Patch of Weird Hair

[Daydreamer.]

There's something that's been bugging me for awhile. I have a patch of rough hair on my right side that's very tangly. It feels very different from the rest of my hair. I just chopped off all of my damaged hair, so it can't be damage. I condition and oil my hair after every wash. I clarify and use masks regularly. I keep my hair in a braided bun. I wear a satin bonnet to bed and don't sleep on that side. I wonder why it acts like that... What I can do to make it softer and more manageable? Does anyone else have this problem?

[lapushka]

Are the hairs perhaps more M than F? Could that just be it?

[Daydreamer.]

Are the hairs perhaps more M than F? Could that just be it? I also have C hairs, but just a little. They feel different from the patch, though.

[Arctic]

It's possibly just a patch of different hairtype, it's very normal. It's probably difficult to "spot treat" a small area of hair, but ideally you could probably find a routine that gives you nice results all-over. I'm not sure if your hairs in question are wiry or kinky, but my wiry and kinky hairs like to be without buldup, and ironically they also like to have some emollients on them (my choise is a rinse out conditioner used as a leave-in). Occasional oiling and citric acid rinses seem to please them. They hate protein and love moisture. At best I can hardly feel them (unless I start feeling individual hairs, which I try not to, trichotillomania) but goodness gracious if I don't obey their needs they protest loud and clear.

[lapushka]

I also have C hairs, but just a little. They feel different from the patch, though.

And have you always had that patch, or is this something that just started to occur?

Maybe you're not washing the scalp there good enough, if it's near your scalp? I'm just guessing.

[Nique1202]

Damage doesn't just come from dye and heat. I have a patch of hair on my right temple that's extra tangle-prone. As near as I can tell it's from the glasses I wear most often, the hair gets caught in some metal detail work on the earpiece. A little extra serum around that spot from about my chin down usually fixes it for me until my next wash, though, and the silicone in the serum helps protect it from further damage now that I know about it. I don't feel like giving up the glasses because they're so pretty, it's one of the few damaging things I let happen to my hair.

[Pearly~91]

It could be a patch of hair that is a different texture. Has it always been that way? And are these weird hairs uniform from root to tip?

It's definitely normal to have a patch of hair that is different, or to have different textures scattered throughout. I would try to find a product routine that fits all your hair, rather than treating that section differently. You may find that you need to pay extra attention when detangling around that area, though.

[HairPlease]

I agree with what the others are saying in that it could just be a patch of different textured hair. I have some 3a patches toward the front by my temples, for example. If it came on suddenly, though, maybe something randomly mechanically damaged it that you can't remember off the top of your head. I've had that happen, too.

[meteor]

I agree. It sounds like it could be hair of different texture, which is very normal.

Personally, I have super fine hair around temple area, which behaves differently from the hair everywhere else on my scalp. Honestly, I'd just let it be or, if you wish, you could find some product that helps you control it, make it more manageable (it could be a cone serum, an oil product, leave-in cream, a lighter mist... whatever works).
It might also be worth remembering about this texture difference in some practical hairstyles: for example, if I know I won't be able to redo a style the next day for some reason or have concerns about tangling, I isolate that section by making an accent braid out of it, or some sort of half-up base for a bun that helps keep that hair isolated from the other hair a bit.

[Daydreamer.]

And have you always had that patch, or is this something that just started to occur? Maybe you're not washing the scalp there good enough, if it's near your scalp? I'm just guessing.
It could be a patch of hair that is a different texture. Has it always been that way? And are these weird hairs uniform from root to tip? It's definitely normal to have a patch of hair that is different, or to have different textures scattered throughout. I would try to find a product routine that fits all your hair, rather than treating that section differently. You may find that you need to pay extra attention when detangling around that area, though. It started earlier this year. It's a little ways from my scalp, from mid-length to ends.

[Daydreamer.]

I agree with what the others are saying in that it could just be a patch of different textured hair. I have some 3a patches toward the front by my temples, for example. If it came on suddenly, though, maybe something randomly mechanically damaged it that you can't remember off the top of your head. I've had that happen, too. It came kind of out of the blue. It might be mechanical damage, but I don't use hair tools. I only finger detangle and braid... Do yo think it could be from braids?

[meteor]

^ Hmm, interesting stuff.
I don't know if braids can do that... Just a personal anecdote: I've worn my hair in braided buns practically every day from BSL till now, so it's been a few years of and I haven't seen it changing my texture in any way... I would think the moment you wash your hair, the "setting" that you may get from a braid (via hydrogen bonds) disappears after a wash until you re-set (so to speak) your hair temporarily again.

Maybe that patch just doesn't get enough cleansing or conditioning, especially if it's hard to reach and sometimes gets a bit less coverage? :hmm: I really don't know, sorry, but this is pretty interesting...

[animetor7]

Yeah it could be buildup of some sort if for some reason it's harder to reach that patch than the rest of your hair. It could also just be a differently textured part of your hair. The very front bits of my hair behave more like 1c/2a than the rest of my 1a/1b hair just after washing. But seem to calm down by the next day. That said, it's odd for this texture to show up somewhat suddenly. Barring major life changes, taking a new medication, pregnancy, menopause, enteri g or exiting puberty or the like I doubt a different texture would just show up randomly. Perhaps the next time you wash and clarify you could pay special attention to that spot and see if it helps. I'd also pay attention to what could potentially
cause mechanical damage in that spot. I know that because I have fine hair I can't wear my hair in the same style
every day or it starts to show mechanical damage. So the daily braid could be causing it even if others don't
experience damage from wearing the same style every day. In my experience fine hair is the most sensitive to all types of damage including mechanical damage that is possible from gentle, but repetitive styling.