I am soooo confused!! I have fine hair, which I get colored at the salon. I've noticed that when I wash my hair and use my regular conditioner...Dumb Blonde Reconstructor...my hair doesn't feel SMOOTH...or stay shiny for v. long...it still tangles up easily, and it seems to get dry and lose the shine again quickly.
I don't like using product in my hair, though I will use gel and sometimes mousse on seperate occasions. And I don't blowdry.

The thing that has me confused is my Dumb Blonde Reconstructor says on the bottle it can be used "as a hair mask, reconstructor or daily conditioner." When I was at the salon last, though, I read an article that said that for fine hair, I should only be using a leave-in conditiioner only(which I do have and use when tangles are bad after showering).but that colored hair should be treated with a reconstructor.
which should I be using when?? And what's the difference between the two products??
And what is the best way to keep my fine, long hair smooth and shiny??? Tips?? Advice?? Pls help!!

P.S. Dumb Blonde is made by Bedhead, TIGI.

Hm,I guess by reconstructor they mean a *deep conditioner*,which,in my experience,can be any fairly heavy conditioner when it´s left in a little longer before rinsing.Tigi is one of the few lines I have not tried out ;D
,but I have very fine hair also,and I could never just use a leave-in conditioner after shampooing.I always have to have a regular rinse-out conditioner,then I sometimes use a leave-in conditioner after my hair has dried.(But only when my hair feels very dry,I easily get build up from leave-ins)
I know I am repeating myself here ;D ;D,since I have praised it in many posts ;),but you could try the Matrix Biolage conditioning balm-the best conditioner ever for my fine hair.I normally rinse it out immediately,but sometimes I leave it in for quite some time as a deep conditioner.I hope I haven´t added to your confusion now ;) ;)

Reconstructors frequently have protein in them to help strengthen the hair.  This can cause a build up on the hair, making it dull, crunchy and generally "icky".  You might try a vinegar rinse between your shampoo and conditioner and see if that helps restore the softness and shine.  

have thought of trying the vinegar rinse since i heard u mention it in a few other postings (playing catch-up reading,have been v. busy) but here is Q: how often do i use vinegar rinse? And considering hair has been colored, what type of vinegar do i use??

All natural color has been covered by a soft reddish auburn that gets light gold highlights naturally by the sun (think Anne when she's married Gilbert in the series)...don't want to speed up the lightening process of the red color by using the wrong vinegar!

Also, pls re-send info on how to do vinegar rinse?? Saw it on site somewhere (where??). Thanks.

I do a vinegar rinse about once a month or whenever I feel my ends are getting crunchie.  Some people do it every washing, some once a week.  Since I only wash my hair twice a week, I am doing the rinse about every 8th wash, but might do it more often.

I use a 1.5 liter plastic bottle and put about a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (ACV) in the bottle then fill with warm water (usually I fill it from the shower head when I get into the shower).

I wash my hair, then pour the vinegar rinse over my hair, concentrating on the length of my hair.  Some people will use a bucket and "dip" their hair into the bucket of vinegar water.  

I then apply my conditioner as usual.  

The vinegar smell does not last when you put conditioner on after the rinse (and then rinse the conditioner out).

I have dark blonde hair that lightens easily in the sun.  I don't feel the ACV darkens (or lightens) my hair.  Nor does it seem to have any real effect on the colored (bleached) ends of my hair.

I know others use white vinegar instead of ACV, I'm not sure it really matters.

Hope this helps!

I have fine hair that is colored...it's about waist length...

I've fallen in LOVE with Matrix Sleek Systems...there are 4 steps, but I just use the shampoo and conditioner and it works great!  Even after I rinse out the conditioner, my hair is smooth and manageable in the water!  

the price isn't too bad....$9 for each.....although you can buy each by the gallon from beauty supplies....$50 each and it lasts about a year to a year and a half!  

wrote on Feb 10^th, 2004 at 1:44am:

I have fine hair that is colored...it's about waist length... I've fallen in LOVE with Matrix Sleek Systems...there are 4 steps, but I just use the shampoo and conditioner and it works great!  Even after I rinse out the conditioner, my hair is smooth and manageable in the water!   the price isn't too bad....$9 for each.....although you can buy each by the gallon from beauty supplies....$50 each and it lasts about a year to a year and a half!

How long have you been using this?  Does it have any 'cones in it?  My hair appears to like 'cones, but then I end up with damage, so I have been trying to avoid them.  I've been using Kenra products, but they are a bit expensive for my taste.  The Aussie Mega shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle work well, and are a bit more reasonably priced, but not as nice as the Kenra.

I've been using it for about a year....my sister-in-law uses it as well....she also has colored, waist length hair....she loves it! she's a stylist, and has started telling her clients about it too.

forgive me - what are 'cones?  silicone???

I've never heard of Kenra, either....

'cones are types of silicones that are typically used to smooth hair.  Typically they are referring to any product at ends in "-cone".  I find they build up on my hair and prevent any moisture from getting to the hair.  This eventually causes the hair to dry out and break.   :P

I'll have to check out the Matrix products - I think I saw them on sale someplace.  Thanks for the info!

Don't know if anyone else has heard of or tried this...but one of my gf recommended to me THE BEST WAY to get SUPER SHINY HAIR is to do a "COLD RINSE".

THe way she explained it to me, is you shampoo and wash under normal "warm" water; but when you are ready to wash out the conditioner, you turn off as much off the heat as you can stand and RINSE in ICY COLD WATER...it actually is v. refreshing, and DOES seem to make the hair shinier when it dries...lasts a  couple of days,too. I have tried doing this for a few weeks now, any comments??? Anyone else tried this??

P.S. as for the tangles, they're still here with me...sigghh, I think I might just have to get used to them and enjoy them..they actually give my hair more body and mostly come out when I shower, so for now have just given up and tie my hair up when it's acting too crazy :D! Just out of curiousity, does anyone else out there with fine, mid-length (22 inches) hair get tangles like these???

kmm,

  Cold rinses are great for shine. When in the shower the heat opens up the hair cuticle to help penetrate the proteins from the shampoo into it. When cold water is added it ceils the cuticle down making it shiny and also adding volume.


  A great reconstructor called Paul Brown acts as a reconstructor and conditioner all in one. Its wonderful!!!
 
  The differance is a reconstructor helps hair that has been damage from coloring or everyday wear and tear. It adds proteins back into the hair which are needed for healthy, strong, shiny hair.
Conditioners help for adding moisture. Everyone needs moisture in their hair, but its all in how you use it for it to benifit you. If you have problems with oily hair, dont apply the conditioner on top of your scalp only on the ends. If you feel that it weights your hair down to much
buy a volumizing conditioner.You still get the moisture without losing your great volume.

  Not much you can do about the tangles, it comes with having fine hair.

I have super fine hair,too.  I found generously spritzing it with a leave in conditioner really cuts down on the tangles.

Oh yes kmm, I have done a COLD RINSE before.  it is true that when you rinse your conditioner out in cold water it closes in the cuticles of your hair so that the surface would be smoother and shinier.  I love doing that to my hair.  I always wash my hair in warm water and then rinsing it in water that is near cold.  I can't stand it ICE COLD but I can stand it cold.  I know a movie star that literally washes her hair in cold water all of the time, and that is Jane Seymour.  I've read on her website that she both shampoos and conditions her hair in cold water all of the time.  That's why her hair is always so pretty, healthy, and shiny-looking.

i just wanted to answer one of kmm's original questions, i have a dark semi-perm color in my hair and i've done about 4 acv rinses in the past 2 weeks and haven't noticed any color fading.   my hair also dries incredibly fast when i do acv rinses, i don't know if this is just me or the norm.  usually it takes me about 4 to 5 hours to air dry if i'm lucky.  i was absolutely floored the first time i did a rinse and my hair was completely dry and much more manageable in a little over an hour.  it makes my hair verrrry shiny and soft, i guess 'happy' would be the best way to describe it.  
i was concerned about it stripping the color too, but so far it hasn't happened.  i got my mom to do them and her hair hasn't lost any color either.  she lightens with permanent color.

When I lived in Egypt, rinsing with cold water was EASY, because the shower head was on a hose.  I just took it down and turned off the hot water.  Lean over real far, no problem!  Since we had to come back to Texas (It's a long story, guys, and most of it was not pretty.) rinsing in cold is more difficult.  I tried it once, kneeling in the tub and sticking my head under the faucet.  But I tell you, it works!