Terrible hair-condition

[tigerironlady]

My hair is in a terrible condition. I haven been to a hairdresser to cut it for ages. I have split ends and the hair doesn grow longer since it breaks of. I have to do something to get my nice hair quality back. Anyone who has a good suggestion or advice to give?

I use ordinary cheap shampoo from the nearest store, and conditioner after shampoo. Then I dry my hair with a towel, brush it while its wet; and thats it.

I really need to do something different, maybe smoother cleaning and handle, a couple of vitamins once in a while and some good preparation with some good hairstuff? I would be very very happy if anyone could give me some advices.

[Hatsumomo]

I guess you could try only using a comb (gently) or your fingers to detangle when your hair is wet. Brushing wet hair can really damage it as it stretches alot more when it's wet. Also, if you rub your hair dry with a towel, you could possibly just pat it dry after shaking out the excess moisture instead?

Not getting a trim is sometimes far worse than going for an occasional one. Trims get rid of splits, preventing further damage.

[aisling]

You could try a better conditioner, some deep treatment to moisturize your ends a little more, a leave in or oil to protect them and you really have to stop brushing your hair when wet, that is very bad for the condition of the hair generally. Ohh, and finally, how do you do when you towel dry? Do you rub your hair with the towel? That's not something I'd recommend either, it's also damaging for the hair.

Among the articles you'll find a lot about hair care and how to handle your hair better.

[tigerironlady]

Thank you very much Hatsumomo!
The easiest and first thing I will do is to stop brushing my hair when its wet. I have noticed that everytime I have brushed it wet i have about 50 hairstraw (or what is it in english?) laying in the brush or loose on my shoulder. This decision can be taken emidiately! :)

I was reading about Shampoo bars. Is there any conditionerbar, or is conditioner unessesary when using bars? I have found some companys in sweden -where I live- that sells bars, so I think i might try these. Any suggestions about what kind that is good?

[tigerironlady]

Aisling; Iam afraid that I do rub quite a lot, and when I brush I also pull the brush rather hard if it doesnt go smooth directly:o

I think I do deserve my bad haircondition... :rolleyes:

[tigerironlady]

Is there any kind of hairbrush that doesnt damage the hair?

[Dolly]

Buy a wide-toothed comb.....it will do far less damage than a brush.

[venividibxtchy]

- Being VERY gentle with it, in terms of hair utensils (wood and horn combs with no seams or burrs are your best bet), your fingers, your environment (it's best to keep it up, so it doesn't get snagged on things), any hair clips used, etc. Only use hair ties without metal on them, and be REALLY careful with metal barrettes.

- Don't rub your hair with a towel, PAT it dry with it, instead.

- Get a small trim, about 1/2"-1", and see how your hair does. If it still needs more, you can get it done later, but this small amount might be enough for now.

- Try an SMT (Snowy's Moisture Treatment) -- the recipe is all over this place.

[ktani]

My hair is in a terrible condition. I haven been to a hairdresser to cut it for ages. I have split ends and the hair doesn grow longer since it breaks of. I have to do something to get my nice hair quality back. Anyone who has a good suggestion or advice to give?

I use ordinary cheap shampoo from the nearest store, and conditioner after shampoo. Then I dry my hair with a towel, brush it while its wet; and thats it.

I really need to do something different, maybe smoother cleaning and handle, a couple of vitamins once in a while and some good preparation with some good hairstuff? I would be very very happy if anyone could give me some advices.

Welcome to LHC and Happy Holidays.

Read through some of the threads here and make a list of the things that you do to your hair that you may not be aware of, that are contributing factors to your breakage, e.g. product build-up, mechanical damage (rough handling). You may find this thread helpful http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=476, as well as many others.

It may take a while to think it all through. Cheap shampoo and conditioner should not be problematic, but the ones that you are using may be, in that they cause build-up over time and simply changing formulas (switching to products for normal hair vs for dry hair, may help).

You are getting lots of good ideas here already, IMO.

[janeytilllie]

I too have sufferd bad hair

Heres my hair at the begging i was 10 here

http://s432.photobucket.com/albums/qq44/janeytilllie/th_hairage10.jpg

heres when my hair went bad! this was three years ago ( brace yourself for the horror lol) sorry for pic quailty
http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq44/janeytilllie/25-12-08_1940.jpg?t=1230297612

My hair a year ago

http://s432.photobucket.com/albums/qq44/janeytilllie/th_hairage19.jpg

My hair now :D

http://s432.photobucket.com/albums/qq44/janeytilllie/th_25-12-08_2235.jpg

The first steps I did to get my hair better was

1. Trim as much damaged split ends of as possible theres no mended them once they are split

2. Throw away cheap shampoo and conditioners, I found that using cheap shampoos very damaging and SLS gave me rashes. I how use orgainc products with little chemicals in.

3. I use coconut oil as a pre conditioing treatment it makes my ends soft and has reduced them greatly :D

4. invest in good hair tools. NEVER bush wet hair always use a wide tooth comb it will help your hair from snapping.

5. Be gentle with wet hair never pile hair when washing and do not rub with a towel, gentle pat hair with the towel

6. I stopped using any heat or dyes on my hair. If you do need to use heat be sure its kept at a minumim.

6. Eat a good diet and take muti vit tablets

I hope this helps :D we have all been there with bad hair and i believe anyone can get healthy hair it is not impossible take it from me ;)

heres some useful wbsites that helped me

This site lol ;)

longhairloom
http://www.longhairloom.com/

longlocks

http://www.longlocks.com/how-to-grow-long-hair.htm

[janeytilllie]

I forget to mention i always oil my ends and braid my har for bed and i sleep on a satain pillowcase i find use these steps to have reduced my tangles in the morning :D

[aisling]

tigerironlady, hårstrå is hair strand or strand of hair in English ;)

You could visit Body Shop and see if they have wooden, wide tooth combs, they're pretty good and not expensive. Run your finger over the teeth, do they feel smooth? Some are smoother than others, buy the smoothest one and use that for gentle detangling. I don't know how long your hair is, but I'd also suggest to start detangling from the ends up, don't start at the roots. I can even let my hair airdry before detangling, it won't get any worse for me and it's more gentle for the hair.

[Anje]

You don't necessarily have to get rid of the cheap shampoo and conditioner -- many of us use them (especially the cheap conditioner) with great success.

If your hair feels dry and broken, one thing you might want to try is switching to condition-wash-condition or conditioner-only washing. You'll find instructions for these among the "articles" (link is at the top of the page).

For drying hair, what I do is run my fingers down it to get rid of a bit of the excess water, fold the hair at the nape over my head, and then gently (minimal twisting) wrap a towel around it. This lets the towel just absorb the water. After a few minutes, the part of the towel against my head is pretty wet, but I can rotate it or grab a dry towel and re-wrap it and leave it for about 10 minutes more. This gets most of the excess water out without any rubbing at all. Let it airdry with minimal combing, and use your fingers to fluff the roots a bit to speed the process.

[tigerironlady]

Aisling; Paljon kiitoksia kääntä mulle sanan! (I am saying thank you to Aisling for translating hair strand for me!).

Also, thank you to everybody given me good advices. I will read them carefully and will be learning as much as I can!

[tigerironlady]

Janeytillie: Wow, what a change you have managed to achieve to your hairquality! That really gives me some hope that even I can do someting about my poor sprawls that I wear on my head today, wich is supposed to be called hair...

The only heat I give my hair is blessingly sauna-baths. But no hairdrymashines or electric curlers or nothing like that.

[Elphie]

I've been using Suave for ages (very inexpensive) and I don't find my hair to be damaged by it at all.

I agree with what anje wrote; changing how your using the shampoo and conditioner is an easy first step and it doesn't even involve purchasing anything new!

[Sissy]

There is much good advice here to follow. One treatment I found useful and moisturizing for my hair was the SMT. The way I do mine is:

SMT Recipe
4 parts conditioner
1 part honey
1 part clear aloe gel
"1 part" isn't a specific amount; it's a ratio. So, for example, if you used 4 tablespoons of conditioner, then you would use 1 tablespoon each of aloe gel and honey.

Heat in the microwave for a few seconds til it's warm, then apply to wet or dry hair (especially the ends). Cover hair with a shower cap/shopping bag/clingy food wrap/whatever, and let it sit for as long as you can stand it (30 minutes to overnight). Rinse out, do not shampoo.

I also like the apple cider vinegar rinse. Good luck and welcome to the site. I'm new here myself and have already learned so much :)

[tigerironlady]

Elphie; What is Suave?

[frogette]

I'm new to taking proper care of my hair, and it's not in very good condition either, but I found this list useful for a start (it's from heidi w.'s "oiling tutorial" (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71))



Excellent detangling.
Proper washing. Do not pile hair on your head.
Good quality products in shampoo and conditioner choices.
High quality detangling tools such as horn combs with no burrs and seams.
Oiling and dusting
Wearing hair contained for the most part (updos, braids),
Sleeping on a smooth surface pillowcase such as a satin pillowcase---even braiding or bunning hair at night.


I'd emphasize that if you pile your hair on top of your head when you wash it, quit doing it. It's free and I found it made a world of difference in my case.

[Elphie]

Elphie; What is Suave?


Suave is an inexpensive line of shampoos and conditioners in the US that are usually around a dollar each. I'm pretty sure their whole Naturals line is cone free. They have a proffesionals line that is a bit more expensive but still cheap.

http://www.suave.com/

[iriska]

my suggestion would be:
-seach&destroy split ends by cutting them off individually (i know, it takes time,i did it myself on my own damaged hair not so long ago...)
-trim the ends just a tiny bit (i'd say about half a centimeter...sorry inches are still obscure to me ;) )
-use coconut/olive/almond oil and leave it at least one hour (or th ewhole night before washing if you can)
-always use a conditioner after washing your hair
-apply a hair mask everytime you wash your hair on the lengths (or the whole hair if it's really damaged) every timeyou wash your hair until you notice improvement
-you can try hair vitamins if you want to
-do NOT use a flat iron, or blowdry your hair (if you really have to, use it on low power but i advice you not to use it at all)

i hope this helps... it worked on me at least... :)

[Mebo]

Another thing is to avoid rubber bands - use the cloth ones or cloth covered bands.

There's a great vitamin regimen in the articles (or there was....) by Bargello. I followed it when I first started with this lovely bunch of people in 2001, and I got an inch, inch and a half, two inches a couple of months in a row.

Increase your protein intake, too.

One of the best quotes on this board "treat your hair like fine antique lace".

Wash gently. Comb gently. Condition often if not every time you wash. Massage your scalp.

And welcome!

[Debra83]

AND keep visiting The Long Hair Community to get fantastik advice and tips! lol

[Auryn]

I'll suggest to start taking gelatin capsules if you can find them. Health food stores, and most vitamin shops should carry them. They will help strengthen new hair as it grows in and it helps keep your nails nice and strong. Bonus!

[tigerironlady]

Iriska; Thank you for this advice;
"seach&destroy split ends by cutting them off individually (i know, it takes time,i did it myself on my own damaged hair not so long ago...)"
This one I really will try, since it think that this will save some length on the hair when its done?

Debra; "AND keep visiting The Long Hair Community to get fantastik advice and tips! lol "
I will certainly do this :)

Thanks all of you for your advices! I am reading them all!

Almond oil, I will try to find tomorrow!

[sklent]

Iriska; Thank you for this advice;
"seach&destroy split ends by cutting them off individually (i know, it takes time,i did it myself on my own damaged hair not so long ago...)"
This one I really will try, since it think that this will save some length on the hair when its done?


Please do keep in mind that you need scissors for hair, not normal scissors, and use them only on your hair, if you cut it with normal scissors, you could still be damaging it.

[tigerironlady]

sklent; thank you. Since :o I do cut OTHERS hair once in a while, I do have very good proffesional hairscissors. I use this kinds of scissors as well on my mohairgoats. :D (its true!). The best scissor for mohair is a hairscissor, well shaped, Its like cutting in butter!:)

[Yedda]

my suggestion would be:
-seach&destroy split ends by cutting them off individually (i know, it takes time,i did it myself on my own damaged hair not so long ago...)
-trim the ends just a tiny bit (i'd say about half a centimeter...sorry inches are still obscure to me ;) )
-use coconut/olive/almond oil and leave it at least one hour (or th ewhole night before washing if you can)
-always use a conditioner after washing your hair
-apply a hair mask everytime you wash your hair on the lengths (or the whole hair if it's really damaged) every timeyou wash your hair until you notice improvement
-you can try hair vitamins if you want to
-do NOT use a flat iron, or blowdry your hair (if you really have to, use it on low power but i advice you not to use it at all)

i hope this helps... it worked on me at least... :)

What type of hair mask do you recommend?

[Yedda]

[quote=Mebo;394645]Another thing is to avoid rubber bands - use the cloth ones or cloth covered bands.

I would also try to use ponytails that are labeled "no damage" and are cloth rather than traditional elastics.

[Kirin]

I have to agree, never ever brush wet hair! also try "turbaning" your hair in a towel to wick the moisture out of it, then take it down without rubbing after fifteen minutes or more. You'll notice improvement right away if you dont brush or rub.

[twilight_faerie]

You need to get rid of your split ends before they get worse. If you don't wanna get a trim from the hairdresser, you can do it yourself. Get a pair of hair shears - make sure they're sharp - and simply cut the splits off yourself. Doesn't get much easier than that.

[twilight_faerie]

[quote=Mebo;394645]Another thing is to avoid rubber bands - use the cloth ones or cloth covered bands.

I would also try to use ponytails that are labeled "no damage" and are cloth rather than traditional elastics.

Rubber bands are death for hair. shudder: I use metal-free elastics by Goody (I think) and haven't had a problem with them so far...plus, they don't get stretched out, which is usually a big problem for me. Make sure your hair elastics don't contain any metal!!