I hope this has never happened to you. You go into a salon and have a chemical service done to your hair. It can be a color, a perm or a straightener. What happens next is not good.

Your hairdresser may or may not say anything at this point. She/he can still make it look OK. They know how to cover up damage temporarily. They use styling product, maybe blow dry it. But the real trick to smoothing out frizzy over processed hair is to apply heat. If they are using a curling iron and you have not request that, ask them why they are doing it. A logical answer would be to fluff the front, to style the bangs or top, to make large curls all over if you had a tighter perm and want it smoother. If you asked for a body perm and they are now using an iron to soften out the curls, you may have gotten a perm that will be too tight when you get home and wash it for the first time.

Thoroughly check your new perm right away while you are still at the salon. If there is something that you are not satisified with, speak up. Now is the time to let them know how you feel. Be sure to speak with the salon owner or manager. There is the option of deep conditioning your hair right away if it is WAY too curly. It will relax it some what. If that isn't enough, give it at least two weeks to settle down. You can deep condition it during this time as often as every other day.

What to do if your hair has been over processed and is dry, frizzy and fragile.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is not much you can do now. I would suggest that you go back to the salon and ask to speak with the owner or manager.Ask him/her to wash and condition your hair. They can get a better idea of what is going on when it's wet. Ask them to then give you their oppinion as to what is making your hair dry, frizzy and breaking. There is nothing you can put on your hair at this point that will fix it. I'm sorry to say, but your only option is to try these steps.

1. Wash less frequently.

2. Use a heavy cream conditioner, leave most of it in.

3. use a styling aid such as gel, mousse, leave in cream, and hairspray.

4. Go back to the salon once per week for deep conditioning treatments. Ask for these to be performed free of charge. Do this for 6 weeks, then once a month for 3 months.

5. hope it growes out quickly and possibly change hairdressers.

So, as you can see, there is not much that can be done for overprocessed hair. It can not be fixed. It can be covered over to make it appear smoother, but, you can not fix it.

Using products such as a heavy leave in conditioner mixed with some gel will help it look better. Using a curling iron will also smooth it out. This will have to be done every time though, since, as soon as you wash it again, the dry, frizzy's will be back.

Hair can not be repaired after it is damaged. Your hair is not a living thing. That's why you can cut it and it doesn't hurt. Once the hair shaft exits your skin, it is no longer a living thing. It is just, well, actually, read this from Wikipedia

So, if you want Beautiful Hair, you need to be careful about chemical treatments. Chemical treatments include perms, permanent color, straightener, hi-lites. Some chemical treatments that do not cause damage are semi-permanent color and lo-lites. You can read about both of these on my web site, Beauty from Within.

Another suggestion about chemical services. If you have one, your hair should be fine, IF you use a high quality, salon quality, shampoo, conditioner and styling aid. This is SO important! Why spend the money on having the chemical service in the first place if you aren't going to take super care of it after it's done? Shampoo and conditioner found in a grocery or department store are usually cheap detergent with fragrance added. They are not only harsh, but will relax a perm, fade a color and dry out your hair. Yes, even if it says it's for chemically treated hair. Salon products are the correct pH balance for optimum hair health and beauty.

Please refer to my web site for more details about how you can keep your hair beautiful and healthy. You can have chemical services done. Just know when to stop. Don't have too many done on the same hair. What I mean by that is, when you have a perm or permenent color, that hair has to grow out and be cut off before it is all gone. You CAN color just the new growth. What you should not do is color the entire thing every time. You also should not re-perm until the old one is completely gone.

I hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions, you can contact Michelle right from her web site, Beauty from Within

Have a beautiful hair day. :-)