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View Full Version : Hair breakage won't stop!



samanthajenalyn
November 9th, 2014, 02:38 PM
Hi everyone. So, in the past, I have seriously damaged my hair. Perms, daily washing, daily straightening, dying, etc. But for almost two years now I have stopped using SLS and only wash once to twice a week, use oils, no silicones, I do not use heat on my hair, don't dye it, no brushing, and and generally treat it good. Since last January I have cut quite a lot of my length off in hopes of cutting the damage out. While my hair is in significantly better shape, I'm still getting more split ends than I would like. My hopes are to grow my hair out long, but I don't feel like I will EVER get to do that because I can't seem to get rid of these split ends. I always end up having to trim my hair every few months. (BTW, my hair growth is pretty slow. I feel like it's slower than normal, always has been.) I work with infants, so I wear my hair up on a daily basis to keep it out of their way. My layers prevent it from staying in braids, so usually I wear it in a pony tail, or in a claw clip. I'm out of ideas of what else I can do to stop these split ends, other than chop it to above my shoulders, which I REALLY do not want to do. I could really use some of ya'lls advise :)

Cania
November 9th, 2014, 02:58 PM
It will probably continue to break until you have grown the damage out, realistically. A lot of us have had to go through this stage at some point, you just have to be patient :) It sounds like you are doing everything right at this point. S&Ding would help prevent length loss from trims.

Many people here have had success with henna or cassia dramatically reducing breakage while they grow out damage.

ETA: just reread your post, ponytails aren't very protective and buns would probably help reduce damage more. What do you use to secure your hair?

lapushka
November 9th, 2014, 03:25 PM
Hi everyone. So, in the past, I have seriously damaged my hair. Perms, daily washing, daily straightening, dying, etc. But for almost two years now I have stopped using SLS and only wash once to twice a week, use oils, no silicones, I do not use heat on my hair, don't dye it, no brushing, and and generally treat it good. Since last January I have cut quite a lot of my length off in hopes of cutting the damage out. While my hair is in significantly better shape, I'm still getting more split ends than I would like. My hopes are to grow my hair out long, but I don't feel like I will EVER get to do that because I can't seem to get rid of these split ends. I always end up having to trim my hair every few months. (BTW, my hair growth is pretty slow. I feel like it's slower than normal, always has been.) I work with infants, so I wear my hair up on a daily basis to keep it out of their way. My layers prevent it from staying in braids, so usually I wear it in a pony tail, or in a claw clip. I'm out of ideas of what else I can do to stop these split ends, other than chop it to above my shoulders, which I REALLY do not want to do. I could really use some of ya'lls advise :)

2 years of virgin growth, that's about shoulder length hair. Up to that part your hair is healthy. The rest is damaged and needs to be treated as such. You will get breakage still *until* *all* of your hair is new growth.

Annalouise
November 9th, 2014, 03:38 PM
"Perms...daily straightening.."
Seems to be some confusion there about whether you want straight hair or curly hair..! haha, just kidding.

Seriously though, besides not using SLS, silicones, dye and heat what types of hair products are you using?
Do you know if your hair likes proteins or not?

MeAndTheMaz
November 9th, 2014, 04:00 PM
I'm thinking along the same lines as lapushka. Two years growth is only, on average, 12". So if you want to be done with the damaged stuff, you're going to have to make the sacrifice.

Other than that, it's frequent trims and/or S&D (with sharp scissors).

LauraLongLocks
November 9th, 2014, 05:01 PM
So frustrating when your hair seems to grow on the slow side and you have to keep trimming. I don't have anymore advice than has already been given, but wanted to encourage you not to give up. Growing healthy hair takes time. It will grow. Just keep trimming out the damage and babying your ends. You'll get there eventually. Right now I am a big fan of trimming half your growth every month so you see progress in both length and in health at the same time. For me, that is 5 mm a month. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up.

chen bao jun
November 9th, 2014, 07:34 PM
Protein treatments are your friend. Joico K pak, aphogee, things like that. when I first came on here two and 1/2 years ago and had destroyed, damaged ends, I did protein treatments, as well as heavy duty moisturizing and kept my hair up 24/7. and it kept my ends on my head, though it was a pain. That first winter, it was too short to bun, I french braided it around my head and would leave the french braids in for 3 or 4 days to lessen manipulation, and would protein every two weeks or so. Eventually it grows out enough so that you can cut the dead ends off and still have long hair (though I actually haven't completely done that yet, just dusted them bit by bit. They are now at the point though where they are just drier than the rest of my hair and prone to tangling but not completely fried anymore. and keeping them on has not stopped my hair from growing).

Nadine <3
November 9th, 2014, 07:45 PM
Lots of good advice here, but I wanted to add my 2 cents worth. I have some damaged (nothing severe, but I get splits and white dots) layers in my front. I have found that using some silicone on my hair does a good job at sealing split ends so they do not split more. It's been helping me grow those bits out faster since I don't have to keep trimming them. I only have to use the cones every other wash.

Hotrox
November 10th, 2014, 02:17 AM
Lots of good advice here, but I wanted to add my 2 cents worth. I have some damaged (nothing severe, but I get splits and white dots) layers in my front. I have found that using some silicone on my hair does a good job at sealing split ends so they do not split more. It's been helping me grow those bits out faster since I don't have to keep trimming them. I only have to use the cones every other wash.

I was going to suggest the same thing, cones can offer some protection and 'patching' over of the damage hair so it tangles less, and is less prone to further damage. You can get water soluble ones that will come out with a no-poo shampoo.

JustPam
November 10th, 2014, 04:36 AM
I'm in the same boat, I have 18 months of virgin growth, and the rest has been bleached/dyed, straightened daily, and backcombed, the unholy trinity of damage! I get, and expect to continue getting, splits and dots and crinkles until all the non-virgin hair is gone. Just a (very long) waiting game :(

Marbid
November 10th, 2014, 07:48 AM
Yup.. Its a much longer waiting time to get ridmofmthe damage that was done in a few days (or years of mistreat) than what one would expect.. But some cones can help cover it up (not heal, just cover up, hair can never heal. Its not alive to do that)

Also. Pony tails cause sharp streess at just one point of the hair (the part bend and compressed under the elastic. It is ok for once in a blue moon as a style. But it is in no way protective. You will end up breaking your hair at the part where the elastic is, and because it is close to your scalp you are putting pressure on your healthy hair.. You should really consider the world of buns. And dont put pressure on any one sole point in your hair.. Bending the hair repeatedly on the same place snaps it.

The whole point of why so many lhc ladies like theor forks and sticks here is because we can so buns that tuck away the ends, the hair is not bent too tightly in any one place, we have variety of buns so that we do not bend the hair repeatedly on the same angle in the same hairs... And we do it all while looking pretty and complicated. Its a super win win situation....

The pony tail is not. (does not ven protect the ends )

ChloeDharma
November 10th, 2014, 08:33 AM
When I first joined here I was growing out chemical damage from colouring my hair. It was curly back then and with the damage just looked a frizzy mess. I would apply oil and no matter how much I put on it would just look dry still. Unfortunately it is a slow process and very frustrating but you can grow out damage without having to cut it all off in one go.
Here is what worked for me (though I can't remember everything I did over that period)

First I gave up shampoo, this was essential for me as even CO washing left my hair dry and frizzy. I started CO washing once or twice a week but each wash was a DT. I mixed honey with conditioner and sometimes aloe for an SMT. I also added essential oils known for growth like rosemary and ylang ylang. I used conditioners containing cones, these helped a lot protecting the damaged hair and smoothing it somewhat so that it didn't catch and tangle so easily. I kept my hair oiled all the time with coconut oil and only wore a bun, my hair was only loose when I detangled and brushed or when air drying. I used other oils too including sesame, almond, macadamia, jojoba, castor (only the night before a wash though as it was too thick to keep in my hair too long) and avocado. I would use aloe gel and jojoba as a leave in after washing. I misted daily with various mixes that I can't remember but I know I put a drop of glycerine in it and essential oils, I would also add aloe gel and a little bit of jojoba oil. Oh and I used an ACV rinse after every wash.
Once I discovered yogurt DT's that transformed my hair from the first use, I still rave about them now as I found them so good.
Hennaing also helped hugely. I was also massaging my scalp and using a BBB twice a day.

In terms of trimming I got half an inch removed every three months. This kept my ends from tangling but allowed me to still gain length while removing damage.

My best advice though would be to keep it bunned to protect it and try not to think too much about it, easier said than done I know.

Using that routine I grew my hair from a very damaged frizzy shoulderish length mess to shiny well conditioned waist length hair that I got compliments on. Unfortunately a while after I got ill and lost lots of thickness which started another hair battle lol but that's another story.

Panth
November 10th, 2014, 12:04 PM
Hi everyone. So, in the past, I have seriously damaged my hair. Perms, daily washing, daily straightening, dying, etc. But for almost two years now I have stopped using SLS and only wash once to twice a week, use oils, no silicones, I do not use heat on my hair, don't dye it, no brushing, and and generally treat it good. Since last January I have cut quite a lot of my length off in hopes of cutting the damage out. While my hair is in significantly better shape, I'm still getting more split ends than I would like. My hopes are to grow my hair out long, but I don't feel like I will EVER get to do that because I can't seem to get rid of these split ends. I always end up having to trim my hair every few months. (BTW, my hair growth is pretty slow. I feel like it's slower than normal, always has been.) I work with infants, so I wear my hair up on a daily basis to keep it out of their way. My layers prevent it from staying in braids, so usually I wear it in a pony tail, or in a claw clip. I'm out of ideas of what else I can do to stop these split ends, other than chop it to above my shoulders, which I REALLY do not want to do. I could really use some of ya'lls advise :)

My 2 cents:

1) SLS is often a good thing to cut out (more for scalp health than to prevent hair damage), but may not be necessary depending on your hair.

2) Going 'cone-free when you've got highly damaged hair is generally a bad idea. That's precisely what those 'cones are designed for - to patch-repair damaged hair, increase its slip and shine, reduce its frizz, tangles and static and generally make it look better and act more manageably (which not only makes you happier but prevents further damage, e.g. from having to rip out tangles). I'd strongly recommend returning to 'cones. If you're worried about build-up, either choose 'cones that won't build up (anti-build-up 'cones like the amino-cones and/or water soluble 'cones like the PEG-cones) and/or choose shampoos that contain sulphate-free cleansers that can remove all 'cones (i.e. shampoos with cocoamidopropyl betaine as the principle ingredient).

3) Ponytails are, as others have said, not at all protective and will, if done repeatedly, cause damage at the point where the band is. Claw clips, depending on how you are using them and how they are made (e.g. do they have rough edges, snaggy bits, etc.?) can be pretty non-protective too. You could try french/dutch braids (single, double, crown braids, etc.) to contain the layers or learn some other protective updos, e.g. buns, french twists, peacock twists, etc. Invest in some hair-friendly tools, e.g. spin pins, scrunchies, hair forks, hair sticks, Amish pins, etc. They don't have to be expensive - check out the self-made hairtoys thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=131) or the pay it forward thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=124506) if you're on a budget.

4) You'd do well from adding other patch-repairing or penetrating ingredients to your routine. E.g. protein, ceramides, panthenol, coconut oil, etc. Many of these ingredients can be found in cheap conditioners if you just spend some time looking. To learn more about the science of haircare ingredients, I very much recommend this blog (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/). Yes, it's aimed at curlies, but many of the problems encountered by curly hair (particularly curly hair growing out relaxer / straightener damage) are very similar to those encountered by bleach/dye/straightener-damaged non-curly hair (and, indeed, by classic+ hair of all types) so it's great information to know.

5) The short answer is, however, that you'll just have to baby your hair and wait until it grows, getting rid of that damaged stuff one way or another - either with a big chop, regular trims, microtrims, S&D or waiting until it weathers off.

samanthajenalyn
November 10th, 2014, 05:08 PM
I've never really noticed a difference in my hair whether or not I used 'cones, so I figured I would just stop using them. I stopped using sulfates because I realized that is what was making my scalp produce so much oil. And also I have scalp psoriasis, and haven't had any flare ups since I stopped using sulfates. Maybe sulfates were aggravating it? I'm not sure lol. I do own a hair stick, but I just can't ever seem to do any buns with my hair. Maybe it isn't long enough yet? Stretched, my hair is about half an inch above APL. (Hoping to be there by Christmas!) but not stretched, it's just below CBL. Should I be able to use hair sticks now? Am I just not doing them right? Lol I've been S&Ding about twice a month. I would rather do that than cut it to shoulder length. Thank you guys for all of your help :)

Chocowalnut
November 10th, 2014, 09:09 PM
I feel you. It really seems like I have been having much more breakage and shedding than I ever had when I mistreated my hair. All I can say is keep treating your hair right, get it as healthy as you can, and just let it grow- trim off the damage as you go.

Panth
November 11th, 2014, 12:53 AM
I've never really noticed a difference in my hair whether or not I used 'cones, so I figured I would just stop using them. I stopped using sulfates because I realized that is what was making my scalp produce so much oil. And also I have scalp psoriasis, and haven't had any flare ups since I stopped using sulfates. Maybe sulfates were aggravating it? I'm not sure lol. I do own a hair stick, but I just can't ever seem to do any buns with my hair. Maybe it isn't long enough yet? Stretched, my hair is about half an inch above APL. (Hoping to be there by Christmas!) but not stretched, it's just below CBL. Should I be able to use hair sticks now? Am I just not doing them right? Lol I've been S&Ding about twice a month. I would rather do that than cut it to shoulder length. Thank you guys for all of your help :)

It's entirely possible that sulphates were aggravating your psoriasis. In that case, I'd recommend keeping the 'cones but ditching the sulphates. You can do that, as I said, by either choosing 'cones that won't build up and/or by using shampoos containing cocoamidopropyl betaine (which removes all cones, just like sulphates do, but is much, much gentler on the scalp).

I'm not an expert on buns, but perhaps try with a pair of hairsticks rather than one (holding a bun securely with just one seems to be a bit of an artform). Whether buns are possible depends not only on length but thickness. As you're a i/ii, I'd say that it's probable that there'd be at least a few you could do (provided that thickness classifier is correct). You could also consider doing two buns or doing a single bun by sectioning (e.g. section as if for a half-up, bun the top half, then wrap the bottom half around your bun). Splitting/sectioning the hair makes it easier to bun, because you have a greater length compared to the thickness - and that, rather than absolute length, is the critical factor for whether buns are possible.

LadyLongLocks
November 11th, 2014, 06:59 AM
Now that you know what damaged your hair just keep growing and trimming. Eventually you will get there and have healthy hair and will never go through this growing out period again.

LadyLongLocks
November 11th, 2014, 07:11 AM
On the other hand you might try a deep treatment to add strength to your hair. I use this one NeXxus (http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=265210&catid=183400&aid=338666&aparam=265210&kpid=265210&CAWELAID=120142990000002017&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=265210)
Clarify your hair to remove buildup.
shampoo and towel dry (skip your conditioner this time)
apply the Nexxus in sections on the entire length.
pin it up in sections and wait an hour.
Use a heat cap if possible.
Rinse out with cool/warm water.

:)