Hair help

Sew_Late

Hoping someone with hair care knowledge can help me with my bird's nest hair  I'm ashamed of it.  I think it must be a problem with blow drying technique although I do point the nozzle in the right direction and I invested in a dyson last year.   I use all products my hairdresser recommends and I even had a keritin treatment on it.  My hairdresser achieves a sleek, shiny bob.  Expert advice needed, please!

Emmia

Do you towel dry your hair? What happens if you leave it to dry naturally?

Which products do you currently use? And are you washing with hard or soft water?

Sew_Late

Emmia said:

Do you towel dry your hair? What happens if you leave it to dry naturally?

Which products do you currently use? And are you washing with hard or soft water?

I don't normally towel dry as in rub it  I have a hair wrap that I put on for about 30-40 mins (Dock & Bay, I think it's called) and it's supposed to remove excess moisture from the hair so that you use less heat - or so the idea is. 

I live in a very hard water area but my hairdresser did say to me that she has a filter fitted and that she thinks it makes a lot of difference. 

I use everything she recommend: Toni & Guy shampoo and conditioner, Toni & Guy mask bi weekly, sometimes once a week.  When I'm drying it I add a Noughty leave in conditioner then I use Aussie Mega Heat spray before blow drying and then most days add an oil to the ends of my hair.  

I've been on holiday to Japan recently where this pic was taken.  They have very low voltage so drying was a bit of challenge as it took a long time but my hair looks like this in the UK as well.  Yet all Japanese people have such beautiful hair and I felt a bit embarrassed going out tbh.  I had read that humidity would make it worse when I was there (not sure that it was much worse, if any) and took the advice to get a keratin treatment done before I left which I did but it seems not to have worked for me. 

My hair is fine but I have an awful lot of it and it does take some time to dry it.  It has a wave.  I've tried letting it dry on it's own but it is probably worse than using a hairdryer (I even invested in a dyson but not sure it's helped much).  

I know it's a small problem in the scheme of life but I'm truly fed up with it and it should be a problem that's crackable!

swingaloo

I sympathise, I have had the same problem for years. Fine hair with a curl I hate and had to  be blow dried to look anything like ok. 
Every time I went out if there was the slightest hint of damp in the air I frizzed up. Sent so long fiddling and straightening and spent a small fortune on products.  Going out I could spend ages blow drying and straightening yet always looked a wreck on photos. My hair was just past my shoulders and all one length.

Finally had enough about 3 months ago and had a really good cut, the layers all over but long enough to get straighteners on.  It got rid of all the 'dead stuff' which had not been helped by colouring myself from a packet off the shelf.

I use John Frieda Daily Miracle Leave in Conditioner when I wash it twice a week. My hair is now about the same overall length of yours but all shorter layers and it has never been so easy to manage and to be honest it has never looked as healthy.

I use the hairdryer and just run my fingers through to blow dry it then just use straighteners on the bottom bits around the neckline.

It has changed my world!

Emmia

I have fine mostly straight hair which has a bit of a curl in places - I don't blow-dry. I use a thickening shampoo for fine hair (Nanogen luxe or Maria Nila). I don't use conditioner very often, although I do wash daily.

Conditioner is mostly used if I've been swimming, or occasionally in the winter - I really like the Philip Kingsley elasticizer which I apply and leave for a few minutes before shampooing, or just a small amount of a post wash conditioner. 

For me, cut is everything. I'm firmly of the opinion that a blow-dry hides a poor cut. I don't blow-dry or straighten (although I own a hairdryer and straighteners) so there is no point a hairdresser blow-drying or straightening. 

DiamondLil

I have fine, dry hair. I keep it cut very short and use Moroccan oil when necessary - and I wash my hair once a week.

theoretica

Soft water makes a huge difference to mine.  In a very soft water area I just need shampoo, nothing else.  In medium to hard water areas I need conditioner or hot oil treatment too and don't feel my hair looks as good.  Hot oil is a faff, but my hair appreciates it.

Spoonie_Turtle

Sew_Late said:

Emmia said:

Do you towel dry your hair? What happens if you leave it to dry naturally?

Which products do you currently use? And are you washing with hard or soft water?

I don't normally towel dry as in rub it  I have a hair wrap that I put on for about 30-40 mins (Dock & Bay, I think it's called) and it's supposed to remove excess moisture from the hair so that you use less heat - or so the idea is. 

I live in a very hard water area but my hairdresser did say to me that she has a filter fitted and that she thinks it makes a lot of difference. 

I use everything she recommend: Toni & Guy shampoo and conditioner, Toni & Guy mask bi weekly, sometimes once a week.  When I'm drying it I add a Noughty leave in conditioner then I use Aussie Mega Heat spray before blow drying and then most days add an oil to the ends of my hair.  

I've been on holiday to Japan recently where this pic was taken.  They have very low voltage so drying was a bit of challenge as it took a long time but my hair looks like this in the UK as well.  Yet all Japanese people have such beautiful hair and I felt a bit embarrassed going out tbh.  I had read that humidity would make it worse when I was there (not sure that it was much worse, if any) and took the advice to get a keratin treatment done before I left which I did but it seems not to have worked for me. 

That's a LOT of products.  You might need to clarify it as a start - products are supposed to leave behind a residue, that's why they do their job, but over time that residue can build up if it's not being fully washed off with shampoo every time.  Looking at the ingredients for some of the Toni & Guy shampoos, they should clean decently well but they also leave stuff on themselves, and then with all the other products on top it could well be build up.  I wonder if your hairdresser uses a clarifying shampoo and just hasn't mentioned it.

To clarify hair, you need a clear shampoo containing sulphates and not very much else.  I recommend Tresemme … oh, not any more.  They've charged the ingredients (darn).  Maybe a Herbal Essences shampoo, if you can see it's clear and it contains a sulphate - ideally Sodium Laureth Sulphate.  Or … and this might sound weird, but, Femfresh can work.  It's the right pH for scalp and hair and is designed to gently clean rather than do anything fancy with hair.

The technique for clarifying is to lather up, all of your hair not just the roots (I see yours is short so it probably all gets lathered up anyway, but in case anyone else reading wants to know too), and let it sit for a few minutes.  Rinse, repeat, then use a conditioner you know your hair likes, leave on for a few minutes or however long you can.

With the amount of products you're using you might need to repeat that for a couple of hair washes.  It's unlikely to be miraculous but it should help.

I would advise gently combing with conditioner in, rinsing, then just letting it dry naturally after its sat on the towel, and see what happens.  Or if you must blow dry, blow dry with the hairdryer on warm not hot - if you can comfortably hold your hand in the air stream, it's cool enough and you don't need any heat protectant.

What oil are you using?  Oil itself has certain benefits but it isn't moisturising, and most products marketed as 'hair oil' are silicone serums containing not much of the actual beneficial oil.  They have their place, of course.  But again it's something that can build up.

Oh you mention a keratin treatment too.  Did they use straighteners for it, or was it all a chemical process?  Either way is not actually good for hair, but the one with heat is more damaging as far as I understand.


I can recommend the Long Hair Community forum for more personalised advice; contrary to how the name might sound you don't need to have or want (or even like) long hair to post there - we're eager to help anyone get their hair healthy and happy whatever length they have/want.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/forum.php

Sew_Late

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Sew_Late said:

Emmia said:

Do you towel dry your hair? What happens if you leave it to dry naturally?

Which products do you currently use? And are you washing with hard or soft water?

I don't normally towel dry as in rub it  I have a hair wrap that I put on for about 30-40 mins (Dock & Bay, I think it's called) and it's supposed to remove excess moisture from the hair so that you use less heat - or so the idea is. 

I live in a very hard water area but my hairdresser did say to me that she has a filter fitted and that she thinks it makes a lot of difference. 

I use everything she recommend: Toni & Guy shampoo and conditioner, Toni & Guy mask bi weekly, sometimes once a week.  When I'm drying it I add a Noughty leave in conditioner then I use Aussie Mega Heat spray before blow drying and then most days add an oil to the ends of my hair.  

I've been on holiday to Japan recently where this pic was taken.  They have very low voltage so drying was a bit of challenge as it took a long time but my hair looks like this in the UK as well.  Yet all Japanese people have such beautiful hair and I felt a bit embarrassed going out tbh.  I had read that humidity would make it worse when I was there (not sure that it was much worse, if any) and took the advice to get a keratin treatment done before I left which I did but it seems not to have worked for me. 

That's a LOT of products.  You might need to clarify it as a start - products are supposed to leave behind a residue, that's why they do their job, but over time that residue can build up if it's not being fully washed off with shampoo every time.  Looking at the ingredients for some of the Toni & Guy shampoos, they should clean decently well but they also leave stuff on themselves, and then with all the other products on top it could well be build up.  I wonder if your hairdresser uses a clarifying shampoo and just hasn't mentioned it.

To clarify hair, you need a clear shampoo containing sulphates and not very much else.  I recommend Tresemme … oh, not any more.  They've charged the ingredients (darn).  Maybe a Herbal Essences shampoo, if you can see it's clear and it contains a sulphate - ideally Sodium Laureth Sulphate.  Or … and this might sound weird, but, Femfresh can work.  It's the right pH for scalp and hair and is designed to gently clean rather than do anything fancy with hair.

The technique for clarifying is to lather up, all of your hair not just the roots (I see yours is short so it probably all gets lathered up anyway, but in case anyone else reading wants to know too), and let it sit for a few minutes.  Rinse, repeat, then use a conditioner you know your hair likes, leave on for a few minutes or however long you can.

With the amount of products you're using you might need to repeat that for a couple of hair washes.  It's unlikely to be miraculous but it should help.

I would advise gently combing with conditioner in, rinsing, then just letting it dry naturally after its sat on the towel, and see what happens.  Or if you must blow dry, blow dry with the hairdryer on warm not hot - if you can comfortably hold your hand in the air stream, it's cool enough and you don't need any heat protectant.

What oil are you using?  Oil itself has certain benefits but it isn't moisturising, and most products marketed as 'hair oil' are silicone serums containing not much of the actual beneficial oil.  They have their place, of course.  But again it's something that can build up.

Oh you mention a keratin treatment too.  Did they use straighteners for it, or was it all a chemical process?  Either way is not actually good for hair, but the one with heat is more damaging as far as I understand.


I can recommend the Long Hair Community forum for more personalised advice; contrary to how the name might sound you don't need to have or want (or even like) long hair to post there - we're eager to help anyone get their hair healthy and happy whatever length they have/want.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/forum.php

I use Argan oil.  I've just got a clarifying shampoo today so will try that, thank you. 

MadeInHeaven

Suphates actually strip hair of oil, so try to use a shampoo that doesn’t use any (Ola Plex, Philip Kingsley, living proof, Paul Mitchell). If you use Ola Plex use really sparingly at first…just a finger nail amount and see how you go. Don’t mix and match products, keep shampoo, conditioner and treatments in the same brand. Also don’t forget your brushes when your blow drying your hair depending on the length and the style you want to achieve.