Build up

celeste821

I have 4a, very dry, very porous hair, and need heavy products to weigh my hair down. So I was wondering about build up. I never notice build up on my hair but I will sometimes on my scalp. I co-wash and I use silicone, so sometimes I can scratch my scalp and there will be build up under my nail, so I will shampoo and it's gone. So I was wondering is build up really on some folks hair or is it just a missused term? What's the science behind build-up and hair

sarahf

Personally I doubt there's anything wrong with build-up unless you can feel and/or see it and it bothers you. What you feel under your nails might just be dead skin from your scalp that was ready to be sloughed off anyway.
Speaking as someone with fine hair who knows without a doubt when she has build up:)

lindygirl1960

I would think that as long as the shampoo you use has sulfates in it or the silicones you are using are water soluble build-up would not be a problem. Sarah is right that everyone has dead skin on their scalp that will be sloughed off anyway.

I always took build-up to mean if you had leftover product in your hair and, over time, it weighed your hair down and made it dirty looking. Maybe I am wrong as to my impression of what it means though.

celeste821

that is what I thought as well lindygirl but my hair is very porous so nothing builds up on it so that made me wonder if I had it wrong

WMH

Hi Celeste821,
I'm a new forum member so I hope it's ok if I give my two cents. I have what is considered 4a hair as well with no chemicals or heat applied in over 5 years. In my first year natural I co-washed my hair every other day almost exclusively with the Chaz Dean Wen products and used a little bit as a leave-in. I didn't notice scalp and hair build up until about 6 months into that routine. I also didn't really know how silicones worked back then but once I found out I figured that was the culprit. After that I started using a mild shampoo with coco-betaine in it to remove the silicone but I only used it once a week and did 2 co-washes in between the shampooing.

In this past year I've started washing my hair once every 4-5 days and I switch off between shampoo or a co-wash. I've noticed that if I do two co-washes in a row then I definitely get build up on my scalp. It starts to feel a bit itchy and I assumed it's because the dead skin cells haven't been washed away properly.
WMH:)

lindygirl1960

Hi WMH! I am glad you added your experiences. You have the same type hair as Celeste and your comments should help her a lot.

My hair is 2a so it is nowhere near as curly as your hair is. I have found though that when my scalp gets itchy it helps to do a scrub. About 2 tablespoons of plain white sugar mixed with some of my regular co-wash conditioner works wonders. No more build-up and no more itchy scalp. :)

WMH

Thanks Lindygirl1960!!! I really love natural recipes I can create in my kitchen. I'm going to try it this weekend.

Neekolassify

if you're co-washing with non-water soluble silicones, that could be contributing to the build up. i'd recommend using a conditioner with only water soluble silicones, or none at all. the "build up" can also be dead skin cells and sebum. so yes, over time build up does happen. i use pantene shampoo & conditioner every day and i have to clarify once a week, because the shampoo contains silicones and puts the same waxy residue on my scalp, as well. D:

Annika

Many people have told me that adding a little baking soda to your normal shampoo works very well. Any thoughts on that?

Ally E.

baking soda would get rid of build up, not sure how it would work with the composition of the shampoo, maybe don't use it with very moisturising one. but yeah, it works a treat when i clean my hair brush, gets rid of oils and dry shampoo residue

lindygirl1960

Annika baking soda will get rid of buildup on your hair. You just mix it with the shampoo in the palm of your hand as you are getting ready to apply it to your hair. I am not sure how it would react if you mixed it and left it.

I use it to wash the night before make sure any and all buildup is gone from my hair before coloring. (I use semi-permanent color.)

You will have to use a simple rinse out conditioner after shampooing to get any tangles out.

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