Repairing Fried/damaged Hair

a lot of 'nicer' salons have great deep conditioning treatments for over processed hair. Call a few local places and see what they suggest.

Hi J.,

I am pregnant with my 3rd and still continue to get my hair highlighted and since being pregnant my hair has just completely dried out and has become really hard to manage. I started using the Neutrogena triple moisture shampoo and conditioner which has helped out tremendously. Also the new hairdresser I got to, told me to start shampooing only every other day and only condition on the off days. I guess the shampoo is actually a contributing factor to the dryness. Hope this helps. :)

I dye & perm my hair at least 3 times a year. I always find that it helps to keep my hair from getting fried if I leave the conditioner in longer when I am in the shower. I usually wash my hair as soon as I get in the shower then put my conditioner in and leave it there until I am done with washing my body then rinse it out. Also, when I know I will be styling my hair with a curling iron or hair dryer, I use Thermasilk. I know it is expensive but, I don't usually use anything in my hair or the hot products so I keep it around for when I want to and try hard to only pick it up when I find a good deal on it. For daily use, I use what ever I can find at Family Dollar for relatively cheap-usually suave or white rain shampoo and conditioner.

Arbonne has a Detox Hair Mask that works really well. Use a couple of times a week for slightly damaged hair and several times a week for very damaged hair. You can find it at www.seethedifference.myarbonne.com

I think you should consider going to a salon for professional advice and products. You don't want to cause more damage by using the wrong thing. I know it's expensive but you really seem to want to get rid of the POOF! You've also posted before about some physical issues, and those may be contributing factors to your hair problems. Hormones and thyroid deficiencies and medications are just a few of the things that can also play a role in hair health. I had a lot of those problems back before I resolved my issues with nutritional supplements and now I have much healthier hair that doesn't collect in the shower drain or on my brush. I color/highlight regularly (every 6 weeks) and my hair has never been better. So I think, at the very least, you should get a good treatment from some professional who can actually look at your hair up close and see what's what. Besides, you've got a young child and you're doing everything alone with your soulmate deployed in Iraq, and you deserve a treat!

Great suggestions so far. But if all else fails, and you can't get to the root of the problem (no pun intended, really), a straight-iron works wonders for last-minute fixes. My hair has gone from straighter-than-straight to so fried I just keep it in a pony tail. I've tried every conditioner/oil treatment out there and nothing has worked as well as the flat iron. Good luck!