Taking care of damaged hair

My hair has been varying shades of orange for the past few months but now I'm feeling adventurous. I want a change! However before I can attain my desired shade of pinky/lavender I am going to have to strip and bleach my hair. These are harsh processes and can damage healthy 'virgin' hair much less pre-processed hair like mine! 

Desired Hair Colour

Bright Orange

Faded Orange

I began stripping as much of the dye as I could using some harsh shampoo and baking soda mixes (I am DIY all the way!) and yes they stripped some colour but they left my hair in abysmal state! To be expected but not the ideal situation when you want to bleach your hair soon after!

I panicked! I tried all my old reliables, VO5 Hot Oil treatments, Coconut Oil left in overnight, deep conditioning masks, trying my best to get moisture back into my hair which crackled at the merest touch, but to no avail. 

I was at a bit of a loss, but internet to the rescue, with the highly advanced research skills I have acquired through doing my PhD (not) I found mentions of a wondrous thing called a protein treatment for highly damaged hair. This is something you should use when your hair is beyond a bit dry. This is for chemically treated hair that is on its last legs. The ingredients to look for on a product are things like Creatine, Hydolyzed proteins, Betaine and Starch. These differentiate a protein treatment from a deep conditioner.

There are super expensive salon brand versions such as Redken Anti Snap which gets absolutely brilliant reviews or you can check out Youtube for homemade egg hair masks, which logically should work with the high protein content of eggs but seem like the last thing I would want to put in my hair! I opted for something in between the two. 

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment is wonderful. It is marketed as something to help you grow your hair, but it isn't a magic creme that goes into your scalp and stimulates the hair follicle; this doesn't exist! To stimulate hair growth you need to ensure the proteins required are in your diet or else take supplements. What this treatment does is by improving the condition of the proteins in your hair it stays on your head longer and therefore can grow to a longer length. Simple!

And boy does this improve the condition! My hair was a frazzled mess, it stood 2 inches from my head it was so dry and straw-like. The split ends were so numerous my split end picking habit had returned with a vengeance. But I used this once and it was literally a hallelujah moment! When my hair was dry I didn't have to fight my hairbrush through it and it was approaching normal levels of frizz. I've been using this a few days now and the difference is amazing. The condition of my hair has changed completely, it is light and shiny again and feels more manageable than ever. 

The beauty of this protein treatment is that you only use it when you need it and then you can return to your normal routine, busting this out in times of desperation. It costs €10.50 but is always on some sort of 3 for 2 in Boots, this is expensive as you will use a lot of it each time you apply, however at almost twice the price for any of the salon alternatives, it is, in my opinion a banker; something you buy when it's on special and you are feeling flush!