Long hair that has been bleached and permed needs the most conditioning

    Some of us, however, fall into the trap of trying to improve upon nature, not just once but over and over again. Where you can go wrong includes:

• not understanding the basic properties of hair in general, and your own hair in particular
  
• trying to lighten the color of your hair more than it can stand (bleach damage)
  
• continually trying to correct previous mistakes
  
• perming hair that is already in poor condition.

Hair damage

In this section we look at some real-life cases of hair that is obviously not in good condition.
    This person's hair looks dull and lifeless. It doesn't shine, and it is obviously difficult to manage. Examining a few hairs under the microscope would reveal what has happened to it, and suggest what might be done.
    It is all too easy to fall into the trap of

Very neglected, processed hair: a conditioner is essential!

A classical split end, with gross disruption of the cortex

blaming the last product put on to the hair as the single cause of a problem. Much more often, hair condition is lost as a result of a combination of mis-treatments over a long period.

Damage from weathering

Weathering, as you saw in Chapter 1, is the gradual wearing away of the cuticle of the hair shaft. The damage exposes the cortex, which becomes worn down as well, and the hair can eventually break. Fortunately, hair is tough by nature: hairs taken from ancient Egyptian