Can hair be too healthy?

[LaFlor]

I was watching a makeover type show a few weeks ago (I can't remember the name of it).

The woman getting the makeover had virgin hair that she had pretty much benignly neglected since she wasn't sure what to do with it.

When it came time for the stylist to do her hair he told her that her hair was too healthy and that it needed some damage to make it more voluminous and manageable. He explained that some people need a little damage in their hair to make it look better.

My first reaction was . After so much time on LHC, even the word damage brings all kind of horrible feelings in me.

But then I got to thinking about my own hair. I can remember having virgin hair that had never been exposed to heat and that was really healthy... and it was really flat and slippery. It couldn't hold bun waves to save it's life and would never stay in any kind of hairstyle.

At the moment my hair has been chemically treated with highlights and it does act different. It doesn't look noticeably damaged, but it does have more volume, holds waves, and doesn't slip out of updos quite as easily (although that is still a problem). I can even see it in my virgin roots, my hair lays much differently (flatter) than it did when my highlights were close to my scalp.

It makes me think that maybe there is some truth to what the stylist was saying. That maybe some hairtypes do better to have a little damage?

Has anyone else noticed that their hair acts/looks better after it has recieved a little mistreatment? That damage gave you that extra volume or hold that you needed?

Could someone's hair possibly be too healthy?

I'm not encouraging anyone to damage their hair on purpose, because I don't know how everyone's hair would react to damage, I was just wondering about the experience of others that have had virgin hair vs. processed hair.

[Shiranshoku]

I'm suffering from insomnia, so excuse my poor wording.

I think the stylist has a point, but I don't agree with the wording. Plus, it depends on how you look at the issue.

I have rather fine, heavy and slippery hair, that is rather unmanageable in virgin state. I have dyed it, and that makes it marginally easier to style. That doesn't mean my hair is too healthy otherwise. It simply means my hair is rather fine, heavy and slippery.

I think learning to handle your hair as it naturally is, is a very important but hard thing to do. Some styles simply don't work for my hair, and I need way more bobby pins than others, etc. But what the stylist says, to me, sounds rather lazy and as if he doesn't know how to deal with different hairtypes.

[UltraBella]

I have a friend like this. Her hair in it's completely virgin state is a limp lifeless mess. Her hair with a Demi color + highlights gives it body and oomph. A good cut can accomplish the same thing for most people too.

[Dovetail]

Eep. He should have called it...texture! Or something.
I never really remember my hair acting differently after dying compared to before. Only that the conditioners provided made my hair soo soft...

[RitaCeleste]

Coloring my hair makes it softer. Natural it feels like wire. I switched to henna and my wiry roots are making me irritable. Stylist have seen it virgin and always recommend some kind of chemical be put on it. Very few like my natural texture me included.

[Amber_Maiden]

Interesting... Yeah, it does make sense.

[Diamond.Eyes]

Sometimes "too" healthy of hair can be a bad thing. This is because when hair is in an extremely healthy state, the cuticle surrounding the cortex ( which is the layer of the hair strand that houses the strength and moisture), can be completely sealed shut. This would block any moisture from entering the hair shaft, and would also make it difficult for the hair to hold any kind of wave or curl. A little porousness in the hair strands is definitely needed.

[spidermom]

I've seen a makeover show where the woman's hair was very limp and straight, and the stylist recommended that she bleach it, then dye it back to her natural color. It had a lot more body after he did that.

Of course, saying "too healthy" depends on what you're trying to achieve. If what you want is hair in the best condition possible, then I don't think there is such a thing as too healthy.

[QueenAnne'sLace]

I agree with the guy on a fact basis, but totally reject the philosophy behind his idea.

Yes. Damaged hair will snag on itself better and hold hairstyles. Coloring hair with harsh chemical dyes often does make hair softer. Coarse hair types will actually soften because hair dye contains a chemical brew that often acts like NAIR, (the hair dissolving lotion some women use to remove leg and underarm hair) and breaks down the hair to allow the color in. The only difference is that you rinse out the dye before it breaks down the hair completely. Drain cleaner (like DRAINO) has the same function. Dissolve hair, clear the drain.

Here's where I have a problem on a philosophical level: What's wrong with the way things are naturally supposed to be? Why do we have to accept damage and potentially hazardous chemicals to fit in with what society considers beautiful or to please ourselves? I think this type of thinking goes along with a view of the outside world which sees natural things as unrefined and lacking in some way; that humans must perfect or make better. The natural form is therefore thought to be deficient. I'd rather view it as having its own merit and purpose.

You could, of course, take it to the extreme and say we should never cut a hair on our bodies anywhere because nature makes it grow. But I'm not talking about extremes. Any philosophy taken to the extreme is hard to have a conversation about.

I don't have any bad feelings toward those who like to use dye or other techniques to get their hair the way they like it. Hey, it's the wonderful thing about being alive! You can choose what you like.

But I just encourage all of the wonderful long-haired people to remind themselves why they do what they do, to truly think about their beliefs, to choose consciously. Then your hair will really be a statement!

[Mesmerise]

I've seen a makeover show where the woman's hair was very limp and straight, and the stylist recommended that she bleach it, then dye it back to her natural color. It had a lot more body after he did that.

Of course, saying "too healthy" depends on what you're trying to achieve. If what you want is hair in the best condition possible, then I don't think there is such a thing as too healthy.

I'm going to agree with this! It's pretty much what I was thinking .

If you want hair that's "too healthy" then that's fine! If you want hair that's a bit more "grippy" perhaps, or voluminous, then it can help to do something chemically damaging to it.

I remember a friend I had some years back who used to perm her hair all the time, and said she had to because her hair was so fine and limp and flat and she couldn't do anything with it unless she permed it, which gave it some body and damaged it enough that it wasn't so limp.

It just depends on what is more important to YOU. Do you want hair that is completely damage free, or do you want hair that perhaps has a bit more body and that you can do more with?

It also depends a LOT on your virgin hair. Not all hair is the same! Still, if I had virgin hair and somebody told me I needed to damage it, I'd put my arms protectively over it and scream "NO! NO!" lol. It has been a loooooong time since I had virgin hair .