Going to cut

[Ranee]

I guess you could say that I'm at a place now where I prefer quality over quantity. My hair is hip lenght now, It's completely healthy down to almost BSL. So that's where I want to cut. It's just that the tangels en damage drive me crazy when I have my hair down, so I rarely ware it down. I want to enjoy it when it is loose. Off course I'm not to cut without having obeyed the two week rule. So I'm going to give it one last deep thought and report back to ya in two weeks! :cheese:

[peachy.pudding]

pLEASE DONT DO AN EXTREAM CUT, TRY CUTTING MONTHLY JUST 1/2 INCH!

[LisaJaney]

When my hair gets tangly, there are two culprits:
Buildup
and
Splits

I first do a clarifying shampoo (Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo) and I lather all the way to the ends. Yeah, the hair generally (with buildup) feels dry and staw-y and the notion of "further drying it with a clarifying shampoo" always put the FEAR into me, but I do it anyhow and it's AMAZING how much moister my hair will feel after a single clarify-shampoo. I leave the shampoo on for 30-45 seconds, then rinse VERY well and condition well.

if THAT doesn't fix the tangling, then I have to do the harder option: search for individual splits and snip them off one by one. This way, I don't lose length, but I DO lose the velcro-y splits that MAKE tangles and cause further splits.

One or the other, or both, has ALWAYS fixed the tangling issue. Going from hip to BSL is a big jump, can you try (during your two weeks waiting period) these two things and see if they help? If not, then do what you need to do and you'll get NO guilt from me. Even 6" off isn't as big a cut as the 12-14 you'd be taking off to go from hip to BSL, but maybe - just maybe - the clarifying and individual-snippage would do the trick and you wouldn't have to do any cutting at all of the length.

Just a thought, hope it helps, and keep us posted!

[Ranee]

I tried clarifying last month, but that didn,t make it better. I,ve got an hour or two of free time right now, so I,m of to s&d now. Hope that that will help, although I doubt it. The damage comes from blow frying it straight daily, with the fryer on hottest stand half an inch away from my hair. I'm surprised my hair is still talkin' to me :D

[Arctic_Mama]

Well I think you're being very level headed about it. You were patient and grew it, getting rid of the damage now in some fashion will ultimately make the journey longer MUCH less frustrating. Would it bother you to get rid of some of the length or are you pretty cool with BSL? If you think you'd miss it then I second small trims each month. But if you're brave and don't mind BSL (which is still very respectable!) I'd personally go for the larger cut.

But absolutely try the deep conditioning first and it may make the damage tolerable for longer. I know sacrificing length when your ultimate goal is longer is NEVER fun, but I have a similar plan as you - hit waist and then maintain there for a bit to trim off the damage, and if I am super brave cut off up to three inches at a time until it's gone gone gone!

[Niphredil]

During my previous grow-out, I had tons of splits (even the split-ender was very tempting then - what was I thinking - :brainbleach:).
The only thing that worked for me was to cut it all off. It weren't just the splits, but the entire length was damaged.
If that is the case with your hair, I can fully understand why you would want to cut it of to BSL. Nevertheless, I'd suggest to trim gradually, not all at once. Start with 5" or so. Give it a week/2 weeks. If it is not better, then another 5" etc. until you are comfortable with your hair again.
Sometimes, smaller trims do make a large difference!

[tiny_teesha]

You know i am in the same boat. For the past, well, YEAR, really i have been tossing on whether i should chop or not. I have done monthly 1cm trims since May and lately i chopped a whole inch or 2. But i too have decided to go from waist to mid back. It isn't as big of a chop as yours. Then after that if i still want to i am goin gto chop to APL, or even SHOLDER!!! I know...scarey. I just hate my hennad damaged ends and your right, keep it looking nice during the journey, i am ashamed to wear mine loose too.
I say cut...slowly, a few inches at a time. (like 2 inches a month or so)

[Ranee]

Hi Niphredil, I remember you from the duth boards!
Yeah, it's the entire lengt from BSL that's damaged, not just the ends. I think I will chop a couple of inches first and see how that feels.

@Tiny teesha
Thank you for the nice comments on my album :)
You can't see the damage in the picture, because the stylist made my hair all pretty for the wedding using an iron and LOTS of hairspray. In daily life however it is visible. It's a journey indeed, and we all want to make our hair look as nice as possible till reaching our goal.

[LisaJaney]

Well, now that you explain your routine, it makes sense. Life's all about choices: one choice affects another. The heat is hard on your hair, no doubt about it, and the roughness is the payment for the heat, it's as simple as that. In that case, then no, clarifying wouldn't help, would it? :silly: I hadn't known that about your routine when I suggested what I did. Try the S&D and see, but you may have to trim off some damage to help with the tangling. You may get away with a lesser trim than what you were thinking, though. Go small; you can always go bigger if you need to.

[Ranee]

LisaJaney, I haven't used any heat for more than over 2 years now. I quit when I discovered the dutch boards. The one time I used heatstyling was for my wedding 6 months ago. Sorry for causing any misunderstanding. My routine is shampoo on the scalp and condish lenght (no sulphates/cones) twice a week. Then oil and bun till the next wash. The damage dates from more than 2 years back. I did s&d today, but I didn't notice any good results.

[spidermom]

I think it's very freeing to rid yourself of something that you're fighting with more than enjoying.

[Ranee]

I'm gong to make one last effort to try and make my damaged ends manageable again. I'm going to henna. Since my haircolor is near black, I think it will give a nice red sheen too.
Just one question. I bought some henna at the local health store. It is a dutch brand and it says 100% hennapowder. The salesman did not know if there were any metalic salts in it. I'm going to strand test this evening. Do you guys think it is save to use?

[Addy]

I have the slightest clue about henna but I wanted to wish you well! :)

[Speckla]

Good luck with your henna!
Damage is no fun especially when you have a lot of length. BSL would be a lot of length lost but you could start regrowing with zero damage. Why not try 2" trims in stead of cutting it all at once? That would be rid of the damage and you would be replacing the length as it is trimmed off.
________
How To Roll Joints (http://howtorollajoint.net/)

[Boots]

I was addicted to heat as well. I had such bad splits that they were traveling up the shaft and I had to cut. It sucked but my hair is so healthy now.

Good for you for trying to get your hair into better shape. Good luck with the henna!

[Demetrue]

i also recommend the catnip tea treatment and cassia. It really helps with the damage and split ends.

[Deborah]

If it were me, I'd cut off all the damaged part. A fresh start will likely make your hair feel wonderful and full, and I think you will be much happier with it.

About the henna, just keep in mind that it is PERMANENT. I don't think it will be able to 'heal' your damaged part, it will just coat it. And then you are stuck with fake color. :couch: I know many like henna, but it really is just dye in another form. If you want natural hair, skip it.

[Tangles]

Have you thought about cutting to waist??? BSL will seem very short to you after hip. That + henna or cassia should be enough of a difference.

ETA: In your profile pic I don't see any damage whatsoever. But I know sometimes it's how the hair feels, not looks.

[Niphredil]

I'm gong to make one last effort to try and make my damaged ends manageable again. I'm going to henna. Since my haircolor is near black, I think it will give a nice red sheen too.
Just one question. I bought some henna at the local health store. It is a dutch brand and it says 100% hennapowder. The salesman did not know if there were any metalic salts in it. I'm going to strand test this evening. Do you guys think it is save to use?
Which brand is it? The Jacob Hooy supposedly is pure. If it is HennaPlus hennapowder, then I 'm not sure. The Henne Color brand is not pure.
There is a way to test for metallic salts described on Henna for hair but you need peroxide etc for that.

[Ranee]

@Niph

I bought it in De Tuinen. I asked for Jacob Hooy indeed because members on the dutch board had good results with that. The bag says lawsonia inerr, from India. Strand tested last night and got a very subtle red 'glow' so I'm diong full aplication tonight. I'll post pictures of course!

[Ranee]

Well, I just henna'd. It's still wet, but my hair already has a bright ORANGE glow! Can we say PUMPKIN? Sure we can. Didn't aspect it to turn out so bright! After getting over the first shock I couldn't help but laughing. We're going to my see my husbands parents tomorrow. I can only imagine what they have to say :D
Ah well, I'll just wait for it to oxidize.

[Ranee]

It's more of a red glow now. I actually received several compliments :)
I like the colour, but I did not notice any conditioning or strenghtening effects yet.
How often is it ok to henna to get the conditiotning effect? Can I do it every week?

[chantiny]

Haha, when I henna'd it was over halloween weekend, so I really blended in with the pumpkins well :p You can henna as much as you like, it is comparable to a protein treatment, whenever your hair needs it, you can do it. Thankfully, as opposed to other dyes, it heals hair instead of hurts it. That being said, the more you henna the darker it will get. I know your hair is almost black already, so it may not be as much of an issue, but keep in mind that orange glow will be there the day you henna for the most part, and then when it oxidizes it will be a shade or two darker than what it was. So eventually you'll have a pretty burgundy glow :cool:

[Robbi Dehlinger]

Well, I'd hate to see you lose the length, but I guess if it is yucky, you make have no choice?

Just hope the henna was OK and that you find another solution than one huge chop??

Good luck!

[joyfulmom4]

I'm always wary of big cuts. If you're tired of tangles and damage, you might consider taking off a few inches to see how much that helps first. I guess it depends on your ultimate goal and on how much you want very long hair vs the bsl hair. I've toyed with the idea of having a few inches of mine trimmed, but I don't think I could take the drastic loss of more than a few inches.

[burns_erin]

Henna can be done as often as you want, just make sure your mix isn't too acidic as that for many hurts more than it helps.

It also takes a few days after it is done for it to feel "good".

[dearladydisdain]

Try the henna, but I say if it doesn't work then go for it. I cut my thigh length hair back to waist (and now BSL) and couldn't be happier. Hair grows! And it is SO much more manageable now. If I ever decide to go that long again, it is completely possible, and I will do a few things differently...but right now this works. Cutting can be scary and you shouldn't be too hasty about it, but don't let that stop you. It can be a GOOD decision, too.

[Ranee]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1501&pictureid=27386

Trying to post after henna picture. Let's see if it works.....

[Ranee]

Euhm, I can't see the picture in the post...
Is anyone else seeing it??

[Aisha25]

Nope just see red x box sorry.

[Ranee]

A link to the henna pic in my album :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1501&pictureid=27386

[alligatorbaby23]

Oh how pretty! And the background is SO Christmas-y. Great color and indeed your hair does look healthy.