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Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 07:21 AM
Hello everyone! :waving:

I have come to seek your knowledge! And also to burn your eyes with my horrible-looking hair... I hope you can forgive me! *laughs*
So! For 4 years I've been growing out red chemical dye, henna, and amla; all on top of each other. My hair officially became a mess when I threw in the henna/amla. The ends became very dry, crunchy, and brittle. What made it even worse (how was that even possible, I thought to myself...) was that I stopped using cones.

What you see on these pictures has been my reality for years. You might be thinking "brush your hair" or "moisturize that poor thing" and yep, girls, I do both; and within an hour it goes back to looking like this - I do wish I was joking! And as you might have guessed, that green hue is what's left of the henna/amla/dye-mix, and that's pretty much where the party's at, as you can see... did you think I was kidding when I said rat's nest? :eyebrows:

My hair is bleached, too. Which haven't had a huge impact on my hair (don't get me wrong, I know it's damaging!) since I've been coating my hair in coconut oil before bleaching it at the salon. Important to note is that the bleach did NOT cause my ends to look like this. It's just for some reason my ends tend to look like this whenever my hair gets longer, even when it's not dyed. It kind of looks like it can't decide whether it wants to be straight or wavy, so it's just acting up by standing somewhere inbetween. However, my 4-year old dye has made it look fifteen times worse and I really do not now how to tackle it. There's some breakage and there's also split ends.

http://i.imgur.com/Z6YjvD8.png http://i.imgur.com/9JOkp9S.png http://i.imgur.com/kMvEqk2.png

My hair hates oils, conditioners too, but I use them. I shampoo once a week and do WO five times a week because I workout alot. I recently ordered unrefined shea butter (amazing stuff, by the way!!) which my hair seems to be ok with. It makes my hair feel somewhat smooth, for once. I'm also gonna try implement cones again. I think sealing in the shea with some cones could do my hair good *wishful thinking*. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase and I keep my hair up all the time, smooth scrunchies only. I do S&D few times a month.

So well, hmm... I don't understand my hair, at all. Is my hair wavy? Is my hair dry? Is it just a matter of waiting until all the dye has been grown out and then everything will be fine? Have I reached my terminal length? What do I do? What's actually going on? I'm so grateful for all the help I could get. I'm unbelievably tired of looking like this... it's rather depressing, to be honest.

Thank you so much for reading.

vampyyri
July 18th, 2016, 07:30 AM
I would say it definitely has a wave and looks like it just needs some more moisture or protein.

A good moisture treatment that fixes most things is an SMT: link here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128)

school of fish
July 18th, 2016, 07:34 AM
I'm going to come back later when I have some time to reply fully, because this was very much the state of my strands when I started my hair rehab 2-1/2 years ago. I can't guarantee that everything that's worked for me will work for you, but I recognize a great deal of what you have going on there, and perhaps some of my successes can be yours too :)

Back a bit later! :D

Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 07:48 AM
I would say it definitely has a wave and looks like it just needs some more moisture or protein.

A good moisture treatment that fixes most things is an SMT: link here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128)

I lost count of how many times I've been looking at that article! I've always decided not to try it because my hair won't get along with conditioners, but it'll be worth a try I guess. I just need the aloe vera and I'm set. Thank you!



I'm going to come back later when I have some time to reply fully, because this was very much the state of my strands when I started my hair rehab 2-1/2 years ago. I can't guarantee that everything that's worked for me will work for you, but I recognize a great deal of what you have going on there, and perhaps some of my successes can be yours too :)

Back a bit later! :D

It sounds good to hear that someone has been through the same rough patch with those pesky strands. =P So now you got me all excited here! I'm really looking forward to your reply! :joy:

turtlelover
July 18th, 2016, 07:51 AM
Bleach DOES damage hair, and you may not realize it at the time, but I think it has a LOT to do with what is going on with your hair, as would the other red dye you used before. Unless it is totally semi permanent stuff, it has ammonia and/or peroxide and WILL eventually take its toll, especially with red, where you have to touch it up frequently to keep the color bright. Coconut oil will NOT stop the damage. Your hair to my eyes mostly just looks like perfectly normal but badly overprocessed hair. I would guess that hardcore protein treatments followed up by moisture treatments could help. Olaplex also might be an option if you for some reason NEED to continue to bleach your hair, but for the vast majority of people, bleached hair = damaged hair.

lapushka
July 18th, 2016, 07:57 AM
I'd massively throw silicones at it! But that's just me. Previous bleach damage might also like a lot of protein. Try conditioners with protein in them. Aphogee does a good protein treatment, as does Redken (it's a blue masque, I think).

HTH.

I might have more suggestions later. But those immediately come to mind.

Johannah
July 18th, 2016, 08:27 AM
[SIZE=3]My hair hates oils, conditioners too, but I use them.

If your hair hates it, then don't use it. Simple as that. Take a look at humectants (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/07/film-forming-humectants-what-they-are.html), it's a way of moisturizing your hair without the heavy products. It might be interesting. Also you could use oils as a pre-wash instead of a leave-in, especially coconut oil (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/02/readers-questions-moisture-issue-so-far.html). It has a good effect on bleached hair (it helps reduce protein loss, which you'll have because of the bleach and other stuff).

How was your hair before this? What was your routine back then? What products do you use now? What products work and what doesn't? Take a close look at the ingredients on the back, it can tell you a lot.

Your hair likes cones, so use them. Like lapushka said, you can use a lot of them. If it works, it works. Maybe a serum as a leave-in, even. Make sure to use a SLS shampoo if you use this though, so you won't have build-up. Thinking of that, do you have build-up already? It might be, if your hair does *not* like a lot of products. In that case you need to clarify.

I also agree with the protein. Your hair has been through a lot [Read: article 1 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2013/09/more-about-protein.html) article 2 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2015/10/protein-101-lots-of-basic-information.html) article 3 (don't forget to go to part 2, but I can't punt another URL in this comment) (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/06/size-matters-protein-conditioning-part.html)]. Where are you from? America? I *love* the gelatin treatment (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html) as well. Very easy and very effective. Don't forget to use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards!!

HTH :)

Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 08:37 AM
Bleach DOES damage hair, and you may not realize it at the time, but I think it has a LOT to do with what is going on with your hair, as would the other red dye you used before. Unless it is totally semi permanent stuff, it has ammonia and/or peroxide and WILL eventually take its toll, especially with red, where you have to touch it up frequently to keep the color bright. Coconut oil will NOT stop the damage. Your hair to my eyes mostly just looks like perfectly normal but badly overprocessed hair. I would guess that hardcore protein treatments followed up by moisture treatments could help. Olaplex also might be an option if you for some reason NEED to continue to bleach your hair, but for the vast majority of people, bleached hair = damaged hair.

I do not neglect the fact that bleach does damage your hair! There's plenty of proof to go around to show that bleach is damaging, it would be silly of me to disagree. =P However, my ends started looking like this way BEFORE the bleach, and that they always had the tendency to look like this even when it's natural. My length is actually doing ok with the bleach being there, the only damage is at the parts with henna and dye. I only dyed it red once back then and after that I started with the henna, so I never did the touch up thing because I did not want to hurt my hair more than I had already done.

I love having dark golden highlighted hair and sadly I'll keep doing it. I'll try and see if protein treatments might be my best friend and I will also look into Olaplex! Thank you!


I'd massively throw silicones at it! But that's just me. Previous bleach damage might also like a lot of protein. Try conditioners with protein in them. Aphogee does a good protein treatment, as does Redken (it's a blue masque, I think).

HTH.

I might have more suggestions later. But those immediately come to mind.

Yeah?!?! :stirpot: I will throw cones at it! :patrol: Before I found LHC I used silicones and there was honestly nothing wrong with it now that I think about it, I just stopped using them because I really got the impression that it was bad for your hair because almost everyone said so. It might be a good thing to remember that everyone's hair is different, lol! Trial and error...

I will definitely look into those two! Thank you!

pailin
July 18th, 2016, 08:54 AM
Yes, there is nothing wrong with cones, so if your hair does well on them then just use them. Plus, if you have damage already you want to reduce any additional damage, and since cones tend to give a lot of slip, they can help reduce mechanical damage from combing.

Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 08:54 AM
If your hair hates it, then don't use it. Simple as that. Take a look at humectants (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/07/film-forming-humectants-what-they-are.html), it's a way of moisturizing your hair without the heavy products. It might be interesting. Also you could use oils as a pre-wash instead of a leave-in, especially coconut oil (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/02/readers-questions-moisture-issue-so-far.html). It has a good effect on bleached hair (it helps reduce protein loss, which you'll have because of the bleach and other stuff).

How was your hair before this? What was your routine back then? What products do you use now? What products work and what doesn't? Take a close look at the ingredients on the back, it can tell you a lot.

Your hair likes cones, so use them. Like lapushka said, you can use a lot of them. If it works, it works. Maybe a serum as a leave-in, even. Make sure to use a SLS shampoo if you use this though, so you won't have build-up. Thinking of that, do you have build-up already? It might be, if your hair does *not* like a lot of products. In that case you need to clarify.

I also agree with the protein. Your hair has been through a lot [Read: article 1 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2013/09/more-about-protein.html) article 2 (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2015/10/protein-101-lots-of-basic-information.html) article 3 (don't forget to go to part 2, but I can't punt another URL in this comment) (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/06/size-matters-protein-conditioning-part.html)]. Where are you from? America? I *love* the gelatin treatment (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html) as well. Very easy and very effective. Don't forget to use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards!!

HTH :)

Thank you for all the great links and tips! Sounds very interesting! I have some reading to do tonight. :cheese:

I do clarify when I notice build up. My hair doesn't look or feel that much different afterwards, though. These pictures were taken one or two days after I had clarified my hair, you see... =P About a week ago, I wanted to try to not condition my hair after clarifying it. It came out a bit nicer than usual, not as clumpy or stringy. But I got really worried because it felt a bit dry and I was afraid that it would cause some serious breakage. I ended up getting so paranoid about it that I ran to the bathroom to condition it, as fast as possible! Lol!

Anyhow I think it's safe for me to say that; protein, here I come!
I'm from Sweden! Do I still get to try the gelatin/protein treatment? :) Looks interesting!

Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 08:58 AM
Yes, there is nothing wrong with cones, so if your hair does well on them then just use them. Plus, if you have damage already you want to reduce any additional damage, and since cones tend to give a lot of slip, they can help reduce mechanical damage from combing.

I definitely will! I actually think it will help my hair a lot, because detangling my hair is a nightmare right now. It can take me up to an hour sometimes, yikes!

Johannah
July 18th, 2016, 09:26 AM
Thank you for all the great links and tips! Sounds very interesting! I have some reading to do tonight. :cheese:

I do clarify when I notice build up. My hair doesn't look or feel that much different afterwards, though. These pictures were taken one or two days after I had clarified my hair, you see... =P About a week ago, I wanted to try to not condition my hair after clarifying it. It came out a bit nicer than usual, not as clumpy or stringy. But I got really worried because it felt a bit dry and I was afraid that it would cause some serious breakage. I ended up getting so paranoid about it that I ran to the bathroom to condition it, as fast as possible! Lol!

Anyhow I think it's safe for me to say that; protein, here I come!
I'm from Sweden! Do I still get to try the gelatin/protein treatment? :) Looks interesting!

I was asking where you're from because protein treatments might be hard to find in some countries. The one I use (conditioner and other products) is from holland, so I don't think you can buy them. I'd definitely try out the gelatin, but take it slow. The first time, I'd leave it in your hair for 15 minutes MAX. Rinse it, use a very good moisturizing conditioner and see how it goes. If your hair feels better, then next time you can leave it on for longer. If that goes well, you can start try to blowdry it etc.

For myself, I use 120 ml of water and 1/2 package of gelatin (I think it's 1 big tbs, but I could be wrong). I also use a little bit of ACV, but that's optional. Then I microwave it until it's mixed and leave it until it's normal temperature. Then I put it in the refrigerator. If it looks like pudding, I'm ready to wash my hair :p I wash my hair BEFORE the gelatin by the way!

TBH, I'd make sure I'd log everything I do if I were you. Maybe even pictures. There's so much to try out (I know from experience, I've had some bad hair phases as well!) and it's really helpful to write everything down: what did I do? In what order? What products/recipes? How does my hair react? How soft is it? How tangly? Can I comb it easily? Does it get greasy fast? What about the second day hair?... etc.

And like I said, INGREDIENTS! Some people react *really* bad to some ingredients, so it's definitely worth the effort to take a good look at it :)

Obsidian
July 18th, 2016, 09:54 AM
When you say "for some reason my ends tend to look like this whenever my hair gets longer, even when it's not dyed" do you mean how its a bit thinner and wispy on the ends? If so, thats called fairy tail ends and is quite common, especially with fine hair.
For some people its nearly impossible to prevent, others can keep it under control buy micro trimming (cutting tiny amounts often to keep the ens fresh) Even healthy hair will fairy tail, adding in bleach/dye damage will make it more pronounced. It actually looks nice on many people and is something that might be easy to learn to accept instead of fighting with it.

Curious as to what shampoo and conditioner you are using now? I used to hate conditioner, even the light or weightless kinds would make my hair limp and nasty after a few hours but my hair was dry. I choose to go with wild dry hair for many years, I looked a hot mess and hated my hair.
I've been on LHC for a year now and I just recently found a conditioner that I really love. It moisturizes my hair without weighing it down and the cones add slip to keep my curls from tangling around themselves. I went though quite a few products in the last year but I'm glad I was finally able to find the right ones for my hair. All the experimenting was worth it.

Something else comes to mind. You are using coconut oil on your hair before bleaching. Were your ends brittle before using the oil? Some hair hates coconut and will get very brittle and crunchy. I can't use coconut, maybe you are the same way. I can't take strong protein either, my hair prefers good moisture and cones. It might be worth it to try some deep conditioning before proteins and maybe try a different oil for bleaching.
Do you have any kind of beauty supply store? You should be able to find little packages of conditioning treatments for cheap. I really like hask brand but I have no idea if you can find it in Sweden.

As for the shampoo/conditioner I use, its herbal essence hello hydration. My daughter has hair similar to yours, bleach/dye damage included. The hello hydration has really helped hers look and feel better. The damage is still there but she isn't so tangled and her hair is softer and smoother. Her ends aren't crunchy though and she does use protein once in awhile. I have her do the wet hair stretch test. If her wet hair feels gummy or really stretchy when wet, she'll do a light protein treatment.

Tysiphone
July 18th, 2016, 10:44 AM
I was asking where you're from because protein treatments might be hard to find in some countries. The one I use (conditioner and other products) is from holland, so I don't think you can buy them. I'd definitely try out the gelatin, but take it slow. The first time, I'd leave it in your hair for 15 minutes MAX. Rinse it, use a very good moisturizing conditioner and see how it goes. If your hair feels better, then next time you can leave it on for longer. If that goes well, you can start try to blowdry it etc.

For myself, I use 120 ml of water and 1/2 package of gelatin (I think it's 1 big tbs, but I could be wrong). I also use a little bit of ACV, but that's optional. Then I microwave it until it's mixed and leave it until it's normal temperature. Then I put it in the refrigerator. If it looks like pudding, I'm ready to wash my hair :p I wash my hair BEFORE the gelatin by the way!

TBH, I'd make sure I'd log everything I do if I were you. Maybe even pictures. There's so much to try out (I know from experience, I've had some bad hair phases as well!) and it's really helpful to write everything down: what did I do? In what order? What products/recipes? How does my hair react? How soft is it? How tangly? Can I comb it easily? Does it get greasy fast? What about the second day hair?... etc.

And like I said, INGREDIENTS! Some people react *really* bad to some ingredients, so it's definitely worth the effort to take a good look at it :)


I see! What is the name of that conditioner from Holland? And what do you use for moisturizing conditioner when you do the gelatin treatment? :)
That's not a bad idea at all, to log everything that I'm doing and start reading the list of ingredients. I like it. I will start doing that!


When you say "for some reason my ends tend to look like this whenever my hair gets longer, even when it's not dyed" do you mean how its a bit thinner and wispy on the ends? If so, thats called fairy tail ends and is quite common, especially with fine hair.
For some people its nearly impossible to prevent, others can keep it under control buy micro trimming (cutting tiny amounts often to keep the ens fresh) Even healthy hair will fairy tail, adding in bleach/dye damage will make it more pronounced. It actually looks nice on many people and is something that might be easy to learn to accept instead of fighting with it.

Curious as to what shampoo and conditioner you are using now? I used to hate conditioner, even the light or weightless kinds would make my hair limp and nasty after a few hours but my hair was dry. I choose to go with wild dry hair for many years, I looked a hot mess and hated my hair.
I've been on LHC for a year now and I just recently found a conditioner that I really love. It moisturizes my hair without weighing it down and the cones add slip to keep my curls from tangling around themselves. I went though quite a few products in the last year but I'm glad I was finally able to find the right ones for my hair. All the experimenting was worth it.

Something else comes to mind. You are using coconut oil on your hair before bleaching. Were your ends brittle before using the oil? Some hair hates coconut and will get very brittle and crunchy. I can't use coconut, maybe you are the same way. I can't take strong protein either, my hair prefers good moisture and cones. It might be worth it to try some deep conditioning before proteins and maybe try a different oil for bleaching.
Do you have any kind of beauty supply store? You should be able to find little packages of conditioning treatments for cheap. I really like hask brand but I have no idea if you can find it in Sweden.

As for the shampoo/conditioner I use, its herbal essence hello hydration. My daughter has hair similar to yours, bleach/dye damage included. The hello hydration has really helped hers look and feel better. The damage is still there but she isn't so tangled and her hair is softer and smoother. Her ends aren't crunchy though and she does use protein once in awhile. I have her do the wet hair stretch test. If her wet hair feels gummy or really stretchy when wet, she'll do a light protein treatment.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean! But wow, I couldn't imagine that it would be a thing and that it had a name! :o For some reason I have never seen anyone else with it, but I can imagine that it could look inredibly beautiful on some people! For me, at this length, it's rather unflattering. I think I'd be more ok with it if I had longer hair because at this length it's pretty much up your face. I often get to hear comments like "when will you get a haircut", "why dont you brush your hair" or that it looks like I don't take care of my hair. I don't really think the hint of green helps either. =P

It sounds exactly like my hair. I'm using "Natural World Moisture Rich Shampoo" and "Garnier Fructis Strength & Shine Conditioner" right now which contains no cones. Horrible conditioner for my hair, it really weighs it down and makes it feels gunky. I read positive reviews about "Alberto VO5 Herbal Escapes Kiwi & Lime" so I've ordered that from Amazon. I will see how my hair responds to that, but since I'm gonna get into cones again I need to get another conditioner. I'll definitely look into Hello Hydration, I've seen people mentioning it before.

Yep, my ends were brittle before using the oil! But I stopped using coconut oil on my hair when I noticed that the ends became insanely crunchy from it. I'm glad it returned to normal after I stopped, it felt kinda freaky when you could hear that crunching sound when you pinched your fingers on your ends! So yeah, I really can't use it either, but I only use it when getting my highlights done which is like every 6 months or longer. But perhaps I should look into some other oil instead, like you said. I think it could be a good thing. We do have beauty supply stores but I'm pretty sure we don't have the Hask brand around here, I could look for something similiar though!


What does your daughter do for a light protein treatment? Do tell!

Johannah
July 18th, 2016, 11:30 AM
I see! What is the name of that conditioner from Holland? And what do you use for moisturizing conditioner when you do the gelatin treatment? :)
That's not a bad idea at all, to log everything that I'm doing and start reading the list of ingredients. I like it. I will start doing that!

It's called 'Andrélon Keratine Repair', but again, you can only buy it in holland. You can probably find it online but for €20 shipping costs or so. :lol:

nakima
July 18th, 2016, 11:47 AM
when my ends get that way I usually need to get out the neutrogena anti- residue followed by a good deep conditioning. seems to work for me.

Deborah
July 18th, 2016, 12:23 PM
If you continue highlighting your hair with bleach, you will continue damaging it. The dyes you used are not as damaging as the bleach. You might consider trimming off a couple of inches to get a thicker, more even hemline. That would likely improve the appearance of your hair, and would get rid of some of the green. Then if you followed some of the advice on how to improve the condition of your hair, you might find that you will be happier with your hair overall.

Obsidian
July 18th, 2016, 12:31 PM
What does your daughter do for a light protein treatment? Do tell! Often she just uses some kind of protein pack from walmart (usually hask brand) or similar store but she has also used a very ripe avocado smooshed up with some aloe gel or a cone free conditioner. She did use gelatin once but I wasn't here to see how she prepared it or how long it was left on.
We have one member here who uses soy sauce, maybe mixed in with conditioner or the SMT. Its lower in protein then a avocado and would be much easier to wash out.

Johannah
July 18th, 2016, 12:36 PM
Often she just uses some kind of protein pack from walmart (usually hask brand) or similar store but she has also used a very ripe avocado smooshed up with some aloe gel or a cone free conditioner. She did use gelatin once but I wasn't here to see how she prepared it or how long it was left on.
We have one member here who uses soy sauce, maybe mixed in with conditioner or the SMT. Its lower in protein then a avocado and would be much easier to wash out.

Avocado isn't a good source of protein. Or at least, not for hair. Food amino acids are way too big to use for hair care. You better use hydrolyzed protein (keratin, collagen, silk etc.) or gelatin. :flower:

Buddug
July 18th, 2016, 03:01 PM
I had very dry hair as well when not using cones, and I didn't like conditioners since they made my hair greasy on top. For me it helped when I started using a conditioner with cones, but only on the length of my hair, not on my scalp :) Maybe that could be something for you as well?

mindwiped
July 18th, 2016, 10:41 PM
Is your water chlorinated there? Is part of your work outs swimming? Your ends look a little like some of the natural blonde kiddos I worked with would look like if they swam a bunch in the summer. There are filters for your shower and here in the states there are shampoos designed to remove the green and the chlorine together. You'd want to look for something about a post swim shampoo, and pair it with some deep moisture, they can be very drying.

Tysiphone
July 19th, 2016, 03:39 AM
It's called 'Andrélon Keratine Repair', but again, you can only buy it in holland. You can probably find it online but for €20 shipping costs or so. :lol:

Ok! I was just gonna go through the ingredients list! =P Haha oh god, I know too damn well about them shipping costs... :tmi:
I'm gonna try the gelatin today, by the way! I'm excited!


If you continue highlighting your hair with bleach, you will continue damaging it. The dyes you used are not as damaging as the bleach. You might consider trimming off a couple of inches to get a thicker, more even hemline. That would likely improve the appearance of your hair, and would get rid of some of the green. Then if you followed some of the advice on how to improve the condition of your hair, you might find that you will be happier with your hair overall.

Yeah, I'm aware of that. However, I do not keep highlighting my length, only the new growth. I do very small trims from time to time just to get it to look more even, like you said. It has just gotten out of control lately, as you can see! But yeah I've gotten rid of 2-3 inches of green hair already by doing that. :o So I'm not as green as I once used to be! But I will definitely follow some of the advice I've been getting.


Often she just uses some kind of protein pack from walmart (usually hask brand) or similar store but she has also used a very ripe avocado smooshed up with some aloe gel or a cone free conditioner. She did use gelatin once but I wasn't here to see how she prepared it or how long it was left on.
We have one member here who uses soy sauce, maybe mixed in with conditioner or the SMT. Its lower in protein then a avocado and would be much easier to wash out.

Hmm, I see! How did her hair feel after she tried gelatin?
I've got plenty of soy sauce at home... I'm gonna keep that one in mind. :)


I had very dry hair as well when not using cones, and I didn't like conditioners since they made my hair greasy on top. For me it helped when I started using a conditioner with cones, but only on the length of my hair, not on my scalp :) Maybe that could be something for you as well?

That sounds great!! I actually made plans to go out today to find some conditioner with cones - I believe it will help me too! I'll let you know how it goes. :)


Is your water chlorinated there? Is part of your work outs swimming? Your ends look a little like some of the natural blonde kiddos I worked with would look like if they swam a bunch in the summer. There are filters for your shower and here in the states there are shampoos designed to remove the green and the chlorine together. You'd want to look for something about a post swim shampoo, and pair it with some deep moisture, they can be very drying.

Nope, it's not chlorinated. I don't do swimming (last time was 3 years ago) but I get what you mean, I've also seen people with similiar hair because they go swimming a lot! But the green appeared when I highlighted over the henna so I'm not sure I will be able to remove that with shampoos. I actually think the wisest thing is to just microtrim my green sins away. :pray:

Johannah
July 19th, 2016, 03:48 AM
You can find the ingredient list (http://www.misslipgloss.nl/andrelon-keratine-repair/)here.

Good luck with the gelatin, let me know the result!! :o

Tysiphone
July 19th, 2016, 05:33 AM
You can find the ingredient list (http://www.misslipgloss.nl/andrelon-keratine-repair/)here.

Good luck with the gelatin, let me know the result!! :o

Thank you very much!
I will!! :o How often would you say I should do these treatments, if it turns out to be good for my hair? :)

Johannah
July 19th, 2016, 05:48 AM
Thank you very much!
I will!! :o How often would you say I should do these treatments, if it turns out to be good for my hair? :)

Hmm, that's a tough one. It really depends on your hair. There are people who can only do these once a year, but on the other side there are people (me!) who could do this easily once a week. If your hair *really* benefits from this, I'd personally do this once a week or every two weeks at the beginning, until you feel your hair has recovered quite something. I think you can answer this better than I do though, since it's your hair and you know it better than I do. But TBH, be careful with it. It's trial and error. It might work *perfectly* now, and then next week it might not work anymore. In that case, you need to spread it more (like every month). Try things out until you find a routine. But first I'll wait for the results. I'm very curious!! :o

school of fish
July 19th, 2016, 06:27 AM
Okay I'm finally back to answer more fully, but you've already got a boatload of great advice so far ;)

I've been able to turn my hair around from dried-out/split/white-dotted/tangley/hard-to-comb/fairy-taled-from-breakage/stringey to hair that looks and feels like hair again - healthy hair. I tackled each issue one at a time so I could isolate successes from failures, and in so doing truly learned my own hair and was able to set up a perfect routine to help it thrive :) Here's what I did, in roughly the order I did it.

1- Microtrimming monthly to curb breakage and re-establish a blunt hemline.
Anywhere from half to all my growth, every month, like clockwork for the last 2-1/2 years. Even when in healthy condition my strands are delicate, and need each other for protection - a blunt hemline is actually protective for me. Microtrimming keeps the ends fresh which keeps them smooth so they don't tangle or knot as easily, which translates to less friction during detangling and as a result less damage and breakage. I've still been able to gain length during this time - from hip to tailbone. I started with a hem that fairytaled from breakage and the fallout from a bad razor-layered cut, and I'm now visually blunt with about 1-1/2 years more thickening to go.

2- Clarifying and switching back to sulphates to clear buildup.
My hair is super build-up prone and won't tolerate any leave-ins or oils or serums - my own sebum actually builds up and causes problems! Once I noticed that a shampooing with J&J baby shampoo actually left my hair feeling better than my gentle, non-sulphate, natural-oil-heavy shampoo I realized I probably had a chronic buildup problem. Switching to a clear sulphate shampoo twice a week has taken care of that - I use it twice a week.

2 - Moisture via conditioner, not oils.
My hair can't stand ANY oil (coconut was particularly bad) so I couldn't replenish moisture that way, and cone-free oil-rich conditioners are the same, leaving me with awful grabby oil-slick hair. Ironically it's been thick conditioners with light silicones that do the best job of balancing moisture for me while rinsing clear. I now CO 5 days a week, and the remaining 2 days I S&C.

3 - Switching from overnight henna treatments to root touchups to prevent henna-dryness.
I went years doing full-head 8-hour hennaings and have no doubt that over time that dried my length out terribly. I now just do the roots once a week for about 2hrs and that gives me the colour saturation I need but stops short of drying it out with repeated treatments.

5 - Moisture via SMTs - humectants, not oils.
Did I mention my hair hates oils? Like even a half a teaspoon mixed into an SMT? While I do my roots hennas I slap an SMT on the length - my hair's wrapped up anyway so may as well ;) The humectants in the SMT hold the moisture to my hair nicely, but rinse out cleanly so I don't fight the buildup issue I do with oils.

6 - Swapping out a BBB for a Tangle Teezer to prevent friction breakage.
I though I was doing myself a favour with the BBB, spreading natural oils down the length and smoothing the strands... turns out the friction was breaking the strands and did I mention my hair doesn't like my own sebum? ;) The TT now does all my dry detangling - it's gentler than anything else I've ever used and so I'm no longer compounding damage.

7 - Acidic final rinses for detangling and to counteract pieceyness.
This one I discovered while searching for solutions for stringy hair, and I don't fully understand why it works so well for me, I just know that it does. These rinses are extremely diluted - 1/2tsp in 8oz of water - and can be anything acidic, whether ACV, lemon juice or citric acid - it works equally well on me. My hair is piecey by nature, but now when it happens it looks beachy and deliberate, not stringy and uncared-for.

So sorry for the novel, but I find suggestions always make more sense with some context, so I wanted to explain *why* these things have worked for me rather than just giving a list. It seems to take me a lot of words to describe what is in actuality a very simple day-to-day routine ;) I spend very little time on my hair care on a daily basis - it's just the collection of specific habits that are adding up to good results :)

Hope some of this is helpful! Best of luck and keep us posted! :D

florenonite
July 19th, 2016, 06:49 AM
Nope, it's not chlorinated. I don't do swimming (last time was 3 years ago) but I get what you mean, I've also seen people with similiar hair because they go swimming a lot! But the green appeared when I highlighted over the henna so I'm not sure I will be able to remove that with shampoos. I actually think the wisest thing is to just microtrim my green sins away. :pray:

Did your henna mix contain indigo, by any chance? Bleach over henna shouldn't do anything funky, but bleach over indigo causes pretty much that exact shade of faded green. If so, you have two options, sadly: dye it dark or cut it off/grow it out.

littlelivething
July 19th, 2016, 06:58 AM
I had a lot of similar issues with my hair after bleaching/dying it a lot over the years. I kept cutting it off, but this last time I tried to correct it--after chemical dye only, not bleach--and there are a few things that worked for me in the past and things that work for me now.

Putting semi permanent dyes like manic panic helped my bleached hair a lot but only for about a week at a time. This time around, I am finding that a few simple things are actually helping immensely. I only shampoo my scalp, and I use all-in-one shampoo and shave soaps like dr. Bronner's or African black soap. I have been using trader joe's tea tree tingle conditioner, and my hair loves it. For a while I was trying to do oils and they just made my hair look bleh. I put the conditioner in my hair in the shower to detangle, rinse, reapply the conditioner, only let water on my hair for about a second, essentially leaving it in. I blow dry my bangs but no other part of my hair. Once my hair is dried, I brush it with a boar bristle brush to distribute the natural oils and put more conditioner on the ends if they are still dry. I try to avoid showering more than three days per week, but that seems like it is not an option for you. I wonder it it might be helpful to you to invest in a shower cap to help keep your natural oils in your hair for longer.

littlelivething
July 19th, 2016, 07:10 AM
Also I know the thought of it is disappointing, but I would recommend trimming an inch or two to stop the splits in their tracks and create a thicker hemline. At least for me, thicker parts of my hair and stronger and more durable.

renia22
July 19th, 2016, 02:40 PM
FYI on the shea, when I was using anything with shea, my hair had major problems. That's stuff latches on to my hair and makes it tangled, and difficult to wash out. Generally I tend to skip the oils too. If I see a product with a bunch of natural butters and oils, I tend to skip it. My hair looks and feels better with regular sulfate shampoos without a lot of unnecessary extra ingredients, and simple drugstore conditioners.

At the moment I'm liking Paul Mitchell shampoo 2, Pantene aqua light shampoo, and Pantene damage detox conditioner. I have a few lightweight serums and only use them once in a while. For reference, my hair is fine/ wavy, I have well water that the filter needs to be changed on every 3 months or my hair is crap, and sometimes my products need to change depending on the season. I had major problems with the Tangle Teezer and only used a wide toothed comb (without sharp edges).

meteor
July 19th, 2016, 03:38 PM
Welcome to the LHC! :cheer:

For green-ish areas:
- If it's from indigo, I'd try a warm light deposit-only toner (red counteracts green - opposites on the color wheel)
- If it's from copper deposits in water (chlorinated pools or tap water), I'd highly recommend chelating (or swimmers') packs or shampoos: e.g. Malibu C, Joico Clarify, L'Anza, Kenra,Pantene Damage Detox, Redken Cleansing Cream or (even stronger) Redken Pre-Art, etc...

For damage:
- I'd invest in strong protein treatment (e.g. Aphogee 2-Step, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken Extreme Builder Plus, DIY gelatin treatments (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html), etc), followed by a moisturizing treatment (e.g. SMT)
- pre-poo oiling with penetrating oils (e.g. coconut) to reduce porosity and water uptake during washing
- products with silicones (for added slip and protection) and products with 18-MEA and ceramides (which are depleted in damaged hair): http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=120288
- preventing any further bleach damage, maybe growing out bleach like ombre, maybe reducing the frequency of putting highlights in, making highlights sparser and maybe not lifting to the same level, maybe using something like Olaplex?
- avoiding other damage and protecting hair (wearing hair up in low-manipulation updos, wearing scarves or sun hats when outside, sleeping on silky smooth materials, not over-washing, not over-combing, not overstyling hair)
- micro-trimming/dusting along the way, if serious splitting or other signs of damage are a problem

Also, I'd check out this article on rehabilitating and growing out damaged hair: http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

Good luck! And Happy Growing! :cheer:

Tysiphone
July 20th, 2016, 06:45 AM
Hmm, that's a tough one. It really depends on your hair. There are people who can only do these once a year, but on the other side there are people (me!) who could do this easily once a week. If your hair *really* benefits from this, I'd personally do this once a week or every two weeks at the beginning, until you feel your hair has recovered quite something. I think you can answer this better than I do though, since it's your hair and you know it better than I do. But TBH, be careful with it. It's trial and error. It might work *perfectly* now, and then next week it might not work anymore. In that case, you need to spread it more (like every month). Try things out until you find a routine. But first I'll wait for the results. I'm very curious!! :o

I'm back! :guns: I will post the results shortly! :o
You're right. I will wait and see how my hair is feeling next week, and then decide if I should give it another go, or if it needs more time. :)
How did your hair improve after you started with these protein treatments, by the way? What changed for you? I was also thinking, is it important that I use a conditioner WITH protein after rinsing out the gelatin? I used one without!


Did your henna mix contain indigo, by any chance? Bleach over henna shouldn't do anything funky, but bleach over indigo causes pretty much that exact shade of faded green. If so, you have two options, sadly: dye it dark or cut it off/grow it out.

If that's the case, then I guess it must have! I've gotten used to the green so I'm fine with it, there's not much left of it so I will just keep growing it out and microtrim. :o


I had a lot of similar issues with my hair after bleaching/dying it a lot over the years. I kept cutting it off, but this last time I tried to correct it--after chemical dye only, not bleach--and there are a few things that worked for me in the past and things that work for me now.

I see that Joe's conditioner is packed with a bunch of different oils! That's really nice that it works for you when you said other oils makes your hair look bleh! :) I don't think my hair would be able to handle that conditioner, although it looks very appealing!

Hmm... I have been thinking about getting a shower cap before, but I don't know! When I shower after my workouts I always spend some time trying to spread the sebum down the lengths, and sometimes I don't even wet my hair after my workouts. So I'm not sure if the cap would make a difference, but it could be worth a try.


Also I know the thought of it is disappointing, but I would recommend trimming an inch or two to stop the splits in their tracks and create a thicker hemline. At least for me, thicker parts of my hair and stronger and more durable.

Yeah, I'm considering that! I just need to get the courage to do it... :doh:

Johannah
July 20th, 2016, 06:53 AM
No, you better use one WITHOUT protein. How did it go??

For me, my hair was very rough and stringy (piece-y). I could brush my hair but a couple of minutes after that, it looked like my hair was separated in pieces. It looked really ugly :lol: It was also really frizzy! This all changed because of the protein. Now I must say, I started to use protein conditioners (the one from Andrélon) everytime I washed my hair and a protein-leave in (as well from Andrélon). I don't really remember when I started using gelatin treatments, but I think it was a couple of months after that.

Persiangirl01
July 20th, 2016, 07:00 AM
Your hair looks identical to what mine did about a year ago. I decided to bite the bullet and cut off about half my hair. Not long after that I found LHC and was quite upset that I didn't try the suggestions here before chopping it all off my I could be at TBL by now! I cut so much hair off but still didn't eliminate all the damage. I have about 3 or 4 inches of damaged ends that I am now going to microtrim away. They are in a lot better shape though since I started caring for my hair the LHC way. The splits are there still, but my ends are soft and manageable, and not a ratty mess like they used to be :)

Tysiphone
July 20th, 2016, 07:41 AM
FYI on the shea, when I was using anything with shea, my hair had major problems. That's stuff latches on to my hair and makes it tangled, and difficult to wash out. Generally I tend to skip the oils too. If I see a product with a bunch of natural butters and oils, I tend to skip it. My hair looks and feels better with regular sulfate shampoos without a lot of unnecessary extra ingredients, and simple drugstore conditioners.

I can clearly see that everyone's hair is different! I've used shea 2 times now and it made my hair really smooth and nice, it didn't tangle mine like it did with yours. Maybe you used too much? I took a tiny (!!!!!) amount of it and rubbed it together with both my hands and then spread/squeezed it in on the ends - worked wonders!

I'm also starting to feel that regular drugstore shampoos and conditioners are the best, for me. My hair really prefers the Tangle Teezer, but it goes well with a wide-tooth comb, too. I feel that BBB just causes breakage in my hair, for some reason...


Okay I'm finally back to answer more fully, but you've already got a boatload of great advice so far ;)

I've been able to turn my hair around from dried-out/split/white-dotted/tangley/hard-to-comb/fairy-taled-from-breakage/stringey to hair that looks and feels like hair again - healthy hair. I tackled each issue one at a time so I could isolate successes from failures, and in so doing truly learned my own hair and was able to set up a perfect routine to help it thrive :) Here's what I did, in roughly the order I did it.

Hope some of this is helpful! Best of luck and keep us posted! :D


Thank you!! Don't be sorry - I really do appreciate that you took your time to write a "novel"! Lol! :o I don't think I could ever get too much advice so I'm really grateful for that! I will DEFINITELY keep your advice in mind - I can relate so much to your hair's story, it's like you're describing my hair. But gosh, even your own sebum causing problem? Phew, what a nightmare... :tmi:

About the acidic rinses; are they not drying? I just keep seeing people getting crazy about how drying it can be, but at the same time there's people like you who says it works great. Is it a matter of trying it out to see if my hair allows it, or is it somewhat "guaranteed" that it will work? How often do you do these rinses, and when? I also really do feel you on the TT vs BBB part. I started using a BBB about 5 months ago and ever since there's been more breakage than usual. So I think I'm gonna stop using it for good and see what it'll do for me.

I really loved all the advice, thank you again. :flower:


Welcome to the LHC! :cheer:

For green-ish areas:
- If it's from indigo, I'd try a warm light deposit-only toner (red counteracts green - opposites on the color wheel)
- If it's from copper deposits in water (chlorinated pools or tap water), I'd highly recommend chelating (or swimmers') packs or shampoos: e.g. Malibu C, Joico Clarify, L'Anza, Kenra,Pantene Damage Detox, Redken Cleansing Cream or (even stronger) Redken Pre-Art, etc...

For damage:
- I'd invest in strong protein treatment (e.g. Aphogee 2-Step, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken Extreme Builder Plus, DIY gelatin treatments (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html), etc), followed by a moisturizing treatment (e.g. SMT)
- pre-poo oiling with penetrating oils (e.g. coconut) to reduce porosity and water uptake during washing
- products with silicones (for added slip and protection) and products with 18-MEA and ceramides (which are depleted in damaged hair): http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=120288
- preventing any further bleach damage, maybe growing out bleach like ombre, maybe reducing the frequency of putting highlights in, making highlights sparser and maybe not lifting to the same level, maybe using something like Olaplex?
- avoiding other damage and protecting hair (wearing hair up in low-manipulation updos, wearing scarves or sun hats when outside, sleeping on silky smooth materials, not over-washing, not over-combing, not overstyling hair)
- micro-trimming/dusting along the way, if serious splitting or other signs of damage are a problem

Also, I'd check out this article on rehabilitating and growing out damaged hair: http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

Good luck! And Happy Growing!

Thank you, meteor!

Interesting about the 18-MEA and ceramides - I'll look into that. The gelatin treatment is something I will keep doing but I will also keep my eyes open on other protein treatments, too. About the Olaplex - does it really work? Is it worth it?


No, you better use one WITHOUT protein. How did it go??

For me, my hair was very rough and stringy (piece-y). I could brush my hair but a couple of minutes after that, it looked like my hair was separated in pieces. It looked really ugly :lol: It was also really frizzy! This all changed because of the protein. Now I must say, I started to use protein conditioners (the one from Andrélon) everytime I washed my hair and a protein-leave in (as well from Andrélon). I don't really remember when I started using gelatin treatments, but I think it was a couple of months after that.

Ok, so that's my hair in a nutshell!
Does your hair ever get too much protein at some point? Like, do you ever have to clarify it because of that?

It went great! But... I wasn't sure if I was suppose to put the hair up or just leave it dangling. I wasn't prepared for how stiff it would get when it started drying, so I got scared that any kind of manipulation would break my hair off! I wanted to reach for my phone to google the answer but my hands were way too gooey! I ended up running around my house with my head upside down during those 10 minutes instead... I'm glad noone was home!! :lol:

I'll upload pictures and tell you more in a moment!


Your hair looks identical to what mine did about a year ago. I decided to bite the bullet and cut off about half my hair. Not long after that I found LHC and was quite upset that I didn't try the suggestions here before chopping it all off my I could be at TBL by now! I cut so much hair off but still didn't eliminate all the damage. I have about 3 or 4 inches of damaged ends that I am now going to microtrim away. They are in a lot better shape though since I started caring for my hair the LHC way. The splits are there still, but my ends are soft and manageable, and not a ratty mess like they used to be :)

It feels so good to know that I'm not the only one who's had a hair that's looking like this! What caused your hair to look like this? I'd love to hear your routine too, if you care to share!

Persiangirl01
July 20th, 2016, 08:18 AM
For me it was mostly heat damage and bad hair care. I loved using a diffuser to bring out my natural wurls and the ends got really fried from that alone! Then I never really paid much attention to my ends so they just got super dried out from the heat and my daily activities (swimming, rowing, being in the wind and sun). I didn't use any oils or product to protect my hair. I would just shampoo and condition. I realised if I ever wanted to get past waist length, I'd have to change my hair care routine, so I started about a year ago. Although I only joined LHC in march.

I started my hair journey properly last August with chopping off half my hair. I had a trim in Feb this year, taking only about an inch off that time. I tried s&ding but I get scissor happy and actually really thinned out my ends by doing that. So I don't do it anymore.

My routine is as follows:

I wash my hair 2x and week. If I am in training it can be 3x a week. But I try to keep it at 2x and week.

During the day my hair is down mostly. I might tie it up once or twice a week. It's better to have your hair up but I hate how I look with my hair up so I just can't do it :) I always sleep with my hair in a braid. I do my brushing/detangling at night before I put my hair in the braid.

The night before I wash my hair, i heavily oil it and put it in a braid. I then wake up and CWC as usual. If i forget to oil my hair the night before then i just do the ROO (rinse out oil) method when i wake up. Basically I just apply oil to my ends and then CWC as usual. When I come out of the shower i wrap my hair in a towel for about 10min, then I let it loose and apply oil to the ends again. And off I go for the day. No heat for me, and my hair dries rather nicely much to my surprise! :joy:

I do a clarifying wash every 3 or 4 months. Since I don't use any products in my hair, i don't really get buildup.

My hair doesn't not like silicones. It gets very grabby. Just sticks to everything and I get worse knots! I've also noticed my hair does better on sulphate free shampoos as it isn't as drying as sulphate ones (this is just in my case. Not the same for everyone :) )

I would say that I really started to notice my hair being less tangly in the last month or 2. Which means that I've finally found a routine that works for me. It is actually pretty low maintenance. It's just a 2x a week thing and a lot of oil on the ends coz my hair is so dry! My hair would just be a knotted mess by the end of the day when I wore it loose. Now the hair feels silky soft from root to ends and it doesn't knot up so badly. The splits are still there in the last few inches, but they and reread very manageable now. And soon those splits will be all gone now that I will be maintaining at waist for about 6 months!

My favourite oils right now are amla oil and argan oil. But I find that my hair likes any oil! Those are just light enough to not weigh my hair down too much, as I have fine hair.

I hope this helps you in some little way. All the best with your journey. :flower:

Johannah
July 20th, 2016, 08:22 AM
I use this protein conditioner for 2+ years now and my hair doesn't get sick of it :lol: I do take breaks from it in winter though, I use a lot of oil then (pre-wash, my hair doesn't like it as a leave-in). Protein is a humectant, so if it's freezing I need to be careful with what I do.

Persiangirl01
July 20th, 2016, 08:30 AM
PS. I read some of your replies here and it sounds like your hair doesn't like oils, but likes shea butter?

If you want to try any of the methods I mentioned above, why not try use shea butter wherever I would have used oil. Also try applying the shea butter to damp hair (*the damaged ends). That will help lock in moisture too, and you could put a silicone serum on top of that also to lock everything in. (You mentioned you wanted to try silicones again, so go for it if it helps your hair!) I think that's similar to the LOC method :)

school of fish
July 20th, 2016, 09:00 AM
Thank you!! Don't be sorry - I really do appreciate that you took your time to write a "novel"! Lol! :o I don't think I could ever get too much advice so I'm really grateful for that! I will DEFINITELY keep your advice in mind - I can relate so much to your hair's story, it's like you're describing my hair. But gosh, even your own sebum causing problem? Phew, what a nightmare... :tmi:

About the acidic rinses; are they not drying? I just keep seeing people getting crazy about how drying it can be, but at the same time there's people like you who says it works great. Is it a matter of trying it out to see if my hair allows it, or is it somewhat "guaranteed" that it will work? How often do you do these rinses, and when? I also really do feel you on the TT vs BBB part. I started using a BBB about 5 months ago and ever since there's been more breakage than usual. So I think I'm gonna stop using it for good and see what it'll do for me.

I really loved all the advice, thank you again. :flower:





There is nothing "guaranteed" about *any* hair care method or product ;) Truly, everyone's hair is very unique, so what each person's hair will tolerate is very different from one person to another. That's why a lot of my answers tend to be novels - because I try to provide the context and reasoning behind why my solutions have been so successful *for me* :)

Learning your hair is a long-term commitment. There's an awful lot of trial-and-error, educated guessing, deductive reasoning and process of elimination that goes into that process, all of which takes time and experimentation. It can be totally overwhelming to be drowning in riches on this board, haha!!

I'm going to let you in on 2 secrets that helped me streamline the process as quickly as this process can be streamlined - here they are:

1 - Look for answers among other members whose hair not only *looks* similar to yours, but also *behaves* similarly to yours. My stats say I'm in the 1s but you wouldn't believe how much helpful info I got from members in the fine-textured 4s!!! I've found there are a lot of *behavioural* similarities between my fine straight hair and their fine kinky/coily hair - cross-referencing their experiences with other finey-straighteys was key for me in answering a lot of questions I had about my seemingly split-personality hair.

2 - Accept your hair texture for what it is :) This one was really key for me - I went years wanting my hair to be what it simply couldn't - coarse and with huge root volume. I kept trying to make my hair look like something it's not possible to achieve, and being disappoibted when nothing *quite* worked. That all changed when I truly accepted that my hair is fine and silky, tangle-prone, sleek and slippery, yet cobwebby. Once I realized that the cobwebby 'stickiness' is just part of my hair even in its best condition I've been able to work with it instead of fighting it. And once I shed my expectations of ever growing the kind of dense mane I craved and started looking toward the sleek silky types for inspiration, I realized I can make my hair covetable by making it the best it can be within its type. That's been a real gamechanger for me, and has brought me so much more happiness with my hair even as its still on its rehab phase ;) I now can admire what others have, while at the same time being grateful and satisfied with what I have - it's been truly liberating :)

As for the acidic rinses, yes I do them every day! No, they're not drying for me at the dilution I'm using, which is truly scant. Years ago I tried strong acidic rinses which were indeed drying and left me crunchy, but what I use now is literally drops of lemon or a teeny pinch of citric acid in a cup of water. I would never have thought so little would make such a difference, but for me it does!

Another novel... ;)

Tysiphone
July 20th, 2016, 09:55 AM
Ok! :joy:

So, yesterday I tried the gelatin treatment. I had it in for 10 minutes. My hair felt sooo smooth and silky after I was done, but I'm sure that's how it's suppose to feel because I drenched my hair in silicones (can't believe I stopped using them!!). Even my hubby told me that my hair looks less "I just woke up"-ish and less frizzy, so I guess that's a good sign. :lol: However, it's still stringy as you can see, but I will definitely keep doing these treatments along with some of the other great advices I've been given. Now that I've started using cones again I already feel that they will really help me when it comes to locking in moisture and also when I'm detangling.

http://i.imgur.com/cFrxU9X.png http://i.imgur.com/6mQUJjP.png http://i.imgur.com/ra6rChN.png

http://i.imgur.com/vGYi820.png http://i.imgur.com/RlMivQY.png http://i.imgur.com/CvD3hF4.png
The picture where I am outside, is taken 7 hours after I woke up. You can tell it looks a bit different from the other pictures.

What do you think?? :o

meteor
July 20th, 2016, 10:17 AM
^ Yay, your hair looks so gorgeous after the treatments! :joy: Congrats! :applause


The gelatin treatment is something I will keep doing but I will also keep my eyes open on other protein treatments, too. About the Olaplex - does it really work? Is it worth it?

I'm not sure, because there are mixed reviews and I haven't tried it and I still have questions on how exactly it supposedly "restores" disulfide bonds, but I would try it once during processing, if I were regularly highlighting hair, just to see if it makes a difference. More on this here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=124721

By the way, if you are still getting highlights touched up, I'd reduce the frequency as much as possible, and I'd do a heavy coconut oil soak first, it can help a bit with how hair feels after. More on this here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10495 But of course, weaning off of bleach completely would be ideal for hair's condition in the long run.

Chelating is good for bleached hair, too, because metals in water like copper, for example, bind with bleached hair better. And hydrolyzed protein, of course, to temporarily patch-repair broken cuticles.

school of fish
July 20th, 2016, 10:46 AM
Fabulous!! Yes your hair looks way happier! Looks like you've unlocked one of the keys to learning what your hair likes :D

Johannah
July 20th, 2016, 11:00 AM
Oh yes!! Definitely looks waaay better!! Keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure you'll keep liking the results! :)

Tysiphone
July 20th, 2016, 11:41 AM
I use this protein conditioner for 2+ years now and my hair doesn't get sick of it. I do take breaks from it in winter though, I use a lot of oil then (pre-wash, my hair doesn't like it as a leave-in). Protein is a humectant, so if it's freezing I need to be careful with what I do.

Haha, very well then! So I need to be careful around wintertimes, got it!
Tomorrow I'm gonna go find myself some conditioner with protein! :joy:


If you want to try any of the methods I mentioned above, why not try use shea butter wherever I would have used oil. Also try applying the shea butter to damp hair (*the damaged ends). That will help lock in moisture too, and you could put a silicone serum on top of that also to lock everything in. (You mentioned you wanted to try silicones again, so go for it if it helps your hair!) I think that's similar to the LOC method

This was my exact thought when I was reading your reply. I was about to suggest this before I saw your second post. I'll try some of your methods and see how it turns out!
Thank you for sharing your routine! :flower:


There is nothing "guaranteed" about *any* hair care method or product. Truly, everyone's hair is very unique, so what each person's hair will tolerate is very different from one person to another. That's why a lot of my answers tend to be novels - because I try to provide the context and reasoning behind why my solutions have been so successful *for me*

That's true! :doh:
Thank you for the wise words, it all makes perfect sense. I'm gonna try these acidic rinses, I'll let you know how it goes!


Fabulous!! Yes your hair looks way happier! Looks like you've unlocked one of the keys to learning what your hair likes :D
Thank you!! I think that's the case too! Woo, this is all so exciting :joy:


^ Yay, your hair looks so gorgeous after the treatments! :joy: Congrats! :applause



I'm not sure, because there are mixed reviews and I haven't tried it and I still have questions on how exactly it supposedly "restores" disulfide bonds, but I would try it once during processing, if I were regularly highlighting hair, just to see if it makes a difference.

By the way, if you are still getting highlights touched up, I'd reduce the frequency as much as possible, and I'd do a heavy coconut oil soak first, it can help a bit with how hair feels after. But of course, weaning off of bleach completely would be ideal for hair's condition in the long run.

Chelating is good for bleached hair, too, because metals in water like copper, for example, bind with bleached hair better. And hydrolyzed protein, of course, to temporarily patch-repair broken cuticles.

Thank you!! :joy:

Hmm, ok. It's definitely worth a try. I'll look into it.
The "upside" is that I only bleach the new growth and not what's already highlighted. My hair has become much lighter thanks to the sun, so my highlights aren't that light from the bleach itself. I always soak my hair with coconut oil before bleaching, it always makes it feel soo much better! I always loved having my hair highlighted so I'm not sure it's something I will let go of. I'll just do the best that I can do keep it as healthy as I possibly could.

Chelating, you say... haven't heard of that before. Time to search the forums!


Oh yes!! Definitely looks waaay better!! Keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure you'll keep liking the results! :)
I definitely will! Thank you so much for the tip!! :flower:

Persiangirl01
July 20th, 2016, 02:47 PM
Your hair is looking way happier after the treatments you did! Congratulations!! :cheer: I would say your hair definitely loves cones. :) if you start sealing your hair after every wash and whenever it looks a bit dry (maybe with the shea butter too and then silicone, I see you said you want to try that) you will see how much softer and more manageable your hair ends will get. All the best again. Looking forward to more updates from you! :flower:

enting
July 20th, 2016, 03:12 PM
Night and day! Your pictures are tempting me to try a gelatin treatment too. Your hair positively glows in your later pictures!

Zebra Fish
July 21st, 2016, 02:18 AM
Night and day! Your pictures are tempting me to try a gelatin treatment too. Your hair positively glows in your later pictures!

Same here :p Who knows, maybe in the last few years my hair changed and would love some protein now?

Tysiphone keep us posted on the progress! :)

Johannah
July 21st, 2016, 02:21 AM
Same here :p Who knows, maybe in the last few years my hair changed and would love some protein now?

Tysiphone keep us posted on the progress! :)

Same here as well, I want to do another one straight away :lol:

lapushka
July 21st, 2016, 05:19 AM
I'm also starting to feel that regular drugstore shampoos and conditioners are the best, for me. My hair really prefers the Tangle Teezer, but it goes well with a wide-tooth comb, too. I feel that BBB just causes breakage in my hair, for some reason...

That's the same for me too! I had to ditch the BBB because it 1/messed with my oily scalp 2/messed up my wave pattern. A TT works wonders as well as a good WT comb! And give me the cheaper products over anything expensive any time!


What do you think?? :o

I think it looks a lot better! Awesome even. :D That Dove conditioner looks amazing.

renia22
July 21st, 2016, 07:43 AM
Wow, something tells me there's going to be quite a few people trying gelatin, after seeing those before and after pictures :)

Tysiphone
July 22nd, 2016, 04:25 PM
Thank you girls!!! :happydance:

I can't believe that I'm feeling so positive right now! I thought my hair was a hopeless case and that I would have to live with this "ratty mess" forever. It almost makes me teary to see that my hair looks so much better and feels so smooth after doing just ONE protein treatment, and switching back to cones. I can't wait to see where I will be in a couple of months! And for you who consider trying the gelatin treatment - for gods sake, do it! It's soo worth a try. :o


All the best again. Looking forward to more updates from you! :flower:
I definitely think the shea and silicone combo will do wonders, for real! I'm so excited! Thank you, dear!! :flower:



That's the same for me too! I had to ditch the BBB because it 1/messed with my oily scalp 2/messed up my wave pattern. A TT works wonders as well as a good WT comb! And give me the cheaper products over anything expensive any time!

I totally agree! Just imagine a wooden TT, though... wouldn't that be the dream??
I'm glad that I found a conditioner with cones being very high up on the ingredients list. I think that conditioners that are made for coloured hair are the ones that will be very coney!


Same here as well, I want to do another one straight away :lol:
Look at this great conditioner that I found! :joy:
http://i.imgur.com/If64Bdt.png


As for the acidic rinses, yes I do them every day! No, they're not drying for me at the dilution I'm using, which is truly scant. Years ago I tried strong acidic rinses which were indeed drying and left me crunchy, but what I use now is literally drops of lemon or a teeny pinch of citric acid in a cup of water. I would never have thought so little would make such a difference, but for me it does!

I tried the rinse with lemon juice (very diluted!). I didn't think it would make my hair look and feel even better, but it did! And it gave me that "beachy" look that you mentioned - soo beautiful! It was a very flattering look for me, loved it! :o

But I need to ask, just because I want to be 110% sure! When I pour the rinse over my hair, am I suppose to keep it in just like that, or do I rinse it out with water?

Goatcraft
July 22nd, 2016, 05:33 PM
I didn't fully read all the comments, but my ends were once just like yours.

It was, in fact, damage from bleaching.

My cure? Maintaining. I maintained at waist length until I cut off all the damage. Stopper bleaching, dying and cut out all heat styling tools. Only blow dried on cold. There's no reversal when it comes to this degree of damage. You can cover it up with cones, but it won't (and can't) be reversed.

At one point, my ends were so bad that even conditioner wasn't effective. They still had this awful crunch feeling.. That's damage from chemicals and heat, sadly.

I would just recommend maintaining for a while. It's worth it in the long run.

school of fish
July 22nd, 2016, 05:42 PM
That's so great! Isn't it a rewarding feeling to feel like you've solved a longtime hair enigma? :D

So - I make up my rinse just before my shower and put a pinch of citric acid in an 8oz plastic applicator bottle, the type you use for colouring. I just squeeze it all through my scalp and my length after I've finished my shower and turned the water off so no I'm not rinsing it out at all - but again my dilution is so minimal that it's just trace amounts getting left on.

I know there are others who do it differently - some rinse with plain or distilled water after, some use the rinse *before* they wash... as always, YMMV ;)

There are several threads that go into detail about various acidic rinses, dilutions and orders of application... you might be interested in searching the board for 'miracle water' - that's been a holy grail for many :D

spidermom
July 22nd, 2016, 10:25 PM
I see that your hair is looking better already. I think you should keep the ends trimmed - not too much, of course - but up to about half of your growth every 1-4 months.

Johannah
July 23rd, 2016, 01:28 AM
That conditioner looks great!! What's the name of it?

Did you try it already?

diddiedaisy
July 23rd, 2016, 03:00 AM
Ive noticed that you have 2a hair. The stringiness may come from this, it's often just your try hair doing its natural thing of wanting to clump. 2a hair often looks like this, my hair likes to clump into thin strands, I call them my rats tails lol.

Tysiphone
July 24th, 2016, 06:22 AM
I didn't fully read all the comments, but my ends were once just like yours.

It was, in fact, damage from bleaching.

My cure? Maintaining. I maintained at waist length until I cut off all the damage. Stopper bleaching, dying and cut out all heat styling tools. Only blow dried on cold. There's no reversal when it comes to this degree of damage. You can cover it up with cones, but it won't (and can't) be reversed.

At one point, my ends were so bad that even conditioner wasn't effective. They still had this awful crunch feeling.. That's damage from chemicals and heat, sadly.

I would just recommend maintaining for a while. It's worth it in the long run.

Thank you for sharing. How long did it take for you to grow out your damage? I must say your hair is looking amazing - you've done a nice job! :toast:

I knew I was committing to a hair with more breakage and split ends the moment I decided to get it highlighted. But I am satisfied as long as I can make it look and feel better. That's the only options I have anyway because just like you said, I can't reverse the fact that it has been bleached.

I also think maintaining is the way to go! Look at the picture below, too.


That's so great! Isn't it a rewarding feeling to feel like you've solved a longtime hair enigma?

So - I make up my rinse just before my shower and put a pinch of citric acid in an 8oz plastic applicator bottle, the type you use for colouring. I just squeeze it all through my scalp and my length after I've finished my shower and turned the water off so no I'm not rinsing it out at all - but again my dilution is so minimal that it's just trace amounts getting left on.

I know there are others who do it differently - some rinse with plain or distilled water after, some use the rinse *before* they wash... as always, YMMV

There are several threads that go into detail about various acidic rinses, dilutions and orders of application... you might be interested in searching the board for 'miracle water' - that's been a holy grail for many :D

Ohh, it sure is! I almost feel ashamed for feeling so good about it, too! :p

Thank you! I will look into miracle water, sounds nice! By the way, what do you think of the idea of having a spray bottle filled with the same dilution, and you spray small amounts of it every now and then to "refresh" that feeling that the rinse gives you? Just an random idea that I got yesterday. :o Also, do you buy your citric acid from the store or do you order online?


I see that your hair is looking better already. I think you should keep the ends trimmed - not too much, of course - but up to about half of your growth every 1-4 months.

I will - but I will also aim to maintain for a bit because I've noticed how pronounced my uneven sides has become. Just look!

http://i.imgur.com/S5v8t0H.png

My left side is fuller than the right and it has always been a mess to keep them even. I'm pretty sure maintaining will do the trick here.
(I always get amazed by how my hair can be wavy one day, and completely straight the next day... :suspect:)


That conditioner looks great!! What's the name of it?

Did you try it already?

I did!! I liked it. :o
I'm afraid to tell you that it's a swedish brand. :( It's called Barnängen Creme Volum Balsam.


Ive noticed that you have 2a hair. The stringiness may come from this, it's often just your try hair doing its natural thing of wanting to clump. 2a hair often looks like this, my hair likes to clump into thin strands, I call them my rats tails lol.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. I could brush my hair all day and it will still clump together, makes me sad because my hair looks so nice after it's been brushed!
Lol! Only thing that's missing now is getting a pink dye on the "tails" and nobody would be able to tell the difference from a real rat's tail... :rollin:

Johannah
July 24th, 2016, 06:28 AM
Aaah darn it :lol: Ah well, I'll keep using my dutch brand, I really like it anyway :D Does your hair react good to it?

Tysiphone
July 24th, 2016, 06:54 AM
Aaah darn it :lol: Ah well, I'll keep using my dutch brand, I really like it anyway :D Does your hair react good to it?

You do that! I could send you one in the future if you ever want to try something new. :stirpot:
I would say so! My hair felt soo smooth after, I just couldn't stop touching it! :laugh:

school of fish
July 24th, 2016, 06:54 AM
I can relate to brushing out smooth only to have ends get piecey soon after - that's just a fact of my hair and part of the acceptance I needed to come to in order to be happy with it ;) Like I mentioned above, I've learned how to make that work for me by finding the particular products and methods that make my hair's natural state look like a deliberate styling choice - so people assume I'm going to some lengths to create a bohemian beachy look when really I'm doing nothing more than keeping my hair in its best condition and just letting it do its thing ;)

I got my citric acid powder at a health store, but I've seen it at the pharmacy too. Most of what the pharmacy had though was chewable vitamin c tablets, and I just wanted the powder, so health shop it was. As for the spray - only way for you to know is to try! I know for me my hair doesn't really like any kind of leave-in at all, but again we're all so different :)

You're in the fun phase of hair experimentation (well... it's fun so long as you're seeing some successes, haha). Just remember to try one thing at a time so you can clearly pinpoint what it is that's working - too many things all at once and it becomes murky. Also consider documenting in some way what you've tried and what the result was, because over time those experiments can all start to mush together in the brain :p

Eas693
July 24th, 2016, 10:37 AM
Not sure if anyone asked but what kind of henna did you use? Some henna brands are impure and the metals used react with hair dye badly and cause major damage to your hair. If this is the case than you need to trim, clarify heavily, pristine heavily, and moisturize heavily in that order. This is just my opinion of course. Other advise here is amazing and I'm sure more will pop up.

My hair is always dry. I oil with caster oil and coconut oil mixed. I also use protein masks about once every 2 weeks. Along with Shea Moisture Jamacain Castor Oil shampoo and conditioner which is the only thing keeping my hair from being brittle.

Johannah
July 24th, 2016, 11:08 AM
You do that! I could send you one in the future if you ever want to try something new. :stirpot:
I would say so! My hair felt soo smooth after, I just couldn't stop touching it! :laugh:

Hahaha let's switch conditioners! :demon::demon:

And if you can't stop touching it, you did something good! I'm really curious about how your hair will be in a couple of months!

Tysiphone
July 25th, 2016, 06:57 AM
I can relate to brushing out smooth only to have ends get piecey soon after - that's just a fact of my hair and part of the acceptance I needed to come to in order to be happy with it ;) Like I mentioned above, I've learned how to make that work for me by finding the particular products and methods that make my hair's natural state look like a deliberate styling choice - so people assume I'm going to some lengths to create a bohemian beachy look when really I'm doing nothing more than keeping my hair in its best condition and just letting it do its thing ;)

I got my citric acid powder at a health store, but I've seen it at the pharmacy too. Most of what the pharmacy had though was chewable vitamin c tablets, and I just wanted the powder, so health shop it was. As for the spray - only way for you to know is to try! I know for me my hair doesn't really like any kind of leave-in at all, but again we're all so different

You're in the fun phase of hair experimentation (well... it's fun so long as you're seeing some successes, haha). Just remember to try one thing at a time so you can clearly pinpoint what it is that's working - too many things all at once and it becomes murky. Also consider documenting in some way what you've tried and what the result was, because over time those experiments can all start to mush together in the brain :p

I think that the beachy/wavy look is what compliments this type of hair the most, TBH! It goes so well with the stringy ends. My best hair compliment happened a while ago when I had just woken up and let my hair out of a messy bun that I had during sleep, didn't have time to brush it before I had to leave the house. "Wow, your hair is looking real good today!!" I thought it was sarcasm, but this person was for real. :laugh: The less I try to fight it, the better it looks - "letting it do its thing"!

I see! Thank you! I found some citric acid in the store earlier today so I'm gonna try it this week sometime.
Well, I can already tell you that my hair wasn't very fond of being sprayed with the dilution, the hair became a bit too dry'ish. I'll just stick to the rinses!

The only bad thing about all the successes is that it makes me wanna keep trying more things, preferably all at once!! What is this patience people talk about? :rollin: I started documenting because like you said, eventually it can all start mush together! And ain't nobody got time for that... :laugh:


Not sure if anyone asked but what kind of henna did you use? Some henna brands are impure and the metals used react with hair dye badly and cause major damage to your hair. If this is the case than you need to trim, clarify heavily, pristine heavily, and moisturize heavily in that order. This is just my opinion of course. Other advise here is amazing and I'm sure more will pop up.

My hair is always dry. I oil with caster oil and coconut oil mixed. I also use protein masks about once every 2 weeks. Along with Shea Moisture Jamacain Castor Oil shampoo and conditioner which is the only thing keeping my hair from being brittle.

It's some swedish brand called Herbique Henna. I'm not sure if it's pure but how my hair reacted to it could very well be an indicator that it wasn't (my hair became insanely crunchy back then and my ends were yellow and very see-through... nightmare galore).

I don't have a lot left of the henna left in my hair so I will just keep microtrimming and slowly get rid of it as I've been during for years now. I'm glad that oils work for you but my hair truly hates it, especially coconut! Absolutely love it for my skin, though! My holy grail. *recommends* =P


Hahaha let's switch conditioners! :demon::demon:

And if you can't stop touching it, you did something good! I'm really curious about how your hair will be in a couple of months!

Hahaha yes yes!!! :pins:

Me too! I will keep updating. :o

Tysiphone
July 25th, 2016, 07:17 AM
Tuning in!

My hair (or cotton candy? :laugh:) has been feeling fluffy and a bit dry for two days now. Not really sure what it's trying to tell me. It's definitely not as smooth as it was after the gelatin treatment so that means it's been messy when I've been detangling it. I'm thinking this could be caused by a combo of the lemon juice rinse and the super hot weather that's going on right now here in Sweden, but that's just a guess.

http://i.imgur.com/e1XgDHp.png http://i.imgur.com/tZpMFKC.png

Johannah
July 25th, 2016, 08:08 AM
Lemon juice rinse... Sounds really drying to me.

Do you use a leave-in? (Sorry if I've asked this before, but I'm too lazy to read everything through again haha). Personally I'm using a detangler spray from the same line as my conditioner (so with hydrolyzed keratin). This is *key* in my routine. Last three washes I didn't use any leave-in (I'm collecting hairs so I couldn't) and I definitely feel the difference!! Today I'm done with collecting hairs so I sprayed it on my hair and it feels back to normal in a finger snap :). So I'd highly suggest using it after you washed it (when hair is still wet) and even every day if that helps. If the protein is working for you, you might wanna search for something with protein in it.

florenonite
July 25th, 2016, 08:39 AM
What dilution was your lemon juice rinse? It shouldn't be drying if done properly, but you really don't want much lemon juice; I do around a teaspoon in something like 650ml of water.

lapushka
July 25th, 2016, 09:22 AM
What dilution was your lemon juice rinse? It shouldn't be drying if done properly, but you really don't want much lemon juice; I do around a teaspoon in something like 650ml of water.

I think I even used to do a teaspoon to a L of water, and that was enough for me. :)

Yes, lemon rinses can be drying, and it's going to be the most drying on the oldest parts of your hair (very ends).

Tysiphone
July 25th, 2016, 10:31 AM
I did just like lapushka, 1 teaspoon to 1 litre of water! :) My hair did feel amazing after that rinse! But hmm, i'll try citric acid instead whenever my hair feels ok again and maybe after that I can decide how often I should do these rinses, if at all! Trial and error! :bow:


Lemon juice rinse... Sounds really drying to me.

Do you use a leave-in? (Sorry if I've asked this before, but I'm too lazy to read everything through again haha). Personally I'm using a detangler spray from the same line as my conditioner (so with hydrolyzed keratin). This is *key* in my routine. Last three washes I didn't use any leave-in (I'm collecting hairs so I couldn't) and I definitely feel the difference!! Today I'm done with collecting hairs so I sprayed it on my hair and it feels back to normal in a finger snap :). So I'd highly suggest using it after you washed it (when hair is still wet) and even every day if that helps. If the protein is working for you, you might wanna search for something with protein in it.

Haha, it's ok to be lazy! I don't use leave-ins. :o
Interesting! Perhaps I could make my own? Like, mix some protein conditioner and a regular one in a spray bottle? :)

Johannah
July 25th, 2016, 11:01 AM
I did just like lapushka, 1 teaspoon to 1 litre of water! :) My hair did feel amazing after that rinse! But hmm, i'll try citric acid instead whenever my hair feels ok again and maybe after that I can decide how often I should do these rinses, if at all! Trial and error! :bow:



Haha, it's ok to be lazy! I don't use leave-ins. :o
Interesting! Perhaps I could make my own? Like, mix some protein conditioner and a regular one in a spray bottle? :)

Water + conditioner should work! I'd definitely try that out!

Tysiphone
July 26th, 2016, 05:19 AM
Water + conditioner should work! I'd definitely try that out!

Done! The bottle has been filled! :D

I got a question for you! Are you supposed to wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo before the gelatin treatment? Or do I just smack the gelatin on no matter how many products that are resting on my hair? :p

Johannah
July 26th, 2016, 05:34 AM
Done! The bottle has been filled! :D

I got a question for you! Are you supposed to wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo before the gelatin treatment? Or do I just smack the gelatin on no matter how many products that are resting on my hair? :p

You need to wash your hair before you use the gelatin (you can see it as a conditioner - a really weird one anyway :p) and then obviously use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards. Personally, I like to clarify my hair (roots to ends) when I use a gelatin treatment, but I wouldn't do this if you are planning on using this every week or so. Clarifying can be good to get rid of build-up, but doing it every week might cause dryness. So I'd personally keep it to once a month :)

Tysiphone
July 26th, 2016, 09:45 AM
You need to wash your hair before you use the gelatin (you can see it as a conditioner - a really weird one anyway :p) and then obviously use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards. Personally, I like to clarify my hair (roots to ends) when I use a gelatin treatment, but I wouldn't do this if you are planning on using this every week or so. Clarifying can be good to get rid of build-up, but doing it every week might cause dryness. So I'd personally keep it to once a month :)

Ok! I will try to keep it to once a month then, too! :)
Thank you a bunch for all the information :flower:

Johannah
July 26th, 2016, 09:45 AM
Ok! I will try to keep it to once a month then, too! :)
Thank you a bunch for all the information :flower:

You're welcome!

Keep us updated on your hair the next couple of weeks! :flower:

sumidha
July 26th, 2016, 04:48 PM
Sounds like you're well on your way to figuring your hair out, and have gotten a ton of really good suggestions, the only thing I can add is that you're definitely wavy, and from experience, having damaged ends can really disrupt your wave pattern and make it look... Not so great. Once the damage is grown out and you have an un-disrupted wave pattern all the way down to the ends, it will flow a lot nicer.

'Grown it out' is not a quick fix, I know, but it really will get nicer and nicer as the damage is gradually cut off. :)

Tysiphone
July 27th, 2016, 06:01 AM
You're welcome!

Keep us updated on your hair the next couple of weeks! :flower:

Definitely!! :o


Sounds like you're well on your way to figuring your hair out, and have gotten a ton of really good suggestions, the only thing I can add is that you're definitely wavy, and from experience, having damaged ends can really disrupt your wave pattern and make it look... Not so great. Once the damage is grown out and you have an un-disrupted wave pattern all the way down to the ends, it will flow a lot nicer.

'Grown it out' is not a quick fix, I know, but it really will get nicer and nicer as the damage is gradually cut off. :)

Mhmm... I think I'm a perfect example of that! :laugh: Sometimes my hair can be completely straight, too. This usually occurs after I shower and let it air dry while it's resting on my back. I'm guessing this is also a side effect from damaged ends. Have you experienced the same at some point?

I'm also convinced that my hair will look soo much better when it's all gone. There's about 3-4 inches left of the henna at the ends, so I think I'll be rid of it in a year or so, if not sooner... and that's good enough for me! :o