I'm old, my hair is like spider webs and is so hopelessly broken

[HikerTrash]

My hair is so broken. It's broken around my temples from wearing glasses. Seems that putting on reading glasses each day is enough to break my hair there. I don't even remember feeling like the hair was being pulled or anything. It simply breaks.

I pulled my hair up and put a bun on the top of my head yesterday. There is so much hair that falls out of the bun all over my head. It wafts around my head like a halo. Probably 50% of my hair is broken and about 3 inches long.

If I put my hair in a single braid, it's about thumb width at the base of my length and tapers to about the size of 3 strands of spaghetti at where I put on a hair elastic. I think I need to cut off at least 6 - 8 inches to have enough hair to still wear a braid and not have such a tiny thin whisp at the end. It's so sad.

I'm old, my hair has thinned so much. It's so dry, so brittle, so fragile. It is like spider webs. I can almost not see or feel a single strand between my fingers. I hate to admit this, but I think I'm finally beyond the age I can pull off this long hair thing. :( I just wanted to express my sadness with this ultimate expression of the passage of my youth.

(It doesn't look as nice as my picture below anymore.)

[swearnsue]

I'm old too, probably older than you are! and my hair doesn't break. I use henna which I think helps, and eat fairly well most of the time.

Don't give up and think the breakage is caused by age, it's something else. You can fix it, just figure out what your hair needs.

[WoolSweater]

I don't have any good advice for you, but even if your hair doesn't quite look like your signature photo, I bet your hair is still beautiful. It looks that way from the photo. Plus, I've seen a good many people here with braids that are only thumb width, and they have very healthy hair. Some people don't have a braid with volume, I am one of them. But I'm sure your braid is very pretty. :)

[Madora]

If you're concerned about your thinning hair, schedule an appointment with a trichologist and see if there's a medical reason for your hair loss.

I'm 67 and my braid tapers quite a bit..from very thick to less than a pencil width in diameter at the very bottom. Braid taper is very common.

Be sure you are eating properly and using gentle products.

You are never too old to enjoy long hair!

[lapushka]

What you think is breakage probably isn't. It might just be new growth coming in. How long has it been since it thinned out? It might be growing back out again. Don't despair. Be patient, first and foremost. No need to become scissor happy because your hair has thinned out some.

[ravenreed]

I agree that a trip to the doctor might be in order to make sure there isn't a medical reason behind the thinning. However, as we get older, thinning hair isn't uncommon, alas. Is there some way to reduce the breakage from your glasses? Is your hair catching in the hinge, is there a rough spot on the earpiece, or would wearing your hair back in a headband help? If you can't do anything about the thinning, I would look at ways to reduce breakage. FWIW, unless you are actually finding really short hair bits, I agree that it might be new growth. If that is the case, rejoice and be patient until it grows out a bit. If it really is breakage, I would suggest looking at your routine to see if something in it might be causing your hair to be more fragile. I only have bad breakage if protein sneaks in somewhere when I am not paying attention. However, you might find something else causing this problem for you. I have a friend who has what I refer to as Angel Hair. Her hair is so light and fine that it feels like spun silk. Hers is also see-through. She is still able to grow hers out quite a bit, so don't give up yet. One of the biggest things to help her was switching to a satin pillowcase. Just that reduced her breakage significantly!

[GoddesJourney]

I agree that it is most likely just new growth. New growth is normal after a big shed. It is annoying but at least it is growing. There could be a medical reason, like menopause/hormone or thyroid issues. It could be a seasonal shed, which is also common. Your hair may change over time and you may have to switch up your hair care to match that. My hair has definitely changed and I am now using products that used to not work for me. Also, what I was using before doesn't seem to work so well now as it did a couple of years ago. Go figure.

About trimming/chopping hair. Experience has shown me that our eyes see exaggerated flaws in ourselves. If I have layers or thin ends that are bothering me, I judge about how much I think needs to be trimmed and then I trim HALF of the perceived expendable amount. This has always turned out to be good enough and it sets me back half as much in growth time.

Don't let it get you down. Don't let aging get you down. Just smile and move forward and deal with it in stride. Probably that will be as simple as just changing your routine to something that works for what you have right now. :)

[Chromis]

Are these new glasses perhaps? I know I've had some pairs that were absolutely horrid for catching hairs! I've switched to rimless glasses with better hinges (and have also had some with no hinges) in the long term. In the short term, you might be able to file them smoother or coat rough bits with some nail varnish.

[dulce]

Around 55,I stopped all dyes as my shorter brassy dyed hair was thinning and breaking off.It grew and slowly thickened over the next few years,now it is almost classic and silvery and 3.2-3.5 inch pony diameter[normal thickness]I avoid all chemicals and all heat,added more lean proteins and healthy fats,and lowered the carbs in my diet.
I am now 61 so it is never too late..For me,the salon dyes were killing my fragile post menopausal hair and the hot blowdryer wasn't helping either.

[Naiadryade]

I agree with others that there's probably something going on besides age. What is your hair routine like? Do you dye, use heat? Sulfates? How do you detangle? Do you wear it up and are you careful about it rubbing things? Do you maintain a good moisture/protein/emollient balance in your hair? Do you eat a nutritious diet?

[furnival]

My Mum is in her 60s, and has beautiful mid-thigh length hair despite it having always been super-fine, fairly thin and spiderwebby. The 'too old' thing is purely a social construct, and we all know you don't have to pay attention to those if you don't want to. :p

I agree with Lapushka; it sounds like you have had a fair old shed, hence the severe taper. The 3" halo of hairs sounds far more likely to be new growth than breakage. Check the tips of some of the hairs under a magnifying glass- if they are ragged and broken it's breakage, if they're tapered and fine it's new growth.

Instead of something bad starting to happen to your hair, it could be that the bad thing happened some time ago and what you're seeing is your hair in the process of recovery.

If I were you, I'd give it a trim of a couple of inches to reduce the taper, put it up every day and forget about it for a few months. You might well be pleasantly surprised! :)

[hanne jensen]

First off, you're not old, just slightly youth challenged. I too have spiderweb fine hair. It's growing. I've also had a very bad shed due to scalp issues. I now have a halo that you wouldn't believe. When I put my hair up, I resemble Einstein. But, these new hairs are growing. In 4 months time they'll lay down. I too am youthfully challenged. There is hope!

[jacqueline101]

If your hair is breaking off maybe you need to do like I did when my ends broke off. Dust the ends if they're severely broken id try a trim. I also followed mine by a good oiling I found moisture to be an issue. The most loved oil is mineral oil baby oil. Then braid it is what I do and every other day oil it I don't use miners oil baby oil I use isoplus spray sheen. I do love it. Any ways when you braid it make sure the ends are protected. I use a horse tail wrap on mine you can buy a wrapter for your hair. I do this because I oil heavy sometimes to keep oil off my clothes protect my braid. I also have fine hair.

[Beakywitch]

A few years back I thought I was far too old to grow my hair. I tried but it was all broken and awful so I had a pixie chop. On reflection I think my hair either had been affected by medication or by stress in my life. It has thickened back up although my hair is still fine. I'm having another go at growing now. Ladies on here have assured me that fine hair has every right to be long and looks elfin and beautiful. So I take confidence from that. I am 51 soon and rejecting cultural ideas about mature ladies not having long hair.

[Firefox7275]

I don't see how glasses arms can break 50% of your hair, something else is going on.

Whilst ageing somewhat affects every organ, system and tissue in the body we attribute far more to ageing than we should. Much of what we call ageing is actually undiagnosed or poorly treated health problems, the accumulated affects of less than optimally healthy habits from nutrition to physical activity levels.

Either see a dermatologist or your family doctor, and/ or have a hair analysis from Goosefootprints on Etsy or Komaza Care. Find out for sure if those ends are new growth or breakage. Then work with your hair properties when choosing ingredients and products. Fine hair tends to do well with hydrolysed protein for strength, but too much can make hair brittle so must be balanced with conditioning.

[spidermom]

You can learn a lot here about how to take good care of your hair and maximize its potential. Happy reading!

I stopped breaking my hair with my glasses when I switched to glasses that have one-pieced arms rather than the kind that have a second piece added where the glasses curve around the ears. There was a little groove where the second piece attached, and my hairs were always getting hung up in that space and then getting pulled out. I developed the habit of being careful putting on and taking off my glasses to be sure there are no hairs getting caught up in the hinges, too.

I'm a believer in trimming. I think that having a shape to the ends enhances the beauty of long hair. If you don't like thin, wispy ends, start trimming.

[martyna_22]

I agree with everyone here, don't give up on your hair. I'd suggest having microtrims every once in a while, they really do seem to help. Try eating healthy, all that.. and see whether your hair condition improves after a while. I also find your signature picture amazing, I'm sure it still looks pretty now. Remember we're all rooting for you here :blossom:

[Hairitic]

My siggy pic is proof that age isn't necessarily the problem. I'm 60. I use WEN Cleansing Conditioners and Henna as well as Tea rinses with ACV. Don't give up!

[browneyedsusan]

Something smells off. I totally believe that your hair is being very naughty, but it just doesn't add up. I've seen lots of old ladies with all sorts of hair, chemo patients, kidney failure, and old ladies with very thin hair, but a halo of breaks? Nope. Let's try to put our brain around it:
How did your mother's hair look as she got older? How about your grannies and aunties and sisters? How is the rest of you? Are you in good health? Nails growing okay? Are you eating properly, getting your calcium, and have your hormone replacement therapy? Getting enough exercise? A trip to your doctor may be in order. Something else is going on here. I'd bet my eye teeth that you've come off a shed, and are recovering with a bloom of new growth. Age does lots of things, but breaking hair isn't one of them. Do not roll over and swallow this malarkey about your age. Something else is going on, and you can figure it out. Get to the bottom of it and make it right. :blossom:

[lapushka]

Age does lots of things, but breaking hair isn't one of them. Do not roll over and swallow this malarkey about your age. Something else is going on, and you can figure it out. Get to the bottom of it and make it right. :blossom:

This. ^^ Don't blame your age for something that needs to be looked into further.

[Silverbrumby]

I feel your pain. My hair doesn't look like my signature picture anymore. My hair is 2.75 and pencil thin braid after the six braid bump.

I've worked really hard to improve it and will keep trying. My current goal is a fuller bsl. Hang in there and trim as needed to whatever length feels best.

[Lavenderhaze]

this thread caught my eye with the reference to spiderwebby hair and breakage. unfortunately that is exactly what is happening to me too. Definitely think looking into any causative factors is a good idea, but I also do think age can have an effect. My formerly thick, heavy indestructible hair has definitely changed over the years and is now quite fragile, breakable and dry post-menopausal. also has thinned at the temples and top. I have realized that since it has become more fragile, I need to treat it even more gently, and that this might just be the new normal. for instance, shampoos that I used to use for decades are way too harsh now, and have had to find different products, and have had to quit coloring it.

[Cg]

this thread caught my eye with the reference to spiderwebby hair and breakage. unfortunately that is exactly what is happening to me too. Definitely think looking into any causative factors is a good idea, but I also do think age can have an effect. My formerly thick, heavy indestructible hair has definitely changed over the years and is now quite fragile, breakable and dry post-menopausal. also has thinned at the temples and top. I have realized that since it has become more fragile, I need to treat it even more gently, and that this might just be the new normal. for instance, shampoos that I used to use for decades are way too harsh now, and have had to find different products, and have had to quit coloring it.

Yes, I assure you age does have significant effects. Experiment slowly and gently, you will find a routine and set of products or tools that work for your hair as it is now.

BTW, I do not miss my formerly super-thick hair or blonde color. I embrace the silver, it's beautiful, and without all that hair weight I don't get hair headaches any more. Plus I can make loads of styles that would never have worked with thick hair. Find the positives -- there are MANY -- and enjoy your new gifts.

[Lavenderhaze]

thx, Cg, for the validation. there is definitely a change. yes it is a time of experimentation, and have let the silver come in as well.

[blondecat]

I too look very different to my old Pic. How do I upload pics please ? I've forgotten

[animetor7]

this thread caught my eye with the reference to spiderwebby hair and breakage. unfortunately that is exactly what is happening to me too. Definitely think looking into any causative factors is a good idea, but I also do think age can have an effect. My formerly thick, heavy indestructible hair has definitely changed over the years and is now quite fragile, breakable and dry post-menopausal. also has thinned at the temples and top. I have realized that since it has become more fragile, I need to treat it even more gently, and that this might just be the new normal. for instance, shampoos that I used to use for decades are way too harsh now, and have had to find different products, and have had to quit coloring it.

Could you try something like CO washing with regular protein treatments? This might help preserve and strengthen your hair. You can also look into something like coconut oil which can moisturize and also act as a very mild protein treatment. People have reported crunchy ends with coconut oil, but it's worth a shot to see if it works for your hair. Good luck!!! And like Cg said, you can treat this as a time of experimentation and learning the ups and downs of your new hair!! :)