Breakage - involuntary mullet - HELP!

[MaryMarx]

Hello forum, it's been a while!
Please see the attached image (if it works) and more pics in my "hair problems" album! :heart:

I've started numerous threads about my bad hair quality, years and years ago. It never got any better and I just accepted it. Chopped it to somewhere between chin and shoulder length a while ago.

Suddenly I started to discover pieces of broken hair sticking out, A LOT. Seriously, an old man at work told me "your hairstyle is called a mullet, did you know that?" (fun fact, mullet in Swedish is called a "hockey hairstyle"). I was quite upset, honestly, thinking I had a page and bangs.

Turns out, he was right. This is not a few strands here and there, this is like a third of my hair. I tried to see if it really is broken or if it's new growth but I think it looks broken.

So - a few thoughts:


* I had a baby 1,5 years ago but I didn't loose THAT much hair, and in that case I would have seen it when it was shorter? I'm 25 weeks pregnant again at the moment but I haven't yet experienced that period when the hair thickens up due to no hairloss. So I really don't think this is because of my current pregnancy.

* Doesn't this look like the exact amount of length where a ponytail would have been? I did have my hair up a lot before the cut.

* After the cut I started to (I know, I know) heat curl sometimes. My hair is curly but not at the front so I needed some extra curling help. I stopped IMMEDIATELY when I discovered these chunks of hair. I do think this is the culprit... do you?

* I'm CO washing at the moment and have also used Aleppo soap for a while before CO.


I'm kind of sad, I've battled with bad hair for like 10 years. And when I finally liked it, this happens. :(

Oh well. I do have another question:

HOW can I style my hair now??
I can't wear ponytails. I can't have any hairstyle that doesn't involve those broken hairs because my hair is curly and even the slightest moist in the air brings out the mullet.
Is dutch braids the only way?? I'm not skilled in braiding my own hair. Doesn't that put tension to the hair as well?

Please have in mind I have quite thin hair and no time to learn advanced stuff.

Thank you SO MUCH for helping.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49225&d=1689185762

[mochichichi]

Hello forum, it's been a while!
Please see the attached image (if it works) and more pics in my "hair problems" album! :heart:

I've started numerous threads about my bad hair quality, years and years ago. It never got any better and I just accepted it. Chopped it to somewhere between chin and shoulder length a while ago.

Suddenly I started to discover pieces of broken hair sticking out, A LOT. Seriously, an old man at work told me "your hairstyle is called a mullet, did you know that?" (fun fact, mullet in Swedish is called a "hockey hairstyle"). I was quite upset, honestly, thinking I had a page and bangs.

Turns out, he was right. This is not a few strands here and there, this is like a third of my hair. I tried to see if it really is broken or if it's new growth but I think it looks broken.

So - a few thoughts:


* I had a baby 1,5 years ago but I didn't loose THAT much hair, and in that case I would have seen it when it was shorter? I'm 25 weeks pregnant again at the moment but I haven't yet experienced that period when the hair thickens up due to no hairloss. So I really don't think this is because of my current pregnancy.

* Doesn't this look like the exact amount of length where a ponytail would have been? I did have my hair up a lot before the cut.
Could be, maybe. Is your hair super super fragile? What were you using to tie it up?

* After the cut I started to (I know, I know) heat curl sometimes. My hair is curly but not at the front so I needed some extra curling help. I stopped IMMEDIATELY when I discovered these chunks of hair. I do think this is the culprit... do you?
Also possible, but if you were only curling the front wouldn't only the front be short?

* I'm CO washing at the moment and have also used Aleppo soap for a while before CO.


I'm kind of sad, I've battled with bad hair for like 10 years. And when I finally liked it, this happens. :(
Personally, I really love your color and I think it's very pretty! I hope you find some solutions that work for you!!

Oh well. I do have another question:

HOW can I style my hair now??
I can't wear ponytails. I can't have any hairstyle that doesn't involve those broken hairs because my hair is curly and even the slightest moist in the air brings out the mullet.
Is dutch braids the only way?? I'm not skilled in braiding my own hair. Doesn't that put tension to the hair as well?

Please have in mind I have quite thin hair and no time to learn advanced stuff.

Thank you SO MUCH for helping.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=14808&attachmentid=49225

Hair style ideas...
You could do some half ups with hair friendly clips?
Silk scarves or kerchiefs to cover the top half of your head while the short bits grow out?
Maybe a peacock twist? I really liked these around shoulder length.
Practicing your braiding isn't a bad idea--personally I find french braids and the like put less tension on my hair compared to pony tails, especially toward the front of my hair.

[MaryMarx]

Hair style ideas...
You could do some half ups with hair friendly clips?
Silk scarves or kerchiefs to cover the top half of your head while the short bits grow out?
Maybe a peacock twist? I really liked these around shoulder length.
Practicing your braiding isn't a bad idea--personally I find french braids and the like put less tension on my hair compared to pony tails, especially toward the front of my hair.

Thanks! I do have a lot of small clips, they are plastic but if I'm careful maybe it's okay anyway. I also just purchased a CO friendly hair gel. I will try peacock twist, hopefully the short hair can stay in that one. I like wearing regular pig tail braids so I'll practice turning those into french/dutch braids.
Thank you for helping!

[spidermom]

It looks like you may be one of those people with a short growth cycle. While some people have a lot of hairs that can grow for 10 years or more, others have hair that only grows for a year or two before shedding out. Most fall somewhere between the two. Sometimes cycles change so the best thing you can do, in my opinion, is take the best care of your hair that you can. Yes, ponytails can lead to breakage, especially if you do that thing where you grab your hair and pull it in 2 directions to tighten it. When the ponyholder moves up the hair shaft, it causes breakage.

I have to be careful not to pull my braids too tightly because tight braids give me a headache. Practice braiding when you find the time and don't pull your hair too tightly. Use soft elastics to hold the ends of braids. I use soft terry ponyholders because they're cheap and won't cut into your hair.

[cadaverinna]

Don't know about how it used to look but rn it doesn't look like breakage to me, looks more like regrowth, from around... 1,5 year ago. Back when I was a hairstylist I'd always tell my new mum clients to expect post-pregnancy hairloss and other hair weirdness for the next 5 years, to be on the safe side.

Breakage will usually show itself in a "glitter" pattern: take a picture w flash and if you see a ton of little dots shining, it's probably breakage. But, since you were pregnant not long ago(around the time to grow the length of your shorter hairs) and your profile says you have medium hairs and an average amount of hair, I'd blame it on hairloss. They also don't look like a ponytail breakage pattern, since your hairs are shorter underneath too, not just the outside part that's the most vulnerable.

Spidermom seems right about the growth cycle btw. Your terminal length seems to be on the shorter side. Not shoulder-short, but you just might not be able to get to floor length.

[Jovana]

Doesn't looks breakage, just regrowth. May be telogen effluvium post-partum, did you had a dermatologist consultation? Because is important to know what is causing hairloss, can be for other causes.

If you are certain about breakage, try to let your hair loose. Buns, clips, bob pins, etc, can cause a hair tragedy. A cuticle sealer and protein/aminoacid/keratin treatments sometimes can help you. Never negligect heat protection.

Anyway, a haircut is a great option to hide the breakage/regrowth. I hope your problem can be solved soon.

[MaryMarx]

It looks like you may be one of those people with a short growth cycle. While some people have a lot of hairs that can grow for 10 years or more, others have hair that only grows for a year or two before shedding out. Most fall somewhere between the two. Sometimes cycles change so the best thing you can do, in my opinion, is take the best care of your hair that you can. Yes, ponytails can lead to breakage, especially if you do that thing where you grab your hair and pull it in 2 directions to tighten it. When the ponyholder moves up the hair shaft, it causes breakage.

I have to be careful not to pull my braids too tightly because tight braids give me a headache. Practice braiding when you find the time and don't pull your hair too tightly. Use soft elastics to hold the ends of braids. I use soft terry ponyholders because they're cheap and won't cut into your hair.

Yes, I think I do. I've had APL and the hair in the back can get to BSL (almost atleast, I never tried for longer because it doesn't look good). I've had my hair up all my adult life so I find it weird it all of a sudden looks like this. I'll see if I can braid it more. :)

[MaryMarx]

Don't know about how it used to look but rn it doesn't look like breakage to me, looks more like regrowth, from around... 1,5 year ago. Back when I was a hairstylist I'd always tell my new mum clients to expect post-pregnancy hairloss and other hair weirdness for the next 5 years, to be on the safe side.

Breakage will usually show itself in a "glitter" pattern: take a picture w flash and if you see a ton of little dots shining, it's probably breakage. But, since you were pregnant not long ago(around the time to grow the length of your shorter hairs) and your profile says you have medium hairs and an average amount of hair, I'd blame it on hairloss. They also don't look like a ponytail breakage pattern, since your hairs are shorter underneath too, not just the outside part that's the most vulnerable.

Spidermom seems right about the growth cycle btw. Your terminal length seems to be on the shorter side. Not shoulder-short, but you just might not be able to get to floor length.

Oh really? Off course I would be happy if it is new growth, I'm just confused I didn't see it until now? It was like within 2 weeks or something all of this hair started showing up. Wouldn't I have seen it before it got to this length? Like when it was short enough to sprout out from the rest? I'll try that flash photo trick! Yes you're right, I have these short hairs underneath as well.

[MaryMarx]

Doesn't looks breakage, just regrowth. May be telogen effluvium post-partum, did you had a dermatologist consultation? Because is important to know what is causing hairloss, can be for other causes.

If you are certain about breakage, try to let your hair loose. Buns, clips, bob pins, etc, can cause a hair tragedy. A cuticle sealer and protein/aminoacid/keratin treatments sometimes can help you. Never negligect heat protection.

Anyway, a haircut is a great option to hide the breakage/regrowth. I hope your problem can be solved soon.

I really hope it is new growth! I don't think I lost a lot of hair after my pregnancy, it just went back to normal (I mean I lost the hair that stopped faling out during the pregnancy and even though it felt like it was a lot, the amount of hair seemed the same as before the pregnancy).

I wish I could wear it loose but it looks soooo bad sometimes. I also have started getting a lot of grays and the texture is so different. It feels like this hair isn't mine.

[luxurioushair]

Hello have you tried the Curly Girl method? It may simplify your routine and bring out your curls. Most of all it provides a lot of moisture. All the best!

[spidermom]

There are a lot of really pretty short-to-medium haircut options that you could consider. You might find something that works perfectly with your hair type and makes you feel a lot better about your hair.

As far as noticing new hairs growing out, you might not have because of being busy with the baby. Also, they might have blended in better when they were shorter but the new length gives a new direction to the wave so that now it stands out.

Oh, and you might have shed a lot more hair than you realized at the time. I find my shed hairs all over the place. I'm not aware of shedding hair all over the house, but I definitely do, which seems weird because it's braided and bunned most of the time.

[cadaverinna]

Oh really? Off course I would be happy if it is new growth, I'm just confused I didn't see it until now? It was like within 2 weeks or something all of this hair started showing up. Wouldn't I have seen it before it got to this length? Like when it was short enough to sprout out from the rest? I'll try that flash photo trick! Yes you're right, I have these short hairs underneath as well.

Oh, that happens! You just don't notice them until it's like 10cm long. I had some bad shedding a couple years back and only noticed the regrowth late last year.