dry ends? help!

[blaketob]

Hello everyone! So over Halloween weekend I heat styled, yes I know it's terrible but it was Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays! So I usually straighten my hair only 6-10 times a year, which I know some may consider a lot, but I used to straighten my hair about 300 days of the year. I have stopped straightening my hair excessively about a year and a half ago and now when I straighten my hair it is always so soft and healthy looking. It never looks "fried" or damaged like it did in my previous years. However, when I straightened my hair this weekend it did not feel soft and it felt almost straw like. I also have so many split ends :( My boyfriend said I was imagining it and I'm just looking for problems with my hair lol (because he knows how obsessed I am with it :P)
I did get a haircut about a month ago and she cut off about an inch because my hair growth was so uneven.

So my current routine: wash every 3-4 days and do a deep treatment once a week. I recently went cone-free and sulfate free starting September 1st. I only use a wide tooth comb when brushing my hair and I try and do it as careful as I can. I use Argon oil sometimes when my hair is really frizzy but it tends to make my hair crunchy feeling at the end of the day. My hair also hates coconut oil.

Can it be the weather? I go to school in Buffalo where it is extremely windy, cold, and rainy majority of the year.

Sorry for the long post guys! I just want this to stop because I'm always nervous that my hair is going to stop growing lol

[cmg]

Perhaps your hair has a protein overload on top of dry ends? Could happen. After I removed my overload I could take coconut treatments on the ends to prevent further damage. This helped me a lot growing out the damaged parts.

Maybe you could try clarifying and then do an SMT (the reciepe is here on LHC).

Your hair won't stop growing from bad treatment of the hair itself :grouphug:
It might take a while longer for it to gain length though.

Have you read the articles in the articles section? Lots of great hair tips there.

/ CMG

[HintOfMint]

I live in NY and after two weeks of perfect weather (and perfect hair), my hair started to dry up a bit after the weather started to go wonky (read: cold!). They could be related.

Also, as above, could be protein related. It could also be your products. In cold weather, humectants (aloe, glycerin... etc.) tend to draw moisture out of hair rather than into hair, so it could be your products exacerbating it.

As far as straightening being the culprit, it could be it. After all, maybe not all of the damage has grown out yet and heat damage tends to be cumulative.

[blaketob]

thanks for the replies!

CMG: it could be protein overload, I never thought of it. I'll have to try clarifying and then doing the SMT. I have been using a lot of anti-breakage and a thickening growth milk which I'm sure has lots of protein in it.

HintOfMint: yes it could be my past damage. I just will have to experiment with more products!

[jacqueline101]

I'd clarify your hair and then use a heat protector when straightening your hair. Maybe a micro trim or s&d might help the splits.

[Fantak]

Second the protein overload/need to clarify.

[DinaAG]

products build-up? try a good clarifying shampoo and wash it with vinegar rinse then may be you try EVOO on the ends and bun it?