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View Full Version : Hair is really stringy at the bottom and not growing?



Blondieee
May 13th, 2017, 08:12 PM
My hair won't grow any longer than a certain length and when it does, it just looks really stringy at the bottom. How can I fix this issue WITHOUT cutting it? I have an appointment for a trim, but I'm not cutting it again. I've gotten it cut several times and it never helps. It always grows back the same way. Will Biotin help this so it grows longer before it gets stringy? I know someone on here advised against it, but I've heard and seen great results and before/after pictures of it. And I most likely have a Biotin deficiency.

Blondieee
May 13th, 2017, 08:13 PM
http://i66.tinypic.com/2vhtdhe.jpg

spidermom
May 13th, 2017, 08:40 PM
One thing you could try is teeny tiny trims on a regular basis - like 1/2 inch every 3 months or 1/4 inch every 2 months (endless variations). This might hold the fastest growing hairs back just enough to let some of the slower-growing hairs catch up, resulting in less stringy-looking ends.

However, please understand that not everyone can grow super-long lengths with thick ends. Take as good of care of your hair as you can without driving yourself crazy, do teeny tiny trims, and see what happens.

Stay tuned; I'm sure you will get a lot of good suggestions. Choose the ones you would like to try, but only try one new thing every 2 weeks (unless you have an immediate bad result). It takes a couple of weeks to tell whether a new hair care strategy is truly beneficial.

akurah
May 13th, 2017, 08:44 PM
Those are called "fairytale", "fairytail", "fairy tail", or "fairy tale" ends. (searching by nearly any variation of the previous four on this forum will return results applicable).

There are people with naturally blunt or thick hair who want it, so don't think of it as something necessarily bad. It's not bad, it just happens to be something you don't like on you.

Biotin won't do a thing except give you acne.

The only thing you can do is to wait for your hair to get longer. When the thick part of your hair is at the length you want to be, and the thin parts are past it, just cut off the thin parts and the thick parts are where you wanted it without the fairytale ends.

Tosca
May 13th, 2017, 09:01 PM
Do you wear your hair up? The length in the picture looks like just the right length to be damaged by chair backs.

littlestarface
May 13th, 2017, 09:28 PM
I dunno but that glass of ice water looks so delicious!

Simsy
May 13th, 2017, 10:11 PM
That's almost exactly the right length to start getting damage from chair backs. You could also be prone to fairytale ends, not a bad thing; just needs a bit more managing if you don't want them. Moisture is also an option, might possibly be the ends drying out. Either way, a cut is not going to "fix" the issue. It will just push the problem back.
My suggestion; pamper your hair a bit. Pump a bit more moisture into the routine if you think that might help. Maybe try wearing it up if you don't already. Leave the cut for a few weeks and see if you can't possibly bring it back a bit more gently.

Other possibility...old damage that is finally out to the ends where you can see it. In which case; a cut is the only way to fix it. You can cut small bits, microtrimming away little bits while you pamper the rest of your hair. Getting your own pair of good hair scissors is an excellent way of handling this.

hayheadsbird
May 14th, 2017, 01:00 AM
I'd agree on the current length being the point it can start getting caught and damaged.
What's your hair type and routine? Do you wear it up?
If it's rubbing on chair backs, getting caught in zippers, bag straps, seat belts, then it might be breakage.
There's lots of ways to minimise damage to ends so they can carry on growing. Hair friendly hair ties ( not ones with the little metal join for example) so it's contained and can't tangle. Wearing it up so it's out of the way and the ends are protected. Silk/satin pillowcases to reduce the friction over night.
How do you detangle? Ripping brushes right through could be a contributing factor. You need to detangle very very gently from the ends up. Wide tooth combs and finger combing can help take out tangles without breaking hair in the process.
Your profile says you plan to wear it straight or wavy, are you using heat to straighten?

lapushka
May 14th, 2017, 03:21 AM
I agree with spidermom, and microtrimming. I'd cancel that appointment (they will cut more off than you want, by the looks of the fairytaling). Try looking up Feye's self-trimming method. You have length enough to be able to do it yourself quite nicely.

Nique1202
May 14th, 2017, 04:18 AM
If you have a biotin deficiency, a daily multivitamin should have all you'll need and it won't have such high amounts that it could be dangerous in the long term. A lot of processed foods are fortified with the B vitamins and a lot of natural foods have them by default, so a multivitamin should be all you need.

Also, as mentioned above, it's possible that your hair thins at the ends because of damage higher up. What's your routine? Do you dye/bleach, heat style? Do you use any kind of brush or just a wide-tooth comb? An awful lot of things can cause damage, which can add up quickly on some hair types (especially if there's more than one source) and cause the hair to either break off or the individual strands to wear down into the fairytale ends.

moon_witch
May 14th, 2017, 08:20 AM
I also think you should do micro trims. I also have thinner ends and I used to rarely cut them. I thought I could just grow it really long and then cut the thin ends out or maintain but that never happened. My hair didn't get much longer for at least a year because the fragile ,thin ends would just break off. Now I micro trim just a little off the ends every month and it's growing longer. I also did the same as you a few times before that. I would cut a few inches but it would grow back the same. Some hair types just need regular trims.
I would also recommend measuring your hair. Sometimes it just seems like it's not getting longer.

spidermom
May 14th, 2017, 09:12 AM
It also looks like your hair could benefit from a deep conditioning treatment. A popular and effective one on this site is SMT. You take one part conditioner, one part aloe vera gel, and one part honey; something like this - 1/4 cup conditioner, 2 tbsp aloe vera gel, 2 tbsp honey. Whisk them together, apply to hair, and leave on for at least 15 minutes.

Don't use the aloe vera gel sold for sunburns. It's green and will contain lidocaine. You want the clear kind sold for skin care.

Anje
May 14th, 2017, 08:11 PM
Looks a lot like ends that are getting worn out due to wear and tear, to me. Usually chair backs are a major culprit. Start wearing your hair up much of the time, and avoid leaning against your hair when it is loose, and I think you'll see improvement in a few months.

ETA: Deep conditioning sure won't hurt either. I don't think it alone will solve the problem, because I think this is physical wear, but more moisturized and resilient ends will look better either way. :)

pailin
May 14th, 2017, 09:05 PM
I have to agree with Anje and others about physical damage. If you don't have it up, pay attention to chairbacks and bag straps. Also, what about brushing? A lot of brushing can give you mechanical damage even if you don't use heat. Again, wearing it up makes it easy to brush and detangle less.

Flipgirl24
May 14th, 2017, 10:25 PM
If you are deficient in biotin it may help strengthen your hair. A side effect is acne. I don't know what to do about the fairy tale ends though. Maybe try cutting them off and then dusting the ends?

*Wednesday*
May 16th, 2017, 09:15 AM
Most likely a biotin deficiency? Why biotin? Why not D3? Iodine? A biotin deficiency would not manifest on the ends of hair. A biotin deficiency would manifest but not always with brittle hair in general (not just in ends of hair), brittle nails and skin. You should not look at your hair and self-diagnose. Only a blood test by a physician can advise you if you are deficient on vitamins. Most people are not deficient of biotin since your body actually makes it as well. Medical conditions can affect the hair as well, such as your thyroid.


I’m not sure if those are fairy ends looking at the pick. They can be cleaned up. I would personally get a little trim or start dusting, oil your hair and start bunning. Just my take.

Nymphe
May 16th, 2017, 09:29 AM
I dunno but that glass of ice water looks so delicious!

I damn near snorted out my water reading this! My irritated adenoids thank you.

Cherriezzzzz
May 16th, 2017, 11:17 AM
I agree with spidermom, and microtrimming. I'd cancel that appointment (they will cut more off than you want, by the looks of the fairytaling). Try looking up Feye's self-trimming method. You have length enough to be able to do it yourself quite nicely.

Yes! Any hairdresser will think they're doing you a favor and won't realize you'll notice when they cut those off! CANCEL trim yourself!!!

Cherriezzzzz
May 16th, 2017, 11:22 AM
Another thought... could this be her terminal length...? *tear I had an aunt whose honest terminal length was grazing her shoulders... is that curl natural or a perm? If you perm, that would be a factor. You said you've cut it off and it grows back like this again... It's rare, but terminal length did look lie that on my aunt. If that's natural curl, do you straighten it LOL that'll also cause damage on your ends.

Mrstran
May 16th, 2017, 11:31 AM
Your hair is very pretty! I would say take a multi vitamin and keep your hair up most of the time if you aren't already. Like the others have said, little trims couldn't hurt. I wish I could be of more help but this it all the info I have with what I know.

Cherriezzzzz
May 16th, 2017, 11:31 AM
I dunno but that glass of ice water looks so delicious!

So is water your secret to that beautiful head of hair you have?! I laughed out loud at your post!

Blondieee
June 4th, 2017, 12:00 AM
Thank you everyone! Sorry I haven't been back on. I will get to everyone's post. Thanks so much for all the advice! To answer a question I saw a lot when I skimmed the responses really quick, I don't ever wear my hair behind me so it doesn't ever touch chair backs. I did have a trim. This hair stylist is really good. He said I needed 3 inches because all those ends were dry after shampooing (they weren't wet like the rest of my hair). They were just dead. But he respected what I said and what I wanted. I said only an inch so that's how much he cut. It looks really nice. I just wish it was thicker.