my hair is crying out for help!
November 2, 2007 10:00 AM Subscribe
Parting my (damaged) hair with a comb breaks it. Is there some more gentle way for me to style it?
My (wavy, thick, fairly coarse) hair is pretty fried from cumulative years of playing around with bleach, which I can generally live with. I condition the heck out of it and cut the really dead stuff off regularly, so it doesn't feel that bad most of the time. That said, it's been breaking lately and I'd like to stop it.
I've been parting my hair on the side, usually with a comb when it's wet, and combing it straight and letting it dry that way. This seemed like a pretty good way to make it behave itself with a minimum of heat, product, and work, but it's obviously terrible for my hair. It's been breaking along the part line recently, leaving little wispy pieces which fly all over the place and generally look bad. Is there some more gentle, yet still effective, way for me to part and style my hair so it doesn't break any more?
My (wavy, thick, fairly coarse) hair is pretty fried from cumulative years of playing around with bleach, which I can generally live with. I condition the heck out of it and cut the really dead stuff off regularly, so it doesn't feel that bad most of the time. That said, it's been breaking lately and I'd like to stop it.
I've been parting my hair on the side, usually with a comb when it's wet, and combing it straight and letting it dry that way. This seemed like a pretty good way to make it behave itself with a minimum of heat, product, and work, but it's obviously terrible for my hair. It's been breaking along the part line recently, leaving little wispy pieces which fly all over the place and generally look bad. Is there some more gentle, yet still effective, way for me to part and style my hair so it doesn't break any more?
Best answer: How long is your hair. You might be surprised to know that not all of what you see is necessarily broken off hair, but new growth coming in. I have a combination of the new 'devil hairs' and broken hair too (too many pony tails).
I've found that if I brush it out BEFORE washing it, it really minimises how many tangles I end up with afterward. Also, don't go crazy with the magic finger action while washing. The idea is to *gently* agitate and loosen dirt/oil/schmutz, not to create a new version of the Grand Canyon within the confines of your scalp. :)
If you have any measurable length to your hair, consider coating it with a layer of conditioner before washing the roots. The length doesn't need to be as deeply cleaned, and any surfactants that rinse down along the way should be enough to clean off any styling product you may have used.
Make sure you get all the shampoo out of your hair (don't worry about any remaining conditioner on the length), and do a second round of conditioner. Leave it on for however long you normally would, then do another good rinse. When you think you have it all out, rinse it again.
Gently blot the water out of your hair, Don't dry it like a dog! It's a sure fire way to mat everything down! Just wrap it loosely, while you dry yourself off, then when you're ready, spray some good leave in condition throughout the length of your hair (stay away from the roots if you can). I've been using this stuff with really great results. Granted, it's not super cheap, but it truly lasts several months (and my hair is past the bottom of my brastrap).
The nicest thing you can do for your hair is to get a GOOD comb (not the $2 Goody comb from CVS) and some separating clips. Clip it up in sections, so you can start at the back and bottom. Once you have the knots out there, let some more hair down, and comb that part out, continuing until your whole head is untangled. Yes, it will take a while (my hair will take me a good ten minutes if I take my time), but in the end, it's worth it.
I found a really good WIDE toothed comb made by Swissco at (of all places) Whole Foods. It was about $10. It's plastic and hand finished. Here it is. Worth every penny.
Finally, if you want to tame the 'devil hairs', you can try some serums or dressing lotions. Kiehl's Silk Groom is a nice one - I use it on dry hair. A TINY (think smaller than dime size) does almost my entire head. Rub it between your palms till it's almost a hand lotion and just smooth it over the top of your head.
HTH :)
posted by dancinglamb at 10:24 AM on November 2, 2007 [2 favorites]
I've found that if I brush it out BEFORE washing it, it really minimises how many tangles I end up with afterward. Also, don't go crazy with the magic finger action while washing. The idea is to *gently* agitate and loosen dirt/oil/schmutz, not to create a new version of the Grand Canyon within the confines of your scalp. :)
If you have any measurable length to your hair, consider coating it with a layer of conditioner before washing the roots. The length doesn't need to be as deeply cleaned, and any surfactants that rinse down along the way should be enough to clean off any styling product you may have used.
Make sure you get all the shampoo out of your hair (don't worry about any remaining conditioner on the length), and do a second round of conditioner. Leave it on for however long you normally would, then do another good rinse. When you think you have it all out, rinse it again.
Gently blot the water out of your hair, Don't dry it like a dog! It's a sure fire way to mat everything down! Just wrap it loosely, while you dry yourself off, then when you're ready, spray some good leave in condition throughout the length of your hair (stay away from the roots if you can). I've been using this stuff with really great results. Granted, it's not super cheap, but it truly lasts several months (and my hair is past the bottom of my brastrap).
The nicest thing you can do for your hair is to get a GOOD comb (not the $2 Goody comb from CVS) and some separating clips. Clip it up in sections, so you can start at the back and bottom. Once you have the knots out there, let some more hair down, and comb that part out, continuing until your whole head is untangled. Yes, it will take a while (my hair will take me a good ten minutes if I take my time), but in the end, it's worth it.
I found a really good WIDE toothed comb made by Swissco at (of all places) Whole Foods. It was about $10. It's plastic and hand finished. Here it is. Worth every penny.
Finally, if you want to tame the 'devil hairs', you can try some serums or dressing lotions. Kiehl's Silk Groom is a nice one - I use it on dry hair. A TINY (think smaller than dime size) does almost my entire head. Rub it between your palms till it's almost a hand lotion and just smooth it over the top of your head.
HTH :)
posted by dancinglamb at 10:24 AM on November 2, 2007 [2 favorites]
Oh, when I said that I use the Kiehl's on dry hair, I mean when my hair is not wet (that is what's suggested on the label). I've tried it that way and it was just too greasy for me.
posted by dancinglamb at 10:33 AM on November 2, 2007
posted by dancinglamb at 10:33 AM on November 2, 2007
I used to subject my hair to platinum blonde 'home fries'. Hey :) maybe it's a white blonde thing, as I did it for years too! :)
So yep, exactly what oneirodynia said.
And to expand on it - while doing this if you kind of... flick the comb, instead of a downward brushing motion.
**Think like a schtik-schtik-schtick sound intead of ccrrrrggghh..ccrrrrggghh..**
Basically if you feel ANY tension, flick the comb out of there and pick a lower point. You should never hear snapping! (You don't even want to hear snap, but you may still at first?)
...Are you parting THEN proceeding to comb. Stop that immediately! Either comb it into place with the Zero tension flicking or part it in the shower while it's got conditioner. Don't try to move it! You need to coax it into going where you want :)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 10:46 AM on November 2, 2007
So yep, exactly what oneirodynia said.
And to expand on it - while doing this if you kind of... flick the comb, instead of a downward brushing motion.
**Think like a schtik-schtik-schtick sound intead of ccrrrrggghh..ccrrrrggghh..**
Basically if you feel ANY tension, flick the comb out of there and pick a lower point. You should never hear snapping! (You don't even want to hear snap, but you may still at first?)
...Are you parting THEN proceeding to comb. Stop that immediately! Either comb it into place with the Zero tension flicking or part it in the shower while it's got conditioner. Don't try to move it! You need to coax it into going where you want :)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 10:46 AM on November 2, 2007
Best answer: Tame the little flyaways with clear mascara!
posted by infinityjinx at 11:03 AM on November 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by infinityjinx at 11:03 AM on November 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:05 AM on November 2, 2007