Not too long ago, lets say just over a year for arguments sake, I had really superbly messed up hair. I was a victim of hair genocide...and there were no survivors. As a sidebar, for those that are interested, I had shoulder length hair that I had dyed black for nearly a year. I was just trying to get some of the deepness out, so I went to a girl for a consultation to discuss lifting out some of the dye. She and I sat and talked and came up with a plan...lightener and a medium volume developer to bring me up a level [shade] or two. Bueno. But alas, this is not the way this tale went down. No ma'am. Our little free spirited hair stylist decided on lightener, a super high volume developer, and heat. Now, if you don't know hair, this combination, mixed with semi-fine hair can equal disaster...which it did. My hair was melted and breaking off close to the scalp. I was miserable. Fast forward to two years later and I was willing to try anything. I had been through at least 18 stylists, none of which were willing to cut my hair off. So everyday was a styling nightmare. I would spend well over an hour taming my miserably over processed hair. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the grocery store and see:
To anyone in a cosmetology crisis, this is like a bottle of water to some poor sap wandering around the Sahara. All of my good sense and training went right out the window...I was desperate. I bought the bottles and shuffled home with great haste, just thrilled at the prospect of semi-manageable hair. It didn't even take me 10 minutes once I walked in the door to read those bottles and take a shower. As far as I knew, the Nexxus that was among the Pantene and Herbal Essences was just an offshoot, less potent, but just as awesome as the Nexxus my mom used to purchase from the salon in the mid-nineties. I missed the memo about Unilever buying my little gem up in 2005. Oh well, live and learn...but I digress. The bottle made enough sense, wash and rinse with this product for 3 days and you will see improvement in your split ends. I missed a very vital word as I read the label time and again..."bind". No where does this product claim to "repair" split ends. I did my time with this shampoo, washing and conditioning my hair daily until the bottles were near empty. My ends were still fluffy little freaks of nature.
I knew better, and I was only disappointed that I didn't listen to the advice I was given: the only way to fix a split end is to cut it off.
The alarming part is how many different companies are beginning to make claims of mending, binding, or repairing split ends. The sad part is, all of these words are true. These shampoos, conditioners, serums, cremes, and sprays do everything that they say that are going to, which is nothing that most people expect them to do. You can't fix a split end anymore than you can fix a sheet of paper with tape. You can cover it up, make it look better, but it won't ever be whole again...it will always have a tear in it. Hair is like nylons. Odd comparison, I know, but come with me on this journey. When you get a run in your hose, you try and stop it. You'll place a little bit of clear polish on it and pray that it doesn't inch its way up the legs. A patch job may get you through the day without error, but like it or not, you know that when you get home, those hose are toast. With hair, the analogy is similar, except your not throwing away all of the hair, just the damaged bits. Without a trim, the split runs the risk of worsening. Every blow dry, every pass of the flat iron, every twirl of the curling iron, each dance with hair color all stand to make a small problem worse.
Since my little tango with Nexxus Pro Mend, I have had many people (in my chair and generally in my life) as me about these split end miracle products, and the answer is always the same: Its great as a preventative measure, but you can't fix this problem over the counter. There are always better shampoos and conditioners out there that aren't drug store brands, hell, there are even some drug store brands that will work just fine in a pinch. My advice to you if you have unruly, damaged hair, seek professional help. In other words, your friendly neighborhood stylist can hook you up with locks that are healthy and bouncier than you can even imagine. Like anything in like, there is no "quick fix' for split ends, but with a good cut and the right products for your hair type, you can have killer look at a pretty reasonable price.
As always, if you have questions, drop me a comment. If you need suggestions for hair care, you can always let me know and I will be glad to help.
Until next time my lovelies, have a beautiful day!
Wonderful blog Barbra!! I didn't know it then but I had the same issue when I dyed my hair over a decade ago. Actually, it explains why my hair reacted the way it did. I had wanted my hair red corvette (fudgebox hair color, LOL!) and the dude said I'd have to bleach it. Not a prob I thought, as he's a pro and (supposedly) knew what he's doing.
ReplyDeleteHe put the strongest bleach available and put me in one of those heat hats for like...an hour. I knew I had alot of hair (and it was long to boot) but when he took the hat off there was lots of smoke and HUGE scalp flakes flying off my head. When it was all said and done, I watched my hair dry...and fluff...and puff straight out. I looked like I had a clown wig on my head!
I spent the next 3 years fixing it, then got tired of it and chopped 7 inches off. It was purple at the time, but all that ridiculous crap was gone. I knew I had split ends (with trauma like that, there had to be!) but had I'd known the extent of how damaging they can be, I'd have cut the hair off way earlier and saved myself the 3yrs of heavy creme conditioners, avocado and mayo (I was desperate! LOL!!)
The wrong hairstylist can be murder on your hair. Last year I was forced to crop my hair super short and spiky. I was lucky that it was cute, but I had to stop dying it for nearly a year just to make it healthy again. A lot of people don't know that lightener that is too strong can literally burn your hair off. When I was in school, I had a woman in my chair that said she hadn't been dying her hair when she actually had. I put lightener in her hair with just a low volume developer and it caused the foil packets to expand and have burn holes in them. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen and it terrified the shit out of me. It made me a better stylist and I NEVER let it happen again. At school, that sort of thing is acceptable, in the salon...not even close
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you, Barbra. I know I'm not supposed to dye my hair when I'm in the first trimester, so I'm counting the days until I can dye it again (the white streaks are getting huge). I have long hair, about midway down my back when it's straight, but it's super curly and frizzy. I probably shouldn't dye my hair as the split ends are bad, but I have to get rid of the white for my husband's conference at the end of June. Any suggestions on how to do it to minimize the damage since I'm in such a spot?
ReplyDeleteGood question, Selena!!! First, congrats on the good news! Second, pregnancy...When I was in school, we were ALL terrified of coloring the hair of a pregnant woman. Time and time again, we were soothed. If the information comes from your OBGYN, then go with that, but if not, and its just something that you have been told without asking, maybe double check. Everything I have read and been told points to it being a-okay to dye your hair at any point during a pregnancy. Certainly, during high risk situations, this can be different, and all doctors do have different protocol to follow when their patients find themselves expecting a bundle of joy! I know that the white streaks can be daunting, and I know that you are probably looking for a decent route out. First and foremost, you have to decide a very difficult thing: What is more important, length or health? If you go with the latter, then you need to do the near unthinkable and cut off the split ends, because you're right, it'll only get worse from here. Dye has ammonia (generally speaking, though there are ammonia free alternatives, which I will get to in a moment), and ammonia can wreak havoc on already damaged hair. There are some pieces of information that I need to make sure I am telling you the right thing, so I will have to do my best here...if your hair is dyed lighter than your natural color, you'll likely have to use a regular dye, even if you just want a root touch up. If your hair is dyed darker than your natural, then you are in luck! There are some demi-permanent alternative that are actually protein based that can dye your hair just fine. Bear in mind that they are translucent, so you will be able to differentiate the "natural platinum high lights", but they still will minimize the appearance. Find a Paul Mitchell salon in your area and ask if they do PM Shines. This stuff is awesome and lacks the usual "just-dyed" stink. While you're at it, still go to a PM salon for dye, because their regular, permanent color has only 2% ammonia and will be far less damaging on dry, brittle hair. Hope this helped!
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