My hair seems to have given up the ghost.

[fairhairedthing]

Crunchy, gummy, brittle, and velcro, all at the same time. I've trimmed, no help. I've tried CO, no help. I've switched products a few times with no improvement. I've clarified, ruling out "product fatigue", tried an SMT as well and it helped for say, oh, 2 days.

I shower and wash my hair twice a week, use a gentle light brown deposit only dye to make my blonde locks a bit ashier and darker. Products I've tried: Wen, Mane N' Tail, Sally's Argon oil conditioner, and even tresseme "platinum strength" shampoo and conditioner. I use my fingers to comb, never an actual brush or comb.

It feels the same no matter what. I can't even get my fricken fingers through it. This has been going on for about a year and seeming to get worse. What do I do? :( I don't want to have to buzz it off!

[MeganE]

Crunchy, gummy, brittle, and velcro, all at the same time

Explain the gummy part a bit more. Have you chelated?

[fairhairedthing]

Yeah, I used a chelating shampoo about 2 months ago. By gummy, I mean it feels like wikki stix, strands clump and wax themselves together in large groups. I dunno if it's much help but I'm about 40% gray, forgot to mention that in the OP.

[swearnsue]

That is so weird having your hair being gummy and crunchy at the same time. I don't know what you should do. If it were me, I would clarify with a little baking soda/shampoo mix with vinegar water rinse.

Then I'd use a diluted conditioner, and let air dry and re-evaluate. Maybe trim a bit if my ends were still Velcro-y.

[Johannah]

Seconding the baking soda. I don't get this either! Hope you'll find a solution!

[Madora]

Try clarifying with a clarifying shampoo (leave the baking soda alone). Neutrogena Anti Residue Clarifying shampoo has received good reports here. After you clarify, follow up with a conditioning treatment.

After that, put as little as possible on your hair. I would definitely try brushing with a boar bristle brush or using a comb. Your scalp needs to be healthy and needs some kind of stimulation to help your hair grow.

[Anje]

My first thought is that you need a protein treatment stat. Gummy is a giveaway word for that.

What's your more distant hair past look like? Bleaching, lots of dyeing, perms?

[Firefox7275]

Clarify and chelate more times and use hot water. Be sure to use non conditioning/ clear type products rich in sulphates, olefin sulfonates or cocoamidopropyl betaine. I wouldn't personally go within a country mile of baking soda but up to you. If you can't get your fingers through how are you distributing the clarifying or chelating shampoo? You may need to massage patiently or even carefully use a wide tooth comb.

Go back to basics with your shampoos and conditioners: as few ingredients as possible, for conditioners mainly fatty alcohols and cationic surfactants, maybe some silicones that resist building up (prefix PEG- or amine functionalised). Initially avoid all hydrolysed proteins, polyquats, waxes including cetyl esters, butters, mineral oil/ petrolatum, anything modified to be highly substantive (eg. prefix hydroxypropyltrimonium).

Only once you have the waxy gunk out consider whether you need more intensive conditioning or a protein treatment or both. Is your dye permanent? If so its not really that gentle, do consider the ingredients in that as possible culprits.

If you are unsure feel free to post up ingredients lists.

[bunzfan]

My first thought is that you need a protein treatment stat. Gummy is a giveaway word for that.

What's your more distant hair past look like? Bleaching, lots of dyeing, perms?

Yes! ive always been told often gummy type/mushy hair needs protein .

[Johannah]

My first thought is that you need a protein treatment stat. Gummy is a giveaway word for that.

What's your more distant hair past look like? Bleaching, lots of dyeing, perms?

Now I'm reading this that actually makes sense.

I really recommend Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise, if you can find it.

[ErinLeigh]

My suggestions are only going to be from personal experience so I am actually looking forward to reading the comments after I post his and I will be checking in also to see additional.
To me it sounds like several things are going on.
Build up from sound of gunky and velcro - the products you listed you tried are coney (clarify cones and conditioner buildup out and chelate to remove minerals, it sometimes takes more than one time - There are several shampoos that cover both clarifying and chelating)
Lack of protein from the mushy description
Lack of moisture from the dryness

I have had hair that once needed all 3 of these issues addressed and your hair sounds a lot like mine did at one time. Take this all with a grain of salt, I am just saying this as it sounds like what I dealt with in the past. Of course you will need to check and determine for yourself.

I wouldn't try to fix everything at once. Do one thing at a time so you can evaluate. Start with a good clarify/chelating shampoo.
Then later try the strand test and see if it hair is really stretchy. If so add protein. You can start slow and build you way or do a protein treatment. It would really depend on what you feel you need after checking hair, how stretchy it is may let you know what is in order.
Then you may need deep conditioning to bring some moisture balance back. That will depend on how you go about adding the protein. Some full protein treatments do advise deep conditioning after..but if you are going slow and using a protein conditioner left on 5-15 minutes, depending on the product, it may already have a moisture balance. You will want to check hair and determine for yourself again.

I do not think you will have to shave head. I do think you can get hair back to manageable but it is really going to depend what the issues are and how you address them. If you have a trusted stylist maybe they can assist with helping you identify the problems.

[Rio040113]

Seconding the votes for clarifying and chelating, (Joico has a great shampoo that does both), followed by a good protein treatment and then a light conditioning treatment.

[red-again]

What deposit dye are you using? And dose you use it on your lengths also? It'd be worth knowing which one it is and what it has in it

[Tangle or Curl?]

This exact thing just happened to me and it was because I didn't know there was protein in my conditioner. My fine, low porosity hair pretty much glued itself together.

[ErinLeigh]

This exact thing just happened to me and it was because I didn't know there was protein in my conditioner. My fine, low porosity hair pretty much glued itself together.

Mine did that after a keratin treatment once. Literally could not get a comb thru it. Had to cut out cones,do several SMTs and prepoo oilings to stabilize it. Was really bad.
Mine wasn't gummy tho, more like glued straw somehow.
I can so relate to hair issues. I have had them all ( not something I am proud of , I pit my hair thru hell :/ )

OP she is right, sometimes too much protein has a gluey reaction also. Try a strand test just to see if you are stretching or snapping. I know its not most reliable thing in the world but I did find it pointed me in the right direction.
When I need protein it will stretch a lot, when I need moisture it snaps at barely a light tug.

[Jennah]

Crunchy, gummy, brittle, and velcro, all at the same time.

It sounds to me like your hair is super dry! And what you need is some serious conditioning.

Just regular shampoo and conditioner is not going to cut it. You need hair repair stuff.

Something like this (http://asset5.wellmedia.ca/i/9060f5e4e50984dab2ebaf017c399a4e_ra,w403,h403_pa,w 403,h403.jpeg). Deep contitioning repair. Just get one of those conditioners or masks and leave them all night and keep applying till the conditioning is absorbed.

Good luck! And don´t cut your hair!

[restless]

I dont know much about products and youve got great advice for that already so Im not gonna touch that subject. However, a question that came to mind was; have you recently (during the past year) moved? Maybe its the water if so?

[fairhairedthing]

Wow, thanks to all of you for all the replies!!
I feel like I really want to start with the clarifying wash followed by a protein treatment. It makes a lot of sense.

Jennah, I might be trying that treatment soon. Looks interesting, thanks.

I'll go ahead with the clarification and protein and keep everyone posted.

[spidermom]

I say NO to baking soda. It made my hair matt together like felt and I could not get a comb or my fingers through it for about 2 weeks unless my hair was full of conditioner. It did recover, however.

I think you should do a clarifying wash followed by a deep conditioning treatment. I am using Regis Hydrating Balm; it's pretty good. Joico K-Pak Reconstructor is also good; it provides both protein and moisture.

I also recommend using a comb at least. Fingers just don't get through the hairs well enough. One of your problems may be the formation of multiple small tangles from not combing out thoroughly. Be really careful and start from the bottom.

[fairhairedthing]

Mmkay. I'll dig out my old wide toothed comb and hope for the best. I never thought of it that way, about a bunch of small tangles like that.

And wow, that sounds really scary, I don't think baking soda is worth the risk! I'm glad your hair recovered, though.

[MadAddie]

Fairhairedthing. I agree with the other peeps here... clarifying and chelating.
I've also been going on a bit of a hair journey myself and I found that one of the issues
my hair was struggling with was the hard water. When I use bottled spring water to
rinse my hair, its soooooo happy :)

[jacqueline101]

I'd clarify and try to leave products off of it. I agree I'd try the bbb to help stimulate and put natural oils down your length. The natural oils are good for your hair and that might help your hair more then adding oils.

[patienceneeded]

I'm not going to repeat the advice you've already gotten. The other folks here gave you some good ideas to try. I hope you get your hair sorted out and don't need to resort to cutting!

I'm also curious about the hairdye you use. It could be one of the major culprits to your hair's problems. Even deposit-only dyes can leave behind damage, especially from repeated usage. Not all brands are the same either...

[ravenreed]

At least two of those products listed contain protein. I am going to go against the tide and say protein overload.

[fairhairedthing]

Ravenreed. Interesting you say this as I was just logging in to say the protein treatments seemed to have done darn near nuthin'. I even tried a cholesterol treatment (queen helene) and TBH, that was the best result but only lasts for the day of the wash and after that, poop. Clarifying seems to work really well. I kinda went apes#1t with it, clarified twice since posting here last, and also took a comb to it in it's greasiest state (can't get one through unless my hair feels like the belly of an eel) and that helped with the clumpy/gummy part of it all. Thanks again for all the help, everyone, you've been awesome.

So back to protein overloads... how common is that, really? Hmm!

[alexis917]

"Wen, Mane N' Tail, Sally's Argon oil conditioner, and even tresseme "platinum strength" shampoo and conditioner." ...I don't know for sure on Mane n' Tail, but all of these other products are coney!
Consider clarifying with VO5 and conditioning with VO5 condish (also cone free). I'm a huge fan of VO5, and if your hair hates this too, that's only like $2 wasted.
Also, nothing has been able to get through my tangles like Conair's Wet Brush ripoff. I've used a Wet Brush, as well, but this one is actually less flimsy.