Mid shaft breakage - any advise?

[EmmaLH16]

I've noticed I have a lot of mid shaft breakage even really close to my part. I have a bunch of little pieces that stick up and make my hair look pretty static-y. I've struggles to grow my hair out because if I'm not careful my ends break off.

In the past I've damaged my hair a lot by using a lot of heat, but three months ago I stopped using heat. I wear my hair is a low, loose bun with a small scrunchy on most days. At night I wear it in two loose braids. I wash it once every three days with sulfate free products. I don't use a brush, but I comb it with a wide tooth comb multiple times a day and I try to be careful with it.

I used to do a lot of deep conditioning DIY mask, but I haven't does any type of hair mask in a few months. I've found out that my hair doesn't like coconut oil, but it does like olive oil and most other hair oils.

I sleep on my stomach and I am pretty active when I sleep. I use a regular pillowcase, not silk. Could that be causing breakage? I know I'll need to be patient and wait for it to grow out, but is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of breakage I am having? Or anything I can do to make it less static-y?

[Obsidian]

Those little short hairs could very well be new hairs growing in and not breakage. I have the same sticky up bits, they will eventually get long enough to lay down.

If it is really breakage, try silk pillowcases and a protein treatment to help strengthen your hair.

[lapushka]

I've noticed I have a lot of mid shaft breakage even really close to my part. I have a bunch of little pieces that stick up and make my hair look pretty static-y. I've struggles to grow my hair out because if I'm not careful my ends break off.

In the past I've damaged my hair a lot by using a lot of heat, but three months ago I stopped using heat. I wear my hair is a low, loose bun with a small scrunchy on most days. At night I wear it in two loose braids. I wash it once every three days with sulfate free products. I don't use a brush, but I comb it with a wide tooth comb multiple times a day and I try to be careful with it.

I used to do a lot of deep conditioning DIY mask, but I haven't does any type of hair mask in a few months. I've found out that my hair doesn't like coconut oil, but it does like olive oil and most other hair oils.

I sleep on my stomach and I am pretty active when I sleep. I use a regular pillowcase, not silk. Could that be causing breakage? I know I'll need to be patient and wait for it to grow out, but is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of breakage I am having? Or anything I can do to make it less static-y?

If you have only stopped heat 3 months, that means you have 3 months' worth of healthy growth, the rest of the hair that was there will remain damaged, whether you stopped heat or not.

Examine your hair for white dots up the shaft that make the hair have a sharp angle if you manipulate it; those are points of breakage. You can leave them alone (please do), don't pull them. They will be fine to grow out as long as you don't manipulate them too much. One or two will break off once in a while but that is nothing compared to having to have your hair cut shorter due to it.

Happy growing.

[spidermom]

In my experience, you'll always have those sticky-up bits; they're new hairs. Old hairs shed out, new hairs grow in.

[MusicalSpoons]

If you have only stopped heat 3 months, that means you have 3 months' worth of healthy growth, the rest of the hair that was there will remain damaged, whether you stopped heat or not.

Yup, that's the reality of it - and if your growth rate is average, that will be approximately an inch and a half of undamaged new growth. However! Stopping using heat is an excellent start, and should mean the new growth is undamaged and it greatly reduces further damage to the hair you're growing out. So those new hairs poking through are future strong, healthy long hairs :grin:

I don't know what kind of styles you can do at your length, but it might be worth considering whether sleeping in braids is actually protective for your hair or not. Many of us find braids expose the ends and lengths of the hair to mechanical damage anyway, but many find them to be an excellent way of containing hair - it really does depend on your own hair. A silk or satin pillowcase will almost certainly help though either way, or a sleep cap (though you may have already considered and discounted that idea due to being an active sleeper).

Is combing it multiple times a day necessary? Genuine question - for some people it is necessary because the damage from tangles if they don't regularly comb end up being worse than the potential mechanical damage from being handled and combed. Just something to consider because if it's not necessary, you could reduce the potential for mechanical damage by not combing as often.

I'm sure as you stick around and do a lot of reading you'll find tips that work for your hair, but at the same time once you have a decent routine down that works well for your hair, you don't have to worry about constantly trying to improve things (unless you actively want to). Growing is a long process so please do enjoy your hair and different styles at different lengths :flower: and as it gets longer, your options for protective styles will greatly increase too :)