For quite some time, I was able to get fairly smooth, straight hair, as a long as I used a blowdryer/straightener. (I have a lot of curl to my hair naturally.) Recently I have seen more and more broken hairs at the top of my head and my hair in general seems a great deal more dry and frizzy. It seems to help only slightly if I use just the right shampoo and conditioner, such as products from the Pureology line. Is this possibly a result of using a hair straightener a few times a week over a long period of time?
Do any of you have a straightener that seems to treat your hair gently and that gives you great straightening results at the same time? Also, what hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, styling products, leave-in-conditioners) really help with those broken hairs for a smoother look on top? I would so appreciate any suggestions that you have to offer. Thank you.
I have had the same issue with my hair, but have discovered some great things to help. I too, try not to blow-dry my hair, but let it air dry. I use ion heat protection spray from Sally's Beauty Supply - it doesn't take much! I also use Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine to help with the fly-aways at my part, again doesn't take much!!
So far what everyone else said is right on. You're already using salon products, but sometimes if it's the wrong type of salon product it won't help, so I would talk to a hair dresser just to make sure. Pureology makes some amazing shampoo, but I know that I used the wrong one for a while and that's what happened to my hair. I now have the stuff in the gold bottle and that helped a lot.
Also what I do is I try to never blow dry my hair, I know it can be annoying and sometimes hard to get used to, but I'll actually wash my hair at night and let it air dry (or if I know I'm not leaving my house for a few hours I'll let it air dry in the mornings before straightening). This has actually made a big difference for me personally. Also like it was mentioned, try to give your hair a break every now and then - even if it's just keeping it straight and not washing it for 2-3 days, it allows the natural oils to heal your hair, but if you can have it curly then I would try that. I use the Catwalk Tigi Curls cream and I love it (my hair is VERY curly).
And a good heat protectant. I know that Redkin has a really good one that's a sort of oil. It's in a brown bottle and it lasts forever. I use it before straightening and also right after to smooth away any flyaways - plus it smells good. Also for smoothing down frizzies, if you like Pureology then you can use the Dryshine Styler goup (I think that's the name...) but it's in a yellow container with a purple lid and you only need a tiny bit and it works great. Also good for holding bangs back if you pull them straight back or do a severe side part.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck!
I find my hair is much healthier if I let it go natural a few times a week. When I straighten my hair I use Chi straightening cream. I really like it. I use it sometimes when I let my hair go curly, too, and it's really nice and soft. For shampoo and conditioner I use Tri Systems. I don't remember the names, but I like the "minty green stuff" conditioner. My hair is always healthy since making these changes. Like I said, though, I can't straighten it everyday. I haven't had broken hairs, but my hair does dry out and look frizzy. When I straighten, I use a round brush and then a straightener if necessary. That leaves my hair looking and feeling much healthier. Hope this helps.
I have kind of the same thing, but I finally realized it's actually new growth (maybe a post-baby hormonal thing? I've got a 16-month-old) and not broken hairs.
Anyway, you might now of this site already but they've got *amazing* information for us curly-heads. www.naturallycurly.com They do have some tips about how to gently straighten, too, I think. I don't bother, as it's way too much work to get my hair under THAT much control. ;)
There's also a great book, 'Curly Girl' by Lorraine Massey and Deborah Chiel. (I found it at my local library and then ended up buying it on Amazon.) For the first time in my life, I'm actually kinda *liking* my curls. The frizz is still an issue--I think I'm just going to have to wait for it to grow out enough--but I'm happy enough with the rest of it that it doesn't bug me so much. :)
Use a chi straightener, or other ceramic kind.
Are you sure that the hairs are broken and that they aren't just new hair. I see that you have a one year old, that's when I usually have new growth.
I know that using a shampoo with the wrong pH balance will make your hair brittle. Ceramic straighteners give off a more even heat and are better for your hair. If I blow dry my hair every day I end up getting bad split ends.
I have curly hair too but I hardly ever straighten it. I use Tigi's Moisture Maniac shampoo and conditioner, (it's the most moisturizing I have tried) and Curls Rock leave in conditioner and curl amplifier.
Good luck!
Sadly, as we get a bit older our hair gets less manageable. And drying and flat ironing can make it worse, because it dries it out and makes it brittle. I think the ceramic flat irons are better, but not completely.
As far as products, I would go with salon brands. They do better with your hair (especially with difficult hair) and you use a lot less, so they don't end up costing a whole lot more that grocery store stuff. Your stylist can recommend what is good for your hair.
The heat from your straightener is causing your hair to dry out and break. What you need is to go in and do regular deep conditioning treatments and always use a heat protectant on your hair. Paul Mitchell has one called Heat Seal that you spray either wet hair before blowdrying or dry hair before using a straightener. This will really help get your hair back to good health.
