Serious help, tips, advice etc needed!

[RachDee]

Don't ask me why its took me 'til now, but I am vowing to start taking better care of my hair!
I guess its how it looks before all the styling, and products that go into it to try and make it look remotely normal again!
Anyway, I have decided to absolutely positively stay away from all things silicone, as of tomorrow!
(tomorrow, I'm going to pay a visit to Boots to buy a load of Naked haircare. For anyone who doesn't know what this is I'll post a link later.)

It all started, when I got GHD's for christmas last year.
I'm telling you, they are the best and worst thing I've ever bought.
(or had someone buy me.)
After months on end of frazzling my hair to the point of ultimate straightness,
my hair is now dry, frizzy, snapped, coarse and brittle. -sob-
To provide you with a better idea of what I'm sporting, I'll give you a little visual.

This is untangled, freshly dyed, freshly washed hair -
http://i31.tinypic.com/2a5ww1c.jpg


and this is after brushing it 2 seconds before taking the pic -
http://i30.tinypic.com/2ds35zl.jpg

Now, I don't backcomb, use hairspray, gels, putty or any styling product,
I don't scrape my hair back tight, or mess it up in buns/crazy styles.
And I always use a paddle brush, and I'm careful when its wet.
So, face facts, this is just heat damage. :'( :silly:
EVEN THOUGH. I use a shampoo claiming to help heat damage, and have used
a heat protection spray for over a year. psssht.

Getting down to the nitty gritty, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips, tricks or home recipes for some nice treatments I could give my poor barnet.
It does mean a lot to me, and now to see it snapping and frizzing
well, its heartbreaking!

I've heard jojoba oil works wonders for dry hair, has anyone had any experience with this?
What products do you use on heat damaged/dry/frizzy hair?
Any help would be much appreciated!
I'm gonna try my best to lay off the straightening and blow drying
as much as I can, and give my poor hair a chance to breathe <3
Ultimately, I'm trying to grow my hair long(er) but seeing
as it grows soooo sloooow it might be a long and tiresome process.

[Capybara]

It's a little difficult to see, but it looks like you have an awesome shine going on there :)

Try a SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128)! They work wonders for dry, damaged hair.

[MissManda]

Yes, a nice SMT will be very kind to your hair. I am yet to try one myself, but others here on LHC have had fantastic results with them.

I use jojoba oil on my hair and yes, it did help my dry ends a little bit. It does not penetrate the hair shaft, however, so I prefer coconut oil for that purpose. Coconut oil has done wonders for my hair. My chemically-damaged, dry, brittle ends feel so much better now that I am using it. Coconut oil has improved my shine and softness and makes my hair less frizzy. I am totally in love with this stuff.

If you wash the length of your hair with shampoo, you might want to concentrate more on the scalp because that is the part that needs cleaning more than anything else. Shampoo can be very drying on the length. Using more conditioner also works wonders. Look up the CWC, hybrid, and CO washing methods and see which one you like best. ;)

It sounds like you're off to a good start and you already have nice shine on your hair. Good luck with your hair and welcome to LHC! Hope you have a wonderful experience here!

[triumphator!]

Go to the articles section and read the article on oiling by heidi w. It has a lot of info on how to start oiling, and it has some GREAT advice for haircare along with it. Good luck, and keep us posted! :o

[christine1989]

Coconut and castor oil will work wonders for restoring moisture. You should also check for split ends from the heat styling and do regular S&D until they are gone. I also hear that catnip is good for preventing/repairing split ends owever I haven't tried it. As you will undoubtedly hear from many people on this board, washing your hair with conditioner only will help with the dryness as well as avoiding shampoo with sodium laurel sulfate (or any ingredient with the word "sulfate").


Best of luck restoring your hair!

I love the color by the way :)

[Kathie]

I was in your shoes about two months ago. If I wanted to wear my hair down the only way to do it was to straighten it because without the aid of my straightener my hair was a frizzy dry mess from the ears down. Now it looks healthy when it drys!

I gave up SLS, and that has been the best thing for my hair. If you hair is dry you dont need to use such a harsh detergent on it.
I also tried a few oils and butters. I ordered a small supply from a aromatherapy store that was also geared up for soap and cosmetic making. I've made up a few potions and I have found that sweet almond oil and coconut oil work well for me. I also use a little shea butter (coconut and shea mixed together). One thing that I love is my mister that contains sweet almond oil, glycerin, and aloe-vera. Both glycerin and aloe attract moisture (water) into the hair. So they really moisturize it. While the oils can prevent moisture lost and and some instances help repair the hair structure (coconut oil).
Its all trial and error I think- everyones hair is different. But, if you get a butter or oil that doesnt work well in your hair you can simply use it as a skin moisturizer!

Heres the link to the artical where I got most of my ideas (the mister is Kimberlily's defrizz recipe) http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=134

[curlylocks85]

Last September I decided to get a 4 inch trim to remove some heat damage. A month later, I gave up the flat iron. My hair was a total mess. What worked for me was getting the bulk of the damage removed. Yes, there was a loss of gained length, but it was all brittle and breaking and splitting that any growth was not visible. I do not regret this and have been growing ever since. Now when I look at my hair I can see about 4-6 inches left of the heat damage. I have been slowly trimming the very tips of hair that stick out from the rest and my hair is in great shape.

It is a process and it is not going to change overnight. Lots of conditioner was/is my ally. I know my hair is not where I want it health wise, but my hair is closer to being all healthy virgin hair then it ever would have been before. Hang in there and remember to treat your hair well and it will give you what you want with patience and time.

[klcqtee]

I'd start by soaking your hair in extra vrigin olive oil (EVOO) for a couple hours (overnight, if possible). It's pretty cheap and easier to obtain than a lot of other oils. My hair is dye damaged, not heat damaged, but it too left my hair fried, dry, and frizzy. 'cones aren't all bad. Some people's hair loves them, and that's okay. My hair loves cones, but I can't use them because it makes my skin break out in a bad rash. Dry hair might prefer cones, my does.

No more heat styling! Lay off! If you want to blow dry, blow dry on cool, or low heat. Dying your hair is also probably a big contributer, but we do have some members on here that dye (and even bleach) regularly, so hopefully they'll chime in.

[dropinthebucket]

OMG, i just LOVE your haircolor! that is the most awesome ash brown i've ever seen! :D

[spidermom]

I'd appreciate a bigger font. I couldn't even read that, but welcome to LHC. I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Yozhik]

Coconut oil and gentle brushing/combing have really helped my hair!

I used to rip through my hair because I thought the crackling was good :eek:
I also went from using a straightener maybe 1-2 a year to never. I think this has also helped at ton.

Look around at some of the articles, and baby your ends with a lot of conditioner and oil! Good luck, and I hope you find a routine that works for you.