Is there a cure for stringy hair?

[zeldagirl7491]

So, is there a cure for stringy hair? What are some of the causes of stringy hair? Has anyone here had stringy hair and found a cure for it?

[pinklemonade]

Do you mean limp looking strands, as in a little dirty looking? Or are you referring to thinness? I've noticed that recently my hair is looking really stringy and I think it's from over oiling. If you use oil, try limiting the amount...
I've also noticed my hair became stringy ever since I switched to non-sls shampoo, hopefully it'll adjust and get bouncier. I think build-up could be another cause for 'stringiness' so one solution is clarifying once in a while.

[zeldagirl7491]

I'm not really sure how to describe it, but the hair looks dirty and limp and thin (like you mentioned) but also instead of flowing altogether it separates into little strands.

[teela1978]

When my hair is stringy it usually needs a good washing. Overconditioning can cause it on me too.

[Cleopatra18]

I have very stringy hair :S I agree with the above that oils make it worse but sometimes even without oils whenever i take down my bun its all stringy,and after 2-3 days from washing day it looks HORRIBLE.At first i thought it was "normal" since my hair is wavy but this is so not normal.My only cure so far is to keep brushing every one of these strings till it gets all separated and straight again =/

[cmnt831]

I'm wondering about this, too. My hair doesn't look dirty or limp, but it does separate into strings. I was afraid I would have to cut it back to make the stringy-ness go away. My husband's is the same way, except that his separates into 3 or 4 clumps of curls, which can look pretty odd if he doesn't constantly comb it out. My stringy-ness actually looks worse the more my hair curls and nicer when I gently blow dry it and it goes straighter. When it's straighter I just keep combing it out like the poster above said to keep the stringy-ness at a decent level. :shrug: It's a nightmare to keep it looking nice when it's curly and stringy. :(

[piratejenny23]

One thing that might affect the "stringiness" might be the fabrics you wear; if your hair is long enough to rub against your shirt/sweater/etc, a silkier fabric might help? I notice a big difference with how much my hair tangles depending on what I wear.

I just happened to glance over the "Mane Forum" topics before cruising over to Makeup Alley to read reviews of a treatment I have in my hair this very minute: Ion Crystal Clarifying Treatment. One of the reviews mentioned that it got rid of "chronic greasiness". I don't want to imply that you are greasy :p but I know that look/feel can contribute to stringiness.

My hair separates into clumps or locks, too. It's thick enough that I don't think it looks lank or trashy, but my mom & other lovely people in my family used to give me a lot of crap about my "witch's hair" b/c it would get that unbrushed look about 30 minutes after I brushed it!!! Personally I like the "piece-y" look rather than an overly fluffy look, but yes there are times when I just want my hair to FLOW rather than get clumpy.

I only noticed this once--lately I wear my hair up all the time b/c I cook at work--but after experimenting with fabric softener as a conditioner, my hair didn't clump together. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=60054
however, i had also done a yogurt mask on my hair around that time, so that might have been the cause.

Pondering your actual original question, I wonder if rough cuticles have something to do with stringiness? This might cause the hairs to cling to each other while smooth cuticles would not (kinda makes sense with my rough fabric theory, as that affects cuticles too). So, vinegar or citric acid rinses, or something along those lines, might help.

Good luck!

[lindenblossom]

I had some bad stringiness about nine years ago, and decided to buy a brush, since all I had been using was a comb. The brush changed everything. It was just a wooden paddle brush with wooden bristles, but it worked wonders. Maybe it helped to distribute oils.

I still have that brush.

[little_cherry]

Something that has always worked for me is clarifying. It does wonders. A clarifying shampoo works the best, but I use baking soda rinse (1tbs baking soda in 2 cups of water), pour it over my hair, let sit for a couple of minutes. Then I rise this very well and follow with an Apple Cider vinegar rinse (1 tbs ACV in 2 cups water) to seal the cuticle and condition the hair.

[Carolyn]

When my hair is stringy it usually needs a good washing. Overconditioning can cause it on me too.Yes this. A washing with regular old shampoo will often take care of hair ills. Some people's hair can't handle as much conditioner as others. I would suggest using a sulfate shampoo or a clarifying shampoo. Start with a clean slate. If you are using a lot of conditioner you could cut back on that or concentrate it on the lower length. My hair is usually stringy and lank when I go 3 days without washing it. Some people can go a week or more without washing and others can't. I would love to be able to go a week but I can't. So I wash more often and use a sulfate or clarifying shampoo as needed. I've learned to figure out what my hair needs and do it.

[naereid]

I had some bad stringiness about nine years ago, and decided to buy a brush, since all I had been using was a comb. The brush changed everything. It was just a wooden paddle brush with wooden bristles, but it worked wonders. Maybe it helped to distribute oils.

I still have that brush.
Exactly what I wanted to say!

My hair was very stringy for the last couple of weeks, and I had no idea why. Was it my new conditioner? The oils? Then I remembered I'd stopped using my boar bristle brush because I read it caused breakage and whatnot. And indeed, the stringiness instantly vanished once I brushed my hair instead of just combing it. It also gave me some nice volume and shine.

[ericthegreat]

For me, its absolutely essential that I CO rinse my hair every single night. After the ten or so minutes I let the conditioner get absorbed into my hair, I rinse it out very thoroughly by holding my moveable showerhead directly over my head and just rinsing out my hair with warm water for at least a good 5 to 8 minutes.

My scalp is naturally extremely oily, and I'm a 1a so my hair naturally gets stringy if even the slightest amount of oil remains on my hair. When I soak my hair in coconut oil as an overnight treatment, the next morning I will be stuck in the shower for at least half an hour or more to fully wash it out. The only good thing about my naturally greasy, stringy hair is that I don't need any leave-in products and I can easily slick my hair back into a shiny, sleek ponytail/bun/braid with just my natural scalp oils.

[Kat]

My hair has always been stringy...when it was short, and now that it's long; when I used to wash it every day and now that I don't wash it quite so often. I can brush it, and five or ten minutes later, even if I've barely moved around, it looks stringy and like it needs to be brushed again. I've always envied those people who have a solid curtain of hair, no matter what they do to it...I swear some people could ride 50 miles in a convertible and get out and their hair would still look good, while mine can start looking crappy if I'm just standing still! Not fair. :)

My guess is that in some cases, hair can just be stringy in its natural state...

[Laylah]

It's never happened to me before so I may not be the best person to give advice, but maybe you could try-
- brushing it with a BBB or similar type brush?
- not adding leave ins?
- combing out your hair while it dries so it dries separately rather than clumping?

[zeldagirl7491]

It's good to know I'm not the only one with this problem :)

And it's also good to know about some of the different things to try. Hopefully some of them work! :D

Thanks everyone

[zeldagirl7491]

So after reading everyones reply and thinking it over, I realized my stringy hair was probably caused by rough strands. Looking through pictures from a few years ago, my hair wasn't stringy then. The other day I oiled my bun with coconut oil and after taking it down, my hair wasn't stringy! I guess it was because the oil smoothed the hairs.

[adiapalic]

This happens to me if I use too much oil or conditioner. For example, I use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose--which is a really heavy, thick conditioner. I had previously been doing CWC with Garnier Fructise Length & Strength conditioner, so naturally when I switched to AOHR, I did the same wash.

It ended up leaving my hair way too oily and dirty-looking, separating into flat little stringy strands. So now I do S&C (shampoo scalp/conditioning ears down) because the conditioner works well enough to moisturize on the first go round. :)

So it could be your current routine that's affecting your hair this way--has your hair been limp and stringy for a long time--or just recently? Have you made any recent changes to your routine?

ETA: My response was too slow! :o

Layla has a good point with the BBB--this fluffs my hair right up sometimes--making it less stringy.

[Tutti_Frutti]

I wonder if rough cuticles have something to do with stringiness? This might cause the hairs to cling to each other while smooth cuticles would not Good luck!

I don't think so, at least not in my case. My damaged inches have very rough cuticles but those are the hairs that always look frizzy and are not stringy.

[Ellethwyn]

That is what I hate about my hair, is how it looks stringy. Here it is... that is what we're talking about when we say, "stringy" right?
I combed my hair with a wide tooth comb 15 mins before taking this pic.
http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s358/ellethwyn/022_zpsb94adba9.jpg

In my sig pic it looks less stringy b/c I blow dried it. That helps sometimes. I may buy a brush. What is the safest kind of brush to use?

[Larki]

Ellethwyn, do you use brushes or only combs? On the occasions I've had to only use combs, my hair gets stringy too, but 99% of the time I use a brush and it keeps my hair from looking stringy. I think combs tend to make hair clump together.

[Ellethwyn]

Ellethwyn, do you use brushes or only combs? On the occasions I've had to only use combs, my hair gets stringy too, but 99% of the time I use a brush and it keeps my hair from looking stringy. I think combs tend to make hair clump together.

I use combs. I threw my brush away 3 years ago. lol What is the best kind of brush to use? The ones with thick bristles? Like this one
http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mk7Knep6UnJSlxx1jBJ0E3g.jpg

Or are the other kinds like this one better? http://myplasticfreelife.com/images/hairbrush-bristles-01.jpg

[stringy]

Sometimes it's just how it is.

I've tried several things to fix it, but nothing has changed it much. I cut out conditioner, but then I just had dry tangled strings.

[roseomalley]

A boar bristle brush really makes a huge difference with my baby fine, stringy hair. I comb gently first with a wooden comb and then gently brush with the boar bristle brush. It makes my hair shine with less stringiness. Also, I had gotten overzealous with oiling my hair. I have figured out that my hair loves camellia oil, which is one of the lighter oils. I try really hard to only use a tiny bit on the ends. (I do a heavier oiling pre-shampoo. ). Since I have been less heavy handed with the oil, my hair is less stringy.