Please help/advice a clueless dude

[Skynyrd93]

Hi, I've always had long hair but a while ago I had to shave my head when I worked on a ranch for a year (I was out in the Sun for 10+ hours a day and it completely destroyed my hair over time) no one ever taught me how to take care of my long hair, in my pictures with long hair I actually never used conditioner because I didn't know what it even was or did.

Anyway I was hoping yall could help me getting better looking hair and answer some questions I have, but I'll post my pictures so you can get an idea of my hair type first. I've been told my hair is EXTREMELY thick by every hairstylist I go to.

Current:
http://i.imgur.com/k3YxWad.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CIPBd8f.jpg

Past long hair:
http://i.imgur.com/q2NtdK1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/N21Rima.jpg

The ends of my hair look kind of frayed and I think it's just hair that got blasted by the heat and Sun, is there anyway to repair this, or will I have to just get occasional trims til the undamaged hair comes through? I also seem to have some locks of hair around the nape of my neck that seem very damaged, they dry out very quickly, is it normal for some locks of hair to just dry quicker than the rest, or is it most likely sun/heat damage?

I honestly don't have much of a hair routine but I wash/condition it every other day, I never use hot water on it nor blow dry it, I just it naturally dry it. Are there any treatments I could do that could repair some of my older, damaged hair or will I just have to wait til it gets trimmed off?

[Panth]

Welcome!

For advice... If the first photo is current, then you may not need to use conditioner yet. Generally, shampoo is used on the scalp hair only (unless you get actually dirty (e.g. mud, engine oil/grease, etc.) rather than simply sebumy). Conditioner is used from the ears down - partly because the first few inches of hair are naturally conditioned by sebum, partly because applying conditioner to the scalp causes shedding and scalp irritation in some people. However, if it's working for you, keep it up!

You're quite right - you can't fix the sun damage. What you can do is patch-repair it (temporary stuff that lasts a wash or two). Basically, to do that you want some conditioning treatments (conditioner, oils, other leave-ins) that contain ingredients that will either penetrate into the hairs or will patch damaged bits on them. Ingredients that do this are: silicones (found in many conditioners and leave-ins), protein (again, in conditioners and leave-ins - look for the words "protein", "silk", "keratin", "amino acids", "pearl protein", etc.) and panthenol (in conditioners and leave-ins). Coconut oil also works for this.

Eventually, you'll need to trim off those damaged bits, but there's no reason to do that immediately or all at once (unless they are completely unmanageable and causing tangles that risk damaging the rest of your hair).

The other thing you'll want to do is cut out any damaging things from your routine. You say you already don't use hot water or blow dryers. That's great. However, there are some other things you can do. One of the common things I see longhaired men do is be very rough (or non-careful, or just hurried) when combing/brushing. That can really cause a lot of damage when done long-term. Your best bet is to get a hair-friendly detangling tool (e.g. a seamless plastic, wood or horn wide-toothed comb, or maybe a Tangle Teaser, but not a brush and most definitely not a brush with balls on the tips of the bristles) and practice careful detangling. If your hair is thick, you may find it best to split the hair into sections before detangling, to make it easier to work with.

As it gets a bit longer, you may want to consider some protective styles/updos (to reduce tangles and prevent damage from hair rubbing on chair backs, clothing, bag straps, car seat belts, etc.). A braid is fairly easy (and not too unusual for men), but buns are even better (you can check out LHC user Rowie - he does some great bunned styles). You also probably should consider some sort of protection against the sun if you're going to be outside a lot (especially as you now know your hair doesn't do well with too much sunshine). A simple bandana would probably work well with your style and provide great protection. You might also like a buff (http://www.buffwear.co.uk/) (because, seriously, those things are awesome).

Otherwise, feel free to ask more questions. Perhaps peruse the Gentlemen's thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=110732) for some inspiration. Happy growing!

[Seeshami]

Ditto the above!

[irishlady]

Hi there! I can't really give your more advice than what others have said here already, but I just want to wish you luck with getting your hair to good health, and say that it has a nice healthy shine to it at the moment already :)

[Avis]

Welcome. :) Your hair doesn't look frayed to me in the pictures, but like Panth said, eventually you'll have to cut the damage out. There's a looooot of information here on LHC and it can feel overwhelming when you're starting out, but don't ever hesitate to ask questions. Just remember to be gentle and don't try too many new things at once. Happy growing!

[Parisian Dozen]

>.> I swear I've heard that one before...

[animetor7]

Unfortunately you can't repair damaged hair, it's dead. You can baby your ends with oil and leave-ins, but they will need to be trimmed off eventually. You can choose to do this with either a big chop or microtrimming, and it doesn't really matter which, it's just a matter of preference. Nape hair is generally drier and more damaged than the rest of hair, so yup, perfectly normal. I put conditioner on them and try to be gentle, but just accept that that is sort of how they are. I would suggest you check out the wavy/curly threads as it seems you have pretty wavy hair. They probably have good suggestions for your hair type, that I can't give you as a straighty. I would also be careful about how you comb/brush your hair as it gets longer and about wearing protective styles, and perhaps add clarifying into your routine if you think you need it. Other than that welcome, and you have gorgeous hair!

[gwenalyn]

That hair in the graduation pic is amazing! No advice, just admiration.

[lapushka]

To find out how thick your hair is, you best make a ponytail, then measure the circumference of that. Depending on what number you get, we'll be able to place you into a category: i, ii, or iii.

It does seem a little wavy.

There's nothing wrong with shampooing/conditioning, and washing every other day. Just watch out with what kind of comb you comb your hair (needs to be a wide tooth comb).

[gthlvrmx]

Unfortunately you can't repair damaged hair, it's dead. You can baby your ends with oil and leave-ins, but they will need to be trimmed off eventually. You can choose to do this with either a big chop or microtrimming, and it doesn't really matter which, it's just a matter of preference. Nape hair is generally drier and more damaged than the rest of hair, so yup, perfectly normal. I put conditioner on them and try to be gentle, but just accept that that is sort of how they are. I would suggest you check out the wavy/curly threads as it seems you have pretty wavy hair. They probably have good suggestions for your hair type, that I can't give you as a straighty. I would also be careful about how you comb/brush your hair as it gets longer and about wearing protective styles, and perhaps add clarifying into your routine if you think you need it. Other than that welcome, and you have gorgeous hair!

This! ^^^ Damaged hair is damaged hair. Baby oil on damp hair after washing it might help moisturize it and keep it soft and shiny. It won't get rid of damage but it will help your hair. If you decide to use baby oil, Get the baby oil that is by Johnson's and only has Mineral Oil and Fragrance as the ingredients. Or you can buy mineral oil by itself and the ingredients for it are just Mineral Oil. I prefer baby oil, it smells nice to me. Maybe you can look into experimenting with oils on damp hair, that will certainly help keep moisture in your hair. Also, the Suave Naturals line of conditioners are great for CO washing. CO washing helped me get more moisture in my hair after it was dry. You can try raw honey or aloe vera fresh from the plant to attract moisture into your hair on those humid days. They are both humectants which means they attract moisture. Just be careful not to use them much when there's no moisture around, if it's dry around, it will suck the moisture out of your hair.

Welcome and enjoy looking up information! A simple way of looking threads up with information is to go on Google and type your hair concern followed by "Long hair community" and you should get results. For example, you can type in: Dry hair long hair community. That should help you look for stuff easily.
You have lovely wavy hair!

[spidermom]

You can keep it simple with a routine of washing and conditioning if you want. Also protect from the sun with a hat or bandana. You don't have to do a lot to have nice hair. A little oil helps to keep the ends from drying out. I like coconut oil personally, but there are a lot of options.

[BrightEyes]

I agree with what's been said already. I just wanted to say you have gorgeous hair!! :)

[eloquence]

Long hair looks great on you. Good luck and happy growing :)

[yahirwaO.o]

Another who says keep it simple and baby treat those ends with the oil of your preference. Bandanas and my 30's stylish man fedora I got from a vintage flee market keep that sun from messing my hair.

Your waves may benefit from maybe just finger combin and a wide tooth comb.

And its amazing how beautiful your hair was-is :cool:

[Quixii]

Your hair looks great!

What kind of conditioner are you using? I'd check to make sure what you're using is moisturising enough for your hair, especially if you're in drying conditions often.

[Chromis]

Nice hairs! Most of my own pre-LHC damage was simply rough handling. My biggest problems were that I was piling my hair on top of my head to wash it (such tangles!) and then ripping my brush through while wet thinking I was getting out all the "loose hairs". Oops!

I found that washing it without piling it on my head and switching to a wide tooth comb rather than one of those ball end brushes with half the tips missing made a big difference. The major change I made was stopping the use of ponytails as a style. I had so much damage at the nape from them! For years I watched the rather clear line when the ponytail had last been as I slowly trimmed off the old damaged stuff. I trimmed little by little to avoid going back to one of those annoying in-between lengths.

I've since made even more improvements by changing what I wash with and incorporating oils and such, but those mechanical changes are the easiest to implement straight off and made the most impact.

PS: Our forum software hiccups sometimes, so I merged both posts together.

[TrapperCreekD]

Ditto what everyone else has said. Your hair looks great, and happy growing!

[brickworld13]

You're starting with some great hair! Just remember to try ONE THING AT A TIME, and you should be great. Welcome. :waving:

[MINAKO]

your hair looks pretty resistant, so i guess the sun must habe frayed the crap out of it much after these pics were taken.
however, i dont think you can start using conditioner to early, especially with thick hair that often needs a bit of extra moisture its kind of an insurance for later on as hair gets longer.
try oils pre shampooing as well and invest in a good comb that doesnt snag on hair.
wearing fabrics like silk, coated cotton, leather or synthetics, that dont cause alot of friction also does help. otherwise find a bun variation that you like and put it up, ponytails really dont help that much from a certain lenght on.

[sibylla]

Hi and wellcome.
I´ve heard someone say that if you want your hair to be perfect you should treat it carefully,like it was old lace...Ehem..I don´t know about that but use non harmful brushes like Tangle teezer and condition your hair.I like conditioning my hair with coco nut oil so it doesn´t get dry (there are hundreds of threads here on coco nut oil).

[Daylilly]

whatever you are doing now is working for you just fine.

[betterhairday]

I agree with most of the posters above. Your hair looks pretty good to start with.

My hair was damaged but due to radiotherapy and I went down the route of using Pro Naturals Hair Repair System. Initially for a couple of months but now for only one week in every six however I use the leave in treatment of Pro naturals Moroccan Argan Oil after each shampoo applying it to ends and up the shaft to just above ear level after shampoo (apple & tea tree). This protects my hair against heat damage and I no longer have brittle, breaking hair. Chose heat tools carefully if you want to use them. I use a Salon Series Ultralight Ionic hair dryer and a G3 Salon Pro curling wand. I wash and style my hair every 3 days. Hope this helps.