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Mitigating Damaged Hair: A Salon Experience for Bros
When a Man Admits to Damaged Hair
I started noticing signs of damaged hair as my hair length began to reach my lower chest. I’d been growing it out four and a half years, starting from a classic men’s high & tight fade.
To this point I’d gotten a few minor trims, never more than an inch, about once every six months. This time it had been over nine months, and I was clearly due for some hair care.
Today I can freely admit: I had damaged hair. Here I’ve documented my visit to the salon.
How Do You Recognize Damaged Hair?
There were several reasons for my visit to the salon—more symptoms really. Things had been pretty smooth over time, but I started having issues.
First off it was getting more and more tangled. Having super straight hair, I could usually remove the tangles without much trouble. A little argan oil hair serum, a few passes with a wide-tooth comb and I was dialed. With good moisture balance and a solid brushing regimen, I was living the golden life.
But over the previous few months it became increasingly difficult to get the tangles out. I had to spend more and more time with the comb, even using hair serum, even after conditioning, and sometimes it was such a rat’s nest I couldn’t untangle it.
On closer examination, I could see the hair below the last two or three inches was super kinked and roughed up, with split ends going off in every direction and all sorts of mess.
It felt rough and dry, like I couldn’t get enough moisture. My locks were tired, busted and frazzled...and I needed help.
Why Am I Suffering?
It was time to figure out what was going on, so I went to a salon I really trust with my hair, House of Imago. Building their brand as the most educated salon in San Diego, the owner and hair professionals are highly knowledgeable.
I learned some things about my hair.
While I do have straight hair on the outside, the hair underneath, surrounding the occipital bone, positioned around the back and lower part of the skull, tends to be more wavy, a little matted, even wooly.
Over time, as that hair gets longer and more wavy, it gets tangled up with the straight hair. It starts growing in different directions, creating opposing textures that tangle and mat, with the wavy texture almost acting like velcro.
More Hair, More Damage
Furthermore, as my hair got longer, there was more hair to get tangled. It started blowing in the wind, brushing against my back and became generally more exposed to the environment.
Combined with frequent exercise, getting my hair sweaty, salt water, chlorine and just lots of activity, my hair was taking damage...and it was showing.
Mitigating Damaged Hair With Keratin
After providing this analysis, my hair pro suggested a keratin treatment.
Keratin is a protein that makes up the structure of your hair. A keratin treatment is where a keratin-based formula is applied to your hair then sealed in with heat, restoring the protein while strengthening and smoothing your mane. It’s like putting a cast around your hair, training it to go straight again and eliminating frizz.
A Deep Cleansing Shampoo...Ahhh
She started with a clarifying or deep cleansing shampoo. This went far beyond a typical shampoo, both in terms of the product (designed to thoroughly cleanse), and the time spent (two rigorous applications).
The purpose here was to get my hair completely stripped of everything, so that when she applied the keratin it would bond to the hair without any other substances getting in the mix.
A Keratin Treatment for a Guy's Damaged Hair
After a quick towel try she applied the keratin. It looks like a dollop of white gel, which she used a small tint brush to apply, almost like a paint brush. Holding the hair at length she applied it one strip or subsection at a time.
In my case she focused keratin more on the area around the occipital bone, the tips, and the lower half of my hair lengths.
Toward the ends she applied more product but used less heat. That older, more exposed hair is highly porous and accepting of the keratin, while also more susceptible to heat damage. Closer to the skull she used less product but more heat, with that hair being less porous but more resilient.
The Wait
With the keratin applied to my hair we had to let it fully set for about 30 minutes. Fortunately I was able to make good use of my time with a whisky drink next door.
The Flat Iron
After 30 minutes of letting it set, she used a flat iron to heat the keratin, bonding it with my hair.
Cutting The Damage
With the keratin treatment complete we moved on to the cut.
We’d been so busy shampooing and keratinizing and learning about hair, I must have forgotten this part was actually going to happen. Once the scissors came out shit got real. There was marked trepidation, but I trusted my hair pro.
She focused on the most damaged hair at the very ends, that when combed straight down appeared virtually translucent. Using a ‘carving’ technique, she cut at a diagonal, upward angle, creating a little texture and removing split ends while preserving a rugged finish.
After all was done, she took off about one inch of this guy’s damaged hair, no more, before the shears were safely tucked back into a drawer. And I could live with that.
The Results
...were profound. Like two feet of cascading luscious gold. The tangles were completely gone, my hair was super smooth, the split ends were systematically eliminated and my locks their entirety were shockingly soft. I was back in the golden era.
The Follow-Up
There were a few details to mind following the whole treatment. For one thing I was forbidden to get my hair wet for three days: no swimming, no sweating, no soaking. I was also to avoid tying it up, wearing hats or any rough treatment as much as possible.
Following this period I was instructed to take extra measures to moisturize. While keratin is great for your hair, it slows the absorption of moisture, allowing it to dry out faster. For extra moisture I use The Longhairs hair serum and condition in between washes.
Is keratin treatment right for you? If you have hair like mine and you’re having similar problems, it might be. It can also be a fantastic option for curly hair, you can see how TIA fared in his guest post Keratin Treatments for Men.
The Wrap
The trim and keratin treatment experience was excellent. As a man with long hair, having not been exposed to salons and professional hair care for most of life, the experience was comfortable, entertaining and educational, and the results were terrific.
This is why we suggest visiting a trusted salon for men’s damaged hair, and one that emphasizes hair education. If you’re in San Diego, we always recommend House of Imago and Style Lounge Salon. Tell them The Longhairs sent you, and to be kindly with your mane.
For more tips on what to say at the salon, visit Confidently Navigate Your Visit To The Salon.
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Comments
Rice Water Rinses – I have been growing my hair for about 9 months. I have thin gray hair (yes, I’m getting old, but got my first gray hair in ninth grade, so now I’m 59 and all gray and white) , and was looking online for ways to treat it (creme rinses, keratin treatments, etc.) and came across rice water rinses. Was wondering your opinion on it?
El Jefe, glad to have you here! We have been wanting to do a post with specific advice for the silver foxes out there. Still haven’t got to it but thanks for the reminder.
As to the rice water treatment, I had not heard of it until you asked. Upon cursory overview it looks interesting. Please let us know what it’s like if you give it a try.
Thanks for the comment and keep LETTING IT RIDE! Would love if you sent a picture of the white mane on our social media!
Picture on the way El Rubio. Thanks for the response.
BOOM!
Rice water treatment administered. Seemed pretty easy to me. I prepared the rinse using a mix of instructions online (cleaning rice, creating mix 1/2 cup white rice, 3 cups water, poured it in my hair after washing hair, let sit for 20-30 mins, rinse with warm water), creme rinsed then let air dry. Hair seems like it has improved texture, thickness. Strength will be determined later.
That’s awesome man! Will need to give this a try. Thanks for the report El Jefe!
Hey El Rubio,
By the time I was about 3 years into this wonderful experience of having and maintaining this manly mane: I discovered you guys… It’s been an informative experience, to say the least. However, up until the time I found out about you guys I never really took stock of the condition of my hair. Though things seem quite healthy, I do have a fair amount of noticeable split ends.
My hair is more on the wavy/curly side, on its own. Would this sort of treatment be advisable across the board, or would this be more complicated?
Thank you, for everything you guys do!
Best,
Keanu
Yo KEANU! What up man?? Stoked to have you here and thanks for writing in.
Curly hair is different, though there are some basic things that remain, like keeping your hair moisturized and avoiding damage.
Here’s all the content we have on curly hair at the moment: https://blog.thelonghairs.us/tag/curly-hair/
There’s more we want to cover still but some great stuff here. Maybe you become a pro and contribute some tips for the rest of our curly-haired brethren!
Thanks for being here man, keep lettin it ride!
Hi. Like your site. My hair’s about six months past the awkward stage and new problems are arising. In particular, hairs over my ears, on both sides of my head, are standing out like coily springs. It’s like fifty or a hundred hairs on each side are doing this. Mostly my hair lays smooth but not right above my ears. Someone suggested to me that it’s because I tie my hair back too much and it does seem to me that the problem started when my hair got long enough to tie back. I could finally get it out of my face, which was a major relief! But now I have this new problem. What do I do about the these few, frizzy damaged hairs above my ears – should I maybe carefully just trim them off? And how can I prevent this from happening in the future?
Yo D-Money! Great question man. Truthfully, I’m still inexplicably dealing with these now 4.5 years into my long hair journey.
It can be tempting to just cut them off, but that’s a dangerous path to tread my friend. You can find yourself in an endless cycle of dealing with these damn baby hairs trying to catch up with the rest of your long hair, but never really quite getting there. In fact I am dealing with this now to some degree, following a March incident involving a military officer wielding hair clippers.
So don’t be too hasty. What you can do is, like you suggested, cautiously trim the super-tiny hairs around your ears. But you don’t want to accidentally get into the longer stuff, so don’t be tempted. Here’s where you might consider getting touched up around the neck as well.
We’ll look to do a full blog post on this topic. Thanks again for the question amigo, keep lettin’ it ride!
I need to get a trim as well… The split ends are real, and combined with my part wavy part curly hair, its a mess… I’ve never held back on going to a professional salon, but there is a HUGE gap between my visits, and the stress during those times, combined with the rough treatment due to lack of time and focus on projects damages my hair for good. My hairdresser did recommend Keratin Treatment a few times but I’ve always held back and I’m not entirely sure why. I guess I’ll give it a shot now. This might solve a lot of my problems, like frizz, the BULK (its surely becomes a problem when you have thick/wavy/curly hair combined with frizz+split ends. I have to keep it tied or it goes EVERYWHERE).
My one question to your hair professional, if you get a chance to ask or know the answer yourself, is this : You stated that after this treatment you have to go heavier on the moisturizing since the treatment makes it harder for your hair to absorb moisture. However, I shower and wash my hair very often, once a day most of the time. I tried to get it to once in 2 days etc but haven’t been able to. So basically, my hair is already dry to a level. How would I proceed about moisturizing my hair if I were to get this treatment?
All that being said and asked,
Keep rocking that AWESOME hair man!
What up Ark! Thanks for writing in, hombre. To your question, there are a lot of options for adding moisture (in fact it’s worth doing a roundup on those).
On your shampoo routine: how come you can’t shampoo once every two days? Is it because your hair gets super oily? Try switching up your routine by skipping the shampoo every other day, but keep the conditioner.
Coconut oil is a great choice, there are also spray-in moisturizers, after-shower products and more. We’ll look at doing a full post on this.
El Rubio,
Ive been growing my hair for about 14 months now without a trim. Like your hair mine is dry and I have some major split ends. I’m a broke college student. Would it be easier just to trim the split ends and use coconut oil to add a little moisture?
Yo Dan! Thanks for writing in man. You’re definitely on the right track in terms of moisturizing. I’m a little surprised you have so many split ends, at 14 months I’m guessing it’s not super long yet, maybe to the shoulders. Look at your hair routines and see if there are any areas you can try to avoid damage. You might be able to still hold off a while without a trim.
Thanks again for the comment mang, keep lettin it ride!
Damn good hair Rubio!
My hair reaches my traps after 17 months of growth.
Did your ends curl up a bit aswell when your hair was above shoulder-length?
Thanks amigo! I don’t remember my hair curling up too much when it was shorter; I feel like it tended to curl out a little bit if anything.
I just got a trim too. The ends, like you we’re experiencing, were dry and had split ends. I went to the salon my mom works at and had the lady who cuts my hair every time take off the bad stuff. Unfortunately she messed up. I don’t know what happened, maybe she was distracted, I don’t know but I’m not happy wih the results. I still have the dried tips too, and I’m afraid to get those taken off again for I fear my hair will be more messed up. Also; I have a padawan braid, and I have had it for 2 years now. I love it. It used to be 1- 1 1/2 inches longer than my normal hair but somehow the lady cut it to exactly the same length as my hair. That really made me sad, the braid has been something special to me and I’ve put a lot of work into it over the years and she messed it up.
Suppose i got off easy on this one, my aunt is a hairdresser so free trims. 🙂 great post i hope a lot of guys are taking it’s advice and sacrificing a little to get a lot more in return.
Thanks MANG!
If you’re tight on funds, a good alternative to the salon is to go where most of them probably got their starts… The Cosmetology School.
Yes, you’re probably going to get it cut by a student, but they go through a couple dozen hours of instruction and practice on a mannequin before they’re even allowed near a client under direct supervision of an instructor. Even if you go to one of the senior students that can cut without direct supervision, the instructors are always close by and are more than happy to stop by and answer any questions.
Trims are pretty cheap… My last one I think cost maybe $5. I’ve even had them do several color streaks for only $25 (most salons in my area charge at least twice that at a minimum).
Great idea mate. Thanks for posting.
Your hair looks AMAZING, smooth and shiny and silky. She did a great job. Thanks for the tips.
🙂
Jason i too have been doing the coconut oil.. i have left in all day many times….. with the coconut oil my hair has been at its best…. i now do my 2 chihuahua s with the oil from advice from a dog vet. Who would have known…. my wife tells everyone i have to buy him organic coconut oil…. it works
Was this all heavy on the wallet?
Just a broke college kid here so just wondering before I go in and talk to saloon about it. I think I am at the point, I have never trimmed my hair and the ends are feeling really rough these days and I am running into the same tangle issues you described so I think it may be time to let some one look at the mane.
Yo Robert,
Shit ain’t cheap dawg. But I wouldn’t let that stop you from at least going in and asking about it. There are surely other helpful solutions that are easier on the pocket book. Go have a chat and see what you can come up with, feel free to share your experience of course.
Thanks for the comment man!
Try the coconut oil!
Cool story, thanks for posting! 🙂
El Rubio,
Would you recommend the keratin treatment to your curly-haired brethren, or is that only suitable for straight hair? Thanks for all of the advice you provide to your fellow Longhairs.
Yo Nick, I’m pretty sure this treatment is ideal for straight hair only. There may be some application for curly hair, but it would have to be done differently as the process inherently includes straightening.
And you’re welcome man! Thanks for tuning in.
Nick, URGENT UPDATE: my hair pro Shayna read your comment and immediately shared this with me:
“The keratin is amazing on curly hair because it won’t straighten your curl, it just gets rid of the frizz and makes it manageable.”
So there you have it. That keratin shit dawg.
Thanks for taking the time to post the follow up, brother!
i don’t agree with the keratin treatment, cause much testimonys:the 1st is marveillous, the second doesn ‘t effect, the third add dried hair with much tangle
i avoid any moisturing matter in my routine: shampoo bar ( sodium cocoyl isethionate and sodium lauroyl sarcosinate; two very geentle tensives) and a conditioner ( stearamidopropyl dimethylamine and lactic acid); the two products homemade
if my hair is dried, i wet the brush
when your hair become dry, one test: add to the dose of shampoo a coffee spoon of yoghourt
Thanks for the tips as always Chamane!
I really appreciate that you shared your experience while staying in a salon. Mostly I give a big thanks for sharing out what split ends are.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My mane is almost as long as yours, and equally as straight, but with more body. I’ve always thought that I took great care of my hair, until I noticed last week (while waiting in line at the grocery store) that I not only had a few split ends… but a TON. Went to a friend who helped clean it up, then did more trimming work of my own (with hair cutting scissors). It took a few days, and some pretty sharp eyesight.
The ordeal reminded me that washing/conditioning wasn’t enough. So, I’ve added in coconut oil treatments once/week. It’s pretty easy to do. Melt a small amount in your hands and massage it into the hair from the scalp down. It will appear wet very quickly. Massage the scalp for a few minutes. Let set for at least an hour. Then, shampoo out. You can leave it in overnight, if you want to braid it up and sleep with a cap on. Done it twice, so far, since the fiasco and will definitely continue.
The results are smoother hair and less tangles, for sure, and it’s super cheap to do. If you give it, or any other oil/mask treatments a try, I’d love to hear what you think.
Will give it a shot Jason, thanks for the tips. I’ve been wondering about sleeping but don’t want to get my pillow/sheets all greasy. So maybe I’ll try the cap. Thanks man, appreciate it!
I’m about do for a trim myself. Been about 12 months. It sucks cause it’s still growing out and I don’t want to loose length. My bangs are at my jaw at this point. I really want to get a set of your hair ties as well but can’t spend the money at the moment.
Also, you guys rock.
Thank you man!
if you are to afraid to meet a hairdresser ( much of us have some reasons…) and you want a straight trim, you can also buy a creaclip and ask your wife or an other longhair friend to proceed
I’m stuck. Because my hair has that fried look just in the ends but no split ends. So I’m not sure if a trim will benefit me. I think a keretin treatment may be worth trying. Just to remoisturize my hair at the ends.