Argh!

[styric]

Winter is driving me absolutely crazy. My hair is suffering MAJOR protein loss and shedding with dry ends, stretchy middles and major problems with split ends appearing in minutes. I isolated it to severe protein loss - I've had to use kpak reconstructor TWICE in two weeks! That combined with liberal use of panacea has helped tons.

It's now thick, soft, gorgeous feeling but so tangly and staticky from the dry air I've had to break out my coney serums to keep it from tangling and breaking the stretchy kinked sections damaged from the protein loss =( I'm also still shedding handfuls and had to trim back three months of growth in a S&D to get the inch long split ends out.

Winter I hate you..

[heidi w.]

For static, use a humidifier at night in the bedroom near where you sleep. It helps mitigate the dry air. You can consider running another one during the day AND night in the kitchen or community area of the house. The air may need a bit more moisture or wetness to it. This should help a little bit.

In my area this year, we had a relatively calm winter (barely any snow: I think we were hit with 5 inches one time whereas I've had a foot in one night, in the past, and multiples of feet over the duration of winter.) Usually I run a humidifier, but this year I didn't.

Helps with dry skin, dry mouth/throat (coughing), dry nose, and a bit with hair too. Too dry we can cough, have itchy skin (although I softened the house water where I live which really helps, too), nose's can become bloody. A humidifier mitigates all of this a bit.

heidi w.

[pepperminttea]

Have you tried using coconut oil as a pre-wash treatment? That'll help reduce the protein loss during washing. :)

[ktani]

Have a look at this thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86298

It may provide just the relief you need. The less product and residue on your hair the better the results.

Coconut oil cannot provide protein loss help unless it is used on well clarified hair, and then with a non build-up shampoo. http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-on-oils-and-oil-shampoo.html

[pepperminttea]

Coconut oil cannot provide protein loss help unless it is used on well clarified hair, and then with a non build-up shampoo. http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-on-oils-and-oil-shampoo.html

I still find it helps. :shrug: Can the placebo effect work on hair? :lol:

[ktani]

I still find it helps. :shrug: Can the placebo effect work on hair? :lol:

More of a nice surface conditioner effect.

Coconut oil or any nondrying oil used as a pre-wash can help prevent water from being absorbed into hair, and if it is not fully washed out, help condition hair, used on conditioned hair and residue. The lauric acid in coconut oil though is not penetrating hair to further help prevent water absorption by bonding to protein in the cortex, and helping prevent protein loss.

ETA: Drying oils can do that too - surface conditioning. However, because they polymerize on contact with air, they form a film on hair that with amounts and continued use, can be very difficult to remove and can require repeated clarifying to remove. ETA:2 http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2020749&postcount=11

[pepperminttea]

More of a nice surface conditioner effect.

Coconut oil or any nondrying oil used as a pre-wash can help prevent water from being absorbed into hair, and if it is not fully washed out, help condition hair, used on conditioned hair and residue. The lauric acid in coconut oil though is not penetrating hair to further help prevent water absorption by bonding to protein in the cortex, and helping prevent protein loss.

ETA: Drying oils can do that too - surface conditioning. However, because they polymerize on contact with air, they form a film on hair that with amounts and continued use, can be very difficult to remove and can require repeated clarifying to remove. ETA:2 http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2020749&postcount=11

Given how my hair reacts to being clarified, I think I'll stick with the surface conditioning. ;)

[ktani]

Given how my hair reacts to being clarified, I think I'll stick with the surface conditioning. ;)

Then you would be better off using only nondrying oils, or drying oils infrequently and only in small amounts, in my opinion and given the information I linked.

[styric]

My hair hates mineral oil, coconut oil and just barely tolerates sweet almond and grapeseed. It likes triple moon however

[styric]

I used a humidifier only to realize my hair jumped to full 3a/b curls since I protein treated it. The tangles were tighter curls springing up I've never had more than 2c in upper canopy befor.

I loaded it up with panacea and oil, rinsed it then applied PM's SSS. My hair turned into thick, soft, silky coils from ears down. I wore it loose with the top braided back on a date and got tons of compliments. The cones are keeping my delicate ends from tangling until the protein loss is adjusted for. I went from unwearable, to movie star coils in one day. Oh how temperamental curls can be...