kinked ends

[WaitingSoLong]

The last...at least 3", as much as 5"...of my hair seems fried. I noticed it several weeks ago and have been trying to resolve the issue since.

The ends are kinked and give the appearance of being frizzy. I S&D so there are minimal splits. Sure, there is some breakage but I cannot figure out how they got all kinked.

I wear my hair up 97% of the time.

I did a clarify.

I did ACV rinse.

I did a DCT. (not all at the same time lol)

I did a heavy oil. This really helped the dry appearance but no matter what I do the kinks are still there. It doesn't seem to be dry, really, just all kinked.

I am not due for a trim until August (not that anyone is forcing me to wait, that is just when I do my annual trim). Last year I only did a microtrim (1/4") so, we are talking 20 months basically without a "real" trim.

I don't heat style.

My hair is still growing. I am still getting my 1/2" per month. I am hardly shedding at all right now (for at least a month).

The only thing I have not tried is actually drying my hair, which always smoothes it all down. I planned to do that tomorrow (I use little or no heat). Mainly because I will be taking my annual LHC pics and I want it to look its best.

Could protein cause this? My new shampoo (mixed 50/50) has silk protein in it. I was getting a lot of breakage so I thought it would be a good idea. If so...how does one undo too much protein?

[Eolan]

Yes, protein could cause this. Browse the articles! I know there's one in there about damaged hair that is helpful.

Have you tried moisture? I guess DCT means something in the line, but what did it consist of?

[Avital88]

I have this sometimes, but my ends are quite damaged itself, and it only happens if i was wearing it up ..

[x0h_bother]

I'm wanting to ask about tangles? My hair has been super tangly, making the ends kinked.

[WaitingSoLong]

No tangles for me. It has been probably a year since I read the articles...going to look...

[jojo]

I had this problem a few weeks back. how often do you shampoo? I am asking because I was washing with poo and condish every day and 2 weeks ago cut down my shampooing down to once a week and CO wash now for the remaining 6 days, my hair has improved 100%.

I was using a protein poo and condish to try and rid of the dryness but it made things much worse, moisture is what my hair was cring out for and the CO washes much suit my hair.

[Sundial]

This happens to me for 2 reasons:

1. When I bun my hair when it is not 100% dry. Somehow my hair gets "folded" and ends up with those weird kinks or bends. This is usually the cause of my kinked ends

2. When I get impatient and yank at tangled strands.

[telegraph64]

I agree with Sundial. Overly-wet bunning (although not with all buns) and aggressive end handling, cause this.
Easy with the protein, and perhaps cutting back on shampoo? I'm going to assume your hair wants a change in routine of some sort.

[Firefox7275]

If you have breaking and your ends seem dry/ damaged maybe it's time for a proper trim? It may have simply worsened because they are snagging on each other. You could try trimming an inch or so and then reassess?

[WaitingSoLong]

I shampoo once or twice a week. It is usually more like every 5-7 days.

I was having this trouble before my new shampoo but I looked at what I bought and it is PROTEIN LADEN. It is the Herbal Essence Long Term shampoo. I had heard good things about it on here somewhere. I had been using 50/50 baby shampoo and coconut oil. Then I read you should not use C. oil with baby shampoo. Since I was out of baby poo, I made the 50/50 with the new shampoo.

I do not bun wet (maybe on occasion, cannot recall the last time I did, probably last summer).

I have been reading in the articles again and I am going to do an SMT. I have done many DCT's in the past but never the recipe for SMT. I just mixed me up a batch with my daughter's conditioner (no protein that I can tell). I plan to do this tomorrow. I will sit with it from morning til noon then wash with my old shampoo (50/50) and the same conditioner as the SMT to follow. My hair has always loved coconut oil so I will probably oil it a bit after I get out of the shower as well.

I did realize that when I wear my hair in a braid, it is the unbraided tassle length that has suffered. I don't know if there really is a thing as a hair friendly elastic but I have the no metal kind. I am wondering if this is sleep braid damageI have silk pillowcases but my braid is too long to all stay on the pillowcase and my sheets are regular linen (albeit a "satin" blend).

Still, it doesn't seem to be breakage. Just kinks.

ETA: FireFox, I will do exactly that if no treatments work. But just an inch or so.

[Anje]

Protein (particularly silk protein) causes my ends to get very rough when I slide them between my fingers, and the ends kink. They also do this crazy instant-retangling thing.

What worked for me was daily SMTs (really, I just COed with SMT mix) for a week or so, until my ends got back to normal. And cutting out the protein, obviously.

ETA: oil shampoo also gave me rather kinked, very tangly ends. I think this is just how my hair behaves when it gets dry. They didn't have the grabby texture to them that they got with silk protein, though.

[jojo]

^^ what Anje said top advice!

[WaitingSoLong]

Thanks Anje! I was doing VERY well on the baby poo/ c. oil mix. I will go back to that. I made enough SMT to do possibly 3 treatments.

[honeybunny_1996]

I would try a moisture treatment which may be able to help your hair.

[WaitingSoLong]

UPDATE...I did an SMT today. I have to say, I guess my hair did not really like the aloe or something, I had to condition again afterwards but it seemed to help a lot! My ends do not feel stiff or look kinked anymore! The aloe was not 100% pure, though.

I blame the kinked ends on excessive protein. Guess I need to go back to the store and get my old stuff again.

Lesson learned: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I should have kept my routine the same since my hair was doing well on it.

Conclusion: I still need about an inch off. I will try to hold out til August when I do my annual trim anyway.

Thanks everyone.

[jojo]

Try it with just the condish and honey mine respends better to that

[spidermom]

Sometimes ends get old and dried out and have no pliability left anymore. If you've tried everything and they're still weird, you might be best off to cut them. As you know, that's what I did.

A routine of coconut oil on clean, damp hair followed by a coney serum did help me manage my ends for quite awhile, but I'm glad I finally gave it up and cut back.

[WaitingSoLong]

Thanks Spiermom. I am definitely getting a trim/cut in August. I am looking at about 2" possibly. I will reassess then and am just trying to hold on until then. The SMT did really help but I can tell the ends are just spent.

[Artsy]

Thanks Anje! I was doing VERY well on the baby poo/ c. oil mix. I will go back to that. I made enough SMT to do possibly 3 treatments.

From what I understand you have started getting bent ends while on oil shampoo routine. I am getting bent ends after a while with oil shampoo, and right away with straight coconut oil. Co washing my length usually solves this issue. Also, aloe and protein exaggerate bending on my hair

[phobsftw]

August sounds like a long time to wait to trim an inch but best of luck. I also waited about 2 years. I'll have to try this SMT thing one day.

[WaitingSoLong]

Artsy---you are right. I witched to oil shampoo though for several reasons and my hair was much improved with this switch except the ends. I probably need to clarify more than I do. I did not realize you had to clarify for protein as well as cones.

[Chamy]

Proteine could cause that. But i get that without proteins in my hair too, and im sorry to say that, i have never figured out what caused it.

[patienceneeded]

I've been having this problem as well...I finally figured out it was the protein in the shampoo/condish I was using. I was using Redken's Extend for damaged hair and it is LOADED with protein. It's also full of cones, but my hair generally is very happy with coney products. I did an SMT as well with some condish from The Body Shop (no cones, all natural) and my aloe and honey were 100% pure/organic. They SMT worked WONDERS but then, like an idiot I went back to using the Redken and within a week it was almost as if I had never done the SMT. So, I clarified with Neutrogena Anti-Residue (twice) and then used Aubrey's Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner. My hair looks and feels much better. I need to get rid of the Redken Extend I think. Normally I really like Redken stuff, but I think the protein is just too much. Oh well...live and learn, right?

[Anje]

Do try a few more SMTs.... It seems like repeated moisture treatments over several days keep improving things after a protein overload. Just cut out the aloe.

Sometimes honey can also give weird results -- I've gotten similar results from every sugar syrup I've tried, so substituting corn syrup for honey might not be a bad thing.

[annsue83]

i have the same problem with my ends but its not all of the ends of my hair....but only the top layers of my hair that seem extremely dry and kinky and coarse!!