Freshly cut ends - Dry and tangly!? help

[blackgothicdoll]

As some of you fine people may know, I just big chopped.... yet, my ends feel SO DRY now. All of my ends are brand new, but they are tangling so much more than before, and I've noticed a lot more ssks on the ends!! Splits too in some places!!! I'm wondering if my hair type does not like being blunt, and layers helped prevent knotting? I'm unsure what to do to stop it!

I did use fairly new hair cutting shears.

[Shorty89]

I was going to ask about the scissors because that could be an issue. Umm, if I'm not wrong, your damaged ends had a straightening treatment on them, right? Maybe it's because of your texture?

[blackgothicdoll]

I was going to ask about the scissors because that could be an issue. Umm, if I'm not wrong, your damaged ends had a straightening treatment on them, right? Maybe it's because of your texture?

They were damaged with heat, which made them straight/wavy. So... maybe it is my texture! Lol.

[SleepyTangles]

The shears glide tightly and smoothly when you open and close them? That´s all I can think about. I´ve seen haircutting shears in shops that have the pivot/screw already loose, or with a coarse-looking blades (not sure if it´s paranoia on my side, or poor quality/manufacturing, or even rough handling by warehouse staff).

Have you cut your hair damp or dry? usually slightly damp is preferable for the hair-shaft health.

Again, maybe nothing´s wrong. Sometimes hair is easier to mold at our will/beat into submission when it´s damaged. I used to dye my hair with box dyes and, tough it triggered a bad dermatitis and thinned out my hair by half, I remember my hair being very... compliant, instead of an unmanageable angry poodle.

[lapushka]

Maybe it's the thicker hemline / the blunt cut indeed! I think it's rather that and maybe also a bit the texture now it's healthy. Maybe you need to re-assess the way you're detangling? I'm unsure what you do now.

[Ylva]

Maybe it's the thicker hemline / the blunt cut indeed! I think it's rather that and maybe also a bit the texture now it's healthy. Maybe you need to re-assess the way you're detangling? I'm unsure what you do now.

This is what I was thinking as well.

I know nothing about type 4 hair and you know my hair is totally different from yours, but I'll still share my own experience. My super damaged fairytale ends were a lot less tangly than what I have now, even though these ends are less damaged. I don't know what it is about thickness that emphasizes tangles for me.

[LadyMikaelson]

I feel you! The ends of my hair are always dry and brittle not matter how much I cut 'em back.

[blackgothicdoll]

This is what I was thinking as well.

I know nothing about type 4 hair and you know my hair is totally different from yours, but I'll still share my own experience. My super damaged fairytale ends were a lot less tangly than what I have now, even though these ends are less damaged. I don't know what it is about thickness that emphasizes tangles for me.

Ha I'm just glad I'm not alone or going crazy. At this point I'm positive its the thickness/bluntness, all those curls and bends sitting together in a concentrated area versus a damaged taper of a thinner texture is a huge contrast. Hoping that with age the ends naturally taper and become more manageable, as I have no idea how to thin out ends with scissors and I definitely don't trust anyone else to do it!

[Bellalla]

I just cut off three inches to a blunt shoulder length, and my ends were super tangly as well. My length is fairly damaged from colouring, I never ever used to get tangles with a fresh blunt cut when my length was healthy before.

[blackgothicdoll]

Ok, so I need help. Is there anything I can do?? today I was just ready to chop all of my hair off, the only thing stopping me was that I could possibly make it worst. But my hair is knotting at a rate that I'm scared I won't retain any length anyway. I have no idea what's going on but I've done deep treatments, oil treatments, I still detangle in sections from ends to roots. I really do think it's the bluntness but I have no way how to thin out my own hair and if I do it wrong I'll keep going and end up bald. Obviously I can't go to a salon but even if I could they'd want to straighten my hair before cutting it and I'm at 5 months heat free.

Ughhhhh.

[ynne]

That sounds so frustrating, I'm really sorry. :( I wish I had some advice! Have you tried youtubers with 4a texture, if any of them ever dealt with this – beyond the usual, general advice that you already follow? Maybe you could reach out to some of them directly, if they have a hair-related channel and similar texture, they might be willing to help/share their experience.

For advice here (I really hope someone speaks up!), it could help others if you recapped your usual routine & styling, maybe.

[blackgothicdoll]

That sounds so frustrating, I'm really sorry. :( I wish I had some advice! Have you tried youtubers with 4a texture, if any of them ever dealt with this – beyond the usual, general advice that you already follow? Maybe you could reach out to some of them directly, if they have a hair-related channel and similar texture, they might be willing to help/share their experience.

For advice here (I really hope someone speaks up!), it could help others if you recapped your usual routine & styling, maybe.

I've stalked youtube so much and find that most 4a youtubers say that ssk's are caused by dry hair - I mean, yeah, this type of hair is naturally dry. Fewer youtubers say just accept it if it's at a managable level, but I wouldn't call it that in my case. I'll do some more searching, but I find they all say most of the same things and not all of them I agree with - I don't do wash and goes, for example.

My styling routine:

1. Prewash with either oil, conditioner, or a mix of both, braiding hair into four sections.
2. In the shower, unbraid one section at a time, shampoo, condition, finger detangle and then rebraid/twist to let conditioner sit for a few minutes. Sometimes I deep condition outside of the shower but these days I'm lazy so I just give it a good five minutes while washing.
3. Unbraid/untwist one section at a time, detangle with my TT under the shower, then apply leave-in while still in the shower and twist one last time.
4. After getting out of the shower, I separate my hair into 8 braids (just splitting each twist in half) using LCO and finger detangling. My 'O' is often whipped shea butter, I've been experimenting with gel as the C which gives me way better definition, but I don't think it's helping with tangles.

I leave those braids in for a day or so, then take them out and that's my braidout. For the rest of the week I usually put it in two dutchbraids, or a sloppy bun with a satin scrunchie. I alternate between a sulfate and sulfate-free shampoo every other wash, wash once a week, sometimes use conditioners with amodimethicone but that's essentially the only cone I use, and occasional products with mineral oil as well (hence the use of sulfates shampoo).

I think that about covers it. :o

eta: as a note my regimen is mostly copied from 1ballerina as she appears to be my hair twin. It worked terrifically until I cut my hair. No idea what's happening to it now:

https://youtu.be/M_znUiaqqa0

[YvetteVarie]

What kind of gel are you using? I am generally not a fan of gel because even while using shea butter, it dries out my hair and leaves it matted

[Sweet_Decadence]

Could you be protein sensitive?

I've just went through what you're going through now. Got 3" chopped 2 months ago and my ends feel aweful. Dry, brittle, frizzy, riddled with splits, no elasticity if i were you gently pull on the strands. Having done some research, I've found I'd been overloading my hair with protein and I've had to totally cut it out for the next while.

[Windflower]

Do you have hard water?

My ends get "grabby" and tangle easily because my area has hard water. Maybe try using a clarifying or chelating shampoo?