All Mixed

Have youever tried to make your hair a funky color. At some point in time you have this sudden urge to just completly go past naturaL hair color. Thats where I come in. I bleached certain parts of my hair. Then I colored the bleached areas RED. Now that the color is fading my hair is a bundle of different shades of red and orange and in some areas blond. My hair feels so damaged, dry, foolish. I have not found a conditioner that will heal my hair. HELP!!!! any suggestions?

Some conditioners I really like:

*Aura Cherry Almond Bark Conditioner (much like the Aveda version...only cheaper.) It`s got a VERY strong licorice smell but is quite good. Even Paula Begoun, the consumer advocate writer, liked it.

*Biotera Reconstructing conditioner for dry, damaged hair. I buy this at Sally`s, and it`s a Biolage-type hair balm that I still love after years of use.

*Vidal Sassoon Deep Treatment: Wal-mart has it the cheapest and it`s almost IDENTICAL to Physique`s intense moisture conditioner. Look at the ingredient list and you`ll be very surprised by the similarities. Both work well.

*L`oreal Nature`s Therapy mega moisture. This smells WONderful, is super thick and is at Sally`s (I swear I should buy stock in that company; I practically support them already with frequent purchases.) Other ppl here commented on an earlier post about the pure magic this entire line works.

*Got2b in Therapy reconstructing conditioner. I buy at Target---it`s a fun purple perlescent color with a very unusual (but good, nonetheless) scent.

Once a week I slather conditioner on, wear a heating cap for 15 minutes then sleep with the cond. in my hair. A bit messy (and not exactly romantic) but it`s managable with a towel on your pillow.

Different hair types will have varying degrees of success with all those products out there, but for me I`ve found conditioners listing silicone-derivatives (dimethicone, cyclomethicome) as ingredients really increase the shine factor. These can build up, however, so make sure to deep cleanse as needed.

Keep in mind that no conditioner can actually "heal" or "repair" your hair, not even the "reconstructing" ones. Hair is dead. You can improve its look and feel by using products that coat the hair shaft with softness-enhancing agents, but since no new cells are generated, you can`t actually repair the damage. Protein treatments can tighten up damaged hair shafts, but it can`t actually repair the damaged cuticle. I also suggest an emollient moisturizing leave-in conditioner. Aussie Hair Insurance is GREAT. I`m a real fan.

Also, not washing your hair every day will cut down on the wear and tear caused by the shampooing/drying cycle. A gentle shampoo with a mild detergent (like sodium LAURETH sulfate) will help (try Nature`s Therapy Mega Moisture shampoo......my hair feels like silk in the shower) as will a weekly hot oil treatment.

I hope some of this helps. Believe me, my hair has probably been in worse shape than yours since I`ve made some rather unfortunate hair color choices. But it`s mostly grown out and it really helps to use the right products. Good luck! :-)