How can I get my curls back?

[Rainbow]

THIS IS LONG... BUT PLEASE READ AND ANSWER !!!!!
My natural hair type has always been curly. Not a very TIGHT kinky curl or nappy or anything like that. Just a soft spiral ringlet curl type. When I began messing with my own hair at 7 or 8 years old, I would brush out my curls because I hated having my hair curly. Then they started to unravel a little, but my hair was still curl. As I got a little older, my cousin would flat iron my hair, and by 7 grade I began flat ironing my hair with my mom's flat iron. She would warn me that my hair would get damaged and that my curls would get messed up.I didn't listen and she would ground me and hide it from me and we would argue about it but I always found the flat iron and did it anyway. I'm now a freshman in HS. My curls had COMPLETELY disappeared, my hair is now wavyish, I have a TON of split ends my hair is dry and brittle, that the ends literally BREAK off! I have white tips on my split ends, and i still flat iron my hair every week. I've never used heat protection so I known that has some to do with the split ends. I don't want to get my ends cut off because my hair is just below my breast and it took me 3 months to get it this long. I'm sorry this has been so long but it's just that I'm sick of this. My hair is so DRY!! I know about deep conditioners and all that stuff, but my mom says that she's not buying me anything, because I never wanted to listen to her when she warned me that I would damage my beautiful locks. To be honest, I never cared about my curls, but now I TRULY regret it. I know hormones can change your hair and all, but how can I get my curls back? I know I have to put down the flat iron, and get a trim and stuff, but besides that...? How do I restore my hair and get a it silky and soft with my beautiful curls... because they were gorgeous. Now my hair is this straw like brittle puff thing, and if I leave it out naturally, it will look a mess... thats the only reason why I keep straightening it. And 5 months ago, I dyed my hair without my mom's permission....(burgundy). HOW CAN I GET MY SOFT BEAUTIFUL CURLS BACK?!?!!?? AND HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Also.. If i do get my curls back and maybe decide to flat iron my hair for a special occasion, what should I do to make sure my curls stay and wont go away.


( My curls LITERALLY looked just like the curls Madison Pettis has... EXACTLY like this)

*Check the link*


http://www.google.com/imgres?q=madison+p...9de0.jpeg&

[Jaimehhh]

Stop damaging your hair so much. I would get a really good deep conditioner to get it back healthy, you need to trim your hair. Not a huge haircut just your ends before they get worse. If you are going to continue straightening it get a heat spray to protect it. I would also get some hair oil and you put it in your hands and apply it to the ends and it restores hair.

[happyarm776]

I'm sorry to tell you, but you really should have listened to your mom. When you straighten your hair, you need to ALWAYS use a heat protectant. I would flat iron my hair every day without heat protectant and when I started wearing my natural texture, I had to transition out of the heat damage. The same way someone would transition out of a relaxer. Hair is dead. No matter what anyone says, hair is dead. People, including myself, tend to describe hair as "healthy" or "unhealthy" but that only refers to how it looks. It's just dead, it can not be revived. The only way to get rid of your heat damage and split ends is to cut them off. Split ends can travel up the hair shaft. They will only get worse. So cutting the damage off all at once or cutting it off gradually are the only two options. You will get your curls back, heat damage/chemical damage to the hair shaft only happens to the hair that has already emerged from the scalp. When you get new growth, it will start to curl up the way it was before. There are styles that you can do to make your hair look curlier until all of the damage is gone. Try twist-outs, braid-outs, bantu-knot outs, rollers, curl formers, or flexi rods. All of those styles can be done without heat. I suggest you try not to use heat anymore until all of the damaged hair is gone.When you do start straightening your hair again, try to limit usage to 1x a week, deep conditioning is definitely a great idea, and always use a heat protectant.

edit: there are tutorial videos of all of those styles that I suggested all over you tube. You should also check out naturallycurly.com and curlynikki.com for tips on how to properly care for your curly hair.

[Gemma]

Okay, so I know you aren't going to like this, but it's what I did and it worked MAGIC!

First off, go to the salon and trim AT LEAST 1 in from your hair. This will get rid of most of the split ends. You could also get your hair layered which will help with the curls.

Now, I know you said your MUM wouldn't buy you anything like deep conditioner, but why don't you buy it yourself? They're fairly cheap, about 6.99$ at Walmart. Buy the Olay Deep Conditioner with the pink top, it should be in a tub, not a tube. Thoroughly douse your hair in this, saturating every par of it. Pull your hair up into a bun and wait about 30 minutes before washing it out. When you go to wash it out use the condition-shampoo-condition method. Instead of instantly washing it out, apply your regular shampoo, and rinse them out togethe before conditioning again.

This bit is optional. When getting the deep conditioner, also buy John Frieda's shampoo and conditioner for dry hair with eucalyptus. It's in a green tube with purple leaves on it. MAKE SURE IT'S THE ONE FOR DRY HAIR!

I know this next bit will also be a pain, and a bit gross, but I found it worked. After the deep conditioning thing, don't take a shower for 4/5 days. Ya, I know, ew. But it allows your hair to produce the natural oils, and hopefully recalibrate it.

After doing this, STOP STRAIGHTENING YOUR HAIR. Wear it in braids, buns or ponytails if you don't like how it looks wavy, but don't straighten it again.

This will need to be repeated every 2 weeks/once a month depending on what you want to do, but it should return your hair to normal

-Gemma xoxo