Suddenly.. Tangles?!?! NOOOO!!!

[chantiny]

Okay, so for months and months, my hair was absolutely fine. No tangles, felt perfectly fine, etc. All of a sudden, I am noticing that it is starting to tangle, and there's a lot more shorter strands. I don't know if they're broken or new growth, I don't really get split ends ever, my hair just breaks and that's that. Now it feels like I have layers in my hair because there are so many shorter strands. I am considering trimming, but I don't know if I have the time to go through and trim strand by strand kind of thing, because some of the strands are VERY short and I can't be chopping my entire head that short. I don't trust salons, don't have the money anyway, and I work/school 60+ hours a week and crash for the remainder, pretty much.

How do I get my hair to be lovely again? :confused:

Have been using Garnier fructis (yes SLS and coney) shampoo & deep 3 min conditioner 1-2x/wk and WO the remainder of the days. It tangled, so I decided to try herbal essences because sometimes my hair needs a change and it smelled plesant, my hair HATED it so I went back. I have some sample bars of CV on the way that I am hoping I like, since I am sick of synthetic harsh products, but I feel like my hair still needs some way to stop being so damaged. I am never harsh when I comb/brush it and I have been trying to do it less often (I cannot stand hairs out of place and now that they're tangling, it's driving me batty)

Anyone who had the determination to read this whole thread I admire, and would love any input that might help.

[Curlsgirl]

Hi Chantiny! Do you or have you used heat products on your hair like irons or a blow dryer? If not, I suspect it may just be new growth. If you think about it, there is no way for every hair except the ones at the end to be all one length. Our hair is being replaced if we are healthy at a fairly rapid rate. So we are going to have hair all over at different lengths. Maybe you are being too critical as a lot of us tend to be here especially when we start reading about all of this stuff at first. I think your hair looks beautiful in your avi. If you are doing all you can then don't worry about it. IF you are using high heat or bleach which I doubt then that's a different story. But even highlighted or colored hair if it's treated properly can be healthy looking. I have found irons to be another story. They can be very hard on the hair and cause irreparable damage. But that is my opinion and experience. Some do fine even with them!

One thing I may suggest is that your hair will change with it's needs as the seasons change and it gets longer. I found my hair got drier as it got longer and tangled more easily. You may need to clarify if you have buildup too or try using a leave-in, different shampoo/conditioner oils etc. Every head of hair is unique so try just one thing at a time so you will know what works. You don't have to use expensive stuff. Browse this board and you will find a lot of people who like the cheap stuff better! HTH!!!

[Anje]

Hi Chantiny,

I wouldn't worry too much about the little hairs sticking out -- it's likely they're new growth, especially if the ends are tapered on them.

As far as the tangles are concerned, I think there are two major culprits to eliminate: buildup and too much protein. The buildup is easier to deal with -- get a clarifying shampoo, use it on your hair and lather to the ends, then rinse out, deep condition, and see if your hair is better. If it is, the problem's solved.
Excess protein is a little trickier, but the diagnostic is that a wet strand of hair won't really stretch, but will snap when pulled, like it's a bit brittle. Excess protein often leaves hair feeling stiff and rough, too. If this seems like the problem (post-clarifying), I'd suggest that you look around for a conditioner without protein in it and do a series of moisturizing treatments until your hair feels normal again. (SMTs worked well for me when I was dealing with extra protein.)

Good luck!

[chantiny]

I think you're probably spot on the mark with the too much protein. The problem became worse after henna, which is protein-esque from what I've read. My hair has (especially lately) broken rather than stretched, which is part of the reason I don't get split ends. All the hair breaks off at once, instead of part of it breaking and part of it stretching, causing a split. I'll try the cleansing treatment first since it couldn't hurt to do. How do I tell if a conditioner doesn't have protein though?

[longhairedfairy]

Has your water source changed recently? The water company here apparently changed the source from which they pump our water and it got a bit softer. Could your water be harder than before?

[Periwinkle]

Whereabouts in the world are you? Dry hair tangles more, and if it's the beginning of winter for you, maybe the chill is drying your hair out.

[aisling]

Seriously, clarify! You use Fructis, which is quite heavy on the cones, a clarification is definitely the place to start.

[Anje]

I'd try clarifying, but protein could definitely be the culprit.

You need to read the ingredients on the conditioner. Look for anything that says protein or amino acids on it. (Helpfully, this is often an advertising point, and written on the front of the bottle.) "Hydrolyzed" anything is another protein tip-off, as are the specific proteins "collagen" and "keratin."

If you're in the US, I'd suggest looking at the Suave Naturals line -- they're cheap and I don't think any of them have protein added. Many of the VO5 line are also good, but others are protein-laden. There's a list of protein-free conditioners around here....
ETA: Here it is! (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=46633)

[chantiny]

Yay! :inlove: Lists are awesome. I live near Chicago, so it is the beginning of winter here, but I lived here last year and did not have any tangle problems. My hair was APL then, now it's slightly past BSL. But there are so many more new growths or breakages or both, that I think they are the culprit. The shorter hairs feel coarser than the rest of my relatively fine hair.

And since I just ordered a few samples from CV and they're on the 'yay no protein' list, I've essentially killed two birds with one stone. Now I'll just have to wait for them to arrive :rolleyes:. Until then, I'll go out and get some clarifying shampoo and see if it makes my hair behave a little better.

There was recent flooding and they had to open up some dams around here to let all the rivers drain, so that could have changed the makeup of the water temporarily. But my water is ridiculous hard already (my entire once white bathtub is now a pink-orange).

[Anje]

If you're using shampoo bars with hard water, you'll probably want to do acidic rinses. Some people dilute apple cider vinegar or white vinegar in water (anywhere from 1 part vinegar in about 5 parts water to 1 in 10.) If you can't stand the vinegar odor (which fades once hair is dry), others like small amounts of citric acid crystals dissolved in water.

I'd suggest getting a no-protein conditioner in the meantime. If you're clarifying your hair, you'll want to condition well afterward, and if your existing conditioner is protein-y and that's the problem, applying it after clarifying might not be great.

[Laila23]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone.

Chantiny, thanks for sharing your problem. I have learned a lot about proteins in conditioners.

Anje, thank you for posting the list. Everywhere, I keep reading "Suave" and "VO5". When I was growing up, that's all we used (could afford) and my hair was always super shiny and healthy. These days, I am buying organic fancy shmancy and hair is looking worse... so thank you for giving this information!!!

Take care :D

[Anje]

Anje, thank you for posting the list. Everywhere, I keep reading "Suave" and "VO5". When I was growing up, that's all we used (could afford) and my hair was always super shiny and healthy. These days, I am buying organic fancy shmancy and hair is looking worse... so thank you for giving this information!!!

Thanks. I started out using that in college, partially because it's what I could afford and partially because I'm cheap. For a while, I thought I should step up to a "good brand," and ended up with dandruff. So I went happily back to my cheap stuff. A lot of folks here prefer it because it tends to be easy to find, inexpensive (longhairs do tend to go through lots of conditioner), no protein, no silicones, and reasonably moisturizing.