The ends of your hair are the oldest, therefore they should be treated like fine lace. Things that dry out hair are, full strength shampoo, hair dryers, curling irons (they cook hair), and silicone.
To get my hair healthy here are the steps I took last year:
I clarified all the silicone off my hair and found 2" of damage. I had those 2" cut off and the two long layers above the hemline, 'dusted', just barely snipped the ends off.
I started coating my hair with silicone free conditioner , ends and length only, before shampooing. I used VO5 , one of their moisturizing conditioners. After coating them good, (VO5 stuff is really inexpensive) I applied diluted shampoo to my scalp only. I put about 2 tablespoons of shampoo in an applicator bottle with a nozzle tip. Add about 2-3 ounces of warm water and shake well. The nozzle allowed me to get the shampoo right down to the scalp and the lather was tremendous. Rinsed with warm water and the shampoo just glided right over the condtioner, keep the ends safe . Rinsed again with cool water to help calm the cuticle and promote shine.
About once a month I do a vinegar rinse. I use white vinegar (for blondes), but this will work better if you use the apple cider vinegar. Following your shampoo/condition: mix about 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 10-12 ounces of water. If you have distilled water, this is better, it really helps soften your hair. Apply the mix and wait a few seconds before rinsing off with warm water (the vinegar scent will dissapate) and then a cool rinse. The vinegar helps correct the ph balance of your scalp and will usually help with oiliness also. It removes the residue of any shampoo or minerals from your water.
After washing, I use a towel around my head, but leave my ends drippy. I then apply either my HALO leave-in (if you want this recipe, just pm me), or a bit of any conditioner as a leave-in.
Comb out the hair and while the ends are still drippy, I pull my hair forward over my shoulders , half on either side, and apply a dab of conditioner (silicone free) mixed with 1 drop of jojoba oil in my palms and apply to each side of ends. You can do this part every night at bedtime too. Just mist the ends of your hair and do the jojoba/conditioner on the ends. I always apply oil to damp hair only, otherwise you get a 'crunchy' feeling.
I never go overboard with oil, it makes no sense, as it is not 'moisturizing'. It's meant to 'mimic' our own sebum, which protects the hair, not moisturizes.
A good home made spritzer to help keep dry hair quenched:
4 ounces of distilled water in a spritzer bottle
6-10 drops of jojoba oil (you can use olive oil, sweet almond oil, emu oil, etc, but I find jojoba oil absorbs into the skin/hair better)
5-6 drops of your favorite essential oil (i use peppermint for the zing)
1 squirt of your favorite conditioner (silicone free, preferably)
You can mist the hair after washing with this too, it helps with detangling.
A good deep treatment (actually you can use this as regular condtioner also) is:
2 parts silicone free conditioner
1 part honey
1 part clear aloe vera gel (found at WalMart in the lotion department, Fruit of the earth brand)
Mix the aloe gel and the honey, heat for a few seconds , then add the conditioner. Apply to wet hair for as long as possible, at least 30 minutes. I have slept with this in my hair before, with a plastic cap. The aloe and the honey are natural humectants (moisture) and will help your hair more than any oil or conditioner product.
I used this for 3 months when I first found it and I believe it is what kept me from cutting all my hair off. I had lank stringy dry hair. Here's a pic of my hair, taken just last week.
This is air dried hair, I only use a blow dryer once or twice a month, if I'm in a hurry.
I've only had 2 micro trims (1/3 of an inch) in the last 14 months. I get it trimmed to keep the shape, not to cut off any damage. My hairdresser is amazed I have very few splits.
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