Crispy ends on natural hair

[CanadaSquirrel]

My hair is dark blonde, coarse, slightly wavy, and about 32" when measured from the top of forehead/over the top of my head/down my back. I'm aiming to get to 36", and if that miracle should occur, I'll see if I can get it even longer, but my hair has been notoriously slow to grow in the middle back. My bangs, however, are another story. I trim them once every week or two to keep them just below my eyebrows where I like them.

The ends of the long part of my hair are crispy. I don't dye my hair nor use any type of colouring products. I've not had a trim since last May. I fear trims as they always take off way more than I want. I did get an Olaplex treatment from a salon, as I'd heard it can help, but it didn't seem to do anything.

When I comb my hair, it's got this crunchy kind of sound on the bottom few inches. It's not that the ends are split. I see very few split ends. They are very dry, though.

I have tried so many different products over the years. Lately, I've been doing hair masks of honey, mashed avocado, and coconut milk. It helps make my hair soft and brings out the waves, but those ends are still crispy. Also, I no longer use towels on my hair. I just gently wrap a cotton T-shirt around my head to sop up the water after washing.

I wonder if I should just suffer through having shorter hair as a result of getting a few inches cut off, or what?

I've heard of something called "Brazilian Blowout". Is this something that might be helpful? Or harmful?

Thoughts?

[lapushka]

Don't do that keratin (Brazilian) treatment. It's not really a treatment, it's high heat, pressed in and it will mess up your wave pattern to virtually zilch. It's like a texturizer / quite weak version of a straight perm.

Also have you clarify-washed lately?

What kind of shampoo do you use? Sulfate? Sulfate-mild or sulfate-free? It may be just that what's going on.

[CanadaSquirrel]

Clarify wash? I have something called Neutrogena shampoo that is supposed to clear out buildup. Is that what you mean? I don't use it very often. Maybe once a month.

OK, will avoid the Brazilian thing. Thanks for the warning!

I can't read the ingredients on my shampoo bottle coz they are soooo tiny. It's called Joico K-Pac. I have the shampoo and the conditioner. A hairdresser recommended that I buy them. She wasn't trying to make money off me by recommending them, as she didn't sell them to customers. She had it as part of her own products to use on clients and said I could find some at Walmart.

[lapushka]

Clarify wash? I have something called Neutrogena shampoo that is supposed to clear out buildup. Is that what you mean? I don't use it very often. Maybe once a month.

OK, will avoid the Brazilian thing. Thanks for the warning!

I can't read the ingredients on my shampoo bottle coz they are soooo tiny. It's called Joico K-Pac. I have the shampoo and the conditioner. A hairdresser recommended that I buy them. She wasn't trying to make money off me by recommending them, as she didn't sell them to customers. She had it as part of her own products to use on clients and said I could find some at Walmart.

You're welcome about the warning.

Yes, the Neutrogena should work beautifully. At least clarify once a month or so, and maybe even twice a month if you are heavy on the sulfate-free or sulfate-mild bandwagon.

Wash, then follow by a nice moisturizing mask or good conditioner, and it should normally be better. Sometimes once just isn't enough if there is a lot of build-up on the hair, and you may need to wash your second time washing (don't wash sooner) with the Neutrogena as well.

[neko_kawaii]

Is the Joico K-Pac a protein product? If so, you may have a protein overload and just need moisture. Do you have a protein free conditioner?

[AutobotsAttack]

Moisture. Moisture. Moisture. And more of it. There is no need to clarify the ends of your hair. At all.

[MusicalSpoons]

Is the Joico K-Pac a protein product? If so, you may have a protein overload and just need moisture. Do you have a protein free conditioner?

I was thinking protein too - and I believe the K stands for keratin.

OP your avatar made me smile because apart from the colour that could be my cat!

[Mariekeeee14]

Crispy ends scream protein overload to me. I second the moisture moisture moisture :)

[Joules]

Moisture. Moisture. Moisture. And more of it. There is no need to clarify the ends of your hair. At all.

I would disagree. Clarifying "cured" the crunchiness on my ends because it was due to product buildup. If you use any product on your hair at all clarifying the entire length is essential.

[Ylva]

Is the Joico K-Pac a protein product? If so, you may have a protein overload and just need moisture. Do you have a protein free conditioner?

Yes, K-Pak products are loaded with protein.

[lapushka]

I would disagree. Clarifying "cured" the crunchiness on my ends because it was due to product buildup. If you use any product on your hair at all clarifying the entire length is essential.

I disagree as well. Clarifying really needs to be *all over* the hair, roots to the very ends, and then lots of conditioner/moisture.

[CanadaSquirrel]

I would disagree. Clarifying "cured" the crunchiness on my ends because it was due to product buildup. If you use any product on your hair at all clarifying the entire length is essential.

I'll try clarifying on my next wash, as I moisturize like crazy anyway and it's not helping the crispiness on the ends. I'll keep moisturizing, too, of course, for to NOT do it only makes things worse. The pre-wash avocado masks I've been doing for a few weeks, an hour minimum prior to every single wash. I only wash my hair twice a week.

[CanadaSquirrel]

Yes, K-Pak products are loaded with protein.

I don't know how to tell if any of my products have protein or not. The ingredient lists are sooooo small (as in tiny text, not small amount of words!), and most of the words are ones for which I do not know the meaning.

I do have another salon product, recommended by another hairdresser a few years ago, called Biolage Fiberstrong. I have the shampoo and the conditioner.

[CanadaSquirrel]

OP your avatar made me smile because apart from the colour that could be my cat!

LOL! That's cute. :) I have four cats and they all like to take turns on my desk at times. I keep a lambswool duster on my desk to swoop up the fur. :D

[CanadaSquirrel]

So far, nobody has said a trim would be in order. Can it be possible I can get away with avoiding a trim? I really so desperately hate going to the hairdresser. I feel absolutely stiff and scared when in a salon, so many bad experiences have I had there.

I've been on these long hair forums since 2001, crying about how badly I want long hair. I'Il see mentions of "terminal length", but I don't want to believe that. I've had a few setbacks in my length due to bad trims over the years, the most severe one leaving me in tears as it went from mid-back to suddenly just past my shoulders in early 2004. But to my surprise, my hair grew back to even longer than it was before that "trim" within two years.

I've taken various vitamins and supplements, too, over the years, but one I've found lately that seems to be helping, at least for making my hair thicker all around and it's growing everywhere except in the mid-back where I want that length to show itself most, has been some stuff called Kerotin. I bought a six month supply last year and noticed my nails were growing annoyingly fast, and I was having to epilate the hair on my legs etc much more frequently, plus I needed to trim my bangs every week or two. Also, whereas I was always losing hair in a disgustingly large amount when I washed or combed it, no longer did that happen. It was reduced to a hair or two on the comb.

When I stopped taking the vitamins because I ran out, I soon noticed my hair was falling out more again. I bought another six-month supply and am on my second bottle now. It's made a difference in reducing hair loss already.

And either all my scrunchies have shrunk, or my hair truly has gotten thicker, for I used to be able to wrap them three times around a ponytail without difficulty. Now, though, after the second wrap, it's a bit too loose to let it stay on two wraps, but to get it to the third wrap I have to stretch it hard.

Anyway, there's my morning rambling about my hair before my kids get up and I can't think anymore, lol! Thank you all for your input. I am always so glad to be within this group of nice people who share a love for long hair.

[lapushka]

So far, nobody has said a trim would be in order. Can it be possible I can get away with avoiding a trim? I really so desperately hate going to the hairdresser. I feel absolutely stiff and scared when in a salon, so many bad experiences have I had there.

I've been on these long hair forums since 2001, crying about how badly I want long hair. I'Il see mentions of "terminal length", but I don't want to believe that. I've had a few setbacks in my length due to bad trims over the years, the most severe one leaving me in tears as it went from mid-back to suddenly just past my shoulders in early 2004. But to my surprise, my hair grew back to even longer than it was before that "trim" within two years.

I've taken various vitamins and supplements, too, over the years, but one I've found lately that seems to be helping, at least for making my hair thicker all around and it's growing everywhere except in the mid-back where I want that length to show itself most, has been some stuff called Kerotin. I bought a six month supply last year and noticed my nails were growing annoyingly fast, and I was having to epilate the hair on my legs etc much more frequently, plus I needed to trim my bangs every week or two. Also, whereas I was always losing hair in a disgustingly large amount when I washed or combed it, no longer did that happen. It was reduced to a hair or two on the comb.

When I stopped taking the vitamins because I ran out, I soon noticed my hair was falling out more again. I bought another six-month supply and am on my second bottle now. It's made a difference in reducing hair loss already.

And either all my scrunchies have shrunk, or my hair truly has gotten thicker, for I used to be able to wrap them three times around a ponytail without difficulty. Now, though, after the second wrap, it's a bit too loose to let it stay on two wraps, but to get it to the third wrap I have to stretch it hard.

Anyway, there's my morning rambling about my hair before my kids get up and I can't think anymore, lol! Thank you all for your input. I am always so glad to be within this group of nice people who share a love for long hair.

There is no need to trim if your ends aren't split or have white dots. If it is just the feel of the hair, typically product is to blame!

And with your length you can trim just fine on your own, with Feye's self-trimming method:
https://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/

[CanadaSquirrel]

There is no need to trim if your ends aren't split or have white dots. If it is just the feel of the hair, typically product is to blame!

And with your length you can trim just fine on your own, with Feye's self-trimming method:
https://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/

Oh! Right! I didn't even think of self trimming. I will need to invest in a good pair of sharp haircutting scissors, but that's probably cheaper than going to the salon for a trim, which is around $40 in my part of the world.

[Wendyclaire]

Anything with coconut oil does that to my hair. I believe less is more when it comes to my skin and hair. I use Argon oil on my ends. It immediately got rid of my dry ends.

[spidermom]

Moisture. Moisture. Moisture. And more of it. There is no need to clarify the ends of your hair. At all.

Not true for my hair! The ends are where I concentrate my leave-in products, and they most certainly do build up and become dried out and like Velcro over time. There's nothing like a clarifying wash (or 2 or 3) to make my ends feel soft and manageable again.

[MusicalSpoons]

Btw from the pictures in your other thread I would sincerely doubt you are anywhere near your terminal length :)

[sillyme]

I have been having the same problem in my unprocessed hair lately too and found it it was indeed a protein overload. I always kind of suspected proteins were a problem, but wasn't sure until I used a shampoo and conditioner with collagen lately, and I found out what people meant when they said they had "velcro ends."

Coconut oil also, is not a friend of my hair. I read somewhere that coconut oil is not a protein but it can cause a problem with hair that doesn't like protein. Maybe someone more knowledgable than me will straighten that one out for us.

But, after only two claifying shampoos, roots to ends, on two consecutive days, my former crunchy ends are now soft again and I didn't have to cut them off. Yay!

[CanadaSquirrel]

I have been having the same problem in my unprocessed hair lately too and found it it was indeed a protein overload. I always kind of suspected proteins were a problem, but wasn't sure until I used a shampoo and conditioner with collagen lately, and I found out what people meant when they said they had "velcro ends."

Coconut oil also, is not a friend of my hair. I read somewhere that coconut oil is not a protein but it can cause a problem with hair that doesn't like protein. Maybe someone more knowledgable than me will straighten that one out for us.

But, after only two claifying shampoos, roots to ends, on two consecutive days, my former crunchy ends are now soft again and I didn't have to cut them off. Yay!

That is encouraging. What brand on shampoo did you use? And with what did you condition afterward?

[sillyme]

That is encouraging. What brand on shampoo did you use? And with what did you condition afterward?

I clarified with Vo5 Detox Shampoo and conditioned with the matching conditioner. I think this is a new formula for Vo5 and I've only seen it at CVS. It seems to be protein free. I've been reading a lot of ingredients and realize protein free products are kind of hard to find.