I have always carried on me a healthy head of straight brown hair.  Virgin hair, never dyed and hardly blow dryed (except for special occasions).  My “product” consists of a 5 year old can of hairspray and various tiny sample bottles of “stuff” that is supposed to texturize/smooth/fluff.

A simple head of healthy hair, that I just kind of let hang on top of my shoulders.  I never mastered “styling” and burned myself too many times to attempt a curling iron again, so I just let it be.

So when my first daughter was born and had curls at 6 months, which grew into a toddler dreadlock by age 2, I was stumped.  I don’t know this hair. I have no idea what to do with it.

You can’t brush these curls like I can my straight locks.  I mean, I can hardly get a wide toothed comb in there on a good day.

So for 10 years we have been struggling, fighting back against the curls, and content to let her be a little bit “rough” with her hair maintenance.

I remembered the tortured screams before each family gathering, as we would attempt to comb 2 months of tangles out of her curls. Hubby and I both drenched in sweat, a pile of knotted hair on the sink, and little one, blotchy faced and teary eyed, but finally tidy.

And now, at age 10, when she is starting to worry about how she looks, she has taken a renewed interest in her hair,
except, all the old problems are still there.  The tangles, so many that even after you get the comb through once, it gets stuck on the 2nd pass. And the tears. . . every pull is torture to her.

But, along with wanting to have beautiful hair, she is also looking at this as some mommy time.  Snuggled on her bed, iPad in her lap, and leaning against my knees as I work my way though her mop of curls.

We watched an entire 90 minute movie the other night while I combed her hair.

90 minutes. A whole hour and a half JUST to get her hair combed.

And while I love spending time with her, committing an hour a night (or every other) to brushing her hair just isn’t on my list of things to do.

So, we went looking for solutions.

I wanted something easy to use and that offered lasting repair to her (already) damaged hair. With too many hours logged in the pool, and hair that is infrequently trimmed, she needed something to keep it healthy and vital.

*(Note: when you trim curly hair, 1/4 inch ends up looking like an inch or more.  The curls get lighter, and the hair springs up! And THIS is the reason why we get infrequent trims).

I was surprised by the amount of damage her hair seemed to have, but seeing that she uses the flat iron 5x more than I do, I guess it made sense.  The ends of her hair are often dry and brittle and tangle with the slightest breeze.

She has always wanted to be able to BRUSH her hair. . . sounds easy doesn’t it?

The “friendly” kid products we had tried tended to dry her hair out even more and honestly, they just weren’t strong enough to provide any repair.  One bottle of spray in condition each time we would do a comb out was a little insane.

So, we upgraded.  We needed something that would treat the damage in her hair and provide lasting results.  Something that would nourish it and help with the chaotic tangles and (egads) the matted mess.

She had booked me for a “hair combing” night, and I surprised her with a bottle of Fructis Damage Eraser.  She tried the 3-part system of shampoo, conditioner and then followed it up with the Damage Eraser treatment.

She let it soak (as suggested on the packaging) and I read up a  little more on the packaging.
Fructis Damage Eraser reconstructs hair’s strength by 90% (that would be 9 out of 10 damaging swimming pool hours just disappearing) and as the latest in hair care innovations it is designed to treat dry and damaged hair.  And while none of us are hard core “Damage Criminals” we do break out the straight iron every now and then and spend far too much time in the water and sunshine!

After her 3-5 minute soak was up, she rinsed off and jumped out of the shower. Her first comment was that her hair felt THIN.

Now, this is a HUGE thing for her- this girl has ALOT of hair.  When it is wet it is down past her bum.  It is heavy, and thick and for her to be able to actually separate the strands and feel like her hair is manageable is a big deal!

And the best part, it took me 5 minutes to comb it out (much to her dismay)
FIVE MINUTES.

Seriously.  You can’t even imagine.

We did watch a show and have our snuggle anyway (especially since she convinced me to braid her hair as well) and we enjoyed one another’s company without the TEARS this time.

I was shocked at the speed with which this product worked, and the lasting results. The next morning she was able to brush her hair (using the regular brush, not the pick) and even the day after, it was still manageable and easy to work with.

I had never considered investing into great hair products for the kids, but it makes total sense.  They put their hair through much more aggressive treatment than I do, and with their different hair personalities, it was time to step out of what I knew and into something that the experts suggested.

If you have damaged hair in need of a fix, check out this limited time special offer from Garnier Fructis today!

And remember, great hair is more than just looking good. It is about making it manageable and healthy. I know my daughter is now feeling confident and comfortable, since we sorted out her “hair drama”.