Severely Dry Hair!!

[curlyhairdocare]

I have naturally curly/frizzy hair which I straighten almost everyday. This along with a lot of dying has caused it to become really dry and brittle.

It is so broken and frizzy at the top that it is sticks up like static. I feel like I have tried everything Just wondering if anyone has any tips / recommendations for me?

You won’t want to hear this but I’d say stop straightening and go with your waves or curls. Have a quick look into curly girl method if you do. Get the damage trimmed off also. There is a good protein treatment called aphogee. You can get a 2 min treatment or a longer lasting serious protein treatment by them called two step. Both very good.

Carrrotsandcauliflower I have thought about stopping the straightening but my natural hair is not nice at all. I suppose I could invest in some good curly products! Thanks for letting me know about aphogee, I have not heard of it before but I will look into it.

I agree, the curly girl method may be just what you're looking for. It's complicated to begin with but once you find the right products and methods for your hair you'll be amazed by the difference.
I have similar hair and I've been doing the method for a year now and my hair has been transformed. I'd hate to go back to sulfate shampoo and straighteners now.
The Facebook Curly Girl group is great for info and videos when you're starting out.

I have never heard of the curly girl method either. Just had a quick google and it seems like it could be an option. Everyone tells me they love my curly hair so I should learn to embrace it!

I'm guessing that this is a way to prevent further damage. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to improve the damage which is already done?

I had horrible straw like ends and used Palmers coconut protein oil sachet https://uk.palmers.com/coconut-oil-formula/122-deep-conditioning-protein-pack.html

It's thick and gloopy but is good stuff. You leave it on for 15mins I think and then wash off. It smells lovely afterwards too!

SkunkButtRug I'll definitely give that a try!

Do you use a normal shampoo? The sulfates in ordinary shampoo are not right for curly/ wavy hair and it makes it frizzy. So your hair isn't actually frizzy, it's reacting badly to your shampoo.

The sulfates make your hair frizzy, so you use straighteners/ blow dry etc to stop the frizz, which causes further damage and frizz.

To stop using sulfates in shampoo, you also need to stop using silicone conditioners, because the sulfates are needed to clean away the silicone products properly.

The curly girl method can seem really confusing but this ^ is the crux of it, and ditching the sulfates and silicone will make a huge difference.

I have recently started using Goldwell Kerasilk Reconstruct Shampoo. I thought it would be really good for my hair as it is a high end brand and quite expensive. Just looked and it contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Could this be doing more harm than good?

Yep that's SLS and it's in most shampoos unfortunately. Curly hair just hates it!

Coconut oil out of a jar! It's excellent. My hair isn't curly but it's a bit frizzy on the ends from highlights. I put the oil in when it's wet and it comes out fab.

Do one last shampoo with a sulphate shampoo. Get yourself some nice shampoo from Shea mpisture or noughty or boucleme (theee are others in Superdrug too.) you can get most and Superdrug. Then start using that and do a deep condition- you can get treatment masks. Then use whatever styling products you like thenlook pf. At the moment we use noughty wave hello hair cream. There are tons so it’s a mater of trial and error. I really like boucleme a layer of conditioner or curl cream and t hen the gel and dry with diffuser on low heat only or leave to dry and crunch out the gel. If you can bear to cut the damage off I would. Good luck!

You need a sulfate free shampoo (there are VERY few around that don't contain silicone for some reason) you basically need something from a very natural brand like Weleda or Tropic, or just co-wash with conditioner, which sounds weird at the start but thousands of curly haired people do it and have fantastic results. Can you join the Curly Girl Facebook group and have a look at some of the before and after pics?

Wow that's really surprising! Must google some sulfate free shampoos! Thank you all

GVmama I am definitely going to join the facebook group, thanks for the tip!

Agree with the sulphate free shampoo.. Also I have just discovered Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (not sure I've spelt that correctly..) and it is marvellous for hair like ours. I have very similar hair to what you describe. I used this product the other night and left it on all night, and my hair feels like it has had a keratin treatment. Its all soft, bouncy and gorgeous and I blow dried it with Babyliss Big Hair so that its straight but not poker straight. Brilliant product and I shall be buying it by the bucket load..

Another shout for coconut oil I love it, I put it on my hair either over night or when I get back from work and wash it out just before bed and it's made such a difference to my hair

Jojoba oil on overnight

Oh, I love the Shea Moisture mask (I think its got Castor oil in it) and it smells like vanilla

I do an overnight mask with clingfilm and a towelling turban.

Coconut oil makes my scalp go all scabby for some reason.

I love sephora hair masks they do a shea one but I can't get them all the time

Have a look at U.K. curly girl if you do Instagram she has product reviews on YouTube too- she is very good and has done the journey from sulphatea to natural hair care - well worth looking at her you tube vids.

There’s a nice list of SLS free shampoos here
www.gentlebubbles.com/buy-phthalate-free-products/sulfate-paraben-phthalate-free-shampoo/

I like the Avalon and Aubrey Organics in particular.

I also use the Aldi leave in oil and Vitapoint leave in conditioner for some pure grease to de frizz things!

This
www.hola-coco.com/?campaignid=1367211306&adgroupid=54932603472&adid=265622092200&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2f7bBRDVARIsAAwYBBvRElSxcFHKfkVLmxD43y2ENmQnGuZAverjLR6TO7Bnawo-yJFkn9YaAk3FEALw_wcB

I had my normal dye job that went horribly wrong and my hair was ruined. I have fine but extremely curly hair and theres no way I can get away without straightening it. This product plus a weekly overnight of Olaplex no3 saved me and I'd used everything else. I use it as a masque once a week and conditioner everytime I wash my hair. I'm swimming nearly everyday and my hair is good now.

Following!

Wow so many good tips! I guess it's going to be trial and error to see what works for me but at least I know where to start now.

Carrrotsandcauliflower I especially like your idea of youtube videos I do like to look at reviews.