Repairing Damaged Hair
Damaged Hair
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Repairing Damaged Hair Takes Patience and TLC
Yesterday, I ran into an acquaintance who had recently tried both a home hair style perm and hair coloring treatment that ended in damaged hair. Her hair was a mess . . . time to wear a wig for a couple of months. She asked for my advice and I told her I would send her an email. Here is my reply:
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There is no hair care product on the market that will repair damaged hair. Truly damaged hair should be cut off and then protected from future damage while the new growth occurs. Quality hair care products can protect the hair from the damaging heat of hair dryers and curling/flat irons. Look for hair care products that moisturize, nourish and strengthen the damaged hair. When hair dries out it will break. You should limit shampooing to every few days or so, however, you could get it wet daily to add moisture and body. With a good hair cut you shouldn’t need a lot of hair styling products. Your hair type should be deep conditioned once or twice a month. This means you should use a heat-activated penetrating conditioner. Heat swells the hair so that the conditioner can penetrate the hair easier. You should use a plastic bag and a hood dryer, and let the heat penetrate for 20 minutes to a half-hour. If you don’t have a hair dryer, wrap a hot towel around your head. Actually you should do this deep conditioning more often up front till you begin to feel the benefits. Like I said earlier, you may need to cut the already damaged hair off and start over. Unfortunately finding the perfect hair care product is a trial-by-error proposition. What works for one persons damaged hair may not work for you. Only a handful of the hundreds of products out there may work for you.
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Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!
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Recently, I went into a salon to have highlights added to my hair. Because my hair was so dark, the stylist advised that she would need to lift my hair before applying color. The color turned out beautiful. Nevertheless, a few days later, I found my already relaxed hair extremely dried and some parts even appear “fried”. I have worked really hard to maintain my hair and the idea of cutting it is totally out of the question. I’m willing to wear a ponytail until my hair is restored. Would you please provide me with some tips on how to get my hair back in shape?
Comment by Michelle Scott — January 25, 2006 @ 4:47 pm
I used to have a similar sort of problem, however i started to use an intense conditioning treatment and leaving it in for a while, even overnight! In addition i tried to stay away from the straighteners as much as possible! Just a few weeks later now my hair is much softer, shinier and better condition. Also when using hair dryers/straighteners always use a protector cream/spray.
Hopefully this helps.
Laura.x
Comment by Laura — April 12, 2006 @ 10:07 am
Hi Laura:
I hear a success story like yours , I’m always anxious to hear the details. Would you be interested in sharing the names of the products that got you this success?
I’m sure others could learn from your experiences and save lots of time and effort in choosing the right products to use.
Comment by Barb — April 12, 2006 @ 3:28 pm
I have naturally curly hair, and i like to straighten it. My hair is relatively healthy considering I have dyed it a few times. I was wondering what would be a good finishing creme? my hair sometimes is poofy for blow drying it
Comment by bri — April 15, 2006 @ 3:04 pm
For about one and a half years my hair has been very damaged and broken. I used to straighten it everyday and i’ve dyed it several times. For a couple months i stopped straightening my hair and used many different products on it. It helped for a little while, then my hair just got even more damaged then before! I’ve tried everything in the book but i don’t know what else i can do. Any suggestions?
Comment by Nicole — April 15, 2006 @ 11:55 pm
Nicole,
Sounds like the damage is past from straightening and coloring…. it may need to cut out. As I said in this article, there is not a product on the market that will repair, they can only protect from future damage.
You may do best to try a new hairstyle that cuts the old damaged hair off.
Good Luck to you!
Comment by Barb — April 20, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
i have very dry and damaged and really thin hair after dyeing it so much i have black hair at the momet and i want to change it to a red i have tryed to put the red over it but it didn’t work i am scared if i try it again it will fall out and i want to know how to get my hair thick again and healthy?
Comment by tik — May 12, 2006 @ 4:02 am
Hi Tik,
You are right to be scared of coloring again! Just don’t do it yourself… have a professional look at it and tell you what options you have.
Meanwhile shampoo with a clarifying shampoo, it may help remove some color…then condition.
Good Luck
Comment by Barb — May 12, 2006 @ 6:22 pm
I’ve straightened my hair for 4 times now in a span of 24 years. My last was about 2 years ago. I’ve already gone through haircuts many times to remove damaged hair. It is still unmanageable and it seems to be more curly than it used to be before I have it straightened. I also have hair fallouts. I’ve tried locally made conditioners and globally-known intensive care conditioners but still they look spongy. Please help….
Comment by Cathy — July 1, 2006 @ 2:39 am
MY HAIR IS REALLY DAMAGED DUE TO COLOR AND PERM. BREAKING REALLY BAD WHEN IT’S WET AND SHEDDING BADLY WHEN DRY DO YOU SUGGEST A COMPLETE HAIR CUT OR PROTEIN TREATMENTS AND DEEP CONDITIONERS OR IS THE DAMAGE BEYOND REPAIR. I’VE HAD LONG HAIR FOR SO LONG I’M TERRIFIED OF A HAIR CUT TISH……..
Comment by Tish — September 15, 2006 @ 4:42 pm
Tish,
You HAVE to cut your hair. You know that one saying that goes, “If you cut your hair, it would grow faster.” Well it’s a fact. By cutting your hair, you’ll take off your ends, the most damaged areas in your hair. You don’t have to do an extreme cut, a trim would be fine. 1/2 an inch, an inch, or whatever floats your boat.. your hair will heal faster if you cut it. Most people assume they won’t look good with short hair, but you might love it once you try it. After cutting it, take Barb’s advice. Deep conditioning once or twice a week will heal your cuticles inside your hair. BEST LUCKKK!
Comment by Lynne — November 28, 2006 @ 5:38 pm
OKay. You don’t *have* to cut your hair at all. Although trimming it every few months will help it feel more alive and lighter. It will not help it grow faster. Hair grows at a set rate, around 6 inches a month. Nothing you can do (other than extenstions) will help that. As for repairing, I advise you to stop using straighteners/blow dryers and dying or bleaching your hair. There are a few good conditioners out there that actually work to rebuild your hairs strenght and make it look less fryed. If you can’t find those wash your hair in warm water and condition in cold. The cold water locks the moisture and shine in your hair because it opens up the shaft of your hair to allow the conditioner to get in deeper.
If you like to change your hair color a lot, or are thinking of starting, I advise to you to use Simi-Permenant hairdyes and NO HENNA. Henna is really hard to get out of your hair, same with black hair dye. If you go black don’t expect to go back until it grows out your you fry your hair by bleaching it.
Comment by Ash — February 27, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
my hair has always been coarse and fried…i dye it a lot and i straighten it atleast 4 times a week…i know its bad but im sure all of you guys can relate..sometimes you get that urge to change your hair…and i can never tell myself no…well i had really long hair and i cut 7 inches off after i graduated and i loved it, but then i highlighted it again and now it seems really damaged, but mainly my bangs..which arent really short but they arent the same length as my hair…so i was thinking about cutting it, and i have no prob cutting my hair i am very adventurous with my hair but i’m afraid it will look even more fried b/c of my bangs….what do i do about that?
Comment by Amber — August 22, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
Hi
Very interesting information! Thanks!
G’night
Comment by hiutopor — September 17, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
Okay, being that it is Christmas, I am a little strapped for cash. I usually get my hair done professionally (hilights and lowlights, brown/ blonde). Well, trying to save money, yesterday I bought Clairol Original born blond blonding kit (left it on for the full 90 minutes) but it still had orange. I assumed that once I put the toner on, this would go away, it didn’t….it just darkened the blonde a bit, but left the orange. So, this morning I tried to bleach it with a different brand (it made it completely yellow (some hint of orange) I called clairol & they told me the toner to use and mix w/ 2 oz shampoo. I did that and my hair still just looks ridiculously YELLOW! Any advice…can a professional fix it at this point? ~Jen
Comment by Jennifer Coffman — December 17, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
hello, i straighten my hair quite alot. But not so much now as my hair is breaking and the fringe is becoming frizzy and breaking off. It is becoming really scary for me as my hair quite thin and i dont want to lose my hair. But i really dont want cut my hair off. I was talking to my friend and she said shave it all off, but i thought she was mad as i really dont want to get rid of my hair. please help me!!! im really scared. HELP !!!!!!!!!
Comment by lauren — January 23, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
im mixed and my hair is damaged.i need to know how to get it healthy and curly again.its shorter and breaking off from dying and straightening it.but i need help on it getting healthy.thank yu
Comment by Adrienne — February 20, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
Adrienne,
If it’s breaking off, see a good stylist. At the very least they may trim and get a good shape to your hair. If it’s damaged all the way down the hair shaft, you’re best bet will be to cut the damage off and start over.
Sorry but maybe it can be saved!
Comment by Barb — February 21, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Okay im only 14 but Ive dyed my hair alot.
It use to be about to my waiste dark dark brown and i decided to dye it blonde about 8 months ago and streaked my hair. I dyed it like 3 times blonde and when I got tired of it I dyed it back brown and it was too light well when I dyed it again and instead of it turning brown it went black well I cut it to about my chin, I hated it black so i tryed brown one more time and it went red. I tryed blonde again and it went white! I dyed it once more and it was brown way to light so I dyed it darker now its the color now Its so dry and I dont know why I didnt relize it! I want it to grow and its been around 9 months and its only shoulder length I use a straightner but I do put flat iron on it before I use it. I want it to grow sooooo bad and it wont Its really damaged and Im shampooing it alot and condetioning it alot its helped a little bit but not much what do I use how can I fix it?
Comment by Daniele — May 13, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Daniele,
Do I really need to tell you to STOP!
Stop coloring, stop using too much heat, stop forcing your hair into submission!
Do more deep conditioning treatments and less shampooing. I’m afraid the damage is not repairable, but ask a stylist who can see and feel your hair. Maybe you will be able to do with trimming it every 4 to 6 weeks . . . can’t say without seeing it!
Best of Luck!
Comment by Barb — May 14, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
right. im 14, and i dye my hair an awful lot, but i hate my natural hair colour you see because its ginger. so i used to dye it light brown with blonde highlights, but then i dyed it dark brown for around a year. ive just dyed my hair black, and my hair is starting to become “elastic”, and its started to stretch :S also when its wet if i pull it a little bit hairs come off, and when i brush it i malt extremeley bad. i straighten my hair everyday, sometimes twice aday if needed as my hair is naturally wavy. please help me, i think its going to break off, and ive wanted to grow my hair for ages now, i even wear extensions. my hair is shoulder length and wont shift with growth!! help please!
Comment by demi — August 2, 2008 @ 2:56 pm