Hair hell continues*third edition of the saga*

[FluffSpider]

It's still not better. Any improvement in my hair is momentary. It behaved well a day or two after proteining it, and a day or two after using a random conditioner. I guess my karma is out.
My roots seem to be in check, not as limp as usual, but the length...oh boy. it's like I had a shed and never noticed. When I de-bun, it's so stringy and little it's downright pitiful. If I fingercomb, it gets frizzy but it's still puny. If after detangling I whip out my BBB, it frizzes and grows into an afro-no, I kid you not.
Thus far I've:
-clarified(TWICE)
-chelated with ACV
-did a protein treatment
-EVOO
-cones
-oils:castor oil, almond oil
- blowfried
-trimmed
-BBBed
- SMTed
-ignored it.

does anyone have any ideas or am I going to have to hack it all off? it gets my spirits down when after 10 minutes of detangling my 1b hair tangles while I'm braiding.
Also, it doesn't hold curls well anymore. Sockbunning really failed ever since the hair cat fight started....

[Cowgirl16]

I don't have any advice for you but I am sorry your hair is not behaving. Before you joined LHC how did your hair behave? Maybe your doing too much to it or too many things all at once, I've had luck with alot of the things you've mentioned. I hope you find some help; BTW I really like your hair color :D

[FluffSpider]

Thank you for the kind words. Before LHC, my hair was deep-fried due to washing it every 2 days with harsh sulphate-y shampoos and very little/no conditioner. The LHC ways have been good to me, and by the beginning of summer, my hair was behaving perfectly. and I do mean PERFECTLY. It was shiny, straight when wrapped, held curls beautifully, was soft, the texture was good, and the roots were OK without the mousse I am using to at least make my hair look decent in a braid/bun. the word 'decent' is operative here. Without the mousse I would look like a sphynx cat with a bald-patch wig.

[Madora]

I agree with Cowgirl. Definitely way too much going on.

Try clarifying again and then start using only a gentle shampoo. Rinse out the shampoo twice and do the same for the conditioner.

The less stuff you put on your hair, the better. If you have problems with flyaways, then use a small bit of coconut oil to tame them.

As for the brushing, always follow each motion of the brush with the palm of your other hand. This cuts down the static electricity when you brush. It really does work!

Good luck!

[irisheyes]

Your hair was behaving perfectly by the beginning of summer? Maybe the summer heat and humidity are affecting your hair. My hair doesn't do well in the summer, even if I spend all of my time indoors with air conditioning. Styling products tend to worsen the situation.

[teela1978]

Your hair was behaving perfectly by the beginning of summer? Maybe the summer heat and humidity are affecting your hair. My hair doesn't do well in the summer, even if I spend all of my time indoors with air conditioning. Styling products tend to worsen the situation.

This. Weather can cause drastic changes in hair behavior.

[Barniie]

Have you done the whole "protein vs. moisture" thing?
Clarify, then see what your hair needs (stretchy, gummy, lacks strength = protein, dry vs. tangled, no stretch = moisture) then apply appropriate hair mask/pack/treatment. Let dry without aid of leave-in's etc. and see how you go!

[FluffSpider]

Thing is, last summers my hair was OK. It didn't change drastically. Sure, it got oilier faster, but the length was decent. I was trying to say that I've been following the LHC ways for a while, so it's not about my being a newbie and pouring every available bottle in the house on my head at once.
Though truth be told this summer hasn't even been much of a summer. Very hot days intermittent with chilly, rainy days. Almost like autumn entering menopause:p

@ Madora: the 'slow, gentle' thing did it for me:p so now BBBhate is a thing of the past. While it doesn't hurt my hair at all, it made a big difference only once. I had sockbunned, woke up with the puny curl, , braided it and left it alone. In the evening, it was unruly-straight, so I whipped out my BBB and some very nice, thick, awesome curls emerged. I haven't been able to duplicate the occurence

[Avital88]

Dont hack it off!!!
i remember myself feeling like this many times,,,micro trim!! patience, time heals a bit.also for hair in some way i noticed

[Avital88]

oh i just read it just behaves like this since a few weeks, well do nothing, neglect it. just light shampoo and conditioner/masks, wait it out until after summer. i think many people experience this when weather changes are on.

[FluffSpider]

Yesterday I hacked off a solid inch(maybe more) due to frustration:( And I wonder why it's not growing faster.

[virgo75]

When my hair goes into mis-behave mode I just leave all the extras because more often than not, it's buildup of one type or another.

I would suggest just using a mild shampoo and conditioner, prefereably free of cones, oils, butters, protein, aloe vera, honey, and glycerin. All of these things build up on my hair(well, except cones) so I avoid them when my hair acts up. Maybe just use shampoo and conditioner every 2-3 days for a week or 2 with NO leave-ins, oils, butters, clarifiers, deep treatments, etc. Nothing. Just basic shampoo and conditioner. Then you'll have a better idea of what you're working with.

It's often taken my hair several weeks to clear itself of buildup from oils, butters, glycerin, and protein. Cones can usually come out in one washing, but the rest take consistant cleansing and light conditioning so I'm not making the problem worse instead of better.

Hope things get better soon. :flower:

[whitestiletto]

It may be the damage done earlier is starting to show. Remember it will get worse as time goes on. I would suggest benign neglect. Can you just detangle, wrap it in a bun and ignore it for a few weeks, except when you wash it in whichever chosen gentle way?

Also, I hadn't heard that ACV chelated before. I know it's recommended for people with hard water though. Can someone else elaborate on this for me?

[Delila]

I just thought I'd mention that you mentioned that you had 'chelated with ACV.'

I wasn't aware that ACV could do anything but clarify.

Actual chelation is a different process. Just thought I'd mention it, in case it's helpful.

I'd use an actual chelating shampoo (yes, a retail product), follow it with a non-cone moisturizing conditioner and see where you stand.


Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=15746) to a thread I've found quite helpful, about dealing with different types of buildup.

[Peggy E.]

Maybe what you need to do is learn to love your hair in it's happy, natural state? Could be you are determined to turn it into something it just flat-out is not.

Worrying so much about it, doing all these treatments, only carries you further away from your goal - loving your hair. So, maybe you have naturally curly hair? If I woke up in the morning with hair like Helena Bonham-Carter's I'd be thrilled - and here you may well have it!

The idea of LHC is not to get all of our hair into a Stepford Wife mold, but in the healthiest condition possible. If you go through and look at all the many, many types and styles of hair here you are going to find some that will match yours. See how these people are caring for their hair and maybe you can learn through them how to appreciate the beautiful hair you are working to achieve.

It's the variety that makes life interesting!

[ktani]

I agree with Cowgirl. Definitely way too much going on.

Try clarifying again and then start using only a gentle shampoo. Rinse out the shampoo twice and do the same for the conditioner.

The less stuff you put on your hair, the better. If you have problems with flyaways, then use a small bit of coconut oil to tame them.

As for the brushing, always follow each motion of the brush with the palm of your other hand. This cuts down the static electricity when you brush. It really does work!

Good luck!

I agree with this advice and second, that acv does not chelate.

When my hair has too much of anything on it it can look stringy and thinner than it does otherwise.

Look for a shampoo without too many extras and use less conditioner, something light.

Your hair will recover. Been through this over the years.

[Safira]

When my hair goes into mis-behave mode I just leave all the extras because more often than not, it's buildup of one type or another.

I would suggest just using a mild shampoo and conditioner, prefereably free of cones, oils, butters, protein, aloe vera, honey, and glycerin. All of these things build up on my hair(well, except cones) so I avoid them when my hair acts up. Maybe just use shampoo and conditioner every 2-3 days for a week or 2 with NO leave-ins, oils, butters, clarifiers, deep treatments, etc. Nothing. Just basic shampoo and conditioner. Then you'll have a better idea of what you're working with.

It's often taken my hair several weeks to clear itself of buildup from oils, butters, glycerin, and protein. Cones can usually come out in one washing, but the rest take consistant cleansing and light conditioning so I'm not making the problem worse instead of better.

Hope things get better soon. :flower:

This is really good advice. Works for me everytime.

[FluffSpider]

When my hair goes into mis-behave mode I just leave all the extras because more often than not, it's buildup of one type or another.

I would suggest just using a mild shampoo and conditioner, prefereably free of cones, oils, butters, protein, aloe vera, honey, and glycerin. All of these things build up on my hair(well, except cones) so I avoid them when my hair acts up. Maybe just use shampoo and conditioner every 2-3 days for a week or 2 with NO leave-ins, oils, butters, clarifiers, deep treatments, etc. Nothing. Just basic shampoo and conditioner. Then you'll have a better idea of what you're working with.

It's often taken my hair several weeks to clear itself of buildup from oils, butters, glycerin, and protein. Cones can usually come out in one washing, but the rest take consistant cleansing and light conditioning so I'm not making the problem worse instead of better.

Hope things get better soon. :flower:

Hmm. Glycerin MIGHT be the culprit, I think my products have it, I thought it was one of those easily washable thingies. I'll def. do the whole no-nothing condish and shampooing. Would a 'clean', organic shampoo work?


It may be the damage done earlier is starting to show. Remember it will get worse as time goes on. I would suggest benign neglect. Can you just detangle, wrap it in a bun and ignore it for a few weeks, except when you wash it in whichever chosen gentle way?

Also, I hadn't heard that ACV chelated before. I know it's recommended for people with hard water though. Can someone else elaborate on this for me?

I think earlier damage would have manifested itself well...earlier. I've been no-cone. I've been no-heat. before my CPE, it looked OK without, but no-cone would reveal 10 more splits. It wasn't really a hindrance; I didn't go completely off the blowfry due to time economy, not the condition of my hair after air-drying.




I just thought I'd mention that you mentioned that you had 'chelated with ACV.'

I wasn't aware that ACV could do anything but clarify.

Actual chelation is a different process. Just thought I'd mention it, in case it's helpful.

I'd use an actual chelating shampoo (yes, a retail product), follow it with a non-cone moisturizing conditioner and see where you stand.


Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=15746) to a thread I've found quite helpful, about dealing with different types of buildup.
Before, I thought ACVs clarified, but then I read it didn't help with for instance cone build-up, so it's not a clarifier. But rather it was recommended and enjoyed by folks which had hard water-so it obviously kept the salts in check. And removing excess salt I thought was named chelating.... I know it's not of the same strength as the 'industrial', or commercial chelating shampoos, but aside from Garnier Pure brilliance I haven't seen any products in Romania designed for hard water. Has anyone had any experience with the Garnier product?


Maybe what you need to do is learn to love your hair in it's happy, natural state? Could be you are determined to turn it into something it just flat-out is not.

Worrying so much about it, doing all these treatments, only carries you further away from your goal - loving your hair. So, maybe you have naturally curly hair? If I woke up in the morning with hair like Helena Bonham-Carter's I'd be thrilled - and here you may well have it!

The idea of LHC is not to get all of our hair into a Stepford Wife mold, but in the healthiest condition possible. If you go through and look at all the many, many types and styles of hair here you are going to find some that will match yours. See how these people are caring for their hair and maybe you can learn through them how to appreciate the beautiful hair you are working to achieve.

It's the variety that makes life interesting!

Thing is, this is not its natural state:( I would LOVE Helena Bonham-Carter hair, but at the moment mine won't even HOLD a curl, not to mention form it by itself...


I agree with this advice and second, that acv does not chelate.

When my hair has too much of anything on it it can look stringy and thinner than it does otherwise.

Look for a shampoo without too many extras and use less conditioner, something light.

Your hair will recover. Been through this over the years.

I'll use a henna-infused(as in, has a little henna and brown pigment, but it's the lightest I can get) condish, and an organic 'poo. It's a choice between the organic one and a full-out ALS+ALES+SLS+SLES+cocamidopropyl betaine shampoo.

Thank you for your advice! :blossom: