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If I continue to grow my hair out will it start to look healthier at some point or will the damage keep getting worse? I want to avoid having to shave my head & start over at all costs, but like anyone I want to have the healthiest looking hair possible.I use conditioners and dont shampoo too often but that doesnt seem to help. That picture was done after I took a shower so its not completely dry, but you can kind of see all the damaged and fly-away hair. I am not sure if they are split ends or not. Has anyone else grown their hair out even after severe damage? I would rather grow it all out and then trim the damaged ends, rather than get a buzz and start over from scratch. What is the best option here?
Your best option is definetly to leave it alone and keep doing the hair care things you have been doing and sooner or later your hair will be fine. To tell you the truth, the hair in the pic doesn't look damaged to me, it just doesn't look combed. My hair has that fly away look to it sometimes when it is slightly wet and at times when it is dry, especially on a humid day. I say wait untill you have the length you desire and then proceed with trimming out damage if need be. BUT DON"T START OVER, YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!Good luck, dude! (And to all others who read this, give this guy some advice and incouragement out there! Let's see some coaching going on for this longhaired brother in need!!)
You don't need to start over. Your hair doesn't look damaged at all, it just looks frizzy. "flyaways" are not damaged hair. You just need to find a product to control them. I'm still finding one to call my own but it will generally be some sort of thicker (as in a little thicker than water) liquid that you just squeeze a few drops on you hand and rub it through your hair to keep it tame. Whatever you do, DON'T CUT IT. It will do the same exact thing when it grows out again. Later.
David
I would say NO. Do Not start over. Just leave it alone. It's hard to do, really, because you look at it and the first thing you think is, "I gotta do something about this," when in fact the best thing to do is Nothing. My hair's not long yet or anything, more like longish (or shortish), but I can definitely say that if you trim it, or do whatever, it'll extend the wait indefinitely, and it won't help it to look better. Trust me, I went in to get my hair styled or whatever some time ago, and it did nothing but extend the time of the awkward stage. If you start over, your hair will eventually just get right back to the point where it is now, and you'll be pissed, because then you'll realize that if you'd have just left it alone, it would be a good length. So No, don't start over.
P.S. I agree, your hair doesn't look damaged at all to me, just a little unkempt or whatever. That's just because it's long enough to be able to move and do stuff on its own, but short enough that you can't really do anything about it. So just wait it out, it'll get better. =]
I wasnt really considering starting over, I just wanted the argument to stay nutral and see what people would say. I know what it is like to have that empty feeling after realizing you've made a huge mistake by cutting it. This is actually my 3rd attempt and I won't give up no matter what. Also when I have used products in the past to tame the frizz, there are always stray hairs that want to stick out, and the strands have a very awkward 'random curliness' appearance, making me think they are damaged. Is this just normal? The hair near the roots is really smooth but as it gets towards the ends, the hair starts to feel like straw but I'm assuming thats just from excessive dryness as my hair has always been dry, but oilier around the scalp. It is still a big relief to know that it will turn out better once it is long. I just have to try and ignore it while going through this awkward stage.