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Pear Martini
December 22nd, 2010, 07:42 AM
Hey everyone!

I live in a subtropical climate (as you may know, its very humid) that has all of the sudden gone through a strange cool and dry spell...and my hair is reacting!

For the first time in months, I have been dealing with breakage on the ends. Pieces that are about 1 inch or smaller have been breaking off when I finger comb.

I am wondering what happens to the remaining strand of hair once an end breaks off?

Must I trim the area it broke off from? Does it turn into a split?

I love long hair but I also want healthy looking hair.

Thank you so much and Happy Holidays :D

Madora
December 22nd, 2010, 07:55 AM
Yes, it could possibly split..and then again, it might not. Trimming might be needed if you notice the bulk of the hair ends looking raggedy or thinning.

ericthegreat
December 22nd, 2010, 07:59 AM
That doesn't sound too good at all. :(

If your ends are literally breaking off simply by just fingercombing it, it really looks like the bottom portions of your hair are weak and fragile. Climate does affect things like dryness, for example since its winter now and cold air naturally holds less moisture, plus indoor heating further dries out your hair you will need to use more moisturizing products during this season.
However, climate alone is rarely the only contributing factor for this kind of damage.

Have you been heat styling your hair all all recently? What about highlights or color? How are you handling your hair (are you brushing or combing out your hair too roughly?) If you are or have been doing any of these things, then you really should stop doing so.

As to the damage you seem to have now, I would definitely recommend that you trim off at least half an inch or more even. Especially when ends break off, your new ends are broken and uneven when they break off. This will easily lead to more splits and breakage if they aren't taken off.

Bucatini
December 22nd, 2010, 09:27 AM
I get this too. Take a close look at your ends in natural light and see if you can see little white "dots" anywhere on the length. For me, hairs break off at those damage points and then I do get more split ends. If you're not avoiding trimming, go to just above them you can avoid the breakage and the new splitting.

Pear Martini
December 23rd, 2010, 04:43 PM
Yes, it could possibly split..and then again, it might not. Trimming might be needed if you notice the bulk of the hair ends looking raggedy or thinning.

Its really hard to tell because I have a lot of hair. I'd say about half of it is super damaged and may need a good chop but the rest is very healthy looking. Maybe I can post a new picture, if I can get it onto the computer

Pear Martini
December 23rd, 2010, 04:51 PM
That doesn't sound too good at all. :(

If your ends are literally breaking off simply by just fingercombing it, it really looks like the bottom portions of your hair are weak and fragile. Climate does affect things like dryness, for example since its winter now and cold air naturally holds less moisture, plus indoor heating further dries out your hair you will need to use more moisturizing products during this season.
However, climate alone is rarely the only contributing factor for this kind of damage.

Have you been heat styling your hair all all recently? What about highlights or color? How are you handling your hair (are you brushing or combing out your hair too roughly?) If you are or have been doing any of these things, then you really should stop doing so.

As to the damage you seem to have now, I would definitely recommend that you trim off at least half an inch or more even. Especially when ends break off, your new ends are broken and uneven when they break off. This will easily lead to more splits and breakage if they aren't taken off.

I know, its really sad :(.

I did get more highlights lately also. My natural color is dark brown and my highlights which basically now cover most of my hair range from dark blonde to buttery blonde. I love the color too much to dye it back to brown though.

I have been brushing more often. My texture is wavy, so sometimes I brush out the waves for a softer look.

I trimmed about half an inch all around when I posted this thread and the breakage hasn't been as bad but it still concerns me.

Thanks Eric for the advice. You have amazing hair (color and length) and I believe I read in an older post that you work in a salon, so I can only imagine how extensive your hair knowledge is.

Pear Martini
December 23rd, 2010, 04:51 PM
I get this too. Take a close look at your ends in natural light and see if you can see little white "dots" anywhere on the length. For me, hairs break off at those damage points and then I do get more split ends. If you're not avoiding trimming, go to just above them you can avoid the breakage and the new splitting.

Thanks bucatini. I will try this tommorow morning.