Advice please on my crunchy ends and breakage

[Carriegirl]

Hi there :) I'm new here and though i have always had long hair, i haven't always taken great care of it. I have just started following the newbie advice to CWC and do so every third day. I coconut oil the ends morning and evening. I actually henna'd last night (first time ever!) and it came out pretty, and i followed with an SMT (first time using that too). Pics of my henna head (i used Rainbow brand, a henna indigo mix for medium brown):

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n75/shiomosfam/Aug-Sept2010025-1.jpg


My main problem is that i seem to have a lot of breakage due to having 6 kids and having it pulled and tugged over the years, not being as gentle with it as i should, and using chemical hair color and highlighting this year which really dried my hair.

I would love to know what i can do to minimize the appearance of the breakage which looks like little wispies sticking out all over my head (though in pictures it doesn't look bad, and i think i notice it more than anyone else does, i hope anyway ;). I just don't know the best way to tame them - coconut oil? Aloe gel? Just CWC and time?

And what about the crunchy ends? They don't look really bad, but i hear the crunchy sound when i gently squeeze them. Is it too much coconut oil buildup? I haven't been using it that long and i think the ends have been dry for a while.

Thanks for the advice and feedback. I really want to get my hair into the healthiest condition while i am growing it a bit more.

[WaitingSoLong]

It does sound like build up. Try a clarifying wash (any old sulfate shampoo, lather and let sit, then rinse at least twice) follow up with conditioner and nothing else and see if that helps.

The little wispies are a part of the hair cycle. You may have mor to breakage but everyone has them. Hair sheds. New hairs grow in their place. They are all different lengths because of the life cycle. It is just part of having long hair! I use hairspray because I cannot stand them sticking out on my head if my hair is pulled back. Hairspray is tabboo to some but I don't care.

[spidermom]

Besides the good changes that you have already made, be sure to do a clarifying shampoo every once in awhile - maybe once a month - and wash your hair all the way to the ends. Regular small trims - like 1/2 inch every 3-4 months - is a good way to gradually eliminate bad ends while gaining some length.

Oh, and for those wispy, shorter hairs, I use some sort of styling product, like gel, to encourage them to lay down. What works best is styling wax, paste, or pomade used sparingly (but I'm out of it right now).

[excentricat]

Only the last inch or so of my ends are dry and crunchy. I've taken to soaking them in something moisturizing when I wear braids. That way I can go ahead and slather it on until they're wet looking without feeling like I'm going out with oily looking hair. Plus, since I sleep in a braid, they get a little tlc every night. It seems to be helping a lot.

[Jenn of Pence]

Crunchy ends can definitely be from product build-up, so clarifying would probably be good to try. I think mine tends to get crunchy from too much protein, so you may want to at least investigate whether the products you're using have them (stuff like "hydrolized" this or that, or keratins...there's a list of protein ingredients floating about somewhere). Either clarifying + moisture will help, or avoiding it if you really do find it's a problem.

I also agree that wispies may just be new growth. I always thought it was breakage, but LHC informed me otherwise. New wispies are actually a good problem! ;) I see most of my damage as splits or white dots at the end of a strand.

[Carriegirl]

Wow - those were some quick replies! Thanks!

I didn't even think about the hair cycle thing and that they were new hairs growing. Good point. I tend to notice them more on me and think they are worse than everyone else's! :o

I did put some aloe gel on today and it seemed to help some.

I will do a clarifying wash too as i haven't used a sulfate shampoo for a while. That won't be a problem a few days after henna will it?

Thanks for the advice, ladies! Any more comments will also be appreciated!

:heartbeat

[Carriegirl]

I also agree that wispies may just be new growth. I always thought it was breakage, but LHC informed me otherwise. New wispies are actually a good problem! ;) I see most of my damage as splits or white dots at the end of a strand.

I guess it is a good problem :) I have always assumed it was breakage, but they don't look damaged, just light and wispie, kinda like young unruly children! :p

I have those white dots on some of my layered ends. No splits though, thankfully.