Help tame my terrible hair without heat! (Pic)

[KronkeyCroc]

If I straighten my hair it is semi ok and respectable. But it feels so dry and coarse I don’t like to use heat on it too often. It never used to be this fizzy and dry. It’s frizzes at any sign of moisture or wind so often it’s pointless to straighten it anyway. It is also quite thin.

What do I need to be doing to it? I’m so clueless I need help. I’m not sure I’m ready to grow my grey out as i think it makes me look so much older 😟 it’s also still so patchy I’m not sure it would look nice? So it is getting dyed but I do try and push it as long as I can between applications.

Does it need hair masks? Argon oil? Or is it beyond hope? Should just accept my hair will never be nice again? I’m not long from 40 but feel too soon to just give up!

Have you tried a Keratin mask at home? I swear by them. Just shampoo your hair as normal and then apply a keratin mask. Leave on for around 10 mons, wash out and either leave it to air dry or use a hairdryer on cool setting.

I’ve never even heard of a keratin mask! This is how rubbish I am. Thank you I’ll look into it.

You need to go with the wave/curl. I’d get some Only Curls products and see what it looks like.

You need a chop, and yes try some curly products- lots of tutorials on YouTube and social media- looks like you have a wave going on there!

An at home gloss treatment? Can add colour and shine.

Not many can get away with no heat styling and expect hair to behave, just use a heat protectant spray. It's your hair type not the styling so use products to help with the condition, deep conditioning masks and pre shampoo oil treatments.

I started using a hair oil on mine, and it has transformed it. I rarely straighten it now. I just blow dry it straight-ish and it naturally waves.

The hair oil I use is OGX Renewing+ Argan Oil, I got it on offer in Tesco for £4 and it's been amazing!

Your hair looks fried.

Stop using the straighteners.

This is a great treatment mask -

VIRTUE Restorative Treatment Hair Mask 1.7 FL OZ | Repairs Damaged Hair In 3 Minutes | Vegan, Sulfate-Free, Paraben-Free amzn.eu/d/1qz5vr5

Or a cheaper option -

Aussie Repair Hair Mask For Dry Damaged Hair, SOS Vegan Hair Mask With Australian Jojoba Seed Oil, Hair Repair Treatment For Hair In Urgent Need Of Rescue, 450 ml amzn.eu/d/55mBiyG

Stop the hair dye and have a glaze instead -

blog.wella.com/gb/what-is-a-hair-glaze

K18 hair mask, it works wonders, expensive but lasts for ages as you only use two pea sized pumps a time.

it does need a trim though, and the colour sorting, as it looks like the bottom three inches are an old colour.

My hair looked a lot like this. So a while back I tried the curly girl method. It didn't completely work for me as it's very faffy in the mornings and I don't have time for that, and it looked awful if I slept on it. However, it has completely changed how I care for my hair! The key is way, way more moisture and oil than you can imagine. At first my hair looked lank and greasy doing that because it didn't seem to absorb the products, but after a couple of weeks it got the memo and the products started to absorb. Cue shiny, manageable, wavy hair!

What I do is:
Sulphate free shampoo
Deep treatment/mask at least twice a week.
Condition and 'squish to condish'
Leave in conditioner (I have an argon oil spray)
Curling creme
Diffuser to dry.
A bit of extra oil whenever the ends feel dry.

On day 2 I spray with the leave in conditioner and very gently comb it. This is not part of the curly girl method, but I look slightly bonkers if I don't comb it. I'm much more careful about breakage when combing.

Your hair looks similar to mine.

I never straighten it any more. I use straighteners to do some loose waves if I want it to look nicer/ more done, but these will look okay for a few days.

So although I do use heat it’s much less intense than fully straightening every day. It’s a lot quicker too.

That’s what my hair looks like (texture wise) if I don’t use heat.

Hair colour done at the hairdressers (full head tint and balyage) and they mix Olaplex into the colour, plus a further Olaplex treatment after the wash.

At home, after shampooing with Olaplex, I use a conditioning spray, more Olaplex (bond repair) and then a blow dry lotion (the JVN one). I also use a Shu Umeura blow dry oil - it speeds up the blow drying process. I then use the Sam McKnight heat protection spray with the straighteners but I’m good at blow drying it straight so I don’t need to go heavy on the irons. Lasts for 3 days if I don’t go to the gym.

Have a look at The Blowout Professor on YouTube, he has changed my hair completely! I used to have frizzy wavy hair and now it's so much smoother and sleeker. He recommends products depending on your hair type and gives loads of tips on how to prevent breakage, how often to use heat and how to use heat in a way that minimizes damage.

The last month or so, my hair has gone wild.
It sort of aligns with a change in shampoo, so will go back to the more expensive ones once this bottle is finished.
I've resorted back to heat again. Will reduce the heat again come spring, and see what happens.

Try K18.

I had tried everything including various oils and masks and all the Olaplex treatments inc having it in my colour - Olaplex worked for a while - a few years actually but then didn't - hair couldn't take it any more.
I went to a different hair salon and they said to use K18 - I wasn't convinced but I tried it and it's been transformative.

You wash your hair, don't condition, two pumps of K18 on damp hair, comb it through, leave for 4-6 mins then style. It has utterly transformed my hair from fried frizzy mass to sleek healthy looking locks.

It's not cheap but it lasts a long time and you don't need anything else apart from shampoo

Thank you all for the useful tips I will get researching. I don’t mind paying out a bit if something works.

Believe it or not my hair was actually cut a couple of weeks ago and I had quite a bit off. I also only use straighteners once a month if that as I work from home and have no social life. So can’t believe it’s fried from heat. It must be the colour. Or perhaps my under-active thyroid?

I don’t really want to go much shorter with my hair as it doesn’t really suit me. My hair dresser said I have quite a wave at the back so maybe I’ll try and bring that out more. just hate the weird fizzy texture of it.

I have an underactive thyroid too. Maybe it's a thing... I know thinning hair happens with it, so maybe if each strand is thinner that makes it prone to dryness and frizz?

if your hair is very dry, agree with everyone else that you need some really good masks.

I also swear by the Innolux Elixir leave in conditioner - it's like a serum for the hair. Having said that, my hair is very very thick and a friend with thinner hair didn't like the Innolux so I'd still recommend trying it, but with the proviso that it might not work on less course/thick hair.

Could you try one of those head band things for the night - overnight curls is it called?? Just wrap your hair round them to tame the ends.

My hair is a bit wild in a morning but when washed I either tie in a bun to make it wavy or plait it.

Can someone link to the K18 that they use? I can see afew products in the line. Thank you!

I just watched a really helpful video from the blowout professor someone upthread recommended. Explain about repairing treatments and what actually works and what is just extra to try and make money.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DeHKPPEVZOY

The garnier ultimate blends hair food is a great low cost hair mask. I would start by getting a good chop, get some sulfate free shampoo and conditioner and do a hair mask once a week. Don't use any heat or your hair will just get worse. Since doing that my hair has gone from frizzy and dry to actual curls which I was surprised about!

I am similar OP.
I let it air dry then just tease the frizz out with either an leave in conditioner in a twist or a very light heated brush to smooth. Straighteners just flatten and make this hair type dull and strawlike.

All of the expensive solutions are very, very dependent on the individual, so pause before blowing money. Some people have highly porous hair, which can be fine and straggly as opposed to thick bouncy curls/waves. A lot of protein treatments can really make the hair drier and brittle. A good balance of both protein and moisture is safer.

Bleaching will not help, but if you love it wear a shortish style or choose updo's. We always have to compromise somewhere, and very few of us can leave the house as nature intended. Those who say using heat is always bad often don't seem to mind other cosmetic alterations or compromises (botox, cosmetic dentistry, fillers, nails, etc)

A balance and being as gentle as possible has worked best for me. I tried every oil and treatment available and nothing worked. I always think that by our age we would have found it by now.

I wish you luck! It looks like my hair except mine is very wavy and thicker. It is so dehydrated no matter what I put on it that it sticks to my face as if sucking my moisturiser off my face!!

Eventually I am going to cut it short because it gets so tangly and frankly I am fed up with it.

@onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad

I bought that K18 stuff just haven't used it yet. Duh! I washed my hair today but might dampen it tomorrow and apply....