i can relate,i am 20 years old too and i have your exact same back story.i know it's your hair and you can do whatever you want to it but think about it you already have heat damaged hair but still use the hair straightener(not as before which is a good step but still use it alot and heat protectant will not protect your hair )what i want to say is your hair needs a break. even if you cut all the damage off you will start the same cycle again but at a very shorter length.
based on my experience,i stopped completely using heat for 8 months and microtrimmed my hair alot.this is the best thing i have ever done to my hair.start motivating yourself and see pictures of hair journeys here on LHC.
if you just want a straightforward answer to your question;you can't fix damage or breakage you have to trim it gradually or chop it.
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