Beyond up-do's. Optimizing durability of ends.

[Knifegill]

I hear tales of a "crunchy" feeling from too much protein. But is this crunchy hair stronger? If I sacrifice some traits and properties, what kind of hardening can I do to make my hair more invincible?

[Wildcat Diva]

I don't know that you would like the texture. It's generally unsatisfying IMO. Like angry hair. Plus it might get more brittle and break! ack! I'll go for soft and moisturized and sleek anyway. Especially on wavy hair: angry wavy hair that is crunchy=scraggly

[Knifegill]

Hmm, much to ponder. Too much that I don't know!

[Madora]

You don't want crunchy if you can help it. Crunchy hair means hair that is very prone to tangling and hard to detangle too.

If you want "strong" hair, then concentrate on your diet. The longer the hair is, the stronger the follicle.

The durability of the ends depends on how well you keep them protected. Ends that are down all the time are subject to much more wear and tear. You can keep your ends in good shape if you trim every 3 months or so. S and Ding regularly with sharp shears is a good idea too.

A lot of members use a wee drop of oil on the ends to keep them in fine fettle.

[Knifegill]

Hmm, definitely don't want tangles!

Yes, already eating optimally for hair (and overall health). And oiling. And will keep up most of the time.

I'm just thinking, there has to be something. Teflon spray? Diluted epoxy? Industrial applications are used to enhance the durability and lifetime of many machine components. If we are fighting wear and tear, then everything you recommend makes PERFECT sense. Less mechanical damage, good diet, some people with protein treatments to fill the missing holes.

Maybe silicones? Do they coat the hair and prevent damage? I don't even know how they work!

[Anje]

Slippery ends tangle less... I'd say that if they don't dry your hair, silicones are probably the optimal lubricant for end-tangle prevention. Oils are good for many of us, but they tend to attract lint where silicones don't. Potential downsides are that some of us find that silicones are drying and that our dry hair then tangles faster, they often build up (more tangles), and many people report increased fairy knots with silicone use.

[ooglipoo]

You could try some cassia. Kind of strengthening, like henna, but more for blonde/golden tones. Henna works great, but you'd be orange/red, and I have a feeling you'd not go for that...

[LadyCelestina]

TBH there isn't much you can do to improve a perfectly healthy (not likely to happen) hair's durability besides applying oils or silicones on top of it to encourage slip and elasticity.Perhaps applying 'moisturizing' treatments but if I remember correctly those are used for the cosmetic effect on low porosity hair.If your hair already has some increase in porosity,protein and other patch-repair ingredients come into the play,as well as careful use of humectants,emollients and oils. ETA: to mimic 'healthy' hair

On low porosity hair,protein just doesn't work since it has little to stick to.I don't know if henna/cassia works in a way that it a) binds with keratin to fill cuticle gaps c) binds with keratin so that you get better colour on non damaged cuticle ,so I can't answer that

[proo]

That's a mighty interesting thought knifegill -
some kind of spray-on that protects ends, doesn't attract dirt and washes out easily. .
I wonder how durable flaxseed get is?

[rowie]

I would definitely agree with the comments about crunchy hair. I'd really focus on moisturizing your ends with the methods of oiling, spreading your own sebum with a bbb, or cones if you don't like the oiling or bbb route. If your hair is really short what I did was protect my hair in a bandanna until I could do simple updos. If your hair is past shoulders I'd generally protect my ends with simple updos or even a braid if I want to wear it down.