Serious help needed with hair

mrsberries

Due to overprocessing and styling, im having serious hair issues. My shoulder length hair has broken off around the front, crown and underneath. The big problem here is Im geting married in less than 4 months so really worried :eek::(. I went to a hairdressers a month ago and got a good bit cut so it looks a little thicker and when I went to get my highlights done last week, the colourist refused to highlight it. Ive now a semi permanent colour which Ill keep until the wedding.

Im using kerastase shampoo and conditioner(light green bottle for fragile hair), redken anti-snap and supplements from boots for hair. Does anyone know of any other wonder product that will protect/strenghthen my hair?

Any advice very welcome!

Stella777

First of all, I'd stop coloring it! Not even semi-permanent. And I'd avoid any kind of heat styling, like blow drying or especially flat irons.
Never brush it when it's wet.
Make sure you are not shampooing too much. I'm not sure there really are products that can fix hair once it's broken.

L'Oreal Serie Expert Liss Extreme smoothing masque is great though for keeping it well conditioned as it grows in.

Include plenty of nuts, seeds, avocados in your diet. You might even consider taking fish oils and or flax seed oil capsules.

beauty101

Try sleeping with coconut oil on your hair. You can get it in most health food stores. Give your scalp a good massage while you're applying it + leave it overnight. It's great for nourishing the scalp + dry hair.

As other posters have said stop colouring and heat styling your hair.

Let it dry naturally + don't blow dry it.

There's a protein masque that Frederic Fekkai do called "protein RX" which is brilliant for dead ends, its expensive though but really worth it.

dellas1979

Rosemary oil.

It helps with regrowth and it helps with the condition of the hair. You get it in health food store (just make sure it is good quality).

You massage it in for a few mins and leave over night. As one other poster said, I wouldnt wash it everyday also. So maybe apply rosemary oil the night before you wash it. Seriously works wonders.

beauty101

If you're using Rosemary oil, only use it diluted 1 drop to 5ml of a carrier oil such as Sesame/Sweet Almond/Coconut (all great for hair)

It's also not wise to use rosemary oil at night because it's one of the most stimulating essential oils

mrsberries

Thanks everyone for your replies! Ive bought some dry shampoo so i wont wash my hair everyday. Im going to have a look into the rosemary oil...had never heard of it for hair growth before

dcfc

You could also try taking a vitamin tablet called Perfectil. You can get it in most chemists and some of the supermarkets. Its great for hair and nails.

Stench Blossoms

Keep using the Kerastas shampoo. It's an excellent shampoo for helping dry/damaged hair.

dellas1979

I hadnt heard of it either msberries and didnt believe it until I tried it - it works miracles.

I dont dilute it as beauty101 suggests - although you can do this.

I also have no problems using it at night and dont know what she means by giving what I think is a kind of warning "its not wise to use at night as its one of the most stimulating oils" - the whole point is to stimulate the senses and the scalp. Ive done my research on it before using it on my head (hey I dont want my hair falling out) but maybe beaut could clarify this?

beauty101

dellas1979 wrote: »

I hadnt heard of it either msberries and didnt believe it until I tried it - it works miracles.

I dont dilute it as beauty101 suggests - although you can do this.

I also have no problems using it at night and dont know what she means by giving what I think is a kind of warning "its not wise to use at night as its one of the most stimulating oils" - the whole point is to stimulate the senses and the scalp. Ive done my research on it before using it on my head (hey I dont want my hair falling out) but maybe beaut could clarify this?

I'm a qualified aromatherapist-so my source is personal experience along with a year studying aromatherapy + case studies.

Essential oils should never be used neat with the exception of lavender + tea tree. Rosemary is one of the most stimulating and when used undiluted or in too high a quanity it can be toxic + reverse the effects...this is not true to everyone as different people have different tolerances but it is definitely not recommended.

There are too classes of essential oils.......the sedatives + the stimulants...some oils overlap however, rosemary is, as I have said before, one of the most stimulating oils you can find. Again, this may not affect everyone but rosemary can keep people awake at night, so if your a light sleeper/somebody who finds it hard to relax, you'd be better off using it during the day.

mrsberries

Thanks ladies...bought my rosemary oil today. Didnt get a carrier though...could I use olive oil? Just a thought! Also, I have a tub of virgin coconut oil..its solid - is this what you are all referring to?

Thanks!

beauty101

mrsberries wrote: »

Thanks ladies...bought my rosemary oil today. Didnt get a carrier though...could I use olive oil? Just a thought! Also, I have a tub of virgin coconut oil..its solid - is this what you are all referring to?

Thanks!

Yeah u can use olive oil but its really greasy + takes ages to wash the residue out.

U can melt the solid coconut oil, just break a bit off and pop it over a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes...the heat will make it penetrate into your scalp better;)

dellas1979

Yeah, Ive never heard of any of those issues (recommended by an aromatherapist and looked into it myself) and have certainly been using it for years without any problems (even after crappy hair cuts!). Maybe error on the side of caution and try it with or without diluting it - see if it makes a difference - I was told that diluting it would affect the stimulant. Shur its like everything Id say - coffee good for you, coffee bad for you. Fat good for you, fat bad for you....

Magenta

OP I was in the exact same position as you after many over-bleaches.

Believe it or not a semi permanent conditioning colour worked wonders for me (I got a professional one). They work because they contain a very low amount of peroxide which opens up the hair's cuticles and allows the conditioning ingredients to get right inside the hair. Go to a salon that uses Wella colours, those are the best.

ananas

Some hairdressers have this treatment called nanomax that restores the keratin in your hair. My hair is a bit mad and broken and after a few treatments it makes such a difference. I don't know what area you're in but if you're anywhere in Connaught-pm me and I'll give you my hairdressers details! Otherwise do a bit of ringing around and asking and I'm sure that you'll find someone that does it.:)

mrsberries

It was the salon - Queen Beauty Emporium - who suggested the semi permanent colour instead. I was hugely reluctant as Ive gone from a bright blonde to a darker blonder, its still growing on me but im thinking of the bigger picture. The colour seems to have nourished my hair a lot though as its really shiny now. The salon were really sympathetic to my plight - the guy who dried my hair suggested some keratin treatments and gave me some to bring home until I return next. Dont know what its called but it came in little pink capsules.

I put the rosemary in my hair last night and will wash it out before I head out tonight! Thanks so much everyone for your help! Im feeling a little hopeful for my hair now!

amdublin

I know it has been said already but it needs re-iterating:
Step away from the heating implements - the hair straighteners and even the hairdrier (let your hair dry natuarally)

Best of luck OP, you have 4 months, you'll be okay.

mrsberries

dellas1979 wrote: »

Rosemary oil.

It helps with regrowth and it helps with the condition of the hair. You get it in health food store (just make sure it is good quality).

You massage it in for a few mins and leave over night. As one other poster said, I wouldnt wash it everyday also. So maybe apply rosemary oil the night before you wash it. Seriously works wonders.

Hi, just wondering how you apply the oil when using it straight. I have bought a carrier oil but just wondering if there is a easy way of putting it directly onto hair without touching the scalp. Cheers

Pembily

Raw egg, beat a few up (depending on the hair lenght) and leave in overnight, it works wonders but smells kinda bad!!!

cheekyass

I have really thin hair which takes ages to grow, plus I totally abuse it with straightening, curling, blow drying & getting high lights for years....my hairdresser (the wonderful Cathy in Cowboys & Angels on St William St) recommended Mayonnaise, its made with Eggs and is therefore full of protein but its easier to apply to your hair then raw eggs which can be very messy. She swear by this. Plus my friend told me she put eggs in her hair before and rinsed them out with hot water which apparently scrambled the egg in her hair or (something to this effect) - theres a fairly good chance she was trying to wind me up but it still put me off doing it.......:eek:

Clare Bear

cheekyass wrote: »

I have really thin hair which takes ages to grow, plus I totally abuse it with straightening, curling, blow drying & getting high lights for years....my hairdresser (the wonderful Cathy in Cowboys & Angels on St William St) recommended Mayonnaise, its made with Eggs and is therefore full of protein but its easier to apply to your hair then raw eggs which can be very messy. She swear by this. Plus my friend told me she put eggs in her hair before and rinsed them out with hot water which apparently scrambled the egg in her hair or (something to this effect) - theres a fairly good chance she was trying to wind me up but it still put me off doing it.......:eek:

Yeah mayonnaise is great, I do that about once a week.

dellas1979

Hi Msberries,

Ok - I put it straight onto my head - including scalp - from the bottle - I dont use carrier oil...this is the way I was told to use it. I dont know if you will get the same results using a carrier oil as Ive never done this.

BUT

From beauty101's posts she says this is dangerous - but Ive never experienced any side effects (if there are supposed to be any).

This is how I use it. Ill put it in steps just to clarify:

1. Use 5-10 drops of rosemary oil straight from bottle onto scalp (depending on thickness and length of hair);
2. Massage for at least 30mins (nicer if you have a partner to do this ) otherwise a hairbrush will do also. Brush from the ends up. Brush top and sides of head and also tip your head over and brush from nape (of neck);
3. Leave in for a few hours OR leave in over night and wash out following morning.

That is the way I do it. Ive never had a problem doing it this way.

Edit: I just wanted to add, this takes time and perseverence. You hair isnt going to shoot down off your head tomorrow if you use it tonight. I normally see results in a few weeks doing the above routine every few days. One other thing which I think is magic for growing hair is eating raw carrots (this is excellent when growing nails too). I prefer natural ways of finding a cure (if possible) rather than using lots of chemical products.

Miskatonic

I had a similar problem due to Ghd overuse. I tried the kerastase shampoo and conditioner you are using after it was recommended by my hairdresser -TBH I didn't find it great. I'm now using Tigi Catwalk honey and oatmeal shampoo and conditioner and find it much better.

Also, I switched to a natural boar bristle brush and have noticed my hair breaks less during brushing. Apparently the bristles also help to spread oil from the roots down the whole hair shaft which acts as a natural conditioner and leaves the roots less greasy so you don't have to wash your hair every day.

mrsberries

Again, thanks a mil guys for all your posts! Im taking them all on board!!

Dellas, cheers for that. I bought some jojoba oil today to mix, may use a 1:1 ratio instead of 1:5. However I do understand the danger of essential oils so will be careful with it. Dont worry, Ive loads of patience for it to work!!!

Magenta

OP what you could also do, to make your hair look thicker, is get some clip in hair extensions that are the same length as your hair (shoulder lengh hair is about 12 to 14 inches). Clip ins don't damage your hair and they will really help fill it out at the ends- the ends always show up damage the most!

dellas1979

Good luck with it!
Let us know how you are getting on in a few weeks.

mrsberries

I certainly will keep you all updated