How to style thick frizzy very bleached damaged hair without heat?

[carrie30]

So as the title suggests I'm keen to stop using heat as much on my chemically fried hair. The problem is, when left au natural, a combination of having very thick hair that is so frizzy and dry and damaged , and totally ruined from bleach,the hair is basically unmanageable. I've tried leaving treatments on overnight and then washing out and conditioning in the morning then leaving to air dry, but the hair is as still as dry as a bone and a huge frizzy mess. Does anybody have any tips on styling such hair? It's arm pit length (not bra strap as I previously stated in my first post). Can I try braiding it or does that cause more damage? Any products I could put on it as its drying? Moroccan oil not doing much!! Thanks xxx

[copperlites]

have you tried coconut oil treatments prior to washing? That has done wonders for the condition of my hair. I often put it in at night, sleep with it and then wash as usual the next day. also you could sleep with damp hair in soft rag and a hair net for soft curls the next day.

[restless]

Hi and welcome to the forum! :)

A few general tips; a lot of people here experiment with pure, natural oils (not moroccan oil), like coconut oil or olive oil and get good results with them. Im a huge coconut oil fan myself and it helped my hair more than anything back when it was dry and damaged from heat and dye/bleach. Its cheap and well worth a try. The herbal forum is full of tips on different oils.

To tame frizzy hair you can use either a tiny amount of oil (just a little or it´ll look greasy!) or aloe vera gel. My own hair gets very frizzy when freshly washed and thats why I wash it in the evening. In the morning, the worst frizz is often gone. Some people experience less frizz when using a silk pillowcase too. If you absolutly cannot tame them frizzies without blowdrying, maybe try it on cool instead of hot?

For hair styles, braids are good and so are buns when you use hair friendly accessories (like sticks, forks or metal free hair bands). It prevents tangles and keeps the hair from being caught under bag straps and the like which causes damage.

Good luck :)

[lapushka]

First of all you talk about frizzy dry hair? Do you have straight hair, wavy hair, or curly hair, as advice on those can vary.

[meteor]

Damaged hair can often be more frizz-prone, due to higher porosity (chipped, lifted or even missing cuticle from bleach), which can lead to easier absorption of water and easier drying out - porous hair is more hydrophilic, so you can experience more frizz in changing humidity.

So my biggest suggestion would be everything that helps manage that porosity: oils, silicones, ceramides and hydrolyzed proteins.

Try LOC for post-wash styling (liquid leave-in + oil(s) + cream/lotion).

Also, try pre-poo oiling with penetrating oils (e.g. coconut): http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html

For deep treatments/conditioners, check out protein treatments for damaged hair, they help with temporary patch-repair, e.g. DIY gelatin treatment (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html), Redken Extreme Strength Builder, Joico K-Pak or - extremely strong - Aphogee 2-Step. Always follow up with moisturizing conditioner or something like the SMT (conditioner + honey + aloe vera).

Also, check out this article on how to manage elasticity and porosity of hair. I think it can really help: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/managing-elasticity-and-porosity-in-hair.html

Ultimately, you'll need to wait for the damage to grow out, maybe micro-trimming it away, because nothing can permanently repair it, only temporarily patch up and manage.

Best of luck! And Happy Growing! :cheer:

[meteor]

Does anybody have any tips on styling such hair? It's arm pit length (not bra strap as I previously stated in my first post). Can I try braiding it or does that cause more damage?

Focus on wet-setting techniques: set damp hair in buns, braids, rollers. The hold will be better if you use a bit of leave-in conditioner as a styling cream.

Check out beautyklove's heat-free styling channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLarqoD-aO1WzdZuLyiwSexYBZytHqfGfa

Braids shouldn't be damaging, unless you use elastics with metal and pull them off roughly or let braids get caught on seat-belts, etc.

[carrie30]

Thank you everyone. I have ordered some organic coconut oil from Amazon so will try that for pre shampooing. I currently use kerastase Bain therapiste balm in shampoo and masque, living proof restore shampoo and conditioner, philip kingsley elasticiser extreme before shampooing, and Bain thermique blow dry reconstructor milk and morrocan oil.My hair is neither straight nor wavy naturally, it's that kind of thickness that is just coarse it sticks out a mile, and has no nice natural texture, it's just very very thick and is quite bush-like ! So when left to dry naturally it has to be pinned back or up . I'm currently taking 10,000 mcg of biotin per day (day 5 now) and cod liver oil to try and help growth. I am going to look up braiding videos on you tube to do around my face to take the emphasis away from the rest of the frizz ! X

[lapushka]

Warning on the Biotin levels, just FYI, BTW!
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.be/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[jeanniet]

Is it possible to post a picture so we know what you mean? It's hard to go by descriptions because "thick and frizzy" varies from person to person. In any case, it's sounds to me like you're probably a curly or close to it--"frizzy" and "bushy" are kind of code words for curly hair trying to be forced into something it's not. You might look into curly girl method to get some ideas. If you have any pre-damage pictures, that would also help. Meteor gave you some good suggestions on improving appearance and feel, but yes, eventually the only cure is to cut the damage.

[Arctic]

If you could find online and post the ingredients of the products you use, it might be helpful too. I was mainly thinking, if you are using protein-y products. Often times damaged hair benefits from protein. Moisture too ofcourse.

For styling, how about heidi braids, or horizontal french twist at the nape. They both work well with more voluminous hair and look very current when messy. Also fishtail braids are awesome when messy, and might work nicely for you. If your hair is too thick to make a bun, try two or tree :)

[alexis917]

Try the curly girl method (but with silicones). When I had bleached my hair/had a lot of damage, I had very frizzy hair. If I styled it nicely, it was actually just really curly. Aussie Moist conditioner (or something similarly cone-y) as a cleanser, then squish it out, and scrunch in a gel or cream product. Don't touch your hair until it dries, then scrunch again to break the hard "cast" that can give you that stringy, untouchable look.

[ghanima]

For frizz and general health of the hair, I'd suggest, when you wash your hair, a last rinse with cold (important) water + apple cider vinegar. I fill with the acid water a large bowl, put it in the sink and pour on the hair with a smaller bowl or a mug, so the water gathers again in the large bowl, over and over. I also keep acid water in a spray bottle and spray it on my hair before bed. It's a very simple, almost too ordinary to bother trick, but the acidity, the minerals and the hydration do wonders to the hair, making them soft and shiny - at least this is my experience. I don't have damaged hair, but my hair are very very thirsty darlings.
I also like mineral oil (baby oil) in very small doses, and coconut oil for deep-conditioning.

About styling I would go with updo's whenever your hair looks less than ideal, until you're back to normal. For that length I love french twists, it's a very versatile updo that can be interpreted in many ways and is enormously easy to do. For styling you've got to tell us what kind of hair you have, of course. If your hair are wavy or curly many talk of plopping, I haven't tried it myself but it makes sense. Or you can make a sock bun to sleep with, and in the morning your hair have beautiful waves (you may need longer hair for that one, so maybe better bantu knots, I use them quite lose and few of them). I like this channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/oakoscar100/search?query=french+twist), maybe you can find there some ideas especially for updo's. She's same length as you I think?

[spidermom]

A friend with a lot of bleach damage told me that olive oil helped a lot.

[Nope]

By the way it sounds you're using a LOT of protein-y products, which I think could be contributing to the dryness. When I had bleached hair I ended up getting more breakage from protein overload than the actual bleaching itself. I would recommend getting a protein free conditioner and soaking your hair in it for 30 minutes, or trying an SMT (protein free conditioner mixed with aloe Vera or honey) also, blending some banana and mixing it into my conditioner works SUPER well for me when I overdo the protein. Good luck!

[Deborah]

Wear it up most of the time, and the frizziness should be less noticeable. At your length a French twist is usually pretty.