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View Full Version : One Year Growth, And Troubleshooting Damage (Pic)



FennFire911
October 10th, 2017, 05:06 PM
So I started my journey here last October, and here is a picture of when I started, next to a picture from last week.
But I've done several things to my hair that of been pretty damaging, and I was wanting to see if there's any input on what was the most damaging, or if they were all equally bad. First of all, last March I toned my hair. The ladies at Sally's insisted that it wouldn't cause any damage so I went with it. I figured my hair was pretty light and it would be fun to see if I could get it as light as the elves on lord of the rings. LOL it didn't work out that way. The next thing I did was dying my hair red in June with a semi permanent. Deposit only. But I hated it so I washed it out as quickly as possible. Over the next three days I washed it probably 25 times. I use head and shoulders, head and shoulders with baking soda, vinegar soaks, and clarifying shampoo's until finally all the red was gone.
I have also been self trimming Andy doing S&D, and maybe my scissors weren't expensive enough. My hair scissors are by Conair and cost $20 at Walmart. I have a lock on them so that they don't get used on anything at all but my hair. I've trimmed it dry the way I've seen it done on YouTube.
Currently, after all of my trimming over the past year I have gained 5 inches of length. I think my total has been about 7 inches but like I said there's been the trimming. Obviously I should not color my hair anymore at all. But should I get more expensive scissors, or should I just simply go back to the salon that I trust for a 2 inch trim once a year? If I were to trim off all of what I consider damaged, it would be back up to my elbows. Do I need to trim it all and get it over with and try again, or should I let it go and trim it later when I get a little further down in length?
My hair is still a security item for me and I'm leaning against trimming it all back up to my elbows right now, because when it's down I'm very comforted by the feeling of it against the backs of my arms and forearms and in the small of my back. But I am also concerned that it's so rough looking it might be ugly. I can't tell if this is what's called fairytale ends, or if it's just plain scruffy and needs to be dealt with right away.
All input is most welcome!

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/20C8AC90-1EAF-4B45-9B9C-4DA04131D766_zpsgo4d6bss.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/20C8AC90-1EAF-4B45-9B9C-4DA04131D766_zpsgo4d6bss.jpg.html)

lucid
October 10th, 2017, 05:19 PM
It's not at all ugly, it's pretty, but the last couple of inches look dry. Do you use any leave ins? I would try and keep the ends very moisturized, and if they still look as rough maybe take off an inch and see if that helps.

I have just started using leave ins, and it makes such a difference! I also wet and re-moisturize the braid tassel in between washes as well :)

Corvana
October 10th, 2017, 05:28 PM
Most damaging: baking soda 100%. Don't use that anymore, please!! It will super destroy your hair. Out of everything, you probably would've been fine (I say probably, as everyone is different) had you skipped the baking soda but had still done the rest.

As for your ends now, just baby them! Leave ins, deep conditioners, oils, that sort of thing. Maybe microtrim to start getting rid of the damage without losing much (if any) length.

Obsidian
October 10th, 2017, 06:33 PM
Personally, I would cut out the worse of the damage. I'd rather see progress re-growing instead of having to constantly trim and staying at the same length.

FennFire911
October 10th, 2017, 06:43 PM
Does anybody think my hair scissors aren't good enough? Should I get a better pair at Sally's or something?
I won't be using baking soda again, that was because I read a Wiki-How article to get red dye out.
I'm working on babying my ends, but if I don't see enough improvement I'll try to work on trimming it back in increments. I don't think I would be Ok cutting 5" at once. But one inch a week might not be so shocking.
I've found a new oil and deep conditioning mask I want to give a chance before I get drastic. I'm so torn. One minute I want to get rid of it all and start over at my elbows, the next minute I want to tough it out longer. It's agonizing. I'm definitely scared to cut it until I'm sure I have scissors that won't cause more damage than they fix.

Khristopher
October 10th, 2017, 07:53 PM
I don't think your scissors are the problem here, unless 95% of your ends look very bad. Have you tried fermented rice water? There's a big thread about it on the natural recipes board. I used to have very scrawny and damaged ends, and FRW made them super soft and more resistent. It's all cut off now, but I keep using it because I love it's effect on my texture. Give it a try!
ETA: Even in case your scissors are bad, just replace them but keep doing the trimming yourself, you'll have control over how much you want to take off. Stick to small trims and your ends will get a lot better, still getting some good growth.

lithostoic
October 10th, 2017, 08:54 PM
Your hair looks thirsty. I deep condition monthly and that is enough for me. But I also alternate between shampooing and cowashing.

lottiealice
October 10th, 2017, 11:20 PM
I'd recommend deep conditioning, oiling, and generally taking really good care of the bottom half of your hair for a while before deciding whether or not you need to trim. It could be a matter of it being worse than it looks due to dryness but if you do find legitimate damage, trim it yourself or S&D so as to keep as much length as possible. I wish I'd known this before I cut my hair to chin length last Summer!

leayellena
October 10th, 2017, 11:40 PM
try not to cut your hair at every minor imperfection. there are many other ways to keep your hair and still get rid of the damage in time, no matter how good or bad it is. I always recommend this video when someone thinks to cut their hair first... I got a deep v-shape from a long pixie (found my a similar haircut while randomly browsing for haircut trends and a long pixie resembles my last haircut)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWRJ57j1AyI

Rebeccalaurenxx
October 11th, 2017, 12:01 AM
To me, it looks like you could just use more moisture. Keep micro trimming, I do it every month and it's improved my hair by ten fold. But do a deep conditioning treatment, maybe start using leave ins if your not. The ends just look really dry to me and it's probably due to using the baking soda, don't ever use that stuff again.

Deborah
October 11th, 2017, 12:52 AM
If it were me I'd trim back to the elbows. I don't think the scissors are a problem, but the lightening, then dyeing, then washing the heck out of it are enough to cause lots of damage. I think your hair is both dry and damaged, not just dry.

People's hair responds differently to different things. I don't think yours responds well to bleaching or dyeing. Your hair looks healthier in the first picture.

FennFire911
October 11th, 2017, 03:55 PM
I got my son to help me just now, Yep my 12-year-old LOL, to help me trim my hair. I measured before and after and we took off a total of 2 inches. I already feel some buyers remorse. I wish I could never cut my hair again. And I really have nobody to blame but myself for screwing around with my hair so badly. As I adjust to this length I'll see about trimming off just a little bit more.
I'll type more later, but it's dinner time and I'm also using a mask on my hair right now because tonight is a wash night. I'll update with pictures tonight of how it looks now.

Lady Honey
October 11th, 2017, 08:33 PM
If it were me I'd trim back to the elbows. I don't think the scissors are a problem, but the lightening, then dyeing, then washing the heck out of it are enough to cause lots of damage. I think your hair is both dry and damaged, not just dry.

People's hair responds differently to different things. I don't think yours responds well to bleaching or dyeing. Your hair looks healthier in the first picture.

I agree with this. Those ends are looking pretty damaged and aren't adding to the aesthetics of your hair, to keep it 100% real. It's so hard to lose length, I've definitely been in the same boat when it come to chopping off damage; there was a time when I had chemically straightened and dyed my hair, and my ends looked similar. It really saddened me to chop it off, but in the long run, I'm so glad I did it!

hobbitlocks
October 11th, 2017, 10:30 PM
I second lucid's suggestion of a leave in. If giving your hair extra moisture doesn't help you can still consider trimming more, but a leave-in can really help in getting moisture to the driest part- I use nightblooming panacea and it has made such a difference for me!

lapushka
October 12th, 2017, 03:06 PM
I would save up for a nice pair of shears, and join the microtrimming thread. This way you won't have to lose all the length and can grow towards "better hair" slowly. Not saying your hair is bad at all (but you seem to think it is). In any case, I think it looks lovely, and with all that you've done to it, it doesn't even look to have suffered that much! :flower:

spidermom
October 12th, 2017, 03:56 PM
From where I'm sitting, your ends look pretty trashed. If it were me, and it's not, I would cut back to waist, but that's because I'm like a former poster - would rather enjoy new length than maintain the same length by trimming. Of course I've been maintaining this same length for nearly a year now, but that's because I like it and can do so much with it.

FennFire911
October 14th, 2017, 10:44 AM
Hey all. So sorry I didn't make it back here that evening. Replying on my phone is a pain in the rump, and I hardly ever sit down to my computer. I really appreciate everybody's input. All the information I'm given gets taken into serious consideration and I weigh the pros and cons of everything. I'm trying to not make rushed decisions, and think about the long term before I make a decision.
I don't want anybody to be hurt if their advice wasn't the advice I followed this time around. Everything that's told to me is remembered, and it might be the right advice for later.
I did make that 2 inch cut, I will take more off in the next month or so as I feel emotionally ready to, and in the meantime I'm now LOC-ing my hair. I've been oiling and conditioning fairly regularly, but now I'm getting very serious about babying my ends. I guess I'm creating my own personalized plan out of all the advice I've been given.
I'll update with pictures when I can, maybe later this evening? Even taking 2 inches did some improvement.


I would save up for a nice pair of shears, and join the microtrimming thread. This way you won't have to lose all the length and can grow towards "better hair" slowly. Not saying your hair is bad at all (but you seem to think it is). In any case, I think it looks lovely, and with all that you've done to it, it doesn't even look to have suffered that much! :flower:

I really do think my hair is messier than it should be. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place really. I feel that people need to be able to love their hair, and I don't absolutely love the condition it's in right now. At the same time, it would feel very emotionally crushing to make a big chop to get it back up to the length where it's all healthier.
This is teaching me a thorough lesson in patience, and a lesson in not screwing around with my hair.
What would you recommend is a price range of shears that would indicate they are a good quality? Is there a preferable name brand? I don't mind paying the price of quality, I just don't know what I'm shopping for when it comes to hair scissors.


From where I'm sitting, your ends look pretty trashed. If it were me, and it's not, I would cut back to waist, but that's because I'm like a former poster - would rather enjoy new length than maintain the same length by trimming. Of course I've been maintaining this same length for nearly a year now, but that's because I like it and can do so much with it.

I've always loved your honesty! I'm not pleased with my ends, I feel so self conscious of them. I scrutinize my hair quite a lot.
But I'm truly not ready for a shorter length. My goal is terminal. My desired minimum length would be to get it back to TBL where it used to be. I don't want to set myself back further, AND I don't want trashed ends. There's no quick fix, especially considering how quick and easy it was to mess things up. haha

Thanks so much everybody!