How to Fix Fried Hair

 So you've fried your hair. We know. We know. You got a little crazy with the curling iron or your colorist went overboard dying your black hair white-blonde. Maybe you put a perm atop a coloring job & fried your hair that way. In any case, if your hair feels like straw, it's fried. And believe it or not, there's relief.

 We've read a lot of fried hair fixes & here we feature our favorites:

 Option #1: The simple fix You need a deep conditioner, stat. Run product throughout hair & leave on for several minutes. The product will absorb into your hair shaft & soften your hay-like strands. Time it takes: About 10 minutes, not including the shower. We suggest deep conditioning twice a week the first couple weeks, then continue once a week.

 Suggested deep conditioners by price:

Cheap

ALBA BOTANICAL CONDITIONERS

Average PrIce:

Joico K PAK DEEP PENETRATING RECONSTRUCTOR FOR DAMAGED HAIR

Steep Price:

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE DEEP TREATMENT 5 OZ

Option #2: The complicated (but sure) fix We love this recipe shared by celebrity stylist Chris McMillan in the April, 2006, issue of Allure magazine. (You may know McMillan as Jennifer Aniston's hairstylist/best friend).

Step 1: Mix in a bowl 2 tablespoons each of rinse-out conditioner, a leave-in conditioner, a deep conditioner & a hair mask.

Step 2: Comb the mixture through clean, damp hair making sure to focus most of the product on mid-shaft down to the ends.

Step 3: Wet 2 large towels, wring them out & heat one in a microwave for 1-2 minutes (depending on how hot your microwave gets the towel, you want it tolerable to touch, but steamy warm).

Step 4: Wrap hair up in the hot towel while you heat 2nd towel in microwave.

Step 5: Alternate wrapping hair in towels about 2-3 times.

This ultra-deep conditioner should be repeated once a week.

DO-IT-YOURSELF CHOLESTEROL TREATMENT

Would you believe that most commercially bought cholesterol hair conditioners contain alcohol- the very thing that dries out hair? Instead, grab a cup full of mayonnaise, some plastic food wrap and throw a couple of towels in the drier on high.

Work the mayonnaise into your hair, starting by massaging it into the scalp and roots. Then draw it through to your ends until your hair is thoroughly coated. Pile the hair on top of your head. Take a couple of feet of saran wrap and wrap it around the top of your head to contain the mayo.

Take a pre-heated towel from the dryer and wrap it around your head over the saran wrap. The heat will aid with deep conditioning. After about 10 minutes, change to another heated towel and leave that on for another 10 minutes.

Remove the towel and plastic wrap and shampoo your hair as usual. Done once a month, this cholesterol treatment will keep your hair soft and shiny.

Tip: if your hair ends are very damaged from chemical treatment, you can do this once a week.

Directions: 1/2 cup mayo

Rinse and towel dry. Apply mayonnaise to the hair. Massage in. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, shampoo again lightly and rinse with an apple cider vinegar and water solution. This will help with the smell and remove any residue.

 
BUILD-UP REMOVER

Often the culprits of drab coloring and lackluster hair are all the styling products that we regularly use. They begin to build up and dull the shine and tone of our hair.

Get rid of the build up by mixing 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 gallon of distilled water. This can be stored in a cabinet or the refrigerator and used every couple of weeks to keep hair squeaky clean. To use it, wet hair with warm water, or shampoo and rinse as usual. Then pour 2 cups over the scalp and let mixture saturate the hair. Finish up with a cold-water rinse.

 Another option for fried ends is a haircut that trims the ends.