Dry brittle ends?

[d1angel]

I'm so frustrated.

My hair is feeling softer - except for the ends. They feel like straw. Ugh.

I did a coconut oil soak yesterday with a vinegar rinse, and that helped. The ends still feel awful, though.

The one change I did make was to get rid of 'cones. Not really on purpose - I tried the Tressemme Naturals shampoo and conditioner.

I'm wondering if 'cones would help the ends. I don't want the ends to keep getting dry and brittle while I'm growing - and I have a long way to go. I'm going to have my daughter do a microtrim tomorrow, and then see how it goes.

[Anje]

I'd suggest clarifying, in case there's some buildup. Then try a moisture treatment like an SMT (look over in the Recipes forum). That's my recipe for happy ends, at least.

[Kibitzer]

Sometimes when my ends feel brittle I do a SMT treatment also. If it feels really bad I will coat it with evoo wrap the ends in plastic wrap and bun it up for the day. You could just leave it in over night also. One of the ladies here had posted how to do a lazy wrap bun done with a hankerchief and that's the bun I do. I don't remember who it was but I'm sure someone here does. When I remember to I will also apply some Shea butter to the ends. The Shea butter makes my ends feel real soft.

[manderly]

After all other options failed for me, cutting them off gave me new hair. I adore feeling my ends now, I had the first professional haircurt in 5 years and my hair has felt amazing for months now :)

Hopefully you can find another way that works, but sometimes it's just gone, and you've got to let it go :)

[Themyst]

I use cones and they help my ends. And when my ends are feeling particularly dry ... yes, straw-like ... I saturate them in Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil and bun it for the entire day or night and it helps.

[jojo]

I second the clarifying and maybe some cones on the ends if this fails maybe a little dusting.

[kettle]

I posted with the exact same issue a few months ago. The overall consensus was to trim - though as others have said, definitely try clarifying first. It could be a build up of protein.

I would add that I still struggle with the dry, tangly ends, and that I find heavy oiling before a CO wash to help (currently using almond oil and coconut oil). I'm also finding that trimming half an inch or less every two months, to get rid of nastier ends gradually but keep growth ((I believe this is Nightshades' invention?) to be really useful.

Good luck! You have my sympathy!

[GRU]

Clarify, super-condition (SMT or other deep conditioning treatment -- you can just add this to the ends if you don't want to weigh down all your hair), heavy oiling of the ends (coconut, sweet almond, or grapeseed would be my choice). Do the conditioning and oiling for a week or so, and if they don't improve, whack 'em off. Even if you just take off a half-inch, you may see enough of an improvement that you're willing to do more.

I probably have about another inch to trim off still (extreme old damage from pre LHC times), but even the little bits I have taken off so far have really helped.

[Happy Phantom]

My ends are brittle too sometimes. I experienced that trimming them helps very much, even if I don't cut verything that feels dry. A few millimeters are enough sometimes

[linnepinne]

Have you tried any other oils than coconut?

My ends are quite brittle and "straw-y" aswell, and the only oil that works for me (and it works really well!) is extra virgin olive oil. All other oils, including coconut, makes my ends even worse or just doesn't work at all.
But beware that EVOO is very heavy, so just use a teeny tiny drop at once! You will just have to experiment and see which amount is the right for your hair. And maybe try some other vegetable oils too? Some people have had success with Jojoba oil, for instance.

Good luck!

[aenflex]

Hendigo really helped my persistent dry, brittle and crunchy ends. I never found much benefit (at my ends) by clarifying :( Oil treatments with my coconut oil did help, but the results were not lasting. Since I used caca brun about a week or so ago, I don't have the crunch or the brittle any more.