Breakage and thinning keeps getting worse

[Loveletters]

Dear community,
A while ago I wrote a threat about my hair thinning due to my ED and stressful lifestyle. I am trying hard to recover, and it's going quite well right now to be fair. What's not going well is the recovery of my hair. My hip length hair, that used to be really thick, healthy, shiny and full, keeps getting thinner, more brittle and it just keeps breaking off. Sometimes it breaks off above my ears, and I have splits everywhere, all the way down the length, and my forelock is ragged and dry. When I comb or brush it, my lap is full of broken strands, some an inch in length, others 7 inches. There's nothing left of how it used to look, and it definitely no longer is the feature I was most proud of. Sometimes it makes me cry. I can't cut off the splits, because they are everywhere. I need help, because I am crazy attached to my hair and cutting it short would make me feel so insecure. No one in my family can cut hair besides trimming it and hair salons have always kinda freaked me out, haha. Does anyone know what to do and how to stop the breakage?
Thanks in advance.

[lapushka]

It takes at least a year *after* your eating pattern is totally back to normal. So if it's still not on point, it's going to still reflect in your hair. It's like growing from a shave, it all needs to grow back in.

I've "only" been on the brink of an eating disorder (ED), and I lost 1/3 of the thickness of my hair already, so... It's tough.

Good luck!

And welcome to the forum! :D

You could microtrim, which means cutting about half to all of your growth off a month. There are ways of cutting your hair yourself, just Google Feye's self-trimming method.

Also I think something might be up with your stats, 28 inches can't be hip surely. ;) We do measure differently on the LHC. Like from the front hairline (forehead) over your back and then read the measurement at the hem.

[Loveletters]

Hello! I don't really understand the American length system, haha. I don't know how many inches hip length would be (someone please tell me lol) and my goal is classic length (please tell me how long that is too :'D).
Thanks for your reply. I bet my mom will kill me if I trim my own hair, but I can always try. It's bothering me how unhealthy it looks and I really want it to be one length again. Maybe the micro trimming thing will help to make it look a little better until it all reaches a certain length again...

[Corvana]

Hello! I don't really understand the American length system, haha. I don't know how many inches hip length would be (someone please tell me lol) and my goal is classic length (please tell me how long that is too :'D).
Thanks for your reply. I bet my mom will kill me if I trim my own hair, but I can always try. It's bothering me how unhealthy it looks and I really want it to be one length again. Maybe the micro trimming thing will help to make it look a little better until it all reaches a certain length again...

We can't really tell you how long a length is, because it's dependant on your body's measurements. Here's a couple threads to really show how different we all are:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=141611 - "how long is classic on you"
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49626 - "how many inches is waist length for you"

[MusicalSpoons]

The way to measure is to hold a tape measure at your hairline in the middle of your forehead, then put it back over your crown and down the length of your hair, and see how far down your ends are :) you can put it in cm or inches, though usually people put that it's cm in their stats because most of us are used to seeing the measurements in inches there ;) or you can put the relevant body markers as your stats instead, if that's easier.

I'm sorry you're dealing with such a tough situation, though congratulations for working on recovery! As for your hair, it will take time and all you can really do is try to baby the fragile hair so it stays intact as long as possible. There's a lot of information for bleached/dyed hair which might be helpful because that's for dealing with structural damage (I know your hair wasn't damaged as such, but it's structurally weak so some of the same things should work) and also all the basic advice for being gentle with hair and protecting it in general. As your body recovers, the new hair that grows will be better quality and stronger, so although it will take time, you'll get there. Maybe take pictures of your hair at certain intervals so you can look back on your progress?

For trimming, there are a few different methods to do it yourself, depending on the shape of the hemline you want. If you're really hesitant to do it yourself, I would think something like a CreaClip would be ideal if you could find a willing family member to help you - and of course, any hair cutting should be done with properly sharp scissors ONLY used on hair (anything else will dull the blade which won't cut cleanly through the hair and will cause split ends to appear soon after).

I hope you can find all the help you need for your hair here :flower:

[milosmomma]

Congrats on overcoming a very difficult affliction, it's not an easy thing to do. Be proud of yourself for that :)
I would say that protective styling will be your best friend in protecting the delicate lengths while your new healthy hair grows back. You can take your time and do some search and destroy on your splits(cut out the individual splits one by one) I wouldn't go in with the idea that you're going to get them all, just take a few at a time to bring the numbers down. I find s&d therapeutic, but if you find it is stressing you out then stop, it's not worth it if you're not enjoying it. Light oiling or a coney serum can help with splits and making detangling easier. Keeping it in a bun, and using a satin pillow case with prevent alot of friction which also leads to splits. Like Lapushka said, your new hair is essentially growing from a shave and will time many years even to reach the lengths of your hair now. I am recovering a shed I had due to pregnancy and my new growth is on average 3-5 inches(7-12cm) after about 9ish months(baby is 17 months but the shedding lasted quite a while)
Just hang in there and think that your hair is constantly growing little by little everyday and you will make your goals with time :)

[GrowinIt]

I am sorry you are having a tough time with your hair :(. I think the suggestion of bunning your hair is a good one. Also, just be gentle with it when combing it, and then try not to touch it a lot, and concentrate on eating well and being healthy. As someone else mentioned, every day it will grow a little more.