Strengthening Hair Care Recs?

[belleweather]

I just went to get a trim from an actual skilled hairstylist, who talked to me a bunch about the apparently shitty condition of my shoulder-length wavy hair. She was super concerned about it being weak and prone to splitting and breaking not just at the ends, but all the way up the hair shaft. We had to take a bunch of length off (well, okay, a

Comments

[intestinalcrypt]

I would highly suggest that you try Aveda products. They claim to be all-natural/calming/etc. I haven't used them myself, but I know many people who do & love them

[intestinalcrypt]

Another thought, before buying a product you should ask the stylist if you can sample it. Even if it's just putting a dab of the shampoo/conditioner behind your ear & waiting 48 hours to see if you have a reaction. Better safe than sorry.

[belleweather]

Right now I'm just using a normal store shampoo with no 'special fathers' (Trader Joe's Sulfate-free citrus) and Nexxus Humectress as a conditioner for curl control. I love the Aveda products because they smell soooo good, but I haven't found anything yet that doesn't leave my hair all dry and frizzed out. Which may be a protein thing, too.

I will give the mayo and the KPAK and restorative oil a try -- I usually do just fine with leave in products as long as I'm careful putting them on, since they don't wash all down my body when I shower.

[caliginous]

I'd ignore your stylist and look at how you care for your hair currently. Protein treatments temporarily shore up damage, but they aren't permanent fixes, and they can burn hair if used too much. You'll be better off with a deep conditioning treatment, and being really nice to your hair-no heat, no metal accessories, no brushing when wet, etc. There are some great care memories at longhair you should look at.

If you still want to try protein, the above suggestions of egg or may are great. Just rinse with cool water or it'll scramble in your hair, and don't leave it in too long.

If you are sensitive, I would NOT use Aveda products, they are horribly scented and can cause problems. I had aveda hairspray used on my hair once, and it took 3 washings over a week to get the smell out.

[intestinalcrypt]

Thanks for posting about Aveda. Like I said, I've never used them myself, but I always heard how gentle/natural their products were supposed to be. Not to mention, I have literally NO sense of smell, so I wouldn't even know about the scents. haha Thanks for sharing.

[belleweather]

Yep, I used to be a member at longhair so I'm already in the know as far as heat, metal, brushing, etc. I'm doing all the right stuff, I just have brittle hair in the top layer. I've got two very different textures of hair (a fairly heavy curl in front and on the top layers, and a very heavy straight and smooth texture toward the bottom) and I think it's just a function of genetics and the way it grows. I may try biotin supplementation later on, but there are some health reasons why that might not be a great idea long-term.

[twig687]

Recently, I was doing some online research about my own dry, brittle, unmanageable hair, and I read an article that said that SHAMPOO is actually really hard on your hair, and you should only use it once in a while. So this is what I do now, and I found out that my friend does the same thing--except she hardly EVER uses shampoo: I use shampoo maybe once or twice per week (depending on if I've been sweating or something like that, and then it only use a little, mostly on my scalp, and rinse it really well. Then I use a really good conditioner, let it sit on my hair while I shave my legs and wash the rest of me. Then I rinse out the conditioner with cooler water, and I DON'T RINSE IT ALL THE WAY OUT. I make sure it's mostly off my scalp, but I want to feel that it's still on the ends of my hair. Then I towel dry it, gently, before I blow dry it. And when I'm done blowing it dry, I make sure I use the "cold shot" button on my dryer to help the cuticle lay down

[belleweather]

Thanks for the hint! I already shampoo only every 3ish days, because my skin can't handle it any more often. I tried going no-poo entirely, but it really didn't work for me. Shampooing every three days and otherwise just rinse with water works waaaaaay better. I'd never be able to get my hair this long if I was washing every day -- plus, I'd look like a lizard person!

I've heard really good things about Argan oil, so I'll give it a shot.

[blondecritiq]

i have found ion products to be great
i have also found anything with olive oil they call it "olive oil" shampooi think
hot oil treatments for texture, and queen helene's or something ? protein treatment is great

and remember to keep it well trimmed

[high_impact]

Aubrey makes a SLS free protein conditioner.

If you're going to look at conditioners or treatments make sure that you check to make sure that they're silicone free