PDA

View Full Version : Permanent frizz/disrupted wave pattern caused by updos? (photo)



maskedrose
September 19th, 2014, 12:24 PM
Does anyone else experience a marked difference in texture down the length that begins right about where updos start? Frizz seems to be an unavoidable element of my hair type (1c/2a) and I know I have residual damage down the length from highlighting and sun-in. I have about a year and a half of totally virgin growth, and I really thought that growing out virgin was going to help out the frizz tremendously...especially since the new growth was so smooth and shiny. However, now that it has grown the spot where I start many of my buns, it seems to have lost that smooth and frizz free texture. I'm always careful to twist loosely and I vary my updos frequently. I've started wearing more over the shoulder braids to help combat this issue, but I'm wondering if wearing my hair up 80% of the time is causing my wave pattern to be disrupted? Even when I am very careful to only detangle in the shower with conditioner and drip dry with no manipulation...I still get tons of frizz and individual strands that don't want to play well as a group.

Photo to demonstrate where the frizz starts. This was from March, and the super poufy spot that you can see here HAS moved down the length, but the virgin growth isn't nearly as smooth as it is here. Any ideas/recommendations? Also, this photo is pre-BSL chop. The lovely loose spirals that begin right about where the photo ends were chopped off, and have not yet returned (I used to classify myself as a 2c..but the curls were due to damage, I think).
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee112/maskedrose21/e7860df8-76d2-4d1d-8a1e-c4eaa8ba7b43.jpg

ladonna
September 19th, 2014, 01:08 PM
You could try rubbing a teeny tiny bit of oil between your palms and then lightly swipe it on that area, that's what I do.

meteor
September 19th, 2014, 01:33 PM
You could try rubbing a teeny tiny bit of oil between your palms and then lightly swipe it on that area, that's what I do.

^This definitely.

Also, I'd recommend protecting that area with hats/scarves when you are out in the sun. Bleached hair is even more prone to UV damage than virgin hair.

You've got really beautiful hair! :D Honestly, I can't tell from this picture if it's damage or just slightly roughened cuticle. Since you mention that you are very careful and gentle putting hair up, I suspect that the culprit is probably bleach rather than updos.
Since you've had some bleached highlights, that hair is more porous than your virgin hair, and I'd recommend being extra-gentle with that canopy hair, sleeping on silk satin, using only high quality detangling tools and using oils and hydrolyzed proteins to patch-repair damage temporarily.

This is a helpful article:
Managing hair elasticity and porosity: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/managing-elasticity-and-porosity-in-hair.html

lapushka
September 19th, 2014, 01:37 PM
Try smoothing some gel over it. Take a dot of gel, rub it between your palms, then lightly touch the frizz only (so don't rub it on your hair, only lightly touch).

maskedrose
September 19th, 2014, 01:54 PM
Oh yes, I oil regularly...sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't for smoothing. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase. I should reiterate that my old highlights start at roughly shoulder length in this photo, and the rest is damage from very infrequent sun-in. Also, even the salon highlights were not bleach, but peroxide. Obviously still damaging though. I guess I will continue to baby it and hopefully the virgin growth will be at last a little less frizzy than the rest.

Also...I've been on this forum for 7 years, and have pretty much tried it all. I just wish I had given up lightening completely back when I joined, but such is life. My hair is just too fine and fragile to grow past waist with any kind of mechanical damage.

meteor
September 19th, 2014, 02:48 PM
Unfortunately, Sun-In causes damage, too: the first ingredient is hydrogen peroxide. :( Bottom line is, it's impossible to lighten hair without damaging it somewhat. Peroxide/bleach damage can create a different (somewhat wiry, frizzy) texture - that's pretty normal.
I'm growing out my highlights myself and my virgin hair is slippery (has different texture) compared to more frizz-prone highlights. The highlighted area simply needs significantly more intense conditioning with penetrating oils, hydrolyzed proteins, ceramides, 18-mea, panthenol, silicones... - but of course, damage can only be masked, not undone.

Madora
September 19th, 2014, 06:45 PM
I vote for a wee drop or two of mineral oil. You apply the MO to your hands, not directly on the scalp. Best done on hair that has been clarified first, but you can put it on damp (not soaking wet) hair. Once your hands are covered with the oil (only use 2 drops), then run your hands through your hair several times until the sheen has almost vanished.

MO is lightweight, leaves no after scent, washes out during your next shampoo. Great for taming frizzies and as a detangler and moisturizer.

inanna
September 20th, 2014, 01:29 PM
I can definitely relate to this! I've not been on the LHC wagon for too long so mine might be at least partly due to mechanical damage, but I think the updo frizz just gets more noticeable when other types of frizz get toned down with better haircare.

My current theory is that sticking out at unfortunate angles is just a thing that fine 1C/2A hair does sometimes. My hair seems to be a bit like memory foam, especially if I do something with it while it's damp it'll more or less follow that shape for a few days and might persist even after being washed. I'm hoping that the frizz is really just growing hair that gets trained to bend that way in various updos and so sticks up when I'm wearing my hair down.

two_wheels
September 20th, 2014, 03:29 PM
Hello 2a-sister! LOC works for me, i.e. I rake through when my hair is dripping wet, 1. pea-sized amount of conditioner 2. fingernail-scraping amount of coconut oil 3. pea-sized amount of gel. The gel is what stops the frizz, I tried leaving it out and the frizz came back. Hope you find something that works for you :blossom:

spidermom
September 20th, 2014, 04:18 PM
I get that if I don't use gel or something to smooth it down. I think it's just what new growth does on wavy hair types - fluff out. If I don't do anything, my hair looks really witchy. It's not damage (well, maybe a little of it).