A forum for us growing out damaged hair that we don't like... [Archive] - The Long Hair Community Discussion Boards

yellowflower

February 28th, 2011, 03:43 AM

As I have read a couple posts about people growing out bad hair dyes, over processed/damaged hair maybe we should have a thread we can all moan/rant, speaking lovingly of our new root growth that we love as we are all going through the same thing together and can help each other along the good and bad days, and post ideas about what keeps us occupied on our bad days.....

Ive started reading, getting lost in my book really helps, I also started wearing hair up so dont see as much, have stopped with hair dryer which really helped too.

Oh yes we could also put down our dietry habits/fitness etc and see how its all changed.

stkl

February 28th, 2011, 04:35 AM

Count me in :) im maintaining length right now and have another 4 inches to go for BSL totally virgin hair :) then another 5 inches to waist and then i can start highlightig again :) i predict about another year until things are perfect :) :) :)

yellowflower

February 28th, 2011, 06:56 AM

sunshine80

February 28th, 2011, 07:28 AM

daaisychains

February 28th, 2011, 07:35 AM

My hair is healthy but i want to grow my t-bar highlights out. I only ever had my hair highlighted once, and it's just the t-bar so it's only the top layer so the underlayer is perfecto but yeah, i just to be completely natural again. I'm the only one who knows it's coloured though everyone else thinks it's natural.. :-)

It's about 4'' from the top of my head just now. Yay for a good thread.

yellowflower

February 28th, 2011, 07:41 AM

Yellow flower you can see my pics on my profile with my hair that I am growing out...I had my hair highlighted then my sis went to update my highlights and bam! She must of mixed something wrong because it just came out in clumps! My hair is even shorter now because I have been cutting all the dead hair out....I will put updated pics soon....good luck!

Sunshine your hair is gorgeous, your curls are just like mine, mine is real short now to and breaking, My hair is at just skimming shoulder and having more cut off in few weeks im prob going to get 0.5" cut. I cant wear my curls down as the colour is horrible and the bleach has absolutly wrecked the curl pattern so its just like horrible straw instead of my beautiful curls. How much re-growth do you have? I have 2cm of new hair, and its curling...great to see my curls again, they are little bumps sprouting through my pulled back bun i keep it in.

yellowflower

February 28th, 2011, 09:57 AM

I cant believe how quickly Febuary has gone, I remember planning at the end of Januray what to do all through February to pass the time, I have been so busy I havent even had time to do the time passing things.

I hope March goes just as quick!!!

Ais

February 28th, 2011, 10:38 AM

I'm still growing out some patches that were bleached, they're only on the top layer though. I can't bring myself to cut them out because I love that I can tie up my layers now! The hair isn't so much visibly damaged - strangely enough, it doesn't split - but the hair itself is much thinner, and feels icky :( I'm considering letting them grow to about shoulder level, and then maintaining them there until they're virgin. They're such a pain! Doesn't help that they often decide to turn orange :p I've been hiding them with wash in brown dyes, just to tone down the brassy orange.

vanillabones

February 28th, 2011, 11:37 AM

My hair is disgustingly damaged from bleach and picking out extensions and I'm working really tediously with getting it healthy, strong, natural, and most importantly to me - even.
I have the weirdest uneven mullet with wicked short only inch long layers all around my crown from cutting out more inches of splits from last week so my hair is back to the length it was over the summer (my sig is from a month ago it all split after that trim that had finally evened it out) :( :( :( I'm very depressed about having a choppy mullet boy cut for a year but I know how to take care of it now and am loving my products / argan oil.

I HATE MY HAIR :'( I don't think it will ever be long! Maybe 5 years. Waaahhh.
I am starting monistat tomorrow!!

Monkie

February 28th, 2011, 11:47 AM

I keep meaning to take up with the Monistat again, but I always forget to. I should be using it on my bangs though. Trying to grow out bangs, on top of everything else just is a terrible double whammy.

oktobergoud

February 28th, 2011, 12:20 PM

Ooh I'm in this boat as well! I still have a pixie but it used to be platinum blonde.. no wait WHITE!! I only have 2 inches of virgin hair (but it is now dyed with henna, but at least it's not been bleached to death :P) and the other hair is still so fragile and dry and frizzy, no matter what I do :( It drives me crazy, but I can't cut it off because I don't want 2 inches of hair :P Anyway, the worst bleachedparts are already cut off thank god, so it already looks sooo much better and healthier than before!

But still.. sigh.. will take forever to grow it out :(

Ligeia_13

March 1st, 2011, 03:04 AM

My hair hates me -_- I don't blame it though :( I used to have somewhere between mbl and wl and now its not even armpit length, I dont think. I don't know if I should blame my genes or not, cause my mother's terminal lenth is about 30 cm. But it JUST. WON'T.GROW. ANYMORE.

yellowflower

March 1st, 2011, 06:42 AM

yellowflower

March 1st, 2011, 06:46 AM

how often is everyone measuring? Are any of you taking pictures?

papillion

March 1st, 2011, 07:55 AM

I'm growing out highlights, and the difference between them and my natural colour is huge. I honestly didn't think that the highlighted sections were that badly damaged, but now I can see what my natural texture is like, it's very obvious.

I'm maintaining at somewhere between bsl and waist while I wait for all the damage to grow out. I think it's the best compromise for me, as at least I can keep some of the length.

SpinDance

March 1st, 2011, 08:26 AM

I'm growing out 3.5 years of dyeing. I stopped dyeing summer 2009, so my new growth is about chin level now, or a little longer. The faded dye is a much redder/golder color than is good for me so I can't wait for my natural dark ash brown, now liberally sprinkled with white, to grow out. The bottom 3-4 inches are pretty thin from breakage and lots of S&D removing broken or split hairs. Fortunately it is slowly getting better as the virgin growth replaces the old dyed hairs.

In addition to the dye, I didn't know how to do buns very well, in part because I thought they caused me neck pain (which I now know is migraines), so I wore my hair braided much of the time. The repeated manipulation, tying off at the same places and rubbing on the braids against my clothing and such is part of the wear and tear on the bottom half of my hair.

I'm still slowly trying new things to improve the condition and overall health of my hair as I try to be patient for this all to grow out!

rena

March 1st, 2011, 09:32 AM

I'm in too.

stkl

March 1st, 2011, 09:48 AM

How long did it take you to grow out? How come you had to grow yours out?

It took me a little over a year. I bleached my hair for about 2 years, dyed it dark for a bit and then stripped the colour out and bleached again, this combined with not really treating it that well, meant that trying to grow it just wasnt happening, and ive always wanted that long blonde hair thing :) so i dyed it back to light brown and havent dyed it since and just maintainting the length, taking vitamins and stopping heat styling, doing oil treatments etc.

at first it was awful beacause blonde hides the damage a bit, and having really dull dry looking brunette hair when i really wanted to be blonde wasnt good. But now my hair is in much better condition, and theres only another year or thereabouts to go until my hair is where i want it :) so i think it will be worth it

BrightEyes

March 1st, 2011, 02:15 PM

Count me in. I have 1 inch of regrowth and the rest of my hair is either highlighted or dyed. I'm trying to wear it up more in an effort to forget about it, but it's starting to drive me crazy (I've always disliked the look of regrowth on myself).

I have a TON of breakage, and if I brush or handle my hair too much I will see inch long blonde pieces on my clothes. That's terrible, because my hair is not even SL:(. But I've been treating it better (less heat styling, wearing it up more) over the last year. So I do see a little improvement in the texture.

ilovelonghair

March 1st, 2011, 03:07 PM

I am still growing out damage from 3 years ago! My hair is very thin at the bottom due to that damage (hair dye and extensions) I am not sure if the bottom bit still is the part with hair dye in it as I don't see anything, but I know that it is at least damage from the extensions. The ends are so dry and brittle. I kept cutting my hair every 2 weeks over the last 3 years and decided to stop doing that to see how long it will grow. I keep getting split ends, really annoying and the ends are super dry. I use R&B from Lush, which helps, but the next day it's all dry again.

katienoonan

March 1st, 2011, 03:10 PM

Oh this is such a good thread... I'm sick of my spiky dry ends clumping together... and my new shiny growth is even more encouragement for me to maintain my non-abusive ways! xxXxx

1953Diygal

March 1st, 2011, 03:13 PM

Oh, I am SOOO into this thread!

I'm currently experiencing a wickedly copious seasonal shedding that I think has been exacerbated by the fact that I spent almost all of the month of October either comatose, septic, or sedated and spent half of November unable to eat anything except Ensure because of oral thrush and the flu.

My hair wound up in a huge dreadlock that resembled a massive yam and encompassed the entire canopy and nape area. It took an entire month to comb/cut it out.

I'm also going back to henna after 2 years of chemicals. I have a lot of hair rehab in store. I managed to keep my length and the condition is really pretty good, considering, but I really sacrificed thickness. This is what I want to get back.

Kumiko033

March 1st, 2011, 03:44 PM

I'm an idiot first cut her hair short like Ramona Flowers
Then dyed it purple
hated it and dyed it black and later on again

it's growing fast but my hair seems to weigh down after the black dye
I first had great curls now it's only slight wave.

Anyone else had this experience ?

1953Diygal

March 1st, 2011, 05:16 PM

You know, there's a couple of hair/diet threads going on right now. I never really made the connection that the reason for my mega-shed might be the fact that I wasn't eating from the very end of October to the day before Thanksgiving. It was because I was so sick I couldn't eat. My entire mouth was like a bundle of cauliflower from the oral thrush if you can imagine that. I had canker sores on my tongue and cold sores in the corners of my mouth. I had to gargle with Nystatin, Lidocane rinse whenever the pain got too bad but anything more acidic than, say, a glass of tap water, would bring me to my knees from pain. My boyfriend had to practically force me to drink nutrition drinks like Ensure at least two times a day. I lost 20 lbs during that time and that was after losing about 10 pounds (maybe more) from being in a coma and having septic pneumonia.

I guess all things considered, I should be grateful that the ONLY thing that's really happened to me since then is that I'm having a heavy shed. I had seizures, a torn rotator cuff in my shoulder that we all thought was a stroke at first. My stomach had bruises all over it from daily Heparin injections. I couldn't climb the stairs without stopping to catch my breath. When I first came home from the hospital, I would look at pictures on my Facebook page and I was so sad because I just felt so sick and ugly and gross. I didn't feel like I was ever going to be strong enough to even be able to put on makeup. I mean, when I would take a bath or a shower, I had to lay down on the bed and rest for a few minutes before I could get dressed.

When people say "at least you still have your health," it is SOOO not a cliche to me any longer.

Mesmerise

March 1st, 2011, 05:26 PM

I am growing out chemical dye/thin hair from massive shedding. My hair looks really pitiful when I wear it down now, which I HATE because I love being able to wear it down... I don't feel very attractive with my hair worn up :mad:.

I have only about 1/2" of roots without chemical dye (henna only now), and while my hair isn't too badly damaged from the dye (I did have some blonde foils in a few years back, but I'm fairly sure they'll have all grown out now... fairly sure... can't tell because I've coloured over them), so it's only hair dye rather than bleach.

Hmm as for my massive shedding... for me it happened a couple of months after I decided to go vegetarian, but even then I was eating a really, really healthy diet, so not sure if it was that which kicked off the shedding or not?! My hair loss is fairly normal now, but my hair is still URGH and when I do seem to lose a bit of extra hair I get into panic mode!! I am sure my roots are thickening up but it will take SOOOOOO long for those new hairs to fully grow in.

There have been times when I've thought I should just chop it all off and start again, but I know I would LOATHE it... instead I will stick with growing it, and keep visiting the forum to give me motivation to persevere even though my hair looks so bad now!

katienoonan

March 1st, 2011, 08:17 PM

x0h_bother

March 1st, 2011, 08:33 PM

Just flat iron damage here, but I used it sans conditioner or protectant every day for a good year. Then I wondered why there were little pieces of hair in the sink and splits everywhere. Since I quit, except the occasional treat, I have had zero splits and very few white dots and no breakage. I'm not sure when I will "know" when it is all grown out because there is no demarcation line of damaged/undamaged like dye reveals. I think it will just be a general health and thickness on the ends I do not have now.

ilovelonghair

March 4th, 2011, 12:30 AM

Just discovered that I have a lot of breakage or new growth (not sure which) in one area of my hair. Wonder what that is about. Or maybe those hairs just don't grow long. Big part of my hair is like that, especially the front, I have a natural fringe.

paleogirl

March 4th, 2011, 06:55 AM

I dig this thread! I have 2" of color free hair. I have been dyeing it for several years and stopped bc I was curious of what my natural hair color is. Also I stopped shedding as bad. So that kept me to it. I have hair that is half as thick as when I was younger - so my goal is to eat clean and healthy, treat my hair right, and see if I can increase the thickness and length. Good Luck All! :)

leandrahime

March 10th, 2011, 05:30 PM

DYE. DAMAGE. at least 5 years worth. I need help...

Tigermama

March 10th, 2011, 07:12 PM

I am with you, ladies! So far it will be 2 years this June since the Great Bleaching of 2009. I am just now getting over a total obsesssion with longing for my lost ringlets. First, my hair was straight and straw like, then it broke off like crazy and also thinned. I have had great luck with thickening my hairline with peppermint oil and monistat. (Just the tiniest of smidgens, any more gives me a wicked bad migraine. Scary stuff!)I also tried sulfur and mega tek. After 1 year of all that, My hair has come back about 75%. I am so happy to say that after 1.7 years, I now have no scalp showing! Finally I can wear my hair back and not worry about it. I am officially over it. Now, I am starting to see a little length coming back. Altogether, I lost 14 inches to whole head blonde highlights with bleach. I had never died my hair before, that was the first and last time. Since Beginning Vitamin D, tons on new hair has popped out. My sups are biotin, MSM, and Vitamin D. I also love to do scalp massage, quit smoking, and eat three square meals and snacks. My exciting discovery is that I found my dream conditioner, and it is only $1.93! Suave natural coconut! It makes a great leave in also. A wonderful lady her (dont know her name yet) was kind enough to post her routine. I use that, and put olive over top of that on my braids. I want to keep this up all the way to goal, which is healthy waist length and virgin. (masured dry). We can do this! The adventure will be fun.

et--cetera

March 10th, 2011, 07:15 PM

why oh why did I color my blonde hair with henna. What was I thinking?
groan
rant
groan
cry
/end

TheMechaGinger

March 10th, 2011, 07:30 PM

I'm trying to grow out awful layers! They drive me crazy. All my buns look like little grass knots and my braids fall apart after five minutes

TheMechaGinger

March 10th, 2011, 07:32 PM

Oh and I've been working on growing out my hair with plenty of scalp massaging/monistat/anything else I can think of to make it grow grow grow! Haha patience would probably be better than all of that though

McFearless

March 10th, 2011, 08:14 PM

I dont know how everyone else is doing, but I am having an awful day today, hating the condition and the colour everything, why cant we go away inhiding for a while and return when grown out colour? i wish such a island existed for me.

How is everyone else doing, bad day or good day?

Ugh me too. I wish I didn't have to leave the house for a year at least. Then I wouldn't have to wash too often and I could have oiled hair 24/7. No styling and trying to make it look good.

Sadly with school that is impossible.

Kathie

March 12th, 2011, 12:29 AM

Hi All,

Count me in, when I joined LHC my hair was like this....

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=5554&pictureid=72615

Like many of you the bleach was concentrated on the canopy layer. I've colored over the bleached hair with a semi-permanent and then did a couple of henna glosses. So the color is mostly hidden but I have around 10 inches of damaged hair to grow out. I can notice it in the light... it gives off a bit of a brassy tone compared to the rest, and when I wash my hair the damaged portion tangles more compared to the top.

Lynda

March 12th, 2011, 12:47 AM

I'm currently experiencing a wickedly copious seasonal shedding that I think has been exacerbated by the fact that I spent almost all of the month of October either comatose, septic, or sedated and spent half of November unable to eat anything except Ensure because of oral thrush and the flu.

Anesthesia and other rmeds will make your hair fall out until you feel like you have enough hay to feed a horse farm. Luckily, the folicle isn't damaged. :)

co.co

March 12th, 2011, 03:03 AM

Me too! Beginning to grow out my dyed-blonde hair - I am committed to not dyeing it again - it hasn't been its natural colour since I was, like, ten years old (so much regret after joining LHC!) so it will be good to see what colour it actually is. It'll also be easier to tell how much it's growing, too :) and I'm hoping the two-tonedness won't become the bane of my existence, headbands here I come!
along with the layers :( what was I thinking!?

Firefox7275

March 12th, 2011, 07:42 AM

I don't hate the hair that I have as I love the colour and doesn't look or feel dry. I do hate how thin it is; in my case mechanical damage along the hairline and ponytail area. My hair is a little past shoulders but I am not going to attempt growth until the hemline is thicker and the rest is glossy. I hope I will feel happier with my hair within six months, whereas I don't think I'd enjoy increased length with scraggy up dos.

Asequui

March 17th, 2011, 06:38 AM

Oh, I'm so happy to have found this thread!
I was doing so well at growing my hair out and getting it back in condition...
Then, after 10 years of dying it dark brown, then red, then dark brown again...I decided I'd had enough...I wanted my old blonde back.

So, very unwisely, I stripped it, bleached it twice, and used a permanent color to (unsuccessfully) try to get it back to my natural color (light sandyish/ashy blonde), all in the span of a few months.

Now my hair is a "lovely" gold (not golden...think yellow gold) damaged mess.

I've already had about 2-3 inches chopped off and am planning on 2-3 more in the next couple of months.

I know I should probably chop more off but I'm so emotionally attached to my hair that I'm already dreading the inches that need to be cut off as it is...

Been conditioning like crazy, making all kinds of concoctions to put on it, bought a tangle teezer (love!), and have just started monistat today. I currently have about 1-2 inches of virgin hair so at least the progress measurement will be easy considering the clear line between the two colors and conditions.

Gwen

March 17th, 2011, 06:57 AM

Oh, I'm so glad there are others out there like me! I also have breakage\damage on my crown due to straightening :(. When I look at photo's from a year ago, my hair was healthy and long (APL) but still bleach blonde. But I made the mistake of starting to curl it with my straightener. It went down hill from there lol.
The rest of my hair is fine, it's just the top of my head that is the issue. I'm going to try the monistat as well.
Gwen.

jujube

March 17th, 2011, 06:58 AM

Count me in. Heat and dye damage have left me with incredibly porous hair.

leandrahime

March 18th, 2011, 01:22 PM

Count me in, too! My first blog post explains it all!

rena

March 18th, 2011, 08:55 PM

Yeeesh, I'm definitely going through some kind of hair depression right now. It gets so dry and ugly so quicky and easily. It doesn't cooperate for long before its gone tumble weed on me again.

I get so sick of seeing people with naturally nice hair that seems to stay that way on its own no matter what it gets put through, while I get stuck with a headful of bone dry, crispy c*** that looks horrible no matter how I try to tend to it. I'm beggining to doubt if this will even change once it grows.

I don't want to have to spend my life with it tied or wrapped away from the world! I've been through that my whole life, and I'm tired of looking like a librarian. (Please take no offense to this librarians and updo wearers!! My dad made fun of a hairstyle my mom made me wear and called me a librarian in not so nice terms when I was really young and it kind of stuck.) I just want that to be a choice and not a requirement because my hair can't keep itself together once I walk out the house.

Uhg. Sorry about the long rant. I'm just so frustrated right now. Like, did I do something horribly terrible in a past life and this is my punishment or something? It sure feels like it.

Asequui

March 18th, 2011, 09:20 PM

Rena, don't apologize for your rant.
We've all been there.
And in this topic, most of us are still there right along with you.

Lol, if staring in the mirror cursing your length and willing your roots to grow (grow more and faster...now!!! *whine...growl*) worked...well I'd be Rapunzel by now. :p

No worries at all hun.
Eventually we're all gonna be some version of the Person With Amazing Hair....someday...soon...hopefully :pray:

Phoenix67

March 18th, 2011, 09:27 PM

I have just started the quest to grow long luscious locks. My hair is SL and has been dyed for the past 25 years. I have no idea what my real colour is. Am starting to grow out now but still not much regrowth so still waiting to see colour.
As I have just started I figure it will take me a while....
I have also started eating clean (no sugar, dairy, wheat or procesed foods) and have been including Udo's Oil into my day. Already in one week I notice massive difference in my hair (and skin). Also have increased water

rena

March 19th, 2011, 01:08 PM

Thanks Asequui.

Kathie

March 21st, 2011, 06:19 PM

I’m booked in for a trim tomorrow morning, I’ll get 0.5 to 1 inch off. I'm excited to get some of the old bleached hair removed :D which balances out that I will lose a little length.

Asequui

March 21st, 2011, 08:39 PM

Kathie

March 21st, 2011, 09:31 PM

Phoenix, what's Udo's Oil? I'm intrigued now...(yes cause I need more hair products :p)

Rena, no prob. Lol, like I said, we're all in the same boat.

Kathie, hope it all goes well for you. Gotta do that myself. Unfortunately 0.5 inch isn't gonna help mine out too much...I gotta just suck it up and chop 2-3 inches :scissors::scared:...:bigeyes:...:wail:...eventual ly...

Every little bit counts! I have 10inches in tot that was once dark red then stripped to blond then dyed brown then I started to rescue it with henna. Phew.
I want to arrive at my goal with most of the damaged hair gone.

I agree though losing length is painful :(

Asequui

March 21st, 2011, 10:48 PM

I want to arrive at my goal with most of the damaged hair gone.

Yep, I absolutely hear that.
Just think...in a few years we're all gonna have some fantabulous hair! :cheese:

Did you have much luck w/ henna?
I've been thinking of cassia for shine and condition but was a little worried since I've heard it adds more "warm" tones to blonde hair...I'm already as warm a blonde as I'm gonna get w/o leaning towards Ronald McDonald lol!

Oh, losing length is always painful...Even if I fully chose to do so (IE: style not damage control).
Thankfully my stylist is wonderful. She fully supports my decision to grow my hair out and keeps me calm while she works. And, very important, my hair always comes out wonderful at her hands. Definitely the best stylist I've ever met.

Kathie

March 22nd, 2011, 12:23 PM

Yep, I absolutely hear that.
Just think...in a few years we're all gonna have some fantabulous hair! :cheese:

Did you have much luck w/ henna?
I've been thinking of cassia for shine and condition but was a little worried since I've heard it adds more "warm" tones to blonde hair...I'm already as warm a blonde as I'm gonna get w/o leaning towards Ronald McDonald lol!

Oh, losing length is always painful...Even if I fully chose to do so (IE: style not damage control).
Thankfully my stylist is wonderful. She fully supports my decision to grow my hair out and keeps me calm while she works. And, very important, my hair always comes out wonderful at her hands. Definitely the best stylist I've ever met.

I agree, good stylists are worth their weight in gold.

I’ve used both henna and cassia I like them both. I really have noticed that they make my hair smoother and shinier.
With the cassia I think you would only notice some color if your hair was really white blond. But to be on the safe side you could mix up the paste and apply it straight away rather than waiting half an hour or so for color release and then applying it. Also, I’ve read that the cassia color does disappear within a month.
Henna was great because of the conditioning benifits and it blended my roots and dyed hair well.

oktobergoud

March 22nd, 2011, 12:26 PM

Ooh count me in!

I had a platinum blonde pixie, but before that it was red, dyed with henna. I started bleaching out the henna a year ago, so it was DEAD. Now I've cut off the worst of it, but it's still dry as hell and frizzy. I've stopped bleaching about 4/5 months ago and now use henna. It's in much better state but the bleached hair really needs to cut off eventually... so dry. I've just showered and washed and conditioned my hair and it feels like straw, I swear it is dreading! I've just got a cut yesterday and I've decided to keep it this short until the bleached hair is chopped off :) Then I can grow it out again! :)

Ugh hate bleach, haaaate it!

ladypurple

March 22nd, 2011, 12:48 PM

Yes! Growing out damaged hair is such a PAIN! 99% of my current length (basically everything except the roots) have gone through at least 3 dye jobs, and I feel like the only way to really get rid of the damage is by cutting, but now I am just practising damage control as I try to grow my hair longer... Oh the wait is long and torturous!

Asequui

March 22nd, 2011, 01:01 PM

annieangel149

March 22nd, 2011, 01:08 PM

Hey all, I don't know if this is the right place for it. But since so many of us are suffering from bleach damage I thought I'd share.
I just started using Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Butter condish and OMG...my hair is soft again... Appearance wise, it's a little better, but actual touch? It actually feels halfway normal again, even, dare I say, a little satiny...

Anyhow, just wanted to pass that on for those of us who's hair is "fried, dyed, and laid to the side". :D

yep i totally agree that once you find a good condish for your fried ends it becomes more bareable!! dont give up peeps! Im nearly there! i have abouyt 2 cm's of damage at my sides and probably just a tiny bit at my back ends!! (due to perming)!we can do it honey's! we rock!! :D

Gilly

March 22nd, 2011, 01:27 PM

I am joining this thread!
My hair has been driving me nuts for longer than I care to remember, it is very fine and porous, it changes into the awful candy floss look between the bathroom and the front door most days, I just want hair that looks like hair not some frizzy, fluffy undefined mess, is that just too much to ask?????
I get maybe one "good" day a week when the wind is in the right direction and all the planets are aligned but other than that I just want to buzz it all off! I am NOT going to cut it again, I seem to always do that when it starts behaving badly but all I get is a great style when I leave the salon then it goes downhill from there.
I don't have splits etc its just the damn texture of it, I know my water is probably part of it but as we are moving soon I am trying to not stress about it, we are renting and installing filters etc is not an option (for us anyway)
I will be watching this thread with interest!

paleogirl

March 23rd, 2011, 06:13 AM

So far the thing that is keeping me sane is I have finally figured out a WO routine. I wash everyother day. This has made my dyed ends soft whereas before they were dry. I oil it once every two weeks with either EVOO or Coconut oil. This has helped a lot.

I have red semi permanent color that I am growing out and layers. I decided to not try and match my natural and just tough it out. This is the hard part bc I want to cut it at least to the shortest layer, but then I won't be able to put up my hair.

I have joined the no trim for 2011 just S&D thread to help with not cutting. I had a realization that if I actually grow 1/2" each month then that is 6" in a year if I am lucky. I thought I was going to cut the color out in that time, but that means I will have ear length hair. boo! I don't think I can go back to that short. It is frustrating but a good lesson of sometimes you have to wait for the good stuff. Not everything is immediate.

ilovejimmy

March 23rd, 2011, 10:48 AM

:blossom:totally with all of you i just order de and im hoping that it will help as i read it in another thread.... pls hair grow and get rid of all this damaged bleach:stirpot: outta my hair! its so ugly and wont do anything i have tons of broken pieces all on top of my hair cause that where the hilites are... and the rest of my hair that didnt get bleached...is absolutly beautiful i wish i had a time machine id go back and slap my self silly and never put that evil stuff on my beautiful hair :( owell whats done is done now i have to commit in growing it out beautiful!!!!

ilovejimmy

March 23rd, 2011, 10:52 AM

i hate it so much i used to be able to wear my thick hair any way i wanted to anyway! so serious and now i cant do anything with it cause im afraid it will break off more i did afogee one time it help ive got so much cut off i look like the mother from the brady bunch cause the damage is at the top i just want to grow it out naturally... the sad thing is my natural color not bad at all i dont know y i was trying to improve somthing that didnt need improving now my days are filled w hair obession its terrible i feel like i look so ugly and everytime i go out and see girls w beautiful long hair i get so jealous and depressed this is sooo not cool i hate this

whichypoohs

March 23rd, 2011, 10:57 AM

Chemical hair dyes do kill your hair, that's why I now use Henna over my grey - although right now I'd love long/silver gray hair. Anyway I'm stuck at 29/30 inches. I'm sure my hair has growing "spurts".

Rocket22

March 23rd, 2011, 12:09 PM

Oh I'm so in this thread! I have bleach damage on my canopy and I hate it!!! I have tons of breakage all over :( but I haven't done any bleaching since last August but it seems like it takes forever for my canopy to grow? my length seems like its longer but that darn canopy is taking forever.. guess this is a super duper long process.

Kathie

March 23rd, 2011, 12:28 PM

Well I got my trim and she took 1.5inches off. Phew. It’s quite a difference. But I’m still happy I got it done... like I said in a previous post, it’s a small step towards having no bleached damaged hair.

x0h_bother

March 23rd, 2011, 01:22 PM

Ugh me too. I wish I didn't have to leave the house for a year at least. Then I wouldn't have to wash too often and I could have oiled hair 24/7. No styling and trying to make it look good.

Sadly with school that is impossible.

UGH me three. I've been bunning all the time (I never do) and I know it looks terrible but...there's nothing I can do to make it look good lately.

ilovejimmy

March 23rd, 2011, 02:06 PM

growing...growing.... i can feel it but y cant it grow faster?? i too have the damage at my canopy and breakage i look crazy with all these little broken hairs sticking up everywhere no blowdrying everyday and oiling my hair taking vitamens exercising massaging praying what else will make my locks grow or just grow out?

Organic

March 23rd, 2011, 09:10 PM

My hair was waist length and almost black/ It stayed thick and soft with massive amounts of cream rinse. I am 56. Under all the dye is a head of silver hair. I decided this year, that I am tired of the every three weeks root coloring and the hives that followed and the smell....I t was time...I wanted to grow it out. I could not deal with the "skunk" look though...so I had the top layers stripped at a salon. It took 7 hours to strip. Now most of what was stripped has broken off any way. The top 6 inches or so were strong enough to stay. My hair keeps breaking and getting thinner and thinner. The beautician who stripped it cut off about 8 inches.. I want to wad it all up on top of my head and cover it with a bandanna I am getting impatient. The last time it was dyed was two days before Christmas. I have only about 1.5 to 2 inches growth depending on where you look. My crown grows faster. It is frustrating. I knew that sooner or later I would have to do this. I want silver hair. I am so glad you all started this rant! I just needed to vent!! My profile page shows my hair before I stripped it. I can hardly wait until it is silver and that thick and long again.

rena

March 28th, 2011, 05:22 AM

Does anyone's damaged hair tend to curl more or easier? I have roots that are soft and smooth, and the closer I get to the rougher parts that are in not-so-good condition, or what is left of my old hair, thats where the wave and curl comes in, but only at that part. There is no wave or curl or bend at all in the softer parts closer to my head.

paleogirl

March 28th, 2011, 06:37 AM

So I was trying to be nice to my hair - BBB, combing, WO, and EO. Ha! Just realized either my cheap comb (I know, dumb) or my BBB has been breaking my hair. Boo. So now I am finger combing only until I can get a horn comb.

I also went 4 days last week between washes. I am trying to get to WO every Saturday. I have been consistently S&C everyday before switching to WO and with WO every other day.

I did wash with eggs this saturday and I have been able to wear my hair down for 2 days. This is a first.

Asequui

March 28th, 2011, 04:35 PM

Paleogirl - Isn't the egg wash amazing? I tried a masque made w/ egg yolks, olive oil, honey, and suave shea and almond condish and was amazed at the results. Mayonnaise is another thing to try but be forewarned - if you didn't hate mayo before, you may afterwards...ick ick ick ick....
Oh, and do let me know how your hair reacts to the horn comb. I've been considering getting one. I'm using a tangle teezer right now and while it doesn't pull as much hair out as my regular brush, I am still dealing w/ a lot of breakage :(

Rena - Yes! I've noticed that too! I wasn't sure at first since I have a lot of natural wave already there. But the most damaged parts definitely curl and frizz like mad. I took my hair out of the fishtail braids I had it in for a bun last night and it looked like Scary Barbie hair....:scared:

Everybody - Seems like we're all saying similar things: Why, oh, why did I do that to my hair!! Bah!!
Take heart, eventually it's gonna grow out and we'll have our luscious locks back...

Let's all say it together: Grow, hair, Grow!!! (we need a "mind power" smily :p)

dollface

March 28th, 2011, 09:20 PM

jumping in here~

i have bleached my hair MANY times...i don't even know how many to be honest. right now i have about 1.75 inches of new growth and about 2 inches of damage on the ends. my strategy is to keep my hair moisturized (especially the ends), and to lay off of bleach and just use a conditioning semi permanent when i need to re-dye.

i don't hate my hairs' state at the moment but i do regret all the things i've put it through....

co.co

March 29th, 2011, 12:20 AM

Agh, growing my natural colour out is making me realise how slowly my hair is growing :(
but I'm still COing, haven't washed in a few days because I haven't needed to be anywhere important but I'm so looking forward to it tonight! I've been oiling my ends during the day and spritzing with water&conditioner and keeping it up!
Maybe I'll castor oil before I wash and see if it works :p

paleogirl

March 29th, 2011, 07:51 AM

So what does castor oil do for hair? Thx.

x0h_bother

March 29th, 2011, 11:53 PM

co.co

March 30th, 2011, 03:07 AM

So what does castor oil do for hair? Thx.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=18265&highlight=castor+oil+hair+growth :)

haha

March 30th, 2011, 05:44 AM

SpinDance

March 30th, 2011, 12:33 PM

haha, a chemical straightener will just add more damage. When you say your hair is "hideous" when you don't blow dry or straighten, what exactly do you mean? I've learned that the frizziness that my hair can get is actually caused by waves. Now that I'm learning more and have better routines for my hair, the waves are coming through more clearly and the poofiness is going away.

Kathie

March 30th, 2011, 01:07 PM

I'm in a vicious circle; I have almost WL hair, half of which is colour-damaged from four treatments a few years back at a time when I decided to grow it longer.
My hair only looks good when straightened with my Wet to Dry straightener. Obviously this isn't a good thing (although I noticed it's slightly better than when I constantly blow dry). I have course hair which if it isn't blow-dried well or straightened, it looks hideous (and I wash twice a week).
Also the most addictive thing about my W to D is that it hides all the damage.
Like I said, vicious circle.
I'm loathe to add harsh chemical treatments to my hair again but would having a permanent hair straightening treatment and letting hair dry naturally be a better alternative til I grow out all the damage?

I also use to use a straightener twice a week- my hair would look frizzy and puffy if I just left it to dry. After 3-4 months of LHC based treatments and no straightening it lost its frizz and dried looking like normal hair!

I haven’t had my hair permanently straighten so I can’t compare the damage you get from straightening and the damaged you would get from chemically straightening.

As an alternative to either, I would look around here and find people with the same hair texture as you- find out what they’re doing to keep their hair healthy and looking awesome.

haha

March 31st, 2011, 05:00 AM

Hi Spindance - my hair is not curly but not straight just wiry. It's always been that way - before straighteners arrived here in the UK 15 years ago, my hair was often described as 'looks like you have an old perm growing out'. It looks beautiful and sleek with a good blow dry (or irons) but has always looked like it's in bad condition and needs a cut when dried naturally, even a week after a good-quality cut. It was like this pre-colouring damage so it's not just a damage issue. I guess the best way to describe my hair when naturally dried would be it looks like hair from the private region! Just much longer.
But you're right - I need to find a way to control (work with?) the coarseness and wiry-ness and so it can be dried naturally.

Kathie - what was the best discovery you made that allowed you to dump your irons?

I'm new to the forum - is there an instruction thread so I can find out how to do searches for people with same type hair? Even on the personal data bit, I didn't have a clue what type to put my hair down as.

oktobergoud

March 31st, 2011, 05:07 AM

I gave in and cut my hair! It's supershort at the sides and back (think about an inch) and it feels sooooo much better now!! And so soft (specially the really short sides). So yeah, I'll need to start all over again but I don't regret it a single second, at least now I'm not annoyed with my hair :)

x0h_bother

March 31st, 2011, 06:34 AM

I also use to use a straightener twice a week- my hair would look frizzy and puffy if I just left it to dry. After 3-4 months of LHC based treatments and no straightening it lost its frizz and dried looking like normal hair!

Same experience here for me.

I'm in a vicious circle; I have almost WL hair, half of which is colour-damaged from four treatments a few years back at a time when I decided to grow it longer.
My hair only looks good when straightened with my Wet to Dry straightener. Obviously this isn't a good thing (although I noticed it's slightly better than when I constantly blow dry). I have course hair which if it isn't blow-dried well or straightened, it looks hideous (and I wash twice a week).
Also the most addictive thing about my W to D is that it hides all the damage.
Like I said, vicious circle.
I'm loathe to add harsh chemical treatments to my hair again but would having a permanent hair straightening treatment and letting hair dry naturally be a better alternative til I grow out all the damage?
W to D on wet hair is probably one of the biggest flat iron sins. Flat ironing on dry hair alone will save you hair. When I first started naturally drying and not flat ironing I thought my hair would never behave nicely. But lots of leave-ins was helpful until as Kathie said above, my hair returned to a manageable healthier state.

Hi Spindance - my hair is not curly but not straight just wiry. It's always been that way - before straighteners arrived here in the UK 15 years ago, my hair was often described as 'looks like you have an old perm growing out'. It looks beautiful and sleek with a good blow dry (or irons) but has always looked like it's in bad condition and needs a cut when dried naturally, even a week after a good-quality cut. It was like this pre-colouring damage so it's not just a damage issue. I guess the best way to describe my hair when naturally dried would be it looks like hair from the private region! Just much longer.
But you're right - I need to find a way to control (work with?) the coarseness and wiry-ness and so it can be dried naturally.

Kathie - what was the best discovery you made that allowed you to dump your irons?

My hair also looked thick/wirey- I am learning this got worse because of the damage. As my hair grows out now not damaging it, it is getting softer and straighter. Pre-coloring damage may have been from heat or not enough moisture or mechanical damage (mine was like this pre-damage pre-flat iron pre-LHC as well). There is hope yet! :blossom:
I know you didn't ask me about it, but what helped me stop flat ironing was the breakage. :eek: It was horrifying.

haha

March 31st, 2011, 01:54 PM

Same experience here for me.

W to D on wet hair is probably one of the biggest flat iron sins. Flat ironing on dry hair alone will save you hair.

I have to strongly disagree here; can I ask if you have tried both for a reasonable period of time? I'd be really interested if you have some facts for your belief as my own experience plus the science from the sellers makes sense to me (and I'm a skeptic on most things) but TBH I've never researched it so maybe there's info from this forum?
But this is what I think; ironing already dry hair frazzles it. Think about ironing dry shirts, how much more heat and pressing you need. However if they're damp you don't have to press as hard. Same with hair irons, I just quickly slide the iron along each strand only once and because the water is trapped into the hair, it doesn't go frizzy in humidity or rain (honestly I'm not trying to sell this! But the W to D irons really are the best hair device I've ever owned!!).
I started dry ironing 12 years ago; it lasted 6 months and stopped after my ends became noticeably split and had to be cut out. I used to either blowdry hair first, then could do a fast iron (double heat trouble) or I let hair dry naturally and had to do a 'hard' iron to get it sleek. So I went back to blow drying before discovering W to D seven years ago. And I had no problem with it - as long as my hair was virgin.

My hair also looked thick/wirey- I am learning this got worse because of the damage. As my hair grows out now not damaging it, it is getting softer and straighter. Pre-coloring damage may have been from heat or not enough moisture or mechanical damage (mine was like this pre-damage pre-flat iron pre-LHC as well). There is hope yet! :blossom:
I know you didn't ask me about it, but what helped me stop flat ironing was the breakage. :eek: It was horrifying.
What's keeping me ironing is the breakage! My glossy, super-straight locks hide a multitude of sins. I'm always amazed that everyone thinks it's in tip-top condition!
My hair has always looked awful when dried naturally; pre-irons, pre-colour. Seriously even as a child, my pony tail really did look just like that - a pony's tail!
Basically I need to continue wet ironing hair that has been damaged by colour treatments from two years ago unless I find a solution for being able to let my hair dry naturally or with minimal heat treatment that also makes it look good. Also in the cold winter weather we have here (London), who can walk around with damp hair? My mother would have a fit!!

x0h_bother

March 31st, 2011, 03:56 PM

I have to strongly disagree here; can I ask if you have tried both for a reasonable period of time? I'd be really interested if you have some facts for your belief as my own experience plus the science from the sellers makes sense to me (and I'm a skeptic on most things) but TBH I've never researched it so maybe there's info from this forum?
But this is what I think; ironing already dry hair frazzles it. Think about ironing dry shirts, how much more heat and pressing you need. However if they're damp you don't have to press as hard. Same with hair irons, I just quickly slide the iron along each strand only once and because the water is trapped into the hair, it doesn't go frizzy in humidity or rain (honestly I'm not trying to sell this! But the W to D irons really are the best hair device I've ever owned!!).
I started dry ironing 12 years ago; it lasted 6 months and stopped after my ends became noticeably split and had to be cut out. I used to either blowdry hair first, then could do a fast iron (double heat trouble) or I let hair dry naturally and had to do a 'hard' iron to get it sleek. So I went back to blow drying before discovering W to D seven years ago. And I had no problem with it - as long as my hair was virgin.

What's keeping me ironing is the breakage! My glossy, super-straight locks hide a multitude of sins. I'm always amazed that everyone thinks it's in tip-top condition!
My hair has always looked awful when dried naturally; pre-irons, pre-colour. Seriously even as a child, my pony tail really did look just like that - a pony's tail!
Basically I need to continue wet ironing hair that has been damaged by colour treatments from two years ago unless I find a solution for being able to let my hair dry naturally or with minimal heat treatment that also makes it look good. Also in the cold winter weather we have here (London), who can walk around with damp hair? My mother would have a fit!!
I understand. When I flat iron, I wash at night so that my hair air dries overnight. Then in the morning I flat iron. I really think you'll see a difference, but if the breakage doesn't bother you then you probably can get away with flat ironing this way. I know when my hair was most fragile, protein treatments helped once a week. GL!

Oh and to answer your question about W to D, here is the bubble hair article http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/bubble-hair.html I got bubble hair from flat ironing hair that had a lot of moisture, in fact I limit my moisture now- I won't use a moisturizing condish before I flat iron precisely for this reason.

Kathie

April 1st, 2011, 01:44 PM

Kathie - what was the best discovery you made that allowed you to dump your irons?

I found that my hair loves EVOO and to be misted with aloe vera, sweet almond oil, and glycerine mixed in water.

Oksana

April 2nd, 2011, 01:38 PM

Hi everyone thought I would share my progress of 'growing out damaged hair' from March 2010 to March 2011.

My hair story is very similar to OPs story. I dyed my hair dark brown and the journey getting back to blonde was very harsh on my hair. Although the 3rd picture looks the worse, it was honestly much worse that that, so bad that i couldn't bring myself to take a picture:(

In this year i have cut at least 5 inches off which was very hard to do. I hated my hair during this process but i can now finally grow back the long blonde hair i had two years ago

http://imagehosting.nu/images/colourtst.jpg

x0h_bother

April 4th, 2011, 06:02 PM

Impressive transformation Oksana! You must be so delighted to have such nice hair! :)

McFearless

April 4th, 2011, 06:06 PM

What's keeping me ironing is the breakage! My glossy, super-straight locks hide a multitude of sins. I'm always amazed that everyone thinks it's in tip-top condition!
My hair has always looked awful when dried naturally; pre-irons, pre-colour. Seriously even as a child, my pony tail really did look just like that - a pony's tail!
Basically I need to continue wet ironing hair that has been damaged by colour treatments from two years ago unless I find a solution for being able to let my hair dry naturally or with minimal heat treatment that also makes it look good. Also in the cold winter weather we have here (London), who can walk around with damp hair? My mother would have a fit!!

It is a terrible cycle I know. I'm in between it right now. I've quit flat ironing but until I can cut off all the heat styled hair I know my hair wont live up to its potential.

As for going out with wet hair you could wash your hair the night before to avoid it. It is freezing where I live too. :(

jesis

April 4th, 2011, 06:35 PM

I can't wait until the underside of my hair is finally the same length as the top and it isn't so coarse. I have to baby baby baby it! It's annoying. GROW ALREADY!

*rant over*

jesis

April 4th, 2011, 06:41 PM

I have to strongly disagree here; can I ask if you have tried both for a reasonable period of time? I'd be really interested if you have some facts for your belief as my own experience plus the science from the sellers makes sense to me (and I'm a skeptic on most things) but TBH I've never researched it so maybe there's info from this forum?
But this is what I think; ironing already dry hair frazzles it. Think about ironing dry shirts, how much more heat and pressing you need. However if they're damp you don't have to press as hard. Same with hair irons, I just quickly slide the iron along each strand only once and because the water is trapped into the hair, it doesn't go frizzy in humidity or rain (honestly I'm not trying to sell this! But the W to D irons really are the best hair device I've ever owned!!).
I started dry ironing 12 years ago; it lasted 6 months and stopped after my ends became noticeably split and had to be cut out. I used to either blowdry hair first, then could do a fast iron (double heat trouble) or I let hair dry naturally and had to do a 'hard' iron to get it sleek. So I went back to blow drying before discovering W to D seven years ago. And I had no problem with it - as long as my hair was virgin.

What's keeping me ironing is the breakage! My glossy, super-straight locks hide a multitude of sins. I'm always amazed that everyone thinks it's in tip-top condition!
My hair has always looked awful when dried naturally; pre-irons, pre-colour. Seriously even as a child, my pony tail really did look just like that - a pony's tail!
Basically I need to continue wet ironing hair that has been damaged by colour treatments from two years ago unless I find a solution for being able to let my hair dry naturally or with minimal heat treatment that also makes it look good. Also in the cold winter weather we have here (London), who can walk around with damp hair? My mother would have a fit!!

From what I understand, the more moisture you have in your hair, the easier it is for your hair to "burst" at certain points. I am careful to make sure my hair is completely dry before I flat iron. And heck, if I'm wrong, I still feel better about it in the end. But I guess I have all but cut out flat-ironing. My hair is now smoother, shinier, healthier, and I love that I can accept it for how it really is! It's like I'm finally able to accept myself for who I am. :)

There are other ways to make your hair look super glossy, lots of women here on the LHC have found them. The first thing most people recommend here is to cut out heat styling. I did it. I was addicted to my flat iron for 9 years. Not exaggerating. Until I put the flat iron away and did a little bit of experimenting, I didn't know how much potential my hair had.

Just my two cents, I hope you find whatever happy medium you need. :) GL!

haha

April 5th, 2011, 04:24 AM

Oh and to answer your question about W to D, here is the bubble hair article http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/bubble-hair.html I got bubble hair from flat ironing hair that had a lot of moisture, in fact I limit my moisture now- I won't use a moisturizing condish before I flat iron precisely for this reason.

Thank you so much for this link. Now I completely understand your advice - I never thought of the heat 'boiling' the water on the hair shaft (I'm reading about quantum physics - how on earth did I not make this connection???!).
I do also remember ironing newly blowdried hair and still getting steam so the answer is to wash hair night before as mentioned by McFearless, then iron next day.

The former colouring has made my hair more prone to heat damage but I'm not ready to give up the irons just yet but will swap W to D for normal ones but without the blowdrying first. I feel very positive about this new regime for growing out the damage whilst hiding it.

BTW there's an interesting topic "Is it possible to grow out my hair despite using a straightener" full of tips.

haha

April 5th, 2011, 04:30 AM

But I guess I have all but cut out flat-ironing. My hair is now smoother, shinier, healthier, and I love that I can accept it for how it really is! It's like I'm finally able to accept myself for who I am. :)
I was addicted to my flat iron for 9 years. Not exaggerating. Until I put the flat iron away and did a little bit of experimenting, I didn't know how much potential my hair had.

Just my two cents, I hope you find whatever happy medium you need. :) GL!

Thank you for your advice - I've begun to accept many things about myself since turning 40 (ahem.... a few years ago now) but the last bastion of non-acceptance is my hair. I'm sure one day I will and will look back - as I do now on my many previous 'problems' - and think what exactly was wrong with it?!

Cupofmilk

April 5th, 2011, 06:42 AM

I have some damage and I need to get rid. It is on one side of my head where my superfine hair has fallen out of braids etc and gets battered by the wind, being loose etc etc. The front of my hair the left side is a good 2 inches longer than the right - you can't notice when down as it is a small dection but I started trimming yesterday - I have taken 1 cm of the dammaged side and a good 3 off the good side - the gap is less.

angela123

April 5th, 2011, 06:50 AM

im right there with you all!

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205143_10150490662435608_508355607_18032208_345940 2_n.jpg

Kathie

April 8th, 2011, 02:41 PM

I’ve started the 2011 no trim challenge. So I won’t be trimming away anymore of my damaged hair until April 2011- if all goes to plan. The damaged hair is going to be such a pain to put up with- it’s not that my damaged hair looks incredibly damaged it’s just when I compare it to my healthy hair as I’m running my hands though I can feel a difference.

longcurlygirl<3

April 8th, 2011, 02:49 PM

my hair is alot healthier since i trimmed the 2 inches of damage from two years ago[hated curly hair :)]

Asequui

April 8th, 2011, 05:17 PM

I'm so tempted, at this point, to just whack it all off to a little below shoulder length...And I have to keep reminding myself "Yes, I know it's gorgeous...no, you do NOT want to henndigo your hair...you bleached the dark hair dye out for a reason..."

veronicaleah

April 13th, 2011, 12:12 PM

miss_giannina

April 15th, 2011, 11:50 PM

im in also ,i dyed my wl hair 6 years ago 5 colors ranging from blonde to red to black in a matter of 4 months ...3 years ago i cut it to sl and now i have tbl but for some reason my hair is not like it was before i dyed it ...it feels so dry ,nothing works ive tried many things ,i think im going to have to cut it to bsl then get back to my current tbl

SpinDance

April 16th, 2011, 08:43 AM

miss_giannina, before cutting so much off, you might find help in the Articles section on dealing with dryness. I've been having luck changing to no-cones, using oils instead, CWC alternating with CO, and some experiments with oil shampoo.

chenille

April 16th, 2011, 06:57 PM

I've never dyed my hair, but until I finally found this community my habit was to blow-fry my hair while brushing it. Now I realize why I have a bazillion split ends and broken hairs all over the place. :( Since about a month ago I've gone to finger combing and, well, still blow-drying but on low instead of high, and trying to be really careful not to overheat the hair. Trying different shampoos and things too. I think that the roots look healthier. Pretty soon I need to go and get my scraggly ends trimmed...I'm going for waist-length but I want it to look healthy when I get there!

psychosister

April 16th, 2011, 10:08 PM

I have discovered that my hair looks healthier when I don't use any conditioner. My hair is damaged from coloring and highlighting a little in the past, so I have been piling the conditioner on the ends for a very long time. The other day, I accidentally forgot to put conditioner in my hair(for the first time in my life!) and my hair looks and feels better. I couldnt believe it. I thought it may have been a fluke, but its been about a week now and it still awesome. I think I am just going to skip conditioner from now on.

Java

April 17th, 2011, 02:04 AM

I am growing out from a bad cut, lots of heat-styling and chemical dyes. I stopped using a hairdryer and switched to a regular fan (kind you get out for summer), turning it on high and using a curl comb to comb through my hair till its partially dry. I can then use a boar bristle brush to finish drying it with same volume as I got from a hairdryer.
For the damage there is an endless natural product list I would say worked well and made my hair as manageable as could be expected.
Twice now I have used henna, indigo and amla on my hair. The henna did not dye release correctly either time, once because I used too much acid in the mix, and the next because it was used before dye release could happen. Still, the effect on my hair made it seem much less damaged! I got it from http://www.hennaforhair.com/.
I also have been applying oils, vegetable glycerin and essential oils to the ends mostly. Interested in trying castor oil massage on the scalp, either mixed with coconut oil or avocado oil.
I wash it everyday and condition, when I want to style with heat I use steam rollers, not sure if it is actually better for the hair but I have not noticed the same damage I did from other hot tools.

silkheart

April 17th, 2011, 04:53 PM

I'm growing out mine.. most of my virgin hair is back now, but probably 1/4 of my hair is dyed hair still. I won't cut it off until my hair is really long though.

Kathie

April 18th, 2011, 01:29 PM

I'm growing out mine.. most of my virgin hair is back now, but probably 1/4 of my hair is dyed hair still. I won't cut it off until my hair is really long though.

I'm doing the same. I'm trying out a no triming challenge for a year. From all that I've learnt here I think I can keep my dyed hair in good condition while it grows.

Phalaenopsis

May 19th, 2011, 10:38 AM

Joining this thread. I have to start all over, my hair did not like honey lighting and it turned to straw :mad: So here we go... 5 years or more of growing out damage:(

Still figuring out how to take care of this kind of hair.

reneemichelle

May 19th, 2011, 11:28 AM

After years of bleaching my hair it now has some pretty severe breakage and I've vowed to stop frying it and let it grow out naturally. I've given up my blow-dryer and flat iron which I have found has helped a lot, also it is much easier to let my hair air dry now that the weather is getting warmer. Lately I have been oiling the ends of the hair with EVOO and then french braiding the length. Using EVOO has definitely helped manage the dry ends.

Scarlet_Heart

May 19th, 2011, 12:42 PM

I'm in. I have previous damage from box dye (before I saw the light!). But I'm just going to have to keep it because if I cut it off I woud go from waist to above BSL. So I'll just try to baby and oil it until I reach my goal and can eventually cut it all out over time.

vanillabones

May 19th, 2011, 12:46 PM

I hate my hair and almost none of it ISN'T still damaged so hey :D
I'm trying to grow to shoulder then going to maintain until damage is gone. I haven't dyed my ends to match because I want to see those icky ends!!

Kathie

June 4th, 2011, 02:08 PM

How's everyone going? I trimed away at my face framing layers the other day and took most of the damage hair off from around my face :D I didnt really think the hair was that bad until it was gone- for the best really.

Nicolioli

June 4th, 2011, 02:34 PM

I'm in. :D

I've been dying my hair brown for about 3 years now. Then, when I decided that I wanted my natural color back, I tried stripping it with ColorFix (this was all before LHC times). I now have about 2 inches of new root growth, and thankfully, the ColorFix lightened my hair enough so that the dark ashy blonde of the roots blends in enough with the copper/light brown of the dyed damaged hair.

It doesn't bother me that much. I don't really think about it. :p I just wish it would growwwww!

KatyS

May 16th, 2012, 05:49 AM

I'm in! :D I have awful ends, due to endless hair cuts over the years involving razors to thin it, straighteners etc etc. I am a year in, and the new hair is LOVELY, just the last 7-8inches of my hair are awful! I think I plan to just baby it and gradually trim bits off. That way it will grow and the damage will be got rid of eventually! :)

Humbug454

May 16th, 2012, 06:23 AM

Damaged after 2 years of neglect; blow-drying it, over washing it, not detangling. I just didn't know how to care for my hair!

But, after two trims, a while using Biotin and MSM, combined with proper hair care, my hair has grown a lot more and its condition has improved greatly! And I never wear my hair up - It's either down, ponytail or braid! I know that it would be healthier if I wore it up, but I just don't like it!

amanda_the_tall

May 16th, 2012, 06:53 AM

i'm also in! i permanent box dyed my hair last year, and there is tons of breakage as proof. recently i tried to blend it in to my virgin hair with a semi permanent, hoping this stuff is going to wash out.

hazelscythe

May 16th, 2012, 07:12 AM

I have been wearing my hair up for the last few days. I've started adding EVOO to the ends along with my usual coconut oil leave in. The cat keeps trying to lick my hair (he loves coconut oil).
I am also growing out layers....I'm impatiently patient!

Covet

May 16th, 2012, 07:20 AM

I'm also trying to grow out bleach damage, I got a full head of highlights in September that are almost white in comparison to my black natural hair. It really ruined my hair, I just can't wait for them to grow out! It's really annoying because my hair only tangles from the demarcation line where the bleach meets the virgin and downwards. I'm going to slowly cut the damage out, my last chop was in January (4 inches) and I think ill have another one in September. I dye the highlights to match the black because I can't stand the two toned hair, especially since there's a massive colour difference. Benign neglect really helps me stay motivated :)

H o n є y ❤

July 31st, 2016, 10:04 PM

I just found out that I have a ton of splits throughout my hair, way up the hair shaft and on the majority of my length. It's really bad I think most of my hair has splits. I feel so stupid because I never knew they were splits I always thought they were just flyaways (dumb I know). I just didn't have any experience with my natural hair texture so I didn't know what the splits would look like and just assumed that the "flyaways" were simply the nature of my hair. I always wondered why I would see tiny pieces of breakage but just attributed it to my hair being fine.

Also I just discovered white dots on my ends. When hair would fall out and I saw a white dot at the end I assumed it was a shed hair because naturallycurly.com says that shed hair has white bulbs at the end whereas broken hairs don't. I didn't even learn about "white dots" related to splits until I joined this forum. I can't believe I've been walking around with a head full if splits for probably at least a year or more and didn't even know it. I think the fact that I moisturize daily, DC weekly, and oil frequently has contributed to the reason I never realized I had splits. lf I were to cut the damage and splits out now I'd be darn near bald. What do I do? For some reason I feel very embarrassed.

cailinbee

August 1st, 2016, 05:44 PM

Don't be embarrassed! A lot of hair knowledge and vocabulary is stuff people learn after starting to pay attention to this very site, haha. I think when referring to the "bulbs" on shed hair, those are the actual shape of the root of the hair plus sometimes a bit of sebum, so that will always occur on the root end. White dots appear partway down the shafts or at the end, and they're a sign of damage, particularly heat damage.

I, like many, beat the crap out of my hair for a long time with heat and dye, before getting fed up with the constant upkeep and what it was doing to my psychology (I "didn't like my natural color" even though it'd been ten years since I'd seen much of it!) By the time I started paying attention to methods here and did a start-over chop, I had about APL hair that was all damaged. Right now it's about 1/3 natural and 2/3 damaged with countless dye jobs finished off by bleach, and a lot of heat style damage. I can honestly say I've turned around the feel and breakage tendency by babying it.

Look around LHC and take notes, starting possibly with CWC (condition-wash-condition), gentler shampoo routines, reducing or eliminating heat tools, and coconut or other oil treatments. Another big thing that helped me is swapping brushing wet to wide-toothed combing dry. I'm almost a year off the (dye) bottle and my hair, even the damaged parts, honestly feel as healthy as my natural hair. I don't think they ARE as healthy. But they work for me well enough where I don't have the urge to chop them right off! To get rid of splits, try search and destroy, either yourself or with a very trusted friend.

Two products that have done wonders for me -- Hask Argan Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment, and Desert Essence Coconut Hair Lotion! Such softness, and no cones.

In short, If you don't want to do a big chop, definitely go the pampering route and establish a nice routine based on your hair type. It will work out! <3

H o n є y ❤

August 1st, 2016, 06:35 PM

cailinbee

August 1st, 2016, 06:51 PM

Thank you so much for responding! I feel like I have a good idea of how to care for my hair *now* more than a year later but the damage has been done. I'm thinking about big chopping now but I'm not sure yet. Idk I guess we will see. Thanks for the encouragement!

Of course! I totally know that feeling of oh gosh, so much damage, what to do -- but with some TLC (and LHC) you can probably get it to the point where you'll be happy enough with it to let it grow out.

That being said, if you do want to do a trim or cut, for me personally, trims that blunt up my ends really help with my hair esteem along the way. I just tend to get trim-happy and trim more than I grow, so I'm participating in a six-month no trimming challenge right now, haha! It doesn't necessarily solve all split ends to just trim the ends -- search and destroy helps more with that, with the right scissors. But a small trim (1" or less) can help you feel refreshed every few months without losing too much growth progress. If you're going for length, just make sure your trim rate is under your growth rate, however much you're comfortable with.

All of my wall of text advice is all coming from my own perspective of course! I have 1b/1c/f/ii hair. But there truly is hope for every hair type! You'll figure out what works and I hope soon you'll feel like you can treasure the damaged bits!

H o n є y ❤

August 2nd, 2016, 06:47 AM

Thank you so much cailinbee! :D I have a bit of hope. I just bought myself a pair of new shears (higher quality) I can't wait until they come in the mail! You made a good point about just trimming the ends not being good enough, S&D seems like it would help more.

Kiiruna

August 2nd, 2016, 07:18 AM

Wow I didn't know such thread existed! I definitely belong here :D
I'm growing out some perm curls that I took like year and a half ago. It's difficult to see the decramation line, but at this length I guess it's about half perm and half virgin. I've been trimming a lot, but now I've kinda given up on that. I just try to baby my hair so it won't break as much and I can actually gain some length. Oh, white dots and splits? They're everywhere.

GrowingGlory

August 17th, 2016, 06:15 PM

I'm growing out damage from washing my hair with supermarket antibacterial body wash for about a year. I'll be maintaining until the damage is gone. Sigh.

ShDiHa

August 20th, 2016, 08:03 PM

My hair was almost to waist last month. Agonizingly close to waist. I thought everything was good, even though my ends felt dry. I would slather them in conditioner and let it soak for a good 3 or so minutes. I was helping my mom at her salon one day. We were at lunch when she said, "Your ends are terrible. You need a trim. When we get back, I'm going to cut your hair." She did just that. A good bit was cut off. Now, my ends aren't so rough and dry! Still have some chemical damage, but I'm doing the best I can.

Cheniaa

August 28th, 2016, 06:58 PM

Something I've found to be super useful for my porous ends is the method of damp bunning. After wash day I just bun my wet hair in 2 claw clips and let it stay in there for at least 7 hours. That really helps. Granted, they aren't amazingly soft yet but they aren't velcro/straw at least lol

Aurelinchen

August 29th, 2016, 04:25 AM

I'm growing out henna. I cut down the hair from TBL to chin length, because of the growing out colour thing and now i two-coloured (no! these aren't grey! this is just how blond roots look with any other hair dye than white blonde. thank you, stranger in the bus! ;n; ) and the hair's too short to stay in any kind of hairstyle except half-ups.
Gah! so annoying!

emelia

September 5th, 2016, 08:21 PM

I too have done much damage to my hair and from BSL , had it cut to a short inverted bob and is in the midst of growing well.
I have been taking green matcha incorporated into my breakfast, eating healthy with lots of protein, no sugar. As for my supplements, ingesting Biotin, MSM, Fish Oil,Multivit, Neocell Collagen Pills. I oil my hair with a mixture of Coconut, Argan & Castor oil every 3 days once. Leaving it for 2 hours before washing it out with the Biotin Bamboo Shampoo from Nature's Gate. Once a week, during the weekend mostly , post oiling I'll wash my hair out with a mixture of Shikakai, Amla and Reetha. After every hair wash; I use ACV but very little of it to rinse out , 1ACV:4H20 ratio.
Im noticing loads of baby hair at my hairline and the shedding has reduced tremendously. All i aspire to see, is thickness and healthy hair growing out to waist level.
I've had a growth of 1 inch per month so far. From my Bob cut about 3 months ago, the longest hair just below the bottom of my ear, the longest strand now touches my collarbone ( with a .5 inch trim in between )
My husband who is balding, has been oiling his hair with the same concoction as above recently visited a barber who was impressed with the new hair growth on his scalp.
Im so very excited to embark on this journey and to see the many insights of my fellow LHC'ers...
Thank you all..!

HairPlease

September 6th, 2016, 06:13 AM

I cut my hair from near waist to collarbone not a month ago, and I'm still absolutely horrified at what's left. My hair is reminiscent of a scarecrow's. :laugh: I bleached for 9 years.
Given my hair is so short, it won't take too long to get rid of it. I have about a half inch of new growth so far.

sommer

September 28th, 2016, 04:29 PM

I'm growing out damage from washing my hair with supermarket antibacterial body wash for about a year. I'll be maintaining until the damage is gone. Sigh.

I'm in the same position in fact :( I've made such a damage to my hair after years with bleachings and dyings that average beauty products don't work for me at all :( Now I started to try the organic shampoos with oils like in this list http://machohairstyles.com/best-shampoo-for-men/ and the condition of my hair is much better now :) But anyway there's so much to do...
Also masks from coconut oils helped me greatly but I can't make them too often, in such case my hair becomes too greasy :p

http://machohairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Almond-and-Coconut-Oil-Mask.jpg

hinabelle

September 29th, 2016, 08:32 AM

I'm growing out a chemical relaxer, which is what my signature refers to -- how many months it's been since I last relaxed.
The ends are thin, high-porosity, very damaged and stringy, and they love to steal moisture and conditioner from my new growth.
I'm only keeping them so I can have the length to continue wearing my hair in protective styles.

202_bh_rider

October 3rd, 2016, 05:05 AM

i'm in the boat with most of you..my hair is almost bsl, and i have about a years worth of virgin growth. the ends have been through countless bleach jobs, sun in damage, and chemical dyes. gonna grow to hip, and maintain my chemical damage from there! :)

hanne jensen

October 3rd, 2016, 09:33 AM

I've just hit the bottom of waist and my hair is in bad shape. I don't have color, perms or anything like that. My hair is just weak and damaged. I plan on maintaining for the winter and hopefully this will get rid of some of my damage. I will not chop as I've never had hair this long in my life and I don't want to start all over.

Daydreamer.

October 4th, 2016, 02:12 AM

I just did a big chop from APL to CBL to get rid of dye damage from Spring 2015. Now, I'm damage-free!

Bobbie80

October 4th, 2016, 08:50 AM

This is a thread for me. My canopy hair is stagnant, highly porous, amd looks horrible. Iust oil all non wash days. It turns brassy and is a completely different color then my under layer of hair. There, rant over. Thanks!

Bobbie80

October 6th, 2016, 11:56 AM

:spam:
Wow! That's amazing!
How long did your growth take?

Mandie

October 6th, 2016, 12:56 PM

I went from Tailbone to Waist to lop off most of my damage and I am still struggling with how short my hair feels. Which is crazy, because I've had a pixie before. But two weeks out I still feel like I chopped everything off.

hopefulred

October 7th, 2016, 01:46 PM

This is definitely the place for me!! After 16years of bleach and dye to hide my natural ginger (Strawberry blonde shade) hair the last hairdressers absolutely fried my hair, its so bad iv had afew inches off and the split ends are still horrendous, if I were to cut all the damage out I would have literally only my roots which are 2-3cms and I cant pull that off at all!! Going to the hairdressers for a consultation next week to see if I have it cut to a very short bob it will have taken the worst bits of damage off but its its still going to have bad split ends its going to look horrendous whereas now I can just tie it in a bobble and hide it, in that case Il have wait for it to grow longer before going for a big chop then grow my natural colour out. Oh how I cant wait for healthy long virgin hair!! Iv made peace with my natural colour but still don't like having ginger roots if the damaged hair wasn't as damaged id have it coloured to match my roots. Grow hair grow!!!!!

Rebeccalaurenxx

October 10th, 2016, 10:36 PM

I havent colored in a year but I am still growing out old damage so count me in.

akuamoonmaui

October 12th, 2016, 04:07 PM

My hair isn't damaged, but two and a half years ago I used a henna/indigo mix from a different company but with the same name as the company I'd used previously. It couldn't be different, could it??

:rolleyes:

Oh. Yes.

My hair went from a coppery, golden red to dark walnut brown. I thought, "Eh. It'll wash out, it's only indigo."

So. The indigo and I still live together.

I have tried Color Oops about 3x - no results; 50 hours (yes, I logged them) of Vitamin C in coconut oil and about 8 hours of Vitamin C in clarifying shampoo to get the color to soften. The Vit-C in 'poo had the most effect, by the way. The color has softened and there is no more blue/green left, so my water mark is my auburn into a truer brown It's not bad, I just can't wait for it to be all gone. I have about 6" of the indigo left in my hair, but I just don't have the heart to cut that off.

hopefulred

October 21st, 2016, 02:46 PM

How is everyone getting on? tell me your hair story...how did you get the damage? how bad is it? how much are you having cut off? whats your goal? how are you coping with having damaged hair? any tips to speed hair growth?

hopefulred

October 27th, 2016, 02:08 PM

Anyone still doing this?

202_bh_rider

October 29th, 2016, 09:59 PM

Anyone still doing this?

I am, and I'm trying to ignore the damage for now. It's slowly improved in condition...but I've done two or three big chops over the last year to help manage! My ends are all bleach damage, although I've covered them back to my natural color so that was also damage. My goal is to quit with the trims until it gets to hip and maintain there. I'm wearing a lot of updos and doing plenty deep conditioning treatments to keep it decently healthy. It's a little hard to improve growth rate, but I'd suggest hot oil treatments/inversion method/biotin supplements as they work for some people. The key is patience!

Mrstran

December 10th, 2016, 03:26 PM

hopefulred

December 11th, 2016, 12:29 AM

It's one heck of a battle to keep my hair in tact until it grows out. Several bleachings, elastic pieces, hair breaking off everywhere when brushing. Nightmare.

Had a 4-5" chop Oct 1st and have been pampering my hair like crazy ever since. Smothering it with moisture, oil, and silicone, finding splits, finding a routine, dry combing, satin pillow case, going nuts, the works!

I'm coping I guess, but most of the time it's an uphill battle as my hair fights with me. It's as if it wants so badly to dry out and break off. I don't care if I have to walk around looking like a grease ball. I'm winning this. Lol

To encourage growth I do inversion with grapeseed and castor oil. On day 7 of inversion, I wash my hair and air dry. I then finish up the inversion with essential oils. I also take omega 369, a multi, biotin, and drink 48oz of water a day.
To avoid a slowed growth in the winter, I'm trying something new. I'm putting a self heating/conditioning cap (used for treatments) under my winter hat when I go out. Not sure how it's going to go yet.

Oh I'm the same honey! I need it to stay intact for about a year so I can then get all the non virgin hair cut off but until then I need it to be able to be able to put it up and feel feminine (I really would not suit a super short hair cut) I have 4-5cm of virgin hair and like you am wanting it to grow as fast as possible so I can totally relate, we can do this! How much virgin healthy hair have you got?

Serimel

December 11th, 2016, 01:02 AM

It's one heck of a battle to keep my hair in tact until it grows out. Several bleachings, elastic pieces, hair breaking off everywhere when brushing. Nightmare.

Had a 4-5" chop Oct 1st and have been pampering my hair like crazy ever since. Smothering it with moisture, oil, and silicone, finding splits, finding a routine, dry combing, satin pillow case, going nuts, the works!

I'm coping I guess, but most of the time it's an uphill battle as my hair fights with me. It's as if it wants so badly to dry out and break off. I don't care if I have to walk around looking like a grease ball. I'm winning this. Lol

To encourage growth I do inversion with grapeseed and castor oil. On day 7 of inversion, I wash my hair and air dry. I then finish up the inversion with essential oils. I also take omega 369, a multi, biotin, and drink 48oz of water a day.
To avoid a slowed growth in the winter, I'm trying something new. I'm putting a self heating/conditioning cap (used for treatments) under my winter hat when I go out. Not sure how it's going to go yet.

Can relate to the grease ball XD I don't care how I look like anymore, trying to stretch every wash as far as I can.

I'm new to this thread, happy I found it. I have no dye in my hair but it's heatdamaged to the core. On top of using heat tools at home almost daily until about 2 weeks ago I also had a failed keratin treatment done in a salon 2,5 years ago. Some of my breakage is up to armpit length while my longest hairs reach hip. My hemline is quite deeply cut u. Long way to go to that blunt cut virgin hair in my dreams.

Mrstran

December 12th, 2016, 10:00 AM

Can relate to the grease ball XD I don't care how I look like anymore, trying to stretch every wash as far as I can.

I'm new to this thread, happy I found it. I have no dye in my hair but it's heatdamaged to the core. On top of using heat tools at home almost daily until about 2 weeks ago I also had a failed keratin treatment done in a salon 2,5 years ago. Some of my breakage is up to armpit length while my longest hairs reach hip. My hemline is quite deeply cut u. Long way to go to that blunt cut virgin hair in my dreams.

I'm so sorry. My hair broke off from mid back over a few years, so It wasn't as traumatic. I can't imagine how that must feel. But! It's not permanent. Luckily we can start over. Keep us updated!

Mrstran

December 12th, 2016, 10:10 AM

Oh I'm the same honey! I need it to stay intact for about a year so I can then get all the non virgin hair cut off but until then I need it to be able to be able to put it up and feel feminine (I really would not suit a super short hair cut) I have 4-5cm of virgin hair and like you am wanting it to grow as fast as possible so I can totally relate, we can do this! How much virgin healthy hair have you got?

This is my second time writing this. I hate it when everything I write vanishes.
I have 2 1/2 inches of virgin hair. I haven't seen it since I was 13 so this is a real record breaker.
I get the short hair thing. I don't like having short hair at all either. I only cut my hair 1 time before this in my life, from waiste to shoulders and I cried like a baby and regretted it. I always kept it at mid back to waiste length. When I started dying I didn't do it much so length was still good. Years later I discovered bleach and.. you know.

So you've been doing this for a bit. 4-5 inches is great. I can't wait to start really seeing good roots. What length will you be at when you cut?

Serimel

December 12th, 2016, 10:40 AM

I'm so sorry. My hair broke off from mid back over a few years, so It wasn't as traumatic. I can't imagine how that must feel. But! It's not permanent. Luckily we can start over. Keep us updated!

Thanks, I feel quite okay now. That keratin treatment was very bad and at that time I was really broken. But since it's already over 2 years back I've somewhat gotten over it and patiently growing towards my dream. :3 I try to make the most out of this journey and enjoy what's left of my hair. :D It deserves the love <3 I am happy to have found this forum. People here are so sweet and supportive and I have learned so much in this short amount of time. Never gonna go back to those bad hair habits again!

Mrstran

December 12th, 2016, 04:53 PM

Thanks, I feel quite okay now. That keratin treatment was very bad and at that time I was really broken. But since it's already over 2 years back I've somewhat gotten over it and patiently growing towards my dream. :3 I try to make the most out of this journey and enjoy what's left of my hair. :D It deserves the love <3 I am happy to have found this forum. People here are so sweet and supportive and I have learned so much in this short amount of time. Never gonna go back to those bad hair habits again!

Lol no kidding. When you think about all the damage done, it's pretty traumatizing. I've only been heat free and trying to grow my hair from a fresh chop since October, but even after only 2 and a half months, the thought of even using the wrong brush makes me cringe. It's amazing all the things you learn on here and how fast. The ladies are incredibly helpful.

hopefulred

December 13th, 2016, 05:57 AM

This is my second time writing this. I hate it when everything I write vanishes.
I have 2 1/2 inches of virgin hair. I haven't seen it since I was 13 so this is a real record breaker.
I get the short hair thing. I don't like having short hair at all either. I only cut my hair 1 time before this in my life, from waiste to shoulders and I cried like a baby and regretted it. I always kept it at mid back to waiste length. When I started dying I didn't do it much so length was still good. Years later I discovered bleach and.. you know.

So you've been doing this for a bit. 4-5 inches is great. I can't wait to start really seeing good roots. What length will you be at when you cut?

I wish I had 4-5 inches unfortunately it's only 4-5cms!! I had the last bleach done at the end of July (which is wen they badly overlapped the bleach and ruined my hair) If the bleach hair holds out it will prob still be quite short when I chop all the damage off, prob a layered bob, but my overall goal is bsl length virgin hair

Mrstran

December 13th, 2016, 09:26 AM

I wish I had 4-5 inches unfortunately it's only 4-5cms!! I had the last bleach done at the end of July (which is wen they badly overlapped the bleach and ruined my hair) If the bleach hair holds out it will prob still be quite short when I chop all the damage off, prob a layered bob, but my overall goal is bsl length virgin hair

I see. Either way ya know. So your hair was bleached twice? How was the breakage?
Like I said, my hair was getting shorter and shorter over time.
I've had bleach put on my hair 5 times total this year ( timed apart because the salon told me it was ok) By the end of it, my ends had turned gummy. While brushing, pieces were breaking and flying everywhere. My has was 2 inches below armpit length at this point. I realized I had no choice and chopped it off to my collar bone.

I did put a natural dark dye on my hair after so that I can use a semi/ wash out on my roots for special occasions. I don't wanna look stupid for my sisters wedding next year.

That is where I'm at. I'm going somewhere with this I swear..
I had a ton of damage and yet I'm keeping my damage hair in tact without further breakage. I am only seeing a few splits too which I snip. I'm trying to get length back ASAP because I hate short hair on me. So I don't plan to start trimming the bleach off until Middle back length. I don't plan to do one big chop and just get rid of it all. Although I so with I could.

What I'm saying is that your hair may not be as damaged as mine, and if mine is staying in tact so that I can cut off bleach gradually while keeping length, so can you.

That is unless you just want that off once and for all. Which I completely get! I want my bleach off too, but not enough to sacrifice my long gross hair lol

Just throwing that out there.

cgirl

December 14th, 2016, 02:45 PM

Mrstran

February 12th, 2017, 11:22 AM

Hi! :waving: I am growing out a chemical straightening that I unwittingly got on Oct 6 of this year. I have about an inch of natural hair on top coming in.

You sound like me, Mrstran with going crazy with pampering hair. I too got the satin pillow case and the supplements and oils.

I wanted to do the inversion method, but I noticed that I get an increase in hair fall every time I scalp massage. I know about the "resting phase" hairs so maybe they just need to go anyway, but I just can't stand to see strand after strand coming out like that. :scared:

I'm doing S&D for the splits and burned end (the stylist's assistant also literally burned my hair with the blowfryer so there's all these charred and scrunched-up ends to find), but otherwise I'm not going to cut my straightened hair until it's below BSL. Unless I really have to. We'll see. I will be so happy when I can use it as a braid tail. I figure 2-3 years until then.:hmm:

It's such a pain isn't it? All this work to start over? Each time you pamper your hair you can't help but think about yet another one of those times you put dye or heat on your hair. Well, I go through this anyway. It may be damage PTSD. :confused:
Have you seen any improvement with your treatments? Mine is holding up, but with a TON of work. It really takes a lot.

Imagine a few years from now, we will enjoy nice healthy hair and any extra pampering will actually be by choice! :happydance:

Rebel Rebel

March 4th, 2017, 02:28 PM

Oh good! A place to complain! I damaged my crown hair 2 years ago with a bleach shampoo ( massive mistake ) and my crown/canopy layer has remained at 15 inches for at least a year. Its not nearly as damaged as it was, so I think it's growing 1/2 inch a month and breaking equally. I still have about 2 or 3 inches of crunchy damage to go. I tried trimming that layer a while back and I won't be doing that again. I actually thought I was making some progress with oiling etc until I measured today...once again I measure 15 inches. I only measure once or twice a year FYI.

I basically have 3 unwanted layers...crown at around cbl on a good day, mid layer at apl and a lower layer at bsl. My hair is superfine/thin and my ends really could use the support of the other layers. My goal is one length hair at MBL or longer if possible. I also microtrim ends only which has been good for maintaining length.

On a positive note, my hair has become healthier since following the ways of LHC for 1.5 years. I really protect my hair now and do see benefits. I'm also trying to be patient and realistic too. I plan to go back and read the thread as well. Thanks everyone for letting me complain a little about my hair woes.

Let me know if you can relate at all or have any suggestions. Have a great day!

Reyesuela

March 5th, 2017, 12:10 PM

202_bh_rider

March 10th, 2017, 06:54 PM

ugh, my ends never faded. i dyed them the darkest brown they had without going black, because i thought it would fade. it didn't! my ends feel rougher now, but i don't really want to cut it because the thinning isn't bad and i haven't cut it since june. i wanted to at least wait until the end of the year to cut it again. the struggle!

pili

March 10th, 2017, 11:02 PM

Why did I never see this thread? It's been a year since I did the big chop to cut out all the bleach damage. While my ends feel worlds better, there is still some damage left. The chop set me back about three years in my growth journey. I'm hoping to hit waist stretched by the end of September so I can start to microtrim the last of the damage and all the Deva cut layers out of my hair. I am so looking forward to having a blunt, gentle U shape.

LadyCelestina

October 22nd, 2017, 11:53 AM

Dendra

October 22nd, 2017, 01:24 PM

Bumping this thread up.

My hair is not that bad, but it has dye and some mechanical damage to it. I am growing back to my natural haircolour and the difference between the quality of the "virgin" hair and the quality (or lack thereof) of the dyed hair is drastic. Plus I need my hair to be as easy to care for as possible to be able to grow it long :).

Currently I'm not doing any trimming. I want to gain some length before I start trimming. I feel guilty for not S&Ding, but I rationalise it by thinking of my damaged hair as a damage buffer for the healthy hair :D

I think something similar myself, I see my dye damaged hair as a practise run to find my perfect hair routine. If I get something wrong on my already damaged hair then who cares, I'll be cutting it off eventually anyway.

i only have a few inches of actual damage that needs to go, I'll be joining the microtrimming and maintaining thread soon.