Feeling discouraged about my ends

[Arwenlily]

Something has been going on with my hair and I still don't know what. I have lost a lot of hair and I keep losing it. The worst part is my ends because they are just breaking off and getting thinner and thinner. I can see the severe taper at the end of each curl! I still have some left over heat and color damage but I didn't think it was that bad for all of this. I don't know what to do anymore and I feel very sad. I miss my thick, curly hair.

[Duchess Fuzzy Buns]

When you say you're losing hair is it all breakage? Or is it increased shedding too? If you're losing hair density from excess shedding that's something to go talk to your doctor about as it could be indicative of medical issues. If you think it's all breakage, that's more likely to be something in your routine, though I'm not sure what. Maybe you could give us an idea of your normal hair routine? You said you have damage from previous color and heat styling. Even if you don't think you were all that bad too it, heat and dye are both damaging, and I think curly hair can be more susceptible to breakage from stuff like that.

[lapushka]

Something has been going on with my hair and I still don't know what. I have lost a lot of hair and I keep losing it. The worst part is my ends because they are just breaking off and getting thinner and thinner. I can see the severe taper at the end of each curl! I still have some left over heat and color damage but I didn't think it was that bad for all of this. I don't know what to do anymore and I feel very sad. I miss my thick, curly hair.

I'd blame it on the heat damage and color damage (to a lesser extent probably). Just do a few proper S&D missions and see if you can find white dots or splits. It's probably the only way forward if you don't want to lose length.

[Panth]

What products are you using? Damaged hair has rather different needs to virgin hair. You may want to crack out some of the 'big guns' - protein, 'cones, ceramides, panthenol and other patch-repairing ingredients. You're going to want to maximise patch-repair and minimise tangling and static.

[Arwenlily]

When you say you're losing hair is it all breakage? Or is it increased shedding too? If you're losing hair density from excess shedding that's something to go talk to your doctor about as it could be indicative of medical issues. If you think it's all breakage, that's more likely to be something in your routine, though I'm not sure what. Maybe you could give us an idea of your normal hair routine? You said you have damage from previous color and heat styling. Even if you don't think you were all that bad too it, heat and dye are both damaging, and I think curly hair can be more susceptible to breakage from stuff like that.

I'm not really sure. I have been seeing a dermatologist because I believed my hair was getting thinner and I was having scalp issues. She told me that I do have above average shedding, mentioned I had low ferritin levels, and sebborheic dermatitis. I still do not know what the source of the shedding is. My hair is definitely noticeably thinner, but still looks relatively thick to be average person. But I know that I have a lot of breakage because my ends are thinning as well and I can see the taper on each curl.

As far as my routine goes, I've been switching on and off between shampooing with a medicated shampoo and shampoo bars, and then I condition with Andalou Naturals citrus conditioner or Nature's gate tea tree conditioner. On days I use the shampoo bars, I also use an ACV rinse. I wash my hair every other day. I tried stretching my washes but that increased my shedding and was horrid for my SD. After showering, I usually put some leave-in and then some coconut oil and then I put my hair up into a clip and leave it up until it is mostly dry and then it air dry for the rest of the time.

[Arwenlily]

I'd blame it on the heat damage and color damage (to a lesser extent probably). Just do a few proper S&D missions and see if you can find white dots or splits. It's probably the only way forward if you don't want to lose length.

I've done a few S&D sessions but I never find any splits or white dots. On occasion, I will see one or two knots and I will trim those off. Mostly my ends just seem overly dry. After I wash, they are the first to dry when I air dry my hair. And they look frayed and have difficulty forming clumps for curls now. Also each curl just looks awful because the ends are so fuzzy and broken :(

[Arwenlily]

What products are you using? Damaged hair has rather different needs to virgin hair. You may want to crack out some of the 'big guns' - protein, 'cones, ceramides, panthenol and other patch-repairing ingredients. You're going to want to maximise patch-repair and minimise tangling and static.

Thank you for this advice. I am currently switching between using a medicated shampoo and shampoo bars followed by cone-free conditioner with some protein in them and I believe one conditioner I use has panthenol. Is this enough or should I be doing something else? I also use a good amount of coconut oil.

[JustPam]

Since passing BSL my past damage (heat and bleach) has been much more obvious than it has been at shorter lengths, but I've been trimming so I haven't got any noticeable thinning as you say you have. I'm yet to find the perfect regime, I currently clarify and DC once a month with various things but I might bump that up to twice, also considering rinse out oil method, since I use coney conditioner and serums every day, pre-poo oiling seems redundant.

[lapushka]

Thank you for this advice. I am currently switching between using a medicated shampoo and shampoo bars followed by cone-free conditioner with some protein in them and I believe one conditioner I use has panthenol. Is this enough or should I be doing something else? I also use a good amount of coconut oil.

I think you may need to be using silicones in your conditioner especially, but that's MO.

[Panth]

I'm not really sure. I have been seeing a dermatologist because I believed my hair was getting thinner and I was having scalp issues. She told me that I do have above average shedding, mentioned I had low ferritin levels, and sebborheic dermatitis. I still do not know what the source of the shedding is. My hair is definitely noticeably thinner, but still looks relatively thick to be average person. But I know that I have a lot of breakage because my ends are thinning as well and I can see the taper on each curl.

As far as my routine goes, I've been switching on and off between shampooing with a medicated shampoo and shampoo bars, and then I condition with Andalou Naturals citrus conditioner or Nature's gate tea tree conditioner. On days I use the shampoo bars, I also use an ACV rinse. I wash my hair every other day. I tried stretching my washes but that increased my shedding and was horrid for my SD. After showering, I usually put some leave-in and then some coconut oil and then I put my hair up into a clip and leave it up until it is mostly dry and then it air dry for the rest of the time.


Thank you for this advice. I am currently switching between using a medicated shampoo and shampoo bars followed by cone-free conditioner with some protein in them and I believe one conditioner I use has panthenol. Is this enough or should I be doing something else? I also use a good amount of coconut oil.

Either the low ferritin or the seborrheic dermatitis could be causing the excessive shedding. The ferritin, you'll want iron supplements (possibly prescription ones - talk to your doctor) and to get it re-checked in a few months to make sure that your supplements are working. You may also want to enquire re. other vitamins/minerals. Deficiencies/abnormalities in vitamin B12, vitamin D, thyroid hormones and sex hormones are all common causes of hair loss.

Re. the shampoo/conditioner, I'd recommend heading over to the Seborrheic Dermatits Support Thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54045) for tips for both treatment and prevention. For the conditioner, personally I'd try 'cones too. You don't have to combine them with sulphates, if that concerns you - cocoamidopropyl betaine is a gentle, non-sulphate surfactant that will remove all 'cones and thus prevent build-up. Cones will both patch the damage and prevent tangles and further damage (due to their pro-slip, anti-tangle, anti-static properties). You may want to try protein, too, for patch-repairing. Monitor your hair if you do - some people find it's easy to overdose on protein (though the fix is easy: stop/pause protein usage, do a heavy moisturising treatment, e.g. SMT).

[lapushka]

Either the low ferritin or the seborrheic dermatitis could be causing the excessive shedding. The ferritin, you'll want iron supplements (possibly prescription ones - talk to your doctor) and to get it re-checked in a few months to make sure that your supplements are working. You may also want to enquire re. other vitamins/minerals. Deficiencies/abnormalities in vitamin B12, vitamin D, thyroid hormones and sex hormones are all common causes of hair loss.

Somehow I had missed this in the thread. If there are indeed health issues, those have to be dealt with first, or it's not gonna get better. It all reflects in the "health" of your hair. Hair is the last thing on the list of things that need to function in a human body, as are nails. They are the first things to "go" when things aren't all right.

Wishing you all the best. I hope you get back on track soon. :flower: