new thread
Hey all. My name is Zach and I'm a 16 year old trying to grow out my hair. I play guitar and love heavy metal music so it was almost a must for me to have long hair. Right now my hair is just past shoulder length. I've always wanted to have long super straight silky hair such as Alexi Laiho, Jeff Hanneman, Varg Vikernes, etc. My hair is naturally brown and a little wavy. I always shampoo it, use conditioner, blowdry it, then straighten it so it's dead straight, but now I think I've damaged it. It's very dry and course like straw so I've stopped straightening it. So I guess my questions are:
1.) Once your hair is damaged, can you get it healthy again? My mom said that it's damaged for good and I'll have to cut it and grow it out again but I've already spent like 2 years growing it out and I don't want to start over!
2.) If there is some product or method to get it healthy again what is it? Do they make something to get hair healthy again?
3.) I know blowdrying is bad for your hair but my mom forces me to lol. And I've stopped straightening it for now, but I really want straight hair and gels and sprays don't do the trick. Is there anyway I can have straight hair without damaging it???
Thanks everyone!!!
Hi Zach. I'm new to this forum myself, but I have been growing my hair for the past seven years so I am definitely qualified in giving you good hair growing tips.
Hair is actually dead protein. The only part of it that's living is the follicle that is below your scalp hidden from view, all the hair you see even your roots are already dead cells. So in effect, you can't really repair damaged hair as it has no veins to supply blood and nutrients to rebuild itself.
If your hair is already on the dry side or is damaged, there really isn't anything you can truly do to make it not damaged. However, there are plenty of conditioners and other products that can mask damage and make your hair feel like its healthier. First of all, please limit any heat styling on your hair. It is definitely one of the contributing causes of your hair feeling dry, so don't blow dry as much or only dry it to the point where its damp but not totally dry and let the rest air-dry. I personally apply both olive oil and coconut oil to my hair say every 2 or 3 weeks and leave it in for at least an hour. These two specific oils will really help re-add moisture to your hair. After the hour is up, wash it out with shampoo just once(you don't want to wash out all the oil you just put in your hair) and even if it feels a bit greasy just bear with it, since your hair is long enough you can slick it back into a ponytail. Over the next few days the oil will completely absorb into your hair and it won't look as greasy. I've used all sorts of conditioners as well, but my hair is different from yours so you will need to experiment on your own which type of conditioner works best on your individual hair. But for me personally, I love Pantene, John Frieda, and Loreal Paris Vive Pro Nutri-gloss(the pink bottle that treats damaged hair) they work wonders detangling my hair. Try those brands they might do the same for you!
A pic would be nice so we can see what the "damage" looks like.