Do you believe damaged hair can truly be repaired?

[bedazzled]

I was just about to say that msa. I am amazed when we have polls like this. We can all have our opinions but the fact is that damaged hair can't be repaired. This is different than hair that looks bad being given a little TLC until it looks beter.

As far as henna is concerned (this is the only permanent "fix" that we have discussed so far) have a look at this:

"Can Henna 'fix/repair/mend' split ends? Unfortunately the only known remedy for split ends is a pair of scissors. Remember that the dye in Henna (Lawsone) is highly attracted to protein. It therefore will form bonds with hair directly as opposed to bonding to itself to seal up the split end."
http://thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com/2009/04/splitting-hairs-chemical-schemical.html

OOh wow, lovely! Thanks for posting! I never thought Henna could fix or repair split ends, but I did think that it could possibly slow down splitting with it attaching itself to the hair strand & the split area. I only thought this allowed you to buy some time of growing out your hair & snipping it later. I dont think split ends can be fixed unless it includes scissors like you said.

 

[danysedai]

But according to that Proctor & Gamble hair site, then isn't ALL hair that has been relaxed/dyed/permed/whatever-anything-done-to-it,considered as damaged? Until now I thought of damaged hair as overprocessed,not-taken care of hair,with VISIBLE damage to it but on that website the only hair that is not damaged is newborn hair or hair that has never ever been exposed to heat or hair colour. So we could all have hair that appears to be health but isn't.
So, according to their examples,would it be safe to say that we all here have damaged hair even if it is healthy-looking, but we don't know it because we have never seen it under a microscope?
Looking at the pictures of relaxed hair under a microscope,I'd bet mine looks like that.
What about the pictures of bubbles in hairs due to water evaporating under extreme heat?Would flat ironing hair wet result in this in the long run?
So many many questions in my head, thanks for this thread,very informative.

 

[LaidBak]

I was just about to say that msa. I am amazed when we have polls like this. We can all have our opinions but the fact is that damaged hair can't be repaired. This is different than hair that looks bad being given a little TLC until it looks beter.

The OP set us up for debate by using ambiguous terms and a faulty analogy. The word "damage" is relative. She used the word "repaired" and most of us are confusing that with (or assuming she meant) "reversed". Slight damage can be repaired (but not reversed). Severe damage cannot be reversed or repaired in most cases. Thats why it needs to be cut off. We seem to be debating semantics but we're all on the same page conceptually.

 

[LaidBak]

But according to that Proctor & Gamble hair site, then isn't ALL hair that has been relaxed/dyed/permed/whatever-anything-done-to-it,considered as damaged?

Yep, IMHO this is true. And the levels of damage vary from process to process and head to head. So some are repairable and some are not.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Hair that is dry or otherwise feels in poor condition can be restored, however true damage can only be cut off.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Hair that is dry or otherwise feels in poor condition can be restored, however true damage can only be cut off.

Or Fall Out Break Off or Split Up

 

[msa]

But according to that Proctor & Gamble hair site, then isn't ALL hair that has been relaxed/dyed/permed/whatever-anything-done-to-it,considered as damaged? Until now I thought of damaged hair as overprocessed,not-taken care of hair,with VISIBLE damage to it but on that website the only hair that is not damaged is newborn hair or hair that has never ever been exposed to heat or hair colour. So we could all have hair that appears to be health but isn't.
So, according to their examples,would it be safe to say that we all here have damaged hair even if it is healthy-looking, but we don't know it because we have never seen it under a microscope?
.

Everyone's hair is damaged to some degree. Relaxed hair is damaged straight. Using heat to straighten is damaging the hair straight, even if it's temporary. Just because you can't see the damage, doesn't mean it's not there.

ALL hair is damaged, some just a little, others a lot.

 

[MizAvalon]

No, definitely not.

 

[ChanelNo5]

I can answer this question from first hand experience....NO!

I grew my hair to thick, healthy BSL. Nov 2007 my stylist's assitant did not neutralize properly and my hair broke terribly. I could part my hair up to my ears in the back and there was nothing there. Within a few weeks the rest of my hair just shredded.

Got a sew in, braids and stretched for 7 months. Fast forward to now and I have about 8 inches of healthy hair. Although I'm a little past APL the remaining hair from my old life is still damaged. I know how to maintain healthy hair and no amount of Aphogee and DC will correct this.

I will basically have to cut until it's gone hence my siggy. I'm okay with that. Nurturing and growing my hair is rewarding.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

I can answer this question from first hand experience....NO!

I grew my hair to thick, healthy BSL. Nov 2007 my stylist's assitant did not neutralize properly and my hair broke terribly. I could part my hair up to my ears in the back and there was nothing there. Within a few weeks the rest of my hair just shredded.

Got a sew in, braids and stretched for 7 months. Fast forward to now and I have about 8 inches of healthy hair. Although I'm a little past APL the remaining hair from my old life is still damaged. I know how to maintain healthy hair and no amount of Aphogee and DC will correct this.

I will basically have to cut until it's gone hence my siggy. I'm okay with that. Nurturing and growing my hair is rewarding.

Basically, the same thing happened to me IMO. Improper neutralization, Overprocessing, Overlapping, and just a total lack of disregard (in my case). Applying semi-permanent color right after washing out the relaxer. I know this may be okay to do, but I feel that my hair was weak.

And now that I think about it (after joining this board) There were times when I left the shop smelling color and relaxer:burning:

The aftermath was: Most of the hair broke down to the NG. What has remained is strong, but will have to be trimmed until it's gone.

 

[blessedwoman]

My nape was very dry, and damaged. But since I've been cowashing at least once a week my hair has improved. Oh, I think the daily moisturizing in that area has also been a big help. So yes.....I believe it can be repaired!!

 

[AshMoBev]

This thread is rather depressing.....

 

[fe6968]

I don't believe damaged hair can be repaired, but i believe it can be patched up to mimic healthy hair by the use of protein and conditioners
______________________________

 

[sxytia07]

no. i'm all about gradual trims and baggying though! it's what helped me...not some hyped up product (it took me awhile to come to grips with that!)

 

[Lylddlebit]

~~~~~~~~~~~Deleted~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[tocktick]

Dry hair can be repaired, breaking can be stopped, shedding can be reduced etc. However, if you damage the hair strands with heat, too many chemicals and it has formed multiple splits due to rough treatment (or another cause) then I don't believe it can be repaired. Hair does not renew itself like that. I think the damage can only be temporarily masked.

 

[vkb247]

I am surprised to see that so many consider dry hair to be damaged hair. I consider it to be hair that needs moisture.

If you let it stay dry for long enough than you will cause damage but then it would be damaged not just dry so...

 

[Stella B.]

I tried for years and years to save my damaged hair. I used every "split end mending product" on the market. They basically temporarily glue damaged ends back together. The "repair" isn't permanent and the resulting hair was frizzy, lacked luster, was rough to the touch, and tangled like no tomorrow. It also kept getting thinner and thinner as my hair got longer. In the end, I decided keeping length that looked like that wasn't worth it and chopped it.

It's like breaking a nail then using one of the nail mending polishes to keep it from completely falling off... it's fragile, it looks bad, and it's gonna fall off eventually.

Well said. Damaged hair is damaged hair forever.

 

[sharifeh]

This thread is very informative and very depressing. But yeah, I think my hair was heat damaged from high school and the splits were extreme, I had to chop it all to Neck Length but it grew back fast and healthier. Cutting it saves time really so you don't have to deal with damaged hair.

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

in my ideal world its reparable lol

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

Yep, i am walking proof of it.
I lost some hair but i was able to nurture it back to health. I must add though that my hair is not like it was before the heat damage, but it looks the same, it just can't take any heat styling...which I am fine with.

 

[WaistLengthDreams]

I looked at the question and quickly voted "of course" and then I was because it looked like I chose the less popular choice. But after reading these responses, I'm thinking that I shouldn't have been so quick to make a decision.... I guess I've got a lot to learn...

 

[Bluetopia]

Ya'll know what she wanted to do after the wash and set... and I promised I'd let her after my next relaxer. I never went back and vowed to see if I could "fix" it first and you know what? After a few months of DCing, moisturizing and sealing, protective hairstyles and one dusting my hair my hair looks great. No frizzies and my hair is blunt shaped. I don't have the beauty of a hard chop, but I plan on dusting until I surpass my goal then hard chopping to reach it, with bumped ends.

I'm not saying keep the zig-zag ends but I am now a firm believer that sometimes chopping is the impatient thing to do. I also learned to re-think what I consider to be true damage. That would've been a major setback if I had let her do what she wanted.

I think that one sentence is the caveat in all this.

some degrees of "damage" are just setbacks and challenges that you can dilligently bounce back from.

and other types of damage require a good ole chop and restart

to think that someone nursing their hair back to health is futile without knowing the extent of their damage is just as unrealistic to me as those who think they can fix charred hair that has split ends from root to tip

both are extremes that dont take into account that in all things there are varying degrees of impact.

I have hair that my stylist (who is AMAZING) was convinced was going to have to be trimmed every 6 weeks until it was all cut off.

i stepped back, took a look at my hair and instinctively felt that i wasnt at the point beyond repair. and trust me im a very self aware person so i know what its like to have damage so bad that you have to shave your head (been there...done that)

so i listened to my stylist...and then took my butt home and started putting time into my hair...and you know what.....my hair is thriving so much now that everyday i find myself in awe of how much progress ive made

in fact the last time i went to the salon....she said "are you ready for your trim?" and when she combed my hair and saw how healthy and unfrazzled my ends were - i peeped the look of slight shock on her face

i said "no i dont want one yet"

and she was like "yeah....u could last another 2 weeks with no prob"

that was 2 months ago. i havent been back because i am still nursing my hair back to health and its still working wonderfully to the point where i cant even tell my new growth from my texturized hair anymore (but thats another story).

the next time my stylist sees me .....my hair will be healthy and 3-4 inches longer than when she last saw it. i can just imagine what her reaction will be lol

so ...im summation....EVERYONE is right.

some setbacks can be repaired....and some cant

there is no blanket answer.

if there was...boards like LHCF wouldn't be quite as dynamic ....and addictive

 

[LushLox]

^^^ That's exactly it! The problem is the word "damage" is all encompassing and there are obviously varying extremes to the term. My hair was "damaged" in terms of excessive breakage a year ago and now it is not, after continual nurturing and care my hair is on the road to recovery.

 

[RedVelvet310]

It depends on the damage, if you have rough, dry hair with the right porosity control and deep conditioner you could repair it , but if it's like severe damage like split ends that turns the bottom half of your hair into a bristle pad than no that can't be repaired and it's just better to chop it off. I DO think those split end product help to some degree though, with all the tiny hairs on our head there is absolutely NO way we can be 100% split-end free forever, I think that some split end products help prevent a small split end from becoming a bigger problem

 

[Misseyl]

No, it cannot be repaired. I found this out first hand when I accidentally left my relaxer on my hair for too long, everything but the new growth broke off. It kept braking weeks after. I just had to cut it off and slap on some braids. My precious locks now gone. I miss it something terrible. I'm planning on erasing my fotki and start fresh.

 

[AgapeQueen]

I think that damaged hair can be repaired as long as the scalp is treated and corrected.

I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me!

 

[Kash]

Yes ,...it can be repaired with a sharpened pair of hair-cutting shears.

^exactly! hair that we see is dead! how on earth you gonna repair DEAD protein that is splitting, breaking and falling off your head!