Completely frazzled, hard ends?

[Barniie]

Hi all,

Firstly, I'm back!

Secondly and most importantly, what is going on with my hair?

All was well until I did a few treatments back to back including SMTs, a gelatin treatment and a coconut cream soak. After that, my hair was HARD. Like a broom on the ends. I suspected protein.

About 7 chelate/clarify washes and SMTs later, it improved somewhat, then after this mornings shower (overnight SMT) it's back with a vengeance! Funnily enough, it's way worse on my left side and by my nape. Goes up about three inches from the ends. Any ideas?

I suspected product and protein overload but clarifying and moisturising isn't getting anywhere. The ends are very kinky and crunchy and frazzled. I can't comb through them to save my life. My hair doesn't feel stretchy when wet (despite heavy bleaching recently) but snaps easily when dry, so that makes me think of protein overload. I just can't see how it could be this bad!!! What should I do? Heavy moisturising suggestions? Usually I have very silky nearly straight hair so this is very confusing.

Thanks in advance!

[Barniie]

Ends- kinked and jagged

http://i67.tinypic.com/dm5s1u.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/11bp5qu.jpg

Left side vs. Normal right side..

http://i64.tinypic.com/30kvzf9.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/2u4rade.jpg

[Barniie]

http://i67.tinypic.com/2duh1dv.jpg

[chen bao jun]

I hope someone chimes in on this. My ends have been about the same way for 3 weeks now. I was thinking it was the weather? But your weather isn't the same as ours.

I didn't do extra treatments, more than usual. And I didn't do protein, but once, trying to FIX it. the part that is just like mine is 'snapping easily when dry'--I've been having a lot of breakage. I've been wondering if I need moisturizing, without ANY humectants--if humectants could be sucking the moisture out of my hair? There is a lot of humectant inSMTS between the aloe vera and the glycerin. I was also doing an aloe vera juice rinse but didn't do that last time and my ends feel a little better--I think. I don't quite dare to take my hair down out of the crown braid I put it in when I washed 2 days agao.

[Anje]

It really does sound like what my hair does with protein overload, down to the frizzled ends. What are you SMTing with?

[meteor]

So during the last 7 washes, you've always clarified and done an SMT? Maybe it's time to re-assess the products? It's hard to tell exactly what the build-up is from... could be protein or coconut cream (but after 7 clarifying washes I doubt it would persist :hmm:), could be the aloe in the SMT, could be just seasonal winter dryness, of course...

I don't know what exactly is going on, but I'd try rotating products and try LOC (leave-in/liquid + oil + cream) in this situation and see how the hair does with a gentler shampoo and maybe a conditioner with more occlusives (oils and cones)?

Are you sure it's not seasonal dryness? (If the heaters are on, investing in a humidifier could help.)

[CurlyCap]

My ends often kink but don't split. When my ends get like that, and it isn't repaired by clarifying and a deep condition...it's time to trim.

[Barniie]

Thanks everyone. I just recently cut off about 5 inches of hair so I'm sure it doesn't need a trim :/

I've been using quite harsh shampoos as I thought it was build up but now I don't think it is I'll stop.

I use the tresemme perfectly undone conditioner in my smt.. I will make up a new batch tonight with something different. Been using new aloe too so I'll cut that out.

I've never had dryness like this before but it's possible as I've done some hefty chemical processing and my hair definitely is suffering.

Thanks for the responses :)

[Obsidian]

My hair did something similar from too much protein. I ended up buying a deep conditioning mask that had zero proteins and absolutely no coconut products. It really helped a lot and now I'm very careful to never use protein or coconut. Oiling my ends with shea also helped.

[Barniie]

Update: the conditioner I used for my SMTs has sea kelp - protein!! Agh. I've been making it worse. Sometimes it really sucks to live in Australia... off to go look for a cone free protein free conditioner.. (Not that I'll find it!)

[Obsidian]

Can you get suave products? They have a daily clarifying conditioner with no proteins, cones or oils.

[Barniie]

No Suave that I know of >.< or Aubrey's Organics, VO5 (occasionally see it), Aussie (the irony), or anything!!!!! Really frustrating.

I picked up Garnier Pure Shine and Nutri-Repair 3, which I believe have different names in the US, and they appear to be cone and protein free! took a bloody long time to find them though.

[lapushka]

I don't see anything abnormal, apart from in picture 2 a few white dots. It is *normal* for hair to entwine itself like that, esp. when it's fine and when it's the ends. You might try microtrimming, but apart from that - I wouldn't touch it.

[Deborah]

You mentioned "heavy bleaching recently." Perhaps you have inadvertently caused new bleach damage to your hair, and the various treatments you have done may have nothing to do with it.

[turtlelover]

Looks like chemical/mechanical damage to me, not protein buildup.

[missblueeyes]

You see, I'd probably say it's bleach damage, too, except that all of this started after conditioning treatments. I'm thinking that you're going the right way, protein overload made my bleached hair super crunchy, which is ironic because protein is the first thing most people recommend for bleached hair. Anyways, what helped me was Desert Essence Coconut. It's protein and silicone-free and it basically transformed my bleached mess into soft and silky hair. I'm not sure if you'll be able to get it in Australia, though.
Garnier Nurti-Repair-3 has some water soluble 'cones the last time I checked but it should be free of proteins.

If your hair doesn't feel like gum (stretchy) when wet, I doubt the bleach was the problem. I really think you've been overloading on the protein, which means more moisture treatments. I'd also stop clarifying for a wash or two since it's obviously not helping and strains the hair a lot. How long do you leave your SMT's on?

I don't really know many Australian brands but this conditioner looks really good:
https://www.australianorganicproducts.com.au/AUSTRALIAN-NATIVE-BOTANICALS-Intensive-Conditioner-p/an55-uhp.htm
I actually found the conditioner I use on the website but it's quite pricy. :S
https://www.australianorganicproducts.com.au/DESERT-ESSENCE-Coconut-Conditioner-237ml-p/de43-uhp.htm

[Anje]

Looks like chemical/mechanical damage to me, not protein buildup.
Mine absolutely gets kinked and weird just like her pictures when it's dry or over-proteined. The especially tough thing about that is that trimming doesn't fix it.

ETA: Come to think of it, my hair also did that when I attempted the whole coconut-oil-in-shampoo thing that was popular around here a few years back. Some people's hair apparently loved it, but mine really really really hated it.