I`m straightener happy! Help a fried head of hair!

Hi! Glad I could help. Any serum with cyclomethicone, phenyl trimethicone, amodimethicone or dimethicone (something with "cone") will be a great serum. Some also include various oils but I recommend staying away from those because they can get quite greasy and heavy. Frizz Ease is great, but you can get cheapers serums with the EXACT same ingredients from other lines.

I don`t get gross residue from overnight conditioning, but it`s certainly possible. I put my hair in a ponytail, put a towel over my pillow and I sleep the night away. However, leaving conditioner on for 15-30 minutes will also work. Good luck!

Hi there! This has got to be my favorite hair subject because I answer more posts about fried hair. About two years ago I dyed my hair several times and nearly ruined it. It`s mostly grown out but I`ve done some rather extensive research into dry hair care and trichology in general. Here is my well-informed, albeit amateur advice for making your hair softer, shinier and smoother:

1. Accept the fact that nothing will ever repair your hair. It is dead from the moment it grows from your scalp. Without cellular turnover, your hair cannot repair damage caused by sun, heat or chemicals. But don`t despair! There ARE some important things you can do to really improve your hair`s look and feel. Starting with...

2. Get an ultra-gentle shampoo. With shampoos there are some potentially drying detergents to avoid: ammonium laureth/lauryl sulfate, sodium LAURYL (not sodium laureth sulfate--that`s the good one) sulfate, the TEAs, ammonium xylenosulfate. Flip that bottle over and look at the ingredient list. This is the only part of that sucker regulated by the FDA; hence you can forget the other assorted promises on the shampoo`s label. My two favorite shampoos are Loreal Nature`s Therapy Mega Moisture and Phyto System Hydro-Botanics.

3. Don`t shampoo every day. Shampooing roughs up the hair cuticle, as does the drying process. I can go three days until I can`t stand it. If you can at least shoot for every other day, you`re cutting the wear and tear down by half.

4. Find the best conditioner you can. This doesn`t mean the most expensive one necessarily. I have had some great luck at Sally Beauty. Again, you must know your ingredients. Collagen, elastin, panthenol, silicone derivatives (anything ending in "cone") and virtually any protein, regardless of its source, coat the hair shaft and fills in the gaps between cuticles. Although these agents don`t actually heal your hair, they sure make it appear better. Also good are the quaterniums: quaternium-18, sterealkonium something, benalkamomium, etc. I have a list at home but I`m at my office and I honestly can`t remember all their names or spellings.

Something else to note with conditioners: Not all alcohol is drying! I hear this all the time: one of my friends picks up a conditioner, sees the words stearyl alcohol and throws it back on the shelf, saying "Sheesh this will destroy my hair!" Cetyl, Stearyl and Cetearyl alcohol (a mixture of the first two) are actually GOOD for conditioning your hair. They are emollients that both thicken the product and impart shine and softness.

Some conditioners I REALLY like are: Clairol Color ProTec Daily Replenisher (makes no difference that it`s for colored hair), Aura Almond Cherry Bark Revitalizing conditioner, Biotera Reconstructor, Frizz Ease Glistening Creme, Loreal Nature`s Therapy Mega Moisture and Redken All Soft. I buy a lot of these at Sally.

5. Leave the conditioner on as possible Go for at least five minutes, but if you can sleep with it in your hair it`s even better. I don`t rinse the conditioner completely out; I stop when my hair is still slippery but not weighed down by lingering conditioner.

6. Give the straightening iron a rest, if you can. You and I have the same problem: we have wavy hair that we want stick straight. I blow dry mine to smooth perfection, but only every third day. The less heat, the better. It`s hard to make yourself like the hair God gave you if it doesn`t fit your ideal type, but experiment with styling and see if you can get used to wavy/curly hair. I tried really, really hard. It didn`t work and I went back to stick straight. But at least I tried :-)

Use a silicone serum when styling. Before blowing out my hair, I spray a silicone-only serum on the length of my hair. On wet hair and used in moderation a serum can make even the dryest hair beautifully smooth. On dry hair it increases shine and softness.

Get a trim. If your tips are really fried, cut them off girl! They`re just a pain anyway and you won`t lose much length.

Okay, okay, so I could go on and on. Oh wait, I already did. There are tons of things you can do to improve your hair`s condition; these are just a few suggestions. I also recommend a book called Don`t Go Shopping for Hair care Products without me by Paula Begoun. You can get it on amazon. She`s a consumer advocate reporter who reviews thousands of products based on their chemical makeup. She also has some decent tips on damaged hair. I hope *some* of this lengthy essay has helped you. GOOD LUCK! :-)