| Revised Date: 5/01/07 - Original Publication Date: April 2007 |
June
12,
2004
Hair Loss From Chemical Treatments?
Question
Dear Karen,
About
a year ago I got my hair relaxed with the bio ionic chemical
straightening treatment. However now my hair has thinned out
tremendously and balding has occurred.
I
would like to know if there are any products I can use to regain the
thickness in my hair and if my hair will grow in back in the areas
it has become bald.
Also
I would like to know if my hair will ever be the kind of curls I use
to have before.
Thank
you,
Rouzanna
I am
sorry to hear about the chemical damage that you have experienced
over one year ago to your hair.
Please understand that I am not a licensed professional but a
consumer hair advocate. I can make suggestions and
give my opinion but can not ultimately professionally diagnose
your current hair loss issues.
To be
completely honest, there is no way to accurately predict if or
when your hair will grow back in the areas where it has
become bald as a result of the chemical damage.
You may wish to visit a dermatologist who specializes in
hair loss to see if they can look at your roots to see if growth
is still possible or if the roots have been permanently damaged.
Sometimes hair will grow back just fine but there are no
guarantees. Some people have had success regrowing their
hair by taking hair growth formulas such as Viviscal and hair
vitamins designed to help damaged hair. Others have had
limited or no success. A lot depends on the degree of damage
you have experienced to your scalp and hair roots.
Unfortunately
the bad news is that sometimes chemical treatments will damage
hair to the point that permanent damage occurs to the root and
there is not guarantee that any treatments will reverse the
problems.
Although
I do not wish to scare you, there are also some isolated instances
where the use of chemicals will trigger dormant genetic hair loss
to begin.
If this
is the case, your best chance for hair regrowth is to investigate
Rogaine and/or Propecia. Although the treatment can be
challenging, both treatments have proven to help many regrow lost
hair.
Propecia
must be prescribed by a doctor that can first determine if you are
a good candidate. Rogaine is an over the counter treatment
that may or may not help depending on the extent of the hair loss
and how long hair has been shedding.
It is also
impossible to determine, if you hair grows fully back, if you will
still have the same curl pattern. Hair relaxing treatments
break the natural bond of the hair that causes the hair to curl.
In most cases when the hair regrows from the roots, the new hair
will retain the original curl pattern. This is not always the case
but usually is true. Again, only time will tell as your hair
regrows whether or not you will gain back the original thickness
and the curls.
I am sorry
that I can not provide you with specific details but when hair is
damaged it is often difficult to predict if and how it will
recover over time.
In the
meantime, consider consulting a dermatologist that specializes in
hair loss treatments and ask the doctor some hard questions.
Ask if your current hair thinning and baldness is temporary
because of the hair relaxing treatment or if this is the beginning
of genetic hair loss disease. If your dermatologist advises
you that the hair loss is temporary, begin a long term "healthy
hair growth" program. This program should include
eating a healthy diet, taking a good vitamin source, letting your
hair rest from any other types of chemical treatments from hair
color to perms and other straightening or relaxing treatments.
Be sure
to get a lot of good sleep, drink at least 8 glass of water a day
and nurture yourself. You may wish to investigate Viviscal
or related hair vitamin sources that have a formula designed to
support severely damaged hair.
Again, I am
so sorry to hear of your current hair challenges. While you
are investigating your hair loss issues, you may wish to
camouflage the problem with cute caps, scarves and other trendy
head wraps that are currently in fashion for everyone.
Best
wishes,
Karen
June
8,
2004
Waves - Change of Style?
Question
Dear Karen,
I have naturally wavy hair that I generally enjoy. I
know that waves are in style right now and I let my hair air dry
into natural waves at this point. But I am bored.
Can you suggest a new way that I can wear my natural waves that
won't require a visit to the salon?
Suzy
Answer
Dear Suzy
Whether you were blessed with natural waves by Mother Nature or
add them with styling products, waves are sizzling hot right
now. Even better, wavy strands are one of the easiest textures
to modify. Waves can go straight, curly or more wavy with
little effort.
Change your wave pattern by going with soft ringlets or tightly
curled spirals.
1. Shampoo and towel blow your hair until it is damp, but
not dripping wet. Consider using a curl enhancing shampoo like
Phyto's new PhytoCurl
shampoo or similar.
2. Apply a generous douse of curl-enhancing gel, mousse (John
Frieda Corrective Curl Styling Mousse) or similar styling
product like Phyto's
new Curl Defining Spray and John
Frieda's Dream Curls Perfector.
Other great products include John
Frieda's Sheer Blonde Curls & Swirls and got2B
Curled Up Curling Spray.
3. Separate your strands into several 1-2" individual
sections.
Note: The smaller the
section, the tighter the ringlet.
4. Working from side to side, select an individual section
and twist the section around your fingers. Hold the finger
twist in place while you blow dry with your dryer. If
possible, use a blow
dryer with an air concentrator to direct air towards the
selected ringlet.
5. After the section is 100% dry, use a bobby pin to attach
the new spiral against your scalp to allow it to cool and the shape
to harden.
6. Continue the process until your entire head has been
finger curled, dried and pinned.
7. Spritz your entire head with a medium-hold
hairspray to keep your new spirals in place.
8. Allow the hairspray to dry and then carefully remove all
the bobby pins.
9. Use your fingers to carefully arrange the spirals around
your head.
10. Use a 1/2
to 1" barrel hot iron to touch up any stubborn spirals.
Keep in mind that the smaller you make the curl, the tighter the
ringlet.
Other options for jazzing up your waves?
Remember to have fun and enjoy your strands.
Best wishes,
Karen
June
7,
2004
Hairdresser Wants To Add Color!
Question
Dear Karen,
I want to know all about hair color. I am 54 and a
stylist, but I am scared of hair color and try not to do it. I
really want to learn though. I want to learn all types of
hair color techniques as well as corrective hair color
treatments. Can you please teach me?
Diane
Answer
Dear Diane
Thank you for your email and for visiting HairBoutique.com.
As you can imagine, the art of hair color is complicated.
Hair Color correction techniques require study and
practice.
While I am very flattered that you have asked me to teach you, I
am not a professional hair colorist and would not be able to teach
you hair color.
I would suggest that you check out Milady and their fabulous home
study courses for hairdressers. They have an entire series
devoted to the study of hair color and correction services.
I would also suggest that you look into taking some hair color
courses in your home area. It is always best, when working
with color to be able to talk to your instructors. Also, when
possible, it is great to sign up as a hair color apprentice to a
master haircolorist who can teach you some hands on tricks.
You can check out Milady books at http://www.worldofhair.com/publications/milady.
Not only does Milady offer books, they offer full video and CD
training sets. You can check out the haircolor
information by clicking on the highlighted link.
One book that I like for its detailed information is:
Haircoloring in Plain English: A
Practical Guide for Professionals by Roxy Warren
published in 1999. The book is currently available from Milady
can serve as a great reference.
June
6,
2004
Tangles Beyond Belief!
Question
Dear Karen,
I found your website and I'm e-mailing you out of
desperation. I'm sure you've addressed this problem, but
I'm sorry I just don't have the time to go through the tips and
see if the solution is there.
The problem: TANGLES. A little background:
I have medium long, average thick hair. I use extra light
ash blonde L'Oreal hair color. I live in the
"boondocks" and we have 'well water', so whether I
spend $50-$100 going to a hair stylist or use box color within a
week it starts getting the reddish tones from the ores in the
water. That is why I now use box color every 4-6 weeks instead
of spending the money at a hair salon when it all turns the same
color anyway. I have used clarifiers, but Shimmer Lights
is the only thing that really helps keep some of the ash tone.
Anyway, I heavily condition my hair. I use, or have
used products (retail and "salon only") such as:
Redken, , Aussie, Pantene, L'Oreal, Infusium, VO-5, Clairol,
Sebastian and the list goes on and on.
I have used leave-in conditioners, hot oil treatments,
left conditioners on for 5 minutes to all night, and any product
I could find that specifically states it "detangles
hair". I have been using this stuff from Sally Beauty
Supply called 'ion.', and 'Smooth and Shine Repair Extreme'.
It helps with the conditioning part, but after spending 10
minutes and pulling out a brush full of hair a little while ago,
I need another solution.
Is there any product on the market that WILL actually
detangle hair? I glanced over a letter on a different website, as I
was looking online for an answer to the problem, that said an
"ionic brush" was the answer. Could this
actually help?
I realize you probably get thousands of e-mails, and as I
said I don't have a lot of time to spend online, but here's
hoping you might e-mail me back with an answer to this problem.
My hairstylist hasn't helped - nor, as listed above -
have any of the products I've used. The L'Oreal
conditioner that comes with the hair color helps, but only for
the first couple of uses then for some reason doesn't work
anymore. Johnson's "No More Tangles" actually
does help, but I don't like the way it makes my hair feel, and I
just don't like leave-in conditioners.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Sincerely,
Christine
Answer
Dear Christine,
As you have explained, there are many factors that are at play in
your current hair situation ranging from the ongoing home hair
coloring to the well water. And yes, it is a well-known
fact that well water can cause gradual discoloration to hair,
whether colored or not.
I am sorry to hear that your hairdresser has not been
able to shed some light onto your current challenges. It is
always best to start trying to uncover the root of your problems
with your hairstylist. You may want to consider locating a
different hairdresser to give you a second opinion about your hair.
Based on what you have told me, I suspect that your tangle
problems are the result of hair that is damaged from a combination
of the well water use along with long term hair color damage.
You did not mention if you are coloring only the roots or
re-coloring the entire head of hair every 4-6 weeks but the
potential damage increases more seriously if you color the entire
strand rather than just the roots.
While there are many wonderful detangling products on the market
at this time, no product, no matter how well it has been designed,
will detangle hair that is severely damaged.
While ionic brushes may help in some cases, based on your email,
I suspect that you would not be a good candidate.
So why does hair tangle so severely? When the hair's outer
layer, or cuticle, is damaged by chronic chemical applications such
as hair color, miniscule rips and tears begin to appear in the
cuticle. Whether hair is colored at home or by a professional
hair colorist, there is always risk associated with adding any type
of chemicals to your strands. However, if the color is applied on
an ongoing basis to the entire strand rather than just the root,
each additional chemical application causes the rips and tears to
become more pronounced.
Besides the ongoing development of rips and tears, hair that is
continuously chemically treated will ultimately become extremely dry,
brittle and porous, making it difficult to detangle or comb.
Some people with damaged hair describe as feeling like a wet
sponge. Others mention the horrible tangles.
And yes, in your case well water probably adds to the tangling problems.
Can your hair be repaired? Although it is often very
difficult to actually add back the natural oils to hair that is
severely damaged and tangling badly, it is possible to make some
changes.
I would suggest the following steps:
1. Evaluate Your Tresses For
Damage
Look closely at your tresses to determine if the ends are
split, dry and damaged. Consider having the most damaged
ends trimmed to eliminate some of the problem areas that add to
the tangling problems.
You may also want to investigate the possibility of backing off
your current hair color schedule giving your hair longer between
treatments to allow the strands to recover and become stronger.
2. Shampoo With Super
Moisturizing Formulas & Dilute
2. Shampoo with a super moisturizing formula and dilute
the formula. Use only lukewarm water. Phytojoba,
Phytonectar and Rene Furterer
Karite Shampoo are designed
specifically to help heal extremely dry, chemically damaged hair
and scalps. Many people with extremely damaged hair benefit from
these products.
Although dilution is not specified by the various hair care manufacturers, I would
suggest that when you shampoo, that you dilute 1 part
shampoo to 3-5 parts of warm water in a clean container. Swish
the mixture and then after wetting hair completely with warm
water, drizzle the formula down over your scalp, allowing the suds
to gently flow down the length of your strands.
You may wish to dilute more or less shampoo depending on the
results you achieve. Experiment until you find the right
combination.
3. Use New Water Source
Since well water seems to be part of the current problem with
your hair, I would suggest that you buy jugs of inexpensive water
from the local Walmart and try washing and rinsing your hair in
distilled water to determine if there is a difference.
If you notice a significant improvement in your hair, you may
want to investigate buying a water filter that will eliminate a
lot of the well water contaminants.
4. Wash Less Often
Some hair care experts believe that hair should only be cleaned
with shampoo once a week or less. This concept must be
evaluated on an individual basis for appropriateness. However, when hair is
severely damaged and tangling badly, washing with shampoo less
often may be beneficial since the very nature of washing the hair
ruffles the damage cuticles.
You may wish to consider washing your hair only 2-3 times a
week rather than every other day. If you feel you must
shampoo every day, try wetting the hair completely and then
applying a rinse out conditioner instead of shampoo.
5. Continue To Deep Condition
Although you may have experienced frustrating results in the
past with the various products you have tried, don't giver up with
deep conditioning treatments.
You may wish to experiment with home treatments designed to add
moisture back such as using light oils like sesame or almond on
your strands, from your ears down.
Or you might opt to go for the super powerful deep conditioners
like those made by Phyto and Rene Furterer. The Phyto Karite
Conditioner was made specifically for extremely damaged
hair. Rene Furterer's Karite
conditioner was also created for chemically processed and
stressed strands. Yes, these products are more expensive but
they are designed to be very strong and help the majority of
people.
6. Avoid Hot Tools Of Any
Kind
Heat can make any problem hair, worse. Until your hair
significantly improves, avoid using blow
dryers, hot irons or any styling tools like hot curlers that will
cause even more damage to fragile hair. When possible, towel
blot your hair and let it air dry. Give your hair a break
and let it take some time to recover.
6. Other Tips
Although you have professed a dislike for leave-in
conditioners, they can make a huge difference in helping to
detangle hair.
Aveda Curessence Detangling spray is a
wonderful leave-in product that helps soften dry tresses and
detangle them. I personally can not live without Phyto 7 or
Phyto 9. Phyto 7 is a lighter formula for hair that is not
severely damaged or is fine or thin.
Phyto 9 has Macademia
oil and will help most damaged hair detangle easier. I often
mix half and half of the two formulas together for great results.
Other tips include the
following:
Use an all natural boar's head brush like a Mason Pearson or
Conair to carefully detangle before getting
into the shower. Avoid synthetic brushes or brushes with
round ball tips at the ends which can rip hair.
Sometimes, when hair is not completely
detangled before water is applied, tangles will become locked into
the strands.
- Use a rinse-out conditioner in the shower. This helps
remove tangles and smooth the cuticles.
- Always finish with a cool/cold water rinse. While many
beauty experts may not agree, I find that it does help to close the
cuticle making hair shinier and easier to detangle.
- Lightly coat your fingers with a detangling product and use
your actual fingers for the first pass at removing
tangles. Not only are fingers softer, they offer more
control and the advantage of less snags and rips. Be sure
that nails are well maintained and will not catch wet hair.
- Sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase which helps keep hair
softer and easier to detangle.
- Keep your hair out of the sun, surf, wind or sea which can
increase damage.
- Drink lots of water and taking daily vitamins along with
Vitamin E. This helps to moisturize the hair from the inside
out.
- Consider taking hair vitamins. A good formula will help
your hair to more quickly recover from extreme damaged.
They will also make your hair softer and easier to manage.
- Eat foods with olive oils. This helps add oils naturally
back to your scalp, hair and skin. Drizzle a little on your
salads or bread for a great treat for hair, skin and nails.
Remember that dealing with damaged hair takes time and patience
and will not happen overnight.
June
5,
2004
Hair So Damaged I Could Cry!
Question
Dear Karen,
My hair is terribly damaged. Well, I have chemically
straightened my hair before but I used a children's relaxer which
I was told is very mild. It worked really well but now (I don't
know if this is because of the chemical relaxing) i have so many
problems:
1- My hair is now like a V shape because the ends are a lot
thinner than the roots. There is also a difference in texture, the
ends are straight but extremely dry and there are a lot of long
split ends while the roots are thick and very curly but are not
very dry.
2- I also suffer from the greasy type of dandruff which I think
was caused by product build-up. My scalp is very itchy and oily. I
scratched my head once and blood came out.
3- The hair next to my face and forehead is extremely dry and
brittle and looks like split ends. It is also extremely frizzy.
I don't know what to do. Some people advised me to use the
children's relaxer again but do you think I should? And if not, then what can I do to improve my
hair?
Lauren
Answer
Dear Lauren,
I am very sorry to hear about the problems you are currently
experiencing with your hair and scalp.
It appears, from your description, that your primary hair issues
center around extremely dry, brittle, frizzy hair that is plagued
with tons of split ends along with greasy dandruff and a sensitive,
inflamed, itchy scalp that may bleed when scratched.
Is your current problems specifically caused by the relaxer you
used on your strands? While the relaxer is certainly
suspect as the primary culprit, there are many other related factors
that may be at play. As an example, you mention product
buildup as a potential cause of your dandruff and scalp issues. You
also mention that you have curly roots. Naturally curly hair
is more fragile than any other type of hair and more at risk for
chemical damage.
Although you don't mention use of heat styling tools such as flat
irons or blow dryers, these also can contribute to long term hair
damage. Hair color or highlighting added to hair that is
already chemically straightened, permed or relaxed is another
ingredient for serious long term hair damage.
Indeed, many abusive hair habits from use of chemicals, color,
harsh hair care products and hot styling tools, over time can lead
to hair damage ranging from a mild destruction of the hair's natural
luster and shine to full blown hair breakage, severe split ends and
brittleness.
Because of the very serious problems you are currently
experiencing I would strongly recommend that you turn to hair care
experts that can professional diagnose your various problems and
recommend corrective programs.
In the meantime I would suggest the following actions?
1. Abstain From Hair Chemicals
Put all thoughts of using any other chemicals out of your mind for
at least six months or until you hair has been completely
restored.
Adding a relaxing treatment at this time is asking for even more
serious problems. Even though you have been advised to
use more relaxing treatments, keep in mind that to do so would put
your already damaged hair at risk for serious hair breakage and even
hair loss.
If your curly re-growth makes dealing with your hair an
impossible situation, find a hairdresser who is an expert at
relaxing treatments. Make an appointment for a consultation
and discuss the possibility of carefully applied spot relaxing
applications to help minimize your unruly strands.
Keep in mind that the hairdresser may advise you to wait before
you do any additional relaxing. If that is the case, listen
carefully.
2. Have The Damage Trimmed Off
Since you mention that your hair is much thinner at the ends with
long split ends, it appears that your hair's medulla or the inner
core of you hair is damaged. Your only recourse at this point
is to have as much as the damage removed as possible and start
fresh.
Even superstar Madonna has had to submit split, fried hair to the
scissors when they her strands could not be saved.
While you
can use a variety of hair care products to help fill in the cuticle
rips and tears to make your hair look a little better, it will only
be a temporary respite from the frizz and dryness.
3. Treat Your Scalp
Consult a dermatologist or similar hair expert that specializes in
scalp problems to get a clear reading on the actual health of your
scalp. You may discover that your scalp is temporarily
stressed due to chemical and product abuse. Or you may be
advised of hidden causes that need to be treated medically.
Regardless of the outcome, keep in mind that your scalp
acts as the foundation of your hair's roots. If you don't pay
serious attention to your scalp now, you may find that additional
hair problems manifest down the road.
Follow any scalp or dandruff treatment advise that the
dermatologist of chosen expert provides.
4. Soothe Remaining Hair
Once you have had damaged cuticles removed, addressed your scalp and
dandruff concerns, focus on soothing your strands.
Keep in mind that some products designed to address greasy
dandruff problems are drying, which would not be recommended for use
on the rest of your currently dry, frizzy tresses. If you are
advised to use specific hair care products for your scalp or
dandruff, you may need to layer your treatments to deal with the
strands that extend from the top of your ear lobes down to the ends.
Select products specifically designed to increase hair shaft
moisture. Use shampoos that advertise "moisturizing"
like Phytojoba or Phytonectar or similar. Even better, during
the initial hair recovery stages, you may wish to dilute the shampoo
1 part to 3 parts warm water and swish gently from your roots to
ends.
Consider using only one application of the diluted shampoo,
especially while your hair is regaining its natural strength and
resilence.
4. Play It Cool
Avoid steaming hot baths or showers if the water will make contact
with your hair. The hotter the water, the more it can dry out
your hair and skin. Shampoo in cool or cold water, always
finish with a cool or cold rinse and let hair air dry, when
possible.
5. Air Dry
Since heat from blow dryers, irons and hot curlers can suck the life
out of your hair, let your hair air dry, at least until it shows
signs of new life.
If you must blow dry, be sure to first blot hair with a
microfiber towel to remove excess moisture. Apply a good heat
protectant or leave-in conditioner like Phyto 7 or 9. Use the
blow dryer on the slowest speed, lowest heat, possible. Even
better, if you can blow dry on a cool or cold setting, this will be
the least damaging.
6. Pamper & Protect
Adjust your priorities and focus on pampering and protect your
fragile strands as if they were a newborn baby. Hair, unlike
cats, doesn't have 9 lives. We have to protect the hair we
have and treat it with complete respect.
Schedule regular at-home or salon deep conditioning treatments
for your hair that ranges from the top of your ears down to the
ends. Select products like Phytokarite that were specifically
designed to help soften and re-moisturize chemically damaged
cuticles.
Avoid taking your hair out into the sun without the appropriate
sunscreen hair care products. Whenever possible, wear a
cover-up. Why tempt fate by exposing your strands to the damage of
the sun.
Eat well, get plenty of rest, drink 8-10 glasses of water a day
and take vitamins and supplements that support hair damage recovery.
7. Be Patient & Persevere
Hair damage happens over an extended time. Likewise, it can
take many months for abused hair to completely recover.
8. Learn From Past Damage
As your hair slowly recovers, and it will, avoid taking those steps
that in the past caused the problems you are currently facing with
your strands.
Please
remember that there are no miracle cures. Take your time and
do some research and address each condition carefully.
Ultimately
you have to ask yourself if you want to continue to pour a lot of
money into your hair to temporarily make it look better or you
want to start over with shorter strands and work on growing some
healthy hair that is chemical free.
Of course
the choice is up to you but I wanted to provide you with several
options to consider.
Best
wishes,
Karen
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