**Daughters hair is like straw! Help please! **

CharUK

CharUK

"Honestly, Truly"
Hi all, I'm hoping someone has been through similar and can offer some advice.

My 15yo's hair has been like straw for the last two years. She had a perm as a young child, around 8 years of age (Don't throw eggs, I didn't know any better!) for about a year and since then her we grew it out and her hair has been natural, but it's so dry all the time and when I wash it, the water kind of bounces off if you know what I mean?

I deep conditioned with Elasta QP 11 and heat and her hair didn't show any improvement. I followed up with Organics Olive oil moisturiser and sealed with virgin coconut oil. All of which just 'sat' on her hair, nothing really got inside and her hair still feels dry and straw like. Almost any moisturising product I use to moisturise her hair on a every other day basis just 'sits' there for ages.

My daughters hair does grow, but very slowly. Do you think her hair may be permanently damaged or maybe it's hormones? I just don't understand it.

xx
 
I was having the same issue until recently with my 12 yr old. I was making mixes and everything. Then it hit me to have her ghe nightly. I also started making her get under the steamer at least 20 mins on Sat and 10-15 on Wed. Immediately after she puts her cap on and it stay until school the next day. This has help tremendously! If she can't steam and you clarify, try having her baggying or ghe at night.
 
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Whenever she has her next doctor's appointment have them check her iron levels and thyroid just to make sure there is no issue there. When my iron was low, my hair was as dry as the desert and there was nothing that made it stay soft until I corrected that. Also encourage to drink plenty of water.
 
My hair feel like straw until I started using castor oil. Coconut butter does nothing to actually make my hair feel moisturised. I would maybe try that if clarifying doesn't yield different results. What also helps for me is leaving a little bit of conditioner in my hair to act as leave-in when I finish washing. I use Herbal Essences conditioner (the red bottle, can't remember what it's called but I'm in the UK too). Sometimes I follow up with a little bit of olive oil.
 
Sounds like a porosity issue, but ACV may make it worse. I would not do that. If water bounces off the cuticle is probably closed...a low pH will close it more. A higher pH will open the cuticle some. ...I could have it confused, but definitely do a porosity test before putting anything acidic on her hair.
 
@char UK :wave: Hey Idol-mine! :grin: About time you showed up in this place! :blowkiss: And your hair is still as dreamy as always. :drool:

Olive oil? :ill: Nothing makes my hair hard like olive oil. I don't even know about the product you used but the idea of EVOO on hair is like an expletive so it made me *shudder*. I also think you need a water-based moisturizer...instead of oils.

Have you tried the suggestions I make here?
 
Clarify....and use something for more moisture. Every product you listed has some form of protein which if overused can make your hair feel like straw.

I'd even nix the coconut oil for a bit.
 
when you clarify, try to go a few weeks using only extremely mild shampoos or no shampoos at all. it will most likely take a few weeks for the hair to balance out and really feel soft to the touch
 
get a clarifying shampoo. Keracare's 1st Lather is very good and it's not drying. you need to leave that ORS Olive Oil Lotion alone, and get a more moisturizing deep conditioner. Kenra is a lifesaver, but look for Tresemme Naturals. that stuff saved my hair from protein disaster. i left it on my hair overnight, rinsed, clarified, use a moisturizing shampoo, and dc'ed after. my hair was back to normal.

i have low-porosity by the way.
 
Thank you all! Hey Nonie!!

I will do a porosity test (when I find out what it is!!) I wasn't able to get any ACV, no one knew what I was talking about and when I went to the health shops they only had pills.

The olive oil moisturiser is water based, so I thought this was OK, but I'm learning that with a household full of naturals, all our hairs respond in extremely different ways. Her hair like Neutrogena moisturising conditioner, but hates Herbal Essences Hello hydration, which I thought would be a no brainer as it's a great moisturising conditioner and 3/4 heads in this house love it. As the Elasta QP did nothing I will try some of those mentioned and check out your thread Nonie.

Thanks for all the responses, it gives me a lot more to work with!!
xx
 
Clarify her hair, do not use ACV. A clarifier has a little bit higher pH that will raise her cuticle to give her hair a good deep cleaning. Just don't use it too often. Then come back with a good moisturizer, not ORS. That stuff is full of oil.
 
That Organics Olive Oil Mositurizer (if you're talking about the "ORS" or Organic Root Stimulator brand) is nothing but mineral oil and petroleum. Try a different moisturizer or leave-in.
 
CharUK isn't ACV the vinegar they use on French Fries? I'd have thought it would be easy to come by in the grocery stores? No?
 
Nonie said:
CharUK isn't ACV the vinegar they use on French Fries? I'd have thought it would be easy to come by in the grocery stores? No?
Click to expand...

I believe is malt vinegar that is put on french fries.

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using Forum Runner
 
I agree with Clarifying and I've only ever seen ACV in Baldwins (Walworth Rd, SE London), they have a site if you can't get to the shop - baldwins.co.uk
 
CharUK said:
Thank you all! Hey Nonie!!

I will do a porosity test (when I find out what it is!!) I wasn't able to get any ACV, no one knew what I was talking about and when I went to the health shops they only had pills.

The olive oil moisturiser is water based, so I thought this was OK, but I'm learning that with a household full of naturals, all our hairs respond in extremely different ways. Her hair like Neutrogena moisturising conditioner, but hates Herbal Essences Hello hydration, which I thought would be a no brainer as it's a great moisturising conditioner and 3/4 heads in this house love it. As the Elasta QP did nothing I will try some of those mentioned and check out your thread Nonie.

Thanks for all the responses, it gives me a lot more to work with!!
xx
Click to expand...

Here's a good thread on hair properties: link

And one with porosity test: in this post
=> when you put a clean strand of hair in a cup of water and it floats- low porosity; sinks- high porosity ...sorry I can't find a better source on that...

Apple Cider Vinegar would be near the salad dressing in a grocery store (at least it is here in the US)...but again, I wouldn't used that anyway.
 
Thank you all again. We did the strand test and the hair floated on the top, I even submerged it myself after a while and it floated right below the surface, my hair took time to go down and settled in the middle of the cup. Interesting stuff, so my daughters hair is definitely low porosity, so at least now I can understand how better to care for it!

I'll check out all the links and research the recommendations for deep conditioners, moisturisers (Gonna try S-Curl) and Clarifying shampoos.

Love the ladies of this board, so helpful, thank you all very much.
x
 
CharUK said:
Thank you all! Hey Nonie!!

I will do a porosity test (when I find out what it is!!) I wasn't able to get any ACV, no one knew what I was talking about and when I went to the health shops they only had pills.
Thanks for all the responses, it gives me a lot more to work with!!
xx
Click to expand...


Holland and barrets do one for £1.45
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2964&prodid=3471&cid=178&sid=0

HB028765_R_H200W000.gif
 
She probably has low porosity hair. You may need to use heat with her deep treatments and it wouldn't hurt to clarify. What products are you using on her?
 
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