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Anastasia

Amethyst

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LongLocks Rocks!

Posts: 5

Chemically damaged hair:/
Apr 19^th, 2010 at 5:14pm

I've always had mid-back length blonde hair. At 16 I was very stupid and decided I wanted to get a perm, I had never treated my hair chemically whatsoever before. So the perm ruined my hair, it's been 3 years now and although the permed hair is practically all gone thanks to constant trimming, my hair has never gone back to the way it used to be. In addition to this I have died my hair with Garnier permanent color about 5 times now. My hair has lost it's natural shine and is always frizzy. What can I do?

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Angel

Emerald

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carpe noctem

Posts: 366
Gender: female

Re: Chemically damaged hair:/
Reply #1 - Apr 19^th, 2010 at 10:16pm

Aww, hon.

I know your pain, and unfortunately, the best (and only, really) way to do away with damaged hair is to cut it off. It may require a pretty big chop initially, but I can assure you it's worth it. Have you by chance read the Ultimate Guide To Growing Long Hair? It can be quite helpful in the initial stages.

After cutting off all of the damage, it's imperative to begin taking the best care of your hair possible. No more artificial colour or chemical treatments. Clean slate.

As your hair grows out, you'll want to keep getting regular trims - at least once every 6 months. Using deep conditioning treatments and oil can also help, depending on what your hair likes. You'll have to experiment quite a bit to find out what works and what doesn't...it's part of the process, but it can be fun.

Not least, of course, you'll need an ample amount of patience. Damaged hair doesn't fix itself overnight - it takes time, and you'll need to help it along the way. Invest in some quality products - everything from gentle, moisturizing products to seamless combs. Take care of your hair and it will take care of you.

Anyway, those are the basic ideas behind healthy, long hair. Remember that confusion and frustration are a normal part of the journey - we've all been there. So feel free to poke around the site and gather as much info as you can. The rest of us are here if you have specific questions or just want to vent. Wink

Oh, and where are my manners? Welcome to LongLocks.

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Curlgirl64 Stardust Offline Practice Yoga,give and receive Reiki Posts: 2974 Brooklyn,N.Y. Gender:	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #2 - Apr 20^th, 2010 at 7:37am Welcome,Anastasia! Your texture can and will change over the course of your life. Alot of factors are involved,what you eat,drink,exposure to the elements,etc. The most important thing is to take care of your hair and Angel is right,your hair will take care of you! Feel free to ask questions and look around the site!
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melusine

Sapphire

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Believe and whatever you
want will come true

Posts: 216
Chicago suburb
Gender: female

Re: Chemically damaged hair:/
Reply #3 - Apr 21^st, 2010 at 10:03pm

Hi, Anastasia, and welcome to Longlocks.

You can try oiling your hair to tame the frizzies. Many of us use jojoba oil, 1 or 2 drops rubbed between your palms then applied to the hair. Do it the nite before you shampoo. Deep conditioning treatments help. Apply a deep conditioner to wet hair, cover with a plastic cap, then wrap it all up in a warm, damp towel (2 min in the microwave) and leave on for 30 min., then rinse thoroughly. Mayonnaise applied to dry hair for 30 min before you shampoo can do wonders. You'll need a plastic cap for that treatment, too. Don't do any deep conditioning treatment oftener than once a week, at most; once every 2 weeks is better.

If you are going to color your hair, get it done professionally. Don't attempt permanent color at home. It never turns out well.

Look for moisturizing shampoos and conditioners. Most manufacturers and lines offer them. You can try switching to sulfate-free products. L'Oreal, TIGI Bedhead and Burt's Bees all have them. I love the Burt's Bees. BTW, I color my hair, but have it done professionally, so I color and get the ends micro-trimmed every 4 wks.

For seamless combs, look for bone or wooden combs. I get bone combs at Sallys Beauty Supply, wood combs from Ric the combmaker. You can find him on-line. His aren't cheap (around $25) but they are really nice. You won't have static in your hair if you use a wooden comb. Oh, yes, he puts your name on the comb. It's a nice touch.

You probably are better off using a comb, rather than a brush on your hair. Brushing can encourage the frizzies.

I hope this info helps. Keep us posted on your progress, sweetie.

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Anastasia Amethyst Offline LongLocks Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #4 - Apr 23^rd, 2010 at 1:18pm Thank you for the warm welcome, and thank you very much for the advice I'm definitely changing my routine, and ordering a wooden comb!
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melusine Sapphire Offline Believe and whatever you want will come true Posts: 216 Chicago suburb Gender:	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #5 - May 4^th, 2010 at 12:47am Just wondered how you are doing? Have the changes helped? I know it's a little soon, but if you have done any of the conditioning treatments, you should begin to see a difference.
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Anastasia Amethyst Offline LongLocks Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #6 - Jun 13^th, 2010 at 6:07pm Thanks for wondering, I have been using wooden brushes and paul mitchell moisture and strength conditioning treatments, the brushes take away the static, but unfortunately my hair keeps breaking easily so now i have random short hairs all over which stick out and the bottom half of my hair is still frizzy:(
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Anastasia Amethyst Offline LongLocks Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #7 - Jun 14^th, 2010 at 9:50am Here are some photos of my hair, it actually got worse over the past week for some reason:/
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Angel

Emerald

Offline

carpe noctem

Posts: 366
Gender: female

Re: Chemically damaged hair:/
Reply #8 - Jun 14^th, 2010 at 12:56pm

Egad. I have the same thing going on.
Guess it's time to explain the S&D process.

"Seek & Destroy" is a method of damage reduction on individual ends that poke out of the rest. Different people have different ways of doing it, but I find the best way is to pick out one wonky end at a time and cut it off wherever it starts to look damaged (usually about an inch or two from the end).

Yes, it's painstaking and it takes forever, but it does help. I find it works best to divide the hair into 4 sections and work on one section per day. However long you spend on it is up to you. I can only afford about 15 minutes per section/day.

Anyway, do this once a month if you can and you will notice a difference. Cheers!

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Anastasia Amethyst Offline LongLocks Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Chemically damaged hair:/ Reply #9 - Jun 14^th, 2010 at 1:44pm Thanks a lot for your advice! I think one reason for all the breakage is because I left a protein treatment on too long (30 minutes) without any moisturizing treatment...does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to fix my breakage problem??
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kittennoodlesoup

Sapphire

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2aF/Mii, 33/39.5/45

Posts: 221
the 'Burgh
Gender: female

Re: Chemically damaged hair:/
Reply #10 - Aug 26^th, 2010 at 1:46pm

Damaged hair is much more likely to break than healthy hair. Since you've mentioned that your hair has been chemically damaged, there's only so much you can do before you reach a length where all the damage has been removed.

Check your hair. Does it feel dry and crunchy? Try doing a deep conditioning treatment. Wash your hair and while still wet, slather on a lot of conditioner. Wrap it up in a shower cap or cling wrap and let it sit for a couple of hours. If you have a heating cap, you can use that and cut your wait down to just half an hour. Rinse thoroughly out and let dry.

Is it soft but fragile feeling? You probably need another protein treatment. Since you've already done a protein treatment, I'd recommend a few deep treatments, probably once a week.

Another thing you can do is to start babying your hair even more. Ditch the paddle brushes, as it is too difficult to feel what it is doing with your hair. Invest in a good seamless comb, and really take your time with coaxing out tangles. S&D will help keep tangles to a minimum, while you're growing out.

Do you have a satin pillowcase? Check out getting one of these, (they can be bought fairly cheaply at K-mart or Bed Bath and Beyond, and look into some protective night-time hairstyles.

Good luck!

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