new thread
Hello to everyone! I'm a 16-year old, and I've been growing my hair for about 2 years now. I've been off the scissors for a while, beacuse I snipped the ends 14 months ago, the last time I cut my hair. My hair was curly and wavy(it's really mixed lol), so I did a chemical treatment to make it go down, and so the awkward phase came and went. Now, my hair is really dry, 80% of the strands are damaged and broken, and there are lots of split ends as well. My hair is now wavy, and VERY volumous. I've been washing it once a week with a Pantene shampoo, and using a treatment called novex(probably avaliable only here in brazil)after shampooing. I had no one to help me from the begginning, and I never used oils or stuff as such. Does anyone know of a way to "recover" my hair's good shape? It's also very frizzy on the top of the head. I really don't wanna go all over it again, despite everyone tells me to cut it. Thanks for the attention, and sorry for the kilometric text! I'm very happy to find a community of longhairs, now I have people to talk about it! Oh, btw, can someone tell me how to post pictures? I wanna post a pic of my actual hair so you guys can see my mane lol.
Lots of hugs from Andy Beta!!!
I don't know if it would help or not but I've heard of people really soaking it all up with olive oil and wrapping it up in plastic with a towel over that (keep the heat in). Supposedly if you leave it in like that all day/night or so then wash it out it might help some. I don't know for sure though.
It really depends on the extent of the damage, just by reading what you have said it sounds bad. However, if you are able to provide a picture then people could probably better be able to point you in the right direction. You say that it is really dry and 80% is damaged, that is a lot of damage. Without being able to look at it again it is hard to say what to do. Oils, shampoos, and conditioners can only do so much but they wont repair split ends and fuse them back together. However, they will help repair the hair that can be repaired and to keep the healthy hair looking healthy. How far up the shaft are the split ends, maybe a minor cut would do some good to prevent further splitting and damage. Again not a lot can be said without pictures to show the extent of the chemical damage.
Ziggy
Hi Andy and welcome to the board. You will find plenty of good advice from you fellow members, and if you can post a pic, as Ziggy mentioned, the problem will become easier to advise on.
Good luck. Ian
Hey hey everybody. First, thanks to you all for the attention. As I didn't described my hair completely, here it goes: It's very mixed, the roots are straight, the length is wavy and the ends curls up a little bit. I think the breakage did reach only a few roots of strands, and is about once and a half from the roots for those that did not reached it yet. The split ends are not very long, and a trim of two inches would probably solve this problem. My hair is very dry and it only sees water once a week. After it's soaked, it gets very curly and with no volume. When combed, it gets really big. It also has a lot of tangles, which are hard to undo, and doing so probably makes the breakage worse. I untangle it twice a day, with my fingers and a wooden untangling comb. Well, to the pictures:
Do not be fooled by the shine, as it's because of the flash. I took these pics right after untangling and combing. After the combing and a little of wind blowing, this is what it looks like:
So, this is what my mane looks like. Been trying to grow it like Robert Plant's hair, but the waves don't help lol. The idea of making a Perm to curl my hair up crossed my mind, but I'm really afraid of using chemical treatments on my hair again...
For now, this is all, my long-haired friends! Thanks to all of you for your assist!
Big Hug from AndyBeta.
I think you were over exaggerating dude, your hair looks fantastic! Try to think of the split ends in this light. Split ends are usually associated with the bottom of your hair, or the tips. You mentioned you have been growing out for 2 years, so what do you expect lol? The hair at the bottom is bound to be the worst quality, as it has been subject to the elements for a greater period of time :P The dry hair may just be down to the humid, hot weather with the arrival of summer, I would try applying conditioner to give it a slight shine and refresh the roots.
Thanks for posting, James
Hi Andy.
Thanks for posting the pics. Your hair is fantastic, there are many who whould love to have those waves and curls. But, we are all individual and have to cope with the genetics have passed down to us. My advice would be to stay well clear of any chemical treatmment. Use natural products, good conditioners and Vatika coconut oil as recommended by many on this board, then just let your hait grow and flow!
Best regards, Ian
Just as people said with pictures it really helps for us to decide how to help you. Also, as most have already stated it doesn't seem as bad as you made it out to be. I would suggest if there are a lot of split ends maybe an inch or so off the bottom, and then start a conditioning regimen. Based upon the pic it doesn't look like the split ends are far up. As for it being dry again I think you maybe confusing the slight frizzyness and volume of your hair with being dry, just start conditioning and don't comb it harshly and it should be easier. As for the Robert Plant imagery I know what you mean, HAWT, lol. Here is my favorite image of him. Umm can I have a large fries and a drink with him to go thank you. yum lol.
Ziggy
Just as people said with pictures it really helps for us to decide how to help you. Also, as most have already stated it doesn't seem as bad as you made it out to be. I would suggest if there are a lot of split ends maybe an inch or so off the bottom, and then start a conditioning regimen. Based upon the pic it doesn't look like the split ends are far up. As for it being dry again I think you maybe confusing the slight frizzyness and volume of your hair with being dry, just start conditioning and don't comb it harshly and it should be easier. As for the Robert Plant imagery I know what you mean, HAWT, lol. Here is my favorite image of him. Umm can I have a large fries and a drink with him to go thank you. yum lol.
Ziggy
Hey Ziggy! You're so right, Plant is awesomely hawt. His hair is, at the very least, epic. Such an inspiration for a lot of Rock singers. Even now that he is old, he still got it! His hair looks a lot thinner today, but is still beautiful.
For now this is it, I'm going to listen to my Led Zeppelin IV disc, after this talk I felt like doing it...
Hugs from AndyBeta!
Gorgeous hair Andy!
Welcome aboard.
Best bit of advise I can give is stay well away from excessive washing, blow drying, treatments, etc.
Treat your hair like a favorite wool sweater that you want to have last a lifetime - not like a t-shirt that gets thrown through the wash everyday.
I wash my hair once, sometimes twice, per week at the most, and use only simple shampoo/conditioners (cheap "healthfood store" brands usually work fine for me). Let it air-dry and gently finger comb with a few drops of Jojoba oil on my fingertips.
I keep my hair protected in multiple hair-ties most of the time.
In a nutshell, it's a "numbers game" against wear and tear.
If you're unhappy with your hair at any time, just stay away from the mirror for awhile. It'll sort it self out.
Big hugs back atcha - Onward and Downward!
- Oren
Oops, I put the links the wrong way. Here is the Vatika Oil:
http://www.indiamegastore.com.br/ayurveda/oleo-p-cabelo-vatika-dabur.html
And the Amla one:
http://www.indiamegastore.com.br/oleo-p-cabelo-de-amla-dabur-200ml-ayu-001.html
Can you guys say if it ise th one you use? How I live in Brazil, I'm a little afraid that it is not the same thing.
Hugs from AndyBeta!