View Full Version : Super dry ends! Need advice please?
lady mechanic
June 8th, 2015, 08:47 AM
So I've only made it about three months without a trim. I have very fine thin wavy hair. It seems the ends are just so dried up I can't remoisturize them. But on inspection I'm not seeing any split ends. I've given up heat, done weekly clarifying and deep conditioning, coconut oil treatments, even switched to a sulfate free shampoo. I do wash every day but that's because I work under cars changing oil for a living and don't have much choice. I do skip washes on my off day though. My hair is almost apl when stretched but closer to collar bone length when not. I've tried protien I've tried moisture. I've tried oiling my ends and not oiling. Nothing seems to help anymore. Is there anything else I can do or do I just need to suck it up and have a trim?
lapushka
June 8th, 2015, 08:50 AM
Have you clarified-washed lately; a basic sulfate shampoo without silicones will do for this purpose. Then moisturize and re-assess.
lady mechanic
June 8th, 2015, 08:53 AM
I just did two days ago. My hair felt nice. Until I woke up the next day and it was dry again :(
lapushka
June 8th, 2015, 08:56 AM
Maybe it *is* because you wash every day? Maybe try pre-oiling, or the rinse-out oil method together with LOC (both links are in my signature). It usually will help drier ends absorb more moisture.
Panth
June 8th, 2015, 08:59 AM
Thoughts:
1) Weekly clarifying sounds like way, way too much. Either you're putting too much stuff in your hair, resulting in overly fast product build-up (and should ramp down your product usage) or you're clarifying when you don't need to. If you're clarifying to try to get mechanic-related stuff out of your hair, consider conditioner-only washes as oil/grease dissolves better in conditioner than shampoo.
2) When did you give up heat? If you still have hair on your head that was exposed to heat, it's quite possible that it's just old damage that's showing up. To combat this, try some routines for damaged hair. A good start would be reading Nightshade's article (http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79).
3) What is your deep conditioning routine? It's quite possible that this could be a source of excessive build-up.
4) Coconut oil - does your hair actually like it? How are you using it - on wet or dry hair? deep treatment or light oiling? how frequently? etc. Crunchy, dry ends can be a symptom of coconut oil overuse.
5) Sulphate-free shampoo - really doesn't work for everyone. I'd be inclined not to recommend it for you on account of you actually needing serious hair cleansing due to your job.
lady mechanic
June 8th, 2015, 09:01 AM
I've tired loc that's what I do now but I never tried the rinse out oil method! Definitely giving that a shot tonight to see if it helps! Thank you!
catasa
June 8th, 2015, 09:06 AM
Well, it sounds as if you´ve tried about everything... What I would recommend is to clarify and not use anything moisturizing at all afterwards, as you would before a "hardcore" hair typing picture, just to see what state your hair is in without anything on it, and to rule out the possibility that your hair is not dry but instead over-moisturized. If it feels awful afterwards, you can always re-wet and add something moisturizing. When I tried this a couple of years back, I was astonished to find that my hair was softer, shinier and happier without conditioner, even though it took me a while after that to find a routine that worked OK, and I am still struggling a bit with keeping a good moisture balance.
Good luck! :blossom:
ETA: Well, based on your later comments it does not sound like over-moisturizing (then it would probably not feel OK on wash night but dry the day after), so maybe try the other proposals first at least! :)
lady mechanic
June 8th, 2015, 09:06 AM
1) I never realized weekly is to much. I'll definitely cut nack!
2) I gave up heat about a year ago save for having my hair curled last month for my wedding
3) my deep conditioning routine is putting coconut oil on dry hair, going to work for 8 hours, using clarifying shampoo to get it out, then leaving a commercial deep conditioner in my wet clarified hair for 20 minutes then rinsing out with cold water
4) I only use the coconut oil before clarifying
5) I'll try switching back to regular shampoo to see if that helps. Thank you so much!
lapushka
June 8th, 2015, 09:23 AM
1) Weekly clarifying sounds like way, way too much. Either you're putting too much stuff in your hair, resulting in overly fast product build-up (and should ramp down your product usage) or you're clarifying when you don't need to. If you're clarifying to try to get mechanic-related stuff out of your hair, consider conditioner-only washes as oil/grease dissolves better in conditioner than shampoo.
I weekly clarify. It doesn't hurt me. But then I only wash once a week.
lapushka
June 8th, 2015, 09:25 AM
3) my deep conditioning routine is putting coconut oil on dry hair, going to work for 8 hours, using clarifying shampoo to get it out, then leaving a commercial deep conditioner in my wet clarified hair for 20 minutes then rinsing out with cold water
Cold is only supposed to be a "final rinse". Don't wash conditioner or products out with cold water, it won't make them get out of your hair properly. At least, that's been my experience!
Summerwithin
June 8th, 2015, 01:21 PM
It's the coconut oil. I tried coconut oil and my ends became very brittle. Some googling confirmed that in done people, the proteins in their hair don't play nice worth coconut oil, causing brittle ends and breakage.
I stopped using it, but had to cut my ends off.
Summerwithin
June 8th, 2015, 01:27 PM
http://www.hairbuddha.net/coconut-oil-may-not-work-for-every-hair-type/
Sorry, I'm new and couldn't find an edit option (if there it's one). I'm on my phone and thus typos abound. There's an article that explains the protein issue with coconut oil. And I've seen posts on here regarding the same issue; coconut oil = brittle
lady mechanic
June 8th, 2015, 04:34 PM
Thank you! I'll do away with the oil for a while and see if it helps! Everyone has given such wonderful advice!
arr
June 8th, 2015, 04:42 PM
What about trying a humectant-rich conditioner to attract moisture to the ends? My favorites are GVP Conditioning Balm, available at Sally Beauty, and Giovanni Avocado and Olive Oil Ultra Moisturizing Conditioner. Then seal the goodness in with a little of your favorite oil or leave in.
kidari
June 8th, 2015, 07:11 PM
I battle dry ends and here are some things that have helped me out tremendously (keep in mind that everything is YMMV).
1) Sometimes I will wash twice with my regular shampoo instead of clarifying or I will do a citric acid rinse (used to be vinegar but I hated the smell), I also wash with cool water since I wash my hair separately from my body... sometimes I like to simply wash thoroughly and skip conditioner and rely on my leave-ins instead (which I still use). It sounds counter-intuitive but it actually ends up being very effective for me done once in a blue moon
2) I also sometimes simply rinse with water or do a CO wash or just rinse with water and follow up with conditioner just on the ends
3) I always do a form of damp bunning. (look into "misting" and "damp bunning" but always remember that what works for some may not work for all). I love damp bunning on hair that is 100% air dried and what I use is Kimberlily's defrizz spray misted on my ends- she uses jojoba oil, but I use camellia oil in mine.
4) Butters and cones smooth down my ends and help retain moisture and softness so much more effectively than oils... my favorite recent discovery since I bleached my ends again is Garnier Sleek and Shine Brazilian Smooth Flatiron Express. I don't flat iron, I don't like to wear my hair straight, but man this thing smoothed onto my ends is like magic. I only use a pea sized amount smoothed onto the palms of my hands and I gently glide it down the last 3-4 inches of my hair when it's completely wet and detangled right out of the shower. The directions say to work it in roots to ends but I don't follow the directions. I also like Silk Elements Megasilk Leave-in Moisturizing Creme that I get from Sally's. It's a pudding like consistency in a tub and I use it the same way. I've tried making my own DIY concoctions with shea butter and conditioner and oils but it never worked out for me. Store-bought ones laden with cones seem to work for my hair best.
One word of caution is for my hair too much of anything tends to be bad. Of course too much washing can be bad but overdoing the stretching is also bad- I found it actually dried out my hair. Also, I tend to retain more length in a year if I microtrim with caution (if I'm actively growing longer) than doing long stretches of no trims at all. Once again, YMMV. It's always the best thing when you figure out your hair on your own. It takes trial and error but don't be overzealous with the experimenting as hard as that can be in the beginning. Just be cautious.
gthlvrmx
June 8th, 2015, 07:49 PM
1) I never realized weekly is to much. I'll definitely cut nack!
2) I gave up heat about a year ago save for having my hair curled last month for my wedding
3) my deep conditioning routine is putting coconut oil on dry hair, going to work for 8 hours, using clarifying shampoo to get it out, then leaving a commercial deep conditioner in my wet clarified hair for 20 minutes then rinsing out with cold water
4) I only use the coconut oil before clarifying
5) I'll try switching back to regular shampoo to see if that helps. Thank you so much!
Clarifying shampoos are too strong and drying if you use them too much without getting moisture in your hair afterwards. A light conditioner can easily get coconut oil out. Suave Naturals and VO5 conditioners are good for getting oil out, they are also good for CO washes (which moisturize your hair more than shampoo washes). Have you tried an SMT? If I were you, I'd get the oil out with conditioner and apply baby oil on wet/damp hair after washing it, not before. Those same cheapie light conditioners I mentioned are also good for SMT's as long as they don't have many proteins or silicones in them. You can try getting aloe vera or honey by itself and using it while you condition your hair, they will attract moisture to your hair in the right conditions (between 45-60F dew point is a good area for using humectants like honey and aloe vera).
endlessly
June 8th, 2015, 08:02 PM
This sounds like a problem I had a few years back and like you, I washed my hair daily because of my job, skipped washing on my days off, used deep conditioners, clarified, used leave-in oils/treatments - basically, nothing worked. Eventually, I cut out everything and started using only the basics and I found, much to my surprise, that my hair hated coconut oil and that was causing my ends to feel so much drier. I think for me it was just too much protein, but once I switched to a lighter oil, it seemed to absorb better and the dry ends went away.
kidari
June 8th, 2015, 08:58 PM
This sounds like a problem I had a few years back and like you, I washed my hair daily because of my job, skipped washing on my days off, used deep conditioners, clarified, used leave-in oils/treatments - basically, nothing worked. Eventually, I cut out everything and started using only the basics and I found, much to my surprise, that my hair hated coconut oil and that was causing my ends to feel so much drier. I think for me it was just too much protein, but once I switched to a lighter oil, it seemed to absorb better and the dry ends went away.
That's brilliant! Cutting things out instead of adding more... seriously too much of anything is bad.
lady mechanic
June 10th, 2015, 10:07 AM
I'm still experimenting with all these wonderful sugesstions. Thank you all so much!
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