No cutting... and a hair issue

[Friesiangirl]

I have a section of ends that is very rough, but there are no split ends. I clarified, but with no luck. I oil, with no luck.

What could be the reason?

and two...

Is it possible not to cut at all, even if you have damage, and grow your hair out long? Just curious.

Hayley

[EvaSimone]

It sounds like you have some pretty bad damage. Where are the spots??

My section of ends that were very rough were damaged beyond any help, it turned out that I had split ends but they would break off very quickly so they weren't too obvious. So that might be why you don't notice splits...

After clarifying and you haven't noticed any changes and since it's not all over your head it doesn't sound like it's protein overload. To me it sounds like you have some pretty damaged spots.

The only way to truly help damaged hair is to cut it off, if you don't want to cut it then you can try deep oiling and deep conditioning to make them feel a bit better.

HTH

My spots were about the 1" chunks of hair on the sides of my face just FYI. The rest of my hair was okay but those were tangled pieces of nastiness. I cut about 9" off of them and they are fine now.

[EvaSimone]

Is it possible not to cut at all, even if you have damage, and grow your hair out long? Just curious.

Hayley

Yes and no... depending on your idea of long. My super damaged side chunks made it to Waist length and then proceeded to break off. I could have left them without cutting and they would have remained at waist while the rest of my hair continued to grow. Would they have made it to TB?? I seriously doubt it. I also wouldn't have been able to comb or get my fingers through my hair because of the knots in the ends.

At some point in time damage will come off; either by breaking or being trimmed. Trimming is the much better option IMO because breaking leaves you vulnerable for more splits and leaves the hair follicle frayed on the ends.

You can still grow damaged hair long but it does need some trims even if it's only .5" trims every few months.

Here is a really good article by Nightshade http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

[Friesiangirl]

Okay, thanks. It's rough but I haven't seen any loss in length... Maybe i'll do a dusting and see if they get better.

Hayley

[Angellen]

If your hair's damaged but not breaking or splitting, you should be able to grow it out, but chances are, eventually the damage will win out.

It sounds like your cuticle is roughed up. Vinegar rinses might help a little, but it sounds like they might be irreparably damaged.

All that said, it is possible, but you won't grow to your full potential with such damage. HTH!

[maskedrose]

I have a couple of spots like that - the texture is kinda weird (kinky/frizzy) and they tangle way more than the rest of my hair. I have no idea why it's like that, but it's definitely from some sort of mechanical damage. Those bits are slowly being trimmed off and I always notice a serious improvement post trim. I have found that Fox's Shea Cream works wonders for these spots - I apply it to all of my length post wash (when I wear it up) but concentrate it on the bad areas. Result? Soft, shiny hair all over :)

[Friesiangirl]

Ah. Well. I'm still debating cutting that section off. I may just do it now, while my hair is short. Hmmmm. LOL

Hayley

[EvaSimone]

Okay, thanks. It's rough but I haven't seen any loss in length... Maybe i'll do a dusting and see if they get better.

Hayley

Unless it's super damaged you probably won't have the breakage till your hair gets longer. Mine didn't start breaking until waist length even though it was damaged throughout my growing. My damage was from highlighting...

IMO dusting didn't help my front pieces, the rest of my hair it did. But my front pieces were just too far gone. An inch trim didn't do anything for the other 8 damaged inches. I literally had to cut the entire damaged section up to a bit past shoulder length. After I cut I was glad because it just felt and looked so much better even though I had lost length.

Ultimately you have the choice of cutting or dusting... dusting is less traumatic but if you have 4" of damaged hair, cutting .25" off won't do much good... I guess it's obvious which method I favor. lol.

You never said where the damaged pieces are either.

If they are in the front then you could get them cut into face framing layers or bangs (that's what I did). If it's random chunks throughout your hair a dusting might be the better option.

Well I hope everything works out!

[Friesiangirl]

Well, it was only this "chunk" in the back. So, because my hair is layered anyways, I just snipped a good 1/2'' off on the area. It looks fine, and is healthier. :)

Hayley

[bte]

The trims or no trims discussion is one which goes on all the time and never reaches a definite conclusion.

Ultimately, it is your decision - do you go for faster growth, but more uneven and thinner ends by not trimming, or do you go for less lngth and more quality by trimming at regular intervals?

One good compromise (in my view) is to go for a period of minimal (S&D only) trimming until you reach your next goal, after 6-9 months of growth, You can thenh decide whether to go for more length or to tidy up, but you will have made some progress. Some styles (even a simple ponytail) are more forgiving to uneven ends than others.