What is wrong with my hair?

[glossandglitz]

So happy to be back here. I posted on here back in 2006-2009 and had gorgeous waist length, thick, healthy hair. Once I became a grown up with grown up money, I've become a routine dyer/bleacher. I have had a set every 16 week hair dresser date. My hair always held up great and I used salon products with my ole stand by aloe and coconut oil in the routine too.

In August, for my pre wedding pamper session, I had a full highlight(with olaplex) done on top of my very subtle ombre. My hair came out of that feeling terrible.It wouldn't dry and all the curl pattern was gone. Lots of breakage but weekly dustings and nightly oilings seemed to make it feel like hair again. I kept this routine until I decided to chop it off 2 weeks ago. i went from BSL to collar bone. Now my hair feels terrible again. The ends stick together, can't brush it through, mushy/waxy, etc. I've gone back and forth with products and the only thing that makes it feel good is washing with dish soap. What is left of my hair has only been processed once. Any input from anyone here? My hairdresser thinks it's hard water but I have lived in the same apartment for 4 years.

[diddiedaisy]

Hi, waxy hair generally needs clarifying, have you tried that? I think the mushy part is lack of protein, but I'm sure someone with much more expertise will come along soon :)

[glossandglitz]

I've used Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo a few times and it helps but it's like I'd need to use it every time. I've been using the dish soap every shampoo which is 3x a week. Today I used Pureology Volume shampoo and boom back to the messy sticky hair.

[meteor]

So happy to be back here. I posted on here back in 2006-2009 and had gorgeous waist length, thick, healthy hair. Once I became a grown up with grown up money, I've become a routine dyer/bleacher. I have had a set every 16 week hair dresser date. My hair always held up great and I used salon products with my ole stand by aloe and coconut oil in the routine too.

In August, for my pre wedding pamper session, I had a full highlight(with olaplex) done on top of my very subtle ombre. My hair came out of that feeling terrible.It wouldn't dry and all the curl pattern was gone. Lots of breakage but weekly dustings and nightly oilings seemed to make it feel like hair again. I kept this routine until I decided to chop it off 2 weeks ago. i went from BSL to collar bone. Now my hair feels terrible again. The ends stick together, can't brush it through, mushy/waxy, etc. I've gone back and forth with products and the only thing that makes it feel good is washing with dish soap. What is left of my hair has only been processed once. Any input from anyone here? My hairdresser thinks it's hard water but I have lived in the same apartment for 4 years.

Welcome back, glossandglitz! :D

I think your hairdresser might be onto something about the hard water. :hmm: I know it's the same water, but your hair is chemically treated now, and very often it doesn't respond the same way to the same water after being bleached/relaxed/etc. For example, apparently copper (http://appstaging.pantene.com/en-US/hair-science/how-to-detox-your-hair)in tap water can become a bigger problem for bleached hair. As soon as you said your hair likes dish soap, I thought: try clarifying & chelating instead:

Joico K-Pak Clarifying
Kenra Clarifying/Chelating
Pantene Damage Detox
Ion products, etc...

And remember, even though you've cut a lot of your hair, the highlights were done in August, so only the first ~ 0.5 or 1 inch or so of the regrowth is completely virgin, so the damage is mostly still there.

I'd recommend hydrolyzed protein treatments (Aphogee 2-step, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, gelatin DIY mask, Redken Builder, etc...), pre-poo oiling with coconut oil or some other oil, keeping hair up to protect it, super-gentle washing and detangling, sleeping on silk/satin... Try to avoid any additional damage (especially heat-styling, any new chemical treatments, excessive manipulation) and maybe micro-trim away old damage as you go?

Happy growing! :flower:

[Anje]

It might be a lack of protein... that would be a predictable result following all this, especially if the Olaplex didn't take. (Does it take or not take? I don't honestly know.)

I'd suggest doing the standard hair reset, and working from there:
(1) Clarify. Sulfate shampoo all the way to the ends. Do it twice if you don't remember the last time you did it.
(2) Protein. The real way to do it is with a reconstructor, like Joico K-PAK or ApHogee. The cheater thing that I've done is to put a drizzle of soy sauce in a cup of water (scale as necessary, but I did this to my braid end last night), dunk your hair in it a bit. Rinse it out. Probably doesn't work as well, but it's still hydrolyzed protein and it definitely does do something.
(3) Moisture. Soak it in some conditioner, or maybe some warmed up conditioner and honey mixed together. Let it sit for up do 30 minutes, then rinse.

Usually, that fixes an absurd number of problems, and it's often just useful to do when your hair is misbehaving and generally being weird.

[AutobotsAttack]

I would say you need an ample amount of moisture. I know you said your hair feels rather mushy, but i think thats because its not taking too good to the processing you had done. I would say upping your deep conditions definately, and following with a few protein treatments of your choice (oils usually will help a lot), and you may want to start sealing your ends for protection and to help lock in whatever you put into your hair until your next washing session.