Bad Breakage-In Distress

[so_long_gone]

Hello. I am new here. I had really long hair it was right past my knees. Until about two years ago it started to break off way up on the strand. I thought maybe I needed to change products so after some research I changed products and started to using Mastey De Paris. It fried and ruined my hair. I thought it was just the wrong line and the company gerously sent me a different product in their line. But same results just not as bad. I thought I would try other organic, i tried Aubrey and longhairlovers. With no good results. So I went back to Biologe. My hair texture is great again. But as a result of the products my hair snapped off at a fast rate and began to look horrible. So, after much prayer, and support of my husband, we got my hair trimmed to waist length. I would like to grow it back about 6-8 more inches. Any suggestions of products to help protect my hair? I wash every other day. I do not blow dry. I use a curling iron on a low setting. Oh, and my hair growing out of my hair is curly. So I have curly and straight hair. I am in hair distress and need help!

Thanks!

[thankyousir74]

Well have you ever heard of using cassia? Do you use oils? What is your usual hair routine?

[Renbirde]

So your hair's dead straight, and you use a curling iron? And your roots are growing in curly? That's very interesting. Could be a texture change... if you haven't done a hairtyping, you should. Sometimes, product and handling can hide the hair's natural texture.

It sounds like your shampoo and conditioner are fine. The curling iron might be contributing to your problem-- there is nothing that can completely protect you hair from heat damage. Is it possible that your length's straightness is from heat damage, and your hair is naturally curly? Have you tried damp bunning or braiding your hair to get curls?

Try using moisture treatments. Be super gentle while you're handling it. If you don't have one already, get a wide toothed comb. Start from the ends, and detangle the whole thing before you brush.

(Since you've had long hair before, I'm assuming you know some of this already. I'm sorry if I'm being redundant....)


Best of luck!

[unaspenser]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most Biolage products contain silicone? If you used silicone-containing hair products for a long time it could be that the silicone was covering up a lot of existing damage from heat/environmental factors/coloring/bleaches/brushing/etc.. It seals split ends and weak spots, and many people who stop using cones suddenly notice their hair starts looking dull and seeming weak quickly. It's not that the new product necessarily damaged their hair, it's just that they didn't have the silicone to hide all the existing damage any more. I too would like more info about your current routine, and your routine in the past.

Here are my two cents on getting hair to be healthy and grow:

Avoid silicone in large amounts (anything high up on the ingredient list ending in -one or -cone is not your friend)
ditto all sulfates
No heat styling
Wear hair up when out of the house
Sleep with hair bunned, braided, or draped over the edge of the bed
Use a leave-in moisturizing spray (like kimberlily's defrizz spray) before doing updos
Use coconut oil (helps hair retain protein)
Trim split ends individually or micro-trim all ends monthly with sharp hair scissors
Avoid sun exposure to hair
Avoid products with alcohol such as hairspray or gel.

I know that might sound pretty drastic, but it got me from pixie to nearly classic length and my hair is going strong!

[Nightshade]

I'm so sorry to hear about your problems :(

You've already gotten good advice, but I did want to offer the article in my siggy on preventing and rehabilitating damaged hair :)

[myotislucifugus]

I would think oil might help, but it seems both sad and strange that hair would get split and fried when it was already to your knees. Anything personal happen around then? Not asking for details/to be intrusive, just thinking maybe a lack of sebum due to stress, or something. Obviously, if you made it to knee length, you've been doing something right. Yeeks.

[coolbreeze212]

Seems like you've already gotten some good advice, so I have nothing there to add.

I just wanted to send you a cyber hug and my best wishes for healthy-again hair and good growth!

[Furiana]

Ditto. :grouphug:

[JamieLeigh]

Same here - I see you've already gotten tons of good advice - I really hope you can work things out and find a hair routine/products you are happy with and that work for you. :grouphug: :flower: I would want to underline, bold-face, italicize and enlarge COCONUT OIL. That's one thing that works wonders for my hair when I begin to feel dried out. And I don't heat-style, color or anything else bad - sometimes hair just dries out. It happens. Good luck to you! :)

[Deborah]

Put away the curling iron. Those things literally cook the moisture out of your hair. All the other things people have suggested are helpful, but I think the main culprit is that curling iron, low setting notwithstanding.

Welcome! I hope you like it here. :)

[Melisande]

If your hair changed, I would look for deeper reason than only products. Nutrition, hormones, general health, medications, pregnancy or postpartum - any change in these matters may show up months later in weak hair that is prone to break off. Baby your hair, like everybody told you too, but try to find out what changed in your body health. Hair can be an indicator.

[so_long_gone]

I have undergone I would say in my perspective all the stress I want to encounter for the rest of my life. Just in the past 9 years, I have lost my mother, got in a bad long term relationship that was abusive and life threatening (Good thing I found Jesus!), I had to live in a home for battered/abused women for 3 years then under sudden pressure to move out very quickly due to the decision of one member of the board of the shelter. I found a place, got married, and now need to move out of where I am now and it seems like I keep getting blocked everytime we try to find some place to move to... Yes lots of stress.

[so_long_gone]

Typical Hair Routine, as of now, not as of past.
As of yesterday I went to Pantene (Probably all sorts of bad with silicone and sulfates and other bad junk)
But it made my hair soft and shiny!

I wash every other day or every other other day. Air dry. Then curl it using the lowest setting. Starting at the top working my way down to the bottom with out letting the iron sit on the hair for any length of time.

[Sheltie_Momma]

I have undergone I would say in my perspective all the stress I want to encounter for the rest of my life. Just in the past 9 years, I have lost my mother, got in a bad long term relationship that was abusive and life threatening (Good thing I found Jesus!), I had to live in a home for battered/abused women for 3 years then under sudden pressure to move out very quickly due to the decision of one member of the board of the shelter. I found a place, got married, and now need to move out of where I am now and it seems like I keep getting blocked everytime we try to find some place to move to... Yes lots of stress.

Blessings and hugs, it sounds like you've had a rough time of it lately!