Nightmare hair

[syders]

I'm in a vicious hair circle. My hair is a nightmare. Lovely when I wash it, sleep on it, it's an absolute tangled mess. I have to wash it every day to maintain some sort of style. Its not straight or curly, just messy so I have to use straighteners. It's very fine and has no body. I have coloured it blonde for many years, darker shades just wash me out. I know all the colouring and straightening has ruined my hair. I am on the larger size and if I cut it all off I will look very manly as have broad shoulders. My hair also does not grow quickly so would take a long while to grow back. It's just below shoulder length now, taken me over five years to grow a couple of inches. I'm at the point now where it's starting to get me down as it's so hard to maintain, which I know is ridiculous. Any advice ?

I had very similar hair with a similar problem and had to wash it every day to stop it just hanging there limply. After two years of trying to grow it (with it not even getting to shoulder length) I got it cut into a cute pixie cut. I've always wanted long hair but it just doesn't work on me.

I'm not small but if you go for the right cut it can be very flattering and feminine and it makes it look so much thicker. I found lots of different pictures on Pinterest and talked them through with my hairdresser.

Maybe speak with your hairdresser and see what they'd suggest.

Pineapple your hair overnight to stop it tangling. It’s something that’s quite common to do for people with curly hair to stop it knotting and frizzing up overnight but can be used for everyone to stop hair getting tangled. The plus side is also good volume the next day.

Get a satin sleep bonnet (only cost a couple of pounds online or if you have a Sally’s nearby they stock them for about £5) to wear alongside the pineappleing. They are also a hoot option if your hair is too short to put up on the top of your head. Alternatively get a silk or satin pillowcase or even wrap your hair in a scarf overnight.

Braids also work overnight to stop hair getting messed up and I know this is a common thing people with really long hair do. If your hair tends to go flat then two Dutch braids. Will help give it a bit of volume and wave the next day, or if you ant to keep it straighter then 2 loose braids would be better.

My hair is pretty long -waist length and has a natural curl/wave to it (I’m between 2b/2c for the most part with some 3a in sections for people in the curl know how). I tend to do a mix of (Dutch) braids or pineapple with satin bonnet depending on how I’ve styled it and what my plans are for it the next day.

I should also have mentioned that my hair grows really slowly and it’s taken me 8 years to get it this length, previously I couldn’t get it to grow past the mid point between my shoulders and brastrap. I’ve also ditched the hair dye in favour of henna (works for me fine as I have naturally red hair and it covers greys and adds nice depth to the colour). I’ve also ditched shampoo with SLS and avoid silicone in products/conditioner as much as possible. I do find a once a month clarifying wash helps with any product build up.