breakage with hair-up for a month challenge? help!

[CarriAnne]

Hi all,

I used to post often years ago, but have been lurking lately b/c of time constraints.

I have a question..... I've been doing the "hair up for a month" challenge without posting to the board, as a challenge to myself, given the sad state of my ends after not cutting my hair last year in preparation for my wedding. I wanted it as long as possible, and my hair has a very slow growth rate. After the wedding, I snipped off the dead ends, have been doing S&D, and babying my hair w/ CWC and leave-ins/monoi mixes.

Anyway, onto my question.... I just noticed that my canopy and some hairs around my crown are much shorter than the rest of my hair. What could be causing the breakage? I've been wearing damp buns using long-hair-safe hairsticks and satin scrunchies without any pins or clips in my hair. The breakage seems to be where I place the bun at the back of my head. I don't twist the hair too tightly b/c I know that's not good.

A little history: I've been trying to grow out my hair since I lost it to chemo in 1989. Before chemo, it was thick. What has grown back has been very thin and sparse. If I make a braid for sleep, it's not even the width of my pinkie and tapers down to very thin ends. I've had to cut off raw ends (the "V" shape) many times over the past few years as that's all that seems to grow. And while I love fairytale ends on others, I don't like it on me at all. It just looks scraggly. I seem to come on the boards every so often w/ the same issue, even while following all the LHC advice. Sorry if this is repetitive.

I've been switching between a plain cinnamon bun (just the hair twirled in a spiral around itself and ends tucked under) with hairsticks or a scrunchie around it, either at the back of my head or the nape of my neck. Been doing this since Jan 1st. I've only worn my hair down about 4 times in the past 2 months, and that's been at home when I was sick or on a weekend with deep conditioner in my hair. I've been using CWC religiously and trying to stretch it to every 3 days or so, but with an oily scalp I sometimes just hold the ends w/ conditioner out of the way of the water, just to clean my scalp with diluted shampoo (GM cream).

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Carri Anne
NYC
0"/23"/knee at least!!

PS -- My hair did manage to grow 1/2" from Dec to Jan, but now I've noticed no real growth (set to measure on Mar 1st). The ends are much softer and look better though!

[Delila]

I don't really have any advice, exactly, except to say that I find I need to be careful of damp bunning, since my hair's so fragile. It seems as though sometimes my hair kind of shrinks a bit once it dries, which would make it more vulnerable to breakage when it's been put up in an updo, at least that's the way it seems to me.

Aside from shifting the types and positions of your updos (which you seem to be already doing), I'm not sure what else to advise.

[Omens]

Delila's right about the hair shrinking a bit. That could possibly be part of the problem.

One question: when you put your hair in a bun, are you brushing it back to smooth it out? I noticed that there's a huge difference in breakage from when I brush it back, versus just letting it go where it pleases. I think, though it usually doesn't feel tight, it puts strain on the hair to brush it back, especially when wet or damp.

Generally I just grab it with my hands while it's wet, then braid it loosely at my nape, and I leave my part and everything, no brush involved in the process. That worked better for me at least. It doesn't look as nice (matter of opinion I guess), but it really helps my hair break less frequently. You could probably do the same thing with a bun, if you aren't already.

I hope that helps a little.

[manderly]

Is it possible this is new growth and not damage?


As for wearing your hair up, I think changing styles you wear is a good idea. Constantly wearing your hair in the same way in the same position can lead to wear and tear on the same areas. Plus, isn't it boring? :D

Do a french twist, wear a braid, make a sweet side bun. There are a lot more choices than a standard cinnabun on the back of your head.

[Debra83]

The hairdresser I had a couple of years ago (she's the daughter of a coworker of mine), was adamant that putting the hair in any type of ponytail holder causes breakage. I had a lot of evidence of it in my own hair - and I wasn't pulling it tight, and I wasn't using "bad" hair holders. My hair was probably already damaged from the chemical dyes I had been using at the time and it was easily encouraged to break. So, I started leaving it down more. I asked the same question, if it could just be new growth? and she said definitely not because you could see the actual break points in the hair.

[Kitty]

Sorry I dont really have any advice. I just wanted to add that I have a really hard time putting my hair up all the time because i ALWAYS find that it pulls, regardless of the style. I have to wear it up for work, but take it down during the day whenever the opportunity arises, and always have it down at home unless cleaning or something that would have it getting in the way.
So, I agree that putting it up may be causing the breakage, cause I can "feel" the pulling on my head regardless of the style.
Can you where it down more and be careful with it? (for example, would that work with your job?)

[lora410]

I was thinking new growth as well :)

[Anje]

I'll agree with the comment about pony tail holders. While some people can use them without any problems, they cause serious breakage for me -- I used to wear a daily pony for a couple of years, and I had a huge broken chunk from it.

Dry bunning might be better, if you have the option. Personally, I prefer to wash my hair at night specifically so that it's dry by morning before I put it up. Not only is hair less fragile when it's dry (and therefore less likely to be overstretched and break when put up), but my scalp seems happier not to have a soggy bun next to it for hours.

Finally, you might want to consider some non-twisted buns, or at least try twisting in the opposite direction sometimes. For some people, a twist can eventually cause damage, and in any case, having it in the same style can cause it to wear at the same points.

[SpecialKitty]

You can tell if it is new growth by looking carefully at the ends. New growth will have a pointed, tapered end, kind of like a cat's whiskers. I hope it is new growth and not breakage (crossing fingers).....