Awful dry hair

[fuzzyhell]

Hi - can anyone help me with what to do with my hair? I've always had lots of hair, very thick - slightly wavy. While it has always tended towards being dry, in recent years it's been awful - I suspect due to the age I am now (peri- meno 😩)
But it's just SO SO dry. When I wash it, this is what it looks like left to air dry. I v v rarely blow dry it, usually just leave to air dry as blow drying makes it worse... never use straighteners etc (I'm v lazy about these things!) I do colour it to cover grey / but tbh not as often as I should so it's not like it's been damaged by lots of treatment, it's just so so fuzzy and dry. I look like a scare crow. I use lots of conditioner...
please help, it used to be lovely when I was younger 😢 how can I get it to look less straw like?! I don't want to hack it all off as I know it doesn't suit me 😕 but it could do with a trim, but don't think it's just that!

First and foremost, some hyaluronic acid as hair serum worked for me.

Overall I have found the following products and techniques helpful though:

Olaplex 0 and 3 every few weeks.

Shampoo Shampoo and conditioner containing hyaluronic acid (Urtekram Nordic Berries).

CWC (condition-wash-condition) so wet hair, apply conditioner to lengths but not roots, then lather shampoo on hands before applying to hair. Rinse and then condition. I use butterfly clips to keep my hair up for 15-30 minutes with the conditioner on whilst I soak in the bath and read for a bit. Then rinse.

Every few weeks I use Christophe Robin Prickly Pear Treatment instead of my usual conditioner as the final stage. As @RhymesWithHaliborange says it is expensive but oh my god it is good.

After washing, spray on on leave in conditioner with hyaluronic acid in it (again Urtekram Nordic berries works for me). Then some Garden of Wisdom hyaluronic acid distributed through my hair and massaged into my scalp. Another quick spritz of the leave-in conditioner. Then I seal the ends with hair oil (I like inlight hair elixir) and rake through some Olaplex no 9 serum all over.

Rarely use heat, although I do blow dry on cool sometimes. I’ve also been known to stick on a fan heater and sit close to it, but not too close, to speed up drying.

Sounds a lot but I have to do a lot less to make my hair look good between washes, and I now only need to wash it 1-2 a week.

A few have recommended coconut oil, I use it after washing and conditioning on damp hair then leave it to dry naturally. The trick for me is to use a very, very small amount spread over both palms of my hands, then smooth it through from mid lengths to ends (avoiding root area!). More oil can be added as needed once hair is dry.

This helps stop my hair going fluffy! And also helps define any curls and waves.

It's a bad photo as hard to find one, but it gives the idea - this is my hair as it used to be in its natural state/ colour before it got v dry (it's not this long anymore though!) I have always required plenty conditioner as tended to be dry, but as I say, used to be slight wave, now just fuzz. Have ordered the banana stuff and the kerastese oil to start with to see if they'll help, thanks all.

I've just discovered Christophe Robin sea salt scrub... omg!

I use Moroccan Oil as a treatment with a plastic hat to keep the heat in or Olaplex ( which is more involved with step 0 then add Step 3 then Shampoo Condition ) depends on how much time I have .

I have menopausal fragile hair that has grown back corrugated after massive hair loss ,
I;m going to try some intensive Blue/Purple shampoo/Condition to see if I can make the grey brighter .

Coconut oil ( the pure one that you melt in your hands )brings my scalp out in lumps

Another recommendation for the Garnier hair food, here.

As far as I've heard Olaplex can make your hair even drier after being used a few times so don't fork out for that quite yet

You don't use hair straighteners or anything but maybe you could try a hairdryer with ionic properties

We have a cheap Remington hairdryer which really smooths your hair. It's to do with the

And don't forget that leaving dry hair to air dry can damage it more than a quick blast on a medium heat hairdryer. The moisture expands the hair allowing it to break easier.

This is what we have although there are really expensive ones like Dyson and Parlux which go above and beyond

Babyliss not Remington

I wouldn’t recommend Olaplex for your hair. Olaplex is more of a protein/bond-building treatment which is best for damaged hair like after bleaching… whereas your hair looks like it needs a lot of moisture. I think that’s where people might go wrong with Olaplex.

Olaplex works on the hair bonds - I do like the effects on my hair but I don't use it often ( probably every 2-3 weeks , it takes time to do all the steps )

My hair was like cotton wool after my hair loss , it stuck out like a fuzzy halo . I gave it a try and it worked for me .

But .... I do remember reading somewhere about not overloading your hair with protein.

Alternating and finding what works

The prickly pear hair treatment looks good, thanks

Even though this is a common complaint there will be a few variations. OP, i devoted time and money trying all the suggestions for peri dry hair until i found what worked for me, and that might not work for you. But "straw" is absolutely the word for it isn't it, if one for loose on my top it felt like a small twig! I'm now post menopausal, no hrt, hair still needs management, but I'm used to it now.

Hairdresser here my hair is the same !!
I have tried sooooo many products I have access to all god brands and moving has helped !!
But I saw this and it’s been brilliant Charles Worthington menoplex shampoo conditioner mask and scalp serum ! All available at Boots and reasonable price my hair has been amazing since using these products and it hasn’t ruined my colour either
https://charlesworthington.com/menoplex/

If I had your hair I’d buy some heat spray and a pair of ghd’s. Just straightening it will change the texture and smooth out all the follicles and frizz. My hair looks pretty much like yours left to its own devices but I have a weekly blow dry because I can’t handle it myself. Mine is really thick, frizzy and full of bleach! This weeks hairdresser pic attached…

This thread reminded me about hair oil. I put on a ton last night and went to bed and woke up with it all soaked in and soft and bouncy hair. I have castor oil (the magic ingredient of so many things) and argon. I find they're eqaully as good as hair oils from aveda or olaplex or boots. I do also have an aveda over night hair treatment, but I don't think it's as good as these straight oils.

Coconut oil, cheap as chips from the cooking aisle in the supermarket. Apply to dry hair and leave for as long as you like, I do 1-2 hours. Wash out with shampoo, rinse and repeat. Don't use conditioner

Cornish seaweed company shampoo and conditioner expensive but meant to be very good.

That's curly hair that's been heat treated or blow dried regularly.

Stop all heat and use lots of curl products

I agree. I know it's a bit of a mumsnet cliché to recommend the curly girl method but I can't help but wonder if that might solve your problems.
My hair is similarly straw like when I attempt to style it smooth. If I scrunch in curl cream and gel it goes really curly - quite a surprise to me as I didn't think of myself as someone with curly hair - and it's much softer, bouncier, and shinier.
They say frizzy hair is just curly hair waiting to be styled right!

Mine looks like that when left to air dry, it's not actually dry but over moisturised and I need protein and hard hold products

Pic 1 is air dry
Pic 2 is with a mousse and hard hold gel and diffused

@LostittoBostik as I said in my original post, I v v rarely use a hairdryer or any heat, I wash my hair every few days and leave it to air dry. So it's def not from overuse of heat or styling etc, it's just mega dry...

Just popping on to say that, impressionable bitch that I am, I bought the Christophe Robin Prickly Pear stuff off the back of this thread. It cost £16 for a pot that was the size of a thimble when it turned up (my fault for not checking) and it's utterly average. Am incredibly disappointed.

This stuff is a million times better for a fraction of the cost.

You should've gone for the salt scrub, tiny pot but you only need a tiny amount.

You should use heat though to dry your hair

If you let your hair air dry then the moisture in your dry hair expands and splits it faster

Let it air dry a bit then blow dry a bit

Agree with this. When my hair was long, it needed at least a little blow drying as otherwise it was completely frizzy. I'd usually leave it to air dry, with leave in conditioner, for at least 30 minutes then a quick blast with a hair dryer.