I am at my wits' end! Please help with dry hair disaster!

[Karina02]

Hi Everyone,

this is my first post. I have been following the LHC since a bit over a year now and I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that puts so much effort and time into posting things to help other people including myself.

Now here is the thing! I'm trying to make it short.
Back in 2009 I had almost elbow long, medium thick hair, which was slightly damaged and dry, but most of the times quite shiny. My routine back then was washing almost every day with Pantene Pro V Shampoo and Conditioner, blow drying after every wash shudder: and just getting a trim every couple of months or so and every now and then i would colour it with semi perm chocolate brown.
Back then I still lived in Germany, then I moved to Perth, Australia and my hair met his new worst enemy - Australian tap water!
Tortured by my careless routine, salt water from the indian ocean and chlorine packed tap water my hair started to get worse and worse. And NOW my hair is thin, its almost not there anymore, SUPER DRY, frizzy and just represents pure horribleness!

Late last year I stumbled across LHC and since then, I stopped blow drying, I use sulfate free shampoos, I wash only every 4 days or even less, bought a Vitamin C dechlorinating attachment for the shower and I tried the following:

CO Washing with Garnier Fructis Nutri Repair (or sth like that, its protein free), Coconut Oil as leave in and pre washing, SMT (with honey, without honey, with/without aloe etc etc), clarifying and chelating (with Joico), followed by protein and then moisture treatment and i looked into the whole protein-moisture balance thing. So I tried no protein, lots of moisture and also tried protein and moisture.
I probably forgot a few things that I've tried, but the end of the story is, that allthough the root part that is growing since last year May without blow drying etc looks better (not as damaged) then the rest, but is still looking dry and I fear that once the "new hair"reaches the length lower than the ear it will be just as damaged, dry and horrible as the rest.

I also should mention that I have a relatively balanced diet, I cook with fresh vegetables and meat, try to eat fruits and drink craploads of water.

I really don't know what to do anymore. All I want is healthy, full hair. What am I doing wrong???

Please help, I'm desperate!

Thanks for reading this :-)

[catamonica]

My hair is dry to. I use a spray bottle mixed with olive oil & water. Leave on five minutes, then shampoo. I added two capfuls of olive oil to my shampoo & conditioner. And Aloe Vera Gel to my conditioner. I read online that dehydrated minced onion or chopped onion dehydrated added to shampoo makes the hair thicker. I tried it. It works. Also I use conditioner two times on my hair. Much softer. Maybe you should get a big container, fill it with fresh drinking water, and use it for your hair. I watched a video on you tube. A woman from India poured water into a bucket. And that's how she washed her hair. And her hair was real long. I hope this helps. And welcome to TLHC.

[eternallyverdan]

I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like your hair might be experiencing a little bit of product overload-- it's been exposed to so many different chemicals and oils and things that it's just not sure what you want! I'd do one final clarifying shampoo and then go back to whatever routine worked best for you in the past, even if it has ingredients that aren't "LHC-approved" (ie sulfates and cones-- different things work for different people). Stick with that for at least a few weeks and see if your hair starts looking and feeling better.

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but it's entirely possible that your hair is just damaged, and it's more visible now that you've stopped smoothing down the splits and roughness with cones and chemicals. If they didn't seem like they were doing your hair any harm, try going back to cones for a couple weeks and see if the damage becomes less evident. If so, stick with that! Just clarify once a month or so to keep them from building up. I think one of the main tenets of LHC is that nothing works for everyone-- do whatever makes your hair happy.

I don't know exactly what the tap water's like in Perth, but some people with hard water have had good luck with ACV rinses, which neutralise the pH of everything happening on your head. You can also try doing final rinse with distilled water to try to get some of the minerals out of your hair before it dries.

While you're trying all of this stuff out, do what you can to prevent mechanical damage-- invest in a good brush or comb and a satin pillowcase, try to keep your hair in updos as much as possible, and wear a hat or scarf to prevent sun and wind damage.

Good luck!

[teela1978]

Your new hair won't look like the old hair... unless you're still dying and blowdrying the heck out of it.

Basically you'll need to take extra care of the damaged bits until you cut them off. If your ends are suddenly feeling icky then a clarifying wash might be in order. If not, then I'd try a moisturizing treatment of some sort, perhaps something with protein if its damaged. Also, cones can be awesome for damaged hair (it varies a bit). Perhaps a bit of serum on the ends to help keep them from tangling in eachother and breaking off would help?

ETA: also, if you're regularly swimming in salt water start thinking about how to protect your hair a bit. Pre-wetting does wonders, as does a bit of oil before going in. Also, washing (with shampoo) immediately after to get rid of extra salt helps.

If its just a dry climate that your hair isn't used to, a spritzer can help as well, or even just rubbing your damp hands over it now and then. Keeping a bit of moisture on your hair won't hurt!

[DragonLady]

Late last year I stumbled across LHC and since then, I stopped blow drying, I use sulfate free shampoos, I wash only every 4 days or even less, bought a Vitamin C dechlorinating attachment for the shower and I tried the following:

CO Washing with Garnier Fructis Nutri Repair (or sth like that, its protein free), Coconut Oil as leave in and pre washing, SMT (with honey, without honey, with/without aloe etc etc), clarifying and chelating (with Joico), followed by protein and then moisture treatment and i looked into the whole protein-moisture balance thing. So I tried no protein, lots of moisture and also tried protein and moisture.
I probably forgot a few things that I've tried, but the end of the story is, that allthough the root part that is growing since last year May without blow drying etc looks better (not as damaged) then the rest, but is still looking dry and I fear that once the "new hair"reaches the length lower than the ear it will be just as damaged, dry and horrible as the rest.

I suggest slowing down...way down.

You say the hair that is growing in now looks better. That's good. You may eventually have to cut off the portions that are damaged now; but I understand in the meantime you want to establish a routine that will lessen the chances of the new growth becoming just as damaged.

To that end, I second the advice of a spray bottle. But I would just use plain distilled or purified water for a while, and spray the hair until it's damp several times a day. I also think you might be better off going back to your Pantene S&C for a while, and seeing how you like them.

Continue to keep the healthy habits and avoiding the blow dryer, and just give it a month or two before doing anything new. Then, just try changing one thing for a month or so before deciding if it's making things better or worse. For instance you might try doing CO with the Pantene twice a week, or CSC for a while, to see if that makes things better or worse. And do a keep a log of the changes you make so you won't forget any, and so you'll know for sure what is working and what is not.

[Karina02]

Thanks so much for the replies.
I will probably go with a combination of the suggestions.
I will get a spritzer bottle for moisturising during the day. Hopefully it wont make my hair super frizzy. Cause it is usually at its worst while it dries after washing. So I hope I don't create "the constantly drying mane", but its worth a try.
I always thought about rinsing my hair with drinking water, but its a bit costly and just somehow feels like a waste.. I don't know. Something is stopping me from doing it.
I will clarify tonight, haven't done it for a while and will also give the ACV rinse a go.
Thanks DragonLady, you calmed my nerves a bit and maybe I AM on the right way. Will definitely stay away from those nasty blowdryers and maybe give Pantene one more go. Maybe just use it every now and then and see what happens. Fingers crossed. if I find something that helps, I will post.

Thanks so much for the tips and the moral support. I needed that :puppykisses:

Ha, you guys have the cutest smileys. Love it.

[Karina02]

Apologies that all my sentences seem to start with "I". How arrogant! :shake:

[hairstuck]

You could also try a filtered-water showerhead.
They are about $30.

[barely.there]

i would also suggest microtrimming bi-weekly/monthly to slowly trim off the damaged bits. after a couple months, you'll see the thickness grow down, and feel so much happier without having to forgo the length you have now. :) Microtrimming also helps your hair cooperate with you better.