So I washed, didn't condition, and slathered my damp hair in neutral protein filler and it feels much, much better.

I'm now remembering that 20 years ago a hairdresser friend used to make me use K-PAC when my hair was cranky from colouring, and my hair looooved it, so I'm not surprised it's responding well now.

I thought I was going to have to chop off the last 2 inches, but now the ends aren't nearly as crunchy. I still need a solid 1 inch trim, but I'm suuuuuper overdue.