Help me decide what to do about damaged hair

[TheEndlessOcean]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here so I suppose a bit about myself is in order. I'm a guy and I've been growing out my hair for the past 3 years or so. I have pretty wavy hair with some curls at the end, mostly in the back, and up until a few months ago I've had no idea what I was doing when it comes to hair care. Luckily, I completely avoided blow driers, straighteners, and even harsh shampoo, but I've come to realize that I've been damaging my hair with combs and brushes.

I used to be frustrated with how unpredictable my hair was, and so I'd constantly comb it until it did what I wanted. Of course, that didn't keep it in place long anyway, and I pulled out quite a bit of hair in the process, as I used to think that every hair that came out was on it's way out anyway and I was just helping it along, and I was not very gentle with the comb. I also discovered boar bristle brushes somewhat recently, and thought I was doing my hair a service by using it all the time and distributing the oils. Plus it made my hair somewhat straighter, which I liked, but I wasn't very gentle with that either and now know that I probably went way overboard.

Since finding this forum I've learned tons and tons about hair care and have tried a lot of the suggestions here, and they seem to be working, however, they only affect the underlayer of my hair that didn't receive much of the excessive combing and brushing that the canopy did. Right now I'm very happy with the way the underlayer looks, but it's always covered up by the canopy.

I took some pictures to help illustrate:

Hair down and normal:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5487.jpg

Canopy flipped over to the other side:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5489.jpg

Just holding up some of the canopy hair:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5494.jpg

And the underlayer:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5497.jpg


So yeah, I think you can see what I mean. Right now I wear my hair in a "slicked-back" ponytail almost every day, so all the canopy hair is covered up. I've thrown away my comb and only use one or two strokes with the BBB to even up my hair when I put it in a ponytail, and now just detangle my hair in the shower and otherwise don't touch it so it curls and waves naturally, which seems to work very well.

My question is simply, what can I do? As far as I'm concerned, buzzing it all off, while somewhat tempting, simply isn't an option, as having long hair is now a part of who I am and I can't stand the thought of throwing the last three years away as a botched experiment and starting over, especially since most of my hair looks exactly the way I want it to. I've been thinking about cutting the top layer much shorter, but I'm worried that the loss of weight will make it frizz farther outward, which would look terrible. Also I could just continue to put it in a ponytail every day and wait for it grow out then cut off the damage, but I love wearing my hair down whenever possible.

This post ended up super long, so thanks for staying with me and I'd appreciate any advice any of you could give. Thanks! :cheese:

[ericthegreat]

Welcome EndlessOcean! I love your natural curls, please never give in to the urge to straighten them! I'm a straightie myself so my advice is only general of course. Definitely use A LOT of conditioner and leave it in for several minutes before rinsing it out. All hair types could use moisture, but your hairtype especially needs more moisturization so definitely use conditioner everytime you wash. You could also try to do a CO, which is rinsing your hair ONLY with conditioner, no shampoo at all. There is a the Wurly and Curly thread here, the regulars over there will definitely give you more detailed advice than I can give you.

But all in all, it appears that you already have been doing a bit of your own research about how to better take care of your hair. Again, Welcome to LHC buddy! :flower:

[pradabacon]

Your hair is beautiful! :)

I haven't got a clue about what to do for curly hair, but I'm sure some of the curlies will be in to provide some advice directly. I'll bet they have a few tricks to put your canopy back into good shape. Please don't cut it!

And welcome to LHC! :waving:

[TheEndlessOcean]

Welcome EndlessOcean! I love your natural curls, please never give in to the urge to straighten them! I'm a straightie myself so my advice is only general of course. Definitely use A LOT of conditioner and leave it in for several minutes before rinsing it out. All hair types could use moisture, but your hairtype especially needs more moisturization so definitely use conditioner everytime you wash. You could also try to do a CO, which is rinsing your hair ONLY with conditioner, no shampoo at all. There is a the Wurly and Curly thread here, the regulars over there will definitely give you more detailed advice than I can give you.

But all in all, it appears that you already have been doing a bit of your own research about how to better take care of your hair. Again, Welcome to LHC buddy! :flower:Hi Eric, thanks for the reply!

I have definitely come to enjoy my curls, and I don't ever intend to use a straightener on them :). I should have said more about my routine in my first post though: right now I have been doing CO washes mostly and a CWC once a week, and I usually use some jojoba oil after my hair has dried a bit. I have also experimented with hot oil treatments, and I've had good luck with those, but as I hinted at in my first post it seems like none of it seems to help the top layer much, which is why I suspect it's been fairly damaged by the boar bristle brush.

Thanks again, I'm so glad I found this forum and I'm hoping to stick around :cheese:

[Brat]

Your hair really looks a lot like mine. If I was you, I would wear it in half-ups so your underneath layers can show more, or use some sort of spray gel type of product to help the canopy retain its curls. I like the Catwalk spray gel and the Frizz Ease Spiral Style spray gel.

The key to make those work is to leave your hair dripping wet, spray one of these liberally, run your fingers through it just once to break up some of the curls, flip the hair over to gently scrunch, then leave it alone completely until it dries.

These spray gels hold, but aren't crunchy if the hair is still real wet when sprayed. Then, just wait until it grows out, then get maybe very long layers to gradually cut off the damage.

Or, you could get some fun hair sticks and put it up every day, forget about it and just grow?

HTH!

[GlassEyes]

CO is a good option, as is leaving in some of your conditioner after washing, maybe with a bit of gel after. You'd be surprised how good hair can look with just that.

You can CO wash by basically doing what you do with shampoo, only with conditioner. Use conditioner to wash the scalp and hair, and rub it into the scalp, then rinse. After that, liberally cover the hair with conditioenr to condition, and rinse. After that, take a quarter (or more, it takes experimentation--I use a ton more than that, like a small handful) and apply it to the length. Then you apply gel over it and let it airdry.

L.A. Looks gel is commonly available in most drugs stores and is a good gel option. Also, if you have jojoba oil, you can run that over the gel too, for added shine and more frizz control. If the hair is crunchy after it dres, just scrunch, i.e., take an open pam and lightly crunch hair up until it feels soft again.

naturallycurly.com is a good site for more tips, or you can PM me if you have further questions.


Edit: Also, I used to brush my hair when wet constantly, and I had damage and survived. With proper care, I'm pretty sure your canopy can be rehabilitated. Just don't brush it anymore. XD

[TheEndlessOcean]

Your hair is beautiful! :)

I haven't got a clue about what to do for curly hair, but I'm sure some of the curlies will be in to provide some advice directly. I'll bet they have a few tricks to put your canopy back into good shape. Please don't cut it!

And welcome to LHC! :waving:Thanks Hootietoot, I appreciate it :). I've definitely decided to cut off a significant amount of any part of it, but I am thinking about going in to get maybe an inch off of the top layer and see how that looks.



Your hair really looks a lot like mine. If I was you, I would wear it in half-ups so your underneath layers can show more, or use some sort of spray gel type of product to help the canopy retain its curls. I like the Catwalk spray gel and the Frizz Ease Spiral Style spray gel.

The key to make those work is to leave your hair dripping wet, spray one of these liberally, run your fingers through it just once to break up some of the curls, flip the hair over to gently scrunch, then leave it alone completely until it dries.

These spray gels hold, but aren't crunchy if the hair is still real wet when sprayed. Then, just wait until it grows out, then get maybe very long layers to gradually cut off the damage.

Or, you could get some fun hair sticks and put it up every day, forget about it and just grow?

HTH!Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely give the spray gels a shot! I do like the idea of trying hairstyles that cover up the canopy, but as a guy I don't know if I have the confidence to do anything too fancy at this point :p. I am interested in trying out a braid, but so far I can't manage to get mine in one, haha. I am working on it though.


CO is a good option, as is leaving in some of your conditioner after washing, maybe with a bit of gel after. You'd be surprised how good hair can look with just that.

You can CO wash by basically doing what you do with shampoo, only with conditioner. Use conditioner to wash the scalp and hair, and rub it into the scalp, then rinse. After that, liberally cover the hair with conditioenr to condition, and rinse. After that, take a quarter (or more, it takes experimentation--I use a ton more than that, like a small handful) and apply it to the length. Then you apply gel over it and let it airdry.

L.A. Looks gel is commonly available in most drugs stores and is a good gel option. Also, if you have jojoba oil, you can run that over the gel too, for added shine and more frizz control. If the hair is crunchy after it dres, just scrunch, i.e., take an open pam and lightly crunch hair up until it feels soft again.

naturallycurly.com is a good site for more tips, or you can PM me if you have further questions.


Edit: Also, I used to brush my hair when wet constantly, and I had damage and survived. With proper care, I'm pretty sure your canopy can be rehabilitated. Just don't brush it anymore. XDYes, I have been COing and like it quite a bit :). I've never used gel though, so I look forward to trying that. Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to check out that site too. And yes, I have stopped brushing :p

[TheEndlessOcean]

Thanks Hootietoot, I appreciate it :). I've definitely decided to cut off a significant amount of any part of it, but I am thinking about going in to get maybe an inch off of the top layer and see how that looks.Ah shoot, I need to stop posting when I'm tired because I can't edit my posts yet :p. I meant to say that I've decided not to cut off a significant part of it.

[Lemur_Catta]

You hair is so beautiful! I love natural, curly hair. It is a shame that so many people straighten it.
I have no advice for your hair but you if you have never blowdried or dyed your hair, the damage cannot be so bad!
Have you tried any deep treatment?

[Lamb]

Your hair doesn't look damaged at all, only dry. Beautiful curls, too! :)
So, what everyone else said: lots of conditioner, and use a bit of a leave-in on your canopy (Giovanni has a very good one). My hair is a notch less curly than yours, and I could never use a BBB - perhaps try going without?

[Anje]

I like your curls, and feel a need to point out that most people have a little more damage or a somewhat different texture on their canopy -- it's pretty normal. In any case, don't cut the canopy short, unless you want it to stick up and look funny for a long time.

I agree with some of the others -- it mostly looks dry to me, not damaged. Giving it an extra dose of deep conditioner would go a long way in making it look and feel better. Others have suggested gel, and while I'm not a curly, I'll echo it. You could use something to help the curls stick together a little more on top, and I think it'll make you a lot happier with how it looks.

Finally, I think you should probably pick up a good wide-tooth comb that won't eat your hair. You still need to reduce the combing overall, and minimize how much you touch the canopy, if you can. But a seamless comb you can use in the shower (some good plastic ones are out there, otherwise get a "bone" resin one) would probably help. Then try to comb as little as possible when it's not slathered in conditioner, which will help maintain the curl.

[halo_tightens]

Have you tried SMTs yet? They've helped me out a lot in restoring moisture to my damaged mane. Or even simpler than that, maybe mix some honey into your final conditioner! I'm telling you, it's wonderful stuff for moisture.

[Nightshade]

Hey! Welcome to LHC!

I'll have to toss in my vote with everyone else that it looks more dry than damaged, though I know from person experience that hair that looks good in photos can have a good bit of damage in person.

I'd say give it lots of moisture and TLC and take a read through the damaged hair article in my siggy :)

[camirra555]

You hair is so beautiful! I love natural, curly hair. It is a shame that so many people straighten it.
I have no advice for your hair but you if you have never blowdried or dyed your hair, the damage cannot be so bad!
Have you tried any deep treatment?

I agree with everything she said, especially the deep treatment. I've seen such an improvement in my hair since using deep treatments. I do one at least once a week. Aussie's three minute miracle does wonders. I leave it on for about five minutes. On days where I have more time I put on a stronger deep conditioner and leave it on for an hour and a half. Have you ever tried coconut oil? This is something that also really helps my hair

[taliarose]

I'm on the bandwagon for your hair looks great! I'm a wavy and have pretty much given up on brushes. They just can't get the job done. I'd try going with a wide tooth comb and just give it a once through first thing in the morning and if needed before bed. The curly have their own thread so definately check that out. Welcome and great seeing your pics!

[Mutinous]

To be honest, if it is damaged, and not just malnourished, you are just going to have to wait for it to grow out! Which is admittedly a nightmare, but you could experiment with updos and the like until it is long enough to cut out :)

[ericthegreat]

Mutinous, that's an awful thing to say. Don't give the guy a reason to worry needlessly!

EndlessOcean, you are already making a great start. You have healthy, gorgeous curls that are not damaged or malnourished. You just need to step it up with the conditioner and it will be smooth sailing! Again, you need to experiment with what kind of haircare method is the best for you, and you don't have to follow anyone's else's method exactly to the letter you can mix it up and do your own routine.

[Beldaran]

Eric, if his hair is damaged, then growing it out and trimming it off is the only thing that can be done. It's not an awful thing to say, it's the truth and was stated as such.


Endless, there are many many people here in that same boat, so don't worry about it, it can be done.

I found that brushing my hair with a BBB didn't do much of anything to distribute oils and it just made my hair more frizzy. I also felt the BBB was doing damage, but I have no proof.

My hair isn't as curly as yours, it's curlier when wet and dries to a soft wave, but I feel you on the underparts behaving and the top going frizzy. That happens to me, so I usually just pull the canopy up into a clip and braid the length, leaving the nice looking length down. I also add oils to my ends to help with the frizz factor.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of great advice here, welcome!

[hmmm]

I just wanted to say - your hair is beautiful, and I hope you find something that works. I'm sure it will start to look great in no time.

[Tess2319]

Hmmm, I'm going to take a different tack, EndlessOcean and suggest that if you are using lots of conditioner and other moisturizing goodies and your hair still looks dry then maybe you have buildup.

I just recently diagnosed my own hair with protein buildup. Turns out the conditioner I was CWC-ing with had no cones but tons of protein. I clarified, used enough conditioner to allow a comb through, then a couple drops of coconut oil. Voila! Looks muuuch less dry.

I'm not a curly, but I seem to remember reading that curly hair may be more susceptible to protein buildup?

Love your hair BTW!

[LaurelSpring]

Have you tried SMTs yet? They've helped me out a lot in restoring moisture to my damaged mane. Or even simpler than that, maybe mix some honey into your final conditioner! I'm telling you, it's wonderful stuff for moisture.

I was going to suggest the SMTs also ( Snowys Moisture Treatment) It has done wonders for my hair. I dont have the link but you mix conditioner, aloe and honey, warm it a bit and put it on your hair. Bag it for as long as you can stand it then rinse. Its really awesome.

[marikamt]

Your hair doesn't look damaged at all, only dry. Beautiful curls, too! :)
So, what everyone else said: lots of conditioner, and use a bit of a leave-in on your canopy (Giovanni has a very good one). My hair is a notch less curly than yours, and I could never use a BBB - perhaps try going without?

I agree.... you have really gorgeous hair!

** obviously I am *not* a curly girl.... I agree that your hair does not look damaged, maybe just a tad dry?? :)

[Bellona]

My hair isn't as curly as yours, but I wish it was! I used to think I had a lot of damage, but my canopy is just naturally straighter and fuzzier than the underlayer, so maybe that's what's going on with you, too. It takes lots of moisture (oil, leave in conditioners) for me to coax the waves/ curls out of the canopy. Anyway, welcome to LHC and good luck :)

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

Your hair is beautiful! I would second the CO washes or at the very least CWC and try to trim & S&D along the way. Is it very damaged or just frizzy from where you're handling it? The canopy of my hair is frizzy on top and not underneath unless I use some oils and aloe but its not overly damaged.. its just how my hair is :)

[Mutinous]

Mutinous, that's an awful thing to say. Don't give the guy a reason to worry needlessly!


Is it? If the hair is in fact damaged (which I did not say it was necessarily) then the only solution is to wait for it to grow out, as I have discovered much to my annoyance. Though the OP hair doesn't look damaged, just in need of some TLC, but then it is hard to tell when you don't live with it everyday!


Eric, if his hair is damaged, then growing it out and trimming it off is the only thing that can be done. It's not an awful thing to say, it's the truth and was stated as such.


Thanks :)

Regardless, I hope you find something that works for you. I have major envy of your curly hair, it has to be said :P

[Isilme]

pamper your hair and do regular trimmings and just wait. I want to suggest a dutch braid, it's a reversed french braid so the canopy is going underneath the bottom layer, that would protect it somewhat. Here are instructions for a dutch braid including other braids.
http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/Braiding_Tips.htm

[spidermom]

Treat the canopy with TLC from now on and you should see some improvement. My canopy is the worst-looking of my hair, too. It gets more exposure to sunshine, wind, pollution, etc, etc. So really, considering all that it goes through, we're doing pretty good.

[rhubarbarin]

Mine looked like yours years ago. I didn't have much damage except from brushing, but my canopy is a MESS without proper moisturizing! At the time I was using lots of shampoo, cones, no conditioners and no leave-in products. Dry, dry, dry.

I think your hair is lovely, I wouldn't cut it (except for a tiny trim). Go hang out in the curly thread and start using some moisturizing and frizz-fighting products.

[Fractalsofhair]

I love the way your hair looks, and it doesn't look TOO damaged.

Try a deep moisture treatment, and also try a protein treatment. Then moisturize again, and use a gel to bring back those curls. It should work... However, I have straight hair myself.

Good luck!

[Islandgrrl]

EndlessOcean...great hair. I'm totally :inlove: with your curls. Sigh.......

So....if it's just dry canopy stuff, you can totally deal with that and you've gotten some great suggestions. SMT, condition to within an inch of its life...leave in, etc...

If it is indeed damage, it cannot be repaired, but it can be dealt with! It may not be as nice as the underneath part of your hair, but remember that the canopy gets all the exposure to the elements - even if you take extreme care with it, it will sustain a bit of damage just from the effects of daily life.

So the trick is to protect it as much as possible and pamper the heck out of it so you can coax it into looking as nice as possible while you grow it out. You may choose to do nothing with it, in terms of trimming, as it grows out, but if you're like most of us dealing with damage you will probably at some point decide to remove it. Nightshade's experience with growing out damaged hair has no doubt influenced a good many of us (me, me, me!!!) to remove the damage gradually, as our hair grows. The benefit here is that you get damage gone and still gain some length at the same time - hey, it helps not to feel like you're going backwards.

Not all of us learn from our hair mistakes, so consider yourself WAY ahead of the game!

Good growing to you!

[Addy]

First off, I must say I love your hair! :D

Personally, I would consider leaving the BBB out of your daily regimine and going with a wide tooth comb. I've read of people having problems with the BBB damaging their hair. :(

Also, please don't fight with your curls. They win no matter what and will only frustrate you because they will do what they wanna do and look gorgeous doing it! :D

Once you're done fixing your hair, DON'T TOUCH IT! That's easier said than done but I've gotten use to it now.

On a side note, my canopy looks hideous compaired to my underlayer. Good Luck. :cool:

[Naters]

wow my hair looks very similar to yours, and lets face it us curly haired folk just need to accept that our hair is never really gonna be silky and shiny, curly hair is drier. But I dont really see any damage, just try and keep your hair moisturized with a good conditioner and try to only wash your hair as seldom as possible. The oils of your scalp are very good for your hair. But besides that your hair is really nice!

[TheEndlessOcean]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all the advice and compliments :crush:. I wish I could respond to all of your posts individually but I just don't have time for that so I'll have to settle for saying thanks to you all and that I did read your posts :cheese:

So in any case, tonight I tried out the tips that I could with the materials I have on hand. I did a CO wash, then put in a bunch of leave-in conditioner and then used a fair amount of jojoba oil over that, and didn't touch it at all as it dried, and I have to say that it looks 500x better :happydance:.

I took some pictures when my hair was 95% dry to show the difference. It seems to look a bit greasier in the pictures than in real life, but:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5503.jpg

And one so you can see something besides the side of my nose :p

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5513.jpg

My hair still isn't perfect, you can see the frizz on top of my head that's composed of very short hairs that I pulled out when I used to comb all the time, and the canopy is still clearly rougher than the underlayer, but still, I'm soo much happier with it now :cheese:. Again, thanks so much for the advice and compliments and I'm looking forward to trying SMTs and some gels to see how that goes.

[manething]

There are already a lot of great suggestions here but I'll toss in my two cents at the risk of being redunant.

Combs and brushes:

BBB's grab too much curly hair at once, so some hair will break.

Fine combs create the same problem, but worse as the teeth are ridgid.

Almost any plastic comb that you can buy will have sharp edges left by the manufacturing process. Those sharp edges want to murder your hairs.

Fingers are nature's finest grooming tool. If you are gentle and unhurried while finger raking your hair, you won't hear snapping hair. I snip any small knots if I think broken hairs are involved.

Wide toothed, wooden combes are the next best thing after your fingers. These can be expensive and hard to hind. I like power tools, so I made me own.

To put to hair up hair, sticks and thick elastic hair bands with no metal parts are best.

Follow the hair routine recomendations made by people with hair similar to yours. Curly hair requires special care and their curly-hair knowledge is gold.

Finally: Love your hair, don't try make it behave in a way it doesn't want to. Let it do it's amazing natural thing, and just nurture it a bit.

[pradabacon]

Wow, look at that! Your hair looks great! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/happyyes.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

It's quite a difference already. Keep it up!

[ericthegreat]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all the advice and compliments :crush:. I wish I could respond to all of your posts individually but I just don't have time for that so I'll have to settle for saying thanks to you all and that I did read your posts :cheese:

So in any case, tonight I tried out the tips that I could with the materials I have on hand. I did a CO wash, then put in a bunch of leave-in conditioner and then used a fair amount of jojoba oil over that, and didn't touch it at all as it dried, and I have to say that it looks 500x better :happydance:.

I took some pictures when my hair was 95% dry to show the difference. It seems to look a bit greasier in the pictures than in real life, but:

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5503.jpg

And one so you can see something besides the side of my nose :p

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/TheAmazingBlob/DSCF5513.jpg

My hair still isn't perfect, you can see the frizz on top of my head that's composed of very short hairs that I pulled out when I used to comb all the time, and the canopy is still clearly rougher than the underlayer, but still, I'm soo much happier with it now :cheese:. Again, thanks so much for the advice and compliments and I'm looking forward to trying SMTs and some gels to see how that goes.

Ocean, you are wayyyyyyy too hard on yourself. I would commit mass murder for your kind of curls. That's right, me, someone with pin straight ,sleek, shiny hair would kill to get your hair. So anytime you think your hair isn't working for you, just know there are plenty of people out there especially me who would happily trade you!

[manething]

Looks very nice!

[Hampshirelass]

Ocean, you are wayyyyyyy too hard on yourself. I would commit mass murder for your kind of curls. That's right, me, someone with pin straight ,sleek, shiny hair would kill to get your hair. So anytime you think your hair isn't working for you, just know there are plenty of people out there especially me who would happily trade you!


What eric said :D

Ocean, your hair is so beautiful - exactly what my hair would look like were I able to pick and choose! I love your hair!

[Lemur_Catta]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all the advice and compliments :crush:. I wish I could respond to all of your posts individually but I just don't have time for that so I'll have to settle for saying thanks to you all and that I did read your posts :cheese:

So in any case, tonight I tried out the tips that I could with the materials I have on hand. I did a CO wash, then put in a bunch of leave-in conditioner and then used a fair amount of jojoba oil over that, and didn't touch it at all as it dried, and I have to say that it looks 500x better :happydance:.

I took some pictures when my hair was 95% dry to show the difference. It seems to look a bit greasier in the pictures than in real life, but:



And one so you can see something besides the side of my nose :p

[another img]

My hair still isn't perfect, you can see the frizz on top of my head that's composed of very short hairs that I pulled out when I used to comb all the time, and the canopy is still clearly rougher than the underlayer, but still, I'm soo much happier with it now :cheese:. Again, thanks so much for the advice and compliments and I'm looking forward to trying SMTs and some gels to see how that goes.

Your hair looks so much better now! I am curious to know only one thing: how long it is when it is stretched? I am not suggesting to straighten it, you can just try stretching a bit of your hair with your hands :D

[Rodger]

Man, I have a lot of frizz that are short broken hairs just like you. I guess I'm gonna have to just grow them out slowly (along with my neck-fuzzys lol).

I also just did a CSC with an extra bit of leave in conditioner, its just air drying as I type. It felt unusually weird to not rinse out all the conditioner at the end of my shower tho hahahaha

And manething, that's awesome to hear about using my fingers, because I do it all the time, just combing my hair with my fingers, and family are sometimes like 'why are you doing that? just use a brush' hahahah

[melikai]

Your hair looks really great! I can see what you mean about the canopy versus the underlayers, but even your canopy isn't too damaged - just looks drier than the rest, as some have already said. I say just keep doing what you're doing, giving extra moisture and care to the canopy, and then gradually trim off the damage. Unfortunately, if you're anything like me, my canopy grows the slowest! But know that even with your more damaged top layer, your hair still looks gorgeous!

[Lyndistine]

Your second picture looks a lot like old European paintings! You should have someone photoshop in one of those bright halo discs behind your head. :D Beautiful hair, and a fabulous smile!

[Islandgrrl]

What a difference....now just imagine the improvement you'll see if you stick with it!

[TheEndlessOcean]

Wow, look at that! Your hair looks great! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/happyyes.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

It's quite a difference already. Keep it up!Thanks, I agree! I guess it wasn't particularly damaged after all :D


Ocean, you are wayyyyyyy too hard on yourself. I would commit mass murder for your kind of curls. That's right, me, someone with pin straight ,sleek, shiny hair would kill to get your hair. So anytime you think your hair isn't working for you, just know there are plenty of people out there especially me who would happily trade you!Yeah, I tend to be kind of perfectionist, so it was hard to just trust my hair to look good without my help, haha. And it is funny how that works, I've always wished I had straighter hair myself, but if I did I'd probably want it curly. Such is life I suppose!


Looks very nice!Thanks! :)


What eric said :D

Ocean, your hair is so beautiful - exactly what my hair would look like were I able to pick and choose! I love your hair!Aww, thanks :o


Your hair looks so much better now! I am curious to know only one thing: how long it is when it is stretched? I am not suggesting to straighten it, you can just try stretching a bit of your hair with your hands :DThanks! At this length my hair is a good 4 to 5 inches longer when pulled straight.


Man, I have a lot of frizz that are short broken hairs just like you. I guess I'm gonna have to just grow them out slowly (along with my neck-fuzzys lol).
Yeah, not much you can do about those but wait :cheese:

[jasper]

I haven't seen anyone suggest the caramel treatment, but I'll go out on a limb and suggest it. I've tried it a couple of times for dry hair and got good results. Though, in my case, my hair isn't thick enough to have a canopy. I think you could use it on the canopy only by sectioning that off in a pony tail.

[TheEndlessOcean]

Your hair looks really great! I can see what you mean about the canopy versus the underlayers, but even your canopy isn't too damaged - just looks drier than the rest, as some have already said. I say just keep doing what you're doing, giving extra moisture and care to the canopy, and then gradually trim off the damage. Unfortunately, if you're anything like me, my canopy grows the slowest! But know that even with your more damaged top layer, your hair still looks gorgeous!Thanks! :) Check out the page before this one if you haven't, I posted an update and some more pictures.


Your second picture looks a lot like old European paintings! You should have someone photoshop in one of those bright halo discs behind your head. :D Beautiful hair, and a fabulous smile!Why thank you! A lot of my friends (and heck, even people I barely know), seem to equate my having long hair with looking like Jesus, so I guess that would work out, lol.


What a difference....now just imagine the improvement you'll see if you stick with it!I agree, and I guess that's the plus side of not being happy with your hair, it can only get better :D

[melikai]

Ah yes, hadn't seen the update. Indeed, it already looks so much better and moisturised! Also, that 'halo' of fuzzies is likely lots of baby hairs, which are a good thing!
I'm glad you found some new techniques that work so well for you.

[rexy]

It looks great! I'm happy the treatments are working out. Keep it up and things will only get better :)

[inWaiting]

i really want to share with you that my hair was damaged at salon bleached was left in my hair nearly six hours, coconut oil is a miracle, my hair is soft, has elasticity and shines now. you absolutly must use the coconuy oil!!! Your hair is nice, my hair was falling off just breaking. If you use coconut oil you will see the difference in one day!! Good luck and please try it!!