Damage from growing out short hair/layers?

[chou]

I've been growing out a pixie cut for a year now and I'm currently an inch or so past shoulder (yay!) but I've been noticing dryness and breakage in my canopy in certain spots that I suspect might be from environmental damage inflicted by my growing out process.
Here's what I mean: there is a small lock of dry, frizzy, short hairs sticking out near my right ear exactly where I used to clip back my layers when they didn't fit into a pony. Also, one side of my hair is drier and frizzier than the other--this is the side that was most exposed to sun, wind and brushing in my side parted pixie and also the side that got clipped out of the way the most. This is especially annoying because these are both face-framing parts of my hair.
I remember reading a while ago a post where someone said that when she grew out a buzz cut, her canopy was fried for a long time after she gained the length she wanted. Has anyone else noticed damage on once-short sections such as bangs, layers or short haircuts? Long hair is all new to me so this is an unpleasant surprise! What did you do to prevent further damage?

[HylianGirl]

hm... I've never really had short hair (except when I was a kid) but the hair on the top of my head tends to be drier, I believe that is from exposure, since that is the part of the hair that gets most sun/heat/wind, but if we're talking about a pixie or buzz cut, then the whole hair is exposed I guess.... well, try to pay extra care to those parts. Have you learned to french/dutch braid? They can be done at your length and help keep those parts secured from further damage.

[chou]

hm... I've never really had short hair (except when I was a kid) but the hair on the top of my head tends to be drier, I believe that is from exposure, since that is the part of the hair that gets most sun/heat/wind, but if we're talking about a pixie or buzz cut, then the whole hair is exposed I guess.... well, try to pay extra care to those parts. Have you learned to french/dutch braid? They can be done at your length and help keep those parts secured from further damage.

I wish I could french braid my hair but it is just too thick to get into a reasonable braided style at this length. I can do peacock twists basically. But my hair does feel wonderful, soft and smooth when I let it down from a protective style at the end of the day.

[Roscata]

I grew my hair out from a pixie cut and didn't have any damage of the top layer. The secret is to use hair-friendly toys. For example: flexi8 (http://www.flexi8.com/), cloth head band, satin scrunchie, ribbons, etc. You can use white scarfs or hats to protect it against the sun, rain, wind, etc. (weather). White fabric is really good at reflecting sun rays that could harm your hair.

I also suggest reading these articles (if you haven't already): Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79) and Keeping Split Ends At Bay: Secrets of Gently Handling Your Hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8).

Hope that helps, good luck! :)

[Ravenwind]

I have never had a pixie or buzz cut so I can't say I've had the same experience that you're having, BUT I have noticed the top layer of my hair is more rough, dry, and frizzy compared to the underneath layers of my hair. It's probably just environmental damage, plus some heat damage I did to it a couple years ago.

[MinderMutsig]

I suggest doing the strand twist method for trimming to catch those damaged ends that are hiding in the length.

I divide my hair in four sections by parting it vertically down the middle and horizontally right above my ears. Then I bun three of those sections in a cinnamon bun so they are our of the way and secure them with a clap clip.

Then I take small strands of hair from the remaining section and twist them all the way to the end. I prefer to start near my part on top of my head. Ruffle some hair out by running your fingers up the strand and with sharp hairdressing scissors snip the hairs that are sticking out.

A lot of people only look for damaged ends in the hair that is sticking out but I prefer to snip everything, especially if the hair has a lot of damage. My hair is very fine and those tapered ends that you will find on new hairs get damaged very easily. Trimming them stops them from becoming damaged so easily.

You could even do this twice per strand by untwisting and retwisting the strand if the damage is really bad. When you are satisfied you have everything you put the strand to the side and do the next strand. You repeat this process until you finished the entire section of hair and then you cinnabun that and let down the next section.

I prefer to start with my front sections since these often have the most damage and the entire process is quite tedious and time consuming. That way at least those two sections are done before I get sick of it.

When I've done my entire head like that I prefer to finish it with a small trim of my hemline but that's optional. I do this about once every 6 months or so. I love this method because most of the hair on your head gets a slight trim, not just the very ends near the hemline. It makes a very noticeable difference in how my hair looks and feels without losing much length, if any.