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View Full Version : Hair Doesn't Grow vs Breakage - I learned something!



swearnsue
May 12th, 2014, 04:46 PM
For several months my hair did not grow, or so it seemed. I am growing out my henna, so I had proof in red and silver than my hair WAS growing but my length remained 23 inches.

I look for breakage and never see any. I look for splits, never found any. But I thought that because my hair is smooth and slippy I could get away with putting it in braided pigtails every night. It's more comfortable than a silk cap and stays in better than a hairpin bun on top of my head. Besides, I have a silk pillowcase and very very carefully remove the silicone "rubber" bands from my pig tails in the mornings.

For a month I stopped sleeping in the pigtails, haven't used the silicone bands at all and my hair has now grown 1/2 inch in a month.

So the moral of the story is: Even if you are gentle and never see a broken hair, if you use those silicone hair bands, your hair will break.

Now I sleep with my hair in a way, not really a bun, but the way Madora describes. A loose braid on top of my head held with hair pins. It doesn't really stay put, there's probably a million hairpins behind the headboard of the bed, but my hair has grown and not broken for a month.

As my hair gets longer I think it will stay up better, there will be more hair to pin.

Anyway, I thought I'd share so others won't have to lose months of growth before they realize their hair is breaking off.

LauraLongLocks
May 12th, 2014, 04:50 PM
Wow, I use those silicone hair ties when I do twin braids or a braided bun where I want to tuck in the ends so no one will see. I don't wear them to sleep, however. I try to keep my hair loosely contained inside my sleep cap. I wonder if I am breaking off hair without realizing it. I've got my hair in a folded braid today, with a silicone hair elastic.

jacqueline101
May 12th, 2014, 04:59 PM
I know breakage is real I had a broken chunk last summer. I know it's bad I had to cut back due to the damage. Now I'm learning what works. I tried those silicone bands they get caught in my hair. I found elastics to work the best for me.

meteor
May 12th, 2014, 05:01 PM
Thank you for sharing, swearnsue!
Yes, I've never used those silicone hair bands as they look like they could be damaging.
I think, since we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, we should try to get that night hair routine right. Silk ribbons or silk scrunchies tie off the ends of braids well and aren't damaging.

memeow
May 12th, 2014, 05:05 PM
Are the fabric elastic ties that have a knot in them okay? I have ones from Goody, like these http://www.goody.com/Products/Hair_Accessories/Ouchless_Ribbon_Elastics. I alternate between pigtails and a bun on top of my head. If I do the bun every night it makes my head hurt...

AmyBeth
May 13th, 2014, 02:20 AM
I experienced the same kind of mysterious stall that you did, Swearnsue, when I experimented with a no cone routine. I saw by my roots that my hair was growing, I did not see any splits or white dots, but for a little over 6 months, I had no gain in length at all. How frustrating was that?! I finally gave up on no cones because I really missed the silky feeling that cone use provides. Once I started using cones again, my hair growth started taking off again. There may be different reasons for a growth stall, and it takes time to figure it out.

White
May 13th, 2014, 02:35 AM
I had this. It took me loooong time to learn how to take care of my hair, even longer to figure out what is happening in the first place. My ends never looked bad, but still I wasn't gaining length, it took me 8 years to go from APL to waist. I wore it loose every day, even when sleeping. The mechanical damage, strangely, never even crossed my mind precisely because my ends never ever looked bad.

I think I am at hip now, and I was waist last year (I'm a really slow grower, btw). And this new growth is all because buns, satin sleep cap and braiding. I trimmed an inch off my ends about two moths ago, and the still look freshly cut.

So, the only thing I can do is to say one big THANK YOU to all members of this forum, your advices are really precious! :blossom:

Bagginslover
May 13th, 2014, 03:08 AM
I have found, that if I cut the bands out, rather than try to remove them, they are low-damage (I would say no damage, but everything is damaging to some degree). I just lift one 'coil' of the band, and slide a knife/scissors under it. I don't need to actually cut, the pressure on the sharp edge does it for me

Lyv
May 13th, 2014, 03:37 AM
I do the same as Bagginslover (I use them to hold the braid in bangs now lol) and don't have any breakage even after using them almost everyday. You can coat them in olive oil too and they'll eventually snap so you can just slide them right out.

RingletedManiac
May 13th, 2014, 05:48 AM
I sleep with my hair braided, is that unhealthy for it? I've done this for a while now, does anyone have any tips?

Stray_mind
May 13th, 2014, 05:54 AM
I never use silicone bands for my hair. I use the ones made of fabric, so i have no such problems. I used those with metal thingies on them earlier and they broke my hair like crazy.. I had so many broken flyaways on my head and my hair seemed so thin... Now i don't use them and my hair is much healthier and happier.

PrincessPhoebe
May 13th, 2014, 06:12 AM
Those little silicone ones cause crazy breakage for me too. I only use the fold over elastic type now.

redredrobin
May 13th, 2014, 06:24 AM
I don't use those little hair ties but I do braid my hair every night for bed. I have to, if not it tangles too much. I considered a bun but I was told it would tear the hair at the nape (not sure if plaiting is any better, it just seems looser and less problematic than a bun!). My end are already damaged so its hard to tell if its a problem for me. Maybe I should try a different style for bed and see.

queenovnight
May 13th, 2014, 06:36 AM
I recently realized something similar. I was using hair-ties and those silicone rubber bands. When I joined the forum, I noticed a huge hype on hairsticks, so I went and made some. I've been using them ever since. Now I don't get any breakage, way less split ends, and I can now see that my hair grows rather fast. I now only use hairsticks and I will NEVER go back to hair-ties and cheap rubber bands.

florenonite
May 13th, 2014, 06:52 AM
Those little silicone ones cause crazy breakage for me too. I only use the fold over elastic type now.

What about with accent braids? I don't really think of silicone and fabric elastics as an either/or thing; I use the silicone ones for small, accent braids, and the fabric ones for thicker braids. So my usual night-time braid has one thick fabric-covered elastic.

Bagginslover
May 13th, 2014, 07:28 AM
If you still want to use up your silicone/rubber bands, try wrapping your end with a piece of ribbon first, then putting the band over it. As I said, it doesn't seem to damage my hair, but thats what I'd do if it did (hate to waste them when I have so many ;) )

hikarilu
May 13th, 2014, 10:37 AM
I have found, that if I cut the bands out, rather than try to remove them, they are low-damage (I would say no damage, but everything is damaging to some degree). I just lift one 'coil' of the band, and slide a knife/scissors under it. I don't need to actually cut, the pressure on the sharp edge does it for me

That's actually EXACTLY what my hairdresser told me to do if I absolutely have to use them in my hair :o

Larki
May 13th, 2014, 10:40 AM
You're talking about the tiny clear ones, right? What else could you use instead of them? I mean, the whole purpose of using those ones is to keep them from being visible. Would you have to use bobby pins instead?

PrincessPhoebe
May 13th, 2014, 10:47 AM
What about with accent braids? I don't really think of silicone and fabric elastics as an either/or thing; I use the silicone ones for small, accent braids, and the fabric ones for thicker braids. So my usual night-time braid has one thick fabric-covered elastic.

Totally agree that it's not an either/or thing. Unfortunately I've got some quite brittle ends so I've just had to give up accent braids for the time being as I couldn't think of another way of fastening them off :confused:. Hopefully once I've finished trimming out my damage I will be able to do the occasional accent braid without unpleasant consequences. For now I just have to admire everyone else's intricate braided styles.

Anje
May 13th, 2014, 10:56 AM
Yeah, those little silicone hair ties eat my hair like crazy. I get better luck with the poly bands, though they still need some careful handling.

I'm a big advocate of sleep bonnets, btw, with hair loose inside. I can't sleep comfortably in a bun, and I have a cat that attacks braid tassels, so it's definitely my preferred option.

browneyedsusan
May 13th, 2014, 12:06 PM
Yup, I've had that, too. I started seeing splits and breakage at APL when I was making a lot of accent braids to keep my bangs in. Still, I can't stay away from those little silicone bands every now and then! They're just too fun and almost invisible. I sleep in a topknot held with a jawclip, or a braid held with a covered band.

Nadine <3
May 13th, 2014, 01:20 PM
I use those, but only if I'm wearing braid out and about. For at home and bed time I usually use small fabric colorful ones. When I do use the silicone ones I cut them out...but I can slip them off without any problem as long as I don't fasten them to tight. I put them on on rather loose so they slide right of when I'm ready.

meteor
May 13th, 2014, 01:36 PM
I sleep with my hair braided, is that unhealthy for it? I've done this for a while now, does anyone have any tips?

Braiding hair for bed is great for reducing tangling and damage, just make sure you use silk ribbon/paranda or a silk scrunchie to tie off your braid. Some people can successfully leave their braid without a tie overnight, depending on how grabby hair is.

meteor
May 13th, 2014, 01:40 PM
What about with accent braids? I don't really think of silicone and fabric elastics as an either/or thing; I use the silicone ones for small, accent braids, and the fabric ones for thicker braids. So my usual night-time braid has one thick fabric-covered elastic.

I never even tie off accent braids, and I don't even bother braiding those braids to the very end. I just braid enough to get that visible accent going and then add the accent braid(s) into my main bun / braid or whatever. It holds perfectly well in any style (unless you are wearing hair down).
If the accent braid is positioned in a way that it absolutely needs holding, I use a bobby pin.

Quasiquixotic
May 13th, 2014, 01:45 PM
Interesting. I'm definitely interested in cutting all hair ties out of my hair wardrobe, but it's so hard! I bought some fold over elastic and started making my own hair ties that way. So far they seem like a great option when I need a pony tail. I got a few colors that will hopefully match my hair color more when my hendigo grows out. But the etsy seller I got it from had a very narrow option as well so I got some of that hoping to make accent braid ties out of foe. It's an 1/8 wide. I think it might work if I can figure out an easier way to tie them so freaking small. I might make them bigger and just loop them more often...:hmm:

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o246/Quasiquixotic/imagejpg1_zps1e632788.jpg

IGIT
May 15th, 2014, 05:33 PM
Thanks for the reminder!! I hate those hair ties. They break my hair too :rant:

roseomalley
May 15th, 2014, 09:33 PM
I also cut the silicone bands out when I use them. At night, I sleep in a bun held up by corkscrew pins. I have a silk pillowcase. I tried so hard to use a silk sleep bonnet, but I could sleep with it on my head.