Can someone please HELP me figure out what I'm doing wrong with my hair? :(

[mitimaniac]

Hello, I'm a newbie here and these past few days my head has been spinning looking at all your guys' methods of washing, oiling, rinsing, etc... I don't exactly know where to start!
So I guess I will start with saying what's wrong with my hair to see if you guys could help me:
I have bra-strap length curly-ish fine hair that is very very thinned out and frizzy. the last 3 inches or so of my hair are dry, broken off and split-end filled. It actually looks like I have layers starting at the top of my head from so much breakage! I remember when I was younger my strands of hair were I think actually thicker than now and I had a reeeeally thick ponytail. My mother would always complain about it when she brushed it!
I don't do anything like heat style it or blow dry it. I don't brush it that often because when I do brush it my curls get all wack and I get a 'fro:(. I have never dyed my hair completely but have dyed the ends a few times and I'm growing out a mini ombre I had done 8 months ago. I shampooed and conditioned with conventional products like Pantene, Herbal Essences and Head & Shoulders, which I now know are laden with SLS and cones and all that..... And now I use my mother's Pureology shampoo until I can buy something more natural such as a CV shampoo bar. I have a bottle of marrakesh oil that I use every time I wash my hair, which is every two days.
I lose a LOT of hair in the shower, the times I brush my hair and I find my hairs on the bathroom floor, in my bed, EVERYWHERE!!
I also have a serious scalp problem! I can't go without washing my hair more than a day or two because of how greasy and SMELLY it gets, even within hours of having washed my hair! I put my hair up in a bun most of the time because of that, but I go from letting my hair down to having it up every 5 minutes because having it up gives me a headache and letting it down gets in my way, hehehe.... So I think a lot of breakage is from that....
What should I do? What treatment sounds best for me? I know my hair isn't naturally thin, so I just want to know how I can re-establish that thickness and have a long, luscious head of hair! I have no problem with trying various methods to find the perfect one, but the problem is narrowing it down for me. There are so many to choose from!
I will appreciate any help from you guys, I've seen so many beautiful locks on this forum I hope I can one day have the privilege to boast even half that beauty!!

[mitimaniac]

I also forgot to mention my hair is oily close to the scalp and dry and brittle down the length of my hair, eep! :rolleyes:

[GrowingGlory]

Limit or eliminate heat styling, use mild shampoo, oil your hair before and after shampooing (focus on dry areas and the last few inches), and use hair-safe tools only. Good luck! You have beautiful hair.

[mscm]

Welcome :D first off, I would get rid of as much of the split and dry ends as possible. Even just a little bit is good! Then I would search for a good supplement, like MSM and/or biotin for hair growth, and get more proteins in your diet. Maybe you should get some nice oils for your hair too? I myself prefer a mix of castor oil and avocado or coconutoil as a hot oil treatment for the scalp and ends. Castor oil is said to thicken hair and promote growth, I havent noticed that myself yet but it does a great job making it seem more healthy. Good luck!

[jacqueline101]

I'd trim off the splits and then I'd oil the dry ends and leave it on. I'd check out the curly girl thread for oiling tips.

[Firefox7275]

Welcome, if you get an 'afro' you are curlier than 1c/2a!!

The first thing you need to do is get your scalp condition diagnosed by your family doctor or a dermatologist, few here have any medical qualifications so we cannot suggest safe and effective remedies - it is VERY easy to worsen the issue amateur treating an amateur diagnosis and it sounds like you have some sort of microbial infection. Your shedding and breakage issue may be related to your scalp condition.

Second is cut the worst of the damage out, thin split or broken ends sadly cannot be salvaged - they will tangle on healthier hair higher up and damage that.

Third thing is review your diet and lifestyle, ensuring you consistently meet or exceed all your governments' recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle.

Fourth is to research the Curly Girl method - see the Curly Girl Handbook by Lorraine Massey, the Naturallycurly forums, Waterlily716 on YouTube, join the Wavy Hair Community on Facebook. Don't brush your hair, finger comb or wide tooth comb to detangle.


Shampoo bars are NOT natural, soap is not found in nature it's produced by a chemical reaction from corrosive lye. It is alkaline (pH 9+) and so damaging to both skin (pH ~5.5) and hair (pH ~4.5). Hold off on making any decisions on what products to use, you may need to use something medicated from your family doctor or dermatologist.

[heidi w.]

I recommend you visit a dermatologist immediately to work on the scalp issue and learn exactly what it is.
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Hair is not the same thickness all of one's lifetime. Hair doesn't even grow the same throughout someone's life time. There are 3 major times hair will change in life..and you seem very uninformed about the hair growth cycle.
I think you do not need to leave oil on the hair and probably shouldn't. Don't oil your scalp hair. Let sebum work.
I think you could benefit from a great shampoo done by a professional where they really work on cleaning the scalp. I suggest you should add scritching with a small scritching comb. I think your scalp will really like it.

And trim the dry ends off.
heidi w.

[Silverbrumby]

1. What age range do you fall in?

2. Are you under a lot of stress

3. Have you gone off or on birth control recently

Yes, putting your hair up and down constantly if you brush it each time is a LOT of wear and tear. Try the Loreal Sulfate free shampoo range. I really like them. You might want to put a apple cider vinegar rinse on the scalp after washing but that's just a guess. I'm thinking your scalp needs some sort of rinse on it to help with the PH.

Good luck.

[Adelynd]

Is it only the hair near your scalp that smells or does your itself actually smell? Say, like sulfur or a wet dog?

[Adelynd]

Hair itself, I meant.

[Panth]

Welcome, if you get an 'afro' you are curlier than 1c/2a!!

The first thing you need to do is get your scalp condition diagnosed by your family doctor or a dermatologist, few here have any medical qualifications so we cannot suggest safe and effective remedies - it is VERY easy to worsen the issue amateur treating an amateur diagnosis and it sounds like you have some sort of microbial infection. Your shedding and breakage issue may be related to your scalp condition.

Second is cut the worst of the damage out, thin split or broken ends sadly cannot be salvaged - they will tangle on healthier hair higher up and damage that.

Third thing is review your diet and lifestyle, ensuring you consistently meet or exceed all your governments' recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle.

Fourth is to research the Curly Girl method - see the Curly Girl Handbook by Lorraine Massey, the Naturallycurly forums, Waterlily716 on YouTube, join the Wavy Hair Community on Facebook. Don't brush your hair, finger comb or wide tooth comb to detangle.


Shampoo bars are NOT natural, soap is not found in nature it's produced by a chemical reaction from corrosive lye. It is alkaline (pH 9+) and so damaging to both skin (pH ~5.5) and hair (pH ~4.5). Hold off on making any decisions on what products to use, you may need to use something medicated from your family doctor or dermatologist.

This! First and foremost go see a doctor. Your scalp should not be smelling (!).

Once you have a diagnosis, you can start making educated choices about what will improve your hair. In the mean time, you could look up some hair-friendly styles which should help with bunning your hair comfortably. Torrinpaige (http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige) has a good youtube site with hairstyle tutorials. It would also help if you used hair-friendly tools to hold up the buns, e.g. Amish pins, spin pins, hair sticks, hair forks, ficcares, etc.

[metricfuture]

Nthing the recommendation to see a dermatologist, and as a fellow fine hair (especially fine with waves or curls) I wouldn't be so quick to ditch the cones. I have WAY less breakage with cones than I did without, but I use a cone-y serum instead of using it in my shampoo or conditioner. That way I can put it where I need it (the ends) and avoid it where I don't (the scalp).

[lapushka]

Agreeing with the recommendation to go see a dermatologist for your scalp.

If your hair is curly, you might benefit hugely from getting to know the "curly girl" method. It's a method by Lorraine Massey (she wrote a book about this), but this is the online info. Lots of girls, if your hair is too oily for the CO method for instance, use a modified CG method, where they use a non-sulfate shampoo to wash instead of a conditioner.
http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

[Silverbrumby]

I use cones in my conditioner. Keeps my ends feeling great.




Nthing the recommendation to see a dermatologist, and as a fellow fine hair (especially fine with waves or curls) I wouldn't be so quick to ditch the cones. I have WAY less breakage with cones than I did without, but I use a cone-y serum instead of using it in my shampoo or conditioner. That way I can put it where I need it (the ends) and avoid it where I don't (the scalp).