Hair that feels "dead"?

[Tangles]

The last five or so inches of my hair feel not just dry or velcro-like, but like Barbie hair--plasticky, hardened, yet easily broken. It has only worsened since around Christmastime, and I've been maintaining at just above waist since then.

I have tried clarifying, I have tried oiling, I have tried deep conditioning, I have tried doing small trims. To my knowledge, I haven't been using protein for quite awhile. Does it sound like I need to cut off all this "dead" hair?

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

clarifying is drying but if oiling and deep conditioning doesn't help it's probably best that you trim it.. even a small trim can make a world of difference in getting rid of the damage. :blossom:

[mellie89]

Another advocate for a small trim. I have about a good 8 inches of damaged hair in the front, but even a 1/2 inch trim can make my ends feel good as new.

[GoddesJourney]

So true. I've been dealing with old damage, too. Even a half inch trim can make you a lot happier with your hair.

[amaiaisabella]

You've been undecided about the length for a while. Do you think it's because subconciously you were unhappy about the condition? I'd say do an S&D, trim a little bit at a time, and don't stop until you're happy. JMO :flower:

[Centelleo]

I'd say lose an inch and then see how you feel about the remaining "dead" length. It's not that much length lost if you're trying to improve the condition of your ends.

Have you switched up your product routine since Christmas?

[Athena's Owl]

also if you haven't used any protein in a while, maybe you need to do a reconstructor.

[jera]

Have you considered doing a Cassia treatment on your dead ends. It might help. :)

[spidermom]

I battled with the bottom of my length since September of last year. I finally had the worst 4 inches cut off in January. Problem solved. I don't know why I waited so long.

[Emerson]

I agree with the other posters...I had an inch trimmed off my hair in November I believe, it made a huge difference!

[Tangles]

Amaia, yeah, that's definitely part of the reason I've been thinking about cutting. I hate having hair I can't comb, that never feels soft, not even after oiling, that I can't run my fingers through.

Spidermom, with all due respect, it's easier to lose 4 inches when your hair is classic length ;)

I am beginning to think I have some specific type of damage on these last several inches of hair. My hair was not like this when it was long a few years ago.

[30isthenewblack]

Spidermom, with all due respect, it's easier to lose 4 inches when your hair is classic length ;)

Haha ... I thought that too but I think Spidermum has always been a proponent of trims even when her hair was much shorter. I'd be more eager to trim my hair if I didn't have curly hair as I'm having a similar problem as you and I'm not happy with the ends of my hair.

[Tangles]

Well I have been microtrimming. Maybe I just need to take it up a notch :(

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

honestly I would just cut it.. I was at hip and cut to waist.. since my hair is curly it goes anywhere from BSL to MB when its in its natural state and straightened it's still waist... however, its thicker, healthier, and a lot better conditioned now so I don't have tangles and snarles at the ends. I hate that I lost the inches I did, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice the rest of my length by splits and breakage :)

[TXbarbie]

A few years ago I chopped off six inches of fried, "dead" feeling hair. At first I was a little traumatized, but it was such a good idea. If you have split ends, they'll eventually make their way up the hair shaft more and damage more length. You might as well start off with completely healthy hair IMO.

[Tangles]

I'd be fine doing a chop if I felt I knew why I had all this damage. The last thing I want to do is cut only to find that when I'm at near-waist again, my hair looks fried again.

I tried COing with Suave tonight to see if it would soften me up a bit.

[Arctic]

Tangles, I don't know it this is of any help to you, but I'll write it down anyway.

My hair had got horrible, coarse and rough, and it was really tangly and never soft anymore, like complitely different from the hair I used to have. Mind you this was all of my hair from roots to tips, not just the ends.

1) First I noticed I get buildup super easily from everything. I needed regular S+Cing in order to keep my hair manageable. My hair got much less tangly.
2) Secondly I noticed my hair is really sensitive to protein. I needed to quit all proteins from my hair care stuff, and it took a long time of no protein, lots of moisture, but it was very helpful for my hair!
3) Third, and what made biggest and most quick and drastical positive difference on my hair, was ascorbic acid rinses (= AA, vitamin C). After the first rinse my hair was 95% back to it's old self: it was soft, pretty, easy to comb, didn't tangle, soft, soft :) It really gave me my hair back and enabled me to love my hair again! Apparently it removed some kind of mineral buildup from my hair.

[curlylocks85]

It is funny that you say your hair feels "dead" when hair, out of the scalp, is in fact dead. :p. I would say that a trim might be in order. Try an inch and see if that makes a difference. If your hair is breaking off then it will only move up the hair shaft and more and more hair that feels dead.

Let us know what you decide. Good luck. :)

[Tangles]

WOW, my hair feels wayyyy softer after COing last night!!!! I may just have been shampooing way too often...

[spidermom]

I haven't hit classic yet. Every time I'm nearly there, my ends turn to crap and I cut back to hip.

[amaiaisabella]

WOW, my hair feels wayyyy softer after COing last night!!!! I may just have been shampooing way too often...

I hope that solves the problem! I know you have been micro-trimming, but does that also include a thorough S&D? That helps manageability quite a bit for me.

[Tangles]

I hope that solves the problem! I know you have been micro-trimming, but does that also include a thorough S&D? That helps manageability quite a bit for me.

Yep, I S&D once a week.

Spidermom, I feel like my pattern, is hair that turns to crap once I'm at waist, but I think I MAY be able to stretch this "threshold length" by shampooing less often (once a week) and CO'ing the rest of the time.