PDA

View Full Version : Help with Teen Daughter's Hair



homeeduk8tor
June 15th, 2011, 07:31 PM
My daughter is 16 years old and has been growing her hair for several years. She is currently a little past Waist Length right now. Since joining LHC I have really been trying to diagnose the problems that each of us have with our hair. Mine is actually pretty healthy considering my benign neglect. What has probably saved me is the fact that I just naturally practiced some of the proper hair care by some weird twist of fate, I guess. My daughter's hair is another story. She has often commented tome that her hair doesn't feel thick and that she wishes it were as thick as mine. However, when I measured the circumference of our pony tails for the hair typing she was at 4" and I was only a 1/2" more with 4.5". Not thin hair, by any means. However, tonight I as doing some braids for her and really noticed that her hair looks a bit thin on her scalp. She is doing CWC and coconut oiling the ends. She is extending her washes past a week now and her hair has amazing shine from the sebum. However, not only did I notice the thinning on her scalp but the length is really just covered in broken hair. I would say from the ears down it looks very rough. I tried a heavy oiling before her last wash thinking it might now be damaged but only dry and needing deep conditioning. This did not improve her hair at all. She never heat styles or dries it. She uses no styling products either. The only thing that I can think that might have caused this is how she wore her hair in a pony tail almost every single day- before LHC, that is. Now, I am wondering if she might need to have the length cut and start over. Do you guys have any advice? I will try to post pics later. My camera is acting up at the moment so I apologize for not having something concrete to look at right now. Is it even possible to grow out so much breakage? She has not been feeling well the last few weeks and one doc that she saw non-chalantly mentioned that her thyroid levels looked a bit on the low side for her age. We are going to have her tested to further to follow-up but I do know that the thyroid's health definitely affects hair health. TIA for any tips or advice you wonderful ladies have to offer!:)

Sundial
June 15th, 2011, 08:00 PM
She doesn't need to cut off the length just because it is damaged. A lot of us are growing out damage too. You can get her to micro trim frequently as she is growing it out.

Also get her to stop putting her hair up in ponytails (since you suspect it may be the cause of her hair breakage) and get her to alternate the way she puts her hair up. She can try buns and braids or she can vary the spot she ties off her ponytail.

I just thought to add that if you notice that the breakage is not in the same spot, it could be some other issues. breakage can also occur from too much protein. So just run a quick check on that too. I had never had a problem with hair breakage but experienced that recently and finally pinpointed the problem to too much protein (the new conditioner and shampoo that I was using had protein high in the ingredient list).

tinti
June 15th, 2011, 08:28 PM
what Sundial said.
Also, how does she comb/brush her hair? The key is to start at the ends an work your way up to the scalp. Also, how does she band her braids/ponies? Elastics with a metal piece is a no-no and can cause huge breakage, especially on fine hair. I'd use a glue-jointed elastic, or even better, cut small strips of a pantihose/sock, roll them up and use them as elastics. And don't secure the braids/ponies too tight, you don't want to strangle the hair, just secure it ;) Also you wanna be careful with those silicone elastics. I have not had any problems with them, I use them everyday, but my sister is getting breakage from them.

pepperminttea
June 15th, 2011, 08:34 PM
Is it even possible to grow out so much breakage?

Oh definitely. :D This article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79) is worth a read to avoid a big chop, and this one (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8) to help with prevention of further damage. In terms of what to do now, I'd investigate her thyroid levels as you're already doing, maybe learn some new updos together (TorrinPaige (http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige)'s tutorials are a great place to start) and break out the S&D scissors. (S&D is short for 'search and destroy' - it's when you go through the hair and trim off split ends individually with a pair of sharp scissors made and kept specifically for cutting hair.) Don't panic, things can only get better. :)

spidermom
June 15th, 2011, 08:35 PM
Are you sure it's breakage and not newer, shorter hairs? All of us have every length of hair because of the shed and regrow cycle. It's more obvious on some hair types than others.

Of course she might have breakage, too, especially considering the ponytail. Some ties are more damaging to hairs than others.

Madora
June 15th, 2011, 08:49 PM
@homeeduka8tor...

So sorry to hear about your daughter's problem with damage.

Definitely sounds like the daily ponytails are the culprit! No more ponies, if you want to keep those fragile hairs in your scalp intact!

The ponytail puts too much pressure on your delicate hairs..and ponytailing in the same place day after day creates friction and wear and tear on those same hairs.

Think of a farmer, crossing his field every day by the same path.
At first the grass under his feet is springy and green. But as the weeks go by, the grass becomes matted down, dry, and in time, no grass remains and only bare earth can be seen.

If your daughter brushes her hair, be sure that her brush is NOT synthetic. Nylon is horrible for the hair, as is plastic. They both generate HEAT, which is not conducive to long hair health.

How you brush has a great deal to do with your hair's overall appearance.

Always detangle with a wide tooth comb first before brushing! Do not brush wet hair!

Bend at the waist and bring all the hair in front of you, like a curtain.Taking a small section of hair, begin at the ends and comb up a few inches. Work slowly up the strands in small increments until you reach the scalp. Continue this way until all the hair has been detangled.

Then take a pure boar bristle brush and begin to brush - slowly - from the nape to the ends. Be sure and follow each swipe of the brush with the palm of your other hand. This helps calm the static electricity engendered by brushing.

When all the hair has been brushed, part your hair down the middle front nape to forehead. Hold the ends of your hair in your hands. Stand erect. Take one hand of hair and bring it back over your shoulder and let it drop. Repeat with the other side.

Do NOT toss/fling/throw your hair over your shoulders. This only creates more tangles!!

Check for tangles once more, then style as desired.

Since a lot of the damage occured where the ponytails were situated, if at all possible, I'd avoid doing anything that would place stress on those strands.

Instead, do a low double cinnamon bun near the nape, or braid a ribbon or scarf thru the hair. The hair in the affected area needs a lot of rest and tlc in order to have a chance to come back.

Since there is so much damage, you might have to cut back a lot. Personally speaking, I can't see the benefit in letting the hair grow when the other hairs are different lengths and damaged. You'll have to grow the hair out true..but if you want to really whip it back in shape, it will need to be trimmed back. It is NOT enough to just do S and D. There's too much damage. If you don't address the splits and damage that are already present, they will worsen with age.

Also make sure that the products you're using (shampoo/conditioner, hair implements) are as hair friendly as you can get. No blow fryers either!

You might look into buying a silk or satin pillowcase to cut down on tangling when you're sleeping.

Good luck!!

Darkhorse1
June 15th, 2011, 09:09 PM
I would also have your daughter's iron levels checked. Thinning hair can be a sign of a health issue. Might want to make sure she is healthy over all before addressing her hair issues.

I know from my experiences that wearing the same style too much will cause breakage. I vary it up when I'm at the barn now :)