STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Kitty · Hermes

Hair Dilemma - what to do?

halleybird · Hermes

Can't you get extensions for filler and length? My sister's hair is about shoulder length normally, but she wears (clip-in) extensions that reach to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She wears them every day, so most people are shocked if/when they find out that she really has shorter hair.

If your hair is damaged already, the wedding will make it worse with all the stuff they have to do to your hair to make it stay. And damaged hair doesn't usually look as great. I forgot when your wedding is -- do you have time to (sort of) grow it out?

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

I think you have time to get a trim or two before your wedding. Just take a little off at a time even if it doesn't eliminate all of the damage. Keep using conditioning treatments and telling yourself it's temporary until the wedding arrives. That way, there are no sudden moves that you might regret and your hair is a little more tolerable.

blubirde · Chanel

I'd cut off a few inches to get rid of some of the damage. You can probably afford to have a couple significant cuts (2-3") before the wedding and still have it as long as it is now. And if it's a few inches shorter on the wedding date, the extensions will help. I wouldn't cut it all off, because you want the long hair but I'd definitely go for 1 or 2 significant trims to ease some of the damage.

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I agree with above - cut off about 3" every few months. Damaged hair will only keep breaking making things worse and worse. Conditioning treatments can help, but japanese straightening + highlights = you need more than conditioner. Also, since you had planned on getting some extensions already, it won't hurt to just make those extentions longer IMO.

Kitty · Hermes

Do you think dying it darker would make it healthier?

brazilian · Dooney & Bourke

More coloring wont make your hair healthier, but it will definately look healthier. Dark hair always looks shinier and shows less breakage.

Kitty · Hermes

Isn't semi-permanent good for your hair?

Kitty · Hermes

Erin!?!

blubirde · Chanel

I'm not a hair expert but dyeing, as opposed to highlighting, probably won't hurt your hair. It will look healthier, for sure, but I'm not sure it will actually help anything. Only cutting off the dead stuff will make it go away. It definitely won't heal.

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

my friend just went through this. she had to chop all her hair off and she got extensions. she has long, flowing, big sexy hair. here's how to make extensions work:

good extensions (shop around, all extensions are not created equal)
good cut
good color

if you find that perfect trifecta, you're all set.

also, i'll ask my friend about hair vitamins and leave in conditioners--she has some she swears by.

good luck!

halleybird · Hermes

if you decide to go the extensions route, pm cali to get the brand she uses. They are really reasonably priced -- I used them for awhile too. You can see pics of her hair in her prom post here:

I think at this time, her real hair was just above her collarbones and she dyed the extensions to match her color exactly.

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I honestly think dye will hurt it. I have used semi permanent dye and it caused my ends to break and be really obvious so then I had to cut it any way. Maybe a semi permanent dye, followed by some strinct conditioning and regular trims would be a compromise.

erin · Chanel

sorry i didn't see this post until now. i agree that coloring your hair darker won't make it healthier and you should definitely only use semi (or really demi) permanent color on it. i personally would ask a stylist to put a glaze or gloss of a darker color. those typically have no ammonia or peroxide and add a lot of shine to hair. you might have to get it done twice (not in a row, but once now and say in a month) to get the color to stick if your hair is pretty fried.

i would also recommend cutting off at least a few inches. if you can afford it, either go to a salon for weekly deep conditioning treatments, or invest in one of those dryer caps or something like this:

and do home treatments weekly. it won't return your hair 100% but it will definitely help. to deep condition your hair you really need heat. i like using protein packs (you can get these at any beauty supply - they are like 99 cents) and alternating that with a really intense moisturizing conditioner. make sure you use a shower cap over the conditioner!

Miss Mabel · Kenneth Cole

erin wrote:

sorry i didn't see this post until now. i agree that coloring your hair darker won't make it healthier and you should definitely only use semi (or really demi) permanent color on it. i personally would ask a stylist to put a glaze or gloss of a darker color. those typically have no ammonia or peroxide and add a lot of shine to hair. you might have to get it done twice (not in a row, but once now and say in a month) to get the color to stick if your hair is pretty fried.

i would also recommend cutting off at least a few inches. if you can afford it, either go to a salon for weekly deep conditioning treatments, or invest in one of those dryer caps or something like this:

and do home treatments weekly. it won't return your hair 100% but it will definitely help. to deep condition your hair you really need heat. i like using protein packs (you can get these at any beauty supply - they are like 99 cents) and alternating that with a really intense moisturizing conditioner. make sure you use a shower cap over the conditioner!

Just to add to this, as someone who is always jacking up her hair (since mine is also curly, and I'm addicted to changing the color all the time): be sure you only use an intense protein moisturizer once a week, as Erin said. Putting protein on your hair more than once a week will intensify the breakage. For a daily intense moisturizing conditioner, I really don't think there is anything better than the L'oreal Professional Serie Expert conditioner that comes in the yellow tub. It's tough to find on the west coast, but worth searching for - better than Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, etc. IMO.

Kitty · Hermes

Thanks all for the advice! I'm going to cut a couple inches and then just try to treat it kindly until the wedding. After the wedding I'll chop it all off and start over. I can't wait to get a cute stylish bob.

erin · Chanel

Miss Mabel wrote:

erin wrote:
if you can afford it, either go to a salon for weekly deep conditioning treatments, or invest in one of those dryer caps or something like this:

and do home treatments weekly. it won't return your hair 100% but it will definitely help. to deep condition your hair you really need heat. i like using protein packs (you can get these at any beauty supply - they are like 99 cents) and alternating that with a really intense moisturizing conditioner. make sure you use a shower cap over the conditioner!

Just to add to this, as someone who is always jacking up her hair (since mine is also curly, and I'm addicted to changing the color all the time): be sure you only use an intense protein moisturizer once a week, as Erin said. Putting protein on your hair more than once a week will intensify the breakage. For a daily intense moisturizing conditioner, I really don't think there is anything better than the L'oreal Professional Serie Expert conditioner that comes in the yellow tub. It's tough to find on the west coast, but worth searching for - better than Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, etc. IMO.

i'll politely disagree that using protein more than once a week will intensify breakage. if you let it dry on your hair it will, but if you use a shower cap with it (not a traditional one, but the ones made for hair that are like $2 for a pack of 30 at a beauty supply) it will keep your hair moist.

when my hair was pink, i bleached it twice to get it white enough to be baby pink and my hair felt like cotton candy. i used a protein spray (several brands make something like this, i used rusk) every time i washed my hair and once a week i sprayed my hair, put a deep conditioner on it, and a cap then sat under a dryer for about 10-15 mins. the protein packs, though, usually have conditioners in them already, so it seems redundant to repeat. (the sprays do not)

Miss Mabel · Kenneth Cole

erin wrote:

Miss Mabel wrote:

erin wrote:
if you can afford it, either go to a salon for weekly deep conditioning treatments, or invest in one of those dryer caps or something like this:

and do home treatments weekly. it won't return your hair 100% but it will definitely help. to deep condition your hair you really need heat. i like using protein packs (you can get these at any beauty supply - they are like 99 cents) and alternating that with a really intense moisturizing conditioner. make sure you use a shower cap over the conditioner!

Just to add to this, as someone who is always jacking up her hair (since mine is also curly, and I'm addicted to changing the color all the time): be sure you only use an intense protein moisturizer once a week, as Erin said. Putting protein on your hair more than once a week will intensify the breakage. For a daily intense moisturizing conditioner, I really don't think there is anything better than the L'oreal Professional Serie Expert conditioner that comes in the yellow tub. It's tough to find on the west coast, but worth searching for - better than Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, etc. IMO.

i'll politely disagree that using protein more than once a week will intensify breakage. if you let it dry on your hair it will, but if you use a shower cap with it (not a traditional one, but the ones made for hair that are like $2 for a pack of 30 at a beauty supply) it will keep your hair moist.

when my hair was pink, i bleached it twice to get it white enough to be baby pink and my hair felt like cotton candy. i used a protein spray (several brands make something like this, i used rusk) every time i washed my hair and once a week i sprayed my hair, put a deep conditioner on it, and a cap then sat under a dryer for about 10-15 mins. the protein packs, though, usually have conditioners in them already, so it seems redundant to repeat. (the sprays do not)

Oooh, thanks for posting this, Erin. My stylists have always told me to be careful with the protein treatments, so it's good to know that if I ever really mes it up I have this option with the cap.

Sorry for the hijack and inaccurate advice, Kitty!

Kitty · Hermes

Scratch my last post. I'm cutting it off. I can't deal!!!

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

Kitty wrote:

Scratch my last post. I'm cutting it off. I can't deal!!!

It may not be long for your wedding, but I'm sure it will still look super cute. smile