QuoteReplyTopic: frizzy top layer Posted: January 08 2002 at 7:09pm
I`ve had almost exactly the same problem - nice, smooth curls underneath, frizzy/straight layer on top. Lately I`ve been touching up the top layer with a curling iron, but it`s getting old, especially since I used to have wash-and-go hair. What I would like to find out is how my hair got this way, since I hardly ever blow dry and can`t think of anything that would have brought about this change. I could try the Frizz-Ease, but that seems like a "stop-gap" solution that only treats the symptom, not the root (no pun intended) problem. Any of you hair experts out there have any ideas as to how my hair got this way? Thanks! Terry
It may be a change within. Unfortunately, as we age, our hair structure changes. It could be that the top layer of hair has become more coarse. It could be a hormone level change that has brought it on. If the texture itself has not changed (one way to check is to take a strand and compare it to one that is still smooth), it could be the top layer is becoming too fragile and is breaking, therefore causing frizzy ends. I can bet, if the texture is different, it is a hormone change. Even stress can bring on changes like that. Since hair actually grows from the blood, the only thing you can do is treat the symptom, not the root of the problem. IF however, it is due to being weakened, try some good reapairative strengthener.
Does the hair show any signs of breakage? Meaning, are there short split hairs that you can see? Two things: 1. If you are not taking vitamins already, start. The hair vitamins out on the market are really not a waste of money. Hair is made up of some key ingredients. It is a soft keratin as your nails are a hard keratin. They are both appendages of the skin and grow by way of nourishment from the blood. So it is best to treat the problem from the inside out. The vitamins have good things like panthenol, B complex, etc. 2. Find a product with protein. Protein gives your hair strength. The regular daily conditioners may have some but they are only temporary. They basically coat the hair shaft, which is fine, but they only last till the next shampoo. The reconstructors or deep conditioning, penetrate the hair shaft at a deeper level. I am not sure what area you live in so I will give you a few choices: You can check out any of the reconstructors by Nexxus, Joico, Matrix, Bed Head, Paul Mitchell, TiGi, Webb, etc at the local salon, or Go to your local beauty supply store and check out the hair repair pacs. It should say they are strengtheners. Do not use straight protein on the hair, as this will make the hair too dry. You want an equal balance of moisturizer and protein. If your hair is fine, you may have to keep trying if the one you choose leaves the hair too weighed down. Do you have well water or city water? Well water will leave the hair deposited with too many minerals (especially if the hair is fine and porous). You may want to try a clarifier first before using the treatment. Mineral deposits can often make the hair feel just plain nasty and may take a few treatments to really work. Your best solution for that (if it is your case) would be to have it done at a salon. Good luck! Good luck.
I do have some broken hairs, and I`ve been taking steps to strengthen it. What I`m using now is basically a cheaper version of Paul Mitchell`s Awapuhi shampoo and conditioner, although I don`t know how it compares to the real thing. (From this site it would seem that there`s no comparison between the cheap stuff and salon products, so maybe I`ll have to try the latter!) I`ve been alternating this with CurlVive by Loreal, which is supposedly made to moisturize fine, curly hair - which is what mine is, or was, rather. And every now and then I use a clarifier (KMS Phirst).
We have city water, so that shouldn`t be part of the problem, but I`m not taking vitamins, so I guess I could try that. I don`t like to depend on pills too much, though (it feels like cheating), so I try to eat the right kinds of foods with the nutrients good for hair and skin. But since at present this doesn`t seem to be working, it may be time to bring out the big guns...
I wonder if there`s a connection between the cause of this damage and the fact that the rest of my hair is not as curly as it used to be. I used to get loose spirals all over my head, and now it just dries mostly into a thin wave. And what curl is there seems to get pulled out easily when I pick it (I can`t use a brush.) I don`t think it`s weighed down, because using a clarifier doesn`t seem to help. But if what I`ve read about the shape of the hair being determined by the shape of the follicle is true, I don`t see how this could have changed. But maybe if I make the above changes I`ll kill two birds with one stone...
I think that your problem is dryness. The top layer is exposed to air, sun, etc, and it gets pulled and stretched more often. Also, you may be shampooing the top more vigorously than the bottom, and product usually gets dumped on the top more. SO, what to do? Use a deep conditioner once a week until it starts to look better. And when you condition (in the shower, I hope!) rinse it out but not completely (and comb with wide tooth comb), and while your hair is still damp, smooth a bit of conditioner over the top. NEVER BRUSH curly hair, ever.
Something to note: ALL conditioners, no matter how deep or "reconstructing" they claim to be, do NOT fix hair. And they all last only until you shampoo them out--even the "deep penetrating" ones. Conditioners work by filling in gaps between the cuticles and coating the hair shaft, thus imparting the look and feel of healthy hair. However, this is only temporary--even the best, most expensive conditioners will stop their magic once you`ve washed them out. Hair is dead, dead, dead. You cannot repair dead cells because there is no cell turnover, no rejuvenation. So all you can do is use products containing protein, college, elastin, quaternary agents, silicones and panthenol to mask the damage. No matter how much the bottle claims to reconstruct your hiar, it is simply untrue. These products will simply make your hair feel more moisturized while you wait for new growth.
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
the top layer of ur hair is ALWAYS exposed to the atmosphere.......ur curling irons, the sun, even swimming etc. has all added up to damaging the top layer of ur hair.
Why hasnt it damaged the bottom layer u ask? becoz this has been covered and protected by the top layer (if that made ANY sense lol).
This will ALWAYS happen throughout ur life if u dont take precautions to decrease or even eliminate the chance of this happening.
Some tips to help you:
* deep condition ur hair with a proffessional deep conditioning treatment once a week (i cannot stress how much better a proffesional one, from a hair salon, is than one u would buy from a supermarket) * use a leave in conditioner every couple of days * use a treatment spray/serum if u are going to use ANY hot styling components (this includes a hairdryer, straightening irons, curling irons, etc) This is a must as it protects ur hair from the heat * try to minimise the use of hot styling components, try to let your hair airdry atleast a couple of times a month
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