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View Full Version : Begging for your help, LHC



kallarina
November 29th, 2012, 11:09 PM
My ends are splitting so much more than usual lately. It's driving me crazy. I can't figure out why. My scissors are sharp, I wear my hair up every day, I only wash once a week or so, I oil, I don't comb while wet or even touch it really, I sleep on satin pillows. I haven't changed anything, and I've never had a problem until now. My ends have been really dry lately, and now are splitting a lot. The only thing I can think is that it's still damaged hair from pre-LHC, and it's been dyed and bleached, but I'm not really sure why that would affect it now unless it's just because it's old plus that damage? How do I stop this from happening, what do I do? I was going to wait until classic to start trimming because that's where I wanted to maintain, but I won't reach classic until next September-ish. I don't know if I can wait that long to start trimming because of this. I don't really S&D all that often, should I do it more? I also haven't had an actual trim since January, and wanted to wait until this coming January before trimming again.
Thoughts? Any and all opinions and advice are welcome and appreciated.

DinaAG
November 29th, 2012, 11:45 PM
depression and lack of healthy diets can do that too and yes cut the split ends or they will go through your length, i hope it's temporary and you it will be back fine..may be it needs protein treatment too?

Avital88
November 29th, 2012, 11:50 PM
Maybe you could start microtrimming,its been à while since your last trim. And old damage and no trims for à long time seem to be the cause of this. Better not to wait out too long on trims is my own experience. Good luck

Natalia
November 29th, 2012, 11:53 PM
It could be a combo of older hair that has been damaged plus it may have been what was forming durrng a stressful time or when you werent eating well ect... So the hair wasnt as strong as it should have been anyway. I have patches like that from when my health issues have flaired its fine wirey kinks easily and breaks/splits.

spirals
November 30th, 2012, 12:09 AM
When my ends get like that I coconut oil them in addition to my usual leave-in.

HintOfMint
November 30th, 2012, 01:05 AM
Age gets to hair eventually, so that plus the preexisting damage might have done your ends in. I'm a big proponent of cutting over babying, but that's my own personal opinion from my own experiences. For me, damage travels up and no amount of babying stops that. You may try S&D if you have the patience.

Allychan
November 30th, 2012, 01:15 AM
I agree with the "old damage catching up to you" and the solution to "microtrim". My damaged hair is still growing out, it feels really soft and is no longer crunchy but it is still scarred by the damage I inflicted on it over two years ago with dyes and chemical/brazilian straightening. It has grown heaps in two years but until the damage is cut off (which I am doing gradually) it will remain more susceptible than the new growth I've had in that two years.
Once the damaged bits are gone the 'fresher' ends should not split like they are now unless you revert back to bad habits!

white.chocolate
November 30th, 2012, 01:34 AM
I agree with the above posters, but I don't know if there is another factor causing your splits. How long have you not trimmed your hair? You should make S&D a regular habit actually.

Arya
November 30th, 2012, 02:15 AM
Possibly the drier weather? Is your hair longer than it's been for a while? You could just be at a length where your ends are getting all damagey from brushing your hips or something.

DancingQueen
November 30th, 2012, 02:35 AM
Maybe a good trim will help. Also, every time you wash your hair, let is soak in coconut oil at least half an hour, if possible two hours. I think this might help a great deal. Hope you figure it out :)

10000days
November 30th, 2012, 03:02 AM
Ugh, Kallarina, you're describing my hair too! I recommend a warm coconut oil treatment on the ends. It makes a big difference but you need to do it each week (more if you can be bothered!). And try using EVOO as a serum.

rach
November 30th, 2012, 03:15 AM
Either cones or no-cones with oiling (depends on which you hair prefers) will probably help slow things down to a more manageable level and S&D which will prevent minimal hair length loss. central heating, weather ect. won't help but having it up is the best thing to do to protect it in the short term which your already doing.

I do hope things will settle soon. It's horrible to go through

PolythenePam
November 30th, 2012, 03:51 AM
Trim those splits-and then start doing a once a week catnip tea soak.

starlamelissa
November 30th, 2012, 06:37 AM
I vote it's winter weather. Try washing a little more often and using a slippy conditioner.

Also, I when I wash, I "wash, condition, moisterize and seal" Keeps the ends moist!

blaketob
November 30th, 2012, 07:30 AM
my hair recently went through this. I felt like all of a sudden out of nowhere my ends were dry and started to split. I didn't do anything to change it really and it just went away on it's own after like a month or so. maybe it's the weather, health, stress?

neko_kawaii
November 30th, 2012, 07:33 AM
If the weather is going through a dry spell but is usually humid it could be due to humicants in the products you use. Good luck!

ravenreed
November 30th, 2012, 08:57 AM
Yup, a heater will suck the moisture right out of the air in your home. If you are using any products with honey, AVG, glycerine or so on, the humectants will pull the moisture out of your hair because there is no moisture in the air to draw from. I live in a really dry climate so I try to avoid humectants as much as possible. If I use AVG or glycerine, I will have a head full of split ends a couple of days later. It is really discouraging.

If your skin is also dry, you can try running a humidifier. I CO more when my hair is feeling extra dry, and trim a little more often. I also do more oil treatments in the winter, right before I CO. I second catnip tea rinses. It is one of the things that has made the biggest difference in my split ends.


If the weather is going through a dry spell but is usually humid it could be due to humicants in the products you use. Good luck!

lunalocks
November 30th, 2012, 09:29 AM
Damaged hair is damaged hair, and the older it gets the more fragile it is. I am growing out hair that was damaged by being in a pony tail (with a soft scrunchie!) while dancing. Just tightening the pony repeatedly, after a year, broke and frayed a lot of hair.
The only remedy, since you are taking excellent care of your hair now, is a combination of regular S and D sessions and micro (1/4 inch) trims. Since I have been S and D ing regularly and using baby oil nightly and after washing, my hair is in such better shape that I can stretch the trims out. I also CWC which has made a huge difference. (AND cold rinses, air drying and finger combing while drying).

I have to schedule my s and d sessions on my calendar. I put on music and turn it into meditation time.

Kitani and others have had success using catnip tea. Keep reading posts and you will surely find the right solution for your hair.

rock007junkie
November 30th, 2012, 09:42 AM
Microtrimming might be a good idea as well as doing catnip soaks. The latter is supposed to help with the spilts. Oiling my ends (daily now that the weather is colder) helps keep my ends nice and split-free.

jacqueline101
November 30th, 2012, 09:47 AM
I'd trim the splits then try the coconut oil in your normal leave in.

melusine963
November 30th, 2012, 10:04 AM
Yup, a heater will suck the moisture right out of the air in your home. If you are using any products with honey, AVG, glycerine or so on, the humectants will pull the moisture out of your hair because there is no moisture in the air to draw from.

I'll have to try and remember this is I ever give humectants a try. Thanks for the tip!

janeytilllie
November 30th, 2012, 10:46 AM
My hair was the same as yours.I had past dye/heat damage.

I struggled for 4 years with the same problem as you. My hair would be dry no matter how much oiling etc. My hair would also split, get really thin and my hemline would grow different rates.

Here's the changes I made.

1. Find a hair tool that works for you. A lot of people rave about wide toothed combs. That they are more gentle than brushing and that wavies/curlies should avoid brushes. In my case this is wrong.

A comb is a death sentence for my hair. It makes it frizzy and snap. So I recommend looking at your hair tools. I use a tangled teezer for wet hair and a Denman Natural bristle brush on dry hair.

2. Heavy oiling. I use to use a small amount. Now I go heavy on coconut oil, jojoba oil etc. Using a small amount does nothing for my hair.

3. Using the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair. I was cone free for years dried my hair up badly. I now use Herbal Essence dangerously straight conditioner Very moisturizing.

4. Trimming. This is a big one that made a difference for me. I went months without trimming and then I trim 2 inches off 6-10 months later.

This made my hair worse.

In the end this no trimming method cost me 4 major cuts. One cut being 14" Not trimming was counter productive for me.

I now trim every 2-3 months. I trim just a little off. My ends are split free and my hemline is blunt. I am now growing my hair faster because I am not cutting everything off at the end of the year.

I really hope you find the solution. Good luck :)

kallarina
December 1st, 2012, 11:16 AM
Thank you so much for the replies, everyone.
I usually baby oil every day, and do the coconut oil/EVOO oil soaks before washing. I think the problem is the winter time, since this started roughly the same time we started running the heat in my apartment. I can't believe I never thought of that. DBF and I have scheduled a trim for this evening, and I think I'm going to do 1/4 inch trims every month (may switch to 1/8 inch every two weeks) to survive the winter season without losing too much length. I haven't trimmed at all in almost a year, which has worked fine for me thus far, but it seems like I'm going to need to alter that routine for the drier months if I want to keep gaining length. I just really hope this is the problem, I guess I won't actually know until spring rolls around.
As a funny side note.. I had to explain to DBF why I need to trim smaller amounts more frequently rather than large amounts less frequently, and he just didn't get it. I tried for about ten minutes to explain it in a way that he could understand before giving up. He just said "It doesn't make any sense, but we can do whatever you need to do for your hair." What a sweetie... Even when he doesn't get it, he still goes along with it!

nakima
December 1st, 2012, 12:37 PM
one thing I do to help with the dry air in winter that reeks havoc on my hair is I keep a pot of water simmering on the stove to keep moisture in the air which in turns keep my hair from from drying out causeing splits and flyaways. good luck!

kallarina
December 5th, 2012, 01:05 PM
How long would you let the pot simmer, and how often would you do it?

ravenreed
December 5th, 2012, 08:37 PM
I run a humidifier constantly. It helps out my skin and hair, and I have an elderly cat with asthma who wheezes when the air gets too dry.

kallarina
December 6th, 2012, 12:34 AM
It probably the air. My skin has been super dry too, and so has my tiny dog's sensitive skin. It makes sense. Now.. To research for a cheap humidifier....