Dry, Brittle Hair

About a year ago I went in for a haircut because the top layer of my hair was so dry and damaged. It was splitting and breaking all over the place.

The gal that cut my hair asked what on earth I did to my hair it looked so bad. It looked like I had burned it or something. I do not color my hair. I was using a blow dryer occasionally.

Around that time I was under a lot of stress and had lost a lot of weight in one month (I'm already underweight as it is). I thought that perhaps my hair problems were due to stress and because my nutritional intake had been messed up.

I started taking Biotin, but didn't really feel that it made a difference. I also purchased shampoo and conditioner from Sally, along with some argan oil. My hair started to look better, but it was still breaking and splitting.

About two months ago I stopped using shampoo daily. I went down to twice a week from about 6 times a week. I used conditioner after and 2-3 other times in the week. The other days I either "washed" with water or kept it dry.

I also started oiling my hair every day. I would use a tiny bit of jojoba oil or argan oil in the morning. At night I would put about a half teaspoon of jojoba oil in my hair, concentrating on the lower half.

This has helped so much and my hair does not have nearly the damage it used to. I still see a split end here and there and do still get breakage.

Last week I noticed I only needed to use shampoo once in the week. I also use a very tiny amount and focus on the scalp. I'd say I use about a dime size. My shampoo doesn't contain formaldehyde. It does contain SLS, though. When it runs out I will look for something better.
When I condition I focus mostly on the middle of my hair down to the ends. Then I massage it around and rinse it very, very well.

Last night I put coconut oil in my hair and also massaged it into my scalp. Today, after washing, my hair feels so soft and amazing! When using coconut oil I will need to focus more on getting out in the shower. The hair at the base of the neck is difficult to get at.

Another change I just made is that I now use an old cotton tshirt to dry my hair. I squeeze and scrunch the water out gently. I do not rub or tug at the hair.

I am really enjoying the results. My hair is in better shape than I can remember. This is an easy routine to keep up!