Feeling very sad. So much breakage

[Beeboo123]

Hi! I've been away from this forum for a while. About one and a half months ago, I switched leave-in conditioners. I was using Phyto 9 previously, and decided to use something else. It didn't leave my hair feeling as good, and my hair felt drier and frizzed and tangled much more, but I stuck to it because it was pricey. Terrible decision.

Before I switched leave-ins, most of my breakage started from nearly shoulder length, from past heat damage. My hair was visibly thicker from above my shoulders. I finally gave up on the new leave-in yesterday. My breakage now starts around my ears, there are so many broken hairs sticking out. I feel so sad, my thickness was finally travelling down, but now everything has been reset. My hair looks like crap, my ends look so so thin, I think I will have to cut it off. At the same time, I really don't want to do that because I'm just 2 inches stretched from classic.

I clarified and started using Phyto 9 again. You know what they say- if it ain't broke, don't fix it. No more experimenting with my routine when I've already found one that works for me.

Can I have loads of hugs please :'(

[lapushka]

I'm sure the breakage isn't that bad to warrant cutting it all short. I would go back to the old product, and keep the other one around for when your hair is healthy again.

Also, it might not have been the product, sometimes heat affected strands just break off without warning, and there's nothing you can do.

I grew out heat damage starting pretty much an inch off of the root, and grew it out to hip. Then my mom did one massive S&D session bringing my hair to half the thickness up to BSL, so we cut back to BSL, but I would not have cut it into a pixie. I grew it out. Some strands, though, broke off along the way. It is inevitable with heat damage.

[Groovy Granny]

((((Hugs))))

Is it possible it is new growth you are seeing?

As far as the ends thinning.....do you micro trim?

Clarifying as you did and returning to the last product that gave good results is a positive start....as well as a wee trim if you haven't.

Others may have more options to try.


At your length I would hold off on doing a major cut :tmi:

Good luck; great to see you again :cheer:

[MoonRabbit]

Are you sure it is fresh breakage? Maybe you are just noticing more shorter hairs because of the dryness and frizz.

[KlutzyChy1]

I agree with other ladies, could it be possible it is just new growth you are seeing or just frizz? I'm growing out previous heat damage as well & while I do have A LOT of breakage & splits, they are all concentrated at the ends of my hair, and I started out with extremely fragile hair. I don't think a product change like that would cause that much damage in such a short amount of time. I know with my hair type, now that the weather is changing & it is much more humid out, I've noticed a lot of frizz & the baby hairs I have seem to stick out more, so it appears like it is breakage, but it isn't. Just try to take a deep breath & stick to using the old product for a while to see if your hair bounces back to the way it was before. I would hold off on cutting for right now & be patient because it could just be an easy fix& especially being so close to your goal length, you don't want to do anything drastic now while you're upset, that you might regret later. It will be okay! :heartbeat

[Wendyp]

Oh I learned the hard way too about expensive products. Luckily there’s lots of stuff to help fix damage :grouphug:

[Beeboo123]

lapushka, none of the hair above my shoulders have been touched with heat =(

Groovy Granny, MoonRabbit unfortunately, it is fresh breakage. When i grab a bunch of hair, I can see the hair tapering dramatically and becoming see through from my ears down.

I think i'm going to hold off cutting for a month or two. My curl pattern is pretty much gone. Hopefully with good care and moisturizing, my waves will return and my hair will look better? Then I can cut less off. So frustrated. Lesson definitely learnt

[MoonRabbit]

lapushka, none of the hair above my shoulders have been touched with heat =(

Groovy Granny, MoonRabbit unfortunately, it is fresh breakage. When i grab a bunch of hair, I can see the hair tapering dramatically and becoming see through from my ears down.

I think i'm going to hold off cutting for a month or two. My curl pattern is pretty much gone. Hopefully with good care and moisturizing, my waves will return and my hair will look better? Then I can cut less off. So frustrated. Lesson definitely learnt

I thought taper meant it was new growth and a fresh break would be blunt like it snapped off at a certain length...though I could be wrong.

[Guitargod]

I thought taper meant it was new growth and a fresh break would be blunt like it snapped off at a certain length...though I could be wrong.

I don't think she's talking about tapered ends on individual hairs. But yes new growth will have tapered ends, while broken hairs have blunt or split ends.

@Beeboo123 do you use hair elastics often? I used to have quite a bit of breakage from that around ear/chin length. Since I stopped it has grown to around shoulder.

[Glitch]

What about your usual hairstyles? I know braids cause me breakage, for example. Also, doing the same hairstyle every single time will also stress out the areas involved.

I would look into protein treatments and microtrimming, have you tried either?

:grouphug: You'll get through this rough patch for sure!

[Beeboo123]

MoonRabbit, I mean taper as in the thickness of the bunch of hair. The thickness decreases by a lot suddenly, past my ears.

Guitargod, Glitch, I don't use hair elastics. Only buns held up with smooth wooden sticks or a pair of big claw clips. And I frequently change the location and style of my buns.

KlutzyChy1 I certainly hope that's the case too... but while my ponytail circumference has remained unchanged, the circumference of my hair has decreased substantially (from what it used to be) a few inches down my ponytail. I really didn't think any product could cause so much damage in such a short time. So confused and frustrated, but that's the only thing in my routine that has changed.

Maybe i'll take photos when I'm feeling a little better. Rargh!!! (I know, it's just hair, it will grow out =( )

[Groovy Granny]

Groovy Granny, unfortunately, it is fresh breakage. When i grab a bunch of hair, I can see the hair tapering dramatically and becoming see through from my ears down.

I think i'm going to hold off cutting for a month or two. My curl pattern is pretty much gone. Hopefully with good care and moisturizing, my waves will return and my hair will look better? Then I can cut less off. So frustrated. Lesson definitely learnt

Oh no :(

Hoping it turns out ok with TLC and a return to what works :flowers:

[AutobotsAttack]

:grouphug:

It’ll be okay Beeboo. Glad to see you back again though!

I too have a bit of an issue with breakage the longer my hair gets. It seems to mostly happen in my crown area. I’d agree with doing some scheduled protein treatments. Light ones, and balance them out with moisture.

And be a bit more gentle around your problem areas when handling your hair.

More than likely no need to trim. I’d wait until you get to your goal length of Classic, and then microtrimming for maybe 6 months, or longer if you’d like, and then protect your hair and keep it up and out of the way in the meantime.

[Dark40]

(((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))

I agree with lapushka. The breakage may not be as bad as you think. It sounds like you need a very good deep moisturizing conditioning treatment. I would never cut off all my hair all of the way until it's short. Or, you may need a protein treatment. Yeah, it's always best to stick with the same leave-in treatments that you like instead of switching on your routine.

[Beeboo123]

Check out my crazy breakage. Pulled my hair back so you can see it clearly, it doesn’t photograph well as my hair is so dark. These crazy sticking out hairs go around my entire head!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
HOW did this even happen?! =[ I sleep in a sleeping cap, my hair has been bunned with a stick or claw clips 100% of the time when it’s not wet after a wash and I’m air-drying it. I finger-detangle very very gently, I hear at most 3 hairs break a day. My hair has never been heated or chemically treated at that length. I noticed a gazillion tangles when I used the new leave-in, and my hair felt dry and crappy, but this kind of breakage, really? How did it happen? /rant

I used my old leave in again today, and my hair feels so much softer and tangle-free. The shine isn’t back yet, but I’m hopeful my hair might look somewhat healthy again.

[lapushka]

Check out my crazy breakage. Pulled my hair back so you can see it clearly, it doesn’t photograph well as my hair is so dark. These crazy sticking out hairs go around my entire head!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
HOW did this even happen?! =[ I sleep in a sleeping cap, my hair has been bunned with a stick or claw clips 100% of the time when it’s not wet after a wash and I’m air-drying it. I finger-detangle very very gently, I hear at most 3 hairs break a day. My hair has never been heated or chemically treated at that length. I noticed a gazillion tangles when I used the new leave-in, and my hair felt dry and crappy, but this kind of breakage, really? How did it happen? /rant

I used my old leave in again today, and my hair feels so much softer and tangle-free. The shine isn’t back yet, but I’m hopeful my hair might look somewhat healthy again.

Isn't that normal regrowth? :hmm: I get these tiny hairs constantly, granted not that much but they are there! So I wouldn't despair. If they have tapered ends, it's not breakage; so I would examine them carefully if you're worried.

Sometimes a lot of hair can fall out at once but a lot grows back in too. I don't know why it happens, but it does happen.

[Kiisu]

arrgh i have same problems 4 months now:( Maybe need try Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer & Two-Step Protein Treatment for damage hair

[Beeboo123]

Isn't that normal regrowth? :hmm: I get these tiny hairs constantly, granted not that much but they are there! So I wouldn't despair. If they have tapered ends, it's not breakage; so I would examine them carefully if you're worried.

Sometimes a lot of hair can fall out at once but a lot grows back in too. I don't know why it happens, but it does happen.

I felt hopeful when I read your comment, so I quickly got my friend to take a look at my hair... nope, some of it is regrowth, but a lot of the hairs are split. Which is strange, I normally get no more than 2-3 split ends a month. Is it possible for stress to cause hair to become more brittle? I'm starting to suspect that the leave-in i bought from Amazon was a fake product, it was from a Chinese company... I picked the cheapest option. Mehhhhh.

[lapushka]

I felt hopeful when I read your comment, so I quickly got my friend to take a look at my hair... nope, some of it is regrowth, but a lot of the hairs are split. Which is strange, I normally get no more than 2-3 split ends a month. Is it possible for stress to cause hair to become more brittle? I'm starting to suspect that the leave-in i bought from Amazon was a fake product, it was from a Chinese company... I picked the cheapest option. Mehhhhh.

I would get rid of the product asap. Throw it out if it wasn't from the original company.

Good luck recovering from this fiasco.

[Glitch]

So, the site froze up and removed the most recent replies lol anyway, I had said:
I agree. I know I bought a not-totally-reliable hair product in the past that made my ends very brittle, dry and crunchy, when they were just fine before. I had to clarify multiple times and it took a few weeks to get back to my normal hair. I have a purifying shampoo which says it can take a few washes to get out heavy product build up, and I always thought that was BS, so I was pretty surprised when it happened to me and indeed took a good while to completely get out of my hair.

And Lapushka had replied with:

Yeah, you don't want to mess with your hair. I have cheap products too, but they're from my local Aldi or Lidl, and they're not rubbish that can contain just about any pollutant (like lead etc.). Fake products can be *real bad*!

So yeah, watch out for that, OP! Even the cheapest ones from the local drugstore are reliable in ways that low-key sketchy ones from online will never be. I remember buying sunscreen once from a popular beauty website, and luckily I had a friend who spoke the language to translate the directions for me. The product had been expired for a few years (the ingredients in many sunscreens, like the one I bought in particular, are effective for a certain time), and I would never have known... Never again!

[littlestarface]

Oh beeboo this sucks! :wail:

[Andthetalltrees]

Aw I'm so sorry. I had something similar happen to me, I had a ton of breakage and splits from using conditioner with too much protein combined with a lot of regrowth, for a few months it looked like I had cut in bangs with side fringes but it was just broken and regrowth hairs. My hair is still in a pretty sharp V but it's not noticeable it happened now. It'll regrow, I promise.

[lapushka]

So yeah, watch out for that, OP! Even the cheapest ones from the local drugstore are reliable in ways that low-key sketchy ones from online will never be. I remember buying sunscreen once from a popular beauty website, and luckily I had a friend who spoke the language to translate the directions for me. The product had been expired for a few years (the ingredients in many sunscreens, like the one I bought in particular, are effective for a certain time), and I would never have known... Never again!

Definitely. Stores have distributors behind them and it is reputable, the entire chain is checkable.

Online, if you go with unknown companies, you never know what you're going to get. I don't want to dismiss online shopping at all, but you have to know what to buy and pass on!

I saw a Dr. Oz show once where they had someone test fake medication and it was full of things that you would find in the street and lead and all sorts of other pollutants. And that goes for regular "fake" products too.

[elsiedeluxe]

Beeboo, I know this look is not your goal, but for what it's worth, I think it looks very pretty. Maybe you could enjoy the wispies as they grow out.

[Glitch]

Well said, Lapushka :o Very and especially important to be weary of products when it comes to the body.

[Dark40]

Check out my crazy breakage. Pulled my hair back so you can see it clearly, it doesn’t photograph well as my hair is so dark. These crazy sticking out hairs go around my entire head!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/80PNHxe.jpg
HOW did this even happen?! =[ I sleep in a sleeping cap, my hair has been bunned with a stick or claw clips 100% of the time when it’s not wet after a wash and I’m air-drying it. I finger-detangle very very gently, I hear at most 3 hairs break a day. My hair has never been heated or chemically treated at that length. I noticed a gazillion tangles when I used the new leave-in, and my hair felt dry and crappy, but this kind of breakage, really? How did it happen? /rant

I used my old leave in again today, and my hair feels so much softer and tangle-free. The shine isn’t back yet, but I’m hopeful my hair might look somewhat healthy again.

Just last week I had noticed some damage or breakage too, and I decided to trim off 1cm of my ends. Or, my ends started to feeling very dry, and I had this terrible frizz. So, now my hair and ends are a lot happier.

[queenbee1]

Hang in there, hair twin! Lots of hugs you can grow it this out!

[Nan]

Sooo. I had a crop about 3 months ago and since my hair has grown into a pixieish length. Last week I decided to want to go back to my natural colour, which required bleaching. I TRIED to do it as gently as possible (clay lightening etc) but today, after the last bleach&dye (which did get me to my natural colour) a patch of hair broke off from the crown of my head!!! Now there's like two finger widths worth of REEEALLY short (crop) hair at that part and it looks kinda bald :/ Hugs please!

[Beeboo123]

Thank you for all the encouragement and kind words. I'm going to cut off the last 6 inches of my hair this weekend. It's simply unsalvagable.
http://i.imgur.com/pZIcNNc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pZIcNNc.jpg

Nan I'm sorry to hear that. Hugs to you too.

[lapushka]

Thank you for all the encouragement and kind words. I'm going to cut off the last 6 inches of my hair this weekend. It's simply unsalvagable.
http://i.imgur.com/pZIcNNc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pZIcNNc.jpg

What if you tried an oil rinse? And maybe use more oil than is "recommended", then smack your conditioner on over it, let marinate a couple minutes, and rinse after your wash. You could try it before turning to the scissors. Worth a shot.

[Beeboo123]

What if you tried an oil rinse? And maybe use more oil than is "recommended", then smack your conditioner on over it, let marinate a couple minutes, and rinse after your wash. You could try it before turning to the scissors. Worth a shot.

Hi lapushka! I have been marinating my hair, this is the result after several marinades. And I oil rinse every time I wash. I think this is the best it can get. So many splits, it will have to go...

[Katsura]

I'm sorry, Beeboo, lots of hugs!


Lots of hugs to you too Nan!

[Nan]

Oh JES! Feeling soo much better. My LOVELY hairstylist (been going to her for a year now) fixed my hair so well that you can barely even see the broken hairs anymore! Of course I lost some length, but I'm not bald! :D Continuing growing, NEVER gonna lighten again!