Product build up

Are you using the conditioner as a shampoo?

It really depends what is in the products you're using. You also need to check that the conditioner you're using doesn't have silicones. Or at the very least, only water soluble silicones.

Please start to rethink using straighteners though, I'm having a terrible time with fried ends and breakage at the moment because I had to use them again after a terrible hair cut last year. It's not fun! I'm back to not using them now, but even though my hair is fairly short (longer than the profile photo, that's several months old now) I'm going to be dealing with this for at least 6 months to a year as I'm trying to grow my hair at least chin length. If you get the same problem, and it's more than possible, you have a lot of hair to grow back! Heat defence sprays are a bit of a con as far as I'm concerned. They might help a bit, but the heat is still going to be affecting the hair quite drastically. It's not so bad when you're hair isn't bleached, but as soon as it is, it's a lot more vulnerable.

Oh, and the dry shampoo isn't an issue, that will wash right out! It's just a powder that absorbs grease!

Generally if you go shampoo free you need to go silicone free too.
You need sulphate based shampoo to fully remove silicone build up.
I agree with Janine about the straightening though, it is just not possible to have long healthy bleached hair if you straighten regularly

well, I'm only using conditioner with the dye added...so....maybe? The shampoo and conditioner I use (haven't used bleach London since putting the crazy colour on is L'oreal elvive colour protect, and I can't see silicon on there...could it be under a different name? And thanks for the advice 🙂 I will definagly consider not straightening my hair from now on....or maybe a bit less....

It won't say 'silicone' in the ingredients. The most common silicones are dimethicone and amodimethicone, but anything that ends in “cone,” “conol,” “col,” or “xane” is a silicone.
Here is an nice article on silicones in hair products, with some helpful links. It is aimed at curly hair types, but the same applies to bleached/processed hair as well.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/products-ingredients/10-silicones-in-curly-hair-products-to-avoid/

Right....then they do contain silicones....need to find one in the uk without. Thanks for the article, will give it a good read.

What product is it that has the silicone?

Loreal elvive colour protect shampoo + conditioner

So you are using shampoo as well? It's not a problem, just checking 🙂 it maybe changes recommendations.

Though, I have to say, colour protect shampoos are a bit of a joke. Those of us that have used them (I never have) have come to the conclusion they are anything but protective of colour when it comes to direct dyes. They tend to strip fashion colours as quickly as some of the harshest shampoos out there.

If you want to stick to shampooing that's fine. There are some shampoos that are on the better side.

Oh no, I don't shampoo I just thought I'd check them both...sorry for the confusion!

What you need to do is use a cheapy cheap white conditioner for your 'shampoo' (you need to use it like a shampoo to loosen dirt etc from your scalp) and they're nearly always without silicones. Then it's really up to your hair. Does it get greasy easily? Does it suck up moisture like there's no tomorrow?

So I actually use very heavy thick conditioners for both 'shampoo' and an even heavier conditioner for my conditioner as my hair looooooves it. I even leave some in. But I have very thick curly hair which is part of it. So it's unlikely you'll want that. You'll want, as I said before, a cheap as chips plain conditioner. Then you'll have to experiment to see what works. It's a bit frustrating, but knowing how your hair is now helps.

Several people use Garnier ultimate blends 'the sleek restorer' for their conditioner. I often use this as my shampoo and leave in. It's quite thick but washes out well. As I always use very heavy conditioners and I suspect you need lighter ones I'll leave recommendations to others 🙂

What you need to do is use a cheapy cheap white conditioner for your 'shampoo' (you need to use it like a shampoo to loosen dirt etc from your scalp) and they're nearly always without silicones. Then it's really up to your hair. Does it get greasy easily? Does it suck up moisture like there's no tomorrow?

So I actually use very heavy thick conditioners for both 'shampoo' and an even heavier conditioner for my conditioner as my hair looooooves it. I even leave some in. But I have very thick curly hair which is part of it. So it's unlikely you'll want that. You'll want, as I said before, a cheap as chips plain conditioner. Then you'll have to experiment to see what works. It's a bit frustrating, but knowing how your hair is now helps.

Several people use Garnier ultimate blends 'the sleek restorer' for their conditioner. I often use this as my shampoo and leave in. It's quite thick but washes out well. As I always use very heavy conditioners and I suspect you need lighter ones I'll leave recommendations to others 🙂

Yeah it does get greasy very quickly....that's why the dry shampoo is a godsend! Will look up some cheap shampoos and conditioners. But if anyone has any recommendations id love to hear them? Also, What do you mean by 'heavy'? Also, my hair is extremely thick and wavy if I don't blow dry. Thanks for all your help 🙂

By heavy, I mean thick and will leave a certain amount behind. It's difficult to explain! I don't mean in the same way as leaving a coating of silicone. My hair gets huuuge if I don't have 'weight' on it and very thick conditioners help with that. I still like silicones for that reason, it helps weigh down my hair. I'm just fully aware of the condition of my hair and I'm prepared to use clarifying shampoos when I need to and I don't use silicones all the time. I use lots of oils for the same reason.

I just have hair that behaves better with a lot of layers of various conditioners and it most definitely doesn't work for every one! But that's why you need to experiment. I find I have to follow somewhere between what people with wavy hair do and (leaning more towards even) how people with Afro Caribbean hair (what's often known as 4a, 4b or 4c hair though it also covers other hair types) look after their hair. It's something I started working out for myself long before the Internet, but now I've found out about how other people with curly hair deal with it, I've developed further.

You should try the 'curly girl' method. You might find you can embrace your waves if you know how to get the best out of them. You might even find its actually quite curly! People have gone from thinking they have a slight wave to finding they have a gorgeous curl. That way you can leave behind the straighteners and even maybe blow drying 🙂

Back to the point. As your hair gets greasy, you'll probably need a lighter conditioner for your conditioner (though keeping it off the roots will help) but you might be able to use a heavier one as you get used to it.

I think when I did conditioner only a bit ago I found some nice lighter-weight conditioners in Superdrug, own brand ones. I found they washed out quite cleanly (I'm the opposite to your hair Janine, my hair goes flat as a pancake and stringy if I use anything heavy!) mine is wavy, but more in the way that it doesn't have the weight to fall straight, it's very flyaway. I found it started to behave better if I stopped straightening it and instead encouraged the wave by pin curling or just putting it in little buns for the last part of it's drying time.

This is my hair, day after washing, so a bit flattened. My hair wouldn't cooperate that well yesterday, so it's a bit wavy curly. It looks a lot smaller in ths photo than in reality, but I have a heavy conditioner left in, oils, a curl cream and a couple of other products. It's still going to take a day or two of morning spritzes with water laced with conditioner and probably more products before it'll be weighted to my liking lol

This is how I end up looking when I have longer hair but without the weight

But much, much bigger. It's how I spent most of my teenage years in fact when my mum would tell me off for using too much conditioner. Now I know I need three times as much lol

But any way, my point is, as laurelai demonstrates, every one is different with different needs. It takes a lot if experimentation. Look out for silicone and hopefully learn to live without the straighteners 😉