Dark Star
September 30th, 2013, 07:59 AM
Darn it, it is me again. My hair is REALLY confusing me and I am starting to think something might be going on with me internally. I have an appointment to have some blood tests done soon (the doctor is going to look at my ferrous sulphate, B-12, folic acid, calcium levels, check my thyroid and liver function and of course run a standard blood count. That is pretty much what they can do at a basic G.P. office).
My hair is just WEIRD. Some days, it feels almost like itself and others, it feels bone-dry like a thatched roof, others (like today) ultra-soft with no texture to my strands--baby fine like angel hair. It feels thin today and has no volume or body and that very uncharacteristic of my usual hair. It is breaking more easily and thus, is fragile. It is also tangling like a (well, insert bad word here--haha) and especially at the ends.
If I use oil to try to amend that, it makes the ends crisp. The tangles are causing a lot of white dots and split ends at this point. Very upsetting and when I had very few before all this. My cuticle looks rough and my ends are sticking out all over the place.
I have had to, officially, break up with a favourite cosmetics manufacturer of mine due to formulation changes and the company basically going to heck since the founder and CEO passed away (this would be Aubrey Hampton of, "Aubrey Organics"). I typically used his two camomile shampoos (alternating each time) and either the, "Swimmer's Conditioner" or the, "Camomile Luxurious Volumizing Conditioner". They had mucked with the, "J.A.Y" and got rid of the, "Blue Green Algae" shampoo and cream rinse which broke my hair's heart really. I used the, "Blue Green Algae Hair Mask" MAYBE too much but heck, it NEVER hurt my hair before using it once a week, or once every two weeks as I was doing. Did that for months at a time since I was in my 20s. My hair always seemed to LOVE protein and the BGA products especially--was never more lush then on those really.
So during the summer, my hair started to feel a bit too soft and on occasion, a little limp (this was right after I had cut back on the length of my showers and their temperature to save on energy costs). I did that stretch test-thingy some weeks ago and the hair stretched and stretched like chewing gum and did not bounce back as it usually did--but remained elasticized and all bent out of shape. A few subsequent tests showed similar results. No, I NEVER process my hair, dye it, use heat styling tools on it. I am 36 now and I have not done ANY of that since I was 13 or 14. We are talking 'virgin' tresses here.
Some things online told me I needed protein but I had quit using the BGA hair mask at this point just to see if that was the issue. I could not figure out how I could need protein since my shampoo contained it, sometimes the conditioner I used depending on which I was going for at a given time and of course, I was doing the hair mask weekly or every other week. Yes, all used hydrolysed proteins or broken down amino acids. If I used white camellia oil on my hair (an old standby) or herbal rinses (again, an old standby)--my hair would feel drier and crisper. Very strange to me and to my hair. So yes, I was using light proteins--but still protein. So despite being a vegan, I then used some of the milk protein "Aubrey" products. The first one I used ("Blue Camomile") made my hair feel like rubber when wet. Awful (note I have used this one before when my hair was acting sane and it never gave me such a result). One I am using now by "Paul Penders" makes my hair feel a little like that too and gives me 'spider-webby'/gummy/ultra-tangly hair though it is sans protein (again looking for replacements). I got a free sample of the, "GPB" and it 'fried' my hair. It has not been the same since and I only used it twice over a two week period as a rinse-out, having only left it in for 1-2 minutes.
When I spoke to a local hairdresser about my hair, her first question was if I had over-processed it at all, bleached the dickens out of it, or if I was very ill (not exactly a good thing to say to a hypochondriac, by the way, but it spurred me to going to the doctor anyway!). I don't feel sick--a little tired maybe but I AM under heaps of stress, have a rambunctious pre-schooler, am homesick (am an American living in England though am looking to move back home) and no, I guess I have not been eating so well for a few months. But my hair was changing before that. I just don't know.
I am sorry I keep griping about this but it is really confusing. I have been treating my hair has a protein overload and it had been getting better until last week when I tried one last, "Aubrey" conditioner: "Honeysuckle Rose" and I bloomin' hated it and apparently, my hair did as well after two uses. I also think it hates ANYTHING, waxy, too oily and that is laden with alcohol. I suspect it is still po-ed from protein because I have had these crisp, crunchy areas ever since I used the, "GPB". I think a combination of the above has my hair pissed off and me even more depressed. I just hope we can come back from it. Not doing well in a product search since I have my standards and so does my hair. Brightest blessings to you all--you are so helpful and knowledgeable in all things hair. But of course, every one has varying and/or conflicting opinions which just adds to my confusion. For all I know, it is nothing I have been doing or not doing to my hair--but something going on internally like anemia (that would be a first after 18 years of veganism). Thanks for listening anyway. I'm just feeling really down today and feel like cutting my long hair off though that is not exactly what I want to have to do. (((Hugs)))
My hair is just WEIRD. Some days, it feels almost like itself and others, it feels bone-dry like a thatched roof, others (like today) ultra-soft with no texture to my strands--baby fine like angel hair. It feels thin today and has no volume or body and that very uncharacteristic of my usual hair. It is breaking more easily and thus, is fragile. It is also tangling like a (well, insert bad word here--haha) and especially at the ends.
If I use oil to try to amend that, it makes the ends crisp. The tangles are causing a lot of white dots and split ends at this point. Very upsetting and when I had very few before all this. My cuticle looks rough and my ends are sticking out all over the place.
I have had to, officially, break up with a favourite cosmetics manufacturer of mine due to formulation changes and the company basically going to heck since the founder and CEO passed away (this would be Aubrey Hampton of, "Aubrey Organics"). I typically used his two camomile shampoos (alternating each time) and either the, "Swimmer's Conditioner" or the, "Camomile Luxurious Volumizing Conditioner". They had mucked with the, "J.A.Y" and got rid of the, "Blue Green Algae" shampoo and cream rinse which broke my hair's heart really. I used the, "Blue Green Algae Hair Mask" MAYBE too much but heck, it NEVER hurt my hair before using it once a week, or once every two weeks as I was doing. Did that for months at a time since I was in my 20s. My hair always seemed to LOVE protein and the BGA products especially--was never more lush then on those really.
So during the summer, my hair started to feel a bit too soft and on occasion, a little limp (this was right after I had cut back on the length of my showers and their temperature to save on energy costs). I did that stretch test-thingy some weeks ago and the hair stretched and stretched like chewing gum and did not bounce back as it usually did--but remained elasticized and all bent out of shape. A few subsequent tests showed similar results. No, I NEVER process my hair, dye it, use heat styling tools on it. I am 36 now and I have not done ANY of that since I was 13 or 14. We are talking 'virgin' tresses here.
Some things online told me I needed protein but I had quit using the BGA hair mask at this point just to see if that was the issue. I could not figure out how I could need protein since my shampoo contained it, sometimes the conditioner I used depending on which I was going for at a given time and of course, I was doing the hair mask weekly or every other week. Yes, all used hydrolysed proteins or broken down amino acids. If I used white camellia oil on my hair (an old standby) or herbal rinses (again, an old standby)--my hair would feel drier and crisper. Very strange to me and to my hair. So yes, I was using light proteins--but still protein. So despite being a vegan, I then used some of the milk protein "Aubrey" products. The first one I used ("Blue Camomile") made my hair feel like rubber when wet. Awful (note I have used this one before when my hair was acting sane and it never gave me such a result). One I am using now by "Paul Penders" makes my hair feel a little like that too and gives me 'spider-webby'/gummy/ultra-tangly hair though it is sans protein (again looking for replacements). I got a free sample of the, "GPB" and it 'fried' my hair. It has not been the same since and I only used it twice over a two week period as a rinse-out, having only left it in for 1-2 minutes.
When I spoke to a local hairdresser about my hair, her first question was if I had over-processed it at all, bleached the dickens out of it, or if I was very ill (not exactly a good thing to say to a hypochondriac, by the way, but it spurred me to going to the doctor anyway!). I don't feel sick--a little tired maybe but I AM under heaps of stress, have a rambunctious pre-schooler, am homesick (am an American living in England though am looking to move back home) and no, I guess I have not been eating so well for a few months. But my hair was changing before that. I just don't know.
I am sorry I keep griping about this but it is really confusing. I have been treating my hair has a protein overload and it had been getting better until last week when I tried one last, "Aubrey" conditioner: "Honeysuckle Rose" and I bloomin' hated it and apparently, my hair did as well after two uses. I also think it hates ANYTHING, waxy, too oily and that is laden with alcohol. I suspect it is still po-ed from protein because I have had these crisp, crunchy areas ever since I used the, "GPB". I think a combination of the above has my hair pissed off and me even more depressed. I just hope we can come back from it. Not doing well in a product search since I have my standards and so does my hair. Brightest blessings to you all--you are so helpful and knowledgeable in all things hair. But of course, every one has varying and/or conflicting opinions which just adds to my confusion. For all I know, it is nothing I have been doing or not doing to my hair--but something going on internally like anemia (that would be a first after 18 years of veganism). Thanks for listening anyway. I'm just feeling really down today and feel like cutting my long hair off though that is not exactly what I want to have to do. (((Hugs)))