Thick hair can be fine or coarse, but there's always a lot of it. If you have thick hair, it's because you literally have more individual hair follicles on your head than other people, giving you enviable volume and bounce. The downside of thick hair is that it absorbs 40 percent more water than other hair types, which can make it frizzy, dry and damaged, explains Jeni Thomas, senior scientist for Pantene, in "Marie Claire" magazine.
At-Home Treatments
If you want to restore moisture to dry, damaged hair at home, apply generous amounts of olive oil or neem oil to your damp hair and take a walk in the sun or wrap your head in a warm towel to heat up the oil, suggests celebrity hair stylist Mark Slicker on "Total Beauty." Thick hair can handle an intense conditioner like olive oil which would weigh down finer hair, explains Slicker. After 20 minutes or so, rinse the oil completely from your hair with warm water.
Drugstore Treatments
If your hair is dry and damaged, a hair mask can be a good solution. Look for one that contains ingredients like stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol or cetyl alcohol, which help rebuild hair's texture, and dimethicone or cyclomethicone, types of silicone that fight frizz and increase shine, recommends Teca Gillespie, a scientist for Pantene, in "More" magazine. Make sure your hair is thoroughly saturated with the mask when you apply it, which may mean slathering on more than the recommended amount when your hair is thick.
Salon Treatments
One of the most effective treatments for thick hair that's become dry and damaged is a good haircut, according to "Women's Health" magazine. A trim is the only way to get rid of damaged ends, and Guy Riggio, a stylist at the John Frieda Salon in Los Angeles, warns on "Total Beauty" that a damaged end can spread their damage upwards through the rest of your hair shaft. While you're there, ask your stylist for a hot oil treatment to hydrate your newly cropped tresses.
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