Hair Care for Sensitive Skin

Hair care becomes very tricky and sometimes, torturous, if you have sensitive skin. These are some of the few products I discovered and tricks I've come up with after a lot of hits and misses.

Just for reference, I'll post an unedited version of myself, just so you get an idea of what my hair really looks like. I haven't brushed my hair for more than three years, seriously.

My hair is naturally wavy and very, very thick. It looks like loose curls now because I had a treatment called digital perm done five-ish years ago (more or less). It was horrible, it looked like a bomb exploded on my hair, it was dry and frizzy, and everything was just wrong with it, took me a long time before I was happy with my hair.

tip #1

BEFORE GETTING A HAIR TREATMENT, PATCH TEST THE CHEMICALS THEY WILL BE USING ON YOUR HAIR.

Make sure to test first the products that are going to be used on the skin at the bend of the elbow (because of it's high sensitivity). Make sure you did not take antihistamines beforehand and wait for at least 30 minutes. If it turns red, I'd suggest to not go through the treatment.

Treatments dry your hair out, so it's important to really nurse them back to health first if you're planning to get some kind of perm done. Dry hair that's dried out some more is a nightmare -- damaged hair will be frizzy, dry, and prone to split ends.

tip #2

USE HAIR PRODUCTS MADE FOR BABIES.

I know this sounds silly but they work! Before, every time I finish taking a shower, my face and body would have red blotches all over it. I always blamed hard water for it but I eventually found out, it was because of the products I was using on my hair.

My favorite shampoo so far is Johnson's Extra Conditioning Shampoo. 

It's a 2 in 1 toddler's formula specifically for thick curly hair. I admit, baby products would be a lot safer for sensitive skin but I'm a big fan of conditioning shampoos because of my thick hair. I love this shampoo cause it keeps my loose curls bouncy and makes my  hair really soft.

Other products I like are Johnson's Baby Shampoo plus Conditioner (the pink one), and Suave Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo and 2 in 1 Shampoo Smoothers (they have so many scents to choose from and they all smell so nice!).

tip #3

LATHER YOUR HAIR UPSIDE DOWN.

Now this sounds even more silly but my doctor taught me this. I shampoo my hair normally, very careful that as little foam as possible touches my skin, then I tilt my head chin down, flip my hair over and wash the suds off my hair.

After I've rinsed my hair, while my hair is flipped, I take some conditioner, massage it into my hair. I only put conditioner on the length of my hair and not the roots, so around three quarters of my hair from the tips. This avoids the conditioner from coming in contact with my scalp and also gives my hair body, and that extra oomph.

There's no conditioner for babies but I found Dove Damage Therapy works okay with me, I just make sure I rinse it off very, very well. I prefer using intensive treatment conditioners because I can't leave them too long on my hair, to avoid irritating my skin. I massage it on my hair for less than a minute then rinse.

tip #4

USE GLOVES.

If you're like me with uber sensitive skin, you need to wear gloves in the shower. This prevents me from touching the shampoo and conditioner directly. Whenever I don't wear gloves, the skin around my hands and fingertips always gets irritated. This could also be because skin is more sensitive and prone to breaking when it's moist.

I use disposable plastic gloves, the kind they use in the kitchen.

THE BEST THING I'VE EVER DONE TO MY HAIR IS NOT BRUSH IT.

I won't consider this a tip because it really depends on what hair type you have, but for me, this was the best gift I gave my hair. I haven't FULLY brushed my hair in three years, I am not kidding. I stopped brushing because I was trying to preserve the curls from my perm, and at the same time, I also stopped blow drying and ironing my hair. I just air dry it and use my fingers on the knotted parts (if you're using a good conditioner, knots wouldn't be a problem). After a while, my hair became so much softer.

Now, I only brush my hair (and only on the crown of my head) when I'm tying a pony tail. 

P.S.

I haven't had a treatment done on my hair (except for coloring) since my digital perm eons ago. I salvage my loose curls by tying it in a bun when I'm at home.