The Morning Haze

My hair has always been difficult and at the same time I have made it my mission to make it even more so. Easily tangled, frizzy, medium but with lots of volume potential, and chemically processed to oblivion. I have gotten a pixie cut/shaved my head twice in the last three years because I was so exasperated with it.

I decided to chemically relax my hair back in April to loosen the curl and quite simply because I always wanted wavy hair. Never a fan of the way my curls made me look like a child, I went to my mom (who is a licensed cosmetologist) and asked her to do it for me. Afterwards, my hair took its time to adjust to the way I wanted it to, but alas, with any chemical processing there is a price to pay. In this case, my hair became a bit brittle, dull, and with horrible split ends. After a much, needed haircut, I wanted to find new products that would work well with my new hair type.

For years I used a leave-in treatment from Pantene but unfortunately it was either discontinued or it was just not available in the US. After that I kept rotating through brands and lines, never finding something that worked adequately and did not leave my hair frizzy or worse, crunchy.

A few months ago I was subscribed to a beauty box called Petit Vour. The affair did not last long, but one of the boxes led me to find one of the best hair products I've used in a long time. A deluxe sample of EVOLVh SmartStart Leave-in Conditioner + Uber Detangler gave me the confidence to brush my hair without feeling like I was going to tear it from the root. It smells delicious, to boot. My waves were defined but not heavy, and in the short month I was wearing this I felt my hair was looking better than ever.



When my sample was, sadly, empty, I did what I almost never do: go buy the full size product. I also ended up purchasing their Ultimate Styling Lotion because I find often products from the same line tend to work best together.

I have been enjoying these two a lot, and find my hair does not get greasy as easily which is an added bonus, since styling products often leave my hair heavy and my scalp mortified. Mid-range and definitely effective, I highly recommend them if you are looking for something organic, simple, and that works.

- Linda

I remember when dry shampoos started making their way through multiple hair care counters, and honestly the level of both bafflement and eyebrow-raising on my part was almost hilarious. Who doesn't shower everyday? I could not go more than a day without washing my hair, one of the many dermatological gifts from my father's side of the family. When I decided to skip washing my hair, well, it showed. 

For the longest time I thought it was just that well, since my skin was very oily it made sense my scalp was as well. Then, as I hit puberty (with all the marvels that come with it) my body decided it was not only enough that my face was covered in pimples and everlasting shine, but that my scalp would be getting those as well. Now, imagine me having to wear a slick back ponytail every weekday in middle school (I went to a very strict institution). Kids will not hesitate in pointing out my "dandruff," and it was mortifying. How could I tell them it was not really dandruff, but that I was getting balls of solidified grease attached to each of my follicles? Of course, at the time I did not know that instead of dandruff I was suffering from seborrheic dermatitis.

It took many years, over-the-counter shampoos and treatments for me to finally find an adequate option to treat my condition.

I currently hold a subscription to PocketDerm* for dermatology services and products. I was assigned Dr. Lortscher and hold a great relationship with him and his team. Besides prescribing my regular acne treatment, he has advised me through every rough patch in my skin care journey. I had mentioned to him how my scalp was still bothersome even with my birth control, and he recommended the DHS Zinc Shampoo. I bought it about three months ago and, when used as directed, it has greatly improved the appearance and feel of my scalp.



Surprisingly, this lathers rather well--which is something to applaud. I usually find shampoos like this tend to feel dry and detergent-like, but this one does not tangle or make my hair feel rough nearly as much as other products I've tried in the past. I follow the instructions to the bottle almost by the letter: applying a liberal amount and letting it do its thing for five minutes straight. Rinsing thoroughly is key, as you do not want any unwanted residue that could potentially dry out your hair. Using this two to three times a week has been wonderful to my poor scalp.

It doesn't have an overly chemical smell although it does possess the characteristic orange color that most shampoos that treat seborrheic dermatitis have.

Now, can I use dry shampoos as everyone else? Surprisingly, sometimes they do seem to work for me!

- Linda

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