Is there a way of rehydrating your hair?

[FleetwoodRaincoat]

I know there are lots of products that add shine (usually some kind of silicone) but they just coat your hair. I'm looking for something that will penetrate the hair and help to make it look more hydrated - a bit like moisturiser for your skin. I've tried olive oil but that seems to really weigh it down, and as my hair is fine and thin it's the last thing I need.

Does anyone have any good suggestions please?

Elasticizer might be what you’re after.

I used tigi rescue no. 2 when my hair was bleached and my hairdresser commented how much better it felt. Also redken do a protein shampoo but don't use it all the time as it could be bad long term.

Christophe Robin Prickly Pear Mask - £££ but oh so worth it.

Curly girl method has been a revaluation for my dry old silver hair.

Revelation even fucking autocorrect

Curly girl method. Find a conditioner your hair likes (garner banana one in a tub is great for me and often on offer in supermarkets atm). Soak hair really well, apply conditioner liberally and either wait a few mins or clingfilm your head (for heat) and leave it in half an hour or so, then rinse.

Is it quite damaged? I was told to use Olaplex, (which I did for a time, but it's so expensive I gave up ), for my bleached hair, to repair the damage!

Also had a Brazilian blow-dry type treatment at a salon which also helped with frizz.

Aussie 3 minute miracle is good too and there's a Garnier one which people rave about, but I've never tried it. Want to say it's called hair gloop or something? Or maybe someone referred to it like that and it's stuck in my memory!

Phyto 7 cream. It's like a day cream for your hair. You use a little bit and it disappears leaving no stickiness behind, but it helps hydrate your hair and improves condition over time. I use it nearly every day on dry hair, just a pea size amount. Sometimes at night time I divide my hair in two and put a ten pence piece size amount through one section and plait it, then do the same on the other side. Wash my hair as usual in the morning. Works like a deep treatment. Great stuff.

My hair is really dry. I’ve been alternating elasticizer one week and olaplex 0 and 3 the next week, for about five weeks now. The difference is incredible, my hair is so soft and bouncy and feels so much more healthy. I also have fine hair, but not a lot of it.

@StevieKnickerbockerglory Superdrug do a dupe of Olaplex! I think it's called Flex and it's much cheaper.

OP Try the Olaplex dupe and a deep conditioner too, the Garnier Banana one in the tub is great and cheap.

Brazilian blow dry does make a difference.

Oh thanks @FrenchieFromGrease, I'll definitely give that a go.

Terry towels leave hair parched. Try a T-shirt towel.

Moroccan oil - its a little pricey but one bottle lasts a long time. I brush it through my hair before drying and then again after styling. Makes it look smoother & feel softer x

Wow thanks for all the replies. Lots to think about there. I'd come across Olaplex but thought you had to do the salon bit first? But will definitely try the Superdrug one, as I'm a big fan of their products (particularly the Vitamin E skin oil, which is what got me wondering if there was something similar for hair).

Off to Google now!

Moroccan oil

I use a boar hair brush. It keeps my hair shiny and I think it coats it with natural oils.

I also don’t wash my hair often and my shampoo is a natural one with minimal chemicals.

I do use castor oil on occasion but is a pain to cleanse!

[quote FrenchieFromGrease]@StevieKnickerbockerglory Superdrug do a dupe of Olaplex! I think it's called Flex and it's much cheaper.

OP Try the Olaplex dupe and a deep conditioner too, the Garnier Banana one in the tub is great and cheap.[/quote]
Can you link to the Superdrug Olaplex dupe? I searched "Flex" and got a million results.

Another vote for Garnier Banana (although I just use the conditioner as it's also quite thick).

I think it's the silicone that dries it out tbh. Since I've stopped using products with it in, my hair is in great condition (and I swim a lot in chlorinated pools).

@channeltwo It's called PurePlex, I've just ordered some, along with the Garnier hair food.

Fibreforce shampoo and hair mask

The harsh, drying ingredients in most shampoos are what make your hair feel straw-like before you slather on a conditioner, typically full of silicones which then coat your hair and make it feel smooth and glossy. However, they are simply coating the dry hair, so no moisture can penetrate the hair and nourish from within. As such, I'd suggest you try ditching shampoo and scrub your hair clean with a silicone-free conditioner instead.

Will it get your hair clean? Of course it will - after all you can wash the dishes without fairy liquid simply by scrubbing a bit harder. In the most basic terms, this is the foundation of the curly girl method, albeit there's more to it when you have curly hair as you also need to look into products which encourage curl formation and hold.

Good luck!

Just reporting back. I got some Garnier hair food - the water melon one as my hair is fine. Didn't work as well as my normal conditioner, so will try the banana one.

This morning I did the Pure Plex treatment. It has made little, if any difference. As my hair is dry I was hoping for great things ☹️. I dried it and it looked quite nourished. Went outside for 5 mins, where it's quite damp and my hair is back to being frizzy and dry-looking again.

Fingers crossed for the banana conditioner!

I found kerestase Bain de force the only think that helped when I fried my hair a few years ago. It wasnt totally immediate though.

It's a marathon not a sprint! You wouldn't expect skin to go from very dry to plump and healthy in ten minutes, so hair won't either, unless you coat the outside of it which isn't actually really doing anything worthwhile.

Dropping shampoo and only washing with a silicone free conditioner made a huge difference for me but it takes time.