Breakage CRISIS

[Tangles]

:(

I'm not one to be alarmist about hair condition, but my ends are breaking off at a very rapid pace! Not really split ends, just white dots and pieces popping off everywhere!

I have changed nothing about my routine. I do not heat style at all. The only thing I have "done" to my hair recently other than shampooing, conditioning and oiling is an application of Loving Care, a nonperoxide, wash-out dye. I dont think this is the cause of the breakage.

I am devastated that I have to S&D daily now. I wonder if my scissors are dull but they don't seem dull.

Sorry for this incoherency but I am panicking. As I look in the light it seems like around 50% of my hairs are breaking off at around BSL.

[fawn]

:(

I'm not one to be alarmist about hair condition, but my ends are breaking off at a very rapid pace! Not really split ends, just white dots and pieces popping off everywhere!

I have changed nothing about my routine. I do not heat style at all. The only thing I have "done" to my hair recently other than shampooing, conditioning and oiling is an application of Loving Care, a nonperoxide, wash-out dye. I dont think this is the cause of the breakage.

I am devastated that I have to S&D daily now. I wonder if my scissors are dull but they don't seem dull.

Sorry for this incoherency but I am panicking. As I look in the light it seems like at least 50% of my hairs are breaking off at around BSL.

Loving Care and other 'one step' grey-coverage dyes are actually very damaging, they have a ton of ammonia even though there is no peroxide:(

You could dry a two-step Aphogee treatment, just make sure you also use alot of moisture in the next few weeks. Aphogee will stop most of the breaking, but the white dots (the ones that have already appeared) will probably break off anyhow:) sorry to hear it!

[Anje]

I doubt your scissors, dull or not, are causing the white dots.

Similar to Fawn's suggestion, I'd say to do a heavy-duty protein treatment, followed by lots of moisture and hope for the best.

I've heard some people say that washing in cooler water limits the white dots. I can't comment yet -- I like my warm showers!

[Tangles]

Loving Care doesn't have ammonia.

Anje, I will try a protein treatment. I will also try to limit the hot water :(

I might have to start hennaing again, too.

It's also entirely possible that my ends are just old damage showing up now.

[fawn]

Here the formulation used to contain a ton of ammonia:)) I was a cosmetologist once upon a time. Maybe its been reformulated.

[spidermom]

A former stylist told me that Loving Care was very harsh stuff and that the "no ammonia" thing is misleading because it has chemicals in it that become ammonia when exposed to oxygen. Or something like that. We had this conversation 7-8 years ago, and I had used it just to give my color a temporary boost. It dried my ends out, too.

[Tangles]

I won't be using LC again, clearly!

[manderly]

:(

I'm not one to be alarmist about hair condition, but my ends are breaking off at a very rapid pace! Not really split ends, just white dots and pieces popping off everywhere!

I have changed nothing about my routine. I do not heat style at all. The only thing I have "done" to my hair recently other than shampooing, conditioning and oiling is an application of Loving Care, a nonperoxide, wash-out dye. I dont think this is the cause of the breakage.

I am devastated that I have to S&D daily now. I wonder if my scissors are dull but they don't seem dull.

Sorry for this incoherency but I am panicking. As I look in the light it seems like around 50% of my hairs are breaking off at around BSL.

I hightly doubt it's the Loving Care, I've used it many times with NO problem.

I've bolded what the culprit may be. Are you wearing your hair down a lot? Remember, BSL tends to be where people stall out due to excessive breakage. If you are experiencing most of your breakage at around that area, I suspect mechanical damage.

I would get some Aphogee and do a heavy duty protein treatment (the one that makes your hair stiff), lots of moisture, and updos.

[akurah]

Are you wearing your hair up, down, or braided? Down or braided is at risk of mechanical damage from zippers, seatbelts, purses, backpacks, clothing, seats, and pretty much everything else out there.

Other culprits to consider that are also likely: claw clips, or any clips with springs (including ficcares).

[ericthegreat]

I would re-consider the amount of potential damage that the "Loving Care" is doing to your hair. As spidermom pointed out, simply because the box claims that it is "safe and non-damaging" to your hair doesn't mean that this brand of haircolor doesn't contain other damaging chemicals. Also, once the lifting agent oxidizes, it is definitely NOT beneficial to your hair.

I would stop using the Loving Care because that looks to be the only potential culprit to your breakage. Also, for many people once they get past BSL, they commonly start to find that this is where a lot of natural tapering and thinning starts to appear. Its normal. What you may really want to do is S&D more frequently and if you need to, go get an inch or two taken off. I seriously doubt however that what you see as breakage is really as bad as you think it is. Keep taking off any damaged ends you see, and your hair quality should improve. :)

[manderly]

Just so we're clear, because there is a lot of misinformation in this thread right now, Loving Care is a deposit-only semi-permanent color. It does not have the ability to lift color.

http://www.clairolpro.com/education/color_theory/haircoloring_categories

[Heavenly Locks]

Is there anything you might be doing to damage that area? Like a bag strap, chair, hair toy?

[bigmama8]

I recently discovered that my scissors were leaving a white dot when I was doing S & D searches. I tried sharpening my scissors but the problem got worse. I bought a new pair of scissors which has helped me.

[peachrose]

I am going a little bit against the grain and suggesting that it could be your scissors. I was seeing SO MUCH breakage when I was using my $15 hair scissors (that I had never used on anything else). I was getting loads of white dots which seemed to multiply despite babying my hair. I bought some real professional, more expensive scissors, trimmed an inch and now 90% of the breakage is gone. Before I was S&Ding a lot and doing regular trims yet still seeing all that damage. Just a thought. :flower:

[heidi w.]

:(

I'm not one to be alarmist about hair condition, but my ends are breaking off at a very rapid pace! Not really split ends, just white dots and pieces popping off everywhere!

I have changed nothing about my routine. I do not heat style at all. The only thing I have "done" to my hair recently other than shampooing, conditioning and oiling is an application of Loving Care, a nonperoxide, wash-out dye. I dont think this is the cause of the breakage.

I am devastated that I have to S&D daily now. I wonder if my scissors are dull but they don't seem dull.

Sorry for this incoherency but I am panicking. As I look in the light it seems like around 50% of my hairs are breaking off at around BSL.

Uhhhh, I am putting money on that this additional product, Loving Care, has protein in it. A common trait of too much or too little protein is that hair suddenly and rapidly begins to break off. As in, the day before everything was fine.

You need to rinse it out of you can. Given it's color you did apply, you may need to seek the counsel of a professional colorist. Not just a regular hair stylist but someone with a lot of experience and knowledge on the coloring side of things.

You could try clarifying. IF it's a version of a rinse such as a wash-out dye, it may come out then. I'm not clear if this dye is intended to bond with the cortex or not. IF it bonds with the cortex, then you may need to advance to

Know this. Your conditioners and shampoos typically have some bit of protein in them. In a given manufacter's line, such as when they partner a shampoo and conditioner, there's a certain amount of protein collectively calculated between the products. So adding this wash-out dye, that more than likely has some source of protein in it (as a lot of colorants do), then you're adding even MORE protein on top of protein, so now you're on overboard. ETA: This is always why one needs to be careful when pulling products from different parts of a manufacturer/brand line, or entirely separate brands to create a routine of products. OR adding in one more product from some other line, or the same line of brand/manufacturer can have this result of too much protein.

I had this happen to me once, and the only reason I knew what the heck was up was because my hair guru had explained how shampoos and conditioners work and warned me about the too much protein problem. And he was a professional hair stylist, and focused on color. He was brilliant with color. (I only one time in all my years online at hair forums ....met a person who had also met him. This individual had the same comment about Eddie, how great he was with hair, in particular color.)

I had applied a topical and hair began breaking off, suddenly and a lot of it, and I got my derriere in the shower and rinsed it off (re-washed my hair -- mine was a leave-in conditioner, on top of my shampoo and conditioner). Immediately the breakage ceased.

heidi w.

[amaiaisabella]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that!

Like Manderly, I am an advocate for Loving Care, and I used it when my hair was in its worst shape, and never saw any (additional) damage.

I could have sworn you told me you were wearing it up, so I'm not quite sure what it could be. Is your washing method not agreeing with you, and perhaps detangling is a problem? :confused: Maybe try a DT to baby your hair a little more for now.

[heidi w.]

Not sure precisely which Loving Care product you're using, but I found this:

http://milo.com/clairol-natural-instincts-loving-care-non-permanent-color-755-light-brown

Clairol Natural Instincts Loving Care Non Permanent Color,755 Light Brown
Contents --

Contains Panthenol, Proteins, and Vitamin E.
quoted from above link, bold added by heidi w. -- note the plural
the product includes a 2 minute, 'rich' conditioner (which likely also has protein or may be encompassed by the plurality of 'proteins' for what this product contains.

and this warning,
Do not use on hair that has been highlighted or lightened

Water , Ethoxydiglycol , Aminomethyl Propanol , PEG-50 Hydrogenated Palmamide , Lauryl Glucoside , Cyclopentasiloxane , Dimethicone , Panthenol , Tocopherol Acetate , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein , Carbomer , Citric Acid , Fragrance , Erythorbic Acid , HC Blue 2 , HC Yellow 2 , Disperse Blue 377 , Disperse Black 9 , HC Red 3 , Disperse Violet 1 , Water , Stearyl Alcohol , Cyclopentasiloxane , Cetyl Alcohol , Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine , Glutamic Acid , Dimethicone , Benzyl Alcohol , Fragrance , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , EDTA , Panthenol , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone

If you're up for it, you can google each ingredient separately and discover if others might be proteins too. Then there's the 'cone, part. Dimethicone....

I will put money on too much protein especially when combined with your other hair wash products, as in, you washed hair, colored, then conditioned.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

If your hair is breaking off in droves, it's most unlikely that it's your usual products, and most unlikely that it's your scissors.

The lone 'new' thing is the coloring application.

Your description fits perfectly the description of an overload of protein.
heidi w.

[Tangles]

Heidi, very, very interesting. Indeed: the Loving Care in "natural Black" that I used, does have protein.

After trimming as much as I could, I did an emergency henna with Rainbow to protect my ends and my hair already looks better. :)

I did NOT know that protein could cause this kind of breakage. I thought the worst it could do was dry out hair and create some stiffness.

I may also ask for a pair of professional scissors for Christmas.

[pinchbeck]

I get those white dots, too, and my hair is unprocessed and never touches heat. My hair gets regular oiling and I use SLS-free hair products. There is a special name for those dots (I will have to look at my post about them and post the condition here). I read that they can also be hereditary. They suck, eh? I wish I knew what to do to prevent them.

Okay, I looked through my posts and found it. Another member (Kaija) gave me this answer:

White dots - aka Trichorrhexis Nodosa!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa

[jojo]

Mine does this when its crying out for protein, I use mayo full fat on dry hair, bag and leave for an hour. Rinse out with coldish water, works everytime for me and leaves my hair lovely, also try daily light oils.

[ktani]

Natural black here (http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=14941&catid=113465) has no protein that I can see but the 2nd ingredient is a solvent (click on "Ingredients"). Even without peroxide and ammonia, non permanent colours can be drying.

makeupally reviews (http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/page=3/pagesize=10/ItemID=64072/SortBy=/AgeRange=/SkinToneType=/ID=/) for Loving Care

[Flaxen]

Water , Ethoxydiglycol , Aminomethyl Propanol , PEG-50 Hydrogenated Palmamide , Lauryl Glucoside , Cyclopentasiloxane , Dimethicone , Panthenol , Tocopherol Acetate , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein , Carbomer , Citric Acid , Fragrance , Erythorbic Acid , HC Blue 2 , HC Yellow 2 , Disperse Blue 377 , Disperse Black 9 , HC Red 3 , Disperse Violet 1 , Water , Stearyl Alcohol , Cyclopentasiloxane , Cetyl Alcohol , Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine , Glutamic Acid , Dimethicone , Benzyl Alcohol , Fragrance , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , EDTA , Panthenol , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone
This silicone always raises red flags for me. It's the one that people have reported having the most trouble with. It can result in severe drying. As a matter of fact, the conditioner I used for years had that as the second ingredient, and my hair broke off and was stuck at...bsl.

[Tangles]

Mine does this when its crying out for protein, I use mayo full fat on dry hair, bag and leave for an hour. Rinse out with coldish water, works everytime for me and leaves my hair lovely, also try daily light oils.

OK, heidi says too much protein, jojo says too little... who's right? ;)

Protein is the one hair thing I just don't get, at all! Very confusing...

[Pear Martini]

When my hair was in that same condition this stuff below was a life saver. You can get it at sallys if ypu are in the U.S.:http://s7d3.scene7.com/is/image/SallyBeauty/SBS-302080?$prodMain$


http://s7d3.scene7.com/is/image/SallyBeauty/SBS-302080?$prodMain$

the 3 jars come inside the triangular box. Its a protein treatment, works really well.

[Gvnagitlvgei]

If they are at the very end of the hair, it might mean dryness. It's winter now and hair tends to break a lot now. But if that white little bulb is mid-hairshaft, it's chemical damage.

[Gvnagitlvgei]

OK, heidi says too much protein, jojo says too little... who's right? ;)

Protein is the one hair thing I just don't get, at all! Very confusing...

Use the emergency repairs mentioned or something similar, then follow that directly by a moisturizing conditioner like humectress. Suave has a similar product and it's very good. You need to repair the damage then moisturize the hair. Good luck and I hope it arrests the problem.

[alys]

How about the fact that when hair gets long it also gets old, and no matter how much you baby it, you can't reverse aging hair, it's dead already. Personally I have just under shoulder length (short) hair and use loving care a good bit, in fact I colored just a week or so ago. I almost never, ever get erupted cortex dots or other major breakage, and rarely see split ends, and I dye my hair 5+ times per year. Why don't I get them? - Because I trim my hair once every 5 weeks I suppose. And just to add - my hair is not in the gosh-awful condition that people here seem assume it would be when chemicals are applied.

[pinchbeck]

How about the fact that when hair gets long it also gets old, and no matter how much you baby it, you can't reverse aging hair, it's dead already. Personally I have just under shoulder length (short) hair and use loving care a good bit, in fact I colored just a week or so ago. I almost never, ever get erupted cortex dots or other major breakage, and rarely see split ends, and I dye my hair 5+ times per year. Why don't I get them? - Because I trim my hair once every 5 weeks I suppose. And just to add - my hair is not in the gosh-awful condition that people here seem assume it would be when chemicals are applied.
You're right, some people's hair can take repeated colouring and look great! But I wonder if it is when hair colour is deposited rather than lightened which bleaches the hair's natural colour out and than deposits the colour that is on the box.

I used to colour my hair, too. It took lots of abuse and was fine until one day....

[pinchbeck]

Natural black here (http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=14941&catid=113465) has no protein that I can see but the 2nd ingredient is a solvent (click on "Ingredients"). Even without peroxide and ammonia, non permanent colours can be drying.

makeupally reviews (http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/page=3/pagesize=10/ItemID=64072/SortBy=/AgeRange=/SkinToneType=/ID=/) for Loving Care

I was told that non-permanent hair colours can help to fill in a damaged hair shaft, thus making the hair smoother and easier to manage. I didn't know they can be drying and it is good to collect as much knowledge about anything we apply to our bodies.

[pinchbeck]

Uhhhh, I am putting money on that this additional product, Loving Care, has protein in it. A common trait of too much or too little protein is that hair suddenly and rapidly begins to break off. As in, the day before everything was fine.

You need to rinse it out of you can. Given it's color you did apply, you may need to seek the counsel of a professional colorist. Not just a regular hair stylist but someone with a lot of experience and knowledge on the coloring side of things.

You could try clarifying. IF it's a version of a rinse such as a wash-out dye, it may come out then. I'm not clear if this dye is intended to bond with the cortex or not. IF it bonds with the cortex, then you may need to advance to

Know this. Your conditioners and shampoos typically have some bit of protein in them. In a given manufacter's line, such as when they partner a shampoo and conditioner, there's a certain amount of protein collectively calculated between the products. So adding this wash-out dye, that more than likely has some source of protein in it (as a lot of colorants do), then you're adding even MORE protein on top of protein, so now you're on overboard. ETA: This is always why one needs to be careful when pulling products from different parts of a manufacturer/brand line, or entirely separate brands to create a routine of products. OR adding in one more product from some other line, or the same line of brand/manufacturer can have this result of too much protein.

I had this happen to me once, and the only reason I knew what the heck was up was because my hair guru had explained how shampoos and conditioners work and warned me about the too much protein problem. And he was a professional hair stylist, and focused on color. He was brilliant with color. (I only one time in all my years online at hair forums ....met a person who had also met him. This individual had the same comment about Eddie, how great he was with hair, in particular color.)

I had applied a topical and hair began breaking off, suddenly and a lot of it, and I got my derriere in the shower and rinsed it off (re-washed my hair -- mine was a leave-in conditioner, on top of my shampoo and conditioner). Immediately the breakage ceased.

heidi w.

Heidi, I don't know how to just quote one paragraph from a post nor do I know what ETA means (duh, to me). It is interesting to learn what the benefit of using a shampoo and conditioner from the same line is. I never knew that!:D

[Leena7]

My hair has been doing this lately, too. Of course, I did bleach my hair back in the spring and have dyed it brown 3 times since then, so that probably is the reason. Also, I haven't cut my hair in a long time, about 8 months probably. I did trim the most damaged bits in the font and I have noticed a big decrease in the amount of bent hairs and white dots. I think I will just keep growing for now while S&Ding and then when I have more length I will take off a couple inches of really damaged hair.