Has anyone else had this problem?

[RubyRose]

My sister and I both have very fragile, brittle hair. She has taken mulitvitamins aimed at hair growth before but they only helped her nails. Her hair remained brittle while her nails flourished. This is very frustrating and I was wondering if this is common or just an unlucky family trait. Thank for your help. : )

[lesbia]

i also have fragile hair, they are so thin.
i had taken mulitvitamins but without success. i see results only with
- henna (if you don't want red hair you can use cassia=henna which doesn't colour)
- natural oils, expecially with ricinus oil (it's is latin name, i don't know if it's also is english name, i'm sorry :)). i think this is amazing...i see my ends a little bit thick and stronger when i use it.

[RubyRose]

Ah, there is another victim of injustice out there!
I have never tried henna, I hear my great grandma used to henna her hair and it always sounded to me like it damaged hair. I haven't really researched it or anything, though.

[Gypsygirl]

I think you just need to be a little more patient. Nails are much shorter than long hair, so the change shows much earlier. Just hang in there- it might take a couple of months.

[lesbia]

yes, some say that henna dry hair...i haven't this problem because i mix henna with something nourishing (like yoghurt or honey) and this method also gave me more shock end volume...and in this way my hair became, if not thick, al least normal :)
to discover the effects of henna on your hair you have also to try...it's different from one to one :)

[RubyRose]

If I can, I'm going to make a trip to the health food store and look at vitamins. Right now I am taking an everyday all-purpose multivitamin but I'd like to try something aimed toward hair growth and health.
It's crazy how much patience this requires!

I might not have a problem with henna drying my hair since it makes more oil than texas. Coconut milk did put it a bit on the dry side, though. I found that odd.

[wishbone]

Gypsygirl is right, its easier to see change in the nails because theyre so short, plus it'll only affect new hair growth, and not the existing length. Don't give up just yet.

Coconut milk could have made your hair feel dry because it has proteins, which some hair doesn't seem to like, mine does the same thing too.

[florenonite]

You wouldn't notice much change from vitamins aimed at hair and nails on your hair unless you've been taking them for quite some time. It only affects new growth, so in a month it might make a fair portion of the nail stronger but only the top half-inch to inch of your hair from your scalp. If you've got a foot of hair, that's not much that it's affecting and so most of your hair will still be brittle, even though the vitamins are doing their job.

[Hiriel]

ricinus oil (it's is latin name, i don't know if it's also is english name, i'm sorry :)).

The English name is castor oil :)

[Arctic]

I might not have a problem with henna drying my hair since it makes more oil than texas. Coconut milk did put it a bit on the dry side, though. I found that odd.

Oil is not the same as moisture, oily hair can be dry. Water is moisture so your hair you need water based products. Protein can dry your hair, and coconut milk has protein. (protein and moisture have special balance in hair chemistry.)

[Konstifik]

I got exactly the same problem!

I've taken lots of different vitamins and minerals these past 2 years. No change to the hair, but my nails grow like weed. >.<
I guess some people just don't have luck in hairgrowth and/or thickness.

[jivete]

My family has fine, brittle hair. I thought we were all doomed to having short hair, but both my cousin and myself have gotten much better (and longer) hair from better care. So not all is lost.

Other members of our family still struggle with their hair because they have not made the necessary changes.

I haven't noticed the effects of vitamins on my hair yet either. But, like others have said, the effect on your nails is going to be more immediate. It could take years to finally see the full effect on hair from vitamins .

[Anje]

As others have said, oils and conditioner can help a lot. You might also want to look at your products and see whether they contain protein/amino acids, particularly if your hair doesn't stretch much before it breaks if you pull a single strand between your fingers. I find that these give me horribly dry, tangly, brittle hair, and they tend to be more prolific in products that advertise that they strength hair. Your hair type is similar to mine from the look of it, so your reactions to protein may be similar to mine.

However, I'm wondering if your hair is dry and brittle even close to your head... If it is, you might want to get your thyroid checked. Thyroid issues tend to be a common source of hair problems and they run in families.

[SimplyLonghair]

Ah, there is another victim of injustice out there!
I have never tried henna, I hear my great grandma used to henna her hair and it always sounded to me like it damaged hair. I haven't really researched it or anything, though.
Henna can be drying, but chances are the henna that grandma used were henna rinses which were popular back when to get red hair, think Lucille Ball. It used peroxide first and lots of it. :rolleyes:

As far as vitamins and hair, sometimes the problem isn't taking vitamins but taking one size fits all vitamins and they don't.
Many times our nutrition is out of sync and we try bandaids and they don't work.
Good luck I hope that you find what works for you. :flower:

[spidermom]

I've got no suggestions other than a healthy diet. Kind of a weird thing - I have noticed that when my nails are thriving, my hair doesn't seem to grow. It's like my body only concentrates on one at a time.

[spidermom]

Oh, and wanted to note that in the cosmetics industry (skin and hair), oil = moisture. You can't cure dry skin with water, and you can't cure dry hair with water, either. It's going to take some oil or other kind of emollient, like shea butter - whatever works. Coconut oil moisturizes my hair very well. Olive oil works, too, but I don't like the scent very much.

[CestMadeleine]

*puts hand up*

I have dry brittle hair as well. Seems like I have gotten it from my grandma as she has it too. But she used to keep it up in a bun until she chopped it all off a year ago. So she never bothered with it much.

Since I like to keep mine down almost always I have to take better care of it. I find that coconut oil gives me just the right amount of moisture I need. So much so that I don't even need conditioner after shampooing the oil out. It's wonderful :)

Henna makes my hair crunchy from all that protein but I fix that easily with oil and conditioner and leave it in my hair for 2 or so hours. The henna does make my hair healthier and slightly stronger so I don't mind putting up with the crunchiness for a day or two.

I also suggest castor oil on the ends works like a charm.

As for vitamins, I've been taking just a multivitamin nothing special and fish oil and vitamin e for my skin. I actually just recently started taking extra biotin and vitamin c on top of everything else so we will see in about a year if it works. My nails are already strong and healthy so it's just for hair :) Just have patience and keep at it. Growing hair is a long process.

[rags]

I have fine, thin brittle hair and so does my Mom and her mother did also. I have to be super, super careful of it, but I have gotten it to tailbone before! So there is hope. I third or fourth the use of coconut oil. It's replacing my coney serums which I used to use, and I love it!

[HildeMV]

but is cassia completely colorless though?

[CestMadeleine]

but is cassia completely colorless though?

I believe it adds a golden hue to very light hair such as white and grays but to dark hair it doesn't show at all :)