Help ASAP Hair snapping

[Number 3]

I didn't think it was a problem until now

When wet, my hair has elasticity, but not when dry.

So, my hair has been heat damaged for years, I started taking care of it but the split ends were traveling all the way up, but what made me do the big chop is most of my hair strands were not equal in thickness, it would be 1 inch thick then 1/10 inch thin, then thick again. see the following image (kinky hair)
http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/kinkycurly.jpg

and here the bottom strand

http://s239.photobucket.com/user/shoppingpiglet/media/hair/wonkyhair.jpg.html


I though my hair was fried up because of heat.

Now after months of the chop my hair (most) still grows "kinky" and that's the worst because it breaks and splits in the transition area, where it changes from thick to thin or vice versa.

I'm shocked because I thought it was heat damage, but I'm talking about new growth.


I don't know what my hair needs.

[meteor]

My immediate thought is: Oil it! I'd do both pre-poo and leave-in oiling at this point.
I'd also use moisturizing treatments, like an SMT, or something with lots of emollients (oils, butters, silicones) and humectants (glycerin, aloe, honey).
If the air is really dry where you live, you might benefit from a humidifier.

Also try keeping it up as much as possible, sleeping on silk/satin or any smooth materials and avoiding unnecessary manipulation until your hair restores its elasticity.

[Panth]

How long is your hair now and how long was it when you stopped using heat? How long (exactly) has it been since you stopped using heat?

Also, what is the rest of your routine?

Are you sure that your hairtyping is correct? Did you follow the instructions in the hairtyping thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252)?

As meteor said, the first thought that comes to mind when hair is brittle is that it lacks sufficient moisture / is overloaded with protein. You can check that you aren't overusing protein by checking for ingredients/descriptions such as protein, amino acids, soy, silk, keratin, etc. in your shampoo, conditioner and/or leave-ins. Some people have happy hair when using lots of protein-containing products (e.g. me!) but others find that they need to be used in moderation, rarely or (sometimes) not at all. The general recommendation is to stop using protein-containing products for a while and do a few heavy moisturising treatments, e.g. SMTs, to attempt to restore the balance. Once balance is restored, you can then experiment to determine how much use of protein-containing products is best for you, as protein does have many benefits particularly for hair that is fine, damaged or particularly long.

Without knowing more specifics of your damage and your routine, I can't suggest anything more helpful, sorry.

[Chocowalnut]

My hair is kinky like that too. Idk why b/c I take good care of it now also. I'll check back to see if anything works for you

[Number 3]

My immediate thought is: Oil it! I'd do both pre-poo and leave-in oiling at this point.
I'd also use moisturizing treatments, like an SMT, or something with lots of emollients (oils, butters, silicones) and humectants (glycerin, aloe, honey).
If the air is really dry where you live, you might benefit from a humidifier.

Also try keeping it up as much as possible, sleeping on silk/satin or any smooth materials and avoiding unnecessary manipulation until your hair restores its elasticity.

I have jojoba oil atm, will leave it for about 4 hours in plastic cap.
I did SMT a couple of times this month. I will turn the humidifier on.

Thanks.



How long is your hair now and how long was it when you stopped using heat? How long (exactly) has it been since you stopped using heat?

Also, what is the rest of your routine?

Are you sure that your hairtyping is correct? Did you follow the instructions in the hairtyping thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252)?

As meteor said, the first thought that comes to mind when hair is brittle is that it lacks sufficient moisture / is overloaded with protein. You can check that you aren't overusing protein by checking for ingredients/descriptions such as protein, amino acids, soy, silk, keratin, etc. in your shampoo, conditioner and/or leave-ins. Some people have happy hair when using lots of protein-containing products (e.g. me!) but others find that they need to be used in moderation, rarely or (sometimes) not at all. The general recommendation is to stop using protein-containing products for a while and do a few heavy moisturising treatments, e.g. SMTs, to attempt to restore the balance. Once balance is restored, you can then experiment to determine how much use of protein-containing products is best for you, as protein does have many benefits particularly for hair that is fine, damaged or particularly long.

Without knowing more specifics of your damage and your routine, I can't suggest anything more helpful, sorry.

It's a little below APL now, and it was almost waist length before chopping. And in that period I did micro trimming each month about 0.5-1.5 inches.
I think I stopped heat 7-11 months ago.
My hair type is similar to the 2c/3a/m/ii pic but the curls will stretch a bit if my hair was as long as hers.

My routine was and still: (Note: this routine was after I noticed the "Kinky" hair and stopped using heat)
Henna 1 a month
Senna 1-2 a month (I started this about 2-3 months, I used to henna twice a month or henna every week)
I stopped henna and senna about 4 weeks ago, plan on mixing henna with coconut milk later this week.

I use shampoo bars and ACV rinse
I oil my hair at least once a week (mostly coconut oil)
I use castor oil on my scalp

Note: I only started using clarifying shampoo lately.

I use tresemme naturals conditioner for rinsing henna or for SMT.

I've never had a protein treatment until this month, but the problem was present before. I thought my hair was fried up and that's what cause the uneven thickness.



My hair is kinky like that too. Idk why b/c I take good care of it now also. I'll check back to see if anything works for you

All you hair?

[Panth]

It's a little below APL now, and it was almost waist length before chopping. And in that period I did micro trimming each month about 0.5-1.5 inches.
I think I stopped heat 7-11 months ago.
My hair type is similar to the 2c/3a/m/ii pic but the curls will stretch a bit if my hair was as long as hers.

My routine was and still: (Note: this routine was after I noticed the "Kinky" hair and stopped using heat)
Henna 1 a month
Senna 1-2 a month (I started this about 2-3 months, I used to henna twice a month or henna every week)
I stopped henna and senna about 4 weeks ago, plan on mixing henna with coconut milk later this week.

I use shampoo bars and ACV rinse
I oil my hair at least once a week (mostly coconut oil)
I use castor oil on my scalp

Note: I only started using clarifying shampoo lately.

I use tresemme naturals conditioner for rinsing henna or for SMT.

I've never had a protein treatment until this month, but the problem was present before. I thought my hair was fried up and that's what cause the uneven thickness.

Ok, thoughts based on that:

Hair grows on average 0.5" per month. If you only stopped heat 7-11 months ago, then only the upper maybe 3.5-5.5" of new growth will be totally undamaged. The rest will still be damaged from your heat usage and there's nothing you can do to fix that damage (though there are things you can do to help make it more manageable, make it look better and prevent it from getting even more damaged, e.g. 'cones to add slip and shine and prevent static and tangles; protein and other patch-repair ingredients to patch the damaged spots, helping prevent further wear). It's quite possible (depending on how often, how hot, and quite how you used heat) that your "kinky" hairs are simply the product of irreversible heat damage.

I can't really comment on the henna and senna as I don't really know anything about those. Perhaps head to the Natural Haircare section of the forums to ask?

It is possible that you're overusing oil. I'm not sure how effectively shampoo bars remove oil. Depending on hairtype and amount per application, using coconut oil more than weekly could well be excessive. Also, some people's hair just doesn't like coconut oil. How are you using your coconut oil? On damp hair? On dry hair? As a pre-poo? If using it on dry hair it is possible that you are forming an occlusive barrier that is keeping your hair in an overly dry state. OTT on coconut oil can feel a bit like protein overdose sometimes (possibly because, when used with long applications it penetrates the hair shaft, possibly because it helps prevent protein loss, possibly just because of the way an excess feels on the surface and because of its (like all oils) occlusive properties?).

If you've had the problem prior to ever using protein treatments (and you're absolutely sure that none of your products contain protein), then I guess it's not that, despite it being the most obvious cause.

[meteor]

Ok, thoughts based on that:

Hair grows on average 0.5" per month. If you only stopped heat 7-11 months ago, then only the upper maybe 3.5-5.5" of new growth will be totally undamaged. The rest will still be damaged from your heat usage and there's nothing you can do to fix that damage (though there are things you can do to help make it more manageable, make it look better and prevent it from getting even more damaged, e.g. 'cones to add slip and shine and prevent static and tangles; protein and other patch-repair ingredients to patch the damaged spots, helping prevent further wear). It's quite possible (depending on how often, how hot, and quite how you used heat) that your "kinky" hairs are simply the product of irreversible heat damage.

I can't really comment on the henna and senna as I don't really know anything about those. Perhaps head to the Natural Haircare section of the forums to ask?

It is possible that you're overusing oil. I'm not sure how effectively shampoo bars remove oil. Depending on hairtype and amount per application, using coconut oil more than weekly could well be excessive. Also, some people's hair just doesn't like coconut oil. How are you using your coconut oil? On damp hair? On dry hair? As a pre-poo? If using it on dry hair it is possible that you are forming an occlusive barrier that is keeping your hair in an overly dry state. OTT on coconut oil can feel a bit like protein overdose sometimes (possibly because, when used with long applications it penetrates the hair shaft, possibly because it helps prevent protein loss, possibly just because of the way an excess feels on the surface and because of its (like all oils) occlusive properties?).

If you've had the problem prior to ever using protein treatments (and you're absolutely sure that none of your products contain protein), then I guess it's not that, despite it being the most obvious cause.

^I really agree with all of this. ^ :agree:

Also, it could be that you are experiencing some coating, build-up. If you use both henna and senna, it's quite possible, as many people report that after henna or cassia their hair gets somewhat dry/coated and stops liking proteins and old hair products that it used to like. Some report that they require more moisturizing (and less strengthening) conditioners than they used to. There are a couple threads on this right now, for example:
Henna and protein sensitivity: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128639
My new henna doesn't like my shampoo: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=99396

I think having heat damage plus strengthening coating from henna and senna could be a bit of a double whammy for dryness, so moisturizing treatments (after clarifying and possibly chelating) are probably the way to go, IMHO. :)

(I'll add that coconut oil can make hair crunchy if used in excessive amounts or if it solidifies in hair at room temperature or colder.)

[Number 3]

Ok, thoughts based on that:

Hair grows on average 0.5" per month. If you only stopped heat 7-11 months ago, then only the upper maybe 3.5-5.5" of new growth will be totally undamaged. The rest will still be damaged from your heat usage and there's nothing you can do to fix that damage (though there are things you can do to help make it more manageable, make it look better and prevent it from getting even more damaged, e.g. 'cones to add slip and shine and prevent static and tangles; protein and other patch-repair ingredients to patch the damaged spots, helping prevent further wear). It's quite possible (depending on how often, how hot, and quite how you used heat) that your "kinky" hairs are simply the product of irreversible heat damage.




I just measured the new growth, it was 5 inches, but if we add the trimmed I did which was at least 3 inches it will be 8 inches total growth.

My bangs were trimmed once and it grew almost 4.5 inches

But the kinky bumps are present clearly at the root, and breakage is happening 4 inches from the root.




It is possible that you're overusing oil. I'm not sure how effectively shampoo bars remove oil. Depending on hairtype and amount per application, using coconut oil more than weekly could well be excessive. Also, some people's hair just doesn't like coconut oil. How are you using your coconut oil? On damp hair? On dry hair? As a pre-poo? If using it on dry hair it is possible that you are forming an occlusive barrier that is keeping your hair in an overly dry state. OTT on coconut oil can feel a bit like protein overdose sometimes (possibly because, when used with long applications it penetrates the hair shaft, possibly because it helps prevent protein loss, possibly just because of the way an excess feels on the surface and because of its (like all oils) occlusive properties?).

If you've had the problem prior to ever using protein treatments (and you're absolutely sure that none of your products contain protein), then I guess it's not that, despite it being the most obvious cause.

All oils I use them as a pre-poo on dry hair, I get better results. And the problem was present before I took action and tried to save my hair. My old routine was no SLS shampoo and sometimes I follow up with Garnier triple nutrition conditioner. And no leave-in product. (I've heared it's better to use oils and masks on dry hair to absorb the product better than wet hair where hair already has water and will absorb less)

Then I started henna and oiling trying to save it, but as mentioned above the split ends were racing to the top. The kinky hair wasn't an issue for me as I thought it was a result of excessive heat, thinking I would grow healthy kinky free hair. But I was wrong. Then I started thinking if it could be bad dieting, but then again I eat healthy and take supplements.

But all of these problem happened before all my care, so I really don't know what to do.

Thanks.





^I really agree with all of this. ^

Also, it could be that you are experiencing some coating, build-up. If you use both henna and senna, it's quite possible, as many people report that after henna or cassia their hair gets somewhat dry/coated and stops liking proteins and old hair products that it used to like. Some report that they require more moisturizing (and less strengthening) conditioners than they used to. There are a couple threads on this right now, for example:
Henna and protein sensitivity: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...d.php?t=128639
My new henna doesn't like my shampoo: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=99396

I think having heat damage plus strengthening coating from henna and senna could be a bit of a double whammy for dryness, so moisturizing treatments (after clarifying and possibly chelating) are probably the way to go, IMHO.

(I'll add that coconut oil can make hair crunchy if used in excessive amounts or if it solidifies in hair at room temperature or colder.)


I would say that, but all of this was present before all my care.


Thanks.

[nicolezoie]

One thing to keep in mind with curly/wavy hair is that the individual strands are not uniform in thickness. Someone here years ago posted highly magnified images of hair strands that were straight (more or less uniform in thickness) followed by the different degrees of curly, all the way through African curly/kinky hair (which looked a lot like the images you posted). The tighter the curl/kink, the less uniform the strand thickness became. So what you're encountering, where the breakage happens, is where your curl is defining itself, which in turn is where the strands are most delicate.

[Mandymandymandy]

Just wondering if u ever found the cause to your problem as it sounds like my hair