I've been coloring my hair since my late twenties when I started to go gray all at once. I also attributed it to my oldest child! I go every three weeks; foils /lowlights every other time, root color in between, and a haircut every time. Occasionally there are small changes for the seasons--- a bit darker and longer in the autumn and winter, brighter and shorter in the spring and summer. I wear a chin length pageboy/bob, all one length, parted on the side, tucked behind my ears. This style looks good on others in a beautiful silvery gray, but like someone else mentioned, I can't go and live in a yurt for a year while my hair grows out from a massive short cut. It's expensive having this done every three weeks, but at least my hairdresser loves me :-( In addition to the chemical reaction/ hair problem, the OP has a problem with the hairdresser following her directions. If you keep telling them not to "texturize" your hair and they persist in doing it, you should switch salons. They are supposed to do what YOU want.

Very interesting thread! I have relatively thick, straighter than straight hair. On one half of my head that is. The other side likes to do a little flip thing just to annoy me. And to make matters worse I have a huge ridiculous cawlick that runs down the back of my scalp and when my hair goes flat, the cawlick parts like the Red Sea. I find that the more conditioners that are in shampoo's the flatter my hair is. If I use conditioner after I shampoo my hair is horribly limp. THEN it gets all dry and brittle and even more flat. THEN I buy more expensive shampoo's and conditioners to try to fix it only get battered hair. So, I stopped with the expensive shampoo's and started using dish detergent - not all the time but at least once a week. Then apply a little conditioner and my hair is great. When I shampoo with regular shampoo, I will use a vinegar rinse and NO conditioner at all. The dish detergent (usually Sunlight) gets out all the hair products and conditioners that weigh the hair down. My hair has never been healthier-looking (for dead cells lol) and I colour my hair - myself. Hair salon dyes have too much conditioner. I don't use shampoo for colour treated hair just ol Sunlight and regular conditioner and my colour doesn't fade. My hair stylist are always commenting on what good shape my hair is in and when I tell them what I use - they stop with the sales pitches on their products. LOL I've recently started using Sunsilk Anti-flat shampoo and conditioner and I like it. It is weightless and very mild and my hair does seem to be fluffier longer when I use it. deb ab, I've often wondered about those got2be products. I need something that won't flatten. I use the worse products - Final Net hair spray. My hair is short and spikey (perfect style for straight hair) but I have a hard time finding products that will make the spikes last longer and not flatten. I envy people with curly hair! I have a hard time getting a good hair cut and am always looking for someone who specializes in straight hair. One little slip up when cutting straight hair and it is so noticeably. That's why I got the spikes - so you can't notice if it is slightly off kilter. Who knew I'd have so much to say about hair? lol BJ

I asked my hair stylist that same question, although my obsession is with the "Kardashian" hair. My hair is blond and wavy... It'll never get that long, unfortunately. She told me that they use a shine oil, they flat iron and even the Kardashians use human hair extensions. Certain ethnic groups (Asian, Indian and Mexican/Spanish) for example, have individual hair strands that are naturally thicker, stronger, and the hair as a whole grows faster. Dark hair also reflects more light, so it looks super shiny and healthier. The majority of human hair extensions are Indian remy hair - the hair naturally grows faster. A lot of the commercials you see show dark hair for this reason. In the Garnier commercial with the blond, she more than likely has extensions, although if you have "virgin" hair (no color ever, no perm, wash every few days, no hot tools) you may be able to grow out blond hair. I just wear my extensions when I want long hair - it's too hard to take care of it when it's naturally long. LOL

I actually skipped washing my hair yesterday morning. It looked terrible, but the good thing is I work from home. I ordered terriks bar soap and conditioner. Terriks, what do you keep them in? I'm also going to order the Keratase in travel size. I want to find something I like, but a part of me is hoping I don't like the Keratase, because of the price. I already bought Dove Oxygen Moisture based on a recommendation by the Paula's Choice staff. I started using it in the winter when my hair was starting to seem more thin. Once summer hit and the frizzies started, I put it away until next winter. I'll have to see what the difference is between it and Dove Daily Moisture. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!