Please share how you went from damaged hair to fab hair!

[Goose]

As a new member...I have somewhat damaged hair and would love to get suggestions from everyone on how you achieved healthy hair.

I have made the following changes so far:

1. I quit using heat on my hair.
2. No silicone in products.
3. Oiling occasionally.
4. Experimenting with CO washing.(still can't find the right conditioners for my hair type)
5. Cut down on SLS shampoos BUT the SLS free shampoos seem to dry my hair out even more. :(

I have thin, fine, highlighted hair - what else can I be doing to get healthy hair?

What have you done that has made a noticeable improvement to your hair? :)

[Nightshade]

No cones, no heat, wearing updos, frequent microtrimmings & henna.

The long version is in the rehabilitating damaged hair article in my siggy :)

[wavywords]

Basically, I did most of what you've done. I've never used heat (my fine curly hair+heat=badbadbad), but I didn't know much about shampoos and conditioners until a couple of months ago. I learned about sulfates and silicones, and looked for brands that don't have them. I'm doing mostly CG (I also shampoo once a week), and make sure my hair is well moisturized.

One thing that was very important for me was to stop rubbing my hair with towels after my shower. Now, I wrap it in a cotton t-shirt for a few minutes to soak up some water if I don't have time to let it air dry from dripping, and it's made a big difference in texture.

[halo_tightens]

Let's see... I guess the things that have helped my hair the most are (in no particular order):

1. Stopping the use of heatstyling and blowdrying
2. Leaving my salon, where they always bleached in highlights over previous highlights-- major damage! I'll be growing the front parts out for a looong time because of that. Never again.
3. Going cone-free
4. Learning about oiling
5. Doing regular SMT's to restore moisture

There are probably a lot of other small changes I've made since coming to the LHC, but I think these have brought the most benefit to my hair.

[heidihug]

Wear it up, always.
Oil after every wash.
Air dry


Those are the biggies, for me.

[~GypsyCurls~]

Since your hair is fine and highlighted, I'd recommend protein treatments every so often to keep your hair strong. They sometimes can make you hair feel drier and more coarse, so always follow up with a moisturizing conditioner. For me, the best things for my hair's health are no cones, no sulfates, only washing once a week or as needed, using a moisturizing conditioner every day or every time I wet my hair, using metal-free hair elastics, being gentle in general, and using a satin pillowcase and/or satin sleep cap to protect hair. People have different results from different products and methods, so do what works for you. A lot of people on this site use cones and find they help protect their hair, while others (like myself) are the opposite. The key is to experiment. There is a reviews section of this site that is very helpful, and can help you find the right products for you. There are also many great articles.

HTH

Welcome to LHC and I hope you have a lot of fun here! :)

[InTheCity]

It was pre-lhc (which apparently reminds us to count .5" per month growth = 1" cuts every 8-9 weeks.) but for about a year I got very regular trims. My hair surely didn't get longer but it was super healthy just in time to find LHC and really start growing.

It also helped my growing efforts to have started with healthy hair. Bonus!

[BlueWaterRed]

My #1: accepting my hair type was the biggest one thanks to LHC. Then no blowdrying, no cones, massages, rare brushing, oiling and henna turned things around. My hair wasn't damaged but I cut my own hair short for many years because I didn't think it was possible to grow out wurly thick hair.

Welcome to LHC ...

[Lamb]

1. I quit using heat on my hair. :agree: Blowdriers are evil.
2. No silicone in products. Well, that depends. I use products containing amodimethicone occasionally, and they do me no harm. Some members with gorgeous long hair here use cones. :shrug:
3. Oiling occasionally. My hair doesn't like straight oils at all. Nope, not at all. I use deep conditioners occasionally.
4. Experimenting with CO washing.(still can't find the right conditioners for my hair type) CO is not for everyone! It's not for me, I have way too hard water.
5. Cut down on SLS shampoos BUT the SLS free shampoos seem to dry my hair out even more. :( Could it be that SLS-free shampoos don't rinse clean from your hair, causing buildup and dullness?

I have thin, fine, highlighted hair - what else can I be doing to get healthy hair?

What have you done that has made a noticeable improvement to your hair? :)

Well, chucking the brush, the blowdrier, using conditoner or moisturizing products certainly helped. Also, taking B-vitamins helps a lot. Covering my head in wind and rain and strong sunshine is a must for my fine hair.

[zombi]

My hair is still not 100%, but all I can say is -- what else could I expect? The damage on my hair was severe, and by that I mean I used box blue-black for years and then bleached it all off and switched to box red. So my hair was fried.

However, it's GREAT now after I started doing the following...:

1. no more blow drying
2. monoi (coconut) oil after washing on the ends, and sometimes heavy oiling before wash
3. sulfate free shampoo
4. no more flat irons
5. switched to colouring with henna
6. started washing CWC instead of just wash/condish

[TheEndlessOcean]

The single biggest thing for me was not attacking my hair constantly with combs and brushes. I used to break/pull out quite a few hairs, and it wrecked my curls (I had no idea just how curly my hair was before coming here, or any idea how to take care of it).

Other than that, oiling, washing less, and not using cones or sulfates. I never used heat before anyway, but I definitely won't now :p

[Shiva]

So far:

installed a decent showerhead filter (this was my # 1 problem)
washing once or twice a week
oilings (I am loving Ojon right now)
trimmed off my damage

[RedJen]

Slightly acidic rinses (a dash of citric acid powder) after I shampoo has helped a lot. I had a spiral perm and very slow-growing hair for a long time, so I had a lot of damage at the ends.

I use shampoo bars instead of liquid shampoo (but I'm trying out Pantene's new cassia conditioner to see if that helps strengthen my thick, wavy hair.)

Keeping my hair up helps a lot, although I get into the habit of making a Figure 8 bun with Ficcare almost every day, so I'm probably stressing it.

(Shiva, I love Ojon, too!)

[Philomela]

I'm far from having "fab hair," but the things that have helped me improve the condition of my hair are as follows:

-no longer using henna;
-switching from no-cones to cones;
-wearing my hair up;
-giving up vinegar rinses;
-giving up stretching out washings; and
-going SLS-free.

[Shiva]

(Shiva, I love Ojon, too!)
Yay! Another Ojon fan! I went to Sephora yesterday and bought another line of shampoo of theirs. I am looking forward to trying it.

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

No cones, no heat, wearing updos, frequent microtrimmings & henna.

exactly the same plus oils :)

[RedJen]

Yay! Another Ojon fan! I went to Sephora yesterday and bought another line of shampoo of theirs. I am looking forward to trying it.

Mmmm, I love the smell!

I forgot to mention another major thing that helps my hair-- frequent Search & Destroy missions. I haven't done that in too long, and it shows! I've spent several hours a day for the past four days doing S & D!

[Paliele]

My #1 is putting it up! I used to be an up-do dunce, and I'm slowly learning the joys of having my hair off my neck. It's a great day for up!

[friskybiznus]

I kind of new here, too, but I've already learned a lot. I am alternating between CWC and CO. Also stretching out my washes. Using a horn comb. Oiling my hair every night with Jojoba oil.

[Runzel]

My hair was more unhappy than damaged since I "started" here with virgin growth that had only ever seen water, ACV, a little soap, and a little oil and had no sun or heat damage. This was not for my hair's sake, mind you--I was pretty ignorant. :P

The things I noticed a difference with were:

Comb instead of brush.
Handle hair gently. While it doesn't have feelings, it's also not indestructable. :rolleyes:
Learn updos (real ones) and make them my "default" style
For my curly hair, dry either with damp bunning to maintain it wavy or do not touch while air drying down for curls (I didn't even know I had actual curls before coming here..probably need to change that hairtype indicator)
Oil away.:cloud9:

[Anje]

The two biggest changes I made, which made the biggest difference in my hair:
1) I stopped wearing ponytails, and swore off all hairstyles that started with a pony. This is specifically because I had breakage there from my daily hairstyle, and going to buns held with sticks made a world of difference.
2) Being more gentle and patient when combing or brushing my hair. It seems so obvious now, but I used to just rip a brush though it and call it good. Slowing down and trying to prevent hairs from snapping has added up to a lot less breakage than I used to have.

(Then again, I had relatively few bad habits. My hair wasn't dyed, highlighted, permed, etc. and I didn't use heat or silicones.)

[adiapalic]

First and foremost:

1. Stopped vigorously ripping through hair (yes, I used to do this in high school :(...) with a regular cushion brush with plastic, singular "bristles".
Started using a comb to gently detangle and a BBB to smooth my hair (I have 2a, so this works for me)

Later on, started...

2. Washing less often -- less time for hair to be wet and fragile, also allows more natural sebum to coat and protect hair.

3. Keeping hair up more often (especially in a car with windows down) -- prevents tangling and minimizes damage, also as a side note: lots of icky things get trapped and carried around in hair (including germs), so updo's in public places (especially bathrooms, or anywhere you sit) protect your hair from these things. Sounds OCD, I know. But it's something to think about since it's practically flu season.

4. Sleeping with hair braided -- prevents tangling and minimizes damage.

5. Oiling with coconut oil on occasion -- protects hair and traps moisture, makes easier for detangling.

6. Stopped using 'cones -- leaves too much buildup, makes hair tangly.

7. Stopped using shampoos with sulfates -- because it dries out my hair.

8. Stopped blowdrying.

:) HTH

[Wicked Princess]

:soapbox: The almost-ultimate hair betterment guide (as Wicked Princess sees it :o)

1) Knowledge is power!!! Take time to learn everything you can about your hair! What hair is made of - how your scalp's health can affect your hair's health - what hairtype you have, and how that will be significant when you try different things in the search to find what haircare routines work for YOU. I can't recommend the article section enough!

2) Ignore what Fight Club says, you ARE a unique snowflake! Your hair is unique to you! What that means is that something that might work for me, or other members here, does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. Sulfate shampoos and 'cones work for many members here! Non-sulfate shampoos and oil work for many members here too! Still more people have success with a combination of both. There is a vast amount of information here at the LHC, and all of it is at your disposal. Sift through it and think about what you want try...you'll have our support the entire way. :cheer:

3) Experiment :eyebrows:. The fun part. Or at least that's how I think of it. There may not be a "magic potion" that makes everyone's hair long, beautiful, and supremely healthy. However - just about everyone DOES have a magic potion. Hah...see what I did there? Understand that finding what products help your hair the most will differ from person to person. Finding what works for you will take time and some experimentation. Some people find their perfect routine quickly...others are still looking (like me! I'm narrowing it down, though. I think. I hope. Maybe. :rolleyes: We'll see.).

4) Patience! Hair does not grow over night, and neither does repairing past damage. It will take time to rehabilitate your hair! Despite the frustrating times, sit back and enjoy the journey. Growing your hair and your interest in it should be fun! :D

5) Learn to love this thing ---> :cheese:

Now, you did ask how we as individuals improved our damage hair, so I'll share my secrets: Waited...waited some more...coconut oil...and LHC! Thank you, everyone here. :flowers:

[Aer]

I think your starting out great, with no heat, no silicone's(although I do use these occasionally , combined with natural oils), and all the other stuff your doing. I think with time, just by what your doing now, you'll start to notice major improvement, just have a little patience. I had good success with shampoo bars, and then oiling as a leave in. And washing my hair every three to four days. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll find the right methods soon.

[hennaphile]

1. using BAQ henna (instead of the regular stuff)
2. coconut oil
3. Morrocco method or indian herb washes
4.cassia
5. wash every day instead of every other day

[prittykitty]

I quit using cones and started using coconut oil, and still trying other oils and conditioners. I shampoo my hair everyday because I have an oily complexion and scalp and don't have a choice but I make sure the ends of my hair are well conditioned and oiled lightly to keep them soft. I am still addicted to heat styling but am trying to quit by searching for a wash and go style and a way to tame my natural curl without the heat. Still, despite the heat styling, my hair is in much better condition than it was before I came to LHC. I am so thankful that I found this website and thankful for everyone on here that has given me great advice to help me get my hair healthy again.

[pixiedoo]

I have made huge improvements to my chemically damaged, frazzled hair in the last three months. Pre-LHC I had already developed some healthy hair habits such as no heat but finding LHC has been the icing on the cake!! My hair is happier, healthier and shiner than it has been in years, it has stopped it's horrendous shedding at last and is on a growth spurt!!

The following has made a HUGE difference to the condition of my hair:

1. No heat
2. No cones
3. CWC about once a week and the rest of the time CO
4. Henna and indigo instead of nasty chemical dyes
5. Twice weekly scalp massages with Nightshade's Nightblooming EO mix
6. Once weekly heavy overnight coconut oiling
7. Updo's
8. Sleeping with hair in a bun
9. Lots of love and TLC!!!

I hope you end up with happy hair too :cheese:

[Katze]

my hair is, despite everything and my moaning about shedding 1000+ hairs a day, still a success story.

realizing that it is both fine and wavy, and how to care for my hair type, has made a huge difference, starting with:

stopping my addiction to blonde. Bleached hair, on me, won't grow long.

adding more moisture. I started with stretching washes so I could get the feel of what my hair was like when it was not all dried out. Then I did SMTs with every wash which also made a huge difference, and graduated to leave-ins and oils.

accepting my hair as it is - fine, fragile, and messy - has helped me learn how best to enjoy it.

[ZenBird07]

Mmmkay...after reading what everyone had to say I figured I'd add my 2cents.
I first had a big trim before I even came here because the damage was horrendous and to my knowledge at the time -unfixable...
I am still changing my mind about stuff I try. Even changing my mind about the theories I find about hair.
Oiling my hair with monoi was the MAJOR factor in my hair improvement. I think if I would've found that stuff before I wouldn't have needed such a drastic trim...
SMTs (even with flaxseed gel instead of aloe) are AMAZING... as a matter of fact I had to go against the grain with a lot of the instructions. Had to use a protein condish one time -guess what, no probs. Then had to use a condish with both prot and cones. Still wonderful.
Just put the goop in my hair, pile hair on head and wrap my head in plastic wrap and go about my business til wash time.
I was trying to stay cone free because of the actual health risks I discovered about them on Environmental Working Group website but while I have to use it now, I'm not gonna complain. My hair is still lovely, maybe more so...
Another thing I've done is rarely using any kind of elastic(even the ones that aren't like rubber bands). Using a claw thing instead. I want a fork thing to. Haven't gotten there yet.
Good luck with your hair... You're gonna like it here.:D

[Rapunzal2Be]

I went from damaged hair to what I consider fab hair by:

1. Giving up my blonde addiction - first I used semi perm color to match my natural color, then no ammonia/peroxide semi perm, then Rainbow Henna, then BAQ Henndigo. I used to have very lovely bleached blonde hair that easily grew to BSL and then would either start breaking off, or would look so stringy/fried that a stylist would always convince me to do a big chop and start over again. Add to that, that there were many times that my blonde hair was *less than * lovely due to brassiness, hard water, a botched salon job, a botched home color job, you name it. ::double sigh:: So finally I just figured I would have to decide between blonde or really, really long and healthy. You know which one I chose. ;)

2. Gave up my flat iron, blowdryer, conventional brush and conventional styling products. Instead I now air dry and use a wide toothed smooth comb, a BBB, a Tangle Teezer, and aloe vera gel.

3. Started using Nioxin! I love their products, even though they have SLS and 'cones, I simply cannot believe the results I have. New hair growth, and smooth, silky, shiny hair.

4. Supplements: prenatal, folic acid, biotin, garlic, MSM, gelatin, B complex, and fish oils.

5. Nightly scalp massages, with Monistat some nights and MegaTek other nights.

6. Coconut oil before washing, and stretching washing to every 2-3 days.

7. If I leave my hair down, I don't use any products. If I wear it up I use some aloe vera gel for hold.

and I just have to say that the thing that has made the MOST NOTICEABLE difference in my hair is using BAQ Henndigo. My hair is now thicker, stronger, an absolutely beautiful deep espresso brown with a red sheen, and it shines like glass. My husband just felt my hair today and couldn't get over how soft and smooth it was and then he checked my ends and I have NO split ends (last trim was in May!!!). None! And those ends have been through many previous bleaching/dying/bleaching again cycles before I joined LHC in March.

[Shanarana]

What has worked for me is:

NO heat at all.

No brushes, only combs.

Lots of coconut oil. (adding little amounts through the week).

Washing less, about once a week.

Wearing it up.

Clarifying once a month.

Braiding it up high to sleep at night.

[jivete]

Besides all the other great advice abole, I just want to add one thing to the list that helped me with frizz and dry hair:

Turning down the water temperature in my shower when it touches my hair.

I try to keep it tepid.

[JamieLeigh]

Unfortunately I chopped most of my damage off. I had heat-styled and dyed all the way through high school. :o So I went from nearly knee to just below BSL. I grew back out to about tailbone and maintained on and off for a few years (sometimes growing longer, just because I was pregnant and didn't want to deal with hair-trimming at that time. :p). In that time of growing back out, I really started to baby my hair more. I cut out the blow-frying, started wearing my hair up in a bun. Since joining LHC, I've started going CO, using coconut oil, and have learned even safer ways to put my hair up. (YAY for hairsticks!!! :crush: ) I think by now I have cut off all of the damage that I did 12 years ago, since I'm an avid trimmer. :)

[LittleOrca]

I am still in the process of going from damaged hair to fab hair, but here is what I have done thus far:


I am using cones, since that is what my hair seems to respond to the best right now. Eventually I want to go cone free when more of my virgin hair has grown out, but for now I am sticking with what I know works for my hair.
I oil it with either Africa's Best Oil or Organix's coconut milk serum (has cones).
I make it a point to wear my hair up more, especially in public.
I sleep with a satin cap on. This keeps my hair from breaking when I sleep and helps prevent the development of tangles.
I comb my hair instead of brush it. I do still own a brush for styling purposes, and would eventually like to get my hands on a tangle teaser.
I don't blow-dry, I don't use heat styling tools at all.
I have a very careful hair washing routine that works for me to keep my hair still healthy when I swim.

[Tess2319]

5. Cut down on SLS shampoos BUT the SLS free shampoos seem to dry my hair out even more. :(

Goose, the biggest help LHC was to me was teach me to diagnose what was going on with my hair. I learned that what I was seeing as dryness was really buildup. Not only cones build up, but protein does, too. I learned that for me when my hair seems really dry what it needs is a good clarifying wash.

If your hair seems dryer when you use non-SLS that seems to be a strong indicator that you have buildup that your SLS shampoo is cutting through but your non-SLS is not.

HTH :)

[Honey39]

Mmmm, I wouldn't say I had *fab* hair, so not sure I should post!

But the big thing has been for me to accept my hair as it IS, not as I want it to be. So, it's curly/wurly. No straightening it, brushing it, blow-drying it.

I also found the thing that worked really well for me is to find your 'hair twin' here, whose hair you really like and is similar to yours and gorgeous, and try their tips first. What works for me (daily CO-washer, likes to wear hair down, 2b/3a thick hair) might not work for someone with 1a/b hair, who likes to stretch washes, and wear their hair up.

[eadwine]

What I did with my hair was cut it. To just at shoulder length. I had to since it was deader than dead with split ends to the scalp. After that don't perm anymore and trim every six weeks for over a year. And then I decided to grow again, this time without all the chemicals :)

[Melisande]

I have only completely original things to add, factors that you have never. ever. read before, never.

1. no heat, no brushes, no harsh shampoo, no styling products

2. natural hair dye (henna-based)

3. essential oil massage twice weekly, letting the oil sink in over night; deep treatments for lenghts and ends at least once a week (conditioner, oils, honey, proteins)

4. stretch washes from daily to every third or fourth day

5. CWC with diluted gentle shampoo (Alverde Birke Salbei)

6. Fox' sheabutter balsam for the ends, mister with oil and water for refreshment, gentle damp bunning

7. updos in the daytime, sleep cap and silk shawl at night

8. rinse with catnip, let sit, wash out, follow with very gentle citric acid rinse for shine and volume

9. nutritional supplements: biotin, multi vitamin, MSM, omega 3, calcium-magnesium-zinc

10. drink loads of water, eat well (fresh, balanced, high quality)


And that's all! I know that none of my points have been mentioned before..... :-D

[Amoretti]

No heat styling
no chemical dyes
I used evil cones (Dove) ;)
Wide tooth comb only.
Oiling with jojoba oil.
Scalp only washing and conditioning from the ears down.
Wearing it up once it hit TB.
Benign neglect.
Focusing on other things in life.

[Shiva]

Focusing on other things in life.
Best advice ever!

[Fractalsofhair]

Quitting the things you did, and maybe the highlighting as well will make your hair healthier in the long run. Other than that, all you can do is cut off damage. Baby it with oiling and moisture treatments, and don't use heat again.