What do you do about bent hair?

[katsumii]

Hi!

Is there a such thing as "bent" hair, as in: it is a strand that is bent at an angle at one spot, instead of a kinky curl or a coily wave??

I have naturally wavy/wurly hair, and I'm convinced bent hair like this knots my hair more often and encourages breakage. Is this normal and am I concerned for no reason??

Is there any way to smooth out the bend without using heat? Suppose I can't get the strand to smoothen; would it hurt to cut the strand before the bend?

So, the main reason some of my hair is bent, by the way, is because I wore a wig (the kind with small built-in combs and clips) for Halloween, and it pulled and tugged at my hair a LOT. Trust me when I say I use silk/satin pillowcases and silk satin hair scrunchies. I do not brush my hair when dry, either. I just had a TERRIBLE Halloween aftermath because of this wig fiasco. (Never again!)

Thank you!
-kat

[lapushka]

With "bent", what do you mean? Does the sharp angle have a white dot on it? If so, that is heat damage and it will break if you pull it. Do not pull it, though! Take some sharp scissors and slowly snip that out, individual strands about half a cm above the white dot.

Other bends are more often than not perfectly harmless and due to a style, or laying on it, and after a wash it will disappear. Yep, scrunching up your hair from wearing a wig might have done it. Washes out!

[katsumii]

Oh! Great points, @lapushka. No, there's no white dot (that I can see). I will try taking photos when I get the chance! Is it possible to get heat damage from the sun or from living in a warm space indoors?

Laying on my hair makes a LOT of sense! That may explain it after all! Sometimes, my hair is "crinkled" at the ends – or even mid-strand. Maybe laying on it explains those ends, too? (They are not consistent with clumps of curls; I just mean individual strands.)

My bends do not wash out. I've tried smoothing them in the shower. They retain their shape.


Yep, scrunching up your hair from wearing a wig might have done it. Washes out!
Yeah, that's gotta be one of the very few worst mistakes/experiences of my life. It pulled, ripped and tugged. Combine that Halloween event with a lot of subsequent holiday traveling for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and using out-of-town hard water and not getting enough sleep. :bigeyes:

[Ylva]

My broken hairs don’t all show a white dot but they are still flappy Ls and definitely broken, not reset by water. The flappiness is what I go by.

[aenigmatica8]

I know exactly what you mean! For me these happen mainly at my ends, where either hair ties or tangles have bent them into angles. I agree with lapushka, I think the only thing you can do is wash and moisturize to reset your hair's texture. Cutting them off would be throwing out the baby with the bath water lol!

[lapushka]

I know exactly what you mean! For me these happen mainly at my ends, where either hair ties or tangles have bent them into angles. I agree with lapushka, I think the only thing you can do is wash and moisturize to reset your hair's texture. Cutting them off would be throwing out the baby with the bath water lol!

I am afraid of that, so I'm careful with what I say. But OP has now said it does not wash out. I think in that case the only way to get rid of them is either S&D'ing them out gradually (you do not want to mess up or thin out your hemline). If there are too much, then slight trims (microtrimming) might do the trick, slowly though. There is *no* need to trim massively!

If you leave them alone, they really won't hurt anyone! It's not something that needs to be tackled asap!

[katsumii]

Thank you so much for your replies, all!

I'm afraid they contribute to tangling and frizz, so I am so hesitant not to do anything about them... then again, it is said time and time again that leaving your hair alone is the secret to long hair! Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

Yes, @Ylva that description sounds right! @aenigmatica8 thanks for the advice and stopping me from doing exactly that!

[Ylva]

I S&D mine off because I definitely know if they’re broken. But if unsure, I’d keep them.

[shelomit]

I tend to find a bend or two under the hairtie after I've taken out a braid. Those little ones relax overnight or with a wash--no big deal. Perhaps they split eventually, but I don't pester them until they've actually split.

[aenigmatica8]

I am afraid of that, so I'm careful with what I say. But OP has now said it does not wash out. I think in that case the only way to get rid of them is either S&D'ing them out gradually (you do not want to mess up or thin out your hemline). If there are too much, then slight trims (microtrimming) might do the trick, slowly though. There is *no* need to trim massively!

If you leave them alone, they really won't hurt anyone! It's not something that needs to be tackled asap!

Whoops I missed that! Yikes, katsumii, the wig must have actually stretched your hair in certain places, creating weak, bent areas. Maybe some protein and microtrimming?