by AlexBri
In 2018, I made the mistake of bleaching my natural hair. Although it was done professionally, my hair became severely dry and fragile. And after a year of trying to grow out the bleach naturally, I decided to take the plunge by cutting the damaged ends off completely.
Jul 2018 
Nov 2018 
Feb 2019
I called it the big chop (at least it was for me) ..cutting 4-5 inches off my hair >_< This was the shortest I’ve ever worn my hair in my adult life, but it was the only way to nurse my hair back to full health.
Oct 2019 
Mar 2020 
Dec 2020
My routine consisted of weekly wash days, that included, hot oil and/or hair masque treatments. I deep conditioned my hair every week, sometimes, every two weeks. What strengthened my hair, was incorporating monthly DIY treatments, which included pure aloe vera gel that I grew in my yard.
Sliced Aloe Leaf 
1 Cup of Aloe Vera Gel 
Blended Aloe Vera Gel
I cut a total of 4 aloe leaves, sliced them down the middle, and carved the gel into a measuring cup. After filling the cup to the brim, I poured the aloe into a blender until it came to a foam-like consistency. I separated my hair into four sections and applied the aloe vera gel from root to tip. I massaged the roots for about 5-10 minutes. I put a plastic cap on my head to keep the moisture in and left it on for an additional 30 minutes.
After this pre-poo treatment, I washed my hair with a moisturizing shampoo. Recently, I’ve been using a combination of Aunt Jackie’s, Aussie and Carol’s Daughter hair care products. See product list below: (In order of application)
–Aunt Jackie’s ‘Oh So Clean’ Moisturizing and Softening Shampoo
–Aussie ‘Miracle Moist’ Conditioner and Revitalizant
–Aunt Jackie’s ‘Fix My Hair’ Intensive Repair Conditioning Masque
–Aunt Jackie’s ‘Quench’ Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner
–Carol’s Daughter ‘Hair Milk’ Curl Defining Butter
–Aunt Jackie’s ‘Soft All Over’ Multi-Purpose Oil
–Aunt Jackie’s ‘Don’t Shrink’ Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel
You can find these products in Target, Walgreens or at your local beauty supply store.
Additionally, I trimmed my hair every few months..really whenever I saw that my ends were starting to look frizzy or producing too many single-strand knots. I wore mostly protective hairstyles. (wigs, braids, etc. pretty much low-to-no tension hairstyles)
Moreover, I’ve vowed to never bleach or dye my hair again. I’ve opted for temporary safe alternatives such as hair color/paint wax (as seen in my most recent 2020 hair update).
Let me know what methods you used to treat damaged hair in the comment section below.
AlexBri 
Question – did the hair dye make your scalp itch frequently? I have a niece that is doing the most with her hair, and breakage and itching seem to be a result no matter what. I doubt if she is moisturizing her scalp