Hair today, gone tomorrow

Hairs are the bane of my existence.  No, scratch that, hairs and DPNs have equal standing at top of the list of things that are the bane of my existence.

Head hairs, that is.  My hair hates it here.  It's dull, life-less, frizzy, dry.  Just horrible.  It doesn't help that I am allergic to hairdressers, so only visit when I really have to (last visit a year ago, before then, 10 months, before then 17 months, before then was more than 2 years, though I did have trims done by my non-hairdresser little sister).  Hard water does not suit all hairs, that is a fact.  My hair looks better on day 3 of not-washing than any other time.  I use conditioner just so I can brush my hair.  I love when I go to Scotland, and just washing your hair makes it feel conditioned, I don't need to brush it, it's shiny and totally not dry or frizzy or lifeless.  Stupid hard water.

I've been thinking a lot about hair recently, for two reasons.

1. My hair cut is coming up this weekend, and I need to decide how I want it cut.

2. Bubbas hair is a mess.

Number 1 is self-explanatory I think.  Here is my hair a few weeks ago at the school fayre, photo taken by the lovely Sarah.

 My hair is shapeless and bottom heavy, this needs fixed.

Number 2 needs background.

Bubba has long hair.  Long for a boy, anyway.  Always has done, and his hair used to grow amazingly, in every way.

This all ended earlier this year, when his hair started getting horribly dry, and snapping at the front.  He now has a mullet, and something needs done.  He doesn't have the best diet, so we give him a multi-vitamin every night.  Last month I started weekly egg-washes, which has improved the strength of his hair.  Ideally, we'd cut it off and start from scratch, but I'm not brave enough for that - my son has long hair, that is who he is, and he likes his hair.  We stopped using shampoo on his hair when I started the egg washes, so maybe 6 weeks ago?  Given the recent heat though, his head is smelly.  Really smelly, so I will be doing a small shampoo wash this weekend at bath time.  He's never around chlorine, isn't in sun any more than he was last year, so I think it may be dietary or hormonal.  His diet is pretty bad - weetabix, cheese sandwiches, toast, mayonnaise, sometimes chips, sometimes bananas, breadsticks, biscuits, crisps and chocolate are all he will eat now.  Oh, and dry bread rolls.  And very rarely french toast (eggy bread to you weird people).

I just wish we could speed up time so it can look acceptable again - HE HAS A MULLET!

 This was taken on a good hairday, but you can kind of make out the short wispy bits at the top.

I am trying to decide whether to make him an appointment at the hair salon for a good haircut, something which lacks at the barber shop.  The price will play a huge part in the decision, but right now he needs a good cut to get some shape back into his hair - it hangs limp (think tom petty).

Anyone have any tips for dry and brittle childrens hair?  Good shampoos to use, or conditioners?  I've read that a good spray in conditioner is a good tool to have for children with brittle hair, and will be getting this confirmed while at the hair salon this weekend.