Back on track
Updating on my hair status, I really think I have a winning combination here. I could use some things I've been lazy about purchasing and making, but overall:
- Brush my hair before a shower, and don't get my hair wet but once a week.. The rest of the time I'm using HE's dry shampoo after working out and some heavy-duty moisturizer on the tips to make it smell good.
- I wash my scalp once a week with Nizorcal dandruff shampoo, and wash the rest of my hair with cheap shampoo (tea tree tingle from TJ's in the summer and a French suave-style brand the rest of the year because I get them for free from my exchange)
- Then I use a cleansing conditioner (Herbal Essence's Naked one) on my entire head and let it sit a minute
- Rinse, and then apply a mixture of cheap lightweight conditioner (again, same brand, just the straight conditioner one.. or TJ's tea tree tingle conditioner, which ever one I get my hands on at the flea market) + some very heavy duty conditioner (my go-to brand Soultanicals's lemon head conditioner and leave-in treatment) and let it soak soak soak in while I do whatever it is I do in the shower.
- Gently comb my hair with a wide comb and de-shed it while I rinse out the conditioner, by that point it is easy peasy to comb. I let it air dry after that.
Other than that, throughout the week I apply leave-in moisturizing from soultanical's and dry shampoo as needed. Hair's been growing long and somewhat strong, and not too many issues when I don't deviate from this. This particular dry shampoo/moisturizer routine also helps keep away static and frizz.
What did work and I'm just too lazy to do lately:
- ACV spray overnight day 2 from washing on the scalp directly helps control both dry skin, itching, and dandruff. I had virtually zero dandruff when I used 100% ACV on my scalp once a week along side washing once a week. (Even if I wash more than once the dandruff does not go away)
- A light weight anti-itch moisturizer (I'm using Curel's) the next morning gives it a 1-2 punch, and it helped settle the ACV smell too.
- Spraying some of soultanical's detangling spray/kink drink on my hair before brushing it and whenever I think my hair feels dirty or my scalp dry.. that stuff really did help moisturize my scalp, which is the main source of my dandruff is just dry skin slough.
Update on my skin:
- Still using the Tretinoin cream.. my skin breaks out still, but very tiny and small break outs, definitely manageable.. even big ones that threaten tend to go away before they really amount to everything.. but I am still using it once every other day vs daily because of the burning/redness/irritation/flaking. I use a low dose OTC one on the off days.
- Still using microfiber cloths for exfoliation, that's still working really well. Been 2 years since starting that, and it has still been on par with how I felt with a special exfoliation machine or sponge. Turns out the cheap regular cleaning ones don't work, they have to be waffled like the bar-keep cloths to do real good. Daily exfoliation works best to keep break outs away.
- I need a heavier weight moisturizer for times my skin is really dry from the vitamin A and I also have heaters drying out my skin in my room now. I used body lotion the other that won't clog pores so it was okay for the face, but I'd like something designed to be a bit more soothing.