ends

[someonesfaerie]

I keep putting things in my hair like avocado and Aloe Vera gel, but as soft as my hair gets it does nothing for my ends. Most of my split ends have been taken care of and I've cut off plenty to get my hair healthy, but do I have to cut more off? Could some one please help? I don't want to cut off any more of my hair, but one of my hair goals is to get it as soft as possible and this is not working. My ends are feeling dry and stringy.

[spidermom]

If you take a pinch of hairs between thumb and finger and slide down them, can you feel a distinct difference near the ends?

[Nightshade]

somonesfairy- I have managed to grow my VERY damaged hair from BSL to tailbone with a few tactics

Patience, this isn't going to happen overnight
Updos and gentle handling- Rough handling and hair worn down too often causes tangles which breeds breakage, even moreso on damaged hair
Trims- I got bimonthly/monthly trims of half my growth, so if my hair grew half an inch, I cut off a quarter. Clean ends tangled less and bred less damage. I was still gaining length, but my hair was also evolving into something healthier on the way
I found that straight oils did jack for my damaged hair. My pet theory is that the oils like the protien in hair, and damage hair has less of it, and so it doesn't work as well as it will on healthy hair. I found that Fox's Shea Cream works wonders as a leave-in after a shower, though. Here's how I do it
Leave-Ins: After a shower I use Fox's Shea Butter leave in, which is 1 part coconut oil, 2 parts conditioner, and 2 parts shea. I use Frank & Myrrh Shea (http://store.africansheabuttercompany.com/sheabutterjars.html) because I love the smell, and my Jason Henna-Hi Lights conditioner. To make it I add the shea to a glass bowl in the sink, surrounding it with hot hot water and mash with a spatula until it's melted, replenishing the hot water as often as necessary to keep the glass hot. Then I add in the coconut oil (it has a lower melting point, so it blends into the shea quickly. Then I take out the bowl, dry it off and add the conditioner and blend with a hand mixer. To make it set faster and keep it from getting grainy I put it in the freezer for a minute or two, take it out and hit it with the hand mixer again. Repeat until it's the consistency of frosting and well blended. Once its done I transfer it into a glass jar and put it in the bathroom. To apply I scrape up about two peas worth and smooth it between my palms, then start at the ends, smoothing them, working higher up as there is less and less shea on my hands.

HTH!

[jojo]

I would say do a few monthly micro trims, this is what i have been doing and my ends feel a whole lot better. Also I find putting a little bit of conditioner on the ends once you have washed your hair helps too, I use any conditioner and leave it in.

[lora410]

I had this issue. I simply clarified, got off the cone condish (which was the main culprit) and oiled them alot.

[jel]

When I tried aloe vera gel my ends got crunchy :shrug:

I would try to clarify hair, follow with a moisture conditioner/treatment and seal with oil (maybe try another type in case the avocado oil you're using is making your ends crunchy).

[serenitygal]

I'd suggest using a combination of aloe vera gel and an oil (sweet almond or, even better, jojoba) on the ends. I use this from the ears down, with just aloe vera gel on the scalp area (my scalp tends towards the greasies), and then lightly run my just-damp (with the oil/aloe misx) hands over my canopy/updo. I squirt about 1 1/2 TB of aloe gel onto my hand, then put 1-2 drops of jojoba in the middle, mix it in my hands, and apply to damp or wet hair. I do not, I might add, get good results with this if my hair is dry.

Also, don't be afraid to trim once in a while. I do so about 3-4x/year, and it makes a great deal of difference. I'll get about 1/4-1/2 an inch taken off at those times. My hair doesn't tend toward split ends, though (or I just take really good care of it, not sure which) so YMMV.

Finally, living here in Texas, I find that it is best for me to wear my hair up almost all the time. I usually put it into a damp and oil/aloed braid or french twist, and do not take it down except for an hour or so in the evening after work or perhaps for the occasional evening out. If I wear it down all the time, I need a trim every two months as the ends get very scraggly. Texas is beautiful and I love the weather most of the time, but the heat/sun/wind combination are NOT hair-friendly.

HTH! :flowers:

[someonesfaerie]

If you take a pinch of hairs between thumb and finger and slide down them, can you feel a distinct difference near the ends?

When it's dry I can feel a difference but I wouldn't call it a distinct difference.

[someonesfaerie]

Thank you all, I'll try what everyone recommended!

[spidermom]

When it's dry I can feel a difference but I wouldn't call it a distinct difference.

It doesn't sound like significant damage, then. Try clarifying and follow up with a moisture treatment and/or oil to the damp ends. I have to keep my canopy and ends oiled (coconut or olive oil) practically all the time or they get crackling-dry. I get a bit trimmed off about every 3 months (give/take a week or two).

[hurricane_gia]

I had problems with dry ends (probably the last four inches) until I did my first SMT. I hadn't been using a -cone shampoo, so I didn't have to clarify to start, but you may want to clarify anyway.

I would clarify, then do an SMT. While your hair is still damp after the SMT, go ahead and use Fox's Shea Butter as recommended by Nightshade, or just plain Shea by itself. Like Nightshade, I apply this to my ends after each wash. If you wash your hair every day, use the Shea Butter everyday. But if you don't wash your hair every day, on the in-between days it's still a good idea to put Shea on the ends of your hair. Then, bun you hair with the ends tucked inside so they remain moist as long as possible.

I've been amazed that I can put so much Shea on my ends, that I can actually see the white goo all in my hair, but I bun it up and at the end of the day when I take it down, it has been completely absorbed by my hair. I do that maybe twice a month and it really makes a difference.