What’s so wrong with my hair care routine ?

[fhairyqueen]

Hi everyone :)
I’ve been growing out my hair since it started snapping off due to excessive bleaching approximately 2 years ago.
I dyed it once a year later to turn it all a less noticeable colour brown to make the growing out less painful
Now a year later ( two years since the bleaching disaster) I have grown out a lot of the damage and cut it off but the problem is I’m still finding a lot of shorter hairs everywhere which are only a couple of inches long .
I think my hair might be breaking off possibly I’m not sure why else I would have these short hairs and I’m worried I’m doing something wrong

my hair care / routine is pretty basic
I wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner twice a week . Sometimes once a week .
I let my hair air dry
I haven’t used heat tools in two years
I haven’t used any other hair product in two years
To dry my hair I wrap a towel on my head , I don’t rub it at all I just wait for it to absorb some of the wet yen let it air dry the rest
i wear my hair up most days in a loose ponytail safe hair band
I brush quite carefully

I’m not sure what more I can do to prevent the short hairs or are they normal and everyone has them ?
also is there anyway to protect my hair and especially my ends now early on in my hair growing journey before I damage them ?
Im only almost APL now
Also my hair type is fine and straight
Thank you for reading

[Wendyp]

I just discovered a couple weeks ago that my water was super hard and high chlorine. When I tried an ACV rinse the results were substantial. I have since installed a water softener. Hair is funny, we can have the exact hair type but your hair may or may not tolerate hard water. My hair and scalp are sensitive, can’t use sulfates, and my hair breaks off in hard water. Also I must heavily oil prewash, and CWC and loc after wash. Hope this helps

[fhairyqueen]

Oh that’s interesting I had never even thought about the water quality ! I have no idea what type of water we have or even how to tell
Please could you tell me what an ACV rinse is ?
Thank you so much for your reply


I just discovered a couple weeks ago that my water was super hard and high chlorine. When I tried an ACV rinse the results were substantial. I have since installed a water softener. Hair is funny, we can have the exact hair type but your hair may or may not tolerate hard water. My hair and scalp are sensitive, can’t use sulfates, and my hair breaks off in hard water. Also I must heavily oil prevwash, and CWC the loc. Hope this helps

[vampyyri]

It could be a couple of things, but it very well could be new growth if it's not all clumped together.



my hair care / routine is pretty basic
I wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner twice a week . Sometimes once a week . Which shampoo and conditioner are you currently using? Sulfate + silicone, sulfate free + silicone free?
I let my hair air dry This is very good to do!
I haven’t used heat tools in two years Congratulations on putting the handheld damage devices away :lol:
I haven’t used any other hair product in two years By other hair product, what do you mean? Dry shampoo? Hairspray? Serum? etc.
To dry my hair I wrap a towel on my head , I don’t rub it at all I just wait for it to absorb some of the wet yen let it air dry the rest Even leaving a terrycloth towel on your head is abrasive enough to cause some roughening up of the hair. Switching to a microfiber turbie twist is what I ended up doing to reduce damage.
i wear my hair up most days in a loose ponytail safe hair band Ponytails are notoriously damaging, especially as a fine hair... even if you use a hair safe band, you're not pulling on the canopy itself, but it's basically like your hair is down since it can rub on headrests, chairs etc.
I brush quite carefully What kind of brush are you using?

I’m not sure what more I can do to prevent the short hairs or are they normal and everyone has them ? A lot of people have them! Your hair is not really all one length, but all of the lengths at the same time since the hair is in different growing cycles.
also is there anyway to protect my hair and especially my ends now early on in my hair growing journey before I damage them ? When my hair was SL, I depended heavily on making log roll buns with claw clips. They're a life saver when you're early into the growing journey to get everything up and out of the way!



I hope some of this helps! :flowers:

[Kitke]

fhairyqueen, most of England has hard to very hard water, unless you're in Cornwall, or most of the North-West. I didn't realise it was a problem either until I moved from one area of the UK with hard water, to another country with even harder water!! I've been rinsing with diluted white vinegar since then and the improvement in the softness of my hair is incredible.

[fhairyqueen]

I was having trouble with an itchy scalp so I have just switched to garnier ultimate blends Argan oil and almond , it says it’s silicone free
I can’t really judge it as this is only my third hair wash with it but I feel like the itching is less
Previously I was using random shampoos such as Pantene , tresemme , I used ogx for some months the biotin purple bottled one
When I say I don’t use any other products I literally don’t use anything no styling product or oils or anything goes in my hair
I could try switching to the micro fibre turbine towel I will try to find one - I didn’t know it could still be damaging just wrapping it up in a towel
I also didn’t know ponytails could be damaging for my hair . I thought this was the best way to protect my hair . I have never bunned before so I will buy some claw clips and try to learn the log roll
My brush is just any old brush . I don’t know what make it is it’s nothing special . Could this make a huge difference?
Thank you there is a lot of useful advice you’ve given there :)



It could be a couple of things, but it very well could be new growth if it's not all clumped together.



I hope some of this helps! :flowers:

[fhairyqueen]

I’m in the uk , East Anglia
I am really scared of putting vinegar in my hair
I worry it will make my hair fall out !
I notice it is recommend a lot though
Something feels not right with putting it in my hair
I guess it’s just we are lead to believe these official products are safer


fhairyqueen, most of England has hard to very hard water, unless you're in Cornwall, or most of the North-West. I didn't realise it was a problem either until I moved from one area of the UK with hard water, to another country with even harder water!! I've been rinsing with diluted white vinegar since then and the improvement in the softness of my hair is incredible.

[Arctic]

There are few great articles about gentle, basic handling and care practices at the Articles section. Maybe have a look at those.

About terry cloth /microfibre towels. Yes the material can make a difference. I personally use old, soft, large men's cotton t-shirts as hair towels. Best thing ever! So light, so absorbent, so smooth surface.

Oh, and don't be afraid of vinegar rinses. You dilute the vinegar to a hair and skin friendly pH. If your hair doesn't like it, or it offends your nose, there is no harm in trying and deciding it's not for you.

[lapushka]

Not using heat in 2 years would not make it APL yet, so you might still have damage from that at APL now. How long has the bleach been growing out?

There is nothing wrong with your routine.

Short hairs constantly grow in. Hair is constantly renewing itself, so you'll always have these shorter bits on your head. It's normal. Only if they come in thicker tufts, then there might be an issue.

[fhairyqueen]

Yes thank you I will look through the forum more thoroughly and find the articles
The tshirt is a great idea we have plenty of those !
I will try the vinegar rinse and see how it goes
I can’t dismiss it until I try it
I will try doing some research on how to make it safely


There are few great articles about gentle, basic handling and care practices at the Articles section. Maybe have a look at those.

About terry cloth /microfibre towels. Yes the material can make a difference. I personally use old, soft, large men's cotton t-shirts as hair towels. Best thing ever! So light, so absorbent, so smooth surface.

Oh, and don't be afraid of vinegar rinses. You dilute the vinegar to a hair and skin friendly pH. If your hair doesn't like it, or it offends your nose, there is no harm in trying and deciding it's not for you.

[fhairyqueen]

Sorry I will explain a bit clearer
I have been growing out the bleach and not using heat etc for two years
I cut off my long hair down to shoulder length and it is currently back at APL but yes there are still damaged ends in there and horrible layers with damaged ends from the bleaching :(
My bleach free length is more like shoulder approximately - going by my fringe layers which had all the bleach cut off them that’s where they are at
To completely be rid of all damage from bleach I’d have to cut back to shoulder again
I wasn’t sure if the bleach damage from two years ago could still be affecting my hair

[How long has the bleach been growing out?

There is nothing wrong with your routine.

Short hairs constantly grow in. Hair is constantly renewing itself, so you'll always have these shorter bits on your head. It's normal. Only if they come in thicker tufts, then there might be an issue.[/QUOTE]

[fhairyqueen]

Sorry lapushka I somehow messed up my post and didn’t quite /reply correctly
Edit - also I’m only just above APL I haven’t quite hit APL ( I will find out on April 1st if I’m there yet )

[Ophidian]

A quick way to tell if shorter hairs are new growth or breakage is to look closely at the tips. New growth has a pointy tip while a hair that has been cut/broken does not.

[Reyesuela]

FYI, the hardness of the water isn’t going to be a problem but the pH will. My hard water is very acidic. No problems for hair. It just stinks unless treated. Most hard water is quite alkaline with lots of dissolved lime. That can eat away your hair.

[Wendyp]

Oh that’s interesting I had never even thought about the water quality ! I have no idea what type of water we have or even how to tell
Please could you tell me what an ACV rinse is ?
Thank you so much for your reply

You buy some distilled water and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. I don’t know the exact proportion protocol but mine was pretty heavy pre water softener. I know a lot of people use acv every time. This really made a huge difference in my hair

[Cherriezzzzz]

I think if it were me, I'd add something onto my hair after my shower. A water soluble silicone, a bit of leave in conditioner, any hair protectant, gel etc. The choices are up to you! I'd also add in oiling my hair on a regular basis. Any oil will do to start, just dont go too crazy and use too much. (I DID! HAHA!) It's a fine art hahaha! You want to do it before your wash day/s. You'll figure out which oils are best for your hair type by process of elimination. Otherwise your hair care routine is solid :) When I oil it has a massaging to the scalp, which increases blood circulation, enhancing growth! What type of hair brush are you using? Take care in brushing it while wet. Change to a silk pillowcase. There's so many wonderful ways to baby your hair <3 I like using my (name brand alert!!) TEK wood hairbrush. It's helped SOOO much with gently but firmly removing my tangles. Ive tried other brands of wood brushes, but TEK has a flexibleness that I've not seen but in one other brush I've owned which is no longer made. But it's an investment, they're not cheap.

Happy Long Hair journey!!!!

[fhairyqueen]

That’s interesting I didn’t know that I will try looking to see if I can tell


A quick way to tell if shorter hairs are new growth or breakage is to look closely at the tips. New growth has a pointy tip while a hair that has been cut/broken does not.

[fhairyqueen]

It sounds much more complicated to figure out than I had expected !


FYI, the hardness of the water isn’t going to be a problem but the pH will. My hard water is very acidic. No problems for hair. It just stinks unless treated. Most hard water is quite alkaline with lots of dissolved lime. That can eat away your hair.

[fhairyqueen]

Thank you I’m definitely going to give it a go :)


You buy some distilled water and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. I don’t know the exact proportion protocol but mine was pretty heavy pre water softener. I know a lot of people use acv every time. This really made a huge difference in my hair

[fhairyqueen]

I was going to buy a wooden comb from the body shop but I will look at TEK first now
I have never quite understood how to correctly oil my hair
I had used the ogx coconut serum before to slick down my hair but I didn’t think it actually did anything good to my hair I don’t know I thought it was to just take your hair in appearance


I think if it were me, I'd add something onto my hair after my shower. A water soluble silicone, a bit of leave in conditioner, any hair protectant, gel etc. The choices are up to you! I'd also add in oiling my hair on a regular basis. Any oil will do to start, just dont go too crazy and use too much. (I DID! HAHA!) It's a fine art hahaha! You want to do it before your wash day/s. You'll figure out which oils are best for your hair type by process of elimination. Otherwise your hair care routine is solid :) When I oil it has a massaging to the scalp, which increases blood circulation, enhancing growth! What type of hair brush are you using? Take care in brushing it while wet. Change to a silk pillowcase. There's so many wonderful ways to baby your hair <3 I like using my (name brand alert!!) TEK wood hairbrush. It's helped SOOO much with gently but firmly removing my tangles. Ive tried other brands of wood brushes, but TEK has a flexibleness that I've not seen but in one other brush I've owned which is no longer made. But it's an investment, they're not cheap.

Happy Long Hair journey!!!!

[fhairyqueen]

Is the soap and glory hair turban from boots website any good? Is this a micro fibre turban ? It’s £8