I was wondering if anyone has had experience with their hair getting less dry through going raw...I've got horribly dry hair which is really annoying...I wish I had silky smooth hair

Also if it does change, will i need to cut the former dry hair off or will my hair simply improve without growing new hair?

throughout the several years transitioning my hair has gone through some changes .. i have really fine dry spaztic naturally curly hair on the thinning side

the last year or so i have noticed lots of fine hair growth around the borders of my hair line .. im sure its not just there its just easier to notice there

my hair doesnt *seem* as dry but put a couple of drops of almond oil (learned this in india lol) in my palm you dont need much and i just rub it through my hair on really humid days .. and sometimes deep condition it with almond oil if it seems a bit dry ... problem is .. you need HOT water to get the oil out which in itself is really drying LOL i was told by a hairdresser to rinse with COLD after to combat that

and i do cut my own split ends off quite frequently ..its mostly all 1 length so its not hard .. and i get it pro cut every few months

not sure if anythign i said helped much

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

K, What are you using to wash your hair? Since going modified raw vegan (I still eat some cooked vegan), I have altered what I wash my hair with and the texture of my hair has changed, too. I went from regular shampoo to organic to organic w/o Sodium Laurel Sulfate. Then, I went to baking soda and water only. I was "washing" all my hair with the baking soda and found my ends too dry. Then, I figured that my scalp was and the hair closer to the scalp was what really needed the washing and I just rinsed the remaining hair length. My hair is at various lengths but ends below my waist.

Like Jodi, I use oil on my length but I use coconut oil on my hands and lightly rub the length when it is still wet. My hair is no longer frizzy and dry. Since I've incorporated more raw vegan, my hair is soft like baby hair and I have to be careful not to tax it too much b/c it is weak like baby hair, too. I learned initially about coconut oil from my Indian friend, like Jodi, too. The Indians use the coconut oil as an regular "oil treatment" whereas I use it more as an everyday protectant and conditioner.

Good luck. Therese

Wow thanks to your both so much...

So Life101, how do you get the coconut oil out?

coconut oil-faBULOUS

no poo

It is important to understand the biology of hair.
Hair is dead.
However, it grows from living cells at the hair follicle.
These cells turn over and are replaced by new cells.

If your body is increasing in health and vitality, then these cells are replaced by new, more healthy cells.
Then, hair growth improves. Skin health also improves. The biology is very similar.

An important factor in the oil content (or dryness) of hair is the oil content of the sebum.
As mentioned, coconut oil is helpful. Topical application is good, but eating coconut oil is more effective.
In general, sweating is helpful also.

If you post a reply to this message and would like my feedback, it would be best to send me a private message to that effect. Otherwise, I may not check this thread for a while.

***Info from the advisors at HealthNVitality***

if the hair is dead how is eating the oil going to help it? im kinda confused?

(thats nothing new tho lol)

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

In general, sweating is helpful also.

Huh? HealthNVitality person, please explain. What does this have to do with consuming coconut products? Is the sweating made compulsory by the consumption of coconut oil? I'm so confused . . .

also if hair is dead .. and our hair is genetically predetermined length to grow .. how does the hair know to start growing again if it doesnt give some signal to the body once its been cut? ... it cant be magic or coincidence that your hair starts to grow again untill it reaches that certain predetermined genetic link

sure makes one think

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Good questions, guys.
I like to help people to increase their own health and vitality.
I strive to increase understanding, not confusion.
Hopefully, these answers will help.

Hair (which is dead) is produced by living cells at the hair follicle.
If those cells have a good quality supply of certain oils which they utilize, then the cells will be better able to perform their normal cellular functions, such as producing lustrous, shiny (oily) hair.

Those cells on the scalp (and arms, legs, etc) can absorb small amounts of oils transdermally and more oil from the blood (from eating).

If the scalp region has more oil than the distal (distal means further from the center of the body) end of the hairs, this oil can spread along the length of the hairs. The oil coats the surfaces of the individual hairs. Hairs are tubular in structure. There are a few physical mechanisms which help to distribute the oil. One is called capillary action. I'm going to stop this explanation, because I think it might be getting too technical.

Sweating is generally a good skin lubricant for a few reasons. (This helps hairs since sweat glands are closely associated with hair follicles.) One reason is an increase in sebum flow. The water content of sweat evaporates easily, leaving oils sticking to the skin and hairs portions contacting the skin.

Sweating and coconut oil do not have any special connection. There is an indirect relation, which is fairly close. After all, everything is connected.

An entirely different topic is hair growth stopping at a predetermined length. I am not certain, but I have heard that nerves in contact with the hair follicle can sense and respond intelligently to the pressure caused by the weight of each hair tubule.

I hope that this helps to clarify.

If you post a reply to this message and would like my feedback, it would be best to send me a private message to that effect. Otherwise, I may not check this thread for a while.

***Info from the advisors at HealthNVitality***

Thanks for the explanations, HealthNVitality!

HealthNVitality Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> An entirely different topic is hair growth
> stopping at a predetermined length. I am not
> certain, but I have heard that nerves in contact
> with the hair follicle can sense and respond
> intelligently to the pressure caused by the weight
> of each hair tubule.
>
> I hope that this helps to clarify.

sounds like a good answer isnt the human body nifty !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

You're welcome!

And, yes, I agree that the human body is amazing.

Have a great day.

If you post a reply to this message and would like my feedback, it would be best to send me a private message to that effect. Otherwise, I may not check this thread for a while.

***Info from the advisors at HealthNVitality***

Thanks to a thread Roxeli started a long while back (the no poo experiment, I think), I quit using shampoo.

My previously dry , brittle hair is silky and shiny.

It takes some grooming, but it is well worth it.

It is true that detergents, such as shampoo, remove oil. As a result, hair can become dry.
If this is a factor, it may be worth experimenting with shampooing less or less frequently.

If you post a reply to this message and would like my feedback, it would be best to send me a private message to that effect. Otherwise, I may not check this thread for a while.

***Info from the advisors at HealthNVitality***