How to Fix Fried Hair

So you've fried your hair. We know. We know. You got a little crazy with the curling iron, you stayed out in the sun for days on end or your colorist went overboard dying your black hair white-blonde. Maybe you put a perm atop a coloring job and 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. First of all, you need to lay off the hot tools (flat irons and curling irons) as much as possible and then you need to get your ends trimmed every 3 weeks. Then you need to follow these fried hair fixes to repair the damage:

Option #1: The simple fix

You need a deep conditioner, stat. Look for a product that contains keratin and is labeled for dry, damaged hair. Run product throughout hair and leave on for several minutes. The product will absorb into your hair shaft and 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.

Try not to wash your hair every day, water is very drying to hair (not the shampoo). If you take a shower but opt not to wash your hair, protect your hair with a shower cap.

See my list of the best products for dry hair.

Option #2: Bring in the blowdryer

For this fix, you need a conditioner with cetyl alcohol, according to colorist Robert Ramos in InStyle Magazine. "It's an ultrarich fatty acid that helps hair retain moisture," says Ramos. A great conditioner is Kerastase Masquintense (I use this and it's great). Comb conditioner through hair then blast is with a hair dryer for 15 minutes. Rinse.

Option #3: The complicated (but sure) fix

We love this recipe shared by celebrity stylist Chris McMillan outlined in Allure magazine. (You may know McMillan as Jennifer Aniston's hairstylist).

Step 1: Mix in a bowl 2 tablespoons each of rinse-out conditioner, a leave-in conditioner, a deep conditioner and 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 and 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 second towel in microwave.
Step 5: Alternate wrapping hair in towels about 2-3 times.

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

Best hair masks by price
Cheap
Johnson & Johnson Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask
Average
Phyto Hair Masks
Steep
Kerastase Nutritive Hair Mask

Option #4: Cut it off

It may sound crazy, but cutting off damaged hair is the only way to truly repair it. To keep hair in great shape, get a trim every 3 weeks (yes, 3 initially) and swear off razor cuts and styling tools including curling irons, blow dryers and flatirons.

Also stay away from any processing, which will only weaken hair further. According to Allure, relaxers are the harshest on hair, followed by bleach, permanent color, demi-permanent dye and then rinses or glazes. If you have damaged hair, opt for highlights instead of all-over color and ask your stylist to use a glaze instead of dye if you are going darker. For camouflaging gray hair, stick with demi-permanent formulas.