Damage from straightening & Blowdrying

[KlutzyChy1]

I know my hair still has a looong way to go & I still have a lot of damage left over, but look at this. I never realized how thin my hair looked when I was blowdrying & straightening daily & this was before my hair loss. My hair would literally melt onto the straigtener & I could go all the way up the strands with my fingers & continue to break it.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/n9dZHP.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmn9dZHPj)


& Then after about 2 years of not blowdrying or straightening.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/rAq8yH.png (https://imageshack.com/i/porAq8yHp)

I'm never straightening my hair ever again!

[lapushka]

Granted, a lot of your thickness was in those bangs, so it's kind of hard to compare, but I believe you when you say it's better not straightening the hair. I don't agree on the blowdrying bit, because when you use that instrument with the right setting (cool/warm), it is a good tool to have on hand. I weekly diffuse my hair on cool/warm, am tailbone right now, iii and it doesn't affect my thickness or my hair. Just my experience. YMMV. :flower:

[KlutzyChy1]

Granted, a lot of your thickness was in those bangs, so it's kind of hard to compare, but I believe you when you say it's better not straightening the hair. I don't agree on the blowdrying bit, because when you use that instrument with the right setting (cool/warm), it is a good tool to have on hand. I weekly diffuse my hair on cool/warm, am tailbone right now, iii and it doesn't affect my thickness or my hair. Just my experience. YMMV. :flower:

I still have my bangs, they're just pushed to the side in the second picture because they're a bit long atm. & Oh I know, but when I would blow dry, I would do it on soaking wet hair on the highest heat setting. I was more referring the flat iron as I would do it for hours each day & the hair would actually melt onto it. It was awful.

[Jo Ann]

Oh my word! I have a blow dryer--I think I've only used it twice in 12 years! It's rough when the heat's out, and you still have to get your hair dry and don't want to catch a cold waiting for it to dry naturally! Blow dryer on warm, held about 12" from the hair... ;)

Sometimes I wonder why I hold on to the darn thing... :p

[KlutzyChy1]

Oh my word! I have a blow dryer--I think I've only used it twice in 12 years! It's rough when the heat's out, and you still have to get your hair dry and don't want to catch a cold waiting for it to dry naturally! Blow dryer on warm, held about 12" from the hair... ;)

Sometimes I wonder why I hold on to the darn thing... :p

Haha I don't think the blow dryer is nearly as damaging, but that flat iron really did a number on my hair! Plus my hair dresser would always razor in layers. I blow dryed my soaking wet hair on the highest setting &straightened my hair every day on the highest heat for hours & would pile on the serums & products. It was a mess & I never realized how thin it made my hair until looking back on pictures & this was before I went through my hair loss. Maybe not, but I just thought it was a crazy difference lol 😕

[Jo Ann]

Good Lord! I've had a few razor cuts in my time and HATED them! The ends would be so uneven and stuff... :(

I've fried my hair with blow dryers in my youth, but I never experimented with a flat iron (or curling iron, for that matter!). Then again, I have two left thumbs when it comes to trying to style my hair when it was shorter--I usually went with something that was layered, which made it "wash-and-wear" which suited me just fine :p

[meteor]

Yup, the difference is huge! :D Very impressive increase in thickness. Congrats on beating the heatstyling addiction, KlutzyChy1! :bowtome: I've seen reports of people increasing ponytail circumference and noticing new "bangs" growing in when they stopped inflicting long-term thermal or chemical damage on their hair. It also looks like you are growing out your natural color, which is another factor that might have had a very positive effect.

Here's to healthy hair! :toast: And happy growing! :cheer:

[lapushka]

I still have my bangs, they're just pushed to the side in the second picture because they're a bit long atm. & Oh I know, but when I would blow dry, I would do it on soaking wet hair on the highest heat setting. I was more referring the flat iron as I would do it for hours each day & the hair would actually melt onto it. It was awful.

Oh gosh, I used to flat iron on wet hair too, which is how I got such extensive heat damage (and I had a perm on top of that), half of my hair had white dots on it, right to the root. I had shoulder length hair back then, and grew it out to hip (yes with the dots in my hair). Thank God these bonds are still strong and yes, I lost a number to breakage but not that much considering my mom still did S&D at hip length and took half of my thickness out. Hair had to be cut back to BSL, it was so thinned out, but at least I didn't end up with a pixie.

Flat irons are *evil*!

And I agree, growing out your own natural hair(color) does *wonders* for the thickness and texture! Happy growing on that! :D

[xoChesleyy]

That's a very nice improvement! :) Good for you!

I have been there too with bleach/dye, blow drying, and straightening every day. It was so bad that I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without seeing little pieces of hair that had just broken off. Bleach had literally melted my hair...

I tried rehabiliting it for awhile (frequent microtrims, S&D, deep conditioning, etc) but the damage was just way too bad. I eventually decided to cut off most of the length and cut my hair a little below APL. My hair felt so nice after the chop. Now, after LOTS of patience, most of that damage is gone and I have my healthy hair back! :D I'm nearing BSL and have thick healthy ends compared to the thinning ends that broke off before!

Some tips I have that has helped me a lot (and that I still do!) is:

-Water. Stay hydrated! This isn't only good for your hair but your entire body as well.
-TRIM! Even a microtrim each month can make a huge difference in the health of your hair.
-Coconut oil the night before your hair wash day (if your hair likes coconut oil).
-CO washing.
-Try doing SMTs. I do these weekly or bi-weekly.
-Wear protective hairstyles.
-Kimberlily's defrizz spray. Good for moisture and defrizzing! I spray my hair with this when I take my hair down to detangle it, before putting it back up and I love it.
-Kimberlily's hair butter. I put this on my ends while they are damp and it helps to seal in moisture.

If you have any questions about any of this just let me know, and happy growing! <3

[Synester]

I am currently a blow dry addict. I have blow dryed my hair for about 10 years now?? very frequently. my hair isnt crazy damaged but it is pretty dry. I micro trim as much as possible, oil treatments, moisturize. My hair is super unruly and tangles like a monster, i get matts in the back on my neck if i dont detangle the heck out of it asap.
I also have super super fine bangs with not 1, but 2 cowliks...I have to blow dry them wet in order to get a proper full fringe look.
I try and wean off on blow drying my whole head and only do my bangs. I wish i liked my hair without being blow dryed.

[lapushka]

I am currently a blow dry addict. I have blow dryed my hair for about 10 years now?? very frequently. my hair isnt crazy damaged but it is pretty dry. I micro trim as much as possible, oil treatments, moisturize. My hair is super unruly and tangles like a monster, i get matts in the back on my neck if i dont detangle the heck out of it asap.
I also have super super fine bangs with not 1, but 2 cowliks...I have to blow dry them wet in order to get a proper full fringe look.
I try and wean off on blow drying my whole head and only do my bangs. I wish i liked my hair without being blow dryed.

If you do it on a cool / warm setting, and towel dry first then airdry a bit, it probably isn't that bad.

I towel dry with a microfiber towel for 30 min., then airdry for 2-4H, then all I have to do is diffuse to 90% dry for 5 min. - that's it.

[Dark40]

I still have my bangs, they're just pushed to the side in the second picture because they're a bit long atm. & Oh I know, but when I would blow dry, I would do it on soaking wet hair on the highest heat setting. I was more referring the flat iron as I would do it for hours each day & the hair would actually melt onto it. It was awful.

Oh, I could NEVER flat-iron my hair wet. I would definitely suffer a lot of heat damage. The only heat I would apply to my hair is a hooded-dyer or a blow-dryer on medium heat.

[KlutzyChy1]

That's a very nice improvement! :) Good for you!

I have been there too with bleach/dye, blow drying, and straightening every day. It was so bad that I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without seeing little pieces of hair that had just broken off. Bleach had literally melted my hair...

I tried rehabiliting it for awhile (frequent microtrims, S&D, deep conditioning, etc) but the damage was just way too bad. I eventually decided to cut off most of the length and cut my hair a little below APL. My hair felt so nice after the chop. Now, after LOTS of patience, most of that damage is gone and I have my healthy hair back! :D I'm nearing BSL and have thick healthy ends compared to the thinning ends that broke off before!

Some tips I have that has helped me a lot (and that I still do!) is:

-Water. Stay hydrated! This isn't only good for your hair but your entire body as well.
-TRIM! Even a microtrim each month can make a huge difference in the health of your hair.
-Coconut oil the night before your hair wash day (if your hair likes coconut oil).
-CO washing.
-Try doing SMTs. I do these weekly or bi-weekly.
-Wear protective hairstyles.
-Kimberlily's defrizz spray. Good for moisture and defrizzing! I spray my hair with this when I take my hair down to detangle it, before putting it back up and I love it.
-Kimberlily's hair butter. I put this on my ends while they are damp and it helps to seal in moisture.

If you have any questions about any of this just let me know, and happy growing! <3

Thank you so much! :heart: I can't wait until it's grown out long enough to where I can cut off all the damage.

Mine was just as bad! I could take a strand between my fingers & break off pieces all the way up the strand & little broken pieces of hair would melt off onto my straightener. & The more you do these damaging things, the more you have to straighten & blow dry to make it look somewhat decent! Ugh, never again haha.

I couldn't bring myself to do a big chop. I look absolutely awful with short hair. I just cannot pull it off. I plan on babying it as much as I can until my shortest layer reaches waist & then cutting off a chunk of damage then. Although sometimes I'll admit I just want to grab the scissors & chop off all the damage. My hair so tangle prone its ridiculous. I will run a wide tooth comb through the same section of hair 20 times & then I'll go to brush it through from the top & my comb will get stuck on a tangle half way through. It takes me like a half hour to detangle my hair.

I eat fairly healthy most of the time but I'm so bad when it comes to water! How do you make sure you make yourself drink it haha. I don't trim a lot either, really at all. I got from the first picture to the second picture with only one or two trims? I'm still trying to find the right routine for my hair. I've been struggling with scalp issues for ages now but am hoping I find a solution to so I can start exploring things like smt & oil treatments. Do you have any recommendations for a good silicone free hair serum?

[KlutzyChy1]

Oh, I could NEVER flat-iron my hair wet. I would definitely suffer a lot of heat damage. The only heat I would apply to my hair is a hooded-dyer or a blow-dryer on medium heat.

I was in a bad place at the time. It was when I was sick with really bad stomach issues that made it nearly impossible for me to eat or keep food down, I was barely sleeping& my anxiety was at its worst. I got into this really dark mindset that everything had to be perfect, so I would spend hour styling my hair & putting on my makeup instead of just letting it be. Never again! The flat iron is the devil haha.

[KlutzyChy1]

Good Lord! I've had a few razor cuts in my time and HATED them! The ends would be so uneven and stuff... :(

I've fried my hair with blow dryers in my youth, but I never experimented with a flat iron (or curling iron, for that matter!). Then again, I have two left thumbs when it comes to trying to style my hair when it was shorter--I usually went with something that was layered, which made it "wash-and-wear" which suited me just fine :p

Layers were the worst thing that ever happened to my hair! It's why I started straightening so much in the first place. My hair is naturally wavy & poofy & a layered chin length cut looked a mess if I didn't try to style it.I can't wait until that last darned layer is gone for good. & People said short, layered hair would be so much easier to style & care for. What lies! haha. Your natural texture is beautiful! Stay away from the flat irons. They are the devil.

[KlutzyChy1]

Yup, the difference is huge! :D Very impressive increase in thickness. Congrats on beating the heatstyling addiction, KlutzyChy1! :bowtome: I've seen reports of people increasing ponytail circumference and noticing new "bangs" growing in when they stopped inflicting long-term thermal or chemical damage on their hair. It also looks like you are growing out your natural color, which is another factor that might have had a very positive effect.

Here's to healthy hair! :toast: And happy growing! :cheer:

Thank you so much! :heart: I didn't even realize how much heat styling had caused my hair to thin out until looking back on pictures. I can't wait to see where my hair is at once I've grown out all of the damage & my layers. Never again will I heat style! I'm still trying to learn to love & embrace my natural texture & color, but I'd much prefer thick healthy hair to the short, straightened mess it was before haha.

[KlutzyChy1]

Oh gosh, I used to flat iron on wet hair too, which is how I got such extensive heat damage (and I had a perm on top of that), half of my hair had white dots on it, right to the root. I had shoulder length hair back then, and grew it out to hip (yes with the dots in my hair). Thank God these bonds are still strong and yes, I lost a number to breakage but not that much considering my mom still did S&D at hip length and took half of my thickness out. Hair had to be cut back to BSL, it was so thinned out, but at least I didn't end up with a pixie.

Flat irons are *evil*!

And I agree, growing out your own natural hair(color) does *wonders* for the thickness and texture! Happy growing on that! :D

You would think the scary sizzling sounds & the melted off pieces of hair would have gotten me to stop haha! Geez. I just can't bring myself to do a big chop. Short hair looks absolutely awful on me, I just cannot pull it off. Once my shortest layers reach waist, I plan on cutting off a good chunk of damage then. I'm still trying to embrace my natural color. I looove black hair. Is there a way to dye hair black that isn't damaging? Like henna or something?

[lapushka]

You would think the scary sizzling sounds & the melted off pieces of hair would have gotten me to stop haha! Geez. I just can't bring myself to do a big chop. Short hair looks absolutely awful on me, I just cannot pull it off. Once my shortest layers reach waist, I plan on cutting off a good chunk of damage then. I'm still trying to embrace my natural color. I looove black hair. Is there a way to dye hair black that isn't damaging? Like henna or something?

Don't do indigo (henna + indigo = black hair) if you're not prepared for it. You cannot bleach this out when you're tired of it or your hair will turn green/blue. I would go with a semi-permanent dye if you want it sometime, but not all the time; this way it washes out with x-amount of washes and is guilt-free.