guess I should move it up from "guess it works" to WRP because I would repurchase it if I lost it. It's still my brush of choice and when I think of getting a real brush now I just...turn into a puddle. A real brush seems like more work than necessary?
• Not pictured, but also panned:
  
• ORIBE Serene Scalp Thickening Treatment Spray – I did feel like it promoted hair growth for me with all my baby hairs, but it's also really expensive and I hate hate hate the spray nozzle, so I stopped after the third bottle of it. The packaging is not functional like Dr.Groot's or Skylake's hair tonics are, the spray mostly gets on your hair rather than scalp. WHY.
• Hask Super Strength Placenta No-Rinse Instant Hair Repair Treatment - not AB but recommended by a friend. It smelled a little chemically and it works well. It did make my strands soft, but not as soft and smooth as I'm hoping for from a product. It's super cheap so I might get it if I can't find something else or if the Dr.Groot Scalp Tonic on my hair rather than just scalp doesn't work out. It's definitely a solid option though.
  

Moving Forward: I'm banking a lot on the Dr.Groot Scalp Tonic for my hair. I think I still might get an oil for the strands just in case. I don't know if that means I'm going back to Taila's Hair Oil...or if another oil product would be better? If it doesn't work, I might go back to Diane and try the Perfect Mist or Oil?

 

Picture of the hair dryers I've used taken off of my Amazon orders.

Hair Dryer

I realized I didn't include this last time, but I'm currently using the Panasonic Compact Hair Dryer. I purchased this after I bought the Pibbs Twin Turbo hair dryer which apparently quit on me in two and a half years.

 

I mainly went back to Panasonic because I bought some random cheapo travel Panasonic hair dryer on sale in Taiwan and that thing lasted me until I got the Pibbs (which means I used that Panasonic for at least 8 years because I know I had it in 2007). I need longevity in a hair dryer, especially since I am prone to dropsies and a pricey piece of tech better be sturdy.

So I've had this Panasonic Compact Nanoe for 5 and a half years and I enjoy it a lot. I remember when I first got it and compared to the Pibbs, it did dry my hair faster. If you're on the market for a hair dryer, I recommend looking into this one. I recently convinced my friend to get the Panasonic Nanoe Compact as well and he felt like, though he hadn't used a hair dryer in a while, he had "big" hair 😂:

Nanoe tech makes more hair? 😂

 

A few weeks later he compared how the Panasonic worked for his dog:

Softer fur from the nanoe at least!

The Panasonic is Cookie approved!

9/22/23 Update

I went to Kasai Hair for the first time to trim my hair (yes, I chickened out and couldn't bring myself to cut my hair short yet). I have a hard time trusting people with my hair because I went to a bunch of people to get my hair dyed before finding "my guy" in NYC (Roy Ren of Unfade) who was not only a complete pro and got my stubborn hair, but got me - meaning he knew what was in the realm of possibility for my hair because I am incredibly lazy (and unknowledgeable) about upkeep for my hair.

 

Kasai got me right away: he looked at my hair and said "so...you get it cut about what...every 6 months?" It had been roughly 7 months so I appreciate that he could tell based on the growth and what a previous (random) stylist did and what the time frame was. He asked the right questions, meaning he got that I am lazy about styling and at the end of the haircut he even said I could come back in a year instead of 6 months if I wanted to😭 

 

But throughout my time there, I had a bunch of little wins. One of his assistants had the most beautiful ash grey hair and said my hair made her miss her natural hair 😭 When she was blowdrying and styling my hair after the cut, Kasai came by and told her to dry my hair to about 90% dry before styling it and she asked him "so with really healthy hair likes hers, I can dry it first before styling?" 😭😭😭

 

So it's nice to feel all my work has been validated and noticed.