Hi, Im brand new to this forum. I shouldve introduced my self in the New Member forum, but I wanted to come here first to ease my mind. My hair is in trouble!
Last week I got a really great haircut. My stylist thinned my overly thick hair (even after the cut its still kind of thick) & layered it. She also used her high-priced flat iron on my hair & it looked great when she finished.(smooth, shiney, manageable) I do have gray hair about 25%, so she told me to come back for color & highlights when I had time.
My stylist told me to acheive the straight look to blow it dry forward & flat iron it. She recommended I purchase a flat iron from Sally's. I did just that. I bought a midpriced flat iron (50 bucks) It has porcelain ceramic plates.
The first day I styled my hair. I blew it dry on high heat & put the flat iron on the highest setting because I have coarse, thick hair. I failed to use heat protection the first time. I didnt realize right away, but I think I damaged my hair because the next day, it was so dry & brittle
So I went out & bought Neutrogena Triple Moisture shampoo & conditioner, hoping to reverse the damage, but it didnt work? I also bought some heat protection to use with the flat iron.
The second day I did use heat protection prior to passing hair thru the flat iron too. This made my hair look really oily on the surface, but it felt like straw. I also bought John Frieda Brillant Brunette Satin Shine finishing cream to restore shine to my hair (worked but not 100%) In addition, I also colored my hair to cover the gray with a store brand (Loreal) because I cant afford salon color right now. This helped restore shine a little bit too.
This morning, I washed & conditioned it, but skipped the blow dryer & flat iron. I have this cute new style that I cant style now because Ive damaged my hair.
My hair is sooo dry/brittle & the ends are beginning to split a bunch. It feels like straw? You can tell the ends are damaged just by looking at it. Prior to the last few days, it has been at least 2 years since I have styled my hair with any heat?
Questions: 1. Will I ever be able to use my flat iron again? I fear I will damage my hair if I use it again.
2. How can I protect my hair when applying high heat?
3. Which products should I use to repair my dry hair & help it appear healthy ?
4. Can I reverse the damage caused?
5. How long will it take for my hair to return to normal?
Thank you!
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