My ends are snapping off

[vega]

Hey guys heeellllppp my ends are dry and snapping , I've been avoiding silicones and been using sulphate free shampoo, my texture is curly coarse I'm going 6 months without a proper trim shud I get a trim or bear with it as I want more growth

[parkmikii]

Have you ever tried light oiling your ends? Or doing some s&d to cut the split ends?
Also, was your hair the same before using silicones? It might be just that it actually liked the silicone products, or the previous damage was hidden by them and now that you've gone silicone free it shows up

[Nique1202]

There's no evidence that silicones damage hair. Rather the opposite! They patch up damage and weak spots. Using silicones just means that you need to clarify once in a while to make sure they don't build up and make your hair feel waxy and gross. There's also no evidence that sulfates damage hair, though they can be drying to the length (which can be fixed by using a good conditioner and/or oil) and irritating to some people's skin. If these products worked for you to get you near to where you are, then don't be afraid to go back to them.

If your ends are snapping then that part of the hair is weakened, either by damage or by the conditions that it grew out in (hair that grows out during a time of poor nutrition, like low iron levels, will be weaker). Also, coarse-curly hair can be very fragile all on its own, and needs gentler treatment. Have you been using a high-temperature blow dryer on your hair, or pulling a brush through without detangling first? The ends are just showing the accumulated treatment they've been getting.

You may need to S&D or trim a little bit off the bottom to stop the problem for now, and treat the rest of your hair better so the problem doesn't come back.

[betterhairday]

I'd trim all the breakage - it is dead hair anyway. I agree with parkmikii about light oiling your ends. I use Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil as my leave in treatment after every shampoo/condition and this acts as a heat protectant as well. Also agree with Nique's comments about silicones & sulphates.

[cat11]

I think you should get a trim and also start moisturizing your ends more. If you don't use a leave in I'd start using one, and sealing your ends with oil when they are wet/damp. The ROO method (rinse out oil in the shower between shampoo and conditioner) recently helped me with the same problem. It helped a lot. I wouldn't go back to cones. Yeah they can coat your hair but they keep good moisture from getting in and can be hard to get out if you are using gentle products in the shower. I find non cones give more genuine moisture to fine hair, as opposed to cones making it slippery with the outer coating.

[lapushka]

First of all: clarify. I can't stress that enough. Then re-assess.

[Nique1202]

I wouldn't go back to cones. Yeah they can coat your hair but they keep good moisture from getting in and can be hard to get out if you are using gentle products in the shower. I find non cones give more genuine moisture to fine hair, as opposed to cones making it slippery with the outer coating.

Untrue. Aside from the fact that no two websites can seem to agree on which cones are "good" or "bad" for hair, there's no evidence I can find that say that silicones are worse for dry hair than "natural" moisture.

There are a lot of myths about silicones and sulfates out there, and it's really better for each individual to try different products and find what works for them, rather than listening to "common knowledge" and scare tactics about man-made substances. Every head of hair is different, even ones with similar hair types, and every person has a different set of goldilocks products. Just because your hair doesn't like the silicone products you've tried doesn't mean that someone else's hair won't like silicones at all.

[lapushka]

There are a lot of myths about silicones and sulfates out there, and it's really better for each individual to try different products and find what works for them, rather than listening to "common knowledge" and scare tactics about man-made substances. Every head of hair is different, even ones with similar hair types, and every person has a different set of goldilocks products. Just because your hair doesn't like the silicone products you've tried doesn't mean that someone else's hair won't like silicones at all.

Agree with that! :agree:

[Anje]

First of all: clarify. I can't stress that enough. Then re-assess.

Yep. My usual advice is clarify, do a moisture treatment, then reassess.

Someone (I forget who!) said this is the LHC version of "try turning it off and on again." So true! And it often works!

[Anje]

First of all: clarify. I can't stress that enough. Then re-assess.

Yep. My usual advice is clarify, do a moisture treatment, then reassess.

Someone (I forget who!) said this is the LHC version of "try turning it off and on again." So true! And it often works!

[Rosetta]

Untrue. Aside from the fact that no two websites can seem to agree on which cones are "good" or "bad" for hair, there's no evidence I can find that say that silicones are worse for dry hair than "natural" moisture.

There are a lot of myths about silicones and sulfates out there, and it's really better for each individual to try different products and find what works for them, rather than listening to "common knowledge" and scare tactics about man-made substances. Every head of hair is different, even ones with similar hair types, and every person has a different set of goldilocks products. Just because your hair doesn't like the silicone products you've tried doesn't mean that someone else's hair won't like silicones at all.
Now I really wish there was a "like" button or some equivalent of that!! :D This x times over.

[Ambrielle]

Untrue. Aside from the fact that no two websites can seem to agree on which cones are "good" or "bad" for hair, there's no evidence I can find that say that silicones are worse for dry hair than "natural" moisture.

There are a lot of myths about silicones and sulfates out there, and it's really better for each individual to try different products and find what works for them, rather than listening to "common knowledge" and scare tactics about man-made substances. Every head of hair is different, even ones with similar hair types, and every person has a different set of goldilocks products. Just because your hair doesn't like the silicone products you've tried doesn't mean that someone else's hair won't like silicones at all.

Yup, totally in agreement.
I'd suggest clarifying or even chelating and see how they feel afterwards. Personally i wouldn't hesitate getting rid of them if they still felt that way though. Also i just wanted to add when i used to wash my hair with sulfate free shampoo only the same thing happened to my hair. Could be a coincidence though.

[lapushka]

I couldn't go no-sulfates or even mild-sulfates because of my SD, but I bet product build-up is an issue here. So please do clarify. And if it's not gone with one go, then do it again on your next wash. No-sulfates/mild-sulfates aren't what they're cracked up to be, IMMHO. And you have to know you have to clarify when using silicones!

[missblueeyes]

Yep. My usual advice is clarify, do a moisture treatment, then reassess.

Someone (I forget who!) said this is the LHC version of "try turning it off and on again." So true! And it often works!

That would have been me. :lol:
Anyway, I also suggest clarifying. To me, it sounds like you might be experiencing a protein overdose.

[pili]

Nothing really to suggest here, except to listen to the advice. In the last month I've had epiphanies about my hair thanks to the advice from others here. Stuff that even the curly hair forums could did not teach me. It changed the way I have been treating my hair, and I am all the better for it. I'm coarse and curly like you.

[Anje]

That would have been me. :lol:
Anyway, I also suggest clarifying. To me, it sounds like you might be experiencing a protein overdose.

:thumbsup: It's rather perfect. And very IT Squad. :D

[nakima]

I agree with Anje and Lapushka :agree:

[gthlvrmx]

First of all: clarify. I can't stress that enough. Then re-assess.

I agree with this, clarify your hair first.

[vega]

Ok thanks nicque and guys I used silicones this morning and a good clarifier , and didn't use my normal silicone free gel , I opted for my silicone hair cream and my hair feels normal again, I'm thinking my hair was thirsty for silicones , and what was drying my out was he gel I think ,thx for advices I hope this stops the snapping off.

[cat11]

Untrue. Aside from the fact that no two websites can seem to agree on which cones are "good" or "bad" for hair, there's no evidence I can find that say that silicones are worse for dry hair than "natural" moisture.

There are a lot of myths about silicones and sulfates out there, and it's really better for each individual to try different products and find what works for them, rather than listening to "common knowledge" and scare tactics about man-made substances. Every head of hair is different, even ones with similar hair types, and every person has a different set of goldilocks products. Just because your hair doesn't like the silicone products you've tried doesn't mean that someone else's hair won't like silicones at all.

It is true. Cones coat the hair shaft which can make it hard for things to penetrate the shaft. Any moisture would have to be applied before the cones which isn't enough for everybody. There are soluable and non soluable cones, and some are easier to wash out, but all of them coat the hair shaft. For me, cones definitely kept my hair from getting the moisture it needed.

That doesn't mean they wont work for some people though or be inherently bad for hair.... it depends on hair type and routine especially... but they do coat the hair

[Nique1202]

It is true. Cones coat the hair shaft which can make it hard for things to penetrate the shaft. Any moisture would have to be applied before the cones which isn't enough for everybody. There are soluable and non soluable cones, and some are easier to wash out, but all of them coat the hair shaft. For me, cones definitely kept my hair from getting the moisture it needed.

That doesn't mean they wont work for some people though or be inherently bad for hair.... it depends on hair type and routine especially... but they do coat the hair

If that were true, then wouldn't hair treated with silicones while it's fully wet stay perpetually wet/moisturized inside? That's not what happens, though. The silicone barrier left behind by products designed for hair is perfectly water-permeable. There are good reasons to not use silicones on an individual basis, but your science doesn't hold up.

[pinchbeck]

My hair is virgin and my ends snap off all of the time and I've been oiling for years with different oils (jojoba, coconut, babassu, meadowfoam, and camellia). I have lots of those 'white dots' and my hair snaps two inches from the bottom. Not all of it of course! Because my hair was snapping 2" from the bottom, I recently had a 3" big trim. Microtrimming was doing nothing.

I have sought out solutions, read and read online until my head was about to explode, and know deep down that it is the texture of my hair. It tangles easily which makes the perfect environment for mechanical damage while trying to detangle. No matter how gentle I am my hair snaps.

My diet is balanced, there is a filter on my shower, I don't overwash my hair, I clarify, and use a seamless wide toothed comb. There are no products to blame and no products that really work and when they do initially work I end up with the weighed down greasy look or more tangles afterwards. It's a never ending battle and due to my hair's fragile nature I cannot grow it longer than 30" without it having major split ends which I really don't enjoy.

It sounds like you found a solution for your hair. I haven't and probably never will. I wrote a thread about broccoli and cranberry seed oils to find out if they would help but with further reading about their iodine values it seems cranberry seed oil is a 'drying' oil. However, broccoli seed oil doesn't smell very nice and smelling like a sulphur head isn't on my 'to-do' list. Finding it unrefined is another story since the supplier does not ship to Canada. Go figure...

[lapushka]

pinchbeck, maybe there is such a thing as "over-oiling". IDK, I'm just wondering out loud...

[endlessly]

The ends could be snapping off for a variety of reasons. Have you used heat styling tools in the past? Past heat use causes the most damage to ends since they're older hair and more brittle. Do you use oils or deep conditioners? While cutting out silicones works wonders for some people, it's actually a necessity for others and you might need it to provide 'slip' to your hair and prevent tangling. Speaking of, is the breakage a result of working through tangles? Or, are the ends just snapping in general? You could possibly also benefit from a protein treatment, too.

Personally, I would only turn to trimming as a last resort just because you might be able to solve the issue without turning to a pair of scissors. So, give a few of the other suggestions a try first and see if anything helps. Best of luck!