Breakage or new growth?

[WaitingSoLong]

Ok, so I have a zillion seemingly new short hairs on my head. They are quite untame and make up an alarming amount of my hair, or at least it seems so.

How do you tell the difference between new growth hairs and hairs that are short from breakage?

I am thinking they are new growth, because they are all basically the same length and I had a major shed during the late summer.

Still, can I examine one of them and tell a difference somehow?

Thanks.

[Rocket22]

I will be watching this thread because I have the same. who knows maybe I have thicker hair then I ever knew once these hairs all catch up? :)

[Becky Safari]

I think that if you took a small chunk and twisted it around so all the little bits were sticking out, go in the sunlight and see if the ends on the smaller strands are broken, bent, or weak looking. If they are healthy then I would assume they are growth and not breakage

[PiroskaCicu]

I have something similar. I noticed lots of little baby hairs growing since i started taking multivitamins a few months ago. I guess they are helping with hair growth :)

Has your diet changed?

[OperaTeacherMom]

If I'm not mistaken, new growth will taper at the end rather than looking blunt or split. I have a ton of new growth at the hairline and each hair has a telltale taper at the end.

[spidermom]

If I'm not mistaken, new growth will taper at the end rather than looking blunt or split. I have a ton of new growth at the hairline and each hair has a telltale taper at the end.

I agree with this.

[BrightEyes]

If I'm not mistaken, new growth will taper at the end rather than looking blunt or split. I have a ton of new growth at the hairline and each hair has a telltale taper at the end.

After my post partum shed finally ended, I had a halo of new growth. Each hair had a taper on the end. I've also had breakage where the ends were definitely blunt or split.:o So yes I'd agree that new growth has a taper while broken hairs have blunt or split ends.

[Cheeks1206]

If I'm not mistaken, new growth will taper at the end rather than looking blunt or split. I have a ton of new growth at the hairline and each hair has a telltale taper at the end.

This. I can tell the difference between my new growth and my trimmed ends by seeing which are tapered and which are blunt.

[WaitingSoLong]

Ok, so I will have to pluck one to find out because they are too short to assess otherwise.

[WaitingSoLong]

Hmm.

Well I decided there was no point plucking one hair, and then judging all my halo hairs by that ONE. I think that would be inaccurate. Besides, I just. Couldn't. Do. It. Seriously, I have an aversion to plucking my hair. I see them all as precious members of my family. ;) I started to tug on one, and it REALLY didn't want to come out.

So, I just tried harder to see them in my mirror with bright lighting. I had to compare with some known broken hairs at TBL level and I think they are mostly new growth. I would say all, because I didn't see one blunt end that I could tell, but exclusive terms are usually not accurate!

PHEW.

I have never measured my hair circumference (I guessed for my hair typing) so I would have no clue if I was losing volume. But I really think it is baby hairs. Precious little...untameable things.

[Dragon]

Ok, so I will have to pluck one to find out because they are too short to assess otherwise.


Instead of plucking one out to have a look, you could ask some one else to have a look for you.

[CarpeDM]

If I'm not mistaken, new growth will taper at the end rather than looking blunt or split. I have a ton of new growth at the hairline and each hair has a telltale taper at the end.

I concur, I've noticed the tapering on my new hairs as well.

[Cirafly24]

I had a big shed over the summer as well, and I have a halo of 3" long baby hairs all along my hairline, and sticking up off the top of my head. I've looked closely at them, and they seem to be new growth rather than breakage...but they're so annoying!! They're not long enough to reach any updo, so I have to try to tame them with AVG or a bit of hairspray in updos. However, I'm hoping that when they grow out long enough, they will thicken up my ponytail :)

[tigr]

I have an aversion to plucking my hair. I see them all as precious members of my family. ;)




I really think it is baby hairs. Precious little...untameable things.I just love these images of the baby hairs as precious rather than annoying. :heartbeat Thank you!

[AlixSophia]

Hi everybody.. Nice to be here.

I have a question: I have straight hair, and when I wash it and it's wet and all hanging down.. there are these short curly "babyhairs" all over my head. Never in my life have I seen this happen. When I pull on them to see what lenghth, they are only about 3 or 4 cm. The fact that it's all over my head makes me very insecure... Is this new hair growth or breakage? Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks

[lapushka]

Hi everybody.. Nice to be here.

I have a question: I have straight hair, and when I wash it and it's wet and all hanging down.. there are these short curly "babyhairs" all over my head. Never in my life have I seen this happen. When I pull on them to see what lenghth, they are only about 3 or 4 cm. The fact that it's all over my head makes me very insecure... Is this new hair growth or breakage? Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks

Look at the very ends of those hairs. If they are tapered ends, that's new growth, if it is cut off blunt it's breakage. My guess though is new growth. We all have hairs of different lengths (and yes also baby hairs) over our heads. It is part and parcel of having hair. Hair grows in different cycles, hence the different lengths all over.

[Marymary]

A tip to help see new growth is to part your hair, I usually do it along the centre of my head, the new growth will stick up along the parting. I have dark hair so if you hold a piece of white card across the parting it makes it really easy to see the new tapered ends of new hair.