Stringy Hair

Hair trouble — Photo: Grafvision/Shutterstock

Q: Hi, I hope you can help me. I have thin, stringy, dry hair that hangs just below my shoulders. It looks decent in the morning after I wash it and blow-dry it, but by 9 am it looks like I haven't brushed it in 3 years! It is all separated and looks greasy! Help!

The products I use are {brand name deleted} shampoo/conditioner. Mousse on the front hairline only. I have a very little forehead and no bangs, so I need to keep it out of my face. And {brand name deleted} anti snap because I color my hair and I get a lot of split ends. What should I be doing to my hair to make it look healthier and less stringy? I am tempted to cut it super short if it doesn't start working out for me.

Also, I cannot do a ponytail because I have such a small forehead, it looks dumb (like I have a huge head). What do you suggest? I always thought about a body perm, so maybe I can thicken it up and make it hold curl and styles better. Thanks, Shannon, the unhappy hair girl.

A: I can think of a couple of things that may be going on here. The first thing is that you may be using too much of the product you name for your split ends, or you may be using it incorrectly. 95% of the gel, cream, or thick liquid serum hairstyling products on the market are designed to be applied to towel-dried hair prior to blow-drying and styling. This means that the hair should still be damp when the products are worked into the hair.

Furthermore, the particular product you mention is intended to be applied only to the damaged areas of the hair, because its purpose is to help bind the damaged hairs together, helping them appear whole. If you use too much of this product, you can end up with a greasy or oily look to your hair. This product contains lipids (fats/oils) which are responsible for resurfacing the cuticle layer and giving the hair a smoother, shiny appearance.

The second thing I suspect is that given the amount of damage you describe, your hair is probably frayed along the ends to the point that there is a variation in lengths of the hairs that contributes to the hair's "stringy" appearance once these hairs begin to clump together. You may want to consider having the hair cut to remove the damaged ends. Given a past the shoulder current length, you could bring the hair up to about mid neck level and very likely give your hair a much fuller, healthier look.

As to the idea of a body perm, I would only recommend it if your hair is in sufficient health to withstand another chemical service and only then if your hair is particularly fine or limp. Before you do this, however, consider trying to get your hair in good condition. Try a weekly, moisture-rich deep conditioning treatment to fully hydrate your hair, combined with the above-mentioned cut to remove the majority of the damaged ends.

You may find that the combination of these two steps, along with proper daily conditioning will give you the results you want without having to have an additional chemical process.

If it doesn't give you the results you're looking for, your hair will be in better shape to take the chemical service.

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See also:

How to get rid of split ends

Hair with damage

How to make your hair smooth at home

What deep conditioning is and how to deep condition hair

How long a body perm lasts