What does unhealthy/damaged hair look like?

[millyaulait]

I'm asking this because I've always coated my hair in product & deemed "smooth" hair as being healthy. But now that I'm going all natural I'm wondering just what damaged hair looks like. I'm not sure if the hair I'm trying to care for is normal, damaged, dry, etc..

Is there a sign? Is damaged/unhealthy hair frizzy? Does it lack shine, or bounce? Is it piece-y, kinked, etc? ...Is there a test?

Sorry if this sounds silly but I'd love to know so I can take better care of what I have! :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Well, I can tell you what MY hair looks like/feels like when it was damaged- It felt dry. I had split ends. I had weird kinked ends. Velcro ends. It did not feel healthy when I touched it.

[jojo]

Damaged hair in my opinion lacks shine and bounce. Feels rough and looks splitty!

[katsrevenge]

http://www.beautyhairstylegallery.com/best-and-right-solution-for-dry-hair.html

The first photo here looks dry to me. The second looks damaged. The others just look curly to me.

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreads-roots-tightening-traction-alopecia?commentId=3754945%3AComment%3A1052710&xg_source=activity

Damage from braids.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5352643872_0470f65940.jpg

This girl has damage.. probably from chemicals.

The last ones are more severe I think.

Ehen my hair is damaged it just puffs up at me and feels like a crackle sounds.

[jacqueline101]

Its loaded with splits lacks shine and frizzy and breaks easy. Looks lifeless.

[Orangerthanred]

Y'know... poofy, lots of shedding, split ends, frizz..

[JessiBird89]

When my hair was damaged (and some of my ends are still like this:o):blushing: my hair wasn't flexible, it snapped easily, felt dry, had lots of splits and breakage and frizzed easily.

[princessp]

Frizz is not always an indication of damage/poor health. Brushing curly hair or certain hair-types can lead to frizzy looking hair. It is just the way some hair is. Splits, lack of sheen, and brittleness are all good indications of poor hair health though.

[Hollyfire3]

Does some hair just frizz naturally? I don't think my hair is damaged but it is wavy and thick, so it frizzes in humidity, is that normal?

[princessp]

Does some hair just frizz naturally? I don't think my hair is damaged but it is wavy and thick, so it frizzes in humidity, is that normal?

Yes, this is common with curly hair especially tightly curled hair. Brushing and humidity definitely bring it out. That's exactly what I was talking about with being frizzy but not damaged. Mine is like that in humidity or if I brush it out (unless I put lots of leave in or oil in it), but I have good natural sheen and no splits so it's definitely healthy.

[katsrevenge]

Hollyfire3, I think I read somewhere on here that the wavy/curly hair types are more prone to frizzing naturally?

I know my hair LOVES to frizz.. and it's pretty healthy.

[tinywife]

For my hairtype, damaged hair feels rough.

I had a brand-new experience yesterday: I went to the salon and got it shampooed, and she didn't use any conditioner or product, and it was fine! It was silky and soft all by itself! Back in my pre-lhc days, if I didn't use conditioner or a leave-in you wouldn't be able to get a comb through my wet hair at all without hearing a ton of snaps.

[Kaelee]

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreads-roots-tightening-traction-alopecia?commentId=3754945%3AComment%3A1052710&xg_source=activity

Damage from braids.

OMG that's so sad. :(

[julliams]

Does some hair just frizz naturally? I don't think my hair is damaged but it is wavy and thick, so it frizzes in humidity, is that normal?

Absolutely - that's my hair to a "t" and my hair is not damaged in my opinion.

[LovingLife]

Um.
I'd say all ends are damaged to an extent so things such as them being a lighter colour than the rest of your hair should not bother you at all :)
However!
If there is a definite texture change even when moisturized (I mean drastic) I'd say that is a pretty good sign :)

[neverever]

TS also asked about a test, i think I've heard of one... Yes. If you put a strand of hair in a boal or sink filled with water you can tell if your hair is in good health or not. If it floats its healthy but if it sinks its in bad shape. I think it depends on how dry the hair is and how much water it "sucks up". I didnt want to do this test first because i would be sad if the hair sinked down... even if i know my hair is damaged :o but than I did it and it was just the very end that sanked down and the rest stayed at the surface.

Someone elso who have tried this? :)

[julliams]

I went into a swimming pool last summer and my hair was floating all around me. I was so proud of my healthy floating hair - lol.

[Siiri]

TS also asked about a test, i think I've heard of one... Yes. If you put a strand of hair in a boal or sink filled with water you can tell if your hair is in good health or not. If it floats its healthy but if it sinks its in bad shape. I think it depends on how dry the hair is and how much water it "sucks up". I didnt want to do this test first because i would be sad if the hair sinked down... even if i know my hair is damaged :o but than I did it and it was just the very end that sanked down and the rest stayed at the surface.

Someone elso who have tried this? :)

I've heard of that test, but I haven't tried it. It's supposed to measure how porous your hair is. If it's very porous, the hair sinks, and if it floats, it's not. Hair can be naturally porous, so it doesn't really indicate whether your hair is damaged or not. But damaged hair often is porous.

Maybe if there's a change, like your hair used to float and then it doesn't, then you might be able to say it's damaged, provided your hair has been cleansed from all coatings from hair products.

edit: I just remembered this short article, about the difference between dry and damaged, which is not always the same thing apparently: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=221

[neverever]

Ah, I see Siiri:) So I guess one should not depend on that test too much...

Once, a few years ago I went to a hairdresser and I thought I had really damaged hair, but she told me that it wasn't damaged at all. But really dry, and that I just needed to do some oiling or deep-conditioning. So it's hard to know the difference. :p

[PriscillaCherel]

Hmm, if i hear this, i don't got alot of damage.. Only my ends were dry.. not a lot anymore.. But i got some breakage in the ends of my hair, but i can do little trims..

How does damage hair looks to me?

Dry, with no shine at all, and when it looks ''burned'' from the dye..