sticky ends? Anyone else?

[hennared]

It seems no matter what I wash my hair with - any conditioner, cones or not, no conditioner, condition before condition after washing - I end up with 'sticky' ends to my hair. They stick together at or near the very end, as if 'sticky'. I normally rinse my hair a LOT and normally don't use a leave in. I don't have many split ends at all, after having not too long ago chopped off several inches of my hair. (in part I did the chop to solve the sticky ends problem - and it didn't work for very long). I am at a loss as to what causes this and how to fix it! Anyone else have this problem - and find anything that helps?

[Arctic]

Have you actually used a clarifying shampoo?
It sounds like build-up of some kind. There are others thing apart from silicones that can build-up, these days shampoos and conditioners are full of coating agents. If you havent's yet, this is a best thing to start with.

Protein might also be a culprit, too much protein makes hair go velcro-like for some people.

It might also be, plain and simple, time for a small trim.

And last but not least, it might be something in your water, there are lot of minerals in water that are difficult if not impossible to remove without a chelating agent.

[kdaniels8811]

Do you oil your ends? I find coconut oil - litterally one drop - helps my ends immensely. I tried the cutting routine and all it got me was hair that never grew longer than APL. Try some oil on the length below your ears. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Anje]

I'm with Arctic 100% on this. Most likely you have buildup and need to clarify, or you're using a product with protein in it and your hair has decided it has had enough. Mine can't stand protein and will quickly get rough, sticky, snaggy ends that hook to each other immediatey and refuse to stay detangled.

Try clarifying first. You'll want to condition well after that anyway. If it's still there, look for a protein-free conditioner and do some serious moisturizing repeatedly for a few days. That usually fixes protein overload.

[emi77]

I'm with Arctic 100% on this. Most likely you have buildup and need to clarify,

I concur! :D

I had this today (except I had dry scratchy ends instead of sticky. I added bicarbonate of soda to my usual shampoo and viola! The problem was gone!

Definitely try this and see if it helps!

[Konstifik]

I have exactly the same problem! And I've had it for as long as I remember. As a few others have said, it might be due to buildup. But if you're like me, haven't used any build-up materials, then I don't know... Maybe it's just your (and my) type of hair.
For how long have you had it?

[adiapalic]

Have you actually used a clarifying shampoo?
It sounds like build-up of some kind. There are others thing apart from silicones that can build-up, these days shampoos and conditioners are full of coating agents. If you havent's yet, this is a best thing to start with.

Protein might also be a culprit, too much protein makes hair go velcro-like for some people.

It might also be, plain and simple, time for a small trim.

And last but not least, it might be something in your water, there are lot of minerals in water that are difficult if not impossible to remove without a chelating agent.

Seconding this, I think Arctic nailed it with what I would have suggested -- I too have had the sticky-velcro ends. It was due to too much protein the first time, because I was using some sort of leave-in conditioner with enzymes. The second time was too much buildup of a very thick conditioner (which I still love and use), and I solved this problem by using my shampoo on the ends a bit each wash to help prevent extra buildup.

ETA: My ends went from brittle, dry, sticky stiff hair that I had for a couple of years, to finally soft, smooth and lank hair like my new growth after that. Been that way ever since.

[HildeMV]

What are some clarifyers I can use though? I might have a similar problem, only that it's the "middle" of the hair sticking together a little, which makes it tangle easily. I can brush my hair so it looks nice, but if I move it it kind of sticks a little so it ends up looking unkept.

[hennared]

Well, I don't really use anything I'd need to clarify - and I've even tried clarifying with an Aubrey shampoo. My hair hated it (too drying) and my ends were the same. I did a massive SMT the other day, that helped *a little* for about 24 hours :/ Historically, my hair likes protein. I sometimes do protein treatments followed by an SMT. I DO however tend to avoid protein in my shampoo and conditioner (easy to do since I buy the shorter ingredient list natural products with things I can pronounce or look up).

I think my main problem is my hair is just awful for several of the last few inches; thin and flyaway/tangly. It's thinner in the shaft I think, than it should be (based on the rest of my hair) and I can't figure why. (I don't heat style or do anything that would cause such damage, for instance).

and I spent $200 on a water softener for my shower just for my hair! (it did help, on the whole. my water is terrible, here)

[Anje]

What are some clarifyers I can use though? I might have a similar problem, only that it's the "middle" of the hair sticking together a little, which makes it tangle easily. I can brush my hair so it looks nice, but if I move it it kind of sticks a little so it ends up looking unkept.

Just about any SLS shampoo will do, though I'd suggest looking for clarifying shampoos just to be sure. Suave makes a good one, and so does VO5 (called "kiwi lime squeeze" or something like that). Mixing a bit of baking soda in an SLS shampoo will work too, but I don't suggest mixing it into an ALS shampoo or it'll smell horrible. I find the baking soda method to be overly drying and stripping, personally.

[pradabacon]

Oh! I have this problem, too. I wonder if it's a protein problem with me? I'm pretty sure most of my stuff has protein in it. What conditioners don't have protein or how do you tell?

[Darkhorse1]

I clarifying every wash and I still get this--I chalk it up to my natural wave to my hair. My hair doesn't lay straight, so I think the waves/curl sticks the ends together. My guess is that unless you really, really coat your hair with those gloss drops, you'll get the clumping. I tend to just comb my ends out every now and again throughout the day. I've done everything under the sun, and actually, the only thing that works is when I get it colored (semi permanent color). Since it lays the cuticle flat, it takes away some of my wave/body, and thus, I have flatter hair for awhile :D

[Anje]

Oh! I have this problem, too. I wonder if it's a protein problem with me? I'm pretty sure most of my stuff has protein in it. What conditioners don't have protein or how do you tell?

Most of the Suave Naturals (other than the coconut) are protein-free. So is Biolage conditioning balm and the knock-offs of it (I got several bottles at Aldi for something like $3 each, and saw some at the dollar store). With VO5, you're going to have to do some label reading, but they don't all have protein.

I can't help much with other brands. My hair has cheap tastes and tends to rebel if I go for stuff that costs more than $2 a bottle.

[pradabacon]

Thank you, Anje. :flower: My hair has never done all that well with expensive stuff either and I'm glad of that. :D I don't even bother any more.