Honestly, how damaged does my hair look?

[catarinalaree]

Old pic but it's a hassle for me to upload new ones - my hair remains in the same condition even though I've been treating it with huge amounts of coconut oil every night. I think I might need a clarify but I dunno, really what the problem is. Nothing seems to be penetrating moisture/ repair onto my hair...

I stopped using cones but that made my hair brittle and squeaky which again, I don't know if is a good thing or a bad thing but I shall continue to use it. Or does really damaged hair actually need cones?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8344&pictureid=108825

[spidermom]

In my experience, damaged hair can be made to feel and look better, but you can't repair it. Coconut oil is good, but it may not be enough. You might want to clarify, then follow that with a conditioning treatment like SMT (look in the recipes section) or something you can buy over the counter. I've used the Regis olive oil hair masque; that was pretty nice. I love the Joico KPak Reconstructor, but it's pricey. I get it done by my stylist about once a year, but you can buy a tube of it and do it yourself.

[dulce]

My growing out hair is my natural colour to past my shoulders and dyed for the rest [approximately to waist] I find the cones really help protect my dyed naturally curly hair.I love Pantene!!!There are a lot of people who don't like cones but for me nothing works better.Do what works for your hair.Try it and see if it works for you or not.

[jojo]

SMT's are the way to go but to be honest I think your hair looks lovely, sometimes we are our own worst critics!

[laurarvt]

Not bad at all imo..looks pretty!

[ddiana1979]

Cones are great for making your hair look nice, but since most tend to leave a coating on your hair, you should clarify before doing an SMT or heavy oiling. That might be your problem with moisture penetration.

A very light daily oiling (I like 4 drops of NightBlooming's Triple Moon Anointing Oil or Camellia Oil) through the length when my hair is still damp has helped my hair immensely. I don't get frizzies anymore & my hair is quite shiny. After a couple of months worth of that, I've been able to go cone-free & my hair still looks good.

[celebriangel]

If your hair is brittle/squeaky after giving up cones, it means you need to 1) make an effort to get moisture into your hair, then 2) oil your hair when it's *damp* to keep the moisture in.

Coconut oil may also not be for you. "Brittle" could mean that your protein/moisture balance is out of whack, and coconut oil is effectively a protein treatment. Try switching to a "sealing" oil for a while - Sunflower, camellia, jojoba oil, for example.

So what I would do would be: 1) clarify (do a CO first to make sure you get any remaining coconut oil out of your hair) 2) do an SMT without cones, 3) oil your hair while it's still damp. Then look at the condition.

Your hair doesn't *look* damaged, though - it looks lovely.

[Cassie 123]

I can't really tell if I'm seeing damage or just natural texture in your picture. What sort of heat styling or coloring, if any, has your hair been through in the past two years?

If you're not happy, I think the all-purpose answer would look like this:

1. Have half an inch trimmed off of the ends if you have not done so in the past three months. (This is only if you think there might be a problem.)

2. Use a clarifying shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat, including the ends. Then put the clarifying shampoo in the cabinet because it's too harsh to use again and again.

3. Do an SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128), unless you already know that your hair hates these.

Cones are not damaging to your hair, but I think they can sometimes fool you into thinking all is well when really your hair is crying out for moisture, clarifying, or a trim, and if you don't keep up with these things you can end up with unnecessary breakage.

[alwayssmiling]

I think your hair looks fine - but if it feels dry and crunchy I would guess it may be the large amounts of coconut oil you are putting on your hair. In my experience less is more when it comes to coconut oil - but we are all different. Try clarifying before anything else, leave off the coconut oil for awhile and see if it makes a difference.

[SpinDance]

I won't repeat the excellent advice you've already been given, but I will second that if you are using a lot of oil you may be overdoing it. My hair gets a bit 'crunchy' if I apply oils to dry hair, but it does great if I apply a little and leave it on overnight then CO to wash it out. Also, I found that for my hair cones and oils do not play well together. I used to use cones and thought my hair did fine with them. I tried some oils with mixed success until I stopped using cones, when the oils really improved the overall texture and shine of my hair, significantly reducing dryness. As most of us probably do I overdid the oils for a while. (Yes, I know just because a little is great doesn't mean more is better, but just how much more....) Also, CO didn't work for me until I stopped using cones. Others do fine with cones, and oil/cones in combination. The only way to learn how your hair will do is to experiment, slowly.

From your picture I have to wonder if what you are considering damage is the natural movement of your hair. You might have more waves than you think. Do you have a lot of splits? Broken hairs?

[archel]

Ok, I keep seeing the occasional reference to coconut oil having protein - how can that be true? Thoroughly confused...

:confused:

[YepLilly]

Ok, I keep seeing the occasional reference to coconut oil having protein - how can that be true? Thoroughly confused...

Coconut milk has protein. Coconut oil doesn't. Maybe that's why there seems to be some confusion?

[Cassie 123]

Ok, I keep seeing the occasional reference to coconut oil having protein - how can that be true? Thoroughly confused...

I think it's because:

1. Coconut oil is known to help prevent the loss of keratin (protein) from hair. A good thing, since that's what hair is made of.

2. Using coconut oil without also moisturizing the hair (with humectants, for example - moisturizing as in getting more water into the hair) can result in dry-feeling hair that resembles hair to which too much protein has been applied without sufficient moisturizing. Both give a dry, crunchy feeling to the ends.

I don't think #1 and #2 are related - but some LHC'ers do think so, and that is (I think) why they so often mention coconut oil and protein in the same sentence.

[adiapalic]

If your hair is brittle/squeaky after giving up cones, it means you need to 1) make an effort to get moisture into your hair, then 2) oil your hair when it's *damp* to keep the moisture in.

Coconut oil may also not be for you. "Brittle" could mean that your protein/moisture balance is out of whack, and coconut oil is effectively a protein treatment. Try switching to a "sealing" oil for a while - Sunflower, camellia, jojoba oil, for example.

So what I would do would be: 1) clarify (do a CO first to make sure you get any remaining coconut oil out of your hair) 2) do an SMT without cones, 3) oil your hair while it's still damp. Then look at the condition.

Your hair doesn't *look* damaged, though - it looks lovely.

Agreeing with essentially all of this. I've highlighted some things that I thing are great recommendations.

I've had experience with dry, brittle hair. It's been a while since I've had a bad case because I finally figured out the problem--I was applying a protein to my hair, and coconut wasn't helping. Jojoba oil worked for me a lot better than coconut. I also recommend applying it to already damp hair, as mentioned above. Oftentimes I'll braid my hair for the night, dampen it and apply a moderate coating of jojoba oil to the braid and do one of my biweekly hair washes the next day. Doing this treatment seems to add extra slip when I'm conditioning also, because my hair has some moisture to it. (I use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose).

Your hair looks perfectly fine. :flower:

[BlazingHeart]

Coconut oil does not have protein in it, however it prevents protein loss and helps seal in protein treatments. Look to your other products to find protein. Coconut oil is water + fat, all oils are really, there is just variation in the particular fats they contain.

~Blaze

[McFearless]

SMT's are the way to go but to be honest I think your hair looks lovely, sometimes we are our own worst critics!
I agree. If your hair likes cones and you need them to detangle or keep your hair smooth then use them. If your hair is dry you need moisture so try to use deep conditioners when you can.