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Super dry hair, teen DD, any help on products please?

22 replies

AdoraBell · 21/07/2017 18:04

She has tried lots of things, coconut oil, using conditioner before shampoo etc but it's not working and she's getting extremely frustrated.

Does anyone know of a magical miracle cure, please? She is 15, and driving me fecking crazy with it.

TIA

OP posts:
ProudBadMum · 21/07/2017 19:03

La Brasilia leave in treatment.

Or wella oil.

I use wella on my dry hair and it's dry because I dye it too much

ProudBadMum · 21/07/2017 19:03

Oil reflections*

Moogdroog · 21/07/2017 19:05

Try the curly girl method (even if she's not curly)? My hair is in lovely condition now.

Pinkkahori · 21/07/2017 19:06

My dd has dry hair that has been much improved by L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil shampoo and conditioner.

Pinkkahori · 21/07/2017 19:08

this shampoo

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 21/07/2017 19:19

Is it damaged? There is no cure for damaged hair apart from cutting it. Is a trim out of the question?
I just wonder if she's not using her hair straighteners correctly or has she bleached it?

If it's just dry and a bit tangly I'd recommend leaving any decent conditioner on for a couple of hours. Comb the conditioner through when towel dried, put a shower cap and towel on and swan about for a while. Smile

I like to use intensive hair masks for this; Pantene repair and protect mask or Tresemme masks. Anything containing argan oil or Moroccan oil is great for dry hair too.

AdoraBell · 21/07/2017 20:43

Not bleached, or dyed, but she did go through a stage of straightening. Have tried Moroccan oil, she was using Happy Naturals but says it's not working. She wants OGX, or is it OXG? not sure, but I thought I'd ask for advice here first.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
GoodBadOrIndifferent · 21/07/2017 20:51

Second curly girl. Using small amounts of silicone free conditioner as leave in works wonders

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 21/07/2017 21:00

You do have to be careful with straighteners. It's best to glide them quickly through small sections of hair, moving continuously. Clamping them on hair will frazzle it.
(I do appreciate it's difficult to tell a 15 year-old what to do though!)

I still think that if she's tried the decent products you've mentioned without success, then she needs a cut!

My other suggestion is perhaps her hair is overloaded with products? Silicone build up makes hair feel horrible. In which case, try a clarifying shampoo.

Aridane · 21/07/2017 21:12

Macadamia deep conditioning masque - bloody awesome

AdoraBell · 21/07/2017 22:37

Thank you ILostit I'll try to get through her bullet headed 'tude some clarifying shampoo.

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Katmeifyoucan · 21/07/2017 22:47

No cocunut oil! It made my hair 10 times worse. It works really well on a certain type of hair and destroys the other type. I think it is to do with protein. Some people with dry hair need protein others have protein and adding more makes it brittle. I have had dry hair since childhood. Olaplex treatment works well for me. I bought the salon 3 step series on Amazon. Also putting a serum (argan oil) on while my hair is still damp (a tip I got from Mumsnet) has made a huge difference. I have spent a fortune on my hair and this cheap tip has made the most difference.

AdoraBell · 21/07/2017 23:28

She has used Argan oil as well, always applies when hair is wet like I do. I think could be a combination of product build up and miss use of straighteners.

Her hair is like mine and mine used to alternate between luscious locks and straw effect from one wash to the next without changing products. I've fixed mine by applying conditioner before shampoo, and adding coconut oil while it's wet.

OP posts:
Ladybirdbookworm · 21/07/2017 23:52

I've just recently had a Brazilian blow dry and I'm not being dramatic but it's changed my life ( well maybe a tad dramatic)
I've always had thick coarse hair and loads of it as well and now it's smooth ,bouncy and soooo manageable. I'm recommending it to everyone .
I feel her pain - and now I know that no amount of conditioner or product will ever achieve what this brazilian blow dry has

QueenMorpheacadoChamelepen · 22/07/2017 00:00

Coconut oil makes my hair brittle. If she's having similar effects stay away from anything with protein. Olive oil works for me, just drench the hair, leave in for a bit and wash out. Try a different shampoo also, some destroy my hair.

If there are splits cut them out - look up 'dusting' for how to do it without losing length. If you do find splits check the hairbrush also, anything with ball pins shreds my hair (it looks very dry and tangly when it's damaged).

AdoraBell · 22/07/2017 00:04

Thanks for all the tips. Will have to google Brazilian blow dry.

OP posts:
Katmeifyoucan · 22/07/2017 00:27

Nooo!! If you have crap hair like me the Brazilian will make it look nice for a month or two but will ultimately destroy weak hair. It is a chemical treatment that masks the hair. It is so damaging. I got two at a cost of £500 each. It looked great for about 6 weeks but it damaged my hair further.

shesthecatsmother · 22/07/2017 00:41

Aveda products are great they have a whole dry hair range and she can try them and still send ones back she doesn't like!

mylaptopismylapdog · 22/07/2017 00:47

I like Phillip Kingsley elasticer as a conditioner.I would look at his range as he is a trichologist so specializes in hair problems, Marks sell it but not sure if they sell the complete range.

RubyGoat · 22/07/2017 00:47

I used to have very long hair, & now my DD does. To preserve moisture, ideally you need to use as little of the surfactants (cleansing chemicals in the shampoo that break up the oils) as possible, especially on the length of the hair. I always thoroughly massage a non silicone, non protein conditioner into the length, wash the roots, rinse the suds through the length but don't actually wash it, then condition again. You can condition the roots as well if they are dry - the right conditioner will remove the majority of grease & dirt. However for this to work, your DD needs to stick to silicone free products the rest of the time (as 'cones will build up & cause lank, dull & even sticky effect if not removed by the right surfactants, primarily SLS or SLES which are quite harsh on the hair). Follow with a nice oil, like you use, applied wet - if she's resistant perhaps add some essential oil to fragrance it a bit & make her hair smell beautiful?

Oh and, if your DD can bear it, lay off the heat occasionally. Regularly frying the hair permanently damages the hair shaft, which means the individual hairs cannot retain moisture as well any more.

It works, honestly. My hair used to be nearly knee length & very thick with almost no splits. DD's hair is past her bum with no splits at all (she is 5 so she regularly comes home with sand, paint etc. in it, I just do the best I can with the no shampooing the length!)

For splits - the best thing to do is cut them out. Either by a general trim, or, if you / she can bear it, individually with something like nail scissors. It takes hours of your life but you can retain a lot more of the length. Perhaps in front of the TV...

mylaptopismylapdog · 22/07/2017 00:48

You use the elasticiser before you wash and condition so that might help too.

WomblingThree · 22/07/2017 10:57

Yep, clarifying shampoo and then dump the SLS and -cones (silicone etc). It will look shocking at first, but if she perseveres it will improve. The summer holidays is a good time to sort it.

Obviously already damaged hair can't actually be repaired, but you can minimise further damage and make what is there look better.

If your DD's hair isn't liking protein (coconut oil) then it obviously needs moisture. Water is the most obvious form of moisture, so you need products that seal it in. Beauty ranges for black haircare are a good place to start. My daughter has been using Cantu products on her hair, which is long, curly, dry and bleached. The brand was recommended by someone on here and it made a huge difference from the first use. It's pretty cheap in Superdrug too.

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