SO close but too much damage

[CSallaround]

OK, so here's the deal. My hair is only 5-7 cm from reaching WL which is my goal but the last about 10 cm of my hair seems to be really damaged and no matter what I do it just doesn't look good so I've decided to cut it off for my hair to look healthy again.
I've been doing trims about every 2 months and I do deep treatments and oil treatments (coconut or almond or olive or argan, sometimes a mix) every week, plus a few drops of either oil for management and conditioning almost every day. I switch between sulphate free shampoo and CO washes depending on what my hair feels like and how frequently I have to wash (but never more than every other day). I detangle my hair in the shower with my fingers, then finger comb and brush it once it's dry (brush in rubber and tree from Body Shop, no dots on the brushes).
I've tried clarifying a couple times and it helps a bit with the softness but it still looks like a mess.
It's been over 2 years since I last colored my hair and I think the damage is partly because of the highlights I had maybe 2 1/2 years ago (the old color starts somewhere around my shoulders though not very visible). The rest of the damage should be mechanical from handling and hanging loose I suppose. I mostly wear my hair in a braid, otherwise it's most likely down. I don't really like having it up, it pulls too much on the roots pretty much no matter what I do.
Even though I HATE the thought of pushing my goal another year I guess it's probably better to get rid of the damage before it gets worse, right?

On the picture my hair is oiled even though the ends still look dry and damaged.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5003&d=1372335256

Sorry, I really needed to complain. Most people I know don't understand the pain of having to loose length.

[millyaulait]

I've had this problem, too. I can honestly say that I'm really happy that I made the decision to chop, because just having healthy, happy hair at *any* length just looks and feel so much better (in my opinion) than longer, damaged, thinner hair.

Cutting away the damage made me able to enjoy my hair even though it wasn't as long as I wanted, and I could easily see how it would look at the end of the growing journey and it made it all worth it. It sucks having to delay a goal, especially by a year or so, but I think the key to this is just loving your hair as it grows. :)

[CSallaround]

I think you're totally right! And it makes no sense to keep it when the hair just keeps splitting and breaking from the damage. I really long for those healthy ends

[DarkCurls]

I understand. I was getting closer to hip when I walked into a salon several weeks ago, intending to ask for a small trim (I wasn't even sure I wanted that much). When the stylist asked me what I wanted cut off, I showed her about 10 cm and rolled with it. I needed it -- damage, splits, and what was left of my layers all got cut off in one go.
I definitely miss it, but at the same time I'm glad that now when I touch my hair it all feels the same, soft and thick and full. (Putting blunt ends into a bun is such a pain, though.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, length isn't always what's most important. It depends on your priorities. The first few weeks, I kept touching my hair to make sure it was still there. My braid still feels painfully short. It just feels strange. But on the other hand, you know your hair will grow back, and you'll get the length back, but you'll never get the "health" back if you don't do anything. If you like to wear your hair down, you'll really feel the difference in length (but you'll also see the difference in condition). So if you think it's gotten to the point where you want the condition more than the length, then go for it. Otherwise don't! Because you'll miss the length.

I'm just going to add that your hair color in that shot is so interesting. Pretty much exactly what I picture whenever someone says "golden-brown."

[Alexblue]

We are hair twins :D
...not just in the type of hair but also in terms of old hair damage on the ends.

Let me throw out a few suggestions which helped me:
- I've had good experience with clarifying but also have hard water. I benefit massively from using a swimmer's chelating shampoo about once a month. If you also have hard water, there could be a gradual build-up of minerals deposits on your hair. The difference for me was night and day, especially with my hemline.
- If you do not have split ends then the damage will not spread up the hair. You can still experiment and try to find a solution. Don't give up! :cheer:
- Since we both have somewhat fragile hair, consider perhaps mechanical damage from braids. I love french braids and often wore them to sleep as well. I used a gentle hair elastic made of lycra with no metal, and yet it became increasingly obvious that braids could not be my default hair style. I agree, you don't want another style that pulls, but try experimenting with hair sticks or claw grips and find one that is comfortable where you can tuck in your ends and not wrap a tie about them everyday. A long time ago I cut off 4 inches of hair because I was unhappy with my hemline. The damage returned. And it was only then I knew everyday braids were the culprit.
- Perhaps try a different hair oil? If you've had great results with coconut, almond or olive then you know best. But people rave about mineral oil so it might be worth a try. I've had great results with nightblooming's triple anointing oil and hair halves (the former just after the shower and the later in the evening).

If nothing else, you are a fellow 2a, so our hemline is disguised by soft waves. Don't despair - if your hair is soft overall than it's healthy which is the most important thing.

Hope that helps.

[Agnieszka]

highlights damage will always show against healthy hair. You will probably need to cut it off some day. I personally would cut about 3 inches. I think you will love your healthy ends. If you mostly wear them up I would probably just keep micro trimming, but if you wear them down a lot just go for the cut.

[torrilin]

There's definitely wear and tear on your ends, but that doesn't look like 10cm to me unless you're really tall. If the problem is just the texture is wonky, I'd live with it. I like soft texture, but I like not having split ends more. And I feel less bad about splits in hair that's already beat up and will be trimmed off eventually anyway.

I'm not a huge fan of my hair down. Not much fun being attacked by hair because you made the mistake of breathing and that was too much air movement for it. So mine is usually braided or in an updo. If braids are comfortable, chances are a style like Heidi braids (twin braids pinned up in a crown) or a folded braid or a tucked French braid would be comfortable also and not a whole lot more effort. While a loose braid isn't the ideal protective style, it's still way more contained than loose :). Since my hair is fine and floaty, it is (not surprisingly) tangle prone as all hell, so wearing it loose is a very fussy and fiddly thing. And since my hair is fine, tangles tend to lead to splits and breakage, and splits and breakage tend to lead to *more* tangles, and it's just a nasty neverending cycle. Very icky. And I *loathe* detangling. So for me hair containment is a big deal... tangles suck.

If you're finding a lot of split ends all through your hair, it might be better to go for trimming individual splits. Maybe check your braids over once a week or so for the next couple months, and get the ones that you see popping out?

The only way I'd trim off 10cm in your position is if the ends were heavily split up to around the 7.5-10cm mark, and the rest of your hair was largely split free. And since you're trimming as often as every 2 months (my idea of super frequent trims is every 3 months, and 6-9 month intervals are more usual) chances are 5cm this time would make a pretty large improvement, and you might be able to get away with doing only 2cm on the next trim. I usually show the stylist what I mean by damage and excessive splits. "See how my fingers catch even tho we just detangled it? See the splits?" *hold up chunk of hair, show splits, show how much I think needs to come off*

Then I'll have the stylist go over my hair and see what they think, and have them show me what they think needs to come off, and we can work out a compromise from there. Usually they want to take less than what I think I need, and well... it's pretty easy to cut more if it winds up I'm right, and it's not possible to stick hair back on if I'm wrong sooo :). If it winds up they're more aggressive than me, it's usually easy to talk them into trying a smaller trim first. Most stylists are very comfortable with the concept that they can't glue hair back onto my head ;).

[CSallaround]

I understand. I was getting closer to hip when I walked into a salon several weeks ago, intending to ask for a small trim (I wasn't even sure I wanted that much). When the stylist asked me what I wanted cut off, I showed her about 10 cm and rolled with it. I needed it -- damage, splits, and what was left of my layers all got cut off in one go.
I definitely miss it, but at the same time I'm glad that now when I touch my hair it all feels the same, soft and thick and full. (Putting blunt ends into a bun is such a pain, though.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, length isn't always what's most important. It depends on your priorities. The first few weeks, I kept touching my hair to make sure it was still there. My braid still feels painfully short. It just feels strange. But on the other hand, you know your hair will grow back, and you'll get the length back, but you'll never get the "health" back if you don't do anything. If you like to wear your hair down, you'll really feel the difference in length (but you'll also see the difference in condition). So if you think it's gotten to the point where you want the condition more than the length, then go for it. Otherwise don't! Because you'll miss the length.

I'm just going to add that your hair color in that shot is so interesting. Pretty much exactly what I picture whenever someone says "golden-brown."

I'm planning to cut it at soon as possible. I'm so sick of my ends, they don't look good anymore and it's consoling to know that it'll look thicker when those thin ends are gone. I'm almost impatient to get rid of them, so I'm kinda thinking I'm ready for a cut.

Thank you! Unfortunately most of the 'golden' is because of the faded color. My own is much more 'mousy grey' but oh well, virgin is healthier and I save money. It's funny, I feel like I almost have that ombre effect (or what's it called?).. :)

[ravenreed]

If you don't have a lot of splits, but your hair just feels dry and weird, it could be protein overload. Coconut oil can do that to my hair, and some sulphate-free shampoos have protein. Also, sulphate-free shampoos dry the HECK out of my hair, which is why I use SLS shampoos on the rare occasion I need to shampoo. Otherwise, I CO.

ETA: I would start with a two inch trim first. That often makes a huge difference in how my ends feel and behave.

[red-again]

When you have trimmed the ends, which by the way I think you are totally right to do as it will limit the damage you are causing to the bit directly above the damage, I can thoroughly recommend cassia as a brightener for dull mousy hair, two of my daughters have used it and the warm glint it gives and the condition of the hair afterwards is really fab!
Good luck, when your hair is health again, I think you will be surprised at how fast it grows as it won't be snapping off.

[CSallaround]

We are hair twins :D
...not just in the type of hair but also in terms of old hair damage on the ends.

Let me throw out a few suggestions which helped me:
- I've had good experience with clarifying but also have hard water. I benefit massively from using a swimmer's chelating shampoo about once a month. If you also have hard water, there could be a gradual build-up of minerals deposits on your hair. The difference for me was night and day, especially with my hemline.
- If you do not have split ends then the damage will not spread up the hair. You can still experiment and try to find a solution. Don't give up! :cheer:
- Since we both have somewhat fragile hair, consider perhaps mechanical damage from braids. I love french braids and often wore them to sleep as well. I used a gentle hair elastic made of lycra with no metal, and yet it became increasingly obvious that braids could not be my default hair style. I agree, you don't want another style that pulls, but try experimenting with hair sticks or claw grips and find one that is comfortable where you can tuck in your ends and not wrap a tie about them everyday. A long time ago I cut off 4 inches of hair because I was unhappy with my hemline. The damage returned. And it was only then I knew everyday braids were the culprit.
- Perhaps try a different hair oil? If you've had great results with coconut, almond or olive then you know best. But people rave about mineral oil so it might be worth a try. I've had great results with nightblooming's triple anointing oil and hair halves (the former just after the shower and the later in the evening).

If nothing else, you are a fellow 2a, so our hemline is disguised by soft waves. Don't despair - if your hair is soft overall than it's healthy which is the most important thing.

Hope that helps.

Hello twin! :D

I have thought about mineral build-up but I'm not sure what the difference in ingredients is between a clarifying and a chelating shampoo so I find it difficult to find a chelating one. Does the bottle just have to say chelating? Can you recommend any specific brands? :)

Unfortunately I have a lot of splits and even though I do S&D, both in the last 5-10 cm and throughout the rest of my hair, they seem to return very fast, esp on the ends. I think you're right it could be the braids. I sleep with my hair in braids pretty much every night, tied with a band covered with fabric and no metal, otherwise i have it in a sockbun. I try to switch around so the elastic band doesn't always sit in the same spot but doesn't help much.
I've tried mineral oil for a short while but not consistently so maybe I could try that again.
Where do you by those oils? :)


highlights damage will always show against healthy hair. You will probably need to cut it off some day. I personally would cut about 3 inches. I think you will love your healthy ends. If you mostly wear them up I would probably just keep micro trimming, but if you wear them down a lot just go for the cut.

I think you're right. I wear my hair down a lot and it's hard to really enjoy my hair when the ends are so ugly.


There's definitely wear and tear on your ends, but that doesn't look like 10cm to me unless you're really tall. If the problem is just the texture is wonky, I'd live with it. I like soft texture, but I like not having split ends more. And I feel less bad about splits in hair that's already beat up and will be trimmed off eventually anyway.

I'm not a huge fan of my hair down. Not much fun being attacked by hair because you made the mistake of breathing and that was too much air movement for it. So mine is usually braided or in an updo. If braids are comfortable, chances are a style like Heidi braids (twin braids pinned up in a crown) or a folded braid or a tucked French braid would be comfortable also and not a whole lot more effort. While a loose braid isn't the ideal protective style, it's still way more contained than loose :). Since my hair is fine and floaty, it is (not surprisingly) tangle prone as all hell, so wearing it loose is a very fussy and fiddly thing. And since my hair is fine, tangles tend to lead to splits and breakage, and splits and breakage tend to lead to *more* tangles, and it's just a nasty neverending cycle. Very icky. And I *loathe* detangling. So for me hair containment is a big deal... tangles suck.

If you're finding a lot of split ends all through your hair, it might be better to go for trimming individual splits. Maybe check your braids over once a week or so for the next couple months, and get the ones that you see popping out?

The only way I'd trim off 10cm in your position is if the ends were heavily split up to around the 7.5-10cm mark, and the rest of your hair was largely split free. And since you're trimming as often as every 2 months (my idea of super frequent trims is every 3 months, and 6-9 month intervals are more usual) chances are 5cm this time would make a pretty large improvement, and you might be able to get away with doing only 2cm on the next trim. I usually show the stylist what I mean by damage and excessive splits. "See how my fingers catch even tho we just detangled it? See the splits?" *hold up chunk of hair, show splits, show how much I think needs to come off*

Then I'll have the stylist go over my hair and see what they think, and have them show me what they think needs to come off, and we can work out a compromise from there. Usually they want to take less than what I think I need, and well... it's pretty easy to cut more if it winds up I'm right, and it's not possible to stick hair back on if I'm wrong sooo :). If it winds up they're more aggressive than me, it's usually easy to talk them into trying a smaller trim first. Most stylists are very comfortable with the concept that they can't glue hair back onto my head ;).

I am quite tall (183 cm). I see lots of splits (mostly in the last 10 cm) and they keep coming back no matter how much I S&D (I use scissors made for cutting hair) so I'm starting to think the damage is too bad for it to really help anything. I'm really lazy to spend time in the morning putting my hair up so I need to find something fast and easy. Luckily I have summer holidays now, so I have plenty of time to play around with my hair.
I like your tip about hairdressers, I'll probably try that. Thanks :)


If you don't have a lot of splits, but your hair just feels dry and weird, it could be protein overload. Coconut oil can do that to my hair, and some sulphate-free shampoos have protein. Also, sulphate-free shampoos dry the HECK out of my hair, which is why I use SLS shampoos on the rare occasion I need to shampoo. Otherwise, I CO.

ETA: I would start with a two inch trim first. That often makes a huge difference in how my ends feel and behave.

I thought about the protein overload but sometimes I wonder if my hair could be fragile from too little protein and I often feel improvement in texture after a protein treatment, so I don't know which it could be? I use coconut oil a couple times a week, is that too much?
How do I identify protein in the ingredient list on a product?

[CSallaround]

When you have trimmed the ends, which by the way I think you are totally right to do as it will limit the damage you are causing to the bit directly above the damage, I can thoroughly recommend cassia as a brightener for dull mousy hair, two of my daughters have used it and the warm glint it gives and the condition of the hair afterwards is really fab!
Good luck, when your hair is health again, I think you will be surprised at how fast it grows as it won't be snapping off.

I've thought about trying cassia before, but haven't been able to find it in shops. Where can it be bought? I live in Europe, Scandinavia :)

[Alexblue]

I used Joico Chelating Shampoo. You basically want any swimmer's shampoo as pools cause mineral build-up as well.

Nightblooming is also a fellow LHCer. Her etsy shop can be found at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NightBlooming

Sorry to hear you have split ends. I'm nearing waist myself and it would pain me to have to trim when I'm close to my goal.
Just one small tip: be sure not to use your hair scissors for anything other than hair. They need to be as sharp as possible so cutting paper or whatnot will dull them. If you trim your hair with dull scissors it will only lead to more splits down the line.

Best of luck. I think your hair looks fab...we all have wonky ends to some degree :-)

[Firefox7275]

OK, so here's the deal. My hair is only 5-7 cm from reaching WL which is my goal but the last about 10 cm of my hair seems to be really damaged and no matter what I do it just doesn't look good so I've decided to cut it off for my hair to look healthy again.
I've been doing trims about every 2 months and I do deep treatments and oil treatments (coconut or almond or olive or argan, sometimes a mix) every week, plus a few drops of either oil for management and conditioning almost every day. I switch between sulphate free shampoo and CO washes depending on what my hair feels like and how frequently I have to wash (but never more than every other day). I detangle my hair in the shower with my fingers, then finger comb and brush it once it's dry (brush in rubber and tree from Body Shop, no dots on the brushes).
I've tried clarifying a couple times and it helps a bit with the softness but it still looks like a mess.
It's been over 2 years since I last colored my hair and I think the damage is partly because of the highlights I had maybe 2 1/2 years ago (the old color starts somewhere around my shoulders though not very visible). The rest of the damage should be mechanical from handling and hanging loose I suppose. I mostly wear my hair in a braid, otherwise it's most likely down. I don't really like having it up, it pulls too much on the roots pretty much no matter what I do.
Even though I HATE the thought of pushing my goal another year I guess it's probably better to get rid of the damage before it gets worse, right?

Sorry, I really needed to complain. Most people I know don't understand the pain of having to loose length.

Coconut oil is beneficial for colour treated or porous ends but it is not a conditioner on its own it is an occlusive: conditioners contain emollients like fatty alcohols, cationic surfactants and often humectants, these help maintain hydration and reduce friction/ mechanical damage. It is also possible to overdo coconut oil giving yourself crunchy ends you might be best using it as an ingredient.

I strongly suspect the claim that coconut oil causes protein overload is pseudoscience, I suspect it's just build up of fatty acids inside and outside the strand bearing in mind coconut oil is solid at most ambient temperatures. There is no logic to that claim because coconut oil doesn't increase protein so it cannot overload it, it has an affinity for structural proteins and simply helps us retain them which is EXACTLY what damaged hair (= suffering protein loss) needs. Fine hair tends to benefit from regular hydrolysed protein as does damaged hair but again it should be balanced with 'moisturising' and conditioning ingredients.

Try balancing your occlusives with ingredients that can both patch repair and penetrate to strengthen like hydrolysed protein, ceramides and panthenol. A cheap hydrolysed protein and panthenol conditioner in Europe is Schwarzkopf Gliss (Kur) Ultimate Volume conditioner - see ingredients below - due to the nature of protein it's not super slippy so not a detangling conditioner. My colour treated hair is loving it as a leave in conditioner and a girl on NC is experimenting with it as an overnight treatment but we are both wavy-curly so don't ever brush our hair. It's oil and silicone free so I don't see why you couldn't add a little oil of your choice if you felt it was not slippy enough.

"water, cetearyl alcohol, hydrolyzed collagen, panthenol, cocodimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed keratin, hydrolyzed keratin, isopropyl myristate, behonoyl PG-trimonium chloride, citric acid, VP/VA copolymer, phenoxyethanol, behentrimonium chloride, sodium methylparaben, hexylene glycol, fragrance, polyquaternium-37, dicaprylyl carbonate, hexyl cinnamal, amyl cinnamal, limonene, linalool, benzyl salicylate."

Your braid might be an issue, what are you securing the ends with? Maybe try different protective styles like more than one small bun, or tuck your ends and secure at a different place? What is your overnight protective routine, are you using a satin bonnet or pillowcase? I used to wear a ponytail 24/7, used no snag elastics yet still had so many breaks at the back right where it sat. You might try satin ribbon or some sort of wrap for the end rather than a small elastic.

[Alexblue]

A fellow LHCer in another thread suggested mini clawclips for securing a braid. Those tiny ones the size of a thumbnail. You could also try that :-)

(Genius, YumiYume)

[ravenreed]

If your hair is better after a protein treatment, then your hair probably needs it.


Hello twin! :D

I have thought about mineral build-up but I'm not sure what the difference in ingredients is between a clarifying and a chelating shampoo so I find it difficult to find a chelating one. Does the bottle just have to say chelating? Can you recommend any specific brands? :)

Unfortunately I have a lot of splits and even though I do S&D, both in the last 5-10 cm and throughout the rest of my hair, they seem to return very fast, esp on the ends. I think you're right it could be the braids. I sleep with my hair in braids pretty much every night, tied with a band covered with fabric and no metal, otherwise i have it in a sockbun. I try to switch around so the elastic band doesn't always sit in the same spot but doesn't help much.
I've tried mineral oil for a short while but not consistently so maybe I could try that again.
Where do you by those oils? :)



I think you're right. I wear my hair down a lot and it's hard to really enjoy my hair when the ends are so ugly.



I am quite tall (183 cm). I see lots of splits (mostly in the last 10 cm) and they keep coming back no matter how much I S&D (I use scissors made for cutting hair) so I'm starting to think the damage is too bad for it to really help anything. I'm really lazy to spend time in the morning putting my hair up so I need to find something fast and easy. Luckily I have summer holidays now, so I have plenty of time to play around with my hair.
I like your tip about hairdressers, I'll probably try that. Thanks :)



I thought about the protein overload but sometimes I wonder if my hair could be fragile from too little protein and I often feel improvement in texture after a protein treatment, so I don't know which it could be? I use coconut oil a couple times a week, is that too much?
How do I identify protein in the ingredient list on a product?

[CSallaround]

I used Joico Chelating Shampoo. You basically want any swimmer's shampoo as pools cause mineral build-up as well.

Nightblooming is also a fellow LHCer. Her etsy shop can be found at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NightBlooming

Sorry to hear you have split ends. I'm nearing waist myself and it would pain me to have to trim when I'm close to my goal.
Just one small tip: be sure not to use your hair scissors for anything other than hair. They need to be as sharp as possible so cutting paper or whatnot will dull them. If you trim your hair with dull scissors it will only lead to more splits down the line.

Best of luck. I think your hair looks fab...we all have wonky ends to some degree :-)

Hahah thank you, that's nice to hear :D
I'll look for the Joico Shampoo, does it have cones? I try to avoid cones because most of them make my ends feel like barbie hair. :/
I accidentally ruined an old hair scissors once because I didn't realized that I had reached for the wrong scissor while cutting some fabrics (idiot -.-). I'm very careful not to use my new one for anything else though :P

[ravenreed]

I don't know that fabric would ruin your hair scissors. Fabric is one of the gentler things to cut with scissors. It is usually paper that dulls them. However, you could get them sharpened just to make sure.


Hahah thank you, that's nice to hear :D
I'll look for the Joico Shampoo :)
I accidentally ruined an old hair scissors once because I didn't realized that I had reached for the wrong scissor while cutting some fabrics (idiot -.-). I'm very careful not to use my new one for anything else though :P

[CSallaround]

Coconut oil is beneficial for colour treated or porous ends but it is not a conditioner on its own it is an occlusive: conditioners contain emollients like fatty alcohols, cationic surfactants and often humectants, these help maintain hydration and reduce friction/ mechanical damage. It is also possible to overdo coconut oil giving yourself crunchy ends you might be best using it as an ingredient.

I strongly suspect the claim that coconut oil causes protein overload is pseudoscience, I suspect it's just build up of fatty acids inside and outside the strand bearing in mind coconut oil is solid at most ambient temperatures. There is no logic to that claim because coconut oil doesn't increase protein so it cannot overload it, it has an affinity for structural proteins and simply helps us retain them which is EXACTLY what damaged hair (= suffering protein loss) needs. Fine hair tends to benefit from regular hydrolysed protein as does damaged hair but again it should be balanced with 'moisturising' and conditioning ingredients.

Try balancing your occlusives with ingredients that can both patch repair and penetrate to strengthen like hydrolysed protein, ceramides and panthenol. A cheap hydrolysed protein and panthenol conditioner in Europe is Schwarzkopf Gliss (Kur) Ultimate Volume conditioner - see ingredients below - due to the nature of protein it's not super slippy so not a detangling conditioner. My colour treated hair is loving it as a leave in conditioner and a girl on NC is experimenting with it as an overnight treatment but we are both wavy-curly so don't ever brush our hair. It's oil and silicone free so I don't see why you couldn't add a little oil of your choice if you felt it was not slippy enough.

"water, cetearyl alcohol, hydrolyzed collagen, panthenol, cocodimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed keratin, hydrolyzed keratin, isopropyl myristate, behonoyl PG-trimonium chloride, citric acid, VP/VA copolymer, phenoxyethanol, behentrimonium chloride, sodium methylparaben, hexylene glycol, fragrance, polyquaternium-37, dicaprylyl carbonate, hexyl cinnamal, amyl cinnamal, limonene, linalool, benzyl salicylate."

Your braid might be an issue, what are you securing the ends with? Maybe try different protective styles like more than one small bun, or tuck your ends and secure at a different place? What is your overnight protective routine, are you using a satin bonnet or pillowcase? I used to wear a ponytail 24/7, used no snag elastics yet still had so many breaks at the back right where it sat. You might try satin ribbon or some sort of wrap for the end rather than a small elastic.

I agree on your point about coconut oil. I get great results with it but using it more than a couple times a week at the most makes my hair kinda crunchy. I prefer to switch between different types of oil.

I think I've tried the product you're suggesting, maybe I should consider repurchasing and try mixing in some oil like you suggest. I didn't find it to be enough for my ends so I had to use another conditioner along with it.

I haven't thought about using satin ribbon to tie the braids. I own only one satin pillowcase and no bonnet (it would slide off when I toss and turn). I find satin to be a bit too hot to sleep on so I don't use it too often.

[CSallaround]

I don't know that fabric would ruin your hair scissors. Fabric is one of the gentler things to cut with scissors. It is usually paper that dulls them. However, you could get them sharpened just to make sure.

Also cut elastics with it (the ones used in clothing). Would that be the same?

Does the joico shampoo have any cones in it?

[CSallaround]

A fellow LHCer in another thread suggested mini clawclips for securing a braid. Those tiny ones the size of a thumbnail. You could also try that :-)

(Genius, YumiYume)

Never heard of that before but might be worth a try, thnx :)

[Kherome]

Satin is much cooler than cotton to sleep on, so your last remark confuses me?

[CSallaround]

Satin is much cooler than cotton to sleep on, so your last remark confuses me?

That's strange, I find it to be hotter. It feels a bit like wearing polyester in the summer I think

[Firefox7275]

Satin is not technically a fabric, it's a weave technique, maybe you are talking at cross purposes? Polyester or nylon satin makes me sweaty in summer being manmade fabrics, it's cool when you first lay your head but that does not last. Silk satin is cool because it's a natural fabric so 'breathes'. A lot of cotton bed sheets are not pure cotton anyway they can be polycotton, so not all will be cooling. Maybe dew points/ humidity also plays a role in how it feels to different people?

[CSallaround]

Satin is not technically a fabric, it's a weave technique, maybe you are talking at cross purposes? Polyester or nylon satin makes me sweaty in summer being manmade fabrics, it's cool when you first lay your head but that does not last. Silk satin is cool because it's a natural fabric so 'breathes'. A lot of cotton bed sheets are not pure cotton anyway they can be polycotton, so not all will be cooling. Maybe dew points/ humidity also plays a role in how it feels to different people?

I think you're completely right. Explains why my satin sheets make me sweaty, they are probably some sort of polyester/nylon blend..

[ravenreed]

To be honest, I keep my sewing scissors wicked sharp. I have them professionally sharpened once a year if I have been busy sewing... I haven't sharpened my hair scissors the five or so years I have had them, even though I use them constantly. So in my case, my sewing scissors would be fine. If you only did it the one time, I personally wouldn't fret too much. If you are still concerned, take them to a knife shop and have them sharpened. Around here it costs about $7.00 to $8.00 dollars a pair, and is well worth the money. I have been thinking it is about time to round up all my good scissors and take them in again, and this year the hair scissors are making the trip too. :)


Also cut elastics with it (the ones used in clothing). Would that be the same?

Does the joico shampoo have any cones in it?

[CSallaround]

To be honest, I keep my sewing scissors wicked sharp. I have them professionally sharpened once a year if I have been busy sewing... I haven't sharpened my hair scissors the five or so years I have had them, even though I use them constantly. So in my case, my sewing scissors would be fine. If you only did it the one time, I personally wouldn't fret too much. If you are still concerned, take them to a knife shop and have them sharpened. Around here it costs about $7.00 to $8.00 dollars a pair, and is well worth the money. I have been thinking it is about time to round up all my good scissors and take them in again, and this year the hair scissors are making the trip too. :)

To be honest I've never thought about getting them sharpened. I don't even know a place to do so in my city.

[Firefox7275]

To be honest I've never thought about getting them sharpened. I don't even know a place to do so in my city.

My ex husband used to get his kitchen knives sharpened at a traditional pizzeria, they had a whetstone out back! Maybe ask some hair salons where they get theirs sharpened. Or get a second pair of scissors and rotate, you should be able to send them away to professionals for sharpening.

[ravenreed]

Like I said, you can usually do it at knife stores here, the kind that sell the professional knives. We also had a gentleman that would go around to the fabric stores in a truck and do it. Maybe ask at a fabric store?


To be honest I've never thought about getting them sharpened. I don't even know a place to do so in my city.

[CSallaround]

Ok, thank you. I'll look around and see where I can get it done :)

[furnival]

My hair used to be like this- it got so damaged that it hardly grew for years, though I wasn't doing anything damaging except for wearing it either down or in a braid. The one thing that made the big difference was wearing it up in protective styles. I trim once or twice a year now and rarely find any splits. I wouldn't call a braid a protective style as the ends are free to swing about and rub off things, and also the elastic causes damage.

I'm really lazy to spend time in the morning putting my hair up so I need to find something fast and easy.
How long does it take you to braid your hair? With a bit of practice, there are several buns that can be done in a matter of seconds. A Lazy Wrap bun takes me about ten seconds and holds all day. :)

[spidermom]

It might be worth doing a clarifying wash followed by a deep treatment for both protein and moisture before cutting. Regular deep treatments have made a huge difference in my hair. I'm using the Regis brand - can't remember exactly what the product is called.

But I've also chosen the cut away damage in the past, and although I did miss the length for a few days, I was so happy with my smooth, non-grabby ends that I soon got past the regret and enjoyed my hair more than I had enjoyed the length.

[CSallaround]

My hair used to be like this- it got so damaged that it hardly grew for years, though I wasn't doing anything damaging except for wearing it either down or in a braid. The one thing that made the big difference was wearing it up in protective styles. I trim once or twice a year now and rarely find any splits. I wouldn't call a braid a protective style as the ends are free to swing about and rub off things, and also the elastic causes damage.

How long does it take you to braid your hair? With a bit of practice, there are several buns that can be done in a matter of seconds. A Lazy Wrap bun takes me about ten seconds and holds all day. :)

Takes me 30-60 seconds depending on the type of braid. If I do a french braid it takes a bit longer. The problem is if I do a type of updo I have to correct it or re-do it to make it look good. But I'm sure some practice will help that. I just need to find some updos that don't pull because almost everything does :(

[spidermom]

Oh, and I want to add that with a little practice, it takes less than 1 minute to put in an up-style. I've been doing sort of a french twist/log roll hybrid lately and love it. There are a lot of options; chances of finding something you like are good. Spend some time surfing YouTube tutorials.

[CSallaround]

It might be worth doing a clarifying wash followed by a deep treatment for both protein and moisture before cutting. Regular deep treatments have made a huge difference in my hair. I'm using the Regis brand - can't remember exactly what the product is called.

But I've also chosen the cut away damage in the past, and although I did miss the length for a few days, I was so happy with my smooth, non-grabby ends that I soon got past the regret and enjoyed my hair more than I had enjoyed the length.

I did clarify less than a week ago. My hair always feels and looks better after a wash and treatment but after less than a day it looks really bad again. :( I have a lot of splits in those last 10 cm so I'm afraid I'll ruin my hair more if I don't cut them off. I S&D often and use pretty new hair scissors but it doesn't seem to help. Am starting to think it's just too damaged to be kept

[spidermom]

It does sound like a cut is the best option at this point. You can often get away with less than you think. Are you going to do it yourself or do you have a stylist that you trust?

[jacqueline101]

I agree some times we have to trim away the damage.

[Macaroni]

If you have Paint on your computer, you can adjust the pic to show the cut line. It will help you and your hairdresser to be clear about how much to cut.

[MaryO]

Aaah, I feel your pain! Even though my hair is still short (about SL) I'm not going to be trimming at east until MBL. Until then it's just S&D for me. (Will probably be happy when the first split end appears because that means my hair is getting long! How sad! ;-) But I have to say- healthy shorter hair is better than long unhealthy hair, even though cutting sucks!

[CSallaround]

It does sound like a cut is the best option at this point. You can often get away with less than you think. Are you going to do it yourself or do you have a stylist that you trust?

I might ask my mum to do it today, she's quite good and I can trust she won't take off too much. If I go to the hairdresser I'll have to wait longer but I still think my hairdresser is OK and she usually shows me how much she's going to cut so I can tell her to cut less if it's too much :)

[CSallaround]

Thank you for the suggestions guys :)

MaryO - totally agree - what's the point if you don't enjoy your hair, right?

Will probably start by taking off less than 5 cm today and then wait and see if it's enough. No reason go crazy with the scissors if it's not necessary :P