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pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 02:39 AM
Has anyone ever come across this hair condition? I was doing some reading yesterday, and I really think this is what I have, and why my hair is so brittle. Basically, pili torti is where the fibres within the hairs become twisted in points down the hair shaft, causing brittleness and a strange light-reflecting sheen to the hair. It isn't apparently very common, but can be inherited (I think my grandmother probably had it, and possibly my mother does too), and is more common in blondes (me and my grandmother there then).

I don't know for sure if I have this, as I haven't looked at my hair under a microscope! The down side though, is that I can't find any information about reversing it - there doesn't seem to actually be any treatment, so there seems no real point in me trying to get a diagnosis confirmed! When I was reading I really hoped there be some information about nutrition that could help, but if it's genetic, I guess I'll just have to put up with it.

I just wondered if anyone had come across it.

manderly
April 29th, 2010, 02:48 AM
http://www.hairdiseases.com/natural-hair-care-product/hair-disorders.shtml

It doesn't appear to really have any negative effects and can show up later in life and even go away on its own.

I have lots of hair that seems to do this, it's like it flattens, then goes round, then flattens, I wonder if it's more of a twist than a flattening.

But I guess I'm just curious what problems you are having with this? It strikes me as being rather benign from what I've read. At first I thought you were referring to the cotton candy hair disorder (which I can't find the real name of for the life of me) until I googled.

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 03:21 AM
It's breakage and frizz that I experience more than anything - particularly at the back. This has been a problem for years. I don't want my hair really long (even if it were possible), but just to look OK at shoulder length. I have lots of short frizzy bits at the back, and if I pluck out a hair and look at it/feel it, it looks odd at certain points along the hair shaft and is very easily snapped.

manderly
April 29th, 2010, 03:26 AM
Ah, I see. I'm sorry to hear you're having a problem with that.

If it makes you feel any better, that website did mention that it has the potential to just go away on its own, possibly diet or health related :) So if you do suffer from that, it's not without hope.

I'm guessing since you've been her for a while you've tried keeping your hair up and treating it like antique lace and such. :flower:

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 03:28 AM
Thanks. :) It actually seems to have started when I hit puberty, so I wonder if hormones play a part. I also suspect my iron levels are low and am trying to address that.

I do try to protect my hair as much as possible (silk pillowcase etc), but I wonder if I could do more... I use a tangle teezer, but maybe even that is too much.

manderly
April 29th, 2010, 03:34 AM
Have you tried prenatal vitamins? :)

Also, IMHO, I think silk/satin night caps are more protective than pillowcases - less friction.

How long is your hair now? Do you do any protective styles?

Since you say most breakage is in the back, I suspect sleep damage :) I would work on that first.

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 03:40 AM
Thanks. :) Yes, I suspect sleep damage too. I think I'll go back to bunning it overnight. I only stopped because it looks so odd when I take it out in the morning! I tried a couple of sleep caps/bonnets but they felt so tight. Then I tried wearing a slip over my head like a sort of veil (think Mother Theresa! :D), but it kept falling off.

It's around shoulder length and wavy/curly (looks a bit like my avatar - it's a Simpsons version of me! :D), so I tend to wear it loose during the day.

edit: forgot to say, I take a range of supplements for health reasons, so I think I'm mostly covered.

manderly
April 29th, 2010, 03:45 AM
I use this (similar to what you described) and drape my hair over my pillow at night. Helps keep all my curls intact and gives me root lift :)

ETA: Derp, a link would help http://www.prettyanntoinets.com/prettyanntoinet_012.htm

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 03:52 AM
That looks good. Is it tight? I have a problem with my jaw, so I can't have anything tight around my hairline. Oddly enough, from what I've read, my jaw issues might even be linked to my hair, as pili torti hair is linked with dental abnormalities - one jaw joint is slightly less developed than the other (only found this out a couple of months ago).

I wonder where I'd get something like that in the UK... :confused:

Dreams_in_Pink
April 29th, 2010, 03:58 AM
hey, i might have this one!! When i examine my hairs, they're not smooth, they bend in different directions causing a weird wave pattern :/ whatever i do my hair's always frizzy and out-of-place. This started at early childhood for me.

manderly
April 29th, 2010, 04:22 AM
No it's not tight, it's all stretchy :)

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 04:40 AM
No it's not tight, it's all stretchy :)

Thanks - will have a look around on the web for something. :)

Arctic
April 29th, 2010, 08:47 AM
I have hairs like that, I have taken macro photos from them and they definitely turn around themselves.

ETA: I have lately been sleeping wearing a scarf, and it's been working really well. I tie it just like the WWII scarf tutorial from the articles section. It's very comfortable, and doesn't feel tight, or leave any marks on my face.

BelleBot
April 29th, 2010, 09:07 AM
I used to get loads of hairs like that. I'd get dark coarse twisted ones of varying thickness down the strand, and lots of little blonde tightly twisted ones that were very brittle and felt bumpy like a corkscrew. They were most odd. But I don't get them anymore. I only seemed to have a problem when I had an eating disorder. Didn't realise there was a term for it, how interesting.

pelicano
April 29th, 2010, 09:24 AM
I used to get loads of hairs like that. I'd get dark coarse twisted ones of varying thickness down the strand, and lots of little blonde tightly twisted ones that were very brittle and felt bumpy like a corkscrew. They were most odd. But I don't get them anymore. I only seemed to have a problem when I had an eating disorder. Didn't realise there was a term for it, how interesting.

That's exactly how mine feels, although nowhere near every hair. I read that it could happen during an eating disorder. I wonder why though... that implies a nutritional deficiency, but I don't know what. :confused: Glad to hear you're OK now (and not just your hair!)

I have ordered a couple of different satin options to try out at night. Hope they come soon. :)

pelicano
May 4th, 2010, 12:16 PM
My satin sleep hats have arrived today. :) They are both tie up ones, so I think I'll be OK with them (not too tight). I'd say I look all mysterious and Girl with a Pearl Earring if they weren't bright pinky lilac! Ah well, it'll give the husband something to laugh about anyway! :D

princessp
May 4th, 2010, 12:20 PM
I've never heard of this before. Thanks for posting.