Help needed with this hair!

[HappyNewTaxYear]

I’ve got thick, wiry white hair and loads of it. Every strand seems to repel every other strand (see photo). All advice gratefully received.

Hi,OP -

I think your hair wants moisture and/or bonding. I find it can be slightly tricky because overdoing the bonding treatments can dry hair out further.

Do you tint, process, or heat style your hair? If not, it is more likely to be dry only.

For dryness, I like the moisturising shampoos, conditioners, leave in conditioners, serums, heat protectant sprays and above all deep conditioning treatments from Purology, Aveda and Philip Kingsley though the PK Elasticiser and Extreme Elasticiser seem to be Marmite. All are available online and the first two are available through salons.

For bonding I like Olaplex No 3 and No 9. The others in the home based system never did much for me but again, Olaplex is Marmite. Again available online. You can get a more powerful version of the No 3 treatment in a salon.

All these products are expensive compared to what is available in the chemist but you need very little of each, you don’t need them frequently, and they last a long time

Thank you so much, it’s really appreciated. I’ve probably damaged it a bit with heat but it’s not been tinted or processed in any way. I will get hold of the products you mentioned.

Moisture. Moisture. Moisture.

Look at the No Poo method. I would not be using shampoo. Conditioning only and then leaving conditioner in at the middle length and ends. I’d try that first and dry with a diffuser or air dry and take a photo to show us what happened. Then I’d think about products.

I would start with just two or three things! Maybe a deep conditioner for dry hair and a couple other items you like

Agree with this.

I've had this hair always, although not yet grey (40s). I loosely follow a curly girl method which has helped enourmously although I'm only wavy. I'm guessing you have a wave pattern too.

I learnt how to look after my hair from lurking on curly girl Facebook groups. They're a mine of info, although I do have to grit my teeth at people complaining about "frizz" because they have 3 hairs out of place.

Straighteners work of course, but they're damaging and the merest hint of damp in the air ruins it anyway.

As a PP said, just change one small thing at a time and see how you go.

Could someone please explain what tge no poo method is?

Am no expert, but I understand it to be washing your hair in conditioner or co-wash (a conditioner made esp for washing with) instead of shampoo. It doesn't lather so you have to take time to scrub it into your scalp. You then use a conditioner and products as normal.

Because you're washing with something that doesn't contain sulphates, you have to also avoid silicones in all products, which won't wash out properly without sulphates.

There's hugely mixed opinions on this. It tends to be favoured by people with coily and curly hair. I'm only wavy but my hair is extremely thick and coarse so it helps it be more manageable and less "crazy hedge lady". I do use shampoo occasionally to remove hard water build up.

Cauliflowery thankyou for that. Can I ask what you use please?

I use a co wash called As I Am, "dry and itchy". It's the only thing that's ever sorted my flaky scalp but it's annoyingly hard to find.

Various conditioners, love Faith in Nature aloe; argan and Shea flavours also good. Occasional Aldi volume conditioner because it's got protein in.

My hair is also porous (you can tell if it gets wet quickly Vs repelling water) which might be another reason it likes the very moisturising stuff.